This really a typical Novella with a lack of depth due to the length of the story.
Although well written there just is not the time to develop the characters or the story.
A real let down.

More like 3.5 stars, not quite 4 because its too short.  I don't even know where to start.  I know I read the description before downloading it but I somehow missed that is was a "romance" M/M.  No issues just caught me off guard at first.  So we are following Raine and Karl.  Raine is a Spacer...he moves cargo.  And Karl needs help getting into "enemy" territory.  

Its Firefly with a two man crew and a really fancy ship.  Its a quick read but its honestly really good.   You want to hate Raine, he's a bastard but he isn't, he has a heart so to say.  Karl seems green but there is something lurking beneath the surface.  He is on a mission to save his friend and needs Raine.  The problem is Raine is a man ho (at least it seems) and Karl is "innocent".  

Together with the amazing ship they are going to save the galaxy, and each other.  

It's written to move quickly but its captivating.  It really does grab your interest.  My only issue is it moves so fast.  I like to see more development in characters and in story.  I like to see the build in the relationship.  But even with that lacking I like Raine and Karl.  It's good.  They are good.  It's...just read it.  Like I said Firefly...plus.

beyond meridian had a nice story and nice characters, but it kinda failed to keep me /really/ interested.
the plot was fun, fast-paced and interesting, making it the strongest aspect of the story, and while, like, i said, the characters were nice, none of them felt really developed/fleshed out. as a result, the relationship between the main characters felt hollow and a bit boring. 
didn't hate it, but i didn't like it either.

My first m/m romance, this was a quick, easy read. Beyond Meridian is under 100 pages, but it is crammed full of action, adventure, romance and sexy time.

Karl needs a ride into enemy territory, word has it that Captain Raine is his best bet. Captain Raine knows that Karl isn’t telling him the whole truth, but he can’t turn down the money. Together they run illegal goods, battle space pirates and their feelings for each other all while trying to save the person who Karl owes his life to.
Raine had a total Han Solo feel to him, he was gruff and handsome. Karl was sweet, endearing. You know exactly how the plot will play out, but it was well written and fun so you don’t mind. By having it set in space, it makes it even more fun. The planets, the different people and the ongoing war are all in the background of the story, there is a lot of room for more books in this universe, even longer fleshed out ones if the author chose to go that route.

This is a re-release and the first in a series, so I’m assuming the next two will also be re-released as well.

I received this e-arc from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title – Beyond Meridian
Author – C.C Bridges
Publisher – NineStar Press
Released – 3 September 2018

This short book is an easy and fun read.

Rick Raine is a captain of his own ship and transports all sorts of cargo. One gets the impression that not all of it is legal.
One day, Karl approaches him because of his reputation, as he needs someone to take him to Medhem. Karl doesn't say who he is and who he works for, nor why he has to get there. Over time Raine finds out it is to save his friend, Sam who was sold into slavery.

The story is short and I miss a lot of world building and story set up. It rushes through the events, where I think it could have been expanded a bit more.

One thing I LOVED though is the AI ship Raine owns and the two robots that help him keep it maintained. Especially Itchy, who took a liking to Karl from the first day. I would have been interested to get to know a bit more about this. There is much potential to this story.

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

A quick, enjoyable read with fun worldbuilding and some sexy space rogues. Sure, there are sci fi tropes aplenty, but that added to my enjoyment - I do love a captain who loves his ship accompanied by a naive "kid"  who's more than he seems. I would definitely read the future adventures of Raine and Karl!  

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Writing is fine but the story didnt work for me nor did Raine constantly calling Karl kid. I liked the universe that the author created and the scifi elements but I just did not mesh with the characters

Beyond Meridian is a m/m sci-fi novella which combines action and romance to deliver a fast-paced and enjoyable story.

When Karl, a mysterious young man who’s seeking transportation to another territory, one that is closely guarded by the Confederation of Free Planets, approaches Captain Rick Raine asking for help, Rick has no real idea what he’s getting himself into. After uncovering a growing attraction for each other and learning about Karl’s true reason for his journey, Rick must decide if he wants to risk his life (and lifestyle!) for the mysterious young man he agreed to help.

What worked best for me in this novella was the relationship between Karl and Rick, which develops from virtual strangers to lovers as they get to know and trust one another on their journey. Seeing Karl work through some of his trust issues, and Rick working through his commitment issues offers great character development for both of them. To do this within the confines of a novella is a great achievement, and their relationship felt wonderfully paced and very real to me. The two men are very different to each other. Karl initially is perceived to be ‘weaker’ than Rick (by Rick!) and is quickly able to prove him wrong, coming out on top during their verbal spats.

The world-building unfortunately felt rushed to me. Although there were some great ideas in there – most notably the unique AI system and cute robots in Rick’s ship – the intergalactic world wasn’t explored sufficiently for me. Some of this is due to the length of the book, as it’s only a novella length; but I definitely felt that more inventive world-building if not necessarily more world-building would have helped me to feel more immersed in Karl and Rick’s world.

Overall, the novella is action-packed, romantic and a fun read!

Rick Raine is our space captain. Karl is our other MC looking for transport to Mendhem, a territory controlled by Confed military. The Confed (Confederation of Free Planets) and UPA (United Planetary Alliance) are at war. This story starts on Meridan, a world along the borders that tries to stay a neutral territory. 

Raine agrees to take him on as crew if he can find cargo to transport. Karl is from Meridan, but has been living on Earth. He escaped his life in the brothels after his mother's death at 12, due to Sam, who is trapped on Mendhem after being sold as a slave. Slavery is allowed in the Confed and sometimes people are given a choice between slavery or military service.

I liked the descriptions of the various worlds, the spacecraft, and space travel. I love that the ship is piloted like a theramin.

I have to say both characters are so different in their outlook and approach to life, but both are likable in their own way. Rick will remind you a bit of Hans Solo and this is no bad thing. Karl could be a young Luke without cool powers. The sex scenes were well written and fit into the story as a natural, inevitable progression to them growing closer through proximity and sharing dangerous situations. 

As a novella it did its job of telling a complete story with world-building. Due to it's length, it did such a good job by focusing on the two main characters and showing us parts of space inhabited by "border rats" and a small part of Confed space. We don't know that much about UPA and that is fine. I hope adventures in this world continue and we get to see if UPA is actually the "good guy" in this fight, or if it is a bit more nuanced than that. This story is complete with an ending, but it could be a beginning too, so that could make this work for a prequel or just book one in this world. 

I would rate this 4.5 stars.

Short and fun. An entertaining read. Raine's frustration with Karl is hilarious. #BeyondMeridian #NetGalley

Lacking world building, nuance, and depth, Beyond Meridian often feels like a warmed over Luke/Han Solo slash fanfiction.  The leads were nearly perfect copies of those two characters - even to where they have to infiltrate and then rescue the girl.  Obi Wan's character was turned into a ship AI.  Because of the lack of originality, this made for a very unchallenging and quick read - a Twinkie of a book.

Story:  Karl needs a ship to save his friend Sam.  He enlists the help of rogue ship captain Raine and the two set out to find Sam and rescue her.  In the process, they fall into bed together.

I think this book took all of two hours to read.  There just wasn't much meat on the bone and the writing really lacked sophistication.  I would have preferred it didn't have such a strong Star Wars vibe (e.g., every time Raine calls Karl 'kid', I cringe).  The romance, such as it was, was pretty unbelievable and really needed to be developed better in order to have credibility.  Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

A space spy story. Karl hires Rains to take him to Mendhem.
Where Karl wants to rescue Sam.  Sam is a fellow spy that got sold into slavery.  
Most of the tale is a bout the trip thru space.  Raine is captain of the ship that Karl hired. They have a fun time seeing some new things. Getting to know each other.  Then they become more than friends. 
 A shortish tale. A quickie about spies in space.
(Given a copy for an honest review) (Thanks) (NetGalley)

This is a short book, easy and fun to read. 

Rick Raine, a captain of his own ship, that transports different kinds of cargo, gets approached by Karl. Karl wants to take him to Medhem because he wants to save his friend Sam. Though Karl doesn’t say who Sam is and who he himself is and works for, Raine accepts if Karl can get him a cargo to transport. Karl happily does and they set off to save Sam.

The story is short, so we don’t get a lot of world building. Their mission happens fast with a bit of delay while going there. The banter between the characters is funny. One thing I really liked where Raine’s bots, especially Itchy! So cute! Raine’s ship has a very intelligent AI, and very cool piloting system. Sci-fi fans will like it. 

I would have loved if it was longer. I wanted more action, more of the characters getting to know each other. I think the next books in the series have that. I’ll give them a chance!

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

Captain Rick Raine thinks he's helping Karl with a cargo load when he agrees to take him to another planet. Along the way, they get caught up with privateers and get stuck battling the United Planetary Alliance. When Karl finally shares some of his secrets, Raine has to decide if he's worth a mission that could result in execution.

This was a quick read and it was fun. Zooming through the galaxy at light speed with AI and spider looking robots is quite an adventure. I liked the story and it held my interest. I'd recommend this book.

I was given this ARC from NineStar Press, LLC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.