WHY DID I LISTEN TO THE BRIGHT AND BREAKING SEA BY CHLOE NEILL?
Who doesn’t love a good high seas adventure? The Bright And Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill had a cover that instantly caught my eye. And then, I guess it just gave me some Jacky Faber vibes, so I knew I wanted to listen to it ASAP. Add in a little bit of magic and I was sold on listening to this audiobook sooner rather than later. Plus, I’ve heard of Chloe Neill but have never read her books before. This was a great starting point.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
The Bright And Breaking Sea follows Captain Kit Brightling as she is sent on a mission by Queen Charlotte to rescue a spy from pirates. The queen teams Kit up with Rian Grant who is a veteran of the Continental War and someone who has a different perspective from Kit. You see, Kit has a magical affinity with the sea and that’s not always held in the best regard. Still, she’s an efficient and excellent captain and one of the few women to work her way up so high. In order for the mission to save the spy to be a success, Kit and Grant need to learn to trust each other. But, at the same time there’s a snake in the grass in the midst and they’ll need to root out who the betrayer is.

WHAT DID I THINK OF THE BRIGHT AND BREAKING SEA?
I actually found The Bright And Breaking Sea to be so enjoyable and engaging. I listened to it over a short period of time and just fell for the world and for Kit. She’s amazing. You see, she started life raised up in a home for foundlings and orphans. She rose above some terrible circumstances to really make something of her life. Plus we have the mistrust to trust relationship between Kit and Grant — and yes there is chemistry there and it kept me listening.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook is narrated by Danielle Cohen. It is 10 hours and 55 minutes long and completely compelling. Cohen’s narration reminded me a little of the late Katherine Kellgren. I think because her voice is really melodic and soothing to listen to. Still, the narrator does bring her own unique spin and style to the audiobook. I felt like this was a total win of a listen and I can’t wait to listen to more books from this series as they come out.

Everyone knows that I adore pirate books, but this one was something else! I adored our female lead--especially seeing her in a captain's role! Overall, I think this is a nice book to start with if you are looking to get into pirate or seafaring novels since the characters spend a decent amount on both land and sea. One thing that I did enjoy a lot about this novel--and why I was so excited to read it, was because of a female lead (Captain). Usually, pirate novels (older ones, I suppose) have male leads and play into roles of misogyny, so I appreciate this novel for giving us a strong leading lady in a role that so many writers do not place women in. It was very refreshing to read a book in said category that had female crewmembers and Captains.

If you'd like to see my coverage on Frolic, you can check it out here: https://frolic.media/perfect-pairings-books-and-sam-smith-songs/

I really enjoyed this alternate history/magical/seafaring fantasy. I've read a lot of books set during the Regency era, and I like how this one flipped the time period on its head. Kit was a great character and I'm looking forward to more of her adventures and the development of her relationship with Grant. I'll definitely be reading the sequel.

Utterly Fantastic! This is wonderful world building and brilliant writing! It's so unique and I cannot wait for more!

I really enjoyed this book! I've enjoyed Chloe Neill's other books, but this is the first historical fiction book that I've read from her. I loved Kit and Grant, they worked well together, but there was a lot of friction and polite bickering. It just so much fun to read!

This is set in a world with magic and gods, and Alignments. And it's et to the backdrop with a character comparable to Napoléon, at the time after he'd been defeated the first time, was confined to an island, but before he escaped again to wreak more havoc. And it was so interesting to read!

I really enjoyed Kit as a character, she's strong and smart, and deeply connected to the sea. She's young for her position, and she does take some flack for that, and because she's female, but that's from the sexist old dudes. I just wanted them to get their comeuppance!

I loved watching these two investigate on behalf of Her Majesty. They have a few consecutive missions, where they start to put the pieces of the bad guy's plans together. I enjoyed the spy work, and learning about the magic, and I'm excited to see where it goes in the sequels!

This was a fantastic read, and I can't wait to continue the series!

Blame the fact that my husband and I absolutely made the chaotic decision to mainline all five Pirates of the Caribbean movies in as many days recently, but I was looking for something that emphasized the seafaring element of that franchise while also offering a fabulous heroine and a world that paired magic and realism and pirates and naval heroes and ANYWAY, enter The Bright and Breaking Sea, which hits so many of my buttons that it’s frankly kind of unfair. You can tell when an author loves and respects romance because it manages to eke through into their other genres too and so much of this book had enough tropey goodness for my liking, paired with a magic system I was super into and lots of high-seas adventure. If this is a series as I’m hoping it will be, I’m really looking forward to Book 2.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF after 6 chapters

The Bright and Breaking Sea is a good book, but it's not what I expected it to be. Based on the author and the number of romance titles Berkley has been putting out, I hoped this would have a larger romance component than it does. I will heartily recommend it to people more into political and naval fantasy, because I think it's going to do an amazing job with that, but that's all of minimal interest to me.

Pirates, magic, and mystery, OH MY! And penned by Chloe Neill! You can’t go wrong by picking up a copy of The Bright and The Breaking Sea.

Kit has a magical ability with the seas, so being a Captain in the Queen’s fleet suits her perfectly. When the Queen pairs her with a Viscount, Rian, to infiltrate a pirate stronghold to rescue a kidnapped spy, Kit balks. She has been on the wrong side of the upper class’s attitudes and has no desire to deal with one on her ship. But when the fate of her country and home are at stake, they must find a way to work together before they find themselves under an emperor’s rule.

Neill has woven a fabulously enchanting, magical, swashbuckling, fantasy tale that sucks the reader right into the adventure. Captain Kit Brightling is an amazing heroine that surrounds herself with strong and confident family and crew members and I can only say that watching the tenuous relationship between Kit and Rian evolve was simply brilliant.

This is definitely a change from the past Neill storylines but all the sassy, strong characters and adventure that we've come to love are still there. I highly recommend you check it out.

This, the start of a series, is historical fantasy that reimagines the Napoleonic Wars in an alternate world where magic runs along ley lines, ‘currents of power that feathered through the world’ and can be felt by those who are ‘Aligned’. They can use it, but the effects are dangerous and unpredictable. Society is multi-racial, and names are changed: England becomes the Saxon Isles, ruled by Queen Charlotte; Gerard is the Gallic emperor in exile at Montgraf. Despite lingering prejudice, women have a measure of equality and serve in the military. Kit Brightling, the protagonist, is not only Aligned, but a captain in the Isles’ navy. Though a foundling, she was reared with a group of other talented girls who have become her sisters.

Despite the presence of such familiar Regency motifs as aristocratic snobbery, a wastrel younger brother with gambling debts, and the shift of the protagonists’ initial antagonism to growing affection, this is a fast-paced tale of high adventure, featuring naval battles, the rescue of a prisoner from a pirate stronghold, the hunt for traitors. And heroes, male and female both, with superior talents to get the job done. The writing is taut and witty.

Strongly recommended.
HNR Issue 94 (November 2020)
https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-bright-and-breaking-sea-a-captain-kit-brightling-novel/

This book didn't work for me, unfortunately. Maybe I'm not in the headspace for this kind of story at the moment - it was a little too slow and dragged in big parts. The story didn't hold my attention

Captain Kit was a spunky, bold, fierce and independent heroine, just how I like them but she couldn't save this story for me. Maybe I'll try to read it again at a later time. But for now I have to say this book and I, we are not friends.

Chloe Neill remains one of my favorite authors and I will read basically anything she writes. So I'm happy to report that The Bright and Breaking Sea did not disappoint one bit.

Kit and Rian are starting the slowest of slow burns that I have ever seen. They have an immediate chemistry, but neither of them is willing to trust the other enough to really get too close. I enjoyed watching them become more at ease and begin to form a relationship based on trust. There is no insta-love here, folks.

The world building is well done and I do believe it's Chloe's first fully "fantasy world." The other series she has written have been based in alternate US cities, such as Chicago or New Orleans. But this new fantasy world has a 18th or 19th century feel, with some elements of progression, such as women being able to captain and crew the ships. I really enjoyed getting this glimpse into a completely new reality and can't wait to see where she takes it in future books.

I highly recommend this book to fans of pirate-type fantasy and slow burn romance. Fans of Chloe's previous works will not be disappointed.

Chloe Neill opens the Kit Brightling series with The Bright and Breaking Sea. Kit rescued as a foundling along with other girls by a powerful women in the Crown Command has become a Captain and member of the Crown Command herself. Kit is aligned with the water and can influence the sea currents. She is assigned with Colonel Grant to rescue a spy. An intriguing alternate world with a Queen in New London set against an Emperor plotting from exile. A great fantasy read.

"Chloe Neill brings her trademark wit and wild sense of adventure to a stunning seafaring fantasy starring a dauntless heroine in a world of magic and treachery.

Kit Brightling, rescued as a foundling and raised in a home for talented girls, has worked hard to rise through the ranks of the Isles’ Crown Command and become one of the few female captains in Queen Charlotte's fleet. Her ship is small, but she's fast—in part because of Kit’s magical affinity to the sea. But the waters become perilous when the queen sends Kit on a special mission with a partner she never asked for.

Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, may be a veteran of the Continental war, but Kit doesn’t know him or his motives - and she’s dealt with one too many members of the Beau Monde. But Kit has her orders, and the queen has commanded they journey to a dangerous pirate quay and rescue a spy who's been gathering intelligence on the exiled emperor of Gallia.

Kit can lead her ship and clever crew on her own, but with the fate of queen and country at stake, Kit and Rian must learn to trust each other, or else the Isles will fall...."

I always listen to my friend Johnnie's book recommendations and Johnnie says to read this book.

I really did go into this thinking I was going to love this. It's got adventures, high seas, a promise of romance, fantasy. All my favorite treats. That's the heroine on the cover. She's dashing and debonair. Sounds like a fun ride. Unfortunately, I think I'm outlier here. I can't get into this at all. The pacing is shockingly bad and I'm saying this as someone that normally loves to read long epic arcs and doesn't mind a slow pace as long as the story is intriguing and interesting. Scratch that last part when it regards this book. This book is the equivalent of falling asleep in a movie theater. I had to re-read parts a few times. As I said, I could not find the writing interesting. I have decided this writing style is not for me. While I'm sure the author works perfectly well for others, she unfortunately does not work for me. DNF.

Take a trip out on the high seas with Captain Kit Brightling in Chloe Neill’s new book The Bright and Breaking Sea! When the Queen receives news of one of her people being captured she calls on Kit to be his rescuer. Unfortunately for Kit, the Queen also requests that Rian Grant accompany her on the rescue mission. While on the mission Kit uses her affinity with the sea to sense a changing in the magic and begins to suspect there is more afoot than just one missing man. Chloe Neill’s book are always incredible so I was excited to start this new series of hers.

Definitely an engaging story and quite a departure from much of Neill's other works. Captain Kit is by far the most memorable character. Great sense of mystery, adventure and just a touch of romantic potential.

What a good read! I really liked both Kit and Grant's characters. The world building was decent and I am quite looking forward to the next books in this series!
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

I really enjoyed this first book in a new fantasy series. It's a quick and easy read, and there is plenty of action, magic, fighting, fast ships and has just a hint of romance.

Kit Brightling is a young female that quickly rose through the ranks of the Queen's Navy and is one of it's few female captains. Her ship is small, but fast, and its' work is aided by her magical affinity to the sea, which allows her to speed the ship up when she touches that magic under the water.

Kit is ordered by the Queen to team up with Viscount Rian Grant, who is a soldier and a member of the Beau Monde, which is their society's rich nobility. Born a foundling and raised in a home for girls, Kit has no love for members of the Beau Monde, but orders are orders. Grant is haunted by his service in the last war, and wants nothing more to do with fighting, but he must follow his Queen's orders.

The duo are tasked with rescuing a captured spy that has gained intelligence on an emperor that was recently defeated and exiled. Kit and her crew set off on the rescue, as Kit and Grant try to learn to work and trust each other.

The action starts pretty quick in this book and the author sets a good pace. There is minimal worldbuilding, but there is enough to get a good sense of what's going on. I like Kit. She's self assured without coming off too cocky, and is able to put people in their place without sounding bitchy and petty. She's earned the respect and loyalty of her crew, and would do anything and everything to make sure they come home safe from their mission.

Grant is mysterious, but not too gruff or grumpy, and is willing to give credit where credit is due. There is a little bit of chemistry between Grant and Kit, but luckily, the romance part of the book is very minimal and doesn't detract too much from the action of the book.

One thing I liked is that the main storyline of this book is concluded at the end, but the book ends on a cliffhanger that extends the story. So, if you don't want to continue on with the series (but I mean, why wouldn't you want to do that?), you get a resolution of the main storyline. I enjoyed this book, and can't wait for the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a free digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a lot of fun. The MC is named Kit and she's a ship captain with a magical affinity to the sea. The Queen sends Kit on a top secret mission along with an irritating nobleman she wants nothing to do with. It was an obvious and easy set up for a romance but I AM HERE FOR IT! I loved the romance and just because it's an easy set up doesn't mean it's not good.

Anyways, there is pirates, betrayals and sea battles! I loved this book and I think if you enjoy witty characters and pirates than you should check this book out!

The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neil is going to be a very hard book for me to categorize which, for anyone looking into it, is going to be a repeated refrain. The story is heavily fantastical. A very different historical setting, with an interesting system keeps it very much in the fantastical. But the emphasis on the characters and the interpersonal relationships, including a budding romance, make me want to tentatively class it as romance. That being said there is no on page sex, so I wouldn't call it a Romantic Fantasy (like a Heart of Blood and Ashes earlier this year). Regardless it's a lot of fun.
As I stated the setting is world that feels very much like a Post-Napoleonic England, but with a much more diverse and rich cast than you might get from a true historical fiction set in that period. The queen, for example, is of mixed race, and our protagonist is a young female captain in the military. Both things that wouldn't have happened then. Our male hero is your classic grouchy noble. The story takes place on both land and sea, so don't go in just expecting naval action.
This was the highlight for me. My main hesitancy with this book was that I don't always do well with ship/sea mechanics. I find it terribly dull, and it never keeps my attention. Once past the half-way mark though this one barrels through a naval voyage, some possibly feelings and backstory building for our male hero, a couple of spy missions, and lots of sassy dialogue. There is a lot here past the naval setting and that keeps the book rich and interesting.
It was a fun and easy read, not one that had a lot of surprises though. I will continue on as this seems to be a really good light read to keep the spirits up. A great jumping off start for a new series.