I love Chloe Neill and was super excited to start a new series that strayed a bit for her normal settings. The Bright and Breaking Sea was so delightful. Kit and Rian were so wonderful, and I do love a slow-burn. All together, I'd recommend this to those who love a good mystery and slow-burn romance!

New series from an excellent author! I liked this one. It is very different from her other works, but a refreshing change.
#TheBrightandBreakingSea
Thank to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review The Bright and Breaking Sea.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC. I liked this book. Had to read it because it is by one of my favorite authors. It was easy to get into and it flowed well. The addition of it happening in a nautical setting was different. I did find the characters to be a little flat at times making them a little hard to get vested in but overall a good read.

The best books sweep the reader away to a new fascinating world and that is exactly what this book did for me. Magic, a strong female character, a man who doubts her magic, and life at sea all combine to make this a memorable tale. Kit Brightling has talents many don't understand, including Rian Grant, but he has to work with her at the Queen's request. Rian is a soldier who puts little faith in things he can't explain until he meets Kit. I loved the story, the relationship between Kit and Rian, and am looking forward to the next book in this series!

The Bright and Breaking Sea- Chloe Neill

I positively adore Kit. She’s stubborn and sure of herself, but not in a way that is overbearing or grating. From the get go you see how she genuinely cares about all of her crew, and respects them. Even in the beginning when I wasn’t sure where things were going, I didn’t care, because the life of the crew is engrossing, without being weighed down by naval jargon. (The reader, and one character are given a very brief explanation of different parts, but not in a ‘maid and butler’ fashion, which I was pleased to see.)

Grant… he annoyed me at first. He’s a fully realized character, but his interactions with Kit annoyed me. He’s meant to though, so I suppose it all worked out well. He quickly grows on you as the plot progresses, until you turn around and realize “This is actually a wonderful character.” The only thing that frustrated me was it felt like once he opens up a bit to Kit, the hits just keep coming in a way that seems oddly counter to his earlier attitude.

Jane gives Kit a serious run for her money in terms of being my favorite character. Scientific, witty and fashionable, she’s a treat. I hope that we get to see a great deal more of her in the near future.


All of the characters grew on me as I read further, as did the plot. To pull from the world itself, it started off as slow pull of the currents and quickly became something I couldn’t escape. There were so many moments when I thought that I knew what was going to be happening next, and every time I was wrong. It was wonderful.

The magic of the world is wonderfully done, and has very little in the way of learning curve for the reader. It makes a great deal of sense within the world and is easy to understand as it becomes more central to the story.


The writing flowed very smoothly, and was rich in sensory detail. It was all to easy to lose myself in the world and forget where I was for a time.

I’ll definitely be putting this on my watch list for my library.

A great swashbuckling slow burn odd couple romance with a bit of mystery and espionage mixed in. Absolutely loved every page of it.