Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I had such a great time reading this book! I loved the first one, and I couldn't wait to continue Kit's adventures, and this book starts off strong, with a prologue that has the Emperor escaping, and Kit and her crew are fast on his tail, and that was fantastic to read!

I loved Kit and Rian's relationship in this book! This is the second time that they've been thrown together, and the sparts from the first book are still there. And he definitely changes the dynamics with a certain question, and I loved watching the ensuing drama unfold!

Watching these two deal with their latest case was a lot of fun to read! This is in alternative history, so Gerard is a stand in for Napoleon. I've read one or two books that have dealt with this time period, and watching them try to recapture this guy that cased a lot of war was the top priority!

That ending was just evil! I love and hate cliffhangers, because the waiting for the next book can be awful, but the fact that it's raised such emotions in me means that it was a good book. I can't wait tos ee how things are resolved in the next book!

Loved reading this book, and I need to the 3rd book now!

A Swift and Savage Tide is the fabulous follow-up to Neil’s first series installment, The Bright and Breaking Sea. I adored the first book and greatly anticipated Kit’s next adventure. This fantasy series has it all: a confident, formidable female heroine, adventure, espionage, and smouldering romance. The plot is fun and engaging. I was also most pleased the romance between Captain Kit and Viscount Rian Grant is more fully realized in this installment. I found A Swift and Savage Tide to be an all-consuming, wildly entertaining read from start to finish.

This series has long-term potential. While threats remain, there are other creative, curious, and courageous Brightlings in the wings waiting to support Kit and future developments. I cannot wait for the next sea-faring adventure.

While I absolutely love the characters and the magic, I was somewhat disappointed by the spice in this book. It was unexpected since book 1 was very mild. Plus it’s categorized as YA but it’s definitely not. It would have been more expected had the categorization been more accurate.

However, aside from that, I do love the adventure and widening of magic in this book. I’m definitely looking forward to book 3!

‼️A spicy scene with some detail.

My rating: 3.8*
—-
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this gifted copy.

I read this book back in January. I remember really enjoying it, but now I can’t recall a thing about it. I will still continue the series, because I like I said I remember enjoying it. I may have to reread the first 2 books before the next one comes out. I love seafaring books!!

This was another fantastic installment from Chloe Neill. While I'm a bit behind due to the sheer number of amazing new author's I've found in the past few years, Chloe will always hold a special place in my heart as one of my first "auto-buy" authors. I love her writing and characters and will read anything she writes, even if it takes me a little while to catch up!

Fantastic

Captain Kit Brightling is Aligned to the magic of the sea, which makes her an invaluable asset to the Saxon Isles and its monarch, Queen Charlotte. The Isles and its allies will need every advantage they can get: Gerard Rousseau, the former Gallic emperor and scourge of the Continent, has escaped his island prison to renew his quest for control of the Continent.

Gerard has no qualms about using dangerous magic to support his ambitions, so Kit and the crew of her ship, the Diana, are the natural choice to find him—and help stop him. But then Kit’s path unexpectedly crosses with that of the dashing and handsome Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, who’s working undercover on the Continent in his own efforts to stop Gerard. And he’s not the only person Kit is surprised to see. An old enemy has arisen, and the power he’ll wield on Gerard’s behalf is beautiful and terrible. Sparks will fly and sails will flutter as Kit and crew are cast into the seas of adventure to fight for queen and country.

The sequel to The Bright and Breaking Sea, this second in the series begins quite satisfactorily, the author dropping us right into the action of Kit and her crew attempting to locate Gerard Rousseau and his allies. While they quickly locate his ship, complications arise including Kit being caught and imprisoned. She is extricated with the aid of Rian Grant, love interest and her ally but she also encounters an old enemy with talent for wielding current in ways that the Isles cannot hope to match, at least without more training than Kit has. While romance and war face Kit, she must find a way to deal with both as she heads to sea once more. 

Just as with the first, the characters are engaging. I love Kit and Rian, both their decisions, their skills, their banter, and the romance elements. The secondary characters, like Jin and the rest of Kit’s crew are also impossible not to like. The action and pacing are quick at the beginning of the novel and the romance subplot is swiftly developed. The  novel is as quick and interesting as the first which is unusual in a second novel. Not only that but it builds the tension to allow for the next novel in the series. 

My only observation is unlike the first novel where the action maintains the pace throughout the novel, in the sequel, the final act is a bit rushed. It is concluded in a very satisfying way and the romance subplot is particularly well handled, with Chloe Neill staying true to the nature of the characters and how much they care about each other. It will be interesting to see the romance developed further in the next novel along with the war between Gerard and the Isles increasing. 

If you love books with adventure, magic, the ocean, and even pirates, this is the novel for you. It includes dragons and a unique magical element. Along with truly interesting characters that are well developed, this is a hit to me.




Rating: 4.5 out of 5 dragons.

Kit Brightling is definitely a favourite of mine and I love that we get more of her in this book. She is such a fierce and powerful character in a world that while different from ours- still has a hard time with women of authority. Also Rian was back and let me say so lad we get to see more of there relationship develop through this book. Lots of things went down in this book and honestly I can't wait to jump into the next one.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

As a massive fan of both Chloe Neill and Captain Kit Brightling, I am extremely excited about the second novel in this series. A Swift and Savage Tide brings readers back to a fantastical world where our beloved Captain is one of the few people around to save the day. And I, for one, cannot wait to see where her journey takes us.

Captain Kit Brightling and her crew have been sent on a mission to track down Gerard Rousseau and his allies. It is a dangerous task, but her fast ship, Diana, and her competent crew give them better odds than most.

While on her mission, she unexpectedly bumps into Rian Grant. Together they must team up, discover Gerard's insidious plan, and save the day. Who knows, if they have the time, perhaps they'll continue falling for one another.

“At twenty-four, Kit understood the ways of romance, and she wasn’t one to pine over a man. Certainly not a viscount.”

Captain Kit Brightling is the best combination of favorite elements: fantasy, piracy, and romance (plus many other details that I almost certainly forget to mention). Thus you can imagine my joy when I laid my hands on the latest novel, A Swift and Savage Tide.

Hopping back onboard Kit's ship, Diana, was such a delight. Her crew is determined and loyal, and I feel like we really got a chance to get to know a few of them in this novel. More than that, we got to learn even more about Kit, her adventures, and the task at hand.

Let us not forget Rian Grant, who plays a pivotal role in this novel. He is likewise dealing with Gerard and the enemy, and I love how that brought these two back together again. I know I can't be the only one thrilled about that – as they are the perfect pair to ship (pun intended).

The slow-burning romance is the perfect balance to an intense and sometimes outright dangerous plot. It's hard to ignore the magical threat that looms on the horizon, though at times, one might like to try and forget all of that.

I honestly really do love Kit's humor and all of the char that seems to seep from these pages. It has quickly become one of my favorite series - something I look forward to. Given the state of the world, I think that is something we could all use right about now.

Thanks again, Chloe Neill, for creating such a captivating series. I love Kit Brightling and very much look forward to seeing what adventure (read: mess) she gets into next time!

Chloe Neill in A Swift and Savage Tide creates an alternate paranormal history of the Napoleonic Wars period. The captain of a naval ship is female and has paranormal powers; she can channel the currents of the seas. She and a viscount envoy of the queen are trying to prevent the Napoleonic character from coming back to power after his removal. Excellent use of the place of the supernatural in the war and a tentative romance between the captain and the viscount. Read on.

One Sentence Summary: With Gerard Rousseau escaped from his island prison, Kit Brightling’s mission is to find his ship, but she ends up encountering much more than she expected.

Overall
A Swift and Savage Tide is the second in the Captain Kit Brightling series. A fantasy retelling of Napoleon’s escape from Elba, it swirls together Napoleonic era literature with some Jane Austen and regency romance, making it full of adventure with a healthy dose of romance and a dash of societal expectations. While the story is on the simple side, it’s still a fun sea adventure with plenty of action and wonderful characters as well as a dangerous and magic-filled chase across the sea. I love that it manages so easily to put my favorite characters together again without any real lengthy absences and especially that it’s, overall, quite a light and fun read.

Extended Thoughts
Following the events of the first book, The Bright and Breaking Sea, with Gerard Rousseau having escaped his island prison and set on harnessing magic to try to take over the Continent again, Captain Kit Brightling’s mission is to track down his ship. Sailing along the coast of Gallia on her trusty Diana, she believes she’s found it, but, in investigating further, discovers a man the Isles had presumed dead, a man who was also a powerful ally to Gerard.

Unexpectedly, Kit is also reunited with Colonel Rian Grant, and the two are on a new mission, but Kit also knows there’s more to her Alignment with the sea and the magic might be a key to defeating Gerard.

A Swift and Savage Tide is such a fun, fluffy fantasy to me, almost like a guilty pleasure since I typically read heavier, heftier high fantasy novels, but I am adoring this series so far. While it’s starting to feel like a trilogy, I can hope for more, can’t I? This one felt like Jane Austen’s novels plus regency romance crossed a bit with RJ Barker’s Tide Child Trilogy and Napoleonic era literature. As a fantasy retelling of Napoleon’s escape from Elba, it offers a lot of high seas adventure and some quieter romantic interludes mixed with some war preparations as no one knows where Gerard is and a dangerous man on his side turns out to not be dead.

I loved almost everything about this book. It’s fast-paced and fun, offering plenty of action and just enough romance. I did think the romance moved a bit fast, but, considering how fast it moves in regency romance novels, it’s probably quite slow. But I think, for me, A Swift and Savage Tide really shone through Kit taking action. She’s not one to sit by and wait for orders, but will also do what she thinks she ought to in order to best serve her Queen. Overall, there isn’t actually much depth to this book and the point of view is limited to Kit’s, but it’s light and fluffy and quite enjoyable if you’re not looking for something dense. It has a terrific pace that just keeps moving along, making for a fast read.

Kit is a lot of fun. She’s young without being too young and spunky with plenty of guilty pleasures. In some ways, she reminds me of some of Jane Austen’s heroines and I can’t help but adore her. She now makes me wonder if this is what Lizzy Bennet would be if she’d been able to join the Queen’s service. I love that Kit both manages to be an agent of the Queen and a proper lady, balancing the two extremely well, though I think I prefer her when she’s out at sea with her crew. The one thing that bothered me a bit about her was her stubbornness about not committing to Grant. Her reasoning felt a bit weak and repetitive to me without offering much depth or true motivation behind it and some further communication could have cleared it up in mere paragraphs. But I can also appreciate that Kit is young and only has being one of the Queen’s Own to hold onto so I didn’t feel her fears were completely unfounded, just that better communication could have been useful.

Grant, for his part, was just as much fun, and so were all the other minor characters. I would have liked getting some of the story from his viewpoint, but felt I got an excellent amount through Kit’s. He felt much like a typical Englishman, but also untraditional in other ways. As a matter of fact, all of them were like that. Kit’s second in command is a former thief, but the affection between him and Kit is clear and helps drive Kit to attempt things she ordinarily wouldn’t have. Kit’s sisters, too, were quite untraditional, but still managed to operate within the confines of society’s expectations, though there was far less of them than I had wished as they were so much fun in the first book. A Swift and Savage Tide also included one of the pirate kings first introduced in the first book. It went not at all the way I expected, but was a lot of fun as the pirate and Kit negotiated and there was definitely a bit more to him than initially met the eye.

Where the characters were a lot of fun and felt complex and interesting, the story itself was more simple. It’s basically Kit hunting down a man everyone had assumed was dead, a man with powerful and dangerous magic. While I do believe it advances the overall plot, it’s really little more than a chase across the sea. Still, it’s peppered with a lot of great moments, like the romance between Kit and Grant and Kit working out more of what her Alignment makes her capable of. I really enjoyed the nuggets of information we and Kit receive about how it might work as it’s clearly little studied, but will likely play a bigger role when the Isles faces Gerard and Gallia.

A Swift and Savage Tide is a fun adventure across the sea and a bit on land. While there isn’t any real in-depth world building and just enough on how ships operate, it’s still a fun read, quick and easy. This is definitely a lighter fantasy both in terms of heft and story, but I like that it takes a familiar historical context and makes it work in a fantasy setting. Overall, this is a fun sea adventure that both manages to feel old fashioned and modern. The only thing that brought it down for me was the romance as it played on lack of communication, otherwise I thought it was just as much fun as the first book and I can’t wait for more of Kit’s story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was caught up by the gripping action, the colorful characters, and it was nail-biting all through to the end.

Gerard Rousseau has escaped from his island prison to resume his plans to dominate the continent. Captain Kit Brightling and the intrepid crew of the Diana are hot on his tail. Kit runs into some trouble when she spots her old nemesis, La Boucher, apparently risen from the dead. The handsome Rian Grant comes to the rescue and the two of them team up to hunt down the renewed threat.

Kit learned more about her alignment and how to use it. She was thrown into a lot of situations where she had to change her view about things. We also get a small glimpse into Kit’s past, where she might be from. It was great to see Kit grow and discover more about herself, with Grant the solid rock to support her. And Kit and Grant were just so adorable together.

This story has the same vivid descriptions and excellent character development that made the first book stand out for me. The action was more focused this time and it was more intense because of that.

To me this is a sort of amalgamation of the Regency era in England, steam punk, and magic. It’s best to start with the first book in the Captain Kit Brightling series, The Bright and Breaking Sea. That’s where all the world building takes place, and we are introduced to the Captain, her crew, Grant, and their enemies.

I can definitely recommend this series if you’re interested in fantasy, romance, and excitement. I couldn’t put it down and I sure hope there’s more to come.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. A Swift and Savage Tide is such an adventure. This book reminds me so much of an updated version of a swashbuckling pirate movie, and it is just as much fun as those movies. Kit is definitely someone I'd add to my list of characters to adventure with, and I enjoyed watching the evolution of her relationship with Ryan. If you are someone that enjoys action & adventure, epic sea battles, and a unique system of magic, then this is the book for you.

I love Chloe Neill and she does not disappoint in this second installment in the Kit Brightling. Neill builds on the overarching storyline and develops Kit and Rian Grant's relationship (yay!). I loved how Kit was determined to keep her own identity even with her feelings for Grant changing. Kit is a strong character and she needs a partner who is going to understand that, in addition to her understanding it's OK to need someone.

A Swift and Savage Tide by Chloe Neill is the second novel in the high seas tales of Captain Kit Brightling. Magic, swoons, and battles on the high seas await you as the adventure continues. Grab a cup of joe and read my review of the book and audiobook.

Last year I read The Bright and Breaking Sea and then listened to the audiobook. This year I had the pleasure of listening as I read along. The story takes place in an alternate version of 1800s Europe during the Napoleonic war. While book one spent time on world building, such was not the case in A Swift and Savage Tide. We spent more time at sea with battles as Kit aligned with the sea. Prepare for battles, magic and sea dragons! Yes, sea dragons!

Twenty-four-year-old Captain Kit Brightling is aligned to the magic of the sea and in service to the Saxon Isles and its monarch, Queen Charlotte. Gerard Rousseau, the former Gallic emperor, has escaped his island prison and is gathering forces to gain control of the Continent. Kit and the crew of the Diana set sail to find out where he has docked his ship and inform the Navy fleet.

I loved time aboard the ship and was delighted when Kit and the crew crossed-paths with Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe. Grant is working undercover on the Continent in his own efforts to stop Gerard. Magic, epic battles, injuries and discoveries made for an entertaining tale.

I love the magical system, and world Neill has created. She fleshed out the world in book one from the Brightling House for foundlings and Kit’s sisters to the Queen and the conflicts over power. It is rich, and well-plotted, which allowed this second book to enrich the characters and increase the action and pacing.

The slow-burning romance heated up and I love the chemistry and banter between the two. Things happened that have me excited to see more develops in the romance department. I am truly hoping for a happily ever after where Kit gets everything she desires.

I am most curious about some threads, including a fortune-teller and a group of pirates. All added to the tale and have me wishing we didn’t have to wait a year for the next installment.

Danielle Cohen offered a masterful narration and the book and audio match closely. The author’s writing lends itself perfectly to audio and Cohen brought Kit, Grant and the secondary characters to life on the high seas.

The series is perfect for fans of alternate histories, magic and fantasy with a dash of romance. I love Neill’s twist on this time period and dare I say she has me wishing for adventures at sea.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review!

Another great read from Chloe Neill! "A Swift and Savage Tide" is an excellent high seas adventure full of perilous battles at sea, romance that defies the status quo, a crew of charming, resilient characters, and one outstanding ship captain who I admire.

Book 2 ups the stakes, increases the risks. Once more, Kit proves how valiant and capable she is as a ship captain and leader. She’ll do whatever it takes to stop Gerard Rousseau from regaining power to take over the Continent. He continues to use dangerous magic and dangerous people to achieve his goals, his time in exile proving quite useful much to Kit’s frustration.

But in her pursuits and encounters with a deadly blast from the past, Kit comes to learn that there’s more to being aligned (having magic) than what people have always feared. The backstory behind that fear she a lot of light on some of the current strife. I like that Kit is open to exploring her magic further (though with a healthy amount of skepticism and wariness). I like the potential this aspect of the story could have in the future since magic has been a source of reluctance and contention.

I loved the progression of Kit and Grant’s relationship, rocky as it was for most of this book. Even though Grant has always treated her as an equal and that they work so well together, Kit is reluctant to fully embrace her feelings for him. To Kit they are incompatible because they come from vastly different backgrounds and social status. She doesn’t want to lose herself, the sea to which she’s aligned to, and all that she’s accomplished.

As Kit tries to come to terms with the new possibilities of magic and her deep feelings for Grant, it’s clear that there is more to her than previously realized/known. This wonderfully thickens the plot. I can’t wait to see how all she’s learned unfolds in the next book.

Every conflict in book 2 was more suspenseful and dangerous than the last. The sea battles were exhilarating and tore at my emotions because Gerard always seemed one step ahead. The strength of the Diana (Kit’s ship) was considerably tested. The author does a great job making action scenes worthwhile.

In my review of book 1, one thing I had a problem with was that conflicts seemed to resolve too easily or were short-lived. That was thankfully not the case this time around, so I felt more invested in the journey and outcomes.

Book 2 was loads of fun for all its high volume of tension and angst. A small moment I liked a lot was when Kit and other characters were discussing their doubt that tiny, invisible (bacteria/germs, as we now know them) creatures made people sick or caused infections.It was just a light, humorous moment after a troubling battle.

I am truly enjoying this series and following along Captain Kit Brightling’s adventures. High seas stories are always entertaining. I can’t wait to read on!

A Swift and Savage Tide by Chloe Neill is the 2nd book in her Captain Kit Brightling seafaring fantasy series. I loved the first book in this series, and happy to say this one was just as much fun, exciting and enjoyable. Refresher: Kit Brightling, our heroine, is one of the few female captains for the Queen’s fleet, having gained respect from the Queen, not to mention her fantastic loyal crew. She is a strong protagonist, who has a magical affinity to the sea, and her ship, Diana, is a small, but also the fastest ship. Having been successful in defeating the emperor in the last book, Kit and the Queen’s team are appalled to learn the emperor has escaped.

Colonel Rian Grant, our hero, who is a Viscount, and a successful former soldier’ he is also part of the team called by the Queen. The relationship between Kit and Grant escalated into a slow burn romance in the last book, but Kit is only concentrating in finding the emperor. She and her crew discover the old ship belonging to the emperor, and before she can get back to the ship, soldiers capture her and one of her crew. In the prison, Kit spies on a man who uses powerful magic to kill someone, and realizes the man was supposed dead, and now is the commander for the emperor. Luckily, Grant is working undercover, and manages to help her escape.

Kit is an amazing heroine, especially as we watch when she uses her ability to use the sea (current) to increase the speed of the ship to escape the attacks from a much larger ship. The Queen’s team meet to plan to find Le Boucher, the man supposed dead, and ships are sent out, with the Diana leaving first to gather information. There were so many exciting amazing adventures, which we watch them in the water with sea dragons, marooned on an island, and captured by pirates.

Kit will also begin to learn more about her ability to use magic, along with her Alignment. I loved the crew of the Diana, who were such an awesome team, as well as a fun crew. Grant is also an honorary member of the Diana team, not to mention his falling in love with Kit. When he proposes to her, she is shocked and scared, loving the life she lives now. I do love Kit and Grant together. Will Kit give into her feelings for Grant or walk away?

What follows is a wonderful exciting tense adventure, where Kit and Grant work together to find Doucette (Le Boucher), as well as Kit using some of her learned magic to fight. A Swift and Savage Tide was another wonderful addition to this magical world, filled with two great heroes, fabulous secondary characters, exciting adventures, seafaring escapades, pirates, and a budding romance. This does end with some unresolved issues, which will continue in the next book. I for one look forward to the next book in this series, which is so very well written by Chloe Neill.

The author continued such seamless writing and word building with this sequel. The plot is rich and keeps the reader’s attention hooked. This is a really fun series so far! Adventurous, action-packed and magical. Pirates of the Caribbean vibes, but make it feminist and more inclusive. I’ll be looking forward to seeing more of Kit in the next piece to this series.

A fantasy world set with pirates, navy, a unique magic system centered around being aligned with an element, and of course, a swoony regency romance in this second novel. There is not a lot of world-building but more character and magic system development. The kit uses her alignment to water, and the pirate action and battles are excited in this sequel. Kit is vital in being who she is. A ship's captain and her love interest are expected to love a lady, but to his credit tells Kit flat out be who you are, and we will figure it out. The dialogue and humor banter between these two lovebirds makes the story and I eager to see how things work out for them. A third book is sure to come, and it is interesting to see what else we learn about this magic system and how the world is changed by what was discovered in this second book.

In this volume we find Kit and her crew, the danger is getting closer, the people who were dead finally are not so much. But Kit can always count on Grant.
I really liked this book, it's the first time I've seen Kit scared and it's kind of weird because she's still a young woman who knows what she wants and doesn't let herself be pushed around. I love her fiery temperament and the sparks it creates when she is with Grant. I grew attached to this little couple and they go through a lot in this volume.
I'm also looking forward to reading the sequel to find out more about Kit but also about magic. I have to admit that with Chloe Neill I always expect there to be deaths, I think I was traumatized by Ethan Sullivan's death and every time Grant was in danger my heart leapt.
Anyway, this second volume is very good, we learn more about magic and we start to discover Kit's little weak points.
Quick Word: A second volume that takes us on another journey aboard the Diana.