The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill

Captain Kit Brightling, Book 1

Synopsis: 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….

Review: I love stories about pirates, sailors and conspiracies, so when I heard about this novel, I was immediately intrigued. And then how could I turn down a new Chloe Neill series? I couldn’t!

Kit has a new mission imposed on her by her queen: to rescue a great spy who has been taken prisoner. But she is not free of her choices, because the queen also imposes a man she doesn’t know. Trust between them is really not easy.

I had a good time with the novel, but I have to say that I expected to hang on to the story a little more. Because while it was fun to read, I didn’t really manage to get interested in the whole thing as I would have liked.

It’s an intriguing and different novel, with lots of ideas.