I had the pleasure of listening to an audiobook version of this new release via NetGalley once the publisher granted my request. This was my first time getting an audio through NG and listening through their app, and I was impressed. It worked just like any of my other audio apps with the ability to change the listening speed (very important for me) and the volume level was as expected as well! I hope I will have the opportunity to listen to more audiobooks through NG.

As for the narrator, Danielle Cohen, she did a great job! Sometimes a narrator can really take me out of the story, but I enjoyed Danielle's work very much and will have to see if there's anything done by her that I can add to my audio TBR.

Down to the story. I liked this book a lot. It had great pacing and a variety of interesting characters. The nautical terminology is worked in quite well and wasn't overused or underexplained. I was a little worried that the war aspect would creep in as the main climax, which I do not usually enjoy, but it did not. The war clearly influenced the story and characters as well as providing the catalyst, but I didn't feel like it was the focus. The focus was on the characters trying to prevent a major catastrophe from occurring.

I definitely enjoyed this, but I didn't love it. And I think the reasons why are particular to me. I didn't like the romance. It seemed obvious from the beginning, and I don't know how they will be reasonably able to resolve it in this world. Also, the magic was integral and explored but didn't do much. This feeling is a bit harder to explain as I'm still not quite sure why it bothered me. Perhaps because it felt more like magical realism in a historical setting? Not sure. The last thing is that the ending felt almost anti-climatic. Again, hard for me to explain but it was obvious this was setting up a series, which I normally love. Maybe it's just 2020 clouding my enjoyment. It has certainly affected my ability to focus on reading, which is normally part of my self-care.

Looking forward to seeing what else the author has in store for our crew in future installments of this series!

I’m not really an audiobook kind of “reader” but given the opportunity to listen to Chloe’s newest book was something I just couldn’t pass up. She’s such a fantastic storyteller and this book was no different. So descriptive, it feels like you’re inside the story with these characters. Speaking of characters, I absolutely loved them. I was a little hesitant looking at the cover, since it’s not usually the kind I would pick up. But I guess it’s true about not judging a book by its cover because I loved this story. Well done and entertaining. Would definitely recommend!

Title: The Bright and Breaking Sea
Author: Chloe Neill
Narrator: Danielle Cohen
Rating: 3.75 ⭐️ (3 on goodreads)

So I enjoyed the audiobook but the story felt like it was lacking something. I can’t pin point what it is. The story wasn’t bad, I just couldn’t get into it at first. There is an enemies to lovers element to the story that really kept me interested. This is set in New London, 1915. I really liked Kit her personality seemed very realistic. Great for people who like Pirates of the Caribbean and Fable.

I received this audiobook from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

#fantasy #romance #adult #historicalfiction #adventure #pirates #magic #historicalfantasy #thebrightandbreakingsea #netgally #audiobooks #enemiestolovers #femalebadass

I was really looking forward to this audiobook; however, it was archived so soon after I was approved that I didn't get a chance to download and listen.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill in exchange for my honest review.
This is more of an audio review, with some book review in the mix.
Audio
The book is narrated by Danielle Cohen and I thoroughly enjoyed her narration. She pulled me in and had me hooked from the start.

The Rest
To be honest, I had a really difficult time with this one. It killed me that I couldn’t get into the story, as Chloe Neill is one of my favorites. After the initial prologue, the first 45-50% I just couldn’t connect with. The tempo was difficult to stay with. I felt like parts were bogged down with so much description, but not the stuff I wanted to learn about. Instead of an instructional guide to how the Diana (her ship) operated, I would have preferred some world building. Maybe some explanation of the magic system, which we get small pops of info about. Unfortunately, I felt like there were more info dumps about the ship than anything else and that didn’t work for me.
That being said, I loved Kit. Kit is my favorite type of character. She’s strong, loyal, independent, confident, and she loves her family and crew with her whole heart. She’s not afraid to be emotional but keeps some at arm’s length. Her tough exterior comes out in bits and pieces, especially when she’s with her crew or family. She treats others with respect unless they disrespect her, then she puts them in their place. She’s a strong character and I enjoyed her.

With the addition of pirates, ships, and adventure, toss in a little romance, and magic, I thought this was going to be a winner for me. I’m sad to say it just dragged for me. Because it’s Chloe Neill I may give the 2nd book a chance, but to be honest if it was any other author I’d move on and forget about it.

All that said, people will love this one and I’m happy to recommend it to anyone who shows interest in this type of story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio/Tantor Media, Chloe Neill, and Danielle Cohen for the opportunity to listen to The Bright and Breaking Sea audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

About the audiobook: This book has a runtime of 10 hours and 55 minutes. I highly enjoy Danielle Cohen's reading, though it felt a bit slow for me and hard to pay attention to. I usually listen to books at 1.25x speed, but this one was best listened at 1.5x speed, which is usually too fast for me, but really fit the pacing f the story with this book. As an audiobook, fantastically done and a great listen.

The Bright and Breaking Sea says "Book 1 in the Kit Brightling Series," meaning there will be more, though there are no announcements of further installments just yet. The end has quite a bit of promise for further adventures of the headstrong heroine, Kit Brightling.

Kit has a special connection with the ocean. She can truly feel the water beneath her ship. She strives to rise in the ranks of Queen Charlotte's Fleet, where very few women sit as captain. Kit takes on a mission from the Queen herself and is tasked with bringing Rian Grant aboard, someone she is rather unsure of at first. The quest they both must succeed in: head to a secret pirate's quay to rescue a highly important spy that has been gathering intel on the exiled emperor of Gallia.

Kit has more than enough confidence to lead herself and her crew in the right direction, though being tasked with something that involves the whole country might be a little out of her range, though Kit is determined to raise her own rank, and will do what she must to gain a higher standing under the Queen.

This was a fun adult fantasy that was all about seafaring adventure with political intrigue and a dash of romance. The characters were quirky and fun, and I would certainly be interested in reading Kit's next adventure. I would recommend this book to any lover of seafaring or pirate tales, those seeking to read about a strong female protagonist, or anyone looking for a fantasy adventure that is full of fast-paced fun.

I was really looking forward to reading this. I love Chloe Neill's Chicago Land Vampire series. Unfortunately, it was archived before I could even download it to my Netgalley shelf. Disappointed.

I'm about fifty-fifty with this book. I liked the action, the fighting, and the start of romance, but there were some slow parts and I wasn't always sure what direction the story was going. Kit is a cool character, she's strong and independent and people underestimate her which she uses to her advantage. I liked that she cared about her family and crew and made sure they were safe.

The romance was not quite enemies to lovers, but Kit and Grant definitely didn't get along at first. He slowly started seeing how capable she was and when he stood up for her against those misogynists, I was on board with them as a couple. Kit has some reservations about him, but I think in the next book we'll see some progress there.

The pacing is the thing that got me, there are bursts of fighting that are a lot of fun, but then it gets slow and I get bored. Luckily, this isn't a long story and by the end I was intrigued to see what happens next.

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Bright and Breaking Sea is a fun fantasy fiction set upon in a tense and magical world. The protagonist is a very delightful woman ship captain in the Queen's employ who is forced to work with a bougie soldier. Mmm, such a fun romance trope.

This book made me realize that female sailors may be one of my new favorite character types, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the sailing culture in this story. The romance is so tense and well written. I adored the supporting characters on the ship with Kit and her "sisters."

My struggles with reviewing this story is that the ending is such a cliffhanger that it felt very incomplete. And while the magic system is super neat and intriguing, I couldn't shake the feeling through the book that I dropped into the middle of a series rather than the beginning. I had too many questions about the culture and magic and history that seemed like I should have already known? It's possible I missed important bits due to having listened to the book via audio, but I don't think so. I'll most likely continue with the series, but it's frustrating knowing I'll prob have to reread this to remember what's actually going on since the action doesn't well build upon itself, if that makes sense.

I loved the audio narration! Danielle Cohen was an excellent choice. Her voice is clear, English accent is so pleasant to listen to, and she did other accents perfectly.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this one. I love fantasies set at sea, political intrigue, and minimal romance. This checked all three of those boxes. I loved the characters. Kit is fantastic. I loved the fact that she is the Captain of her own ship which is impressive for a female in this time period. It made me happy every time she stood her ground with the men that looked down on her for being a woman or because she is not from a titled line. She has no desire to get married and do needlepoint, she just wants to sail her ship.
I also loved Grant.
I can't wait to see where this series goes next.
The narrator is great. She made the story even more enjoyable.

Having posted the below regarding the story itself, I'm adding this first paragraph in regards to the audiobook. I took a different approach with this book where I both read and listened to it. I think this really helped me understand this new fictional world better. I find when I listen to audiobooks that unless I'm already familiar with a phrase or terminology, it can be confusing in the story early on. In cases like these it helps me to have the visual words as well. The story is certainly helped along by Danielle Cohen's wonderful narration. She gives each character their own distinct voice delivered in a crisp and clear narration. She really made the characters come to life by the end to the point where Kit's voice is her own, Rian's his own, and so forth. I hope she continues to narrate the series as long as we're still getting Kit's point of view.

Foundling Kit Brightling has worked hard to earn her spot as Captain on a ship in the Queen’s Crown Command fleet. It helps that she loves the sea and is also Aligned to it—someone who has a magical bond with one of the elements.

When the queen sends Kit on a mission to rescue a spy whose cover has been compromised, she jumps at the opportunity to help queen and country. Even when those orders include tagalong Viscount, and veteran of the Continental War, Rian Grant.

Kit doesn’t know Rian or his motivations, but she does know others of the Beau Monde—New London high society—and she’s not about to let him take control of the mission. But, as they both learn, titles can be deceiving, and what they discover will have them both setting aside their preconceived notions and working together as the fate of mankind hangs in the balance.

I like the different direction Chloe Neill is taking with a high-seas adventure that is firmly seated in the historical fantasy category, which is a departure from her various urban fantasy series.

The Bright and Breaking Sea works so well as a setup to the new series and it was one that almost went by too quickly. I wanted to savor the time in this first book, but Chloe Neill pretty much sets things off running right out of the gate as Kit and Rian search for a traitor and try to thwart potential war on the horizon.

Honestly, I would have loved more time fleshing out characters and setting. In particular, the magic system was one such area where I could have used a bit more background on how it works, its limitations and advantages. I think it would have been especially helpful seeing as how one of the main conflict—and one I assume will be overarching—stems from magic use. But there’s enough so far that I at least have a rudimentary understanding of what’s good and what’s bad. I have no doubt Chloe Neill will continue to build upon this beginning and familiarity will come with more reading. I guess I can’t fault her for not putting all her eggs in one basket.

Probably my favorite aspect of the story was the fact that Chloe Neill puts Kit and Rian on pretty equal ground when it comes to working together on this mission. Despite Kit being Aligned, their skills and capabilities are on pretty level, but it’s their varying experiences—Rian being part—although an almost outside part—of the Beau Monde, Kit being a foundling, etc. that really brings that something extra to their interactions.

Which of course leads into the lovely opposites-attract slow-burn (hopefully) romance we have going on. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a series that develops a relationship over a number of books, and as we should all know by now, Chloe Neill is a pro at this. One of the things I look forward to most is how things continue to develop between Rian and Kit.

If you’re a fan already of Chloe Neill, you’ll be delighted to have a new world from her. It’s a great departure from what we’re used to but still full of all the things we know we can count on from Chloe Neill.

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!

I listened to the audiobook for this one and think Danielle Cohen did an amazing job narrating this one! She brought alot of depth to the characters and she was very easy to follow.

NUMBER OF HEARTS: 4
Pirates, magic and mayhem..
Such a wonderful start to a new series for Chloe Niell. The Bright and Breaking Sea follow Captain Kit Brightling and her crew. Captain Brightling is tasked with saving a member of the Crown. The task includes sharing the leader role with Viscount Rian Grant. The success of the mission will depend on how well these two can and will work together.
I listened to The Bright and Breaking Sea on Audio. Danielle Cohen is a new narrator to me. I thought she did a wonderful job narrating this book. I will say that there was a time or two when she said a word that caught me off guard. But only because that is not how I pronounce them. But I had to remind myself that this story takes place in New London.
I am very much looking forward to the next adventure in the Kit Brightling series! If you are looking for an adventure romance who’s main character is awesome I would suggest picking up this book.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Tantor Audio in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so when I tell you I was beyond excited to dive into The Bright and Breaking Sea just know that I meant it. Unfortunately, for me, it started off so freaking slow. I was honestly so bored for half of this book. Then it was like a snap of a finger happening and I started enjoying everything that was happening.

I can't even blame work for being so bored while listening to everything that was happening in this book. It just wasn't holding my attention. Don't get me wrong, eventually I started to like Kit and everyone else in this book. It just took me a while to find my groove.

The thing that kept me going was the tension and bantering. I don't know what it is but those two will always give me life. Especially when they are good. Other than that, I didn't really care for the romance and I am actually happy it was more of a back burner than anything. I feel like if it just focused solely on that - I don't know what I would've done.

I'm hoping that the next book will be a lot better for me and my attention span. I am intrigued to see what is going to happen next for everyone involved.

I had a good time with this book! I really liked the sound of this book and I have had luck with some of Chloe Neill's other works so I was pretty excited to give this book a try. This book sounded pretty unique and I couldn't wait to see this female captain take command of her ship. I was quickly hooked by this story and found it hard to set aside at times. I really found this book to be an enjoyable story.

Kit Brightling is the captain of a ship in the Isle Queen's Command. The Queen decides to send Kit's ship on a mission to rescue a man being held captive. The Queen doesn't send her alone, instead, she sends Grant, a titled man who has served in the war, along on the mission. These two don't see eye to eye at the start but I did enjoy watching them learn to work together and eventually trust each other.

I really liked all of the characters in this book. It was great getting to really know both Kit and Grant through the connections in their life, their actions, and their history. It was really powerful to see Kit do things that made it clear that she cared about those on her ship. The crew on the ship were great characters as well and I liked how they all seemed dedicated to working together. Grant had to balance the demands of home with his orders from the Queen and I liked the way he took his responsibilities very seriously.

This book was exciting. There are some pretty intense scenes that had me quite worried about the characters. I also really liked the politics that were a part of the story, especially the challenges that Kit faced because of her gender. I was pretty excited to find that there was a bit of magic worked into the story and I thought it was a nice touch. I thought that the quieter parts of the book that focused on relationships were well done and helped to balance the story.

Danielle Cohen did a great job with the narration of this book. I thought that the accent that she used was perfect for the story. I thought that all of the character voices that she used were very well done and I thought that she was able to add a lot of excitement to the story through her reading. I found myself wanting to listen to this book for hours at a time and I believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a fun story filled with great characters and a lot of surprises. I definitely plan to read more of Chloe Neill's work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this audiobook from Tantor Audio via NetGalley.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the Audio ARC of The Bright and Breaking Sea

First of all, if the narrator of an audiobook has a British Accent, I'm already on board. I liked Kit Brightling. I liked the setting and that the majority of the book takes place on her ship. I like the tension and banter between characters. I like that romantic interest and storyline don't take center stage. I like that we get to see some details about where she comes from and we get to meet her sister. I like that there's some magic but not overpowered or not all the book is about. It's a slow burn with sprinkles of action so make sure you are in the mood for that type of book. I definitely was, it was perfect for a lazy Saturday and Sunday working on my letterboards for my bookstagram and doing laundry.

I will definitely continue the series and hopefully, we'll get more magic in the next one, more adventures and sailing to far off places, and maybe more of her sister because it's cool that she works on sciency experiments and would love to see more of that.

Action, an impossible romance, adventure, and treachery are just a few of the elements that made this a delightful read. Chloe Neil consistently brings a sharp wit and solid pacing to her expertly crafted stories and The Bright and Breaking Sea is no exception.
I delighted in the characters. Captain Kit Brightling as she showed that being a woman doesn't mean that she isn't deserving of her post and the respect of those that truly know her. Rian Grant is the perfect foil for her and presents a smart contrast to Kit and her world. Together they make an excellent pair to guide the reader through this eerily familiar yet magically different world.
There are naval battles, court intrigue, skirmishes with pirates, romance under the stars, and a whole lot of other things to recommend it. Needless to say, this is one to read.

Also, as I listened to the audiobook, I feel compelled to mention that the narration by Danielle Cohen was always on point when it came to lending scenes the needed gravitas or levity and each character a discernible voice. Truly excellent work from the audiobook team.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the early read.

I had the hardest time getting into this book which was odd since it had all the ingredients for an excellect read. I just couldn’t stand the characters. I hated them right offthe back and couldn’t relax enough to get into the story. The narrator didn’t help, she sounded...smug? Not sure how else to put it, I’m sure it was a case of blaming the messenger but the character flaws were too many to overcome as a reader. I got partlythrough it before giving up. I loved the back cover description, the front cover image was very teen appropriate, and the plot was intriguing enough that I really got excited about this book. If the first few minutes of a book don’t grab me, it takes a lot to keep me going. This book just didn’t live up to its hype.

3.5/5 - I really wanted to like this book. I thought the premise sound really interesting. I just wanted more from it.

The characters were interesting and I enjoyed the writing style quite a bit. I just wanted more worldbuilding and more magic. Those were the two aspects that were really missing in my eyes.

I was provided with an audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautiful audiobook! The plot was fast-paced and exciting and Kit and Grant stole the show! Can't wait to see more from Ms. Neil but overall a very solid and immersive read (or listen :))