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.
