A Swift and Savage Tide by Chloe Neill fantasy audiobook reviewsA Swift and Savage Tide by Chloe Neill fantasy book reviews

A Swift and Savage Tide by Chloe Neill fantasy audiobook reviewsA Swift and Savage Tide (2021) is the second novel in Chloe Neill’s CAPTAIN KIT BRIGHTLING series. You’ll want to read the first novel, The Bright and Breaking Sea, first. These are pleasant romantic fantasies that will especially appeal to readers who enjoy a nautical setting.

Captain Kit Brightling has, once again, been called on by her queen to save their country from usurper and former emperor Gerard Rousseau. Gerard had been exiled to a faraway island, but now he is free, and he’s got some sort of magical weapon that causes death and destruction wherever he goes. Queen Charlotte sends Kit to find and stop him before he arrives on their shores.

As Kit and her crew search for Gerard, they discover that his top officer is an infamous man known as “The Butcher” who is responsible for killing many people with his magic during the war that resulted in Gerard’s exile. Everyone thought The Butcher was dead, so Kit is horrified to learn that he survived the inferno he created and is just as ruthless as ever. Now there are two powerful enemies to defeat.

Fortunately, Kit has the help of her competent crew and, as it won’t surprise readers to learn, handsome Rian Grant is also working on this problem from a different angle. As they strategize to defeat their evil enemies, Kit and Rian will be chased, captured, and marooned. They’ll contend with various complications such as naval skirmishes, snipers, sea dragons, PTSD, and a fancy ball.

Kit and Rian will also need to figure out their feelings for each other and decide whether their relationship has a future or not. They come from totally different backgrounds and have different goals in life. Kit is not convinced that they are compatible.

The characters in the CAPTAIN KIT BRIGHTLING series are growing on me and, though I had trouble feeling the chemistry of the romance in the previous book, I’m coming around. I admire Kit’s independence and competence. Rian is a strong, masculine leader, but he respects and defers to Kit’s expertise. Perfect.

I’m interested in where this is going and look forward to a third KIT BRIGHTLING novel. I’m listening to the Tantor Audio editions narrated by Danielle Cohen who was a good choice for this story.

Published in 2021. Chloe Neill’s bold, seafaring heroine Captain Kit Brightling sets sail for high seas and high sorcery in this swashbuckling fantasy series. 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. Sparks fly when 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. But 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 onto the seas of adventure to fight for queen and country.

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  • Kat Hooper

    KAT HOOPER, who started this site in June 2007, earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience and psychology at Indiana University (Bloomington) and now teaches and conducts brain research at the University of North Florida. When she reads fiction, she wants to encounter new ideas and lots of imagination. She wants to view the world in a different way. She wants to have her mind blown. She loves beautiful language and has no patience for dull prose, vapid romance, or cheesy dialogue. She prefers complex characterization, intriguing plots, and plenty of action. Favorite authors are Jack Vance, Robin Hobb, Kage Baker, William Gibson, Gene Wolfe, Richard Matheson, and C.S. Lewis.

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