Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone and Netgalley for providing me with the ARC of ‘Hunt On Dark Waters’ by Katee Roberts in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise of this book in which a thieving which, after stealing her ex-girlfriends some jewelry enters a portal into an unknown world to escape. She lands in Threshold which can only be described as portal-hopper transfer hub as there is many portals to many different worlds and all kinds of magic creatures (even including dragons). She gets fished from the sea and gets to make a choice regarding dying immediately or swearing her life to become a pirate and hunt monsters.

Since I gave this 4 stars, it is needless to say I liked this book and I absolutely flew through it. I don’t normally read about pirates.. but this makes me think hat maybe I should ?? Maybe it’s the fact paced storyline or Katee Robert’s writing that kept me hooked from the first page and made sure I don’t put this one down at all - bar 50 pages at the end did almost read it in one sitting.

The only thing that didn’t work for me and reason why I couldn’t justify giving 5 stars is the insta-love aspect between the main characters. I think there was great potential in the story for some brooding, slow burn romance with insane tension, but the way their love story developed made me cringe and I found it slightly unreadable at times. I do think the characters have chemistry but as their love story progressed so insanely fast and went to 0-100 in like 2 minutes I felt like this was lost and it sadly manifested into a typical run-of-the-mill love at first sight, gooey romance.

On the same note I did start off by liking the main characters, thinking that they have some sort of badass edge but after developing an extremely intense insta-love I felt like they lost some of their individualism and at least this aspect of the book became predictable, cringey and all together too sickeningly sweet for my liking. That being said I would have also liked to hear more about Bowen’s background and past but I am sure that this will be revealed in later installments in this series.

That being said and to be honest, I don’t know why I do this to myself and start a series with book one where only the first installment is even out. I have just finished this story and I’m itching to find out what happens next. It’s a series I am definitely keen to continue with and already can’t wait for the next installment.

>> Review also posted to Goodreads

Katee Robert writing a series about queer pirates in a fantasy world... as soon as I heard this was happening I was excited, and it didn't disappoint.
Hunt on Dark Waters is the first book in the Crimson Sails series, which mostly takes place in Threshold - a realm with portals to all other realms.
Evie is a witch with a thieving habit, who accidentally portals to the sea in Threshold while trying to escape her vampire ex-lover-not-girlfriend. She's fished out of the water by Bowen and his crew, who give her a simple choice: join the crew and hunt monsters, or be killed.
And so we have a captor/captive romance with a whole heap of forced proximity. The romance thread starts with lust woven into the hatred, and adds grudging respect over time. Because it's Katee Robert writing, the steamy scenes are obviously top notch.
For the rest of the story, we have Bowen doing a lot of soul searching on his place in the world and the rules he's been brought up with. This book does a lot of heavy lifting to set up the world and series, which does make the plot balance feel a bit off at times. But it's also made me excited for the rest of the series.
I absolutely adored the bisexual rep in this book - Evie started the book with a female lover, flirted with non-binary characters, and ended up in a relationship with a male character. Side character rep is also found in heaps.
Read this if you like steamy fantasy romance, and think that monster hunters are the real monsters.

Katee Robert has been on my TBR for a while, and I'm so glad I started reading her with Hunt on Dark Waters. I devoured this book. It was captivating from page one, and not only because of how spicy it is.

Evelyn is not the typical heroine. She's more like a villain, so when the vampire she was in a situation ship with dumps her, Evelyn takes the dumb decision to steal from her, and in her attempt to escape ends up in a different world. Here, she's forced to join a crew of pirates until monsters. But witches are considered monsters by many too in this world, so she needs to behave. Funny, isn't it? Evelyn behaving? So she does the only logical thing. She tries to escape and find a way back home. But Bowen, the captain of the pirate ship, won't let her. Thankfully Evelyn can start showing him the truth of what's going on in this world, and things aren't all black or white has he was made to believe. And now they are ready for a revolution.

I wasn't sure I'd like this book as romance isn't my thing, but it sounded so interesting I had to give it ago... and I loved it!

I read it pretty quickly and it kept my attention throughout. The women are amazing and, although, I am not a romance fan - it was great.

I would definitely read more from this author and will be recommending this to people.

Katee roberts is an author that I will pick up any book she writes and this is no different! Fantastic and just what you want when you know her books! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my eArc of this book.

Loved the world-building and Katee Robert’s constant expansion of her ‘multiverse’ - the possibilities are endless with Threshold as a hub for ‘portal jumpers’

I really enjoyed Evelyn’s character - quick with her wits and thievery, curvy and confident! Bowen is every bit the hulking sea-farer we would hope for in a pirate story, although I liked that he arguably is more ‘honourable’ than Evelyn!

Wouldn’t say this is one of my favourites, but I’m excited to see where the sequel goes with this world!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
What can I say? I absolutely loved this book. I'm a sucker for pirate stories, with strong heroines, action and spice. And ohhh... this book delivered. Well, I also can't get enough of Katee's writing.
Is it a good idea to flee through a portal with an unknown destination? Maybe not. But when you're fleeing from your vampire ex you don't think twice. That's how Evelyn landed in Threshold, a plane between worlds with lots of portals. And that's how she meets Bowen, the captain of the Crimson Hag and member of the Cŵn Annwn. Once a member, you're not allowed to flee. But does that prohibit Evelyn from trying to? Nope, absolutely not.

3.5 stars rounded up. I did enjoy Hunt On Dark Waters, the characters were fun and the romance had me invested. Also, there was good gender identity rep.

For me, the story dragged in the middle a little and the writing was simple. Also, the characters motives were a little hard to understand at times.

But overall, a fun spicy read.

This was such a disappointment, I feel like this has so much potential but it fell so flat for me. I’ve read a few Katee Roberts and this has been my least favourite.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

3.5 stars for me.
I enjoyed the characters and the world building.
I found the romance to be a bit too quick for my liking, I like more of a build up.
The plot was a bit messy at first but by the end I’m definitely eager to read more and see what happens next.
I liked the introduction to the different creatures and want to see more of this and the world.

I would really love to read and properly review this book but the ebook copy is unreadable.
The ebook has no layout and random letters are separated from words and places elsewhere on the pages.
I have reached out to someone on netgalley and reported it in which they contacted the publisher around a month ago. Nothing has been done about it and I have tried re-downloading multiple times to see if anything’s changed.
It’s such a shame because I think I would have really enjoyed this book.

I adored this. It’s a katee Robert, so you know it’s going to be hot, but the plot, the feelings, the descriptions are everything. I loved the story and how it developed. It is not fast paced like some of her others, but it weaves the story through and you can’t help but sail along with it.

It’s a masterpiece that throws you head first into a new realm with no lapse at all. I was firmly on that voyage.

If I have to choose, I’d take the vow for Katee any day.

Thank you to Random House UK for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book really kicks off the new series with a spicy bang!
The pacing felt a bit off at times but the world building was good and didn’t feel forced. The story was interesting and I got a strong impression from all the characters.
Very excited to read more from this series!

Thrilling fantasy ride- other world portals, pirates, vampires and great characters! Hunt on dark waters is one of the best books I've read this year!
I always open a Katee Roberts book with anticipatory glee as I know I will go on a journey. This first in a new series book did not disappoint. The main character, Evie is just so great. Her mannerisms, language, ferocity and her strong character made me root for her throughout the book.

Evie stumbles into a portal at her lovers house, Lizzie who happens to be a powerful vampire and is rescued by a crew of mythical sailors who give off strong pirate vibes. Evie manages to get under Captain Bowens skin from the get go, but they have bigger problems to overcome then the undeniable chemistry that the two have. The book is full of diverse characters, plenty of spicy love scenes and fast paced to keep a reader hooked. I can't wait until the next book in the series is released. Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC!

My first Katee Robert book, and I could not put this down. I read most of it in a single day as I couldn't stop reading it. So so good.
Will be picking up other Katee Robert books asap!

"Hunt On Dark Waters" by Katee Robert is one epic ride! This book kicks off a sick new series with a killer plot and world-building that totally sucked me in. Magic, danger, and a bunch of intriguing characters make this a must-read.

The story follows Evelyn, a badass witch with a knack for making bad decisions and living on the edge. She pulls off a daring heist from her vampire ex, but things go haywire, and she ends up getting thrown into another realm through a mysterious portal. That's when she meets Bowen and his crew of seafarers, led by a telekinetic captain. Talk about a wild encounter! Evelyn's now got to make a life-changing decision - join the crew or face some serious consequences.

The chemistry between Evelyn and Bowen is off the charts! Evelyn's all fiery and determined, while Bowen's all about duty and loyalty to his crew. Watching their bond grow and the complexity of their situation was mind-blowing.

The backdrop of the Threshold, an in-between realm with portals to different dimensions, is wicked cool. Bowen's crew is part of a naval force that keeps those portals safe, but when Evelyn shows up, she starts questioning the whole system. It adds some serious conflict to the mix.

Katee Robert totally nailed the balance between building this fantastical world and keeping us guessing. The pacing is spot-on, keeping the action and magic flowing. And let's not forget the romance - it's swoon-worthy and spicy!

In a nutshell, "Hunt On Dark Waters" is a killer debut for this fantasy saga. If you're into magic, action, and romance, this book is the bomb. I'm totally psyched for the next installment, can't wait to dive deeper.

4⭐️

This was such a fun fantasy read, I loved Evelyn as the main character she was badass and knew her own strength. The character development and her and Bowen throughout the book really showed and I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series! Exciting, steamy, great characters and action packed are just a few ways to describe the first book in Katee Roberts new fantasy series: Crimson Sails.

“Evelyn is a witch with a perfect storm of impulses: terrible taste in bed partners, sticky fingers, and a lust for danger. After she steals from her vampire ex and falls through a portal to another realm, she’s fished out of the waters by a band of seafarers and their telekinetic captain. She’s immediately given a choice—join their group or die.
Bowen has no memory of his life before he became one of the Cŵn Annwn. He and his pirate crew are bound by vow to patrol through Threshold, the magical sea in between realms, keeping the portals to other worlds safe. When he rescues Evelyn, he doesn’t expect to be attracted to the unflappably brassy pickpocket. The longer he spends in her presence, the more he begins to question if his heart is the next thing she’ll steal.
But as tension heats up between Bowen and Evelyn, danger escalates as well. Because Evelyn has no intention of keeping her vows to the Cŵn Annwn, and if she betrays the crew, both she and Bowen will pay the ultimate price....“

Thank you to @netgalley @katee_robert and @penguinrandomhouse for the e-arc of this book, releasing 7th November!

I did not realise this would be a series and I am now eagerly hunting for the pre-order button for book two.

I really loved it. Katee Roberts knows how to write spicy romance, that was never in any doubt, she's written some of the hottest scenes I've read across all her books, and now it's clear she can write pirate action too.

I loved Evelyn and her chaos, it's quite rare to find an FMC so authentically out for themselves, at least at the start, and I found that honesty and openness really refreshing. I also loved that she was strong and fearless but not wildly overpowered. She was certainly decent in a fight but plenty of people outmatched her throughout the book. So often when creating a badass FMC in romantasy books the author just makes them so powerful that no-one can compete and it gets a bit boring. I loved that Evelyn was skilled in other ways, and that despite being not the strongest, she didn't back down from a fight.

Bowen was also a really fun character to get to know, it's enjoyable to watch a lawful good character realise that they're actually the villain, and contend with how that affects their world view.

I genuinely can't wait to spend more time with both of them and of course Lizzie, the violent vampire queen of my heart.

Katee Robert could publish her grocery list and I would read it. I’ve never been so enamored by an author who writes such a wide diverse of characters. You would think one day she would miss, but she certainly didn’t with this book! The characters and the world she created were absolutely beautiful. I will be recommending to all of my friends.

This book had me torn. I really wanted to love it and plot sounded like just my thing but there was something missing for me.

The characters were likeable but lacked real depth. I didn’t feel their chemistry and the romance felt rushed. The spice was well written and made up for the some of the missing chemistry but it just wasn’t enough.

I felt it was also lacking the detailed world building you usually get with fantasy stories.

If you love pirate fantasy, you may well love this but it didn’t quite hit the spot for me.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher (Random House UK and Cornerstone) for providing a copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.