Blood on the Tide

Crimson Sails #2

by Katee Robert

Set sail for adventure and love in the next spicy fantasy romance from Katee Robert, the New York Times bestselling author of the TikTok smash hit Neon Gods .

As a bloodline vampire, Lizzie has never had a problem taking what she wants, and right now what she wants are the family heirlooms that were stolen from her and a portal home. Too bad even that short list is impossible to accomplish on her own—and her allies have bigger things to worry about.

When they rescue a selkie from captivity, it’s the perfect solution to her problem. Lizzie needs a guide through Threshold and the selkie needs someone to help her get her skin back.  Maeve didn’t choose to give up her skin—it was stolen from her. Now she’s in an uneasy partnership with a dangerous woman who seems more apt to kill than to share a kind word. It’s terrifying…and a bit alluring. Even though she knows it will end in heartbreak, Maeve can’t help being drawn to Lizzie and her all-too-pleasurable vampire bite. 

Unfortunately, the danger to Maeve’s heart is the least of her worries. The ship Lizzie’s chasing belongs to the Cŵn Annwn, and they don’t take kindly to people who steal from them. Not even Lizzie’s viciousness or Maeve’s selkie strength will be enough to save them if the Cŵn Annwn seek retribution…

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Lesbian, Vampires, LGBT, Romantasy, Pirates

336 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2024

About the author

Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of spicy romance. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over two million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.

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Reviews

[mica · Rating 4 out of 5]

este mes me propuse leer libros donde solo haya parejas lesbicas/sáficas (como ustedes prefieran llamarlo) y protagonistas femeninas bisexuales (porque acuerdense chicos: seguimos siendo bisexuales independientemente con quien terminemos) y esta fue mi primer lectura: empecé de diez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

como me vas a poner a una vampira super hot pseudo pirata que siempre tiene cara de orto y quiere matar a todos con una selkie que se ve super cute inocente y se ruboriza por todo pero en realidad es parte de la rebelión y esta decidida a hacer todo lo necesario para que se lleve a cabo.... hot aparTE SU DESCRIPCION FISICA ES LITERALMENTE PENELOPE DE BRIDGERTON!!!!!!!!!! dios me convertí en un hombre promedio disculpen

yo leo mujeres enamoradas hot y les tengo que dar cuatro estrellas no hay otras chicas

[Seren Song ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ice queen vampire who’s gorgeous meets soft, wholesome selkie who makes the big bad vampire feel safe and loved. 🥹

✔️ Ice Queen
✔️ Grumpy x sunshine
✔️ Touch her and die
✔️ Forced proximity
✔️ She’s mine x2
✔️ Badass heroine x2 😍
✔️ Morally grey FMC
✔️ Hurt/comfort

Spice was minimal - this is mostly plot. The orgasmic vampire bite sounds fun. 😅

I don’t think reading the first is a requirement before reading this, but probably helpful for some context.

I LOVE Lizzie, but I have a thing for morally grey women. 😮‍💨 I’ll add more to the review once I’m able to read the published copy! Some things felt rushed, and I feel like it could definitely be longer and more fleshed out so I’ll have to read the final result before delving into that too much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing group for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review. ❤️

[1000_books_1000_lives · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t love this one as much as the first- just found d it much harder to connect to the characters- it wasn’t bad, but the pace was slower and I just wanted something more. Definitely looking forward to the next one though

[Brend · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Brenda, stop picking up books set at sea! You hate books set at sea!!!

-But vampire :D

-FUCKING STOOOOOP!!!!!!!

[Daphne · Rating 1 out of 5]

By the second half of the book, I couldn't wait to finish it.

I really wanted to like this book. I LOVED the premise. Lesbian fantasy about a selkie and a vampire? Yes, please. But the writing left something to be desired. Though this is part of a series, I read this book first and never read the first one, and won't be reading any more from the series. My main issue is that it is one of the books in which it focuses a lot more on thoughts then narration. Everything is told from a perspective like reading the mind of the two main characters, and that is okay for a bit, but because it was the entire book, I got tired of it fast. Instead of saying, I wish it showed more. That's something many of my writing professors have taught in their classes too, don't say, show. An example of how this takes away from the story is the two main characters are supposed to be in love with each other, but I never once felt any chemistry between them, just their thoughts of how much they can't stop thinking about the other.

Continuing on my disappointment of the relationship between these two is that their relationship had no build up. It started as strangers -> omg they are so hot -> I really want to f*ck them -> I'm in love with them. With very few interactions between any of these. Overall, I couldn't wait to finish it because I find it too big of a waste to DNF books, but I thought about it many times.

[Bella Toric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book blew me away! I was hesitant on it after book one in the series, but diving into Blood on the Tide, I fell in love with Katee's story telling again and Maeve and Lizzie. This book transported me back into the world and into a romance and story that just felt so real and so perfectly written on Katee's part!

The spice, as always, was impeccable and literally jaw dropping in moments I could not put this book down because I desperately needed to get to the end of it, and I wasn't disappointed. This book was perfection and truly so much fun to read!

Katee and pirates and sirens and vampires? What more could a gal want!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[𝐃𝐄𝐒 ꨄ︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seriously wish this series was longer. Written more in depth the world building could’ve been insane. The plot is so good and I love the characters. My prior opinion from the first book still stands, I do feel like the writing is lacking and leans towards young adult, but I love how original this series is (at least to me, I haven’t read anything like it) and I love how it stays based in “fantasy land”. I love the characters and their growth and relationships also. Such a fun read.

[tane'a · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ easy, fun read, this little series on sea has been a good time so far

i got to listen to this book on audio (thank you PRH for the ALC) sadly i did only enjoy one of the narrators and i feel like that did affect my overall feelings towards the book, definitely would be willing to give this a reread in the future

[Gwen Carl!! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lesbian pirates are already great but throw in a vampire and that’s the actual perfect cup of tea. This book was so good but what can you expect from Katee if not a beautiful romance.

[Lindsay Eng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorry but Lizzie and Maeve are a thousand times more interesting than Evelyn and Bowen. Also I could NOT be more excited for the next book. Nox, my beloved...

[lexie · Rating 1 out of 5]

how does a book so boring and frankly poorly written even get published 😐

[Zaji-Kali (ZajiKaliReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

There were many aspects of this story that I enjoyed! I loved Lizzie’s narrative and her growth over the story. Liiiived for it actually. I also loved the care taking. I also loved the selkie mythology in here! Never read a shifter story quite like it!

I think the chemistry between Lizzie and Maeve was so high, very steamy! Their story is different from what I expected but I like their dynamic together. I did feel like the pacing was a little bit odd which I noticed in the first book too. With how short these are, there is a slower pace at the beginning that increases more and more toward the end… I wanted there to be more of the couple as a couple instead of spending as much time with them fighting it.

Overall, I did enjoy this one and would recommend it to those who are reading this series. I don’t know if I would recommend it as a complete standalone though.

[Leyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a lot to like about this book!

As soon as I read the premise and saw that this would be about a selkie and a vampire on a ship sailing for a rebel cause I knew I had to read this! I love it when underrepresented mythological creatures are featured in fantasy so the selkie character really sold me. Overall I think Robert does a great job creating creatures and characters that are unique and interesting, it’s really one of the books best assets.

The couple is cute! I liked them together, as I’m a big grumpy x sunshine supporter, and thought their chemistry in and outside of the bedroom was solid. I also appreciate the fact that they’re both way older than they look and it’s not a 20yo selkie being seduced by a 200 year old vampire.

The Cwn Annwyn and rebellion story is very interesting and I love the pirate esque vibe of it all. However I wasn’t quite sold on the amount of small plot lines that kept happening that were supposedly very high stakes but often over so fast that I couldn’t really feel like the they were particularly important. Even the books final battle is pretty much over in 15 pages… I understand that the book isn’t that long, but why did there have to be like 3 supposedly incredibly important and high stakes quests crammed into it if they’re not even going to be fleshed out in a satisfying way. It also kind of made it feel repetitive towards the end and even though I was still interested it definitely did make me feel less excited about the book overall.

Still worth reading, especially if you want to read the whole series! I think that way you’d be a bit more into all of it. I’m not interested in reading the first book and I’ll likely not read the next book in the series either, so things that happened it this book don’t really matter to me in the way that they probably should.

[Danika at The Lesbrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could about a hundred pages have been edited out of this? Sure. But it was a great beach read. And I like that the world is queernorm: I think this is the only book I've read when the narrator uses they/them pronouns for a character until they're introduced with their actual pronouns. It's a little thing, but I appreciated it.

Here's my full review at the Lesbrary.

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a blast with this one. Vampires and selkies are two of my fav mythological creatures, make one of them a murderous ice queen and one of them a stubborn kind hearted woman and you’ve got a sapphic story ready for me to have a great time. Add in pirates, basically, and im delighted. I loved both Lizzie and Maeve (I loved Maeve’s narrator waaaaaayyyy more than Lizzie’s, unfortunately) and their dynamic was a lot of fun. From the looks of things, this author mostly writes het romances and not many sapphic ones, but I’ll keep a lookout for more sapphic ones from them in the future, bc I had a lot of fun with this one!!

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐ rounded up

I wanted to love this, but it was just meh.

The premise made me think there would be a lot more selkie vibes but that took the backburner to the instant love that happened. I'm never a fan of instant love but the writing also left a lot to be desired imo.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this unless you ARE a fan of instant love.

[Michelle (Bamamele.reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this one fell a little flat for me. I think the issue is that Lizzie has been a “bad guy” in the other books she’s been in, and her falling in love with Maeve just didn’t feel really true to me. Their relationship left me a bit cold honestly. Maeve herself is fairly great.
The other thing that worked for me in the first book was that we had a whole cast of characters, but in this book, we’re pretty isolated to Maeve and Lizzie. And since I’m meh on Lizzie, I didn’t have as much fun with this installment.
I’ll definitely keep reading though! Gotta see what those rebels get up to!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

[Taylor Nicke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tbh after reading the first in this series, Hunt on Dark Waters, I was disappointed. The plot seems thrown together and I feel that Lizzie and Maeve went from just being attracted to each other to declaring their love overnight. The relationship and the ending were very rushed. I feel that we didn’t as much of a closer look at Lizzie and her true thoughts as I was hoping since she’s been sprinkled in throughout other books by Katee Robert.

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

Typed up a whole review and goodreads app refreshed just as I was almost done, love that for me.

Fun grumpy/sunshine romance with good banter, humor, and spice. Stars off for plot I don't care about (rebellion/finding jewels) and is paced like a DND adventure where the PCs constantly roll Nat 20s.

Still would recommend. Liked both characters but loved Lizzie.

[monica ✨ romantasyreader]

Dnf @ 37%

I wanted to love this new sapphic romance SO BADLY. Lizzie intrigued me so much in book 1, and I was curious how katee was going to spin the sorta villain to fmc, but I just don’t think sea-faring novels are it for me. I need to stop trying 😭

[Kirsten | Bookish.kir · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Vampire with an orgasmic bite
- Mythical Creatures
- Sapphic Romance
- Forced Proximity
- Badass Heroines
- Orgasmic bite

This is the second book in the Crimson Sails series and could probably be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading Hunt On The Water first to get more of the overall backstory.

Blood On The Tide follows Lizzie as she continues her quest on locating her lost jewels and she recently saved Maeve who is searching for her stolen pelt.

I personally love the author's writing style, I find it very descriptive, captivating and she sure knows how to write some spice🥵. I really enjoyed Lizzie and Maeve’s story and I cannot wait to see what happens in the third book!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Pub for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A vampire and a selkie? ARE YOU KIDDING?! Yes please! And this did not disappoint. A kind, meeker soul and a ruthless killer vampire was the combo I never knew I needed until I read this wonderful book. I loved being back in Threshold and though I did miss the characters from the previous book, I was quickly swept away and thinking Evelyn who?! This book had beautiful descriptions and such creative world building, and yes now I am even more terrified of the ocean thank you very much! Seduction, steam, but also the tenderest emotions and careful care of each other's feelings, needs, and wants. And seriously heart-pumping danger! I HOPE there is more to this series!

Note: I listened to the audiobook with dual POV narrators and it was well done!

[Ashley G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel silly bow for being so invested in them finding her family jewels. This a love story first and the hunt for the jewels ended up taking a backseat to the main characters feelings for each other. Will they ever find them?

[Brianna - Four Paws and a Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bri... stop picking up boat books. They never really work for me.

Bonus points for it being sapphic. The concept was interesting and the conversations surrounding the logistics of a vampire and a selkie together. But unfortunately I just didn't connect with the characters.

Watch the vlog where I read the book here! - https://youtu.be/kpdBE-lWxpQ?si=WMFT7...

[Tiffany {Beyond the Stars Books} · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Katee Robert’s best works yet. This is the second book in the series and I wouldn’t recommend reading it as a standalone as you’ll miss important parts from book one! Lizzie and Maeve start out as a partnership of convenience but quickly evolve into more. Lizzie’s character growth was my favorite part of this novel. Lizzie is such a strong character, Maeve truly brings out her soft side and helps her realize there’s more to life than what you know.

[Mar books_baking_barks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in Katee Robert’s Crimson Tide series, this book had many of my bookstagram friends interested when I posted the dedication on my story: “For fans of Pirates of the Caribbean who wished that there were more lady characters and that those lady characters kissed a bunch.” This is a love story between a vampire and a selkie, with lots of spice and adventure!

Although this has a slow start, I ended up liking this more than book one. I really liked Lizzie and her love of bloodshed. The black cat/ golden retriever energy is strong, and Lizzie is unabashedly and confidently murderous. Maeve is her counter balance, with an open heart and a strength hidden behind smiles. My first selkie character I’ve come across in my fantasy reads! (I am open to more fantasy monster romance book recommendations). I don’t think this book works well as a stand alone since the characters and the world of Threshold require some explanation, but these are quick reads and it will be worth catching up on because next up in the series is Nox!

[Carter Dolman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️
2/5🌶️
This was such a sweet book full of mutual pining. Sunshine selkie and grumpy vampire, such an unusual pairing but it works quite well. I really enjoyed this book, even though it doesn’t compare to the first, it was an easy read and I’m excited to see what the next book brings.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. It was good but I know Katee Robert can do better. I absolutely loved the beginning half of this. The pacing was good, great side characters, and the chemistry between Maeve and Lizzie was hot. Once they get Maeve's pelt back the side characters went away and the plot kinda stalled until the last 10% or so. I wasn't bored technically but it wasn't as gripping.

The smut was hot as hell and I like the relationship between Maeve and Lizzie but I wanted more plot. Also, I kinda feel like the author didn't have a clear understanding of the characters. They were both all over the place personality wise and very inconsistent. Idk, I get why this has the rating that it has to be honest but I still liked it overall and things did pick back up in the end. I'm conflicted but I liked it I guess.

[lux · Rating 5 out of 5]

i went into this during a mild book slump and finished it in two days.... which fr healed something in me☝🏼🙂‍↕️ i picked up this book on a whim, knowing nothing about it other than it was sapphic and fantasy and had vampires??? and mermaids? maybe??? i had no expectations whatsoever and this book surprised me so much!! it very quickly unraveled into a story that was so fun and adventurous and atmospheric all while following two very interesting characters (a vampire!!!! & a selkie!!!!) and their love story .......... ngl this is straight out of my sapphic daydream fantasies that i never knew i needed... like????? new favorite book unlocked 🫡