Blood on the Tide by Katee Robert, the second book in the Crimson Sails series, is perfect for those looking for sapphic romance and high seas adventure, complete with a bit of fantasy elements and positive plus size representation. I was admittedly amused when the author promoted the book as something she thought of with the idea that “Pirates of the Caribbean needed more murderous women”, but she totally delivered on that premise. 

All living creatures die eventually. Some just take longer than others. There’s peace in knowing that.

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There’s nothing quite like the sea to remind you of the fact that you’re not truly unkillable. The sea doesn’t care about your magic or your strength, and cetainly not your stamina. It’s the ultimate equalizer. 

Katee Robert’s Blood on the Tide, second book in the Crimson Sails series, is perfect for those looking for sapphic romance and high seas adventure, complete with a bit of fantasy elements and positive plus size representation. I was admittedly amused when the author promoted the book as something she thought of with the idea that “Pirates of the Caribbean needed more murderous women”, but she totally delivered on that premise. 

Lizzie and Maeve are both missing things near and dear to them. Lizzie, a bloodline vampire with murderous tendencies who loves getting into fights, is desperate to find the family heirlooms that were stolen from her by an ex. Maeve is a selkie working for the rebellion who lost a part of herself after her ex made off with her skin (taking with it her ability to shift). Since they both have similar goals, they agree to team up until they get what they want. However, forced proximity and all the time they spend together on the hunt leave them more entangled with each other than either had planned…

For those who may be curious, the romance in this book is a little tamer than some of Katee Robert’s other novels. While I wouldn’t use the word vanilla (since there is still explicit on page sex), it’s definitely a far cry from the BDSM clubs that appear in her other series (see Dark Olympus and Wicked Villains). Maeve and Lizzie’s romance is an empowering sapphic love story – both of them are women on a mission, and while they were definitely not looking for love after being hurt so deeply by their exes, they fall into it. The plus sized representation in Maeve’s character is amazing – I wasn’t expecting it to be connected to her selkie side as well but it was really well done. 

One nice thing about all of Katee Robert’s books is that I always find myself learning new things. Sometimes, it’s about different kinks and practices (i.e. those heavily found in the Wicked Villains series), other times it’s about different mythological references. In this book, I got to learn about what a morality chain is (i.e., Maeve’s ability to temper Lizzie’s bloodlust and murderous tendencies), how selkie powers work, and a little bit about sailing. This, along with the larger storyline and the action helped to balance the various sex scenes and romance, ultimately blending together into a well written and engaging book. 

Blood on the Tide was another entertaining read from Katee Robert. While it wasn’t my favorite book of hers, I still found myself invested because of the characters, the romance and the worldbuilding. Given that this is yet another book that connects to her other series (Court of the Vampire Queen has a major link), I am absolutely astounded at how she keeps all the connections straight. At the time of writing this review, I don’t think the next book has been announced but I’m looking forward to more installments in this series. 

CONTENT WARNINGS (courtesy of the author): murder, blood, explicit sex, violence.

A wholesale slaughter makes things simple. 

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