Thank you for the free #gifted book @berkley and @prhaudio

 

Witches, pirates, vampires, and mermaids… oh my!  This new series, Crimson Sails, by Katee Robert is the start of an enchanting new adventure on the high seas.  

 

Needing to escape her vampire girlfriend’s family, Evelyn jumps through a magical portal into a new realm and splashes down in the ocean beside Bowen’s ship, where she’s given a choice to join the crew or die. 

 

Well,… hello there, Mr. Brawny Pirate.  🔥  I’m not generally a fan of insta-love, but Bowen instantly caught my attention with his magnetic appeal from the very beginning.    

 

This is my first read by Robert, and it proved to be very different than what I expected.  While it delivered on the fun and spice, I was completely surprised at the exploration of the themes of authority and power.  

 

As the obvious tension built between Bowen and Evelyn, she began to question the doctrine behind how the crew operates.  Is it truly for good?  Or is it a mere stronghold in the name of power?

I appreciated the growth in Bowen as he evaluated the principles he had always taken at face value.  And I imagine much more will come of this in the next installment. 

 

As for the love story, it was fun, even if not my favorite.  I found the spicy scenes to be a bit awkward, and the relationship felt more infatuation than love.  

 

Still, this proved an easy read, and a fine foundation for the rest of the series to be built upon.  I’ll be interested to explore other reads by Robert.