While I am relatively new to Katee Roberts and do not have many of her novels under my belt, I still expect her stories to be escapism at its finest. My expectations include fun characters, good bedroom scenes, and plots that are as entertaining as they are fast reading. Unfortunately, Hunt on Dark Waters, her latest novel and series opener, failed to meet my expectations. 

Let's start with the good. I loved the world-building. The idea of mermaids being terrible monsters was a fun take, as is Ms. Roberts' take on the Wild Hunt being a real thing consisting of magic-containing pirates and not Fae. I wanted to see more of this world and its monsters. I wanted to learn more about the politics behind the Hunt and how it got to be where it is when Evelyn arrives on the scene. 

In fact, I loved the world so much, I wanted more sea action and less bedroom action. Actually, I could have done without all of the bedroom action. I didn't find any of the scenes particularly sexy. Moreover, they did nothing to enhance the story. If anything, they were meant to show how Bowen and Evelyn are fated for each other. But, we are talking about two people who met the day before and spent most of that time fighting each other. Suddenly, after some time in the bedroom, they can't live without each other. Even I can't buy that level of insta-love when there is nothing there but sex to support the relationship.

Outside the bedroom scenes, there is little more to Hunt on Dark Waters. There is little to no character development and minimal world-building. The plot is simplistic at best. Even when Ms. Roberts introduces the added complication of Evelyn's vampire ex to the mix, the story feels flat. There is so much potential here, but it feels like Ms. Roberts intended this particular story to be nothing more than a porn movie in story form, and that is the most disappointing aspect of the entire thing.