In Deeper Waters

This was really sweet! It’s a gay high fantasy romance story. I was expecting a historical romance but the fantasy was a nice surprise. It’s a lot more than a prince/pirate love story, and I’ll leave at that because I think it might be spoilery if I elaborate. Pirates aren’t even really a *huge* part of the story honestly. But I enjoyed the direction it took. It took me a bit to get into because I felt the world building was lacking. I think I may have enjoyed it more if that had been expanded upon. You kind of dive head first into the story and I found that a bit jarring so it took some time for me to find my footing. But it definitely is a love story. Tal and Athlen were both such adorable characters and I loved watching their romance blossom, even if it did happen quickly. I also loved the familial love. Pretty much all of the characters in here cared for and loved each other fiercely. I think the plot was interesting but with it being based in the world politics, it suffered a little from the sparse world building. Mostly it was driven by the romance but I didn’t mind that. Overall a fun, sweet, and fluffy fantasy read!

<b>2021 really said "let's slay this queer coverporn game"</b><br><br><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/49213661.In_Deeper_Waters" title="In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593500559l/49213661._SY75_.jpg" alt="In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/44540687.Bruised" title="Bruised by Tanya Boteju" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593500085l/44540687._SY75_.jpg" alt="Bruised by Tanya Boteju" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/53005757.When_You_Get_the_Chance" title="When You Get the Chance by Tom Ryan" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568309493l/53005757._SX50_SY75_.jpg" alt="When You Get the Chance by Tom Ryan" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/51591602.She_s_Too_Pretty_to_Burn" title="She's Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589205789l/51591602._SY75_.jpg" alt="She's Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/49553325.The_Sky_Blues" title="The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593448769l/49553325._SX50_.jpg" alt="The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/43533785.Sweet___Bitter_Magic" title="Sweet &amp; Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593501631l/43533785._SY75_.jpg" alt="Sweet &amp; Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/43850198.A_Dark_and_Hollow_Star__A_Dark_and_Hollow_Star___1_" title="A Dark and Hollow Star (A Dark and Hollow Star, #1) by Ashley Shuttleworth" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593444181l/43850198._SY75_.jpg" alt="A Dark and Hollow Star (A Dark and Hollow Star, #1) by Ashley Shuttleworth" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a>

this cover is so soft, queer and aesthetically pleasing <i>*screams*</i>

it was giving gay retelling of ariel

I had high hopes when I started this, but in the end I found this story underwhelming. <br /><br />Everything about it – the writing, the plot, the characters, the dialogues – felt too juvenile and simplistic for me. <br /><br />The story was quite predictable and tropey, a bit boring at times, and the characters were kind of bland. I didn't necessarily dislike it, I just found it lacking all around. <br /><br />The audiobook was ok. <br />

I need all the soft gay pirate babies &lt;3

THIS WAS SO CUTE!!!! Going into this book, I had no idea it was a fantasy romance. I just thought it was a historical romance about a guy going on his coming of age tour falling for a guy who is hanging with pirates. While that does happen, the magic plays a HUGE part in this book and I really loved it. The growth Tal goes through from hiding in the castle as the magical fourth royal child to someone who is strong, confident, and determined to save the ones he loves was amazing. Tal's relationship with his family as definitely one of my favorite aspects of this book. From the first page to the last page, their devotion and love to one another was just so heartwarming. I would have loved to get to know their mom more too, but I still enjoyed seeing Tal interact with his siblings. <br /><br />The romance in this book was just so wholesome and sweet and I was swooning over it. Tal and Athlen slowly fell for each other and would do anything to keep each other safe. There's even a nursing-back-to-health scene in here that was adorable. I can't gush about them or this book enough! Definitely go pick it up!

this was such a fun quick read, it also is a standalone i believe and i really like how good the world building was, i expected it to be more of a pirate romance kind of thing but i still enjoyed it either way

<b>"Death, he discovered, was simple, not the terrifying and daunting fate that had loomed over him during his time on the ship. It was easy to give in, to let his eyes slide half closed, to let his body drift in the rhythm of the sea. His pain dulled - the scorch from his chest and shoulder became distant, as if it weren't happening to him at all. But he still felt regret over the thought of never seeing his family again, of never seeing Athlen again..."</b><br /><br /><br /><b>Rating:</b> ⭐⭐⭐⭐<br /><br />❗❗<b>May contain some spoilers</b>❗❗<br /><br /><br />This was such a cute story!!! Sweet, beautiful, just ADORABLE!!!?? Picture a <i>much</i> better version of <i>The Little Mermaid</i> where the prince is magic and the little mermaid is actually a little merman, and he is much, much better.<br /><br /><br />The plot was pretty solid. Fun and full of action, danger, and romance. A family that loves and cares for each other deeply, in spite of Tal's dangerous and secret magic threatening to destroy their kingdom, in particular. I loved the similarities between the book and <i>The Little Mermaid</i>. There weren't a lot of them but they were clear. Like Athlen's red hair and collection of various thingamabobs. His bargain with the seawitch for human legs (only he can switch between tail and legs at will), and of course, saving a handsome prince from a burning ship (although, it was the prince who set the ship on fire but...semantics ?). <br /><br /><b>In Deeper Waters</b> is basically a fairytale in its essence.<br /><br />There <i>were</i> moments that seemed to drag on and became a little dull. However, for the most part I really liked what I was reading. It helped that the plot was pretty simple and the writing was easy to comprehend, with its large font and simple-ish language, dispite of those dull moments here and there. I also noticed some repetition, which I wasn't particularly keen on, but still willing to look past it since it was clearly meant for emphasis.

✅ Pirates ?‍☠️ <br />✅ MM romance<br />✅ Merfolk <br />✅ Strong family dynamic<br />✅ Pace<br />✅? World-building<br />✅? Plot<br />? Insta-connection at first<br />? Villain<br /><br />3.5 stars<br /><br />I jumped into this book expecting a gay pirate adventure, but this is more of a fantasy coming of age with some sea adventure and pirates involved, and some gay or queer characters.<br /><br />Prince Tal has been kept hidden in the palace for the past years because he needed to keep his magic secret. After his ancestor wreaked havoc on the lands and waged a bloody magical war a few decades ago, any hint that Tal has the same magic in him would be enough to create panic and would put Tal's life in danger. At 16, he can now finally leave the palace for his coming-of-age tour of the kingdom. Things do not go as planned though when Tal and his older brother find a mysterious prisoner on an abandoned ship, or when Tal gets kidnapped and locked up because someone hopes that his disappearance and death will be enough to spark a war. <br /><br /><blockquote> <b> <i>“Can I touch you?” Tal asked, stepping closer. <br />“Yes.”<br />Tal wrapped his arms around Athlen’s shaking body and held on. “I’ve got you.”<br />“I know.” His breath was cool on Tal’s neck. “For how long?”<br />“Until you tell me to let go.”</i> </b> </blockquote><br /><br />This book is sweet and cute. Athlen and Tal's relationship has a fast pace at first with a kind of insta-connection, which I was wary of, but it gets better after that and they are really cute together. Tal's kindness and compassion mean everything to Athlen who has no one left in the world, and Athlen's easy acceptance of Tal and his magic comes as a relief to Tal who can finally be himself with someone who's not family, without being afraid and without scaring them away. Tal started the book not really knowing who he was or who he wanted to be, and he gained confidence and realized his own worth as he was faced with life or death situations and had to make some tough decisions.<br /><br />The world-building is very basic. We are given enough information to understand the politics between Tal's kingdom and the other kingdoms, and to be able to imagine what the setting looks like, but not much more.<br /><br />The plot is the reason why I did not give this book a higher rating. While being entertaining and a quick read, the plot is thin and overall quite predictable. The main focus is on the romance, which is not a bad thing, but because of that, the political aspect and the part about the villain scheming to kidnap and use or kill Tal are not really developed. There were a few plot twists, that were quite predictable too, but it still was a satisfying and heartwarming read.<br /><br /><blockquote> <b> <i>“Thank you for saving me."<br />"Thank you for not being afraid of me.”</i> </b> </blockquote><br /><br />Athlen's sunny personality and curiosity reminded me a little bit of Tolly in <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/44287437.Coming_Up_for_Air" title="Coming Up for Air by Amanda Meuwissen" rel="noopener">Coming Up for Air</a>. He is curious and enjoys every new experience to its fullest... Except maybe horseback riding. I really like him, and I would have loved to have more backstory and more of him overall.<br /><br />Tal's relationship with his brothers and sisters, while not being the focal point of this book, was SO wholesome. They are all so supportive of each other, and so close-knit. I love how they teased each other, and how they obviously loved each other so much. It just added to the sweetness of Tal and Athlen's romance. <br /><br />Finally, I have to say that the “villain” was underwhelming. The person who orchestrated Tal's kidnapping and a few assassination attempts just revealed everything once they were questioned by Tal in front of the royal family. I have to say that it was quite disappointing to see that this apparent mastermind who’d schemed for weeks or months would just admit to everything with almost no prompting, going as far as saying something along the lines of "yes I did it and I'm surprised you're alive because I paid them well to kill you" in front of the whole royal family... <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/lucie_v_booklover/" rel="nofollow noopener">Follow me on Instagram</a> ?