In Deeper Waters

By: F.T. Lukens

Narrated by: Kevin R. Free

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

“A frothy confection of sea foam, young love, and derring-do.” (NPR)

A young prince must rely on a mysterious stranger to save him when he is kidnapped during his coming-of-age tour in this swoony adventure that is The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Pirates of the Caribbean.

Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel.

Tasked with watching over the prisoner, Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen. So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal feels responsible and heartbroken, knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean.

That is, until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land, very much alive, and as charming - and secretive - as ever. But before they can pursue anything further, Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war. Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom. And Athlen might just be his only hope....

©2021 F.T. Lukens. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Highly recommend

I was really excited for the release of this book because of the cover art and it didn't disappoint. All of the characters both big and small are likeable and relatable, which is something I have lately had a hard time with when it comes to LGBTQIA+ romances.

Tal and Athlen are both amazing and well developed main characters and the ensemble cast is also really good.

The narration was pretty good too. I look forward to reading more from this author and will be looking into there other books.

The climax is probably the best part of the book in my opinion, it was really wonderful.

Absolutely Amazing!

This has been an amazing story to enjoy and be in the edge of my seat listening to.

The romantic chemistry these two leads have and all of Tals family have just been so amazing to get to know. Kevin did a wonderful job getting into the spirit of each character so that I could visualize everything more clearly even though some character inflections were accidentally forgotten.

I recommend this greatly.

Magical time reading this!!!

If you are looking for a story with amazing world building, magical beings and lots of adventure this book is for you!!! The narration was so vivid and overall just an amazing listen!

so adorable

this book was so adorable and I am so glad this generation and beyond will have books like this. wish I did when I was younger

meh

It's an okay read but the main character felt very flat. The main character's conflict comes up but I don't FEEL that he actually experiences the emotions I'm told he experiences. It's very much an "I need the character to be this now to progress my story but I don't actually know why someone would need this I just have seen it in other works." Maybe it reads better to others but for me I probably won't read this again.

Reads like a classic romance novel

Like the old romance novels, there's a call to action which thrust the MC and the love interest together. This one has some light political drama and it delves into some fantasy aspects. However, it kind of falls short in the latter. Perhaps it's because I came off the bandwagon of both the "Tales of Verania" series as well as the "Simon Snow" series, but there's such a weight on the fantasy aspect of both characters to where it is the source of their anxiety and drama. However, I didn't get much gravitas from it all. The political drama side was more compelling.

And to be honest, it would have made for a more succinct story had there been no magic involved from the MC (especially since he exhibits it maybe five times? And only one of them was of importance, though it could have been set up in a way that would cause it to be moot).

Both characters only showed moments of affection but like the magic, there is very little gravity of it. To me, this is like the "Luca" of fishpeople-based novels: besides the subtext that you pick up in snippets (and in this book's case, making out and then some), you honestly would have mistaken them as good friends. I would have enjoyed delving into more of the emotional intensity rather than being told of how strong MC feels for love interest.

And I think that's the biggest issue I have. I'm told of these things. It would be better to be shown these things.

Gay Lil Men

I loved this so much, It was very fruity from the start and gave me so much euphoria for no reason!! Would recommend

Heart-warming

My cheeks are hurting from the absolute giddiness I feel from this book. So cute and loving.

excellent

really love this book! i grew up obsessed with pirates and now I'm queer so this has just about everything

Delightful

Great story about feeling like an outsider and making connections. Characters are well developed and sympathetic. Intriguing world building. Strikes a good balance of addressing serious issues without being too heavy.

the fairytale i wish i had before

this story is so wonderful and lovely. my only complaint is i wish it was published when i was a teenager because this is exactly the kind of story i loved to read and it has many kinds of representations of people.

Yesss!

Amazing and glorious story, I want to live in the world forever! Fantastic characters and amazing story telling!

So emotional all the way through! I wish there was another book to listen to!