Drown Me Gently

by Tereza Kane

He was never meant to fall in love with the surface.
Auren is a Mer prince with a restless heart and a dangerous fascination for the surface world. When he falls for Elias, a charming human with a smile like sunlight, Auren breaks every law of the deep to see him again. But someone is watching-Ulric, the Kraken court sorcerer sworn to protect him, and the only one who knows what it will cost if the sea decides to punish Auren's defiance.

He was never meant to feel anything at all.

Ulric has guarded Poseidon's bloodline for centuries, bound by ancient magic and an oath he cannot break. Auren was supposed to be a duty, nothing more. But every rule Ulric has lived by starts to fray the moment the reckless prince dares to look at him like he's more than a monster. And when Auren turns to him for comfort, for touch-Ulric knows the price of breaking his oath may be his soul.

In a world of gods, monsters, and forbidden magic, love is the one thing neither of them was meant to survive.
But when a prince offers his heart to the dark, the dark just might love him back-with all its teeth.

Genres: Fantasy, M M Romance

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2025

Reviews

[Laney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spicy and gay little mermaid? Say less! Action packed and gut wrenching the best ways, Drown me Gently captures all the romance and magic of classic fairy tales, but dives deep into a darker story line that had me at the edge of my seat. Auren's wonder for the world meets Ulrich's devotion to the sweet prince, and tells a story that is as hot as it is heart warming. Intriguing world building meets forbidden lovers and I can't get enough. (Much like our sweet mermaid Auren 😉)

[Tooth · Rating 5 out of 5]

a swimming good time!

Listen, I’ve read my fair share of retellings, however this one definitely became one of my favs. The build up of the couples relationship was maddening and gut wrenching at times, however the sweet moments were tooth aching in the best way. A quick read, with an interesting twist to the little mermaid, I liked this enough to want to buy a physical copy of so I can read it over and over again.

[zzzbunnyzzz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Mermaid? But make it gay and SPICY🔥
I really enjoyed this flipped gender retelling! It had quite it bit more to it compared to the original Disney film (and I’m not just talking about the spice) there see more twists and turns and it was something I couldn’t put down! Finished in two days! Can’t wait to see more in this Flipped Fairytales series!

[Alexis Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stepped out of my normal romance reading with this one and it did not disappoint! Its’ little mermaid inspiration with a twist was addicting 🤭 I literally couldn’t put it down! @terezakanewrites nailed this flipped fairytale perfectly 🧜🏼‍♀️ *spice was involved* 🌶️def recommend for fantasy readers 🤩

[Janay S · Rating 5 out of 5]

As my first M/M book, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the roles being different from the original fairytale but OMG! Could not put this book down! This is love at its core no matter how you see it, willing to give up so much for that one being who is your all. Don't even get me started on sex with tentacles!! So hot and amazingly written.

[October O'Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

MCs
mermaid/kraken
gay
strict roles
21/ancient

TROPES
grumpy/sunshine
hurt/comfort
forced proximity
frenemies to lovers
fated mates

CWs
forced medical procedure
forced body modification
forced captivity

KINKY SHIT
tenticlessssss

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy smokes, this was hands-down, the best “little mermaid” retelling that I’ve read. Loved Ulric and Auren together. This will definitely be a reread.

[Imagine_withV · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Vendetta Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 rounded up

as it turns out i was more taken by the synopsis (and maybe the first quarter) than the actual book :/ the beach scene did make me cry, and since i'm in a giving mood, i rounded up the rating

ETA: hi, i'm back bc i couldn't stop thinking abt the beach scene. not the part that made me cry, but the part right after, which also happens on the beach. i'm gonna try not to spoil it, so, at the time i didn't really give much thought to it, but since then i couldn't help but think that it wasn't really this grand sacrifice it was made out to be?? giving up something you never really wanted in the first place isn't a sacrifice. the fact that it was made to seem like he was giving up something precious to him kinda pissed me off lmao like bro, no, he got what he wanted in the end so it was no grand gesture of love or whatever. anyway, i've said my piece, and i'll be taking that star back, too

P.S. not enough krakenfucking 🚬😮‍💨

[Katherine E. N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

gorgeous from start to finish. especially the epilog 😘

[Paola · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gay Little Merman. What a flipped fairytale this was! I absolutely loved it. Teresa called this a diet dark romance and boy did she deliver in those scenes. That last scene though..

[Yan_mar1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entretenido, para pasar el rato.

[Avrial || Bookish.and.blissful · Rating 3 out of 5]

MERMAID M/M ROMANCE


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