Dive into the depths of the ocean with us, where the water is as deep as the stories are enchanting! Welcome, fellow dreamers and lovers of the mystical, to a world where the sea sings of love stories as captivating as the creatures that dwell within it. Today, we’re exploring the spellbinding realm of mermaid romance books, where love knows no bounds, not even between the land and sea.
Imagine the gentle caress of the ocean breeze, the sparkle of sunlight on the water, and the allure of mysteries lurking beneath the waves. Whether you’re a fan of sweet, tender romances or thrilling tales of forbidden love, our selection promises to whisk you away to magical underwater kingdoms and hidden coves where mermaids and mortals dare to dream of love. So, let’s set sail on this enchanting voyage together and discover the tales of passion, adventure, and romance that await beneath the surface!
10 Mermaid Romance Books (Fairytale/Folklore)
Mermaids have captivated human imagination for centuries with their beauty and mystery. Mermaid romance transports us to fantastical worlds beneath the waves, where mermaids and mermen dwell. The romance between a human and a mermaid or merman involves forbidden love, as their relationship faces societal, cultural, or even magical barriers. This forbidden aspect adds tension and drama to the romance, compelling readers to root for the star-crossed lovers as they defy the odds to be together.
Here are ten popular mermaid romance books that romanticize sea lore, drawing inspiration from myths, legends, and folklore surrounding merfolk. These stories tap into the romantic notion of forbidden love between humans and creatures of the sea. This exploration of dual worlds adds depth to the story and allows for rich world-building as readers discover the intricacies of both environments. Let’s go!
| Name | Key Focus | Rating (Goodreads) |
|---|---|---|
| The Water Mirror by Kai Meyer | Two girls are trying to discover a magical river with an adventurous journey. | 3.8/5 |
| In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan | A boy discovers a magical mermaid world where he also finds his love and friendship. | 4.3/5 |
| Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen | A historical mermaid story with folklore and love. | 3.6/5 |
| Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry | In a pirate and mermaid background, you learn about Peter Pan in detail. | 4/5 |
| The Language of Thorns by Dave Barry | A heavy mermaid romance story with 7 short stories. | 4.3/5 |
| Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller | A pirate girl is trying to discover some mystery where she also meets her love. | 3.5/5 |
| Between the Sea and Sky by Donna M. Binkiewicz | A mermaid finds her missing sister, and she falls in love with a human. | 4/5 |
| Of Poseidon by Anna Banks | In a mermaid kingdom, Poseidon (god of the sea) rules the sea, and romance also unfolds here. | 4/5 |
| The Siren by Kiera Cass | A human girl somehow turns into a mermaid and tries to solve it with other mermaids. | 3.7/5 |
| To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo | A mermaid retelling with many rival situations and love. | 3.7/5 |
1. The Water Mirror (Merle-Zyklus)
Merle-Zyklus is a trilogy. I have only read the first book, The Water Mirror. This one is also a middle-grade. You can see a Mermaid Girl on the back. So it’s set in a city modeled after Venice, and it’s about two orphan girls who work for two different magical people across the way in Venice. One is a mirror maker, and one is a painter. They either get split up, stay together, and work for some guys.
The magical stone lions come to life in this city, and the police officers ride them around and then use mermaids. Then they ride them through Venice’s canals, which is terrible. So, the mermaids are a loosely mentioned part here. The Water River is magical. The girls have discovered all these magical things with a mermaid love story.
Author: Kai Meyer
Narrator: Toby Longworth
Publisher: Listening Library
Tropes: Action, Adventure Fantasy, Gods-demons-angels
Number Of Pages: 250
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Audio CD
2. In Other Lands
In Other Lands is an LGBT mermaid romance with adventure and fantasy. The story is about a young boy named Elliot, who discovers magic. He gets sucked into a magical world, which is very different from other books because Elliot is unlikeable and a brat. He doesn’t make friends easily. But in this world, he’s cool, and they like him, which is very unusual.
Elliot gets the two best friends, which is excellent because he learns all these magical things about fairies, elves, and goblins and is obsessed with finding mermaids. Also, he grows up throughout the book, and it is one of the most underrated books ever. The audiobook was fantastic. I enjoyed it, and I highly recommend it.
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Tropes: Mermaids, Adventure, Fantasy, Friendship
Number Of Pages: 437
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
3. Alias Hook
Alias Hook is an adult book on Hook’s back story and life. But it’s got a lot of fairy magic in here, a tiny bit of mermaids, lots of detail into how Peter Pan and Captain Hook came to be and his whole back story. This one does take a little bit longer to get through. The story is a little bit richer in words and writing because it’s an adult book with a little sexual content. So keep that in mind if you have a younger age. Also, the book cover is excellent.
Author: Lisa Jensen
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Tropes: Folklore, Historical, Adventure
Number Of Pages: 368
Dimensions: 5.69 x 1.25 x 8.51 inches
Available: Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
4. Peter and the Starcatchers
Peter and the Starcatchers is a middle-grade series that won the Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award. It reminds me of Peter Pan in Harry Potter form. It’s a five-book series. The first three especially are exceptional. This is about Peter and the Star Catchers, and it’s all about Peter Pan, how he became Peter Pan, how Neverland came about, and the Lost Boys. The plot is magical, adventurous, and fun, with a mermaid romance. This book is one of my all-time favorite book series.
Author: Dave Barry
Narrator: Jim Dale
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Tropes: Magic, Travel, Pirates
Number Of Pages: 452
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
5. The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic (Grishaverse)
The Language of Thorns is folklore set in the Grisha world, like Shadow And Bone and Six Crows. So, it is the perfect book for the Mermaid Marathon because it has seven short stories. The art is beautiful, and the mermaid story is called When Water Sing Fire at the very end. It’s a mermaid fairy tale with a love story, which is excellent. If you still need to read the Grisha World and are waiting for a heavy mermaid theme, try the whole Grishaverse series.
Author: Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson
Narrator: Jim Dale
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Tropes: Fairy Tales, Anthologies
Number Of Pages: 452
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
6. Daughter of the Pirate King
Daughter of the Pirate King and Daughter of the Siren Queen won the Evergreen Teen Book Award nomination. This duology, specifically the first book, is very loose on mermaids, as a very open mention and talking around it. The second one is a bit heavier, but not that heavy. It’s more pirate and nautical-based. We follow our lead character, Eliza, a pirate king’s daughter, and she’s on a mission. The narrator was good enough, so try the audiobook. Overall, the author shows pirates, adventure, and grand romance, which is fun.
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Publisher: Square Fish (Reprint Edition)
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, Slow-burn, Historical Fiction
Number Of Pages: 336
Grade level: 7 – 9
Item Weight: 9.6 ounces
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle
7. Between the Sea and Sky
Between the Sea and Sky is excellent for the Mermaid Marathon because it’s only 220 pages long and very easy to get through. This has a historical vibe to it. There are two sister mermaids in here. They have belts, and if a man steals your belt, you become a human, and you can also choose to give him your belt and give up your mermaid life. One of the sisters goes missing.
So the other one chooses to go on land to go and find her. She has a friend who was a fairy boy. This book has a lot of magical elements. It’s a very romantic and very classic historical mermaid story. The hardcover has some negative issues, but the paperback is good enough for font size, color, binding, cover, and page quality.
Author: Donna M. Binkiewicz
Publisher: Independently Published
Tropes: Supernatural, Folklore, Arc
Number Of Pages: 235
Available: Paperback
8. Of Poseidon (The Syrena Legacy)
The Syrena Legacy is a famous do mermaid in trilogies that won the Gateway Readers Award Nominee. Our lead character has some draw to the water, and there’s a lot of romance in here, and you learn a lot about an underwater mermaid kingdom and all that stuff. It’s more dramatic and intense than the other books that I remember. If you love mermaid books with myth retellings, then you’ll love it.
Author: Anna Banks
Publisher: Square Fish
Tropes: Dystopian, Myth
Number Of Pages: 384
Reading age: 13 – 18 years
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
9. The Siren
The Siren is a mythical romance with a mermaid. The book is about girls who have been turned into mermaids, whose job is to sink ships, feed the ocean, and take care of the ocean. The ocean is a mother figure. She talks to them, tells them what to do, and helps them. The audiobook didn’t help, either. But it’s still worth reading because I liked the book’s love story and writing style.
Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen
Tropes: Friendship, YA Fantasy
Number Of Pages: 352
Reading age: 13 – 17 years
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Pocket Book | Audio CD
10. To Kill a Kingdom
To Kill a Kingdom is an adventure mermaid’s retelling. I loved it more because of how beautiful it is and the mermaids than how I enjoyed it. I struggled to get through, and something about it didn’t live up to the hype. This is a straight-up Little Mermaid retelling, and it’s about a siren princess. It kills princes for their hearts, and she uses them for magic. Then, the prince tries to hunt the Siren. It was advertised as a brutal, dark mermaid tale. I have read many mermaid books, but they’re not dark and brutal.
You might like it fast to get through. There are magic and ghosts, witches, demons, and other creatures. It reminds me of a Disney movie by Disney Hyperion and Jennifer Donnelly. It has excellent side characters and pets and has a lot of fun with drama.
Author: Alexandra Christo
Tropes: Sword & Sorcery Fantasy, Rivals-to-lovers, Morally-grey, Dark
Number Of Pages: 368
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
5 Mermaid Books For Adults
“The Deep” by Rivers Solomon – This evocative novel draws on the mythology of mermaids with a profound narrative. Inspired by the song “The Deep” by clipping., it tells the story of Yetu, the historian of the water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slavers. The story shows memory, history, and identity, offering a powerful exploration of the past’s impact on the present and the individual’s role within a community.
“Into the Drowning Deep” by Mira Grant – This thrilling and chilling tale combines elements of horror and fantasy to explore the dangers and mysteries of the deep sea. The story follows a scientific expedition to find mermaids in the Mariana Trench, proving the mythical creatures are more horrifying than anyone could have imagined. Grant crafts a suspenseful narrative that questions humanity’s understanding of nature and the unknown.
“Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale” by Carolyn Turgeon – A dark and lyrical retelling of the classic Little Mermaid tale, this novel presents a complex narrative of love, sacrifice, and rivalry. The story is told from the perspectives of both the mermaid princess, who sacrifices everything for love, and the princess on land, who also yearns for her form of freedom. Turgeon’s book explores desire, duty, and the heartbreaking choices that define us.
“To Kill a Kingdom” by Alexandra Christo – This fantasy novel offers a dark twist on mermaid lore, featuring a siren princess who collects the hearts of princes and a prince who is a siren hunter. When they are thrown together on a quest, their journey becomes a tale of adventure, betrayal, and unexpected love. Christo’s world-building is rich and imaginative, making for a gripping read that reimagines traditional mermaid stories with a darker edge.
“The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea” by Maggie Tokuda-Hall – In this captivating novel, a pirate, a mermaid, and a witch find their fates intertwined on the high seas. The story explores themes of identity, love, and the fight against oppression, set in a beautifully crafted fantasy world where mermaids are not just creatures of beauty but also power. Tokuda-Hall weaves a tale that is both enchanting and thought-provoking, with richly developed characters and a compelling narrative.
5 Spicy Mermaid Romance Books
“The Mermaid’s Escape” by Kellie McAllen (The Siren Series) – This novel focuses on four mermaid sisters who challenge the laws of their world by rescuing the men they love from drowning, only to discover they’ve been cursed to live on land. As they face their new lives, each sister is tangled in romance, danger, and the struggle to break the curse. The series has engaging characters, steamy scenes, and intriguing plot twists.
“Lorelei’s Lyric” by D.B. Sieders (Southern Elemental Guardians) – Blending elements of mythology and modern fantasy, this book tells the story of Lorelei, a siren, who ventures into the human world and falls for a rock star with a troubled soul. Their connection ignites a passionate and tumultuous relationship that challenges both their worlds. Sieders crafts a unique tale that explores themes of redemption, love, and the power of music.
“A Mermaid’s Kiss” by Joey W. Hill – This novel introduces us to a world where mermaids are the healers of the ocean, and one mermaid, Anna, has the power to heal a fallen angel sent to prepare for an impending war. The bond between Anna and the angel becomes a profound exploration of love, sacrifice, and desire. Hill’s writing beautifully merges the ethereal qualities of mermaids with intense emotional and erotic depth.
“To Kill a Kingdom” by Alexandra Christo – While not exclusively a romance, this dark fantasy novel features a siren princess and a siren-hunting prince whose paths cross in a deadly dance of fate and desire. Their journey from enemies to lovers is filled with adventure, betrayal, and a simmering tension that fans of spicy romance will appreciate. Christo’s vivid storytelling and the morally grey characters make for a compelling read.
“Deep Blue” by Jules Barnard (Blue Series) – Set in Lake Tahoe, this contemporary romance with a supernatural twist follows Cali, a college student, and Jaeger, a man with deep secrets tied to the lake’s mysterious depths. As their romance blossoms, they must face the challenges of their hidden worlds. Barnard mixes the allure of mermaid lore with steamy romance and a hint of mystery, creating a captivating story that keeps you engaged.
From the ocean’s darkest depths to the shimmering shores of distant lands, we’ve explored tales that remind us of the power of love to overcome any obstacle. Mermaid romance offers a unique escape into worlds where the fantastical becomes possible, and every wave whispers secrets of ancient love and timeless bonds. Thank you for joining us on this magical journey through the sea of love and legend.
Keep these stories close to your heart, and let them inspire you to believe in the magic around us and the unexplored depths of love. Until our next adventure, may your days be filled with wonder, your shelves with stories, and your hearts with boundless love.
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