★★★ ½ @MaryJaniceD #SleepingwithFishes #ThrowbackReview
This cover caught my eye in an airport bookshop during my travel years. Then I saw it was Ms. Davidson who wrote the hilarious Betsy the Vampire Queen books so I had to pick it up. It delivers a fresh new snarky mermaid who isn't sex, glamourous and all-powerful. Instead, we get Fred. I adore Fred. She is funny and just trying to get through life in spite of her parentage.
Fred's crankiness is part of her appeal. I also like that she plays to her strengths. She's a mermaid, hence her working at the New England Aquarium. I am a lover of all water-themed stories and I have a particular fondness for mermaids. This is a different view of how mermaids can be. Especially partial ones. For those who feel that Fred seems familiar, she is a variation on Betsy. More together with her life, but the same kind of snarky wholesome goodness.
There is a romance element to it that I could have done without, but this is paranormal romance so it is a little rom-com. The plot to determine what was causing toxic material destroying the ocean is a bit more of interest to me and I wish that was developed a bit more. Then again, that may have made this story more serious and somber which is not how Ms. Davidson writes. Expect corny situations, opposing setups (like a mermaid with allergies to ... shellfish), and a woman completely oblivious to men's attention. This paranormal romance is recommended to readers who enjoy romantic comedy with an irreverent mermaid.
