Mermaid Overboard

Swimming Without a Net
Mary Janice Davidson
Jove
11-2-07
ISBN 0515143812
Paranormal
***1/2



After taking a year off from romance, Fred Bimm, the mermaid, is confronted with the need to deal with her People of the Sea half of her ancestry when she is summoned to a major meeting at the command of her would be fiance, Prince Artur. When she and her best friend, Jonas, arrive, she also discovers her other potential suitor, Thomas, has been invited. Though he's strictly a land dweller, Artur is compeled by fairness to make sure he has equal access. Now, Fred just needs to learn merfolk etiquette and protocol while navigating the stormy seas of love and politics while her people debate joining the biped world. She also has to somehow keep her boss, who has arrived to continue her romance with Jonas, from learning she's a mermaid. What fun!



Fred may be having a bad day, but readers will be delighted with the results of this latest comic romp, or would that be swim? Although many of the story elements will be familiar to fans of Ms. Davidson's body of work, it is a comfortable read, perfect for a mental escape in a high pressure season. Fred's unique circumstances give a new spin on the conventions we love in these stories. If you need a laugh, then you won't go wrong buying this book, or anything else by MJD.

A Wish Granted

If you're wishing for a good book, look no further.

Careful What You Wish For
Lucy Finn
June
Signet Eclipse
ISBN 0-451-22104-4
Paranormal
****1/2



Ravine is a down-to-earth, practical attorney who does things her own way. Then, she finds a genie, and suddenly, things have to change, starting with her. Gene is not your ordinary Genie. He's only been one a few decades, cursed to fulfill wishes by a man whose woman he might have dallied with, and gotten caught. He's also not Arabian, but an Aussie. It does not take long to realize that there is something more between them than master and servant; for one thing, Ravine refuses to treat him as a slave, preferring to call him her partner. Yet, both know that once a third wish is made, he will have to depart.



This story has something to touch all your emotional senses; humor, drama, touching moments, and romance. Gene is the most charming jinn I've ever encountered, a perfect contrast to Ravine's type A-ness. If you have never read or actively avoided genie stories, then this exceptional book deserves to be your first, and if you love them, then definitely get it.