Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Jove (November 28, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 0515142220
Publisher: Jove (November 28, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 0515142220
Fred is not your ordinary mermaid. She's not blonde. She's not buxom. And she's definitely not perky. In fact, Fred can be downright cranky. And it doesn't help matters that her hair is blue. While volunteering at the New England Aquarium, Fred learns that there are weird levels of toxins in the local seawater. A gorgeous marine biologist wants her help investigating. So does her merperson ruler, the High Prince of the Black Sea. You'd think it would be easy for a mermaid to get to the bottom of things. Think again.
Say what you will about her, MaryJanice Davidson is one of the few authors that can make me laugh out loud, and as long as that happens, I will continue to buy her books. I even got the chance to meet her, albeit briefly, at RWA this year. (Definition: she has no idea who I am).
Um, and you may notice the release date is actually November 28, 2006. Well, I found it at Border's yesterday, and just could not resist picking it up - sorry MJ. I'll blame my lack of restraint on commercialism.
So, Fred's a cranky mermaid, and she knows it but just doesn't care. She's also a human, thanx to her hippy mom, and again, she's still cranky. She's got some amazing abilities associated with her dual...biology, but it's just another day in the life of Fred. Now if only she could do something about those split ends of hers.....
Eventually her secret becomes less of one as bad things begin to happen to the ocean, and she gets dragged into helping solve the mystery. But who can really blame her when she's got a hottie marine biologist following her around and an incredibly gorgeous Mer Prince wanting to make her his Princess bride? But Fred, being Fred, isn't about to make it easy on either one of them. Her lot in life is to feed the fishes, not to rule them, yet deep down, the antithesis of Ariel has a soft spot for her roots, and saving the sea becomes her reluctant mission.
Like many of MJD's other heroines, Fred is not the sweet, compliant, simpering maiden of a heroine, but rather a cynical smartmouth who is undeniably loyal to her friends and family, and not really taken with all the attention she's getting from the men in her life. In some ways, her needs are simple and basic, while in others, more complicated. Fred's not looking to create world peace, or find the cure for a deadly ailment. She is who she is, and her men seem to find her even fascinating because of it. Fred is the ultimate challenge because when she says no, she pretty much means it. And to those who don't listen, they learn the hard way, most likely through painful measures.
Under all the humor and sarcasm, I think MJ makes a valid claim about our treatment of the sea, and essentially, the world around us. Without being preachy or condescending, she reminds us that nature and all its creatures are precious, and we should be doing our part to take better care of it. I don't think it was really her main objective, but it's there all the same.
So did I like this book? Hell yeah. Would I recommend it? Sure would. (Happy to hear it's a series). It was an amazingly quick read, one that I needed during this crazy holiday stress, and it definitely made me laugh out loud several times. That's all I care about.
Any laugh-out-loud books you'd recommend?
Labels: MaryJanice Davidson, mermaids
posted by Stacy~ at 11/20/2006 04:37:00 PM
I've been in a bit of a reading funk again, so haven't got any good laugh out loud books to recommend. I've only tried one MJD before, The Royal Treatment, but I gave up on it about halfway through. I may have to try this one ~ I need something to get me out of the funk.
byI've only tried one MJD book too. It was The Royal Treatment. This one sounds pretty funny. I love books that make me laugh out loud.
byWow! Thanks for the kind comments; I'm thrilled you liked the book. Avoiding deadline, I looked myself up on Blogger and your blog came up. Thanks again for all the kudos!
byChristopher Moore is said to be a really funny writer. I've never read him myself, but I do plan to sometime in the near future. He's not a romance writer, though I think he does include some romance into some of his books...But again, I've never read him so I can't say for sure whether there's romance or not.
byCool, thanks for the review. I have this books on order from the library, but I had not heard anything about it yet. Very cool. I have her Betsy series, they are funny.
byI love books that make me LOL.
Adding her to my list, thanks for the pimp Stacy!
byHey MJ, thanx for stopping by. Looking forward to the next one.
byDylan, I do my part LOL. I know MJD has gotten a bad rap, but you know what, I like her, and her books.
She also wrote some hot werewolf stories for the Secrets volumes - so I'd recommend those if you like your stories sexy and scorching.