Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson

The Barnes & Noble ReviewTurning her attention from the customary vampires and werewolves, bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson makes a splash with this delightful mermaid-out-of-water story. Her heroine is no Ariel but Fredrika Bimm, better known as Fred -- a cranky 29-year-old who hasn't gone out on a date in six years. She's also a hybrid mermaid who figured out a long time ago that her hippie father wasn't exactly her true parent. Fred has found a good career niche at the New England Aquarium, but with hair the color of the ocean and a tail that emerges in water, she still feels like a freak -- until the new water man arrives. Dr. Thomas Pearson is not only cute; he also writes romances under a feminine pen name. Then up surfaces Fred's putative ruler, Artur, the High Prince of the Black Sea. He wants help in solving the mystery of who's been poisoning the waters in Boston Harbor. So there's Fred with two guys, both of whom who actually want her, and a dark mystery to solve. Davidson brings her offbeat humor and sexiness to everything she does, and the full cast of characters, including Fred's neurotic boss, is a lot of fun. Ginger Curwen


My Comments
I enjoy MJD for the most part. Her Dead series started out with a bang and I remember laughing out loud more then once. But I personally find it ridiculous when the author makes pointed, out of context insults toward Republicans. If it fit with the story, sure! Make your social commentary, but it doesn't. Republicans read her books too! I bet she would write a hilarious political book. Oh, well. Back to the story.

I thought the idea of a Mermaid protagonist was fun and had a lot of potential. MJD has a habit of making her main characters very cranky. Okay, I'll just say it. Bitchy. They are sharp tongued and fast witted, but I wouldn't want Fred for a friend. Or Betsy from the Undead series either for that matter. They are selfish, shallow and mean but funny as hell. So maybe it's a good thing that her books can be read in a few hours. You wouldn't want to spend very many days with these ladies!

There just isn't that much substance. I know going into an MJD that it's going to be a light, fun read, but for the cost of a paperback (or horrors a hardcover like the last Undead book that was released) I wouldn't mind having more involved. I probably wouldn't have bothered to buy it if it weren't for a Barnes and Noble gift card and my book group was doing a buddy read. I was mildly entertained by it, but it was ultimately forgettable. Darn it!

I'm sorry to say, I'm posting it to Paperbackswap.