Fish Out of Water, Mary Janice Davidson

Fred the mermaid has taken the bait and chosen Artur, High Prince of the Black Sea, over human marine biologist Thomas. The existance of the Undersea Folk is no longer a secret, and someone needs to keep them from floundering in the media spotlight. Fred has all the right skills for the job, but not for when her real father surfaces and his presence complicates matters even more.

As civil war threatens to sink the merfolk, Fred can't stop thinking about the landlubber she left behind...

I really have enjoyed the extreme fluffiness of these Fred the mermaid books. And as much as I like them I'm kind of glad that the author gave Fred a real ending in this third and final book. It seems like some of these series go on and on with no need. I like that this one wraps things up. And I really love who Fred ends up with! Which is why I wouldn't be upset if Mary Janice Davidson ever wrote another Fred story, providing Fred & her marine biologist get to be happy together. Otherwise I'm fine with no more stories. Although it would be hilarious to read about Jonas planning Fred's wedding. So maybe I do want another installment. And I really think I might need to order the UK covers.

At any rate here is, perhaps, the most awesome part of The Little Mermaid in honor of Fred. I was reminiscing with Nora about how I distinctly remember as a kid thinking that I was watching something profoundly beautiful and serious when Ariel rises up on that sea rock and the waves crash behind her... deep stuff:

Swimming Without a Net, Mary Janice Davidson

It's not normal for a mermaid to hate being out in open water, but Fred never claimed to be normal. To visit the undersea realm of Artur, the High Prince, and the rest of the royal merfamily, she has to fin it to the Cayman Islands. Luckily, hunky marine biologist Thonas is along for the swim - in his custom-made underwater RV. He'll be able to explore where no "outlander" has gone before and give Fred a place to escape to when the Undersea Folk start getting on her nerves.

But as Fred tries to fit in with her own kind, she finds herself hooked on both Artur and Thomas, and caught between two factions of merfolk: those happy with swimming under the radar - and those who want to bring their existence to the surface...

This was another cute, light book about Fred the mermaid and her appealing love triangle with a marine biologist and a merman prince. The writing is funny and quick to read and the story is suspenseful but not stressful. And once again I am jealous of the UK covers. So much prettier. Perfect bathtub reading which leads to this:

Sleeping with the Fishes, Mary Janice Davidson

Fred is a mermaid. But stop right there. Whatever image you're thinking of right now, forget it. Fred is 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 ocean colored.
Being a mermaid does help Fred when she works at the New England Aquarium. But, needless to say, it's there that she gets involved in something fishy. Weird levels of toxins have been found in the local water. A gorgeous marine biologist wants her help investigating. So does her mer-person 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...

I've always had more than a passing interest in mermaids. Most likely fostered by repeated (and embarrassingly heart felt) singalongs of this as a child:





SO GOOD!

And then there's the painfully awesome stage version of this put on by some local 4-6 year olds that I alternated giggling and getting misty eyed through: "You. Will. Not. Be. A. Pawt. Of. His. Wolwd. Awiel!"

Finally, having my hilariously-mermaid (and merman)-obsessed kindergarten student a few years back solidified the fondness in my heart for mermaids.

So when I saw this book I thought I should give it a try in spite of the ridiculous cover art. The prettier cover on the left is from the UK, of course. I do like the glittery tail on the US cover but the rest of it is icky.

As are some parts of the story. It is a little too vulgar in a few spots for my taste but overall I did enjoy this fluffy story. It was pretty funny and I liked the love triangle that closes the story. This is definitely a silly book but it was very relaxing for me after another week of bad-seed-children-induced-depression. I'm glad the library has the other two books in this series.