"New Undersea Fantasy will turn the genre on its tail!"
New and filled with a sarcastic wit that makes one wonder
if the author herself is hiding green hair and a tail,
SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES is book you absolutely won’t want
to miss. Dr. Fredrika “Fred” Bim is a surly hybrid (half mermaid,
half biped) marine biologist in charge of the main tank at
the New England Aquarium. Fred has her share of problems,
including the fact that her parents have decided to clue
her in that she’s not her father’s biological child (duh,
the man would drown in a tide pool) and the fact that the
fish in Main One are on a hunger strike because she refuses
to play “Pet Shop Boys” for them over the P. A. system.
Her life has just been made more complicated by: Jonas her metrosexual best friend who is crushing on her
boss (Barb is fifteen years his senior and thinks he’s
gay). Jonas has a knack for showing up at the worst
possible moment and really can’t help sticking his nose
into her business. Dr. Barbara Robinson, her boss who thinks that wearing a
lab coat and her hair in a braid (so everyone can see her
name) gives her an air of authority over her employees who
all have more education than she does. Barb however is
intuitive and had the great insight to see through
Fred’s “punk” hair to the brilliant scientist she is. She
has just introduced Fred to the new water fellow, Dr.
Thomas Pearson. Thomas, marine biologist and “mermaid geek” who has made a
fortune writing romance novels and who is the only person
ever to notice that her hair is green not blue. (Her
mother
had often told her that “Mr. Right” would see her true
self, and the fact that he’s totally hot doesn’t hurt
either.) Thomas has come to find the source of toxins in
Boston Harbor. High Prince Artur of the Black Sea who is “Undersea Folk”
royalty with Ruby hair and eyes to match has come to
claim his “subject’s” fealty and to gain her aid in solving
the problem of poisons in the harbor. He’s not at all
pleased to note Thomas’ interest in Fred as he’s got his
eye on her as well. Poor Fred hasn’t had a date in quite
some time (the last one having unfortunately turned out to
be Barb’s ex-husband). Now suddenly she has two men after
her tail (pardon the pun). Madison (yeah like the mermaid in “Splash”) Fehr the
gorgeous, too bubbly, man-eating new intern who
predictably “loved dolphins as a girl”, has rich parents
who just happen to be the museum’s benefactors and who just
might be connected to the goings on in the bay. Okay so I loved dolphins as a kid myself, which is why I
picked this book up in the first place! I’ll be the first
to admit that I love any literature that features mermaids
or selkies, but this book may just set the genre on its
tail (so to speak). SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES is a
refreshingly funny modern romantic fantasy, I can’t wait
for another.
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted December 17, 2006
|
