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An ARC copy of this book was provided to me in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.
My Review:
What an interesting historical / fantasy about a small town and a mermaid! Toby and Serena live a coastal town and have always been friends. That is, until Toby’s father is killed in a mine that Serena’s father owns and their time together is brought to a halt. But the local doctor happens to catch a mermaid in his fishing net and has taken her home to use a study subject. This quickly brings everyone together in an attempt to save the mermaid and their town from total destruction.
Now, I know that seems like a mouthful of activity, but this story flows really well and is laid out in a mesmerizing way that only covers four different days when everything happens. There are also four different narrative perspectives including the main characters Toby and Serena, as well as the mermaid herself and the doctor.
Things move slowly at first and it took a little while for everything to get going, but once it did I found myself wanting to stay with Serena’s narration more than anyone else because of her ability to rationalize complex situations and act appropriately. Toby, at times, would bother me a little as he’s very tunnel visioned on his tasks and not thinking too much about the bigger activity happening. The mermaid character was pretty interesting as well, but also a simple minded focus for her. The doctor was more of an informational perspective as he’s going about his own thoughts related to what he’s working on. All of it very important to the story.
There were a lot of different variables tossed into this story as well including family histories, the circus and zoology. Highly recommend reading for fans of historical fiction with a little fantasy twist!
My Favorite Lines:
- “Mari-Morgan knew it was undoubtedly her father Pacifica sending the wicked weather to punish the ugly man for snatching her from the sea and bringing her to this cramped, uncomfortable place.”
- “Everything in God’s creation has a coming, a being, and a going, and it isn’t our business to interfere with God’s plans.”
GET IT HERE:
Available March 3, 2024
SERENA ROBINSON and TOBI DOYLE have been friends for sixteen years. Living next door to each other along the Ainsley River in South Carolina, they built sandcastles, played pirate ship, and collected shells virtually every day until a freak accident at the Robinson Phosphate Mine Company takes away someone near and dear to Tobi’s heart. From then on, Tobi’s mother, Mrs. Doyle, blames Serena’s father, Mr. Robinson and his thirst for money for her husband’s death. Serena and Tobi are torn apart by their parents’ animosities, and the lifelong friends must go their separate ways in a town devastated by a recent war.
When Serena and Tobi witness the neighborhood apothecary DR. NATHAN TRASK lifting a limp body from his fishing boat, they don’t realize they will be forced back together in a life-or-death effort to save the mermaid, MARI-MORGAN, from Dr. Trask’s greedy plans. Serena has tried for years to convince Tobi that mermaids are real—her nanny ROSIE told her so—but he doesn’t believe. However, Tobi discovers that not only do mermaids exist, but they have magical charms that are almost impossible to resist.
Serena may lose her best friend unless she can return the bewitching merwoman to the sea before she takes Tobi’s heart and soul to the bottom of the ocean.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
OY E. HELD, AAS, BA, MFA is an author, freelance editor, educator, Yoga Alliance Registered yoga and meditation teacher, college English professor, certified “Journal to the Self” facilitator, and workshop presenter with over 500 articles published in trade magazines, newspapers, and literary journals. She has published two historical romance novels under a pen name. Her award-winning nonfiction book Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity, third edition is available from Headline Books, Inc. Joy is a member of The Author’s Guild, Editorial Freelancers Association, and Great Lakes Fiction Writers. She holds degrees in education, journalism, and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She recently received the “2020 Member of the Year” award from Northeast Ohio RWA.
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