Sleeping with the Fishes (Fred the Mermaid, #1)

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Sleeping with the Fishes (Fred the Mermaid #1)

by MaryJanice Davidson (Goodreads Author)

3.61 of 5 stars 3.61 · rating details · 4,372 ratings · 272 reviews

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 d...more

Paperback, 268 pages

Published November 28th 2006 by Jove

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Nov 26, 2009 Lolly's rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: part-of-a-series

I started and finished this the same day; heck, it only took a couple of hours, all total, to read this foul-mouthed, vapid, empty piece of garbage. I wanted to like this book, despite a friend's warning of its awfulness rattling around in my head. It had such potential. There are all manner of paranormal beasties starring in books and series today: vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, faeries, even ghosts. Why not mermaids as well? What a shame a perfectly good and quirky concept (half-human me...more I started and finished this the same day; heck, it only took a couple of hours, all total, to read this foul-mouthed, vapid, empty piece of garbage. I wanted to like this book, despite a friend's warning of its awfulness rattling around in my head. It had such potential. There are all manner of paranormal beasties starring in books and series today: vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, faeries, even ghosts. Why not mermaids as well? What a shame a perfectly good and quirky concept (half-human mermaid who's a marine biologist and works at an aquarium) was let down by bad writing, a barely-there plotline, and a laughable climax to the "story."

First off, we have the heroine, Fredrika, aka Fred, the hybrid mermaid. Aside from the pseudo-amusing personality quirks (look, she's a mermaid who can't swim in human form! Oh my, she gets seasick on boats, how funny!), she stomps, she grumps, she has no patience or social skills, she's selfish and unbelievably foul-mouthed. Yet two men, both absolutely gorgeous (natch!), upon meeting her for the first time, fall in love with her. Why? Because she's just so damn irresistible? No, because she's just so gorgeous no man can resist her, but, of course, she's completely unaware of her ability to induce lustful feelings in men and some women. Aren't we tired of that 'gorgeous, but oblivious' hook yet? I know I certainly am. Speaking of the two men who love her, one is a giant, buff mer-dude with a mane of flaming red hair and red eyes. And yet nobody seems to think that maybe there's something weird about him when seeing him for the first time, that maybe he's not quite human? No screams of "Oh my god, what's wrong with his eyes? What is he?" when he walks into a local mall/eatery? How believable is that? Or maybe everyone thinks he's in a permanent Halloween costume? It makes no sense to me. The other man, a fellow marine biologist who travels the world, falls in love with her because he can see the true color of her hair, which is green not blue. That's it? Really? That's the best the author can come up with?

And that brings me to the plot of the book. I use the word plot in only the vaguest sense of the word, just as the author sketched only the vaguest outline of a plot in the story. All the "action" takes place towards the end of the book and the sequence of events is so fast and so absurdly ludicrous that it stretches the point of believability to breaking point. I think there was supposed to be some humor in the situation, but I couldn't find it. And if the author was trying for some sort of mystery, she fell well short of the mark.

I have to give Davidson some credit. She actually tells us in the acknowledgments that this is a crappy book, not in so many words, but in essence. She ripped up her manuscript and started over moments from deadline, she probably went through who-knows-how-many rewrites, and finally handed the whole thing over to a group of editors, who did they best they could with what little they had. Her editors failed, however, in making her look all, y'know, smart 'n' stuff (as she put it). I guess it's my fault for not believing her. All in all, Sleeping with the Fishes is just another crude and vulgar example of Davidson's writing "talent." I'd really like to know how she managed to get published in the first place. I just feel sorry for all the poor trees that have to die in order to support her career.(less)

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Jul 31, 2009 Kate Roman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Above-average romance involving several heroes and a mermaid named Fred, this first of a new series by Mary Janice Davidson is funny and fast-paced, and opens with one of the most memorable scenes I've run across in awhile. The heroine, Fred (the mermaid) walks in on her mother and stepfather, in flagrante on the sofa, and from there talk turns to her memorable parentage, explaining her uncanny ability to hold her breath underwater...not to mention the fact that water also makes her break out in...more

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Dec 11, 2008 Lorraine rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is quite fun, if not for the plot. It does seem a little contrived; the love triangle is predictable.

I was surprised by the free indirect discourse somewhere halfway through; unfortunately this wasn't really consistently done or with any solid points outside of entertainment.

Also, as someone training to become an academic, I can safely say: Dr. Bimm does not seem like one, at all! It's probably pointless to say this, the salient idea I guess, is that she's got "academic smarts" and is "comm...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Cyberpope rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my review of the series(short, only 3 books).

Fred is Frederika, a half human(on her hippie mother's side) half-mermaid.

This series is more focused on romance than Davidson's other supernatural-theme series, but there's enough basic story to make the humorous reading good for us non-romance readers.

Fred, often with her metrosexual friend at her side, has to struggle against, specist prejudice, corporate polluters, & the mermaid king(who long ago thwarted an assassination plot led by F...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Karen Mead rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I've loved mermaids ever since I first saw The Little Mermaid in theaters and then tried to spend pretty much the entire next summer underwater in the pool, so this book is right up my alley. The idea of a half-mermaid who works at the New England Aquarium in Boston is a great concept for a series, and Davidson has some well-earned fun with it.

However, unlike Davidson's Undead series, which is just pure entertainment, I find the Fred series to be a little anemic. The characters aren't particula...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Sandra "Jeanz" rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sleeping with the Fishes by Mary Janice Davidson.
*please not there is a more adult content in this book, so not for young children*
Fred is not an ordinary or typical mermaid, she's not blonde, she's not overly buxom, and she is definitely not perky! Fred can be and usually is really cranky. It doesn't help her mood that her hair is blue!
So where does a mermaid work? Fred volunteer's at the New England Aquarium. That's how Fred learns that there are weird levels of toxins in the sea water. A rath...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Jenifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

I will say that I did my best to find something good about this book, and I did find a couple things that I liked, but overall the book was lacking.

The character of Fred has some issues with the character. She is written like she wants to be independent and doesn't want or need a man in her life, but when two men come into her life that both want her she goes back and forth from interested in them and being annoyed by them. It's almost like her character isn't completely fleshed out and that's s...more

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Apr 27, 2010 Drebbles rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2007

Frederika Bimm (Fred to her friends and family) has a secret that helps her in her job at the New England Aquarium - she's a mermaid. For obvious reasons, Fred keeps her secret closely guarded and outside of her family, only her best friend Jonas knows the truth about her. But Fred's secret is unraveling - marine biologist Thomas Pearson sees her swimming as a mermaid and Artur, High Prince of the Black Sea, has come looking for her because someone is polluting the water in Boston Harbor and the...more Frederika Bimm (Fred to her friends and family) has a secret that helps her in her job at the New England Aquarium - she's a mermaid. For obvious reasons, Fred keeps her secret closely guarded and outside of her family, only her best friend Jonas knows the truth about her. But Fred's secret is unraveling - marine biologist Thomas Pearson sees her swimming as a mermaid and Artur, High Prince of the Black Sea, has come looking for her because someone is polluting the water in Boston Harbor and the pollution is harming the merpeople. While Fred, Thomas and Artur work together to find out who is causing the pollution, Thomas and Artur begin vying for Fred's affection. While Fred is trying to decide which guy she likes more, her friend Joshua is attracted to Fred's boss, Dr. Barb, but he faces two obstacles: she's much older than he is and she thinks he's gay.

"Sleeping with the Fishes" is an amusing fantasy romance. I loved the idea of a mermaid as a heroine and Fred is indeed a unique heroine. She's beautiful, smart, and more than a little impatient. She has a lot of funny quirks for a mermaid: she can't swim with her legs, only her tail which is a problem since her job involves her being in the water; she's allergic to seafood; and she gets seasick while on a boat. There are other great characters in the book; I especially liked Joshua, who may be the gayest straight character in fiction (he's very very secure in his sexuality). Joshua, in fact, has some of the funniest and sexiest scenes in the book. There's a lot of humor in the book - Fred's mother's name is Moon Bimm and Fred has a few funny conversations with fish that are on a hunger strike because she won't play any music by the Pet Shop Boys. However, I did have a few problems with the book. I found the repeated use of a certain four letter word beginning with the letter "F" to be off-putting. And the book is too open-ended, it's clear there's going to be at least one sequel, but I have to wonder how long the Fred-Thomas-Artur triangle will hold reader's interest.

"Sleeping with the Fishes" was a fun but incomplete read.
(less)

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Sep 10, 2009 Robin rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: wants a light and fast read

This was a cute book and a easy read.

Fred is marine biologist, she is half mermaid and half human and has one heck of a mean snarky attitude. She can grow a tail or change back to her legs with out thought. Her parents are hippies (her biological mother and stepfather) and they are stuck in 60s.

Fred has one good friend "Jonas" who she has known from grade school and the only one that knew she was a mermaid until she meets Thomas Pearson a traveling marine biologist and Prince Artur of the Blac...more

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Aug 26, 2011 Anita rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. God this book felt so amateurishly written I could barely bring myself to read it! Throughout the entire story, I felt a little lost, as if I'd been thrown into the deep end with no bearings - the book was so thin of information and it skimmed over events and characters so quickly you hardly got to know anything about them...

First of all, the character's were written as the most immature 30 year olds I have ever known! The very first scene of the books starts with Fred walking in on her parents...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Judy (Geeky Reading) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

~3.5/5
I've been on a kick lately with these types of book (you know, the adult romances, that take very little time to read because they don't have too much substance?) and I'm not sure why (also, I'm not sure if I'm going to review very many, if any more at all. I'm kind of surprised I'm reviewing this one in the first place). They're really easy to read, and I just like reading something easy, romantic, and happy a lot of the time, and so these are what I go to. (Plus, there's a used book stor...more ~3.5/5
I've been on a kick lately with these types of book (you know, the adult romances, that take very little time to read because they don't have too much substance?) and I'm not sure why (also, I'm not sure if I'm going to review very many, if any more at all. I'm kind of surprised I'm reviewing this one in the first place). They're really easy to read, and I just like reading something easy, romantic, and happy a lot of the time, and so these are what I go to. (Plus, there's a used book store in the town that I live, where they are really easy to find, for not much money.)
I was kind of surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, though. I read one of her short story collection a while ago, and so I had a got a few others of hers and had them on my shelf but hadn't gotten around to actually reading it until a couple of weekends ago, when I read one of her stories in an anthology, that I really liked (the anthology was Valentine's Day Is Killing Me). From there I decided to read the two books of hers that I had (that other one was Derik's Bane), and now have more waiting to be read.
The book is about Fredrika, a mermaid who works at an aquarium (where the fish are on a strike because of the music), doesn't enjoy swimming in the ocean, and has never met another like her. She's got a hard edge, focuses a bit more on herself than other people, and has a witty tongue. Things get complicated when a mer-prince, Artur, shows up, as well as a marine biologist named Thomas, both trying to find out what is messing up the water in her area, and falling for Fred in the process.
I liked all of the characters. Fred is fun, and I genuinely like both Artur and Thomas, to the point that I'm unsure which one I want her to choose (I think I'm leaning a bit more toward Thomas, but that could change). There was chemistry between her and both of them, even if I think their falling in love came a little too fast. And I especially like how the boys got along with each other. They weren't mean, even helped each other out when it was needed, while keeping it obvious that they want her, and don't want to share, at the same time. (Honestly, they could pull an Anita Blake, become a three-some, and I wouldn't mind. Although that would be a bit of a cop-out.)
I also liked Fred's girly best friend who's not gay, Jonas, and his relationship with... someone, who I won't name.
The story-line for the book moved along fine, and I found it interesting, while mostly enjoying the characters and their relationships. I actually wasn't expecting the love part of it not to come to a conclusion by the end of the book (since I've read a couple others of hers, and they usually do, but I guess this is a series with the same character all the way through...) and so I was eager to get the next one. (And now that I have it, a bit eager to read it.)
This is an adult book, but there wasn't too many sexual parts of it. Only kissing. Which I didn't mind, and works just fine because of the way the triangle is. I'm hoping for a bit more in the following books, and expecting more to come because what her other books entail, but just kissing is good for now.
I'm not sure if I'll be reviewing the next one when I finish it, but I just might. Not sure when that will be, either. Davidson's books are fairly easy to get through, though. They're light, with fast-moving dialogue, and a little, um, random or something? I'm not sure how to describe what I mean, but it's a good thing.
[Taken from my blog: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... ](less)

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Jan 07, 2009 bookczuk rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: bookcrossing, read-on-recommendation, vampires-ghosts-and-other-creatures

Thank goodness Fred's not "The Little Mermaid." If this book isn't a sure setup for at least two sequels, nothing is. Read another paranormal romance by this author at the recommendation of Shadie, and thought I'd give this a try as well. Light reading, not too hard to figure out. A bit of romance and mystery. Quick reading.

From the Publisher
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...more

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Mar 14, 2011 The UHQ Nasanta rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: nbr-challenges, series-0-trilogy, read-books-2011, bloody-love-triangle, obtained-library-loan, genre-fantasy-romance, 1st-in-series, reviewed

Fred is a mermaid. She doesn't sing, or sits on rocks mooning after human princes, and does not have friends named Flounder, Sebastian or Scuttle. No. Instead, she works as a marine biologist, is crabby and unsocial, and somewhat oblivious to the admiration of the two men who will make up the damn love triangle, and has a metrosexual guy friend named Jonas.

I think I like reading about women scientists, I like the fact that Fred is an unconventional female (cranky instead of sweet and loving), a...more

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Mar 10, 2010 Lejune rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, language-german, author-female

Dies ist das schlechteste Buch, das ich jemals gelesen habe. Es ist nicht unterhaltsam, nicht witzig, nicht erotisch, nicht romantisch, nicht logisch, nicht glaubwürdig, nicht nachvollziehbar, nicht gut geschrieben, nicht außergewöhnlich und nicht interessant - und mit "nicht" meine ich "gar nicht". Also warum ist es *da*?

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Mar 22, 2012 Kyla rated it 2 of 5 stars

How could the author ruin a mermaid story for me?! The issues with this story are that the author clearly went outside of her comfort zone to write "science" and the scientific community into this story. Fred, the mermaid heroine, is cranky (as promised) and she had some funny quips and jokes. The male characters in this story were written badly. Ms Davidson either made the men super effeminate (this is my polite way of saying she made them seem gay) or overly masculine (testosterone raging male...more How could the author ruin a mermaid story for me?! The issues with this story are that the author clearly went outside of her comfort zone to write "science" and the scientific community into this story. Fred, the mermaid heroine, is cranky (as promised) and she had some funny quips and jokes. The male characters in this story were written badly. Ms Davidson either made the men super effeminate (this is my polite way of saying she made them seem gay) or overly masculine (testosterone raging males with the urge to cause bodily harm; honestly, where did these cavemen come from?). I guess if I was Fred, trapped in a world with men who are this black-and-white, either gay or testosterone-driven, I would probably be cranky too.
The story was promising. The characters were so poorly written that I found myself cringing while reading. This book was chuck-full of this author's failures to execute cheeky exchanges between characters. Maybe she was trying too hard to seem "hip" or "with it"? Be that as it may, this story went down in flames due to this author writing so far outside of her comfort zone. Bad fact-checking (dont write about science if you dont know anything about science), Bad male character development (men aren't black-and white) and BAD use of modern language in this book.

The men in this story: #1 is the prince of the Merfolk (mermaids) The big guy, who is described as very strong right off the bat, who is very very sure of himself and that ALL women will fall at his feet....Okay, I can work with him. #2 is a water fellow (meaning he is a PhD doing a fellowship in a water study) who is young, who is rich, who has his Medical Doctorate (what the F*** is he studying water?!), who writes romance novels under a female pen name, who carries illegal weapons on his person at all times (which conveniently showed up to save Fred's life).... THIS GUY was too much. It felt like the author went over-board with him. And then there is #3, He is fred's best friend from childhood. He is an engineer of sorts who works at a major manufacturer of beauty supplies... ok, so why is he written as a homosexual? He is constantly talking about designer clothes, Fred's split ends, women's hair cuts, women's fashion, etc. This author worked really hard to set him up as a gay man, which we find out 60% the way through that he is "just metrosexual" ([scoff] yeah, right). The story would have worked better if he HAD been gay or if he had actually been written as a metrosexual male. However, this guy is written in a very feminine way. It's almost like the author studied the stereotype of the very effeminate gay man and brought him to life in her book. Awful awful awful. And might I say a little sexist. (less)

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Feb 10, 2012 Jillian rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: romance, place-new-england, time-period-modern, series-fred-the-mermaid, extremely-bitchy-women, i-think-i-am-awesome-but-am-not, fairytales-and-fables, mermaids

I have no idea how this book averages close to a four in ratings.

I bought this because I liked the Queen Betsy series, but I did not realize that it would be pretty much Betsy... as a mermaid... but even more sour.

Davidson can only write one character: Betsy. She can also only write one story: girl with mythological difficulties is destined to love the man she hates while abusing her humorous sidekicks.

Betsy is at least charming with some likable qualities. But Fred is just an out and out b!#*h...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ACHTUNG! FÜR NUR 3,95 € AUF ARVELLE ERHÄLTLICH http://www.arvelle.de/product_info.ph...

WOW! Dieses Buch hat mich aus den Angeln gerissen!
Ich liebe von heute an die Autorin Mary Janice Davidson und werde mir auf jeden Fall noch weiter Bücher von ihr zulegen! Ihre Schreibweise ist unbezahlbar lustig und unterhaltsam!
INHALT:
(Ich würde mich vom Inhalt überraschen lassen, da auch Leser die nicht gerne Fische oder schwimmen mögen, so wie ich, werden dieses Buch li...mögen!)
Es geht um Dr. Frederika Bi...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay, I really did think this book would be awful after having read the first few pages... HOWEVER, I kept with it and was rewarded with some Laugh-Out-Loud moments! The writing was not great (really, not great), but the cast of characters got funnier and funnier the more time I spent with them. (Having read three other books by this same author, I would have to say that the metaphorical apples don't fall far from her storyline tree... the characters were similar and the character triangles were...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Kellie rated it 2 of 5 stars

A quick enough read, but a bit disappointing. Definitely not as engaging as Betsy and the gang. Personally, I didn't feel for any of the characters, and really only liked Jonas. Not even sure if I like Fred, and she's the main character! There were some parts of the book in which several of the characters were having a discussion, and I'd easily lose track on who was supposed to be saying what. It was confusing, to say the least. I didn't feel like there was lot of thought put into the whole "my...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Garrett rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mermaids-sirens-selkies

Sleeping With the Fishes is a laugh-out-loud book that turns the mermaid genre upside down. The book is filled with snide remarks toward the well-known 'Little Mermaid' and 'Splash' movies, mainly as a way to show how un-mermaidlike Fred really is. I loved all the characters in this book, and the way they interacted with each other. MaryJanice Davidson is great at coming up with snarky dialogue and one-liners that make me laugh at loud and look like a freak to anyone in the vicinity of me while...more

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Mar 28, 2009 Britta rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Erin

Shelves: 2009, fiction, romance-paranormal

mermaids ... named Fred. Ok ... her name is Fredrika. And she doesn't like the ocean. Too many talkative fish and nasty sea weed that gets caught in her hair. Then again, Fred is a Ph.D. in Marine Biology who works at the New England Aquarium. So she's got enough fish to worry about.

What happens when a stranger walks into her life and upsets everything ... a gorgeous marine biologist and close on his heels is the High Prince of the Black Sea (aka Prince Artur ... king-in-waiting of all Undersea...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Laurie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this book from the first paragraph! The author has a knack for sucking you into the story using your curiosity while incorporating dark, sarcastic, humorous banter between the characters. My only complaint was that the story practically requires the reader to continue with the next book, "Swimming Without A Net", in order to find out more. The dialogue between Fred and the aquatic life she is paid to take care of is hilarious! The fish are on hunger strike because they want to lis...more

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Oct 27, 2009 Jaime rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, paranormal, romance

This was a quick fun read, but it suffers from one glaring problem – Fred is basically Betsy (of the Undead series) with fins and without the love for shoes. If you’ve read any of that series, it’s really difficult to read this without Betsy’s voice in your head. Despite the voice problems, Fred is a unique character, a half human and half mermaid who works in the only natural choice for a hybrid mermaid – at an aquarium. When she has to figure out who is polluting Boston Harbor (and therefore,...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: romance novel junkies, chick lit junkies, people looking for an easy read

Sometimes, an intriguing character can take a so-so book and elevate it to something worth reading.

That's exactly what happened with "Sleeping With the Fishes" by MaryJanice Davidson.

The concept is amusing, and I like the way Davidson handled the mermaid stuff, but, unfortunately, Davidson seems to have had a good concept but not quite a way to use it.

But there is one thing that really redeemed "Sleeping With the Fishes" for me - Fred the Mermaid.

Read my full review here: http://jenandkelpopta ...more

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Apr 09, 2010 ⓘsⓐbεℓℓⓐ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fred is a hybrid, half mermaid and half human. How did this happen? Her mother who was at that time and still is a hippie was drunk one night and met a man who just happened to come from the ocean. Not even bothering to ask who the heck he was and why he was there, her mother made her move. The result of this one night stand, Fred. Now Fred is twenty-nine, almost thirty and still is in that phase of not want her heart to break but as we all know, those last a long time. So now she has two guys i...more

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Sep 18, 2009 Trouts8 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Well, this was one of those light and fluffy books you can knock off while reclining on a balcony overlooking the beach (which is what I just did) in between sitting on the beach under a huge hat fending off insistent seagulls i.e. not a lot of concentration required. That isn't to say it wasn't an enjoyable book. Funny in parts, albiet predictable. I really enjoyed MaryJanice Davidson's Undead series and have to say this one is much the same. Same slick dialogue but a mermaid instead of a vampi...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Tina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, shapeshifters, chick-lit

Concept was interesting, but not a lot of substance to the story. Fred is female, and she's a mermaid. Well, okay, she's half human and half mermaid and can switch from fins to legs and back again at will. She volunteers at an aquarium (where else would a mermaid work?) and it's there she learns about toxins in the sea. She's snarky and cranky at the best of times, and I didn't find much to like about her. But if you're looking for a quick read with some funny lines, you might take this to the b...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Myvampfiction rated it 4 of 5 stars

review by Cedward

*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*

Let’s be honest with one another here. A good portion of the female population, hell, maybe even same men, at one point or another growing up wanted to be a mermaid. I was one of those girls having grown up watching Disney’s The Little Mermaid, to Daryl Hannah and Tom Hanks in Splash.

Skip forward a decade and then some, I am now 24 going on 25 and still love the idea that some mythical being that’s half human and half fish exists. But alas, I a...more

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Mar 10, 2011 sabisteb rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: buch, fantasy

Dr. Frederika Bimm ist Meeresbiologin im New England Aquarium in Boston, Single, 26 Jahre alt, Meerjungfrau, allergisch gegen Schalentiere und ohne ihren Schwanz Nichtschwimmerin, also ganz und gar (un-)gewöhnlich. Ihre größte Sorge sind die Fische des Haupttanks, die in Hungerstreik getreten sind, weil sie sich weigert ihnen nachts die Pet Shop Boys vorzuspielen. Nur ihr Jugendfreund Jonas weiß, dass sie in Wirklichkeit eine Meerjungfrau ist.
Freds Leben jedoch nimmt an dem Tag eine drastische W...more Dr. Frederika Bimm ist Meeresbiologin im New England Aquarium in Boston, Single, 26 Jahre alt, Meerjungfrau, allergisch gegen Schalentiere und ohne ihren Schwanz Nichtschwimmerin, also ganz und gar (un-)gewöhnlich. Ihre größte Sorge sind die Fische des Haupttanks, die in Hungerstreik getreten sind, weil sie sich weigert ihnen nachts die Pet Shop Boys vorzuspielen. Nur ihr Jugendfreund Jonas weiß, dass sie in Wirklichkeit eine Meerjungfrau ist.
Freds Leben jedoch nimmt an dem Tag eine drastische Wendung, als sie ihre Eltern, bzw. ihre Mutter und ihren Stiefvater, beim Sex überrascht. Als wenn das nicht schlimm genug wäre, erwartet sie im Aquarium ein neuer Mitarbeiter und eine extrem nervige Praktikantin. OK, der neue Mitarbeiter ist eigentlich gar nicht so schlecht, nett (nur sehr selten findet Fred überhaupt jemanden nett) und gutaussehenden, aber was soll's, denn da ist noch Artur, der Meermannprinz aus dem Schwarzen Meer, der von Fred verlangt, dass sie ein Meeresverschmutzungsproblem, schließlich ist sie ja seine Untertanin und damit muss sie ihm gehorchen und ihn lieben. Da ist es sehr praktisch, dass der neue Wissenschaftler und Prinz Artur das gleiche Ziel haben, nämlich den Verschmutzungsherd zu lokalisieren, der den Meermenschen das Leben schwer macht, sollen die beiden doch gemeinsam das Problem lösen.

Klingt witzig und ist es auch. Betsy heißt hier Fred und statt Vampir ist sie Meerjungfrau. Statt des schwulen Doctors nun Jonas der Metrosexuelle, der auf ältere Frauen steht und gleich zwei Traummänner, die um Fred buhlen.
Dennoch hat das Buch einige deutliche Logikprobleme. Zum einen kommt ein Meermann aus dem Schwarzen Meer um ein Toxinproblem zu lösen, dass nur eingeleitete Fäkalien sind, die eigentlich auch direkt aus dem schwarzen Meer stammen könnten. Zum anderen ist auch der Schluss irgendwie, ich weiß nicht, sehr fragwürdig.
Die Autorin muss wohl irgendwo den Begriff "Postdoc" aufgeschnappt haben, ohne wirklcih zu erfassen was ein Postdoc ist, sonst würde sich nicht solche Sätze schreiben: "Das ist meine professionelle Meinung als Postdoc." (S. 198), denn Postdoc bedeutet nichts weiter, als dass derjenige seinen Doktor schon hat aber weiter forscht ohne bereits Gruppenleiter zu sein, also eine Zwischenstufe zwischen Doktorand und Gruppenleider, nichts anderes als ein ganz normaler Wissenschaftler mit Doktortitel.

Insgesamt war die Geschichte mit 222 Seiten wohl für ein Taschenbuch zu dünn, daher wurde eine zusätzliche Geschichte hinten drangepackt, die ursprünglich im Buch "Dead an lovin' it" erschien: Monsterliebe. Wenn die Geschichte um Fred die Meerjungfrau noch unterhaltsam und seicht war, so ist diese Kurzgeschichte einfach nur grottig schlecht und passt Thematisch auch gar nicht. Hier verliebt sich der Werwolf Janet Lupo in einen Vampir. Weil dieser glaubt, sie wolle ihn verlassen, entführt er sie, fesselt sie ans Bett und den Rest der Geschichte wird eigentlich nur noch sehr, sehr, sehr ausführlich erzählt wie, wo, wann, wie lange und auf welche Art und Weise es die beiden miteinander treiben. Die Sprache ist dabei unterstes Groschenheftniveau und die ganze Geschichte wohl am besten als Sado-Maso Softporno zu bezeichnen: "Bitte..." stöhnte sie. "Bitte..." Hör nicht auf, Hör nie wieder auf. Härter, Mehr: Schneller: Bitte. Bitte. Bitte. (S. 261). Oder S. 266: [...] er versuchte sich vom Anblick der reizenden Janet abzulenken, die mit gespreizten Armen und Beinen auf seinem Bett lag. Erstaunlich - gerade hatte er über eine Stunde mit ihr verbracht, und jetzt hätte er sie sofort wieder nehmen können.
Definitiv nicht jugendfrei, da sollte ein Altersfreigabeaufkleber drauf.

Fazit: Fred die Meerjungfrau ist witzig und eine lustige Betsy Variante und durchaus Unterhaltung für zwischendurch, aber diese Kurzgeschichte am Schluss, die hätte man sich wirklich sparen sollen, die ist unterstes Niveau.(less)

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Jan 14, 2010 Natasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just realized I've never did a review on this series, and I read it this past summer..Better late than never I suppose!

Sleeping with the Fishes by MJD is the first book in the Fred the Mermaid series. MJD is mostly known for her Undead series which is a big hit and hilarious. And like everything she writes, it was fast paced and had snappy dialogue. I really like Davidson's humor. She can have serious action one minute and humor the next. Even when their filled with monsters, you laugh out lo...more I just realized I've never did a review on this series, and I read it this past summer..Better late than never I suppose!

Sleeping with the Fishes by MJD is the first book in the Fred the Mermaid series. MJD is mostly known for her Undead series which is a big hit and hilarious. And like everything she writes, it was fast paced and had snappy dialogue. I really like Davidson's humor. She can have serious action one minute and humor the next. Even when their filled with monsters, you laugh out loud.

I really enjoyed this book/series. It was a different pace from her other series. The main character was still a hoot and the book had a good amount of action. But this book was all about mermaids, which I thought was cool. I was hesitant to read this because I thought it would be more of a YA type read. (Not that I don't love YA, because I do.) It just didn't appeal to me at first. But that was before I started to read it. Sure, it's no Betsy, since that series is super great. But it's a good series for a light read.

The heroine, Twenty nine year old marine biologist Dr. Fredrika Bimm ( but funny enough she goes by Fred) isn't your typical Disney type mermaid. Far from it. She's a unique character.. with green hair and who's half mermaid and half human. During the story she gets the attention of two males. One human and the other a sea-prince. But Fred isn't the type to love that much attention, and doesn't want to be bothered by either. The triangle they make is truly funny! But romance isn't the main part of this book, the pollution in the waters is a big deal for Fred and being a Marie Biologist she is helping in anyway she can to find out what's the cause. That's where both Dr. Thomas Pearson and sea-price Arthur come in. Arthur and all the sea-folk are being affected by the pollution and Thomas also wants to help Fred to find out who's behind it. Fred's supporting cast is strong and funny. I really liked Jonas's character. (Her best friend). He kept the humor going when other's seemed to be sometimes lacking.

But honestly this was a good book. At page one of this book I was hooked. I bought and read all three books in one weekend on my summer vacation. SLEEPING WITH FISHES is an amusing fantasy that makes you think twice about who's swimming in your waters. If your interested in a charm filled light read, this book is the one to read! (less)

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About MaryJanice Davidson

MaryJanice Davidson is an American author who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult and non-fiction. She is the creator of the popular Undead series. She is both a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. She won a 2004 Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award and was nominated for the same award in 2005.

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Quotes from Sleeping with the Fishes

“I walked in on my folks doing it doggy style less than four hours ago."
"Waitress!" Jonas screamed, clicking his fingers madly. "Bring two!" then, more quietly,"You want a neck massage? A bedtime story? A bullet in the ear?” — 16 people liked it

“He's all right. His hair is cute."
Jonas froze, his lobster fork halfway to his mouth. " Oh my God, you're in love."
"I'm not in love."
"'his hair is cute'? You never say anything nice about anyone. Coming from you, cute hair is a mating call."
" I talked to the guy for thirty seconds. And then he waved at me while i was in the tank."
"Holy fuck, you're getting married, aren't you!"
" Will you simmer. I certainly am not.” — 14 people liked it

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Sleeping with the Fishes (Fred the Mermaid #1)

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