Fish Out of Water

Fred the Mermaid #3

by MaryJanice Davidson

Fred the Mermaid has taken the bait and chosen to date Artur, Prince of the Black Sea, over human marine biologist Thomas. And just in time. The existence 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 that job, but has a hard time when her real father surfaces and tries to overthrow Artur’s regime.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Mermaids, Urban Fantasy, Fiction

270 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 25, 2008

About the author

MaryJanice Davidson is an American author and motivational speaker who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult and non-fiction. She is the creator of the popular UNDEAD series and the time-traveling historical fiction A CONTEMPORARY ASSHAT AT THE COURT OF HENRY VIII. MaryJanice is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who writes a bi-weekly column for USA Today and lives in St. Paul with her family. You can reach her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

www.maryjanicedavidson.org
@MaryJaniceD

MaryJanice's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/maryjanicedav...

http://us.macmillan.com/author/maryja...

Reviews

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK. I confess. I love Fred. She's sarcastic, caustic, and bad-tempered. She's almost sex feet tall, has green hair, and grows a tail when in water. If you haven't yet read MaryJanice Davidson's series about Fredrika the Mermaid, you don't know what you're missing.

This trilogy is very funny, and "Fish Out of Water" is the final book in the series and a fitting ending for Fred. She finally has to choose between Artur, the hot and sexy Prince of the Undersea Folk, and Thomas, the hot and sexy doctor/author she's been hot for a long time. Poor Fred. But between press interviews as representative for the recently revealed Undersea Folk, hormonal and sexual issues trying to choose between Thomas and Artur, having to be 'best man' in her best buds wedding with all the attendant pain in the butt appointments, meeting her long-lost, banished, traitor to the Undersea Folk father, and a possible plot to overthrow (again) Artur's father the King...well, she's not having a very good week!

There's not a lot of sex in this series. There IS, however, an ocean (hah hah) of humor in these books. Fred is certainly an atypical heroine in every way. I'll be sad not to have more of her life and times to look forward to.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in the Fred the Mermaid series - and I have to say I am quite sad that it's over. I love Fred and her gang of motley friends. I love her foul mouth and I just really enjoyed reading these books. They go quick and they are light and fluffy - but there is just enough story to keep you from getting ticked off at the fluff.

Plus - the cover art is awesome. It sparkles - and I am such a sucker for sparkles.

I do struggle a bit with how cavalier Fred is with ... well - everything. She is not a deep river. Still - I wish I could let things just roll off my back like she does. At the end of this book she does something and I think it would haunt me for eternity if I did it - even though she did the right thing in the situation - but she never reflects on the situation and just shrugs it off. I guess I could get pissy at Mary Janice Davidson for not giving Fred any depth - but I think that is part of her charm and truthfully I would not want her any other way. She wouldn't be Fred if she were written differently.

So I finished this book with a heavy heart knowing I would not be able to read about Fred and her adventured with the undersea folk. Thankfully Mary Janice Davidson is still writing her Betsy books and I content myself with those books.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly enjoyable conclusion to a fun trilogy. After the mer-people decided to show themselves to humanity in book two, Fred rents a mansion in Florida, where King Mekkam has his "headquarters" offshore. I'm rather disappointed that we never get to see the true headquarters in the Black Sea, but this book was still fun to read despite the fact that we were in and off Florida the whole time.

Chapter One has us with Fred as she's looking over a potential mansion for rental. It's delightful. :-)

We meet a new character in this book, too. Turns out that Fred's father is NOT dead as her mother and she were told, he was banished and treated as if dead, but he was very much alive when he showed up on Fred's doorstep in Chapter Fourteen. I have a question/complaint, though: Wasn't he called Kortrim in one of the earlier books? He's now named Farrem. If I'm remembering correctly - which I likely am since I just read book one the day before reading book three - then this is a continuity issue of the type that I most abhor. :'(

I enjoyed the end, when we learn that Farrem was the "voice" of the Prologue, but failed to take into account that Fred isn't like the rest of the mer-people. This oversight was costly. ;-)

I also enjoyed finding out that Fred and Artur learned that their engagement was not a wise idea, and broke it off. (I wasn't a fan of Artur and Fred together. I was curious as to how they'd have sex, but that's a poor reason for hoping they'd marry. lol) Instead, Fred and Thomas end up together. But while I was happy about this, I was also disappointed. I was sort of hoping they could become a happy threesome, with Artur her lover under the sea while Thomas would be on land But it was not to be.

Still, though, this is an excellent conclusion to a fun trilogy. All three books have laugh-out-loud moments, making them all fun, light, and quick reads. :-)

[Shadow Jubilee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fred remained her abrasive and socially-awkward self. I really like that about her. It made her a fun character to read about, especially in a genre (romance) that is inundated with heroines who are universally beloved by all except (or in some cases including) the antagonists. Instead, we have a half-human, half-mermaid who does not get along that well with humans, and had Undersea Folks who didn't know her hating her on sight - or did. It was great also to see that Fred were quite aware about her faults and her effect on other people. She was a little miffed that the Undersea Folk did not receive her warmly but more because people tend to dislike her after getting to know her (which was fine with her), and not before (which she thought was unfair).

Fred is still waffling in the third book between the Prince Artur and Dr. Thomas Pearson, and makes decisions for the wrong reasons again, which was a little frustrating and annoying so it was a relief to have her finally make a decision that brought her the most happiness.

We are introduced to her biological father. I was actually a little surprised by how quickly Fred seemed to accept him since she did not seem to think too much of him in the first two books. Her willingness to believe that her biological father had changed made me a little skeptical, especially considering how cynical she was about the U.S. Nonetheless, a point made by Thomas's father, Captain Pearson, did seem to explain this i.e. she was raised by hippies and thus reflected their views with regards to the U.S. and in the case of her biological father, her mother only had good things to say despite having known the merman for however long it took to conceive Fred (one night). Regardless, Fred's defense of her biological father was still a little naive and hard to believe.

When Farrem reveals his true self, however, was what really flummoxed me. How could someone who had seemed honestly repentant and loving toward his only daughter turned into Mr. Hyde? (And I clearly see how hypocritical I am in thinking Fred too gullible in accepting dear-old Dad.) And Fred didn't feel a sense of betrayal or maybe even shock? Same with her two housemates who had lived in the same house as Farrem for at least a few days. It was so startling and didn't seem believable. And Farrem calling everyone worm was kind of comical. I think that that was what the author was trying to achieve but it didn't really seem to work out that well with me.

The ending with Farrem was a bit disturbing, especially considering that Fred had no feelings about what she had just done. I suppose that regrets would have made the book seem more serious but it was still uncomfortable. Fortunately for me, Fred had made her decision and got her HEA.

[Cori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved all three of these books :-)

[Jenifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Final Book in the Fred the Mermaid series. Review does contain some spoilers.

Fred finally made a choice to date Prince Artur, but she still can't get marine biologist Thomas out of her head. In addition to still being confused about what her heart wants, Fred has also been chosen to play media spokesperson for Undersea Folk now that they have come out in the open. Throw in her long-lost father suddenly popping back into her life and her best friend planning his wedding and everything just gets more complicated.

Finally, this series is over and there is no more to read.

Fred finally makes an official choice, but how she comes to that choice is crazy. The romance between her and the two male leads still doesn't see complete. There were not enough moments between Fred and Thomas to make the switch from Artur to him seem believable. In fact, the fact that Fred was even thinking about Thomas when she was with Artur and thought Thomas was dating another mermaid seemed like a big red flag that Artur wasn't the one she wanted anymore. What bothered me the most was that only the reader seemed to notice those red flags. Everyone else was telling her make her choice and pick one, but this book seemed to be pushing her towards Thomas. If there was supposed to be a triangle it was not made obvious.

Artur returned to being the arrogant man he was in the first book. It seemed that once he won Fred, or at least in his own mind, then he didn't care anymore about her feelings or her differences. It was like he forgot that she wasn't like him. It was quite annoying as in the second book he was starting to seem as though he actually cared about Fred.

Thomas seemed to grow a bit in this book, which was actually quite nice. We do also get a couple chapters in his point of view, which is something we never get for Artur in all three books. We see why he seems so distant and why he has been away so long isn't because he doesn't care, but because he doesn't feel he is worthy. In this third book I was finally happy to see something from the other characters in the love triangle outside of Fred and why they do what they do, something I felt was missing for the other two books.

We get introduced to Fred's father, Farrem, a traitor who was banished for wanting to overthrow the monarchy over 30 years ago. He was actually the best character in this book, at least until the end. I felt like he actually cared about his family and Fred and felt regret for what he had done, only then in the end he turned around and threw it all away. It seemed like a cop-out. It also didn't help that we were introduced to this issue near the end of the book and it was wrapped up in a matter of just a few chapters.

Overall, while I was happy with Fred ending up with who I wanted her to end up with and who I felt felt, since the first book, she should end up with, the book series overall didn't seem well planned out. Fred was hard to relate to and didn't seem to ask her age or even close and spent way too much time thinking about her own problems rather than others. If it didn't affect her directly she probably wouldn't be involved. The love triangle didn't develop properly in my mind and I never felt like there was actually any feeling between Fred and either of the two men. I don't think I'd read this series again.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahh... it is time to bid adiós to Fred as Fish Out of Water is the final book of the Fred the mermaid trilogy. A true shame really, as I feel I am just warming up to the brash green-haired Fredrika. I am an absolute sucker for happy endings and I can't complain about this one. I had hoped Fred would pick Thomas (the human one) eventually, and even though it only finally came about in the last book, at least I got the ending I wanted. I also like how MJD extracted Artur from the love triangle; sure, it was convenient but at least it wasn't messy and I don't feel heartbroken for Artur. Somehow, I think he'll survive. Throw in a bare-bones mystery about missing merfolk and a finale appearance by a deranged mer-father and we have a story cooking. While not the greatest novel that I've read (even by MJD standards), I must say that I have enjoyed the mermaid trilogy and Fred and the gang will be missed. Who knows? They may appear again one day; I don't think this series is on its last leg - or tail! - yet.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the whole series could have been developed a little bit better. All of the books feel rushed. Then again, it is a paranormal romance about a mermaid... I didn't hate reading it, and it is a very quick book to get through. Bottom line, if you liked the other two books you'll like this one. If you have already read the other two and just want to find out who she ends up with, I'll help you out. It's Thomas. Everything wraps up neatly and she and Artur stay friends. Oh yeah, her father turns out to be as bad as everyone said he was, but in the end Fred ends up snapping his neck and killing him. This, of course, endears her to all of the mermaids who hated her because of what her father had done in the past. Ta-da! There's the story in a nutshell. Trust me, the book isn't much longer.

[aCupcakeBlonde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book the best out of the series. Too bad it is the last one featuring Fred the Mermaid (although maybe us loyal readers can persuade MaryJanice to bring Fred back for more!) I loved the storyline and Fred's continuing struggle between which man is best for her. Throw in her wayward merman father showing up out of the blue and her best friend marrying her boss and of course there will be drama. I must admit I did not guess the end, she had me fooled all along that Fred's dad was reformed and not behind all the disappearing Undersea Folk. And I am thrilled that this series ends with Fred togetehr with Thomas who I rooted for since the beginning. Everything ends well and all are happy which is a nice way to end a series.

[Echo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying end to the series. I was wondering toward the end how on earth she was going to wrap the story up in so few pages, but it worked out. I'd say this one was on par with the first two books in the series, so if you liked those, pick this one up.
I am a little sad to be leaving Fred behind (though it is a good ending point for the series, and it was well done), and I'm not sure I'll continue with this author now. Her writing is fine, but vampires hold little interest for me. (And yet they are everywhere. You can't walk through a bookstore without tripping over a vampire book. They need their own genre. Mermaids on the other hand . . . dang. This was the only mermaid series I knew of.) Ah well. It was fun while it lasted.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fred is finally engaged to Prince Artur (of the Underwater Folk) but secretly pining for Dr. Thomas Pearson, marine biologist and romance writer. Her long lost biological father (the merman traitor) shows up unannounced and they get to know each other. Once again, Fred, Thomas and Artur get embroiled in a plot against the royal family and work together to unravel the mystery.

Lots of surprises in this installment. The usual zany, wacky dialogue between Fred, Jonas and Thomas. I really enjoy Fred's attitude - she retreats into sarcasm and anger when threatened by feelings. It's kind of cute. All in all, a pretty good ending for the series, though I would enjoy further adventures of this trio.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another disappointing short-change from Davidson. If the font weren't so huge, and the spacing so absurdly stretched, this would barely qualify as a novella. At this point, Davidson is probably as stupidly rich as her unrealistically, and uniformly wealthy characters. I don't understand why she can't spend the time to actually write a full novel, a fully developed story. Is she really so greedy that she can't invest the time to create a complete story? It's too bad, because I do so like Fred the Mermaid...

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Fred, the main character is so disgruntled and confused its fun to watch her with two love interests and trying to figure out if she wants to step into the love game. Some of the scenes do not flow very well and the resolution is a little abrupt for my taste but overall I enjoyed this book enough to pick up the third in the series.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful, as always. No one makes me laugh like MJD.

[Vivien · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book purely and simply because Fred doesn't choose who I thought she should! The first book was brilliant but the ending just ruined the whole trilogy for me.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh No! It is the final installment in the Fred the mermaid series. I am very sad that it is over. I was not ready to leave Fred and the gang. Who else is going to satisfy my foul mouth mermaid needs if not Fred. Guess I am just going to have to plan a re-read in the near future. Davidson does an amazing job wrapping the story up for us. Although we want to know what else happens, it is not because Davidson did not finish the story correctly, but more because we are all not ready to leave these characters behind.

This story picks up a few months after the last installment. Fred has agreed to marry Artur and become Princess of the Black Sea while also becoming the new face of the Undersea Folk. She is to handle all the interviews and answer all the questions that humans might have. Did I forget to mention that Jonas and Dr. Barb are getting married, at Fred's house in the Caymen Islands. If Fred doesn't have enough to deal with the King has also asked Fred to help him discover why a large number of his subjects have gone missing, not dead but missing. To make matters worse, Fred's long-lost father decides to show up to the party as well. If Fred doesn't kill someone it will be a miracle.

Davidson does and amazing job of finishing up this series. We are kept guessing all the way until the end of the story. We have our suspicions, but every time we get close to a final decision the tables are turned yet again on everyone and we are back to square one. The same as in the other two books in the series, Davidson keeps everything up beat and light-hearted through the entire story. .This is the only poirt of contention I have with this series. Fred goes through some major life situations in this book, but she has no comment or feeling about any of them. Everything seems to just roll off her back and she keeps moving forward. When ultimately the decisions she made were the right ones, there should have been some feelings or emotions to go with them. Davidson chose to just gloss over them or ignore them all together. It does seem very Fred like, but it also makes her seem more like a robot than a living and breathing merperson. We are missing out on a new aspect of Fred's character that could have easily been explored in a few paragraphs.

I am now a Davidson reader for life! Although I do have some hang ups about this book in particular it does not take away from how much I enjoyed the series as a whole. Again this is the perfect easy beach or pool read for the summer.

[Moira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nachdem Band 1 und band 2 mich überzeugt haben, musste ich wissen wie es in dieser Geschichte weiter geht und ob es ein Happy End gibt oder eher nicht? Als Leserin erfahren wir im Klappentext, da Freds Vater auftaucht, wobei wir in den ersten beiden Bänden erfuhren haben, das er eigentlich tot sein müsste.

Das Buchcover ist diesmal wieder blau und die Meerjungfrau ist unter dem Wasser, statt statt wie im ersten Band vor der Stadt. Sie erinnert mich ein wenig an Fred, wobei sie das wohl ist. Das Buchcover ähnelt fast dem ersten Band sehr. Da hätte man sich eine andere Buchcover Farbe nehmen sollen, damit man die Bände auseinander halten konnte. Ansonsten gefällt es mir sehr gut.

Der Schreibstil ist wie auch bei den ersten und beiden Bänden witzig geschrieben sogar turbulent.

Nachdem die ganze Welt erfahren hat, das es eine Meerjungfrau gibt bzw. mehrere, zog Fred in einen reichen Haus um und bekommt überraschend Besuch. Wie immer ihr Freund und ihre andere Familie, ihre Eltern und die Meermenschen. Fred Freund Jonas, benimmt sich wie der letzte Honk und Fred flippt wie immer bei jeder Kleinigkeit aus. Es bleibt spannend bis auf weiteres. Mehr verrate ich nicht.

Das Buch hat mir sehr gut gefallen.

[Janis Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank myself for this book as I bought it years ago, in paper form, for my own entertainment and enjoyment and don’t regret that at all. So, no one paid me for this review and it’s all my opinion and therefore my fault if you don’t like it!

And here we are with book three… and one I raced through in a matter of hours I enjoyed it so much and when done, like always, wished the series had been extended into more books.

As I really love the characters, enjoy the story lines and possibilities out there… but did feel this book was rushed, had too much crammed into it and was then chopped off, neatened up and finished as the required word count was met. (Oh Ms Davidson, please don’t hate me, I am a HUGE fan!)

But, yeah, there was just something about this series that felt like the author’s heart just wasn’t in it. Maybe too busy making the Queen Betsy series so awesome? I don’t know… but it was something.

I did like the twist and (sorry) red herrings thrown into this story, and maybe it is just me being greedy, but I felt it wrapped up all too quickly and posted itself off as finished before the readers had even gotten a chance to get into it. I did say it only took me a few hours to read, right?

As with all three books, the characters were great, very engaging, funny, annoying, etc. All the right mix needed in a supernatural series. The plot was a bit jumbled and seemed to take a long time to get going… hence me reading all night long. ;-)

But a good book, I wish it wasn’t the final, and well worth a read.

Would I recommend this book to others?

Yes I would. Again, like with book two, I would mention this is the third book in a series and would recommend people buy and read the first two books as well as ‘Fish out of water’.

Would I buy this book for myself?

Been there, done that and can’t say I’ve ever regretted doing so. Any fan of Ms Davidson’s would be silly not to own the three books in this series. They aren’t really stand-alone reads, so do ensure you get all three.

In summary: Final book in a good series – and one I feel could do with a few more books in it, but maybe that’s just me being too greedy? Seriously something lovers of the lighter side of a supernatural mystery series should buy as they would enjoy.

[Laurla2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

-3-4 stars. short, cute. annoyed with her flip-flopping back and forth between the two guys.

"you'll need to buy a ridiculously classy and expensive bridesmaid dress - unless you want to get a tux instead."
"can't you just whip out a gun and shoot me in the face?"
"maybe tomorrow."

"fred, today's the day. it's finally happened. i'm officially going to kill you." jonas informed her 'today was the day' about every other week.

"you're going supersonic and shrieky. soon only dogs will hear your litany of abuse."

"and good morning to you, too."
"not a morning person, so kindly drop dead and disintegrate into a thousand tiny pieces."

"i will kill them if you don't shut them up."
"like you wouldn't kill them anyway?"
"i'd kill us anyway, thomas?"
"oh yeah. i'd have quit babbling ten minutes ago and killed us."
"in fact, if you're going to keep talking, would you please kill us? right now?"

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Major big events!

Fred is finding her life more chaotic than ever. She has (mostly) given up on Thomas after his leaving to learn more about the Underwater Folk with a dazzlingly beautiful Mermaid 🧜‍♀️ as a guide.
She is becoming very stressed out by her new role as the intermediary between the Underwater Folk and the human world. She’s especially bothered by the constant push from the media that has already made her have to deal with the public constantly recognizing her when she’s just trying to get away from the tumult.
Of course she is then hit at once by a major personal issue plus yet again being asked to help her father’s people solve a dilemma of life threatening importance.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed with this book. It is a fact that throughout the series the main characters complain a lot, Jonas and Fred. A lot happened in the book almost in a fast motion where the story was tied up in a nice little bow. The story could be altered or added so that more was told like Fred's kids. They probably don't get the mermaid gene since she's a hybrid but their story would be interesting to have her as a mom and crazy Jonas as Uncle.

I was surprised in a good way to find out about her dad, what he did, how etc. That was a good twist. I can't see that I didn't see it coming but most of the series is predictable except her love-life.

[B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the best out of the series in terms of plot progression and forward movement. Unfortunately the series ends just as it was starting to get good. That being said, this is still a great series for fluff reading. It's fun. The characters are enjoyable. And Fred is rather bitchy, which is a very nice change of pace from the oh so perfect characters that often pop up in books. All in all, reading the series was a fun way to spend part of an afternoon.

[Kate Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one best of the trilogy, although I realized I don't love the author's tendency to have the plot ramp up incredibly slowly until about 15 pages before the end, have all of the action to resolve the plot occur in about 3 pages, and then wrap up in the last 12. But I was happy she ended up with Thomas and that there was some parts from his perspective to fill in the blanks on why he kept leaving.

[Macjest · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book about Fred, the mermaid, was an improvement from the 2nd book. Fred wasn’t as annoying and it was nice that the author didn’t drag out the whole - who will she choose drama. Jonas gets the woman of his dreams, there’s some interesting fights, and Fred stays true to who she is. Not a bad way to wrap up the series.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was absolutely entertaining. I really love fantasy story but I didn't know that I would also love it with the blend of comedy in it. The characters are easy to grasp on, my most favorite is Jonas the comedian one. And I can't believe I read again a last book of a trilogy series without reading the first two books.

Overall I love it!

[Oleander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fish Out of Water ends the Fred the Mermaid trilogy and tops it off gloriously. It was much better than the two previous ones. Fred finally begins to pay attention to her feelings. The gang with all their snark is in full force. There is a wonderful ending climax and what Jonas says at its conclusion cracked me up. 4.5 stars.

[Lela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final book in the Fred the Mermaid trilogy continues with Fred finally meeting her Undersea Folk traitor bio dad, dealing with her best friend's upcoming nuptials to her boss and still trying to decide between Prince Artur and Dr Thomas Pearson. Oh and to top it off Undersea Folk are mysteriously disappearing! Just as fun to read as the first two!

[Amyiw · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2
Best book in the series. What a good wrap up.

Everyone is gathering for Fred's friend and boss's wedding. Fred has her own possible wedding to consider but while finding a house might be new and interesting, many drop in and claim rooms for Jonas and Fred's Boss's wedding. And surprise surprise, her sperm donor father shows up.

This was really fun. After the ho hum of book 2, this was a great conclusion.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over all bok was oke, I said oke because Fred's torment between Artur and Thomas is getting boring. The end started good and then somehow ended so weak, again because of Fred's choice Artur and Thomas. I was excited because this was the last book of the series: finally she had chosen Artur and a whole book would be about their romance. Was looking forward to it, how wrong I was.. a pitty.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining book yet again!

The twist was unexpected - relationships between humans and mermaids alike are MESSY!

Only downfall is it felt a bit rushed toward the end.

I wish there were more in this series or a continuation in a few years to bring Fred the Mermaid back into the public view once again!