After reading MaryJanice Davidson's first novel in the Fred the Mermaid series - Sleeping With the Fishes - I had to read the sequel. Okay, so I did have a few complaints regarding the first offering: namely Fred's character acting exactly like Betsy Taylor, the heroine in MJD's successful Undead series, and secondly, the book, despite being fast-paced, seeming a little rushed. So immediately I knew that the sequel, wasn't going to be perfect unless a LOT changed. But I love MaryJanice's books and her quirky ideas (I mean, it's MERMAID CHICKLIT!) so I decided to read Swimming Without a Net.Welcome back, Fred Bimm - the green-haired mermaid and marine biologist. Having saved the sea from deadly toxins (and deadly enemies) in the first novel, and gaining some new love interests along the way, Fred has returned, and this time,she's been summoned to an important meeting for Undersea Folk. The secret meeting is known as a Pelagic - and it's being held in the Cayman Islands. She has no choice but to go.
Fred has been living her life normally until this moment and reluctantly, she heads off. At least it beats watching her loved-up best friend and boss in each others arms constantly. Plus, Fred sees the trip as an opportunity to get to know more about her father's people - will she still be accepted? And when it comes to love, which of her two suitors will she choose?
To be entirely honest, there isn't much more of a plot in this book. Swimming Without a Net is set a year after Fred's previous adventures and has some funny moments, but that's about as good as it gets. Athough, as previously mentioned, I wasn't expecting this to be a literary masterpiece or even to be as good as MaryJanice's Undead series, although I did hold out some hope. But I simply didn't enjoy it.
Fred is still Betsy in disguise, and the book, like the first Fred novel and most of the Undead series, is terribly short - I finished it in an hour. There's lot's of dialogue and the book is fast-paced but not in a particularly enjoyable way. It feels more rushed than the previous one did; as though the author simply didn't wish to make much more of an effort. Which is a shame, as this book, and the idea behind the series itself, has so much potential. I've not read any mermaid stories in chicklit before this and wish that it had been done a lot better. In addition, I'm usually a huge fan of MJD but I honestly can't pretend that Swimming Without a Net is a decent read.
If you're looking for a very light and quirky read, then you might like this one. But if you prefer a good plot and deep characters, then it's probably not for you.
Rating: 2/5
