The Mermaid Next Door - H.P. Mallory & J.R. Rain

Authors: H.P. Mallory & J.R. Rain

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Midlife Mermaid #1

Rating: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: Better than I expected, though it did have some clichés and some errors. The focus is more on living the life you want than on romance – this makes it worth the read.

Story Synopsis:

Eva is in her forties, widowed, childless, on the curvier side of the scale. Unlike most female protagonists in this situation, Eva loves her life and the freedom that comes with it. However, when her late husband’s brother Cullen (who is a big jerk) decides that she’s his property and hence to become his latest wife, Eva decides to dash for freedom. She lands in an unknown place, where a woman named Wendy and a dog named Tom help her settle in and make a fresh start. But is Eva safe from Cullen in her new home?

The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Eva. Oh, and I should mention, Eva is a mermaid. 😉

Where the book worked for me:

👍 Honestly, I was expecting a typical light chick-lit romance. So to see it cover serious themes was, in itself, a surprise. There’s no romance in the book, another plus for me.

👍 The mer culture is shown as highly misogynist and patriarchal, thereby leading to many discussions on the role and capabilities of women in society.

👍 The unusual protagonist makes for a novel experience. Not just the fact that she’s a mermaid, but also that she’s in her forties, she’s not looking for a life partner (at least at the start), she doesn’t regret not having children, and she’s curvy & proud of it. Her determination to live an independent life won me over.

👍 It’s a quick book, with not many complications and light on the mind.

Where the book could have worked better for me:

👎 The minute a hot mechanic enters the storyline (somewhere around the midway mark), it turns somewhat typical, with Eva lusting after him and his body. (Thankfully, he isn’t portrayed the same way.) I wish Eva could have maintained the same independent streak that she had until that point. This turned her into a typical romcom heroine, though the story doesn’t turn into a romantic one.

👎 There’s no consistency in what Eva knows about English. She knows what a knapsack is called but not what a dog is. She knows the word “faucet” but not the word “hotel.” Her vocabulary knowledge was very random.

👎 Eva is supposed to be from an underwater kingdom called Corsica. The humans may not know it as a mer residence, but surely they would have heard of the island of the same name in the Mediterranean region. How were they all so blank when they heard the name, going to the extent of asking if it was in Greece?

👎 The ending is very abrupt. It is clearly leading to the next book in the series. There’s no cliffhanger as such, but I would have preferred a better-rounded ending.

The audiobook experience:

The audiobook, clocking at 4 hrs 10 min, is narrated by Kelley Huston. She does read well, though her accent wasn’t to my liking. Still, the audiobook is a nice option to explore this story.

All in all, this is a nice book that balances fun and seriousness. I loved how it stressed more on Eva’s finding her own freedom. If you can ignore the logical flaws, this can be a great entertainer. Recommended for a light-read mood day.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook and these are my honest thoughts about it.