Swimming Without A Net is the second novel in the Fred the Mermaid series by MaryJanice Davidson. Fred is called upon to attend a meeting of the mer-people but what she isn’t told is why she has been invited and why no one has bothered to talk to her since she got there. Finally another mermaid, lets her in on the secret and this just causes Fred to be furious. In the end its Fred’s life experiences and advice that help the mer-people come to a decision about an on-going debate that has been hanging around for decades.I absolutely loved this book. It’s such an easy and short read that you can read it in a day. Fred has me in stitches with her antics and her best friend Jonas is so witty. The way he deals with Fred is amusing. We get to see Artur and Thomas in this book again and they are still fighting for Fred’s affections. We finally see Fred leaning to one side over the other. But I wouldn’t let that fool me into thinking that’s who she will end up being with in the end.I don’t know about you but I love anything written by MaryJanice Davidson. Her writing style is so comical that she has me laughing at every turn of the page. Fred’s wit and rudeness is just hilarious to read about and can’t wait to read the next instalment, Fish Out of Water. I think it’s definitely worth anyone’s time to sit down and read MaryJanice’s books. They will not disappoint.Disclaimer: I do not own this book, I borrowed it from my local library. I have not been paid to review this book and everything I have said is of my own honest opinion.
Swimming Without a Net by Mary Janice Davidson is without a doubt cute, light, fluffy and humorous. By far better than the Undead series.Fred is a half breed mermaid with green hair and a foul, whiny personality. Working for the New England Aquarium as a marine biologist, she is extremely good at what she does. Socializing with fish instead of humans could create a few slight problems though. Very slim and pretty but insecure because of her heritage, she's not really sure where she fits into society.Arthur is a red headed Prince who also happens to be a merman. He is totally smitten with Fred to a fault which makes his character a little too good to be true. What girl wouldn't bend over backwards to have her every whim granted by a handsome Prince.Thomas is another marine biologist and novelist. A wishy-washy character that doesn't have much personality of his own you tend to wonder why bother putting him in the story. Oh yeah, you need an antagonist. Doesn't mean he has to be a good one though.The story line falls flat of being a great seller but is a nice little tidbit to waste your time on in between better novels. An extremely quick read that you can figure out the end of the book before getting half way through. Not a complete waste of time as the humor that is in the storyline is worth the read.
Fred the mermaid is one quirky and always aggravated girl. She has a bit of an attitude problem and she uses humor as a defense. She has two men fighting over her, Dr. Thomas Pearson (an oceanographer) and Prince Artur (a royal of the Merfolk). The Merfolk are having a huge gathering to decide if they should reveal themselves to the humans. Fred is invited for two reasons: 1) the Prince is in love with her and trying to convince her to be his princess; and 2) Fred lives on land and has a unique perspective on their dilemma. This series is enjoyable and a very quick read (I read it in less than two hours). Fred - eccentricities and all - is a fun character. I'm not sure if I like Artur as her husband since he is demanding and bossy. I'll have to read her further adventures too decide.
—Barbara ★
~3.5(maybe 4)/5 I am really enjoying this series. I like Davidson's writing, which makes it really easy to get through each book. And I like the characters, which also helps. And now I really want the next one, since it's the last and I want to know how it ends.In this one, Fred goes to the Cayman Islands for a mermaid meet up thing because some mermaid want the world to know about them while others do not, bringing Jonas with her. She doesn't want to, but is kind of forced into it. While there,
—Judy (Geeky Reading)
Okay, so this book was okay. It was entertaining but I really was not happy with the outcome of the Pelagic (spelling?). I am anxious to read the next book: Fish out of Water. One issue I have, is this 3 part book series REALLY could have been all in one book. The story has SO many chapters,and the type is really spaced out - as have all the books been. SO I think I'd get more into the characters if it was all in one. Now, I'm not too unhappy with her choice so far - but I think she'll end up with the one I want. But I won't give that away. My thing is, with Artur (Oh I dislike that name!), she's very lustful and that's all she seems to see in him. Thomas, she see's more of who he is inside - not that she doesn't look at him either, it just seems she pays more attention to Thomas, and the author seems to give him more character development.All in all, I guess it was you're typical "middle" book, no real ending.
—Lani
