Dr. Fredrika Bimm, aka Fred, is a marine biologist. She’s also a mermaid toiling away at the New England Aquarium. No one knows her secret, except her best friend Jonas, who is in love with Fred’s boss, Dr. Barb. Fred has admirers of her own: Thomas, another marine biologist, and Prince Artur of the Undersea Folk.

It’s been a year since Fred has seen Artur or Thomas. Then one day two Undersea Folk show up to invite Fred to a Pelagic, a gathering of merepeople in the Cayman Islands. Jonas accompanies Fred, who gets to see Thomas, and his  fully-outfitted underwater RV, and Artur, the future King of the Undersea Folk.

At the Pelagic, Fred discovers the truth about her unknown father and why she was invited to the prestigious event. She also has to come to terms with her feelings about Thomas and Artur, and decide which one is right for her.

Full of MaryJanice Davidson’s quirky wit and colorful characters, Swimming Without a Net is a true gem. Fred provided me with more than a few laughs, as did the other characters, including Mekkam, King of the Undersea Folk, who has a fascination with Thomas’s RV and the Deadwood discs from his DVD collection.  The consequences of the king watching Deadwood kept me laughing through much of the book.

Fans of Ms. Davison will love Swimming Without a Net. I know I did, and I eagerly await the third book in the series so I can see what happens next. Definitely a book to write home about, and to recommend to all your friends.