ISBN: 0-9673035-2-4 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
A pleasant, but overly melodramatic fantasy romance, the book features a likable protagonist, but relies too much on such romantic clichés as mutual ignorance.
Reviewed by David on June 15, 2002 (rev. 1)
Genre: Fantasy (Romance)
Synopsis: Alice, a young woman ostrasized by her cousins, has for years lived on the shore of a mountain Georgia lake. Her fascination of water and her distant memories of her mother sustained her lonely life. However, when she saves a girl from drowning, and forms some sort of connection to a drowning diver, Alice's serene life is disturbed. The unpleasant curiosity of her neighbors, and her search for the link she briefly experienced lead her to the Georgian shore, where the locals seem to recognize her as a member of a prominent family: one where women have an amazing affinity for the sea.
Refusing to believe the preposterous idea of mermaids, Alice, nonetheless sees more and more evidence of the unlikely attributes of her alleged cousins—as well as her own mysterious abilities underwater. However, if she is indeed a member of the old Bonavendier family, then she is the enemy of Griffin-the man with whom Alice is beginning to love.
Full Review: The book brings plenty of affection, fun and beauty when its protagonist, Alice, discovers water and the song that is her legacy. Unfortunately, the book has too much melodrama, and mutual secrets which are a staple of some less-sophisticated romances. In general, this is an enjoyable book, but its somewhat annoying in its self-indulgence.
Overall: 5; Plot: 4; Characters: 5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 2002, BelleBooks, January 2002, Trade paperback, 316 pages
ISBN: 0-9673035-2-4 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com