Diary of a Radical Mermaid by Deborah Smith

This is a book that I won recently at Goodreads (thank you Goodreads!). It's the second book in the Water Lilies series by Deborah Smith. I prefer to start a series from the beginning but after reading reviews of the first book, Alice at Heart, I knew the books were connected but told different stories with different main characters. As with the first book this is about the Bonavendier clan and their extended family, a society of mer-people living off the coast of Georgia on Sainte's Point Island. Although the mer-people don't have the tails often associated with mermaids they do have beautiful webbed feet, extremely fast growing hair, can hold their breath for unusually long periods of time, have physic abilities that include some mind control over "Landers" (those of us who are not mer-people) among other abilities.

Juna Lee Poinfax is the Radical Mermaid aptly named as she has good intentions but is very impulsive and tends to put her webbed foot in her mouth. After another social blunder Juna is sent to the coast to serve some mer-person community service. While there she decides to tell her story in diary format. An online mermaid blog. Her great-aunt Lilith decides to use her services to gently convince a distant relative that she too is a mermaid. Being the radical she is, she kidnaps her relative Molly Revere and takes her to Sainte Point's. What started as a simple task is soon complicated. Mer-man Rhymer McEvers is also on the island where he has brought his nieces who he is convinced are in danger from their father. Upon meeting Molly an instant attraction is formed. As this magical story develops there is adventure, romance, mystery and murder all served up with a dose of humor.

I enjoyed this mermaid version of chick lit and it was exactly what I needed at a very busy time. In the back of the book is a whole section of facts and fable, history and science by, Juna Lee Poinfax, webmistress. I appreciated the help and I'm looking forward to reading more from this series, starting with #1.