There’s Something Fishy About My Boyfriend

“The Little Mermaid” gets a modern, gender-bent twist in the humorous Jersey Shore Merman series launch from Duke (Vampires Never Say Die). Ten years before the start of the book, Hannah was saved from drowning by a boy with a fishtail who promptly vanished without a trace. Now she helps run Sunny Side Bed-and-Breakfast, and her parents are finally giving her a chance to prove she can handle the business on her own. Hannah is quickly distracted by the reappearance of her savior, Xander, who is not only a merman but from another world entirely. With zealous treasure hunters hot on his tail, he can’t stay long—but maybe just long enough to fall in love. Hannah and Xander’s romance is somewhat rushed and occasionally cheesy, but their genuine care for each other shines through amid all the fish puns and relationship hurdles. A heartwarming if underdeveloped subplot about a bid to save local businesses from corporate development helps fill out the world, creating a lived-in feel. This “gill-ty” pleasure of a paranormal rom-com is sure to please fans of My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine and The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson. Agent: Maria Napolitano, Bookcase Literary. (May)