Reviews

Reviews

The following are reviews and excerpts from reviews of Urban Mermaid.


Urban mermaid is unlike any other Mermaid book I’ve ever read. His books aren’t even half-cousins to any of them. There’s no off-the wall names, there’s no royalty, there’s no sparkles, there’s no slack-jawed human and there’s almost barely any references to the colours green, blue, azure…. yeah you get the point huh? We Mermaid writers can be a teensy bit predictable!

What there is- is warmth. Urban Mermaid crosses more genres than any Mer book I’ve ever read and what is so cool about it, is that paranormal Romance and Fantasy don’t even get a look-in! It’s a satire, a romantic comedy, a coming of age, a blue-collar romance and in the end- just a beautiful story about ordinary people meeting, falling in love and trying to overcome obstacles together when one of those people just happens to have a tail sometimes.

I honestly believe that, as much as I think Howard expected to win over Mermaid reader’s hearts with this- he’s going to end up converting a lot of people who wouldn’t think twice about reading an ocean-themed fantasy into disciples instead. Men especially are going to warm to this, as will anyone who’s a big fan of Nicholas Sparks or Nicholas Evans…. oh yeah Mermaid readers pre-order while you have the chance but this is a line that I believe that every single romance reader will come to stand in, in time and will turn the final page with a happy smile. — Samantha K. Munt, author of The Fairytail Saga and other novels.


. . .  this story illustrates Howard Parsons’ extensive research and all of the years he’s spent reading and reviewing other Mer tales. The author has sketched out Colony Island in such a way, that I can see the little shops, the beach fronts, and also the Mer who secretly make up this quaint beach town. The mermaid mythology in Urban Mermaid is completely unique and unexpected. Pen and Peter have a love story all their own. Congratulations, Howard Parsons. You’ve created a very distinct little world with a seemingly normal and average couple who turn out to be anything but by the story’s end. — Emm Cole, award-winning author of the Merminia series and The Short Life of Sparrows


Unlike any book I’ve ever read. — Marie Mckean, author of Born of Oak and Silver and other novels


Urban Mermaid is an imaginative, metropolitan addition to mermaid lore and a tender love story. — Melissa Eskue Ousley, award-winning author of The Solas Beir Trilogy


Urban Mermaid surpassed all my expectations. It is a wonderfully warm and tender love story encompassing both family love and romantic beginnings. — Alison Marcordes


This is not your daughter’s mermaid novel.

URBAN MERMAID is an old-fashioned novel with an omniscient, head-hopping narrator but with modern day twists and adult situations. Author Howard Parsons lays out his mermaid world with loving detail, explaining the real world of merfolk that coexist with American coastal communities, from their mythical origins story to the real-world challenges facing them today. Yes, this is fantasy, but the author lays out the complex societal web with precision and earnest attention to detail, making it a totally absorbing and fun read.

This is not your average paranormal or fantasy novel, reading more like a contemporary romance with a side of mermaid tails. The problems facing our “urban mermaid” are more of the everyday and urbane sort, and both her insecurities and Peter’s are the same ones that face us all. The author gives readers a fresh interpretation of mermaid culture as not so different from the rest of coastal America, dealing with the more unique aspects in a totally matter-of-fact way.

A fresh, interesting mermaid story that kept me reading and rooting for that happily-ever-after. — Katie O’Sullivan, author of Son of a Mermaid and other novels


Smartly written with the added benefit of breaking away from many of the cliches that are common with this theme of story, while still maintaining the core folklore most mer fans are hoping to see. My only real complaint was the ending. That isn’t to say it wasn’t well executed, just that I would have selfishly liked to have had a tidbit more. That is, after all, the mark of a good series. Lucky for me & the rest of this books future fans, the adventure continues in book 2. In short, if you are looking for the typical, run of the mill ‘mer myth’…this is not the book for you. However, if you are craving an entirely new mermaid experience, by All Means read THIS book. A highly enjoyable, fun, thoughtful read. I am definitely looking forward to the next installment and was honored to have had the privledge to read it before it was available to the public. — Paige Bleu, author of Finding Summerland


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