The Mermaid of Penperro

Lisa Cach travels a lot and she brings this love of locales to her works. In this one its in such a fresh tale. Konstanse Bugg inherited her singing voice from her Opera singer mother. In a period when stage singers and actresses were tainted with the disrepute of being easy women, Konstanse find a new way of playing the seductress!She had come to Penperro to escape her vile husband, hoping to blend into the small village of Cornwall. Only the Cornish Villages are not the placid country folk she envisioned. The village are in 'trade' one might say, smugglers and hot on their trail is Foweather, the King's man determined to put an end to the smuggling. However, Foweather stumbles upon her singing, thinks her a mermaid. She hides in a cave to escape being detected and stumbles onto the smugglers cache and Tom Trewella. Tom convinces her smuggling is needed for the people to survive, so hires her to play mermaid to distract Foweather. Hot on her trail is the odious hubby's equally odious son, furious his step-mum inherited the family fortune.This is great fun from start to finish, making Cach as a refreshing writer with a deft style.

Konstanze had been gifted with her mother's talent of singing opera. When her mother was on her deathbed, Konstanze vowed to marry John Bugg for security despite him being decades older than her. After two years of abuse, she fled to a cottage in Penperro (Cornwall) that her husband did not know she had inheritated. The husband sent his son, Bugg II, to locate her.Mr. Foweather was with the Preventive Water Guard Service. He was in Penperro to catch smugglers. However, the people of Penperro could not afford the high taxes of the Crown. Smuggling was the only way they could survive. When Foweather heard Konstanze singing, he followed her voice and thought he saw a mermaid. Upon seeing him, Konstanze dove into the sea to hide because she had been swimming nude (in her private cove). This gave Tom and idea.Tom Trewella was not a smuggler himself, but he did do the paperwork, scheduling, selling, and such of the smuggled goods. He hired Konstanze to play the part of a mermaid to lure Foweather and his crew away whenever they got too close to the ships or goods. The entire village got into the act. Soon, the Mermaid of Penperro became a legend!** This one is a keeper! I loved it so much that I refuse to even loan it out, for fear of losing it! The mermaid costume was designed artistically for easy and fast maneuvering! Awesome story that I highly recommend! **

Lighthearted, fun, and historically accurate. Creative and engaging characters, not too serious or deep. A little too predictable in the plot, but a fun read that delivers exactly what is promised.

Konstanze had been gifted with her mother's talent of singing opera. When her mother was on her deathbed, Konstanze vowed to marry John Bugg for security despite him being decades older than her. After two years of abuse, she fled to a cottage in Penperro (Cornwall) that her husband did not know she had inheritated. The husband sent his son, Bugg II, to locate her. Mr. Foweather was with the Preventive Water Guard Service. He was in Penperro to catch smugglers. However, the people of Penperro could not afford the high taxes of the Crown. Smuggling was the only way they could survive. When Foweather heard Konstanze singing, he followed her voice and thought he saw a mermaid. Upon seeing him, Konstanze dove into the sea to hide because she had been swimming nude (in her private cove). This gave Tom and idea. Tom Trewella was not a smuggler himself, but he did do the paperwork, scheduling, selling, and such of the smuggled goods. He hired Konstanze to play the part of a mermaid to lure Foweather and his crew away whenever they got too close to the ships or goods. The entire village got into the act. Soon, the Mermaid of Penperro became a legend! ***** This one is a keeper! I loved it so much that I refuse to even loan it out, for fear of losing it! The mermaid costume was designed artistically for easy and fast maneuvering! Awesome story that I highly recommend! *****

I'm very picky as to what books I read...and even more so which ones I enjoy. That said, I absolutely loved The Mermaid of Penperro. It was funny, and it was sexy. The characters were real to me, and their actions rang true. Best of all, the story and the characters stayed with me for a long, long time afterward. If ever you wanted a book with which to sink into the tub with (it *does* take place by the sea, afterall) and say, "ahhhhh," then this is IT. I look forward to this author's next work, and all her books to come.