Although set in the same world as Reisz's other work, this is more overtly romantic than the other stories I've read by her. Derek Prince falls in love with Xenia, a professional "mermaid" on display at an incredibly exclusive club; part of her employment contract is that she must retain her virginity. Since Derek is a prince of a guy, it all works out okay. Based a little bit on Anderson's "the Little Mermaid" but far more on the movie of the same title, this is sweet, wonky, and more than a little creepy. Deflowering scenes (yes, plural) with massive amounts of pain and blood in a contemporary erotic story... seriously? If there were more of the feel of the original story and less of the movie, it might thematically fit better.I did enjoy the narrative, which is framed as Derek telling the story of his meeting with Xenia to two of his employees. This allowed for some funny commentary and kibbitzing. And the story feels well paced and complete, despite being very short and the fact that many of the sex scenes aren't even between the two leads.
