Good Moon Rising — Tricia O'Malley

Even mermaids fall sometimes...The ladies of The Laughing Mermaid guesthouse are renowned for both their beauty and their enchanting ways. Jolie, one of the owners, has only dated casually for years, as she is searching for the one man who has been foretold to be her future. When he arrives, Jolie is shocked to find him impervious to her charms. Used to men falling at her feet, Jolie is completely unprepared to have to work for the love she was promised. Dr. Theodore Macalister harbors a deep admiration for mermaid myths and legends. As a literature professor, his summer sabbatical has led him to Siren Island to research the origin story of Siren Island's mermaids. When he arrives at The Laughing Mermaid, Ted is half-convinced the inn is being run by goddesses. Meeting Jolie is like a punch to his gut, and Ted is immediately transported back to his awkward college years when beautiful girls would make him stutter. Determined to stop his attraction to Jolie, Ted firmly places her in the friend zone and is oblivious to all the signals she throws his way. As Ted keeps Jolie at arm's length in his search for mermaids, he might soon discover that the very thing he is looking for has been right in front of him all along.