One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock hears urgent knocking on his front door. One of his Captains is waiting eagerly on the step. He has sold Jonah's ship for what appears to be a mermaid. As gossip spreads through the docks, coffee shops, parlours and brothels, everyone wants to see Mr Hanccock's marvel. It's arrival spins him out of his ordinary existence and through the doors of high society. At an opulent party, he makes the acquaintance of Angelica Neal, the most desirable woman he has ever laid eyes on ... and a courtesan of great acomplishment. This meeting will steer both their lives onto a dangerous new course. What will be the cost of their ambitions? And will they be able to escape the destructive power mermaids are said to possess?

This is quite a tale and a well written one too. You can easily picture the settings and the characters but I still find myself wondering what the two mermaids actually were and wondering if they were selkies which I have come across in other novels. Warning: If you are of a sensitive nature you may find the bawd's demise near the end of the book very upsetting.

Taking to today's meet up at Wyggston House.

If you've found this book and you're new to this, welcome to bookcrossing! I hope you enjoy looking around the bookcrossing site. If you decide to join bookcrossing (it's free, so no reason not to if you're interested!) please feel free to list me (Tanamo) as the member who referred you. Even if you don't join I'd appreciate it if you'd leave a quick journal note so I can see where the book ended up - you can do it anonymously if you wish.

Picked up at Wygston House at a BookCrossers’s lunch. Thank you for this Wishlist book.