Kate

I’m the last mermaid.

I’m back on shores of Lake Erie, but the cold waters are silent. There is nothing here for me but ghosts and the beach glass that litters the rocky shore. Long ago, I lived below the waves. Now, I am the sole survivor, and at long last, my mermaid glamour is leaving me.

Every day, I walk the beach. Every day, I wonder what happened to my people. The little pieces of colored glass that wash ashore give me simple pleasure. They are gifts from the lake, reminders of home. I fashion them into trinkets: necklaces, earrings, bracelets. They are beautiful things. The humans seem love them.

Every day, I walk the beach. Nothing ever changes, until the day he says hello.

Cooper

I’m dying.

It’s not a question, it’s a fact. The cancer is eating me alive. They told me I have six months to live, maybe less. I came home, back to Chancellor on Lake Erie, to die. The sunsets are vivid there, and I will relish every one.

I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than a Lake Erie sunset until I see her.

All life is as fragile as glass.

What would you sacrifice to save the one you love?

I was thrilled to find this cozy fantasy novella series on Kindle Unlimited, as it’s been on my reading list for years. The story is sweet, charming, and filled with emotional moments. It’s a quick read—you could easily finish it in a day or even in one sitting if you have the time. There’s some mild language, but overall, it’s clean with no explicit spicy scenes.

This story was impressively well-written and delivered, especially given its short length. I was surprised by how deep and emotional it became. While it wasn’t exactly the cozy fantasy I expected, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The way it explores themes of loss, grief, and death is beautifully done.

Kate is the last of her kind, a 300-year-old mermaid who can’t age. To hide her secret, she’s constantly moving from place to place, having witnessed the extinction of her fellow mermaids from a mysterious plague. Guarding her heart, she avoids getting too close to anyone, knowing those connections won’t last. Currently, she runs a jewelry shop in the charming town of Chancellor, nestled by Lake Erie. The close-knit, small-town atmosphere is heartwarming, and I loved how connected everyone is.

One day, while searching for beach glass for her jewelry, Kate encounters Cooper, an artist who often paints sunrises and sunsets on the same beach. There’s an undeniable spark between them, but both know their time is limited—Cooper is dying of cancer, and when Kate sheds her final tear, she too will meet her end.

This was a beautiful love story where Kate and Cooper followed their hearts, choosing to love each other despite knowing it couldn’t last.

That said, I wish there had been more magical elements, and I would have loved to see Kate in her mermaid form more often. While the story still had a whimsical, fantastical feel, I found myself wanting more tension or conflict to raise the stakes. At times, it felt a bit simple and lacked depth, though it did hold my attention. I just wanted more, whether through expanded world-building, conflict, or even action sequences—I needed a little more to happen.

I didn’t expect such a short story to pack such an emotional punch, and it definitely made me teary-eyed at the end. Even though the conclusion was predictable, I loved it, and I’m excited to read the rest of the novellas in this series.