Jennifer Bryant had returned to Windy Harbor, and all the feelings Tommy Maurer had once had for Jenny came flooding back. He shouldn’t still have these feelings. He had married, had a teenaged daughter, and was now a widower in his forties. He shouldn’t still feel the anxious feelings, or want a woman who had left and never looked back.

Jenny had returned to her childhood town since her son had met a young woman and decided to move up there. She was thrilled to be back, close to her uncle, and soon was happy to run into Tommy, her childhood friend. Tommy was a man now; a man who she quickly realizes had once had feelings for her, and still apparently did. But Jenny had secrets that she feared would dash any feelings Tommy may feel for her. It had destroyed her marriage, and she didn’t want to risk her heart again.

The Cop and the Mermaid was an enjoyable romance with characters I adored.  I loved Tommy, and how uncertain he was with his interaction with Jenny. He worried if he was moving too fast, when most everyone else was giving him a push forward. I was also touched by his relationship with his daughter. Both Tommy and Jenny were complex characters struggling with personal issues. 

Jenny, however, had the one issue that was a potential relationship stopper. She was a mermaid, and this fact had already ruined one marriage for her. The fact that she was a mermaid was why I wanted to read this story. However, I really was dissatisfied with the mermaid “culture”. I found it rather silly, and was always eager to return to land. Luckily, it wasn’t a big part of the book, and I truly enjoyed the rest of the story.