Tears on a Tranquil Lake by Marsha Moore

To spin a different tail, Tears on a Tranquil Lake is the story of a girl being turned into a mermaid. Now, if only someone had asked her first, and told her all the ins and outs involved!

What a surprise for a young woman, to find herself suddenly transformed into a mermaid.
Ciel’s first thought – track down the merman who changed her and make him reverse his magic. Unable to find him, survival in her new world becomes paramount. She eagerly accepts help from a dashing pirate captain who takes a fancy to her, lavishing her with finery.
When her merman does show up, he competes for her affection. One look into his eyes makes her life more complex -- he is her soul mate.
Which man will she choose – pirate captain or merman? Which life – human or mermaid? Caribbean adventures and dangers chase Ciel as she searches for decisions and the key to her happiness.
Warning: This book contains Haitian vodou, sultry wenches, foul-mouthed scalliwag pirates, overindulgence of fine Caribbean rum, and amorous encounters on deserted beaches.

Ciel doesn’t remember anything about her human life except sitting on the dock at the lake being upset and lonely before falling into the lake and becoming a mermaid. She doesn’t even really recall the merman who kissed her and transformed her into a mermaid. She wonders how this happened to her and if she can get back to being human?? Confused and scared, she ends up swimming around the ocean until she ends up at a port around sunset and is ‘rescued’ by a pirate captain who seems to know all about merpeople. This doesn’t know if she can trust them, but she doesn’t have much choice and needs the help.

Raphael is Captain of the Hawk with a crew of fifty. He does seem to know about merpeople, even understanding that she doesn’t remember her past, to the point of naming her Ciel after her eyes. And he falls (love or just attraction and possession??) for her very fast. Even for all the attraction between them, he is polite and respectful from the beginning, and shows lots of care for her with hot baths and clothing. He encourages her to stay with him/the ship, letting her swim each day to learn her new abilities, telling her they are going to Tortuga (pirate hang-out) in a couple of days.

After the first night on the Hawk, Ciel meets Meris during her day of swimming. Meris is the merman who changed her and her soul recognizes his. He shows her around the ocean, its wonders, the many fish, corals, and such. Then he takes her to a gathering of other merpeople and formally introduces her (including gifts and such). She still returns to the Hawk and Raphael at night, but during the day spends time with Meris. He even gives her the Black Pearl showing his bonding with her. Thus she is pulled between both men, who have fallen in love with her and offer her a place in their world. Raphael even claims that if he offers he the place as his lady she can become human again.

During the meeting at the pirate gathering at Toruga Ciel meets other mermaids that have left the sea and seem unhappy with their lives. Then a vodou presiest comes to her and gives her a potion that pulls her back to the lake where she was first transformed. This causes her to examine her choices even more, and she is still unsure of where she will end up.

Tears on a Tranquil Lake may be set in modern times but is has a vague time feel. Ciel wears a bra many times and there are motor boats, so we know it is modern times, but the pirates also have clothing that could be 1800’s and there is a timeless feel to much of the book. Very interesting how this comes across, and doesn’t really matter (kinda cool, really).

Tears on a Tranquil Lake is not quit the romance it is prorated as. This is much more a soul search. Yes, we have a classic love triangle and the poor girl is pressured to choose between the guys. They both love her and all that. But she doesn’t even know who she is, much less the men knowing her! Have to wonder about that kind of love… But Tears on a Tranquil Lake is a good story of looking inside ones self and finding who is at the core of what you are. And I really like that Ciel has issue with falling for both men (even as she does so) and is really upset about hurting either one.

It is difficult to talk about the ending without giving it away, but it feels rushed; I might not have liked parts of it (one person’s complete memory loss but with sparks of soul recognition not helping the memory left me feeling cold and sad for this character!) and was a bit surprised with the ending after all the back and forth in the story. I am not saying I am upset with the ending, just was very surprised, and even proud of the author for taking that route. Tears on a Tranquil Lake is definitely not your everyday story and I do like that.