Customer Reviews

Wild Blue Under

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I confess : I am a literature snob. I read all my life only "serious" , conservative works.
I came across Mrs. Fennell's underwater fantasy by chance and while I laughed and giggled with delight alongside Rod and Valerie's adventures I realized what a word master the writer is . The word puns are spot on, the dialog is fresh and engaging . The humor she uses in each instance is a fine one and it caught me by surprise. The love scenes are original and unbelievably creative, never vulgar or mushy as romance novel s have a reputation in fostering. Bottom line is, I became so engaged in reading Wild Blue Under that I almost finished it while in the store and in the end, while delighting in the author's rich imagination, I learned a valuable lesson : never judge a book by its covers ..
Ghost Words and other Echoes it's...

WILD BLUE UNDER is the second book in Ms. Fennell's fascinating Mer series and although you can read the book as a stand-alone, I promise you will be so curious about Reel's story you will also want to pick up IN OVER HER HEAD, too.

Rod Tritone is the heir to the undersea kingdom and for him duty comes first. He knows he has to marry a perfect and noble mer princess, but what he didn't count on were his feelings for the half-mer--half-human, Valerie Dumere. He knew he should have brought her back under the sea, but she didn't know about her mer heritage and was gun shy when it came to relationships. To make the situation even more complicated someone is trying to kill Rod and kidnap Valerie. They have to flee from their enemy, but find they can no longer escape their feelings, but is there a happy ever after end for them?

Ms. Fennell has created a fascinating under water world with funny and very lovable characters. You will absolutely fall in love with them. The book is fun to read and I found the sea analogies really fitting for the story. There is never a boring moment in the story, because the story is filled with action and there is more than one twist and turn that will keep you on your toes.
I can hardly wait to read book three, CATCH OF A LIFETIME, which will be released February 2010. I really hope that there will be more books about the fascinating Mer people and their under water kingdom.

If you are looking for an unusual and fascinating book, don't look any further because I can highly recommend this one!

Courtesy of Loveromances and More!

Its not really an exaggeration to say I adored the first book, In Over Her Head about Rod's younger twin brother Reel and his love o'life Erica and eagerly looked forward to what adventures the stick in the mud Rod could get into while getting his own love o'life. Mer people are one of those devices in fiction that catch my attention pretty quickly. Hot Mer Men with ironic names, pop culture references with a distinctly Mer people twist, snarky fish, belligerent seagulls...honestly I can go on like this forever.

Rod, who in the first book was an all around stiff-necked goody-goody, shows an entirely different side this time around. While not as carefree as his twin, he relaxes to the point where he made a joke of the situation and it was funny. We learn a little more about why he was so adament about Reel staying Under the Sea--overwhelming and misplaced guilt being a big factor--as well as what is was like for him as the Heir. It wasn't all bubbles and kelp wraps that's for sure.

Valerie is different from Erica in that not only does she technically belong to the underwater kingdom to begin with, but she also rejects it for the better part of the book. Her reasoning behind it is a little iffy--the whole deal with the mother and father that is--and could have done with a bit more fleshing out though. She's a spitfire though, and once the ball gets moving she digs her feet in and she goes with it as much as possible. Not without calling herself insane the entire time, but she at least rolls with it.

The sparks are immediate for Rod and Valerie, and Rod is certainly rather funny. Unlike Reel, who didn't fight his attraction for Erica at all, Rod tells himself, repeatedly, that its just not possible. Or its something in the air. Or the fact her shell-fillers are filled out nicely. He comes up with some pretty creative excuses for his attraction. Valerie on the other hand has to constantly catch herself because she spends a lot of time with her mind wandering off to wicked ways they could be enjoying their time together.

Livingston, yes he's a seagull and yes that name is rather ironic, is an entertaining side companion. He spends a lot of time ribbing Rod for his attraction to Valerie or almost breaking some pretty confidential secrets (or urging Rod to do it). Several characters from the first book make re-appearances. Fisher (Rod and Reel's father), their mother and their younger sister Angel (who has her own book due out in Feb, Catch of a Lifetime). Drake, who I 'm guessing will be the main focal bad guy in the third book as well, also makes a reappearance and is just as nasty as before.

We spend a bit more time with Charley in his role as messenger between the Gods above and the Mer Folk. And we see Fisher not really learning from his mistakes.

So to conclude--great second book, I love Rod (though not as much as Reel) and I'm eager for book 3!

I must say I am hooked:)
Wild Blue Under was as good as In Over Her Head. A family trilogy of sorts with a little suspense and a lot of romance
I couldn't put it down and stayed up way to late to finish it.
I went to bed with a smile though!
Thank you for another wonderful read. I am impatiently looking forward to the last book in the series.

~IF YOU LIKED, IN OVER HER HEAD, YOU'RE GONNA LOVE WILD BLUE UNDER!~


WILD BLUE UNDER
Tritone Mer Trilogy, Book 2

Judi Fennell

Sourcebook Casablanca

Book Blurb: Rod Tritone, heir to the throne of the undersea world, needs a queen capable of ruling the oldest kingdom on earth. Someone regal, learned and of noble birth. Problem is, the only eligible noble-born Mer princess is half-Human - and she doesn't have a clue about the non-Human part.Valerie Dumere has screwed up her life at every turn, so when her mother dies and leaves her the family business, Val realizes it's up to her to buckle down and get her life on track. No more excuses.So when a guy shows up claiming to be her destiny, she scoffs. No way. She isn't running away from her responsibilities ever again - no matter how good the guy looks without a shirt.But Rod isn't going away. He can't claim his inheritance without her - and Val will lose hers if she goes with him.It's going to take one whale of a tale to get her to chuck it all and follow him off into the wild blue under...


"A delightful, quirky blend of humor, adventure, and passion."
Star-Crossed Romance

My Thoughts:


Growing up, some of my favorite TV shows were a blend of comedy and serious.

I loved the touch of paranormal/comedy in I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched. The comedy was focused on normal humans coming into contact with humans with magical/mythical powers. The fun part was the reaction of everyday people when they did. Magic that got out of hand and the dashing about to save the day. Explaining the unexplainable. Yet, these shows dealt with serious issues and human emotions: love, jealousy, aging, job security, raising kids, nosy neighbors, national security, and interfering in-laws. They all had a `twist' and they made you feel good when the show was over.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT jUDI FENNELL'S BOOKS: ROMANCE THAT'S FUNNY, ENGAGING, DEFINITELY HOT, AND MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD ONCE YOU'VE FINISHED THE BOOK. I LOVED IT!

Wild Blue Under is the second book of Judi's Tritone Mer Trilogy. It's even better than the first. Like my favorite shows, it deals with serious issues--life and death but Fennell maintains her theme of Fairy Tales With A Twist. Take the improbable, add superb characters, and then build a marvelous story, filled with laughter, dangerous adventure, romance, and a happy ending.

What would you do if you found out birds could talk, and not only talk but plan out evasive maneuvers when under attack? Or that the talking Sea Gull was the Chief of Aerial Security tasked with the responsibility keeping the Heir to the throne safe? Or that birds could become terrorists and close down airports and create havoc on the highways to stop traffic?

This is just some of the many things that normal, Valerie Dumere, has to not only deal with but also make sense of while dealing with a not normal, hot hunk named Rod Tritone. Valerie is determined to stick to one thing and which is making her mother's shop a success. She's done with her restless wandering.

Rod is the sexy, highly responsible heir to the Mer throne. His assignment is to bring half Mer princess to Atlantis. Valerie, on the other hand, doesn't know she's half Mer and is deathly allergic to saltwater. Rod fabricates an inheritance to get her to come from the landlocked mid-west to the Atlantic so he can prove to her what she is, and fulfill his assignment.

What follows is a face-paced series of misadventures that will have you not only laughing but also rooting for Val and Rod. Rod's life is in danger. Valerie thinks she's lost her mind. Toss in an impossible romance and Livingston, a wisecracking Sea Gull is the Chief of Aerial Security tasked with the responsibility of keeping Rod alive and Valerie to the coast, and you have a highly entertaining read.

Look out world; Judi Fennell's star is rising high.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I also had a chance to interview Judi Fennell, October 28, 2009. You can see the interview at: OVER COFFEE WITH SIA McKYE [...]

When his father steps down as High Councilman, Rod Tritone knows his duty is to replace him running the Kingdom of Mer. However, the ruling Council directs Rod that before he assumes the position he will marry the lost daughter of Mer. Although he does not want to marry anyone nor go on land, Rod understands his people's needs come before his desires.

He is given legs so he can walk with the landlubbers as his queen is on the surface in ironically land locked Kansas selling ocean tchotchkes at Therese's Treasure Trove. Valerie Dumere scoffs at Rod's instance that she is a hybrid human-mermaid as she has never had a tail nor can she even swim. However, when someone tries to kill her, Val knows something is not right, but still scorns her rescuer's insistence that he lives under the sea.

The second Tritone brother Mer urban-oceanic romantic fantasy (see In Over her Head) is a terrific tale of the tail from the moment Rod arrives at the store knowing this can't be Atlantis. Fans will enjoy the amusing banter between the disbeliever and the Mer trying to convince her to dive into the ocean as his mate while a predator wants her dead. This is a fun fantasy with readers wondering whether Val will there's no place like home when you are loved by the one you treasure.

Harriet Klausner

Wild Blue Under by Judi Fennell is the second book in the Mer Trilogy, the first being In Over Her Head. In the first book we were introduced to Reel who ultimately decides to become human and live on land for the woman he loves. In Wild Blue Under we are introduced to Rod, his brother who has to travel to land to find the woman who can help him become the leader in his world.

Let me explain, the Mer world is under water. It's a beautiful and magical place and when you read Judi's descriptions of the the under water world you can almost envision it in your own mind. You've got wrasses, gobies and angelfish. You've got birds and fish that can talk.

In Wild Blue Under, Rod has to find Valerie who is a hybrid - half Mer and half human. Her father was from the Mer world although Valerie had never known this. Rod has to convince Valerie that in order to get her inheritance she must travel with him to the ocean. Valerie agrees because she wants to save her mother's gift shop. Well this sets Valerie and Rod on an unbelievable and crazy trip that has birds, fish, pizza crusts, tin cans and shoes flying at her car trying to run them off the road. Somebody does not want them to make it to the ocean. Somebody does not want Rod becoming leader in the Mer world, but the question is who?

Now Rod is just out to do his duty to the Mer world. He has no intention of falling for any human even if she is half Mer. However as we all know things don't always go as planned and he falls head over heels for Valerie. This book is a cute little romance story as Rod tries to convince himself he can't possibly fall in love with a human and Valerie simply doesn't want a relationship even though it's obvious they are extremely attracted to each other. As things go on though, they can't deny how they feel and soon enough the sparks are flying.

This is a fun series - the perfect get me away from my world for a bit. You simply have to suspend the believable when you read this book and let yourself be swept away by Judi Fennell's creative fantasy world of the Mer people. I do have to say that I liked Reel a bit more than Rod and enjoyed In Over Her Head a bit more but that doesn't take away from Wild Blue Under in the least. Rod is likable and as the novel progresses you are rooting for he and Valerie to hopefully have their happily ever after. I'm definitely looking forward to the final one in the series!

WILD BLUE UNDER is the second book in Ms. Fennell's fascinating Mer series ,it can be read as a stand alone .I realy enjoyed Wild Blue Under I couldn't put it down.I highly reccomend this book it has romance,comedy,magic,talking creatures ,mer people ,action and adventure.The characters are very loveable and this is one book that is never boring you are easly swept right along with rod and valerie on their journey.

Wild Blue Under is the second in Judi Fennell's mermaid trilogy. While the plot isn't as good as her first and third books its still a wonderful story just the same. After all if one has a favorite of the trilogy one has to have a least favorite too even if you find it real enjoyable just the same. I do hope that her publisher will allow her to continue the story with Rod's other sister.

After Reel Tritone didn't get everything I hoped he'd get at the end of book one his brother Rod is given an assignment before becoming the next ruler of the Mer Kingdom. That is to travel to Kansas to find Valerie Dumere and convince her that she's not really allergic to the sea. That her mother only told her that because she's half Mermaid and like Emily Windsnap in another half mermaid series would gain a tail when in the ocean. The future princess find it odd to understand bird speach during her road trip. She doesn't actually get her tail to near the end of the book which is one of the reason why I rank this less than the other two in the series. Learning the true story of her parents meeting that resulted in her was very touching in some ways and mysterious enough to have me hang on every word in others. Only of the three that you have two mer romances for the price of one book.

I adored Wild Blue Under, the second book in Judi Fennell's Mer(maid) trilogy. This fast-paced and witty paranormal tale stars super-responsible Mer-stud Rod Tritone, heir to the undersea throne. Before Rod can be crowned king, he must fulfill an oceanic council order to return a Mer princess to her rightful place as governess of the South Pacific. Only problem is that princess, Valerie Demure, is: half human, lives in landlocked Kansas, isn't aware of her Mer half, is determined to stop indulging in her wanderlust behavior, and mistakenly believes she's allergic to the ocean.

It'll take all the charm Rod has, not to mention a set of legs, to join Valerie on land and convince her to travel with him to the seashore to collect "an inheritance." And if Rod's task isn't already difficult enough, an enemy lurks who would like nothing more than for Rod and Valerie to stay on land. Or die.

Not to worry. Rod has friends in high places, namely a hilarious seabird who nearly--but not quite--steals this never-a-dull-moment, twisty-turny show from two very likable, fun-loving characters.

Go ahead, jump in! The water's just right.