Wild Blue Under

Wild Blue Under, by Judi Fennell, is a fine successor to In Over Her Head and another enjoyable read. I would never have believed that stories of mermaids and mermen could be so intriguing till I started on this series. But Judi's gentle humor and convincing imagination makes it easy for the reader to suspend disbelief and enjoy the curious ride.

This second novel takes place mostly on land, with the Heir to the throne of Mer undertaking a task to prove his worthiness. But "worth" is more than meets the brain or eye, and I love the way Judi's inclusion of Olympian gods provides glimpses of eternal questions–why do bad things happen to good people? Why do things go wrong even when we've done everything right?

This being a romance, "worth" also includes true love, and there are some truly hilarious scenes (enormously memorable ones too) as hero and heroine drive cross-country while being dive-bombed by wildfowl, struggling all the time to deny their growing attraction to each other. The advent of large quantities of rain and assorted injuries cause the absence of certain garments and well… you can guess where it's going, but you'd do much better to read. Airports are closed. Seagulls talk (and eat fries). Evil schemers plot and plan to deceive. And it all leads to the learning of fascinating, satisfying lessons, well-taught by those mysterious gods shifting pawns that still exercise free will.

I may even have liked this novel better than Judi's first book, which bodes well for the third, coming soon–a really fun read.