Wild Blue Under

Book excerpt: A wild race to the wild blue under… Rod Tritone, heir to the undersea Mer kingdom, has the looks and charm to have any mermaid he wants as his queen. He’s always given up his own preferences in order to train for his future role. But apparently that isn’t enough for the ruling Council. Prophecy decrees he marry a Mer Princess. The only problem is that the prophesied lost princess lives in the geographical—and utterly landlocked—center of the United States. Valerie Dumere has tried her hand at pretty much everything. She wasn’t cut out to be a construction worker, any more than the zillion other jobs she’s tried. Who is she supposed to be and what is she supposed to do with her life? Even running the oceans treasures gift shop she inherited is ironic, given that, thanks to a horrific childhood incident, Valerie is convinced she’s deathly allergic to seawater. Then Rod Tritone shows up, insisting she has another side to herself that only he can show her. He’s sexy, but is he also insane? If Rod fails in his quest, the kingdom he’s worked so hard for will go to another. Accompanied by a seagull named Livingston, and chased by dive-bombing birds, Rod convinces Valerie to set off with him on a madcap, cross-country race to the sea. Can they make it in time to fulfill the prophecy? And how can Rod convince his ocean-phobic mermaid princess there’s nothing to be afraid of—and love to be found— in the wild blue under?