Blog Tour Stop & Teaser Tuesday - EVERBLUE by Brenda Pandos

Last December 14th, I held a Twitter party to celebrate the release of my second book, Purpose, the following day. It was kind of chaotic and I don't remember everyone who joined me, but there were many people I "knew" from the interwebz and some I didn't. One I didn't know was Brenda Pandos, although the name rang somewhat familiar. I was just too busy managing tweets to realize then that I'd seen her books on all the book blogs.

Then someone mentioned her own Twittter party the next day. To celebrate the release of her second book. On December 15th. I attended her party, even won a copy of the book, The Sapphire Talisman, and we laughed about our second books being "twins" since they shared the same birthday. And from there, history was made. Or...it's in the process of being made, anyway.

Brenda and I have hit it off ever since. Our writing paths and publication journeys are very similar. Together, we've celebrated the extreme highs of #1 sales ranks and commiserated the lows of indie publishing. A talented graphic designer, she redesigned my book covers for me. I read her next release and provided feedback.

And now, finally, I get to share it with you!

Brenda's new release, EVERBLUE, immerses you in a sweet love story and a beautiful underwater world that makes you wish you could grow a tail and fin so you could go visit it yourself. With this first book in The Mer Tales, we meet Ashlyn, Fin and Tatiana, Ash's best friend and Fin's twin sister. Ash has had a crush on Fin for years, but not even Tatiana knows. Neither does anyone know that the feelings are mutual.

Fin also has a thing for Ash, but, unfortunately, he doesn't see how he can make it work, being that he's mer-folk and all. So he tries to keep her protected from his fantastical world, which means fighting his feelings for her. I won't tell you how that works out...

You root for these two to get together throughout the book, but life has other plans for them. Or does it?

I love this book. It's a sweet escape with lovable characters, especially the adorable Fin. We get the story from both Ash and Fin's viewpoints and Brenda did a fantastic job in portraying Fin as a real guy. Many female authors try to write from a teen boy's point-of-view, but not many can pull it off convincingly. They often come across as too feminine. But not Fin. He has just the right amount of boy to make him real, but not too much of the parts that make us girls want to hit him.

If you enjoy YA paranormal with a little romance or a YA romance with some paranormal, I recommend EVERBLUE to you. To wet your appetites (I know, it's supposed to be whet, but we're talking about mermaids here) and because it's Teaser Tuesday, Brenda has been sweet enough to let me tease you a bit with an excerpt from EVERBLUE (from Fin's POV):

Ashlyn stood awkwardly as I approached. Her curvy hips and wavy red hair took my breath away. For a moment, I caught her scent and hummed—honeysuckle with just a hint of chlorine from her morning swim. Briefly, I imagined us playing in the water. She’d give me a run for my money in a race.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Her green eyes darted away. “Not much.”

“Sorry I interrupted—” I pointed towards the imprint of my sister’s towel in the sand.

“Oh,” she said with a gulp and a smile. “It’s okay.”

She pressed her lips together and suddenly all I wanted to do was kiss her right then and there. I took a deep breath and glanced at my feet.

“Is school going good?” I asked, kicking a rock.

“Yeah.” She shrugged and then shot me that look—one with a hint of yearning behind it. I couldn’t help myself. I stepped forward and cupped her cheek. Her skin was soft as a rose petal, but within her startled eyes I caught my reflection—my very selfish expression.

Her whole life flashed before me. This kiss I desired to give her would change everything—her dreams, her life with her family, her future. Innocent and trusting, she closed her eyes and tilted her chin upward in anticipation anyway. My soul protested, but I did the only thing I could—the responsible thing.

“You’ve got something on your cheek,” I said, wiping my thumb over her skin.

She opened her eyes and pulled away, her cheeks reddening. “I do?”

I stepped back and grimaced at myself. I was being one of those guys, the jerk who led girls on and toyed with their emotions.

“I’m going to go,” she said, rubbing her hand where I’d touched, and faked a smile. “See ya later.”

She quickly stumbled up the path towards her Grandmother’s house before I could comment, but I heard what she said under her breath. “I’m so stupid.”

I sulked back to the Jeep and slammed the door, hating myself for being such an ass. The only reason I’d come in the first place was to tell Tatch about the meeting we had to attend, not get distracted by Ashlyn’s captivating beauty. And I’d made a complete mess of things.

I spun out of the spot, and drove the small distance back to our house.

Brenda's celebrating the release of EVERBLUE with lots of giveaways along the tour. Find the full schedule, and more about Brenda and her books, here.