I chose this book for Paranormal Week at Joyfully Jay because I hadn’t ever read a book featuring a kelpie as a main character. It’s mostly a YA romance, but also an adventure and family drama.

Rin and his mother settled in the horse country of rural New York when he was just a babe. His mama’s family wasn’t excited she got pregnant out of wedlock and she took off when her partner disappeared. So, they had a tough life and his mama worked hard to buy a run-down farm that they converted to horse stables. Life took a good turn for several years as Rin’s mama’s horses won races and she boarded and trained horses for other owners. Until a car wreck left 14-year-old Rin temporarily unable to walk and his mama unable to keep up with the extra horses.

Fast forward months and years… They struggle along some more and Rin rehabs by walking on braced legs around their property—even out to the lake and woods his mama had always warned Rin not to visit. Rin collapses by the water’s edge and meets Blue, an unexpectedly civil kelpie. For those who aren’t familiar with kelpies, they turn into beautiful horses that entice unwary riders to climb on their backs, then gallop for their watery dens and drown their victims—who become lunch.

pnr week 2See, Blue had planned to eat Rin, but the metal braces would have kept Blue from snacking on Rin’s wasted legs. It turns out, most metals burn a kelpie’s skin. On the plus side, Blue thought Rin was attractive, and was surprised and pleased Rin could hear his thoughts. Blue’s otherwise mute except for his horse noises. Having a telepathic connection to his meal wasn’t ideal, but Blue was lonely and Rin was lonely and, well, they became friends. Over the next couple of years, by the time Rin turns sixteen, their attractions are mutual. Rin’s also gained enough strength to walk again—slowly, and with pain, He’s not strong enough to ride regular horses, but he can ride Blue, thanks to Blue’s kelpie magic that keeps his rider seated. Blue has taken to spending much of the time with Rin and his mama, sharing meals at the dinner table and sleeping in Rin’s room/bed at night.

By the time Rin is 19, he and Blue are dedicated partners—and both are working to keep their farm from foreclosure. There are two mares and a boarding stallion, but he’s too mean to make good breeding stock. Even Blue has trouble with the ‘demon’ horse, and he’s able to shift into horse form! Their neighbor, and the owner of the demon stallion, catches Blue in his horse form one day and accuses Rin’s mama of not paying a stud fee and keeping a secret foal. This leads to a daring plan that puts Rin in an unlikely position…with Blue masterminding the whole thing.

This really is a fun story, with a touch of romance between Rin and Blue. Turns out Rin’s daddy likely was a Fae, and there are some other lesser fae that get involved in the horse dealings. I loved how committed this odd family was to staying together, and Blue, who is a taciturn trickster, overcoming his fears of discovery to assist Rin and his mama make enough money to stay on their farm by his lake. This is the first book in a series, though I don’t know if these characters will repeat in later stories. It’s not a particularly sexy book, but it’s well-imagined and the world and characters felt fresh. It was fun to be in Blue’s head. He fell hard for his “snack,” aka Rin, and is rewarded with love and a family that he’d been missing since his family lake had been poisoned when he was young.

We get a rescue mission, too, because Rin and Blue must travel into the Underhill, the world of the Fae and other creatures, in order to actually save the farm and…people. It’s a romp that also leads to Rin learning his true paternity. I don’t want to spoil this, because it was so fun and engaging. Rin and Blue go back and forth with snarky journaling, and it becomes a running joke from beginning to end.

A lot of the backstory is revealed upfront, yet in a way that doesn’t slow the pacing of the book. Knowing that more books are coming, I’d definitely read on.

As a kelpie, Blue is used to drowning humans in his lake and devouring them. But when a human named Rin and his mother move on to the property, Blue becomes fascinated by the strange boy. Eventually, the pair becomes inseparable but Rin's mother is on the verge of losing the farm and her horse raising business. Blue offers to help by using his horse form to win races but outside forces from the fairie realm put them all in more danger than just losing their home.

As a gay romance, it's fairly light but as a fantasy, this book is fun and interesting. I have to say I didn't expect how the story went as the blurb accompanying it was WAY more vague, but it was satisfying and entertaining. Blue is a great character and Rin's mother is a badass. Rin himself is more of a blank slate in comparison but we're following his story and he's a decent enough guy. I also love how the story is framed by Rin and Blue writing to each other in what is supposed to be a private diary. Very cute. 3.9 out of 5.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Mama always said, don't go near the lake. Rin already knew the forest was filled with dark things, but aside from Mama no one had warned him about the lake. One day, Rin wanders off to the lake, where a beautiful blue horse asks him to go for a swim, and Rin learns too late it may not be a swim he survives.

I have to admit it took me a little while to connect with a character who referred to his lover as his "snack" and thought about eating him or his bone marrow.  I was dubious until about halfway through that this would have a HEA and that the old adage about creatures staying true to their nature might prove out here.  You never know....

But Kelpie Blue (Out of Underhill #1) by Mell Eight kept taking one interesting turn after another, and eventually I even enjoyed the peculiar mindset of a Kelpie (thoughts of eating humans included).

I loved the way  Mell Eight weaves the Fae and human worlds together here, connecting them through a matter of fact woman running a stables at the edge of a special forest and lake, and her son Rin.  That lake and forest are just any plain forests but the entranceway and habitat of the fae as Rin soon finds out.

Side by side with the fae story element is an ongoing one that shows Mama, who raises and races horses, having major troubles with another horse breeder.  I thought this was a terrific idea.  Just when the whole Rin/Blue aspect of the storyline gets a little overwhelming with their  diary dialog  (they write back and forth in Rin's diary) and relationship then we cut away to Mama's gritty real life issues and the fight to save the farm and their livelihood.

Two thirds into the story, the drama has increased, the suspense and mystery has been raised, and I was just as interested in Mama's story as I was in Rin's.  Plus there is this whole other guy called Jim who runs Overhill Stables....

Anyhow, by the time the book ends (it ends way too soon), you still have some questions.  Ok, a lot of questions.  Blue is still a young Kelpie and Rin is, well, a young Rin.  Both have a lot of growing to do.  I expect Fae politics to start intruding one more into their lives so I can't wait for the next book to appear.

By the way?  Kudos to Mell Eight for keeping Blue as completely non-human and Kelpie as possible.  It takes time to relate to him precisely because the author did her job so well.  I can't wait to see what happens as he grows, trepidations notwithstanding.  Snack indeed.

Cover art: Michelle Seaver.  Beautiful cover and works so well for the story.

This was a cute story but I feel like the summary is just wildly off-base. It makes it sound like it's going to be some ...I don't know, dark fairytale I guess? But really we come into the story after Blue [the kelpie] has been living with Rin and his Mom for like 2 or 3 years and they're already together and most of the plot is taken up by horse racing stuff. It was still a pretty fun story, but it was definitely not what I was looking for / expecting and I don't think I'll be continuing with the series.

3.5 stars.

This is a cute little story about horse racing and a kelpie, told through the eyes of Rin, Rin’s diary and Blue the kelpie. As with most Mell Eight stories the romance is pretty much instant and adorable with a definite young adult feel.

I was a little sad that the most exciting moment – when Rin collapses beside the lake and Blue finds him there, in full hungry kelpie mode – is all told via the diary. Blue’s additions to Rin’s diary are cute and I loved that he called Rin his pretty snack (which is a rather twisted endearment and yet oddly endearing), but it felt like a small let down in a kelpie story not to have the full fearful kelpie effect.

In fact a lot of stuff is told via the diary – first meetings, coming out to Rin’s mother, living together for the first few years – because the main story here isn’t about Rin finding Blue, or even the pair of them falling in love, it’s about trying to save the racing stables and interacting with more fae.

So maybe dial back your expectations a bit, because those small disappointments aside, this is a cute, easy to read tale with interesting fae, light romance, a bit of mystery and danger and lots and lots of sweetness. Everything I’ve come to expect and enjoy from this author – and I look forward to reading more from this series.

This book was unusual in that it didn't really have a focused plot with a clear end goal (there was some conflict involving the fae, but it was just a small part of the story and handled fairly easily), but I found I didn't mind and was happy to go along for the ride. This was a sweet, fluffy, stress-free read about a period of time in a character's life and his growing relationship with the kelpie he loved (who loved him back). And it was exactly what I was in the mood for when I read it. I also just love books about uncommon paranormals, so I enjoyed getting to read this author's take on kelpies. Blue was an interesting character to read about because his mind seemed a little more simplistic and pure than is typical---mostly focused on comforts, food, swimming, and being with Rin---due to his animal nature, and sometimes he would blurt out things about eating people that would take me so by surprise I couldn't help but laugh. There were some very brief sexy scenes, and I liked that they were kind of understated because it made them feel realistic. Another plus was disability rep since Rin (the main character) had bag legs due to an accident he was in when he was younger. I even feel like I learned a bit about horse racing since there was a lot about that. Overall this book was short but sweet, with a cute relationship and likeable characters, and I enjoyed it!

Kelpie Blue is an enchanting little story about Rin and his kelpie boyfriend Blue. It follows along with their lives, but it also gives us an insight into how they met, etc., by having Blue read Rin’s diary (and add his own commentary which is pretty damned funny). We get a taste of Underhill in this story as we find out the truth about Rin’s father and those who would hurt Rin, Blue and Mama to get what they want.

I loved this story. I really liked just about everything I’ve read by Mell Eight and this was just a fun, lovely story. Rin and Blue were so damned cute together and I loved that Rin didn’t even have a thought about not falling in love with Blue just because he was a kelpie. Blue cracked me up with his comments in the diary as well as his thoughts and words throughout the book.

I wish we’d gotten to spend a little more time in Underhill in the book, but I understood why it was necessary not to do so. I’m incredibly curious to see what the next book will bring us.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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