Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: January 1, 2014
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
In this coming of age story, Meara Quinn is about to find out there are worse things than moving to a tiny oceanside town before her senior year. Like discovering there's a secret being kept from her and knowing it's a life-changer.
After experiencing vivid visions of her absentee father, Meara decides she deserves answers. With the help of her new friend Evan, a guy she happens to be falling for, she embarks on a journey in the hopes of unlocking family history and finding her true self. But when she meets a handsome stranger at a local club who knows far more about her than he should, her world is again shaken. In him, Meara may have uncovered the key to the very secret that will reveal not only who she is... but what she is.
The Never Forgotten series starts as a light paranormal romance with an Irish/Scottish folklore twist and grows into an underwater urban fantasy where love, loyalty and friendship face the ultimate test. If you like mermaids, sirens, and other water fae you may not have met before, this series is for you.
Never Forgotten is the first book in the Never Forgotten series by Kelly Risser. I enjoyed the premise and the fact it was based on a creature we don't see too much of in fiction, and they're quite interesting. The story itself was pretty good. I enjoyed the characters. I was pulled into the mother/daughter situation. I loved the premise. The only draw back for me was how much it lagged at times. I wish some of that filler could have included more information on David and his kind. After so much secrecy, I needed to know more about all that stuff. I feel like this was a long intro to the series, and honestly, I have high hopes for it. It left me intrigued. I look forward to seeing where it goes in the next books.
Never Forgotten Excerpt – Evan asks Meara on first date
The sun was hot on my back, but it felt good. I always soaked it up in the summer, knowing that I would be wishing for some of its warmth in the dead of winter.
Icy cold dripped on my shoulder and made me jump. I looked up to the source and saw Evan holding out a water bottle. “Sorry for startling you,” he said. “I thought you might be thirsty.”
“Thanks.” I opened the cap and downed half the bottle. I didn’t realize how thirsty I had gotten. “Did you get the paint?”
Evan held up one gallon of paint and two brushes in response. “Is the sanding done?”
“Almost.” I pointed to the last board. “I just have that one to finish.”
“Okay.” Evan set the paint supplies down near the boards I’d already sanded. “I’ll get started then, and you can join me when you’re done.”
I finished sanding as fast as I could, and then went over by Evan. He smiled and handed me a paintbrush. “You’ve painted before, right?”
“A little.” Mom and I had painted the kitchen in our old house. I didn’t tell him about the mess we made in the process. We were covered in paint, but laughing when we were done.
“Why’d you come here today?” Evan asked.
I shrugged and dipped my brush in the paint.
“Just a little,” Evan cautioned as he watched me.
“I just wanted to hang with my grandfather a bit, I guess.”
“Is it hard?”
“What?”
“Getting to know them?”
“No… yes… I don’t know. It’s weird. I don’t understand why we never visited them or why they didn’t come see us.”
“Yeah. That’s a little strange, although I can guess why they didn’t come see you.”
I looked at Evan and waited for his answer. His eyes took in the boats surrounding us before he gestured with his paintbrush. “This takes year round dedication. Your grandfather can’t leave.”
“Sounds hard,” I said. Evan returned his brush to the paint bucket. In his haste, droplets of paint flew, and one landed on my nose. Evan started laughing before brushing it off with the sleeve of his shirt.
“Sorry about that.” He grinned at me, but it soon faltered. Once again, I was locked in his gaze. We leaned toward each other. He brushed a strand of hair back from my face and tucked it behind my ear. “Meara?”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to go to dinner?”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah.”
“With you?” I asked, realizing that was an incredibly stupid thing to ask.
Evan grinned again. “Yeah. That would be the general idea.”
“Okay.”
The sun was hot on my back, but it felt good. I always soaked it up in the summer, knowing that I would be wishing for some of its warmth in the dead of winter.
Icy cold dripped on my shoulder and made me jump. I looked up to the source and saw Evan holding out a water bottle. “Sorry for startling you,” he said. “I thought you might be thirsty.”
“Thanks.” I opened the cap and downed half the bottle. I didn’t realize how thirsty I had gotten. “Did you get the paint?”
Evan held up one gallon of paint and two brushes in response. “Is the sanding done?”
“Almost.” I pointed to the last board. “I just have that one to finish.”
“Okay.” Evan set the paint supplies down near the boards I’d already sanded. “I’ll get started then, and you can join me when you’re done.”
I finished sanding as fast as I could, and then went over by Evan. He smiled and handed me a paintbrush. “You’ve painted before, right?”
“A little.” Mom and I had painted the kitchen in our old house. I didn’t tell him about the mess we made in the process. We were covered in paint, but laughing when we were done.
“Why’d you come here today?” Evan asked.
I shrugged and dipped my brush in the paint.
“Just a little,” Evan cautioned as he watched me.
“I just wanted to hang with my grandfather a bit, I guess.”
“Is it hard?”
“What?”
“Getting to know them?”
“No… yes… I don’t know. It’s weird. I don’t understand why we never visited them or why they didn’t come see us.”
“Yeah. That’s a little strange, although I can guess why they didn’t come see you.”
I looked at Evan and waited for his answer. His eyes took in the boats surrounding us before he gestured with his paintbrush. “This takes year round dedication. Your grandfather can’t leave.”
“Sounds hard,” I said. Evan returned his brush to the paint bucket. In his haste, droplets of paint flew, and one landed on my nose. Evan started laughing before brushing it off with the sleeve of his shirt.
“Sorry about that.” He grinned at me, but it soon faltered. Once again, I was locked in his gaze. We leaned toward each other. He brushed a strand of hair back from my face and tucked it behind my ear. “Meara?”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to go to dinner?”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah.”
“With you?” I asked, realizing that was an incredibly stupid thing to ask.
Evan grinned again. “Yeah. That would be the general idea.”
“Okay.”
She's often found lamenting, "It's hard to write when there's so many good books to read!" So, when she's not immersed in the middle of someone else's fantasy world, she's busy creating one of her own. This world is introduced in her first novel, Never Forgotten.
Kelly lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two children. They share their home with Clyde the Whoodle and a school of fish.
**5 year Anniversary Celebration!!**
Five years ago, Kelly realized her dream of becoming a published author with Never Forgotten. She never imagined that first book would lead to three more and a complete series. She will be forever grateful to Clean Teen Publishing for taking a chance on an unknown writer, to her readers for loving Meara, Evan, Kieran and the full cast of characters that are so dear to her heart, and to the book community for supporting and promoting her work.
As a thank you, Kelly wants to give something back and share her happiness with all of you. Purchase any book in the series (with the exception of the free e-book of Never Forgotten), complete the online form with your uploaded proof of purchase, and receive a signed paperback (first 50 submissions; U.S. only) or a limited edition swag pack (next 200 submissions, open internationally).
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