Review: Deep Betrayal

Book Two of the Lies Beneath series
By Anne Greenwood Brown
Available now from Delacorte BFYR (Random House)
Review copy courtesy of Audra of The-Society.NET
Read my review of LIES BENEATH

LIES BENEATH wasn't my absolute favorite of the deluge of mermaid books last year (that was THE VICIOUS DEEP), but I enjoyed it quite a bit.  One of my favorite aspects was Calder's slightly inhuman narration.  Getting the paranormal romance through the point of view of the monster is still a twist.  So when I cracked open DEEP BETRAYAL and realized Lily was the narrator, I was a bit disappointed.  I hated myself for being disappointed about that, but it is what it is.

And it did take me awhile to get into DEEP BETRAYAL.  In the beginning, Lily is upset about being separated from her family and Calder, but mostly Calder.  When Calder shows up, she's concerned that he doesn't feel the same way about her as she does him and it only gets worse when he starts hanging out with her father and helping him through the changes in his life.  Did Lily forget to pack her spine when she left?

But then DEEP BETRAYAL started firing on all cylinders.  Lily and Calder start to investigate a series of murders clearly committed by a mermaid.  This requires them to track down both a mermaid of legend and Calder's estranged sisters.  I loved getting another perspective on them.  They're vicious, but there are reasons to pity them.  DEEP BETRAYAL is clear that killing and eating humans is wrong, but when your food is human you're in a tough spot.

Lily also makes an independent investigation into her own nature, following her discovery of her heritage at the end of LIES BENEATH.  She sees the worst that can happen, but can't resist the longing.  It's an interesting dilemma that's glossed over in many paranormal romances I've read.

I'm not gonna lie, the beginning of DEEP BETRAYAL is rough and it's not just because of the change in narrators.  I think if you stick with it, however, it's an excellent sequel to LIES BENEATH and has me salivating for the next book in the series.  I can't wait to see what Anne Greenwood Brown will throw at her protagonists next.