Review: Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Lies Beneath (Lies Beneath #1)

Author: Anne Greenwood Brown 
Pages:303
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers 
Release Date: June  12th 2012
Author Website 
Available for Order: Amazon|Barnes and Noble

Source: Arc from egalley

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistible good looks and charm on unsuspecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

My Take:

What happens when you must put an end to a life that means so much more to others, even when that life is a debt that should have been paid all those years before. Calder White knows that for a wrong to be right he must do what his sisters say, the one thing he isn't supposed to do is fall in love. Seducing Lily Hancock was just by chance but him falling for her was just another thing his sisters hold over him because love is a very strong weakness. The target they have searched for is Lily's father and his sisters want his life. Getting close to Lily was just to be temporary and just to be a means to and end. What he never realized was that his sisters were wrong in taking a life and because he is different he has to choose between  the love of his family or the love from a girl who likes him for him.

Being made into what he is has never been a problem and even though he stays away from his sisters as much as he can, he really does love them. He knows that they have love for him and even though his mother changed him, he will always love his sisters. Because of what he feels though, that compassion towards humans is what makes sure he doesn't take lives as often as his sisters do. Who said being a mermaid was any easier than being human, to survive you have to steal the person's energy. But when you can stray yourself like Calder can, you must distance yourself from any and all human contact.

Yup love can complicate things and even though Calder cares he knows he really isn't right for Lily. What he never expected was how much she cared about him and how far she is willing to keep him safe. Something no one saw coming was that love is as powerful as it is strong. The thing is when his sisters find out Lily and her family needs protection and what it comes down to is, distancing himself is never going to good enough for his sisters. He has to stand his ground for what he believes in even when secrets of the past come to the surface Calder still feels he has love and that is all that matters. I fell for Calder as he came to grips with what was right and wrong and even though he was put to seduce Lily, his change is perspective for me changed as he was able to get to know her. With his sisters ready to basically start war Calder is ready and he really does care. Sometimes he seemed to full of himself, but with each page he made me swoon and instantly I was intent on reading the last page even though I wished there was more after that last page. Anne's Calder will have everyone chanting his name by the end and wanting to be his. Mermaids have been this sexy and enchanting, please I need more.

5/5 stars