This was a really good continuation of the series and I am in love with the way Anne imagines mermaids. I hope there is another book in the series because even though the issue of this book was solved, she opened a new can of worms in the last chapter. These books are great and while I feel fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to read an ARC I'm really sad that I'll have to wait even longer for the next book. ( )

Lily and Calder return for another thrilling Lake Superior adventure full of drama, romance, action, mystery, and myths.

What I loved:

The mythology. While it took a back seat this time around, I really enjoyed the backdrop of mythological mermaid lore. Ancient myths did end up playing a part near the end of the story, and I welcomed that wholeheartedly. Now that *SPOILERS* happened to Lily I think there will be a lot more of the lore and history coming back in book 3!

The romance. Calder and Lily bicker. All. The. Time. This makes so much sense. They are under a lot of stress, they are frequently in danger, they almost never come to the same conclusion or decision, they keep things from each other, and they don't even like the same kind of coffee. So why should they be a perfect couple, who never fights or argues and gets along so well? That would be so unrealistic, and would frankly remove a lot of the drama and tension from the story. I really appreciated their having an honest, realistic relationship.

Lily's fascination with the lake. The author's own love for the region, for Lake Superior and the islands, is clearly reflected in the prose. Lily describes the stars one night that "filled the sky with a light that held its own against the pale disk of the moon and stirred the lake into a rich navy, with black ripples, like a Van Gogh painting." Artful passages like this are combined with the subsequent, "It was like dancing under a disco ball, and it was like choreography, slow and twirling." The juxtaposition of dreamy description with modern comparisons shows the readers that Lily isn't your average girl, but she still thinks like one sometimes.

What I didn't love:

The book got off to a bit of a slow start. I think this is because I read the first book last summer and had lost a feel for the story. Lily being away from the lake was strange, her friends weren't who I wanted her to be talking to (ahem - Calder), and I kept wondering when we'd get back on track to the pressing issue of her dad being a merman and Calder's "sisters" being crazy dangerous.

Honestly, though, it quickly picked up after the first few chapters and after that I couldn't put it down!

DEEP BETRAYAL is a great follow-up to LIES BENEATH, and I would recommend it for fans of paranormal romance, mythology, mermaids, and murder mysteries! ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: A romantic and beautifully written sequel about family and neglect with a sprinkle of mythology.

Opening Sentence: Death finds us all.

The Review:

Told from Lily Hancock’s point of view, Deep Betrayal picks up a month after Lies Beneath leaves us. Now that Calder’s sister’s revenge plot has been resolved, Lily thought things would be normal (well, as normal as possible with a mermaid boyfriend and mermaid blood in her veins.) But when dead citizens start popping up within weeks of Lily’s father learning he too is a merman, Lily and Calder must find out who is behind the attacks before they get out of hand. Only problem is Calder seems to disappear for days on end, training Lily’s father on how to be a merman. And throughout this entire fiasco, Lily dreams of one day joining Calder and her father in the water as a mermaid. This mysterious mythology–based story will break your heart and mend it, leaving you satisfied with the ending yet wanting more.

I enjoyed this book as much, if not more than the first book, Lies Beneath. Although Lily has always annoyed me, I thought seeing her point of view was an interesting change. Although the plot lagged in the middle because of the constant accuse-wrong cycle, the book was pretty well developed. I found the different myths from Lake Superior very creative and cleverly inter-weaved into the story. The mythology wasn’t a major factor in the book, but it did help add to the suspense and “neglect” theme of the book.

Speaking of theme, this book is more than the basic “love triumphs all things” cliche-type themes. It ranges from the importance of family to the issue of neglect of nature/people. Honestly, this made me appreciate the book even more because the characters learn and grow from these not-so-basic issues. I really can’t say more because of spoilers, so you will just have to read it yourself for full understanding!

Lily Hancock is still the poetry-obsessed, family-first girl we knew in Lies Beneath, but in this book her priorities have changed. She no longer wishes for college and her friends at home. She has grown up from the naive girl dreading the cold waters of Lake Superior. Now there’s only one thing on her mind: Calder White. This insta-love type thing pulled me out of the story and made me dislike Lily just a tad. Although I have to give her props for holding out this long because CALDER. He is infuriatingly secretive and distant in this book, yet there are times when he’s so sweet and caring…and then he leaves again. But the main guy in this book really shouldn’t be Calder. Props to Brown for creating Jack as the most complex and broken boy in this series. Jack has been neglected. And with this neglect by Parvati comes a tidal wave of insecurity, anger and rashness all rooted in his desperation to see Parvati. He by far is the most complex character in the book.

Overall, this book is a great sequel. The ending is satisfying – the series really could have ended right there, so who knows what the next book will bring!

Notable Scene:

I watched the hall for a few more moments, in the hope that he’d come back. When he didn’t, I set my jaw and flopped back on my pillow. I turned away from Dad to hide my face. He put his hand on my shoulder and rolled me back toward him. My cheeks were already wet.

“So it’s that way? You’ll miss him that much?”

“Every minute.”

“Remember you’ll be leaving for college soon, Lily. It’s not a good time for you to get so involved.” He brushed my long bangs off my forehead.

“You know what? I wish I’d never told you about any of this. This was my secret. I shared it with you, but now you’re taking it from me.”

“Lily, I’m not taking anything from you. Frankly, I don’t want any of it.”

I wiped my face on my pillow. Dad headed for the door, then he stopped and turned at the threshold. “You’re too young to feel so strongly about someone.”

I almost smiled. “Maybe you’re too old to remember.”

He smiled, and for a second, he was just my dad again. Normal dad. The dad I wanted to remember. “Touché, sweet girl. I’ll be as quick a study. I’ll have him back soon.”

“Promise?” I asked, wondering if he was enough of a merman that I could bind him to his word. But he wouldn’t take the bait, and my door closed softly behind him, without an answer.

FTC Advisory: Delacorte Books for Young Readers/Random House provided me with a copy of Deep Betrayal. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

I really love the point of view from Lilly. You can tell she's going through a lot with her father being a merman and her being half as well as her sister Sophie. I loved the scenes between Lilly and Calder. They were full of sexual tension, desire, despair, romance, confusion...it was a great mix of emotions that kept me wanting more. Great book. Cannot wait for the third book! ( )

I love a story told from a guys point of view, but Deep Betrayal, told from Lily's point of view was so much better than Lies Beneath and I really enjoyed Lies Beneath! So much happens in this book and seeing it through Lily's eyes makes it more real because she's human and she's experiencing the doubt about Calder and her father. Does Calder really need her or love her? What is his connection to her? Will he leave her some day? Is her father the one murdering those people? And how could he dessert the family like this? Lily's mother is nothing but a bundle of sadness and anger, not something she's used to because her husband is gone.

I totally forgot that Lily and little Sophie were half merpeople with their dad being a merman. So there is that story line. Then there is dead Tallulah with Maris and Pavati knowing or not knowing. Do they know Lily is alive? What will they think if they see Lily? What about Hancock being a merman?? And Calder isn't connected to them anymore so he can't hear them. And who is killing the people on the lake? Maris and Pavati? Lily's dad? Or something else more sinister?

There is a lot going on in this novel and it does not disappoint! I was sure I knew who was doing the killing and I was like, "Come on already just tell us!" But I couldn't have been more wrong. Not even in the ballpark. And all the things I assumed, I was wrong. Brown really delivers in this novel. I remember rumors that this novel didn't have enough Calder in it, but it had plenty of Calder and Lily in it, more than Lies Beneath in the way of romance to me. It's more intense and has more meaning.

Even Sophie gets a little air time and she's a smart little thing. I learned what rainbows are made of and she proved that just because she was young, didn't mean she wasn't paying attention. And her connection to Pavati was still there. The only one that had a really bad time in this book was Mom. I know she can't get cured, but man, she really had some shocks in this book. I just hope her heart can take it. No cliffhanger ending, it was happy to me, but I think there is another book since it says this is the second book and I believe this was always going to be a trilogy. I really think of the two books, this was a much better book for those of you that are hesitant to pick it up. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

It's for a little older crowd. There are some mature scenes, some sexual content. It's definitely for lovers of mermaid tales remembering this is the sequel, YA paranormal, romance, and family.

Thanks to the publishers at Delacorte Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the E-ARC. Though I received and advanced copy for free, this in no way influenced my opinion of the book. I did not receive financial compensation for this review. ( )