ARC Review: Promise Bound (Lies Beneath #3) by Anne Greenwood Brown @AnneGBrown @atrandom

Blurb from Goodreads:
Calder and Lily never imagined falling in love would mean breaking apart. But ever since Lily started wearing a glass pendant that once belonged to Nadia, Calder's adoptive mother, she's been having vivid dreams of what life was like for the mermaid matriarch. In fact, she's been dreaming as if she were Nadia! And Nadia, it seems, made a promise before her death. A promise to reunite Calder's biological mother with her son. Lily knows merfolk are bound to keep their promises. Calder's not buying into it, though. He chalks up the dreams to stress. He wants Lily to focus on the future—their future, not the past. Which forces Lily to send Calder away. Calder goes, feeling rejected and more than a little tempted to revert to his hunting ways.
What both of them overlook is the present: Calder's sisters, Maris and Pavati, are fighting for control of the mermaid clan, and now that Lily and her dad have transformed into mer-creatures, both mermaids vie for daughter and father as allies. Which of the two mermaids can be trusted? Will Lily make costly mistakes, forcing her to descend to the depths of Lake Superior? And if Calder returns, will he be the same merman Lily grew to love? The stakes are high, with many lives at risk, but Calder and Lily must confront the past as well as their darkest impulses if they want a chance at being together.

Title: Promise Bound (Lies Beneath #3)

Author: Anne Greenwood Brown

Expected Publication Date: January 7, 2014

Publisher: Delacorte Press

The Cover Contessa's Review:

I want to thank the author, Anne Greenwood Brown, for sending me an ARC of this book to read and review. I have loved this series from the start. So given the chance to read the final book early, you can bet I jumped at it. Receiving this book for free has in no way influenced my opinion or review.

When I heard that this book would be a dual POV, between Calder and Lily, I was very excited. I really missed Calder's POV from the first book. It was interesting getting to know Lily more in the second book, but I needed to really see what Calder was thinking, and that was hard to see from her POV.

If you have not read the first and second books, I would stop here. I know there will be spoilers for those books and I don't want to ruin anything for you!

This book picks up pretty much where the last book left off. Lily is getting used her new form and learning to deal with changing from human to mermaid. But she is still having a hard time with the transition from mermaid to human as it causes her immense pain.  And Calder hates to see her in pain. More than anything, he wants to just be with Lily, to start their life together and move on. But Lily has other plans.

I have to say that I was annoyed by Lily in this book. She was trying her hardest to be selfless but it was coming off more as her being selfish. She wanted things her way because she thought that would make things right, but it just caused everyone so much suffering and pain. She believes that by letting Clader go, he can find peace with the life he left behind. But Calder doesn't understand why she would want this for him, until he realizes what finding his former life would do to complete him.

Both characters grow immensely in this book, even if it is through a series of actions that might drive you a little nuts. Neither can let the other go, but they also realize the need to find themselves before they can actually be happy with each other. Calder definitely changes more than Lily, tho. As a matter of fact, I think the fact that Lily doesn't change as much as he does really solidifies his story. Because I do believe that these books are really more about him than they are about her.

As with the first two books, Brown gives us so much to think about. She inserts unexpected twists and turns that have you sitting on the edge of your seat and wondering what comes next. She paces the book so that you don't want to put it down and need to find out what will happen next.

This book certainly solidified my love of Calder. He is totally fascinating.  He's kind, loving, appreciative, and so much more emotional than I ever thought he would be. Don't get me wrong, he still has the mermaid streak in him (and anyone who read the first book will understand what that means) but he does his best to steer clear of the craziness his mermaid side brings. He wants to keep his humanity and tries so hard to make sure he can be in control.

The most amazing thing to me about this book is the fact that Lily and Calder are actually separated for more than half the book. Yet they still have such a great draw to each other. As a matter of fact, I was almost annoyed with how Lily was constantly thinking about Calder and pining over him.

As for the end, it was wrapped up nicely, no strings left untied. I liked that about this book. I hate when books end and let you come to your own conclusion. Brown certainly showed you exactly where she wanted Lily and Calder to go and how she wanted them to end up.

So, if you are up for a mermaid series, I highly recommend this one. I really loved the story arc and how Brown put you in the heads of her characters. It's a great twist on mermaids, how they feed, and why they are on our planet. Give it a try!

I am a Minnesota author, writing about mermaid assassins on Lake Superior. My debut YA series begins with LIES BENEATH, coming June 12, 2012 from Random House/Delacorte.

The sequel (DEEP BETRAYAL) is anticipated for March 2013.

Besides writing and reading YA literature, I love all things Irish, romantic movies, beef stroganoff, and Nutella.

If I'm listening to music it's Violent Femmes, The Coronas (awesome band out of Dublin), and Great Big Sea (out of Newfoundland)

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