Sea Witch duology by Sarah Henning

Sea Witch - book one

"Before she took the mermaid's voice, she have up her own heart."

“Everyone knows what happens in the end. A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss. But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends. One feared, one royal, and one already dead.

Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch.

A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.

But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.” - taken from Goodreads.com

So all I really knew about the Little Mermaid fairy tale I learned from Ariel and Disney. I loved how the story was told between two different POVs of the past and the present. I really wasn't sure where the story was going in relation to the original fairy tale but was pleasantly surprised but how the story ended. Now on to the next part of Evie’s story.

Sea Witch Rising - book two

SPOILER ALERT! Please don’t read any further if you don’t want to ruin the rest of the story.

“The Little Mermaid” takes a twisted turn in this thrilling sequel to villainess origin story Sea Witch, as the forces of land and sea clash in an epic battle for freedom, redemption, and true love.

Runa will not let her twin sister die. Alia traded her voice to the Sea Witch for a shot at happiness with a prince who doesn’t love her. And his rejection will literally kill her—unless Runa intervenes.

Under the sea, Evie craves her own freedom—but liberation from her role as Sea Witch will require an exchange she may not be willing to make. With their hearts’ desires at odds, what will Runa and Evie be willing to sacrifice to save their worlds?

I found the beginning of this second book a bit slow but for me, the action really picked up in the second half. Without spoiling any details, I enjoyed this unique twist in the Little Mermaid fairy tale.

Visit Sarah Henning’s website.

 

Of Neptune by Anna Banks (The Syrena Legacy book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first two books in the series, Of Poseidon and Of Triton, Stop! I don't want to ruin the series for you.

All Emma and Galen want is a break from everything that has happened over the past summer. They just want to escape to the mountains for some time alone but Grom doesn't want them to since the agreement with the Archives is still new. Antonia, Emma's grandfather and the Poseidon King, tells Emma of a place near Chattanooga, Tennessee that the discovered while searching for her mother after she disappeared. He believes that she should visit a town called Neptune but doesn't tell her why. While it's not the Rocky Mountains, she and Galen head off for some alone time.

While traveling, the two of them stop by the side of the highway. The situation heats quickly but is extinguished when someone knocks on the window to see if they need help. Pulling themselves together and not wanting to break any Syrena rules, Galen suggests that they stop since he doesn't want to drive in any bad weather. Emma looks online and sees that there are some caves and springs nearby. They decide to explore one.

Upon finding a spring, the two of them go swimming. Galen finds it odd that no birds are feeding on the school of minnows just below the Warner's surface. He assures Emma that they will be safe from the lightening underwater. Below, they find the entrance to a cave. No fish are around and. Galen wants Emma to stay behind him but eventually they go in side by side. Galen notices that the water feels different to him. Emma kisses his concern away but then he feels it. The pulse in the water isn't lightning strikes nor is it Syrena. Emma finally notices what he is talking about. Galen has a look of panic on his face and realizes that something is ahead of them. A school of fish swims out and Emma tries to question them. She notices that Galen is still staring in front of them. Then, Emma sees a boy swimming without any gear or equipment. He comments that she has the gift of Poseidon and introduces himself as Reed.

Emma quickly realizes the Reed is also a half breed like her. She asks him where he came from and he tells her Neptune. It turns out that Neptune is home not only to half breeds but full Syrena and human who keep their secret. Since half breeds are illegal, Emma wonders how they have evaded detection for so long. With Reed unable to keep his attraction to Emma a secret, Galen becomes possessive. They take Reed back to Neptune and discover that it looks and functions like any other small town except for the mermaid connection. The only "human" in town is a botanist, Mr. Kennedy, who for the past month has been looking for new plant specimens. Against Galen's better judgment, the two check into the B&B to learn about Neptune.

Why did Antonis want Emma to go to Neptune? What do they discover there? Is Mr. Kennedy really a botanist? How has the community gone undetected for so long? Will Emma and Galen be able to weather this latest complication to their relationship?

Visit Anna Banks’ website.

Promise Bound by Anne Greenwood Brown (Lies Beneath book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first two books in the trilogy, Lies Beneath and Deep Betrayal, Stop! I don't want to ruin Calder and Lily's story for you.

Lily continues to struggle with her newfound family identity, being part mermaid. Her father took to the water naturally, but the change is still physically difficult for her. Calder loves being accepted as a part of the Hancock family but with Jason Hancock teaching college and his family, he and Lily have decided to stay north with them rather than head to the warm waters of the Bahamas for the winter months. With the entire Hancock family coping with their new family dynamics, Calder beings to wonder what the spring migration will bring to his family, both new and old when Maris and Pavati come back to Lake Michigan.

Lily wears the sea glass pendant that once belonged to her grandmother. She has dreams in which she is reliving important moments in Nadia's life. Calder believes it is just stress but Lily insists that they are real and it drives them apart. When Maris and Pavati arrive back at the lake, Lily and Calder worst fears are realized. Daniel was able to father a child with Pavati, a boy. Initially, he is not willing to accept the possibility of raising a child for a year and then giving him back to Pavati, but Daniel becomes instantly smitten with his son. Pavati is heartbroken to have to leave him behind. Lily and Calder fear that history may repeat itself when Jason Hancock wasn't returned to his mother, Nadia, by his father. Before diving back into the lake, Pavati whispers to Lily if she got her letter. She acknowledges that she did but fears that Calder has overheard their conversation.

Why is Lily seeing Nadia's past through her dreams? Is Lily's sister, Sophie, also able to transform into a mermaid? Will Daniel be able to return their son to Pavati? And if not, what would it mean for everyone? What was in Pavati's letter to Lily? Will Lily ever be able to change her form without the physical pain? Can all of the menfolk coexist peacefully? Do Calder and Lily have their happily ever after?

Visit Anne Greenwood Brown’s website.

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Years earlier, Tom Hancock almost succumbed to a boating accident on Lake Superior but was saved by a mermaid. Needing his life force to sustain herself, she agrees to trade Tom’s life for that of his infant son, Jason. The townsfolk thought Tom’s mermaid tale was just crazy talk and the Hancock family soon splintered and abandoned their lakeside home. Now years later and the recent death of Tom, Jason decides to move back to the Lake Superior house with his wife and two daughters for a less stressful life. It turns out Tom wasn’t crazy and danger lurks for the Hancock family in the form of the mermaid’s vengeful children.

Calder White has been tied to his “sisters” since he fell from his parents’ sailboat on Lake Superior when he was three years old. With their mother’s death, Calder can only be set free from the bonds of his murderous merfolk family by his “sister” Maris, now head of the family. If Calder helps them collect the long standing debt of Jason Hancock’s life, Maris will set him free. All Calder needs to do is use one of Jason’s daughters to lure him to the water where he will meet Calder’s sisters. What Calder doesn’t count on is falling for Lily Hancock or the fact that she doesn’t fall for his mermaid charms. It seems that Lily may believe her grandfather’s crazy talk about killer mermaids after all.

Will Calder’s sisters finally get the revenge for their mother’s death they have been seeking? Can Calder fulfill his part of the plan and earn his freedom? Does Calder convince Lily that there are no monsters in Lake Superior? And what happens when Calder falls for Lily Hancock?

It seems that mermaids may be the new vampires. I adored the rom-com Of Poseidon by Anna Banks, but I was completely surprised by the ending of Lies Beneath. I cannot wait to see how Calder’s story plays out with Deep Betrayal in 2013.

Visit Anne Greenwood Brown’s website.

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

“I SMACK into him as is shoved from behind. He doesn’t budge, not an inch. Just holds my shoulders and waits. Maybe he’s waiting for me to find my balance. Maybe he’s waiting for me to gather my pride. I hope he’s got all day.”
Emma McIntosh chooses option four when she peels he cheek fro Galen Forza’s chest and attempts to apologize. Emma is spending the last days of summer in Florida with her best friend Chloe. Chloe thoroughly embarrasses the clumsy Emma in front of the gorgeous Galen. His sister Rayna shows up and Chloe remarks how the three of them share the same unusual eye color, violet, but it ends there. Emma is pasty white with blonde hair, whereas Galen and Rayna have dark hair and olive skin. Galen notices that they are carrying a surfboard and that the Florida waves are woefully inadequate. Emma agrees by telling him that they are from Jersey and are just going to float in the water.

Emma and Chloe are splashing in the water and chatting about Galen and how he keeps staring at Emma. Emma thinks Chloe is joking around but soon realizes that she is being attacked by a bull shark when she goes underwater and doesn’t resurface. Galen notices but thinks Emma will have the situation under control. He eventually shifts to help with the rescue but he is too late. When Emma isn’t drowning and orders the shark to leave, Galen realizes that he is right about Emma even if she doesn’t know what she is.

After the rescue, Galen and Rayna argue over whether Emma is truly a Syrena. He knows what he saw during the shark attack but wonders if he just isn’t attracted to her. Deep down, Galen knows what he felt when they touched. He calls Rachel, his human assistant, to make plans to move to New Jersey and start high school. Rayna decides to tag along.

Just over two weeks later, Emma starts her senior year at Middle Point High School. Her first period class, World History, is with Mr. Pinned. While listening to the class rules, Emma hears someone whisper “gorgeous” and looks up to see that Galen has entered the classroom, the same Galen who has haunted her nightmares about Chloe every night since her death. He takes the desk besides of hers. She notices that she gets all tinglely around Galen until it feels like her body is on fire. Emma notices that he is staring at her and she blushes.

It turns out that they have duplicate schedules when Galen asks Emma for help finding his next class. The two begin a conversation that eventually turns to the day of Chloe’s death. Galen says that if Emma cooperates, he could get her some leniency. She insists bumping into him was an accident. Realizing that they are talking about two different things, Galen tries to get her attention again. Unfortunately, Emma begins screaming that Chloe is dead and runs down the hallway, knocking herself out on the cafeteria door.

In talking with Rayna and their friend, Toraf, Galen believes that Emma may actually be Nalia, the sole heir of the Poseidon king who was believed to be killed during a human war. Nalia had argued with her future mate, Grom the Triton heir and Galen’s older brother. Grom was badly injured in the incident. If Emma is actually Nalia of Poseidon, then with Grom now king if the Triton, by laws, the first born of the third generation, must become mates. What Galen cannot figure out is why Emma is living as and with humans? When he tells Toraf, a Syrena tracker, of his attraction to Emma, Toraf believes it is really a signal that she is Galen’s special mate. He tells Galen it seems as if he is chasing Emma when she still needs time to mourn Chloe. If he takes things slow, maybe she will open up to him.

If Emma really is a Syrena, why is she living as a human? Who would have kept the secret from her and why? Is she really Nalia and Grom’s intended mate or is she destined for Galen?

Ohmysweetgoodness! (This is a favorite phrase of Emma’s) What a book! It sucked me in and wouldn’t let go until the end. I just loved all of the banter between Emma and Galen. And the ending! I saw it coming but the way it played out caught me off guard. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Visit Anna Banks website.