From the publisher:
About The Mermaid’s Pendant

Four years after John Wilkerson claims the mermaid Tamarind for his wife, they have an idyllic marriage that depends on a talisman that she crafted on their island paradise. But Tamarind learns a painful truth: it takes more than legs to live on land and more than magic to sustain a bond. When the talisman breaks, she and John are forced to rely on themselves instead of magic.
Three wise women play key roles in the young lovers’ journey to mature love. Ana, Tamarind’s aging mentor, casts spells and performs seductions to keep the lovers apart. Valerie, an expat jewelry maker cum fairy godmother, works her own magic to bring them together. Lucy, their widowed neighbor, grounds the couple in the realities of marriage, parenting, and family.
THE MERMAID’S PENDANT is a story for anyone who has ever believed in the transforming power of love.
Watch the trailer:
My review:
This ain't your daughter's Ariel... If you are looking for a sappy, happily ever after with no curves story, then The Mermaid's Pendant
Opening with a man whose life seems to be drifting along until he nearly drowns while snorkeling on a solo vacation, then becomes obsessed with finding the woman who saved his life, to the exclusion of the life he's lived to now - including a steady partner who plans to join the trip in a few weeks... this book details the love story and sacrifices made by the protagonists, John and Tamarind and the roadblocks set up by John's former partner and the mysterious woman, Ana, who pretends to help the couple, but in reality is setting the couple up for trouble. Other characters also become central in helping the couple to succeed.
I have to say that I had trouble getting into this book, it took time for the hook to develop and then in parts I found it to wander again. I think this book would have been outstanding with some more judicious editing, but as it is, it's a good, suspenseful read and I really found myself getting into the characters - particularly Ana, whose role resembles the witch in the classic telling of the tale.
If you want a meaty love story with some definite roadblocks and some magical influences then this book is for you. It is definitely not a light, weekend read though, so prepare for some serious reading time when you plan to start this book.
About LeAnn Neal Reilly

After graduate school, LeAnn worked first for a small multimedia startup and then a research group in the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science. At the startup, she spent her time writing user manuals and multimedia scripts for software to train CSX railroad engineers. While working among geeks, LeAnn became enamored and decided to take one home for herself. After getting married and starting a family, she returned to her adolescent daydreams of writing novels. Never one to shirk from lofty goals, she added home schooling her three children as her day job.
After years of working in an office not much better than an unfinished closet, LeAnn has finishedThe Mermaid’s Pendant and is currently working on her next novel. LeAnn joined GoodReads three years ago where she writes reviews regularly.
LeAnn lives outside Boston with one husband, three children, a dog named Hobbes (after Calvin &), and a cat named Attila.
LeAnn’s Web site is www.nealreilly.com.