Her Eyes Underwater

Julia is not a shy, retiring woman. When she sees something ..or someone...she wants, she goes right at it. Today, she's seen a man she would love to get to know. He's tall, dark, handsome with a warm voice just this side of heaven.

But for some reason, although very polite, he doesn't seem to connect with her. She's not used to being rejected, and her interest only spirals.

She almost becomes a stalker in her pursuit of this man.

You know what they say ... be careful of what you wish for, you might get it.

At odd times, he seems to disappear. Where does he go, what does he do? And there are times when she catches something in his eyes ...something dark, maybe dangerous.

This is a story of the secrets that can hide behind an elegant mask and the flaws that people ignore in the haze of infatuation.

If you're looking for a nice, sweet romantic suspense, this is not it. This is much more. Yes, there is romance,of sorts. There is definitely suspense. And then there's more ... something unexpected, something that will leave you making sure all the lights are on and the doors are locked. This is this author's debut novel and it's a doozy. The novel is well written, with aptly drawn characters, headed for an unexpected, brutal ending.

Many thanks to the author / BooksGoSocial/ Netgalley / Booksirens for the digital copy of this Romantic Suspense Plus. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

4.5 stars

A thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

I found this book to be dark and suspenseful. Julia’s story will grab you in and engulf you. I often found it hard to believe that this woman would not take no for an answer. Although, her ruthlessness added to the suspense of the story.

I don’t want to spoil much, but this is definitely a must read!

5 stars.

ARC given for review by netgalley.

This is definitely a book of two parts which had a big impact on my rating.

The first half is frankly boring, repetitively telling us how obessed she is with Alex, a fellow law student with a deliberately mysterious background. There is passing mention of a missing person which is mentioned and then ignored in favour of more obsessing.
Julia we're told is a beauty, she could have any man she wants but she wants Alex who is as she tells us gorgeous and the target of all the women he encounters. They have a relationship of sorts but he is it seems something of a Jekyll and Hyde character as far as his encounters with Julia go.

The second half of the book is what redeems the first long dull section. We find out more about who Alex is, his family background, dysfunctional, previous employment (armed forces, politics, several degrees and all at only 26 years of age). But his private thoughts are explored and he's not the pleasant mild mannered law student he appears to be - far more Jekyll and Hyde than even the first half of the book would ever suggest.

Overall the first half of the book really needed condensing down in to one maybe two chapters as I very nearly gave up on the book at that point, the second half was worth persevering for but still left so much unexplained. I wasn't hugely keen on the mirroring of opening and ending chapters either, the revelation of Alex's thoughts when he and Julia first met seemed to me would have been better placed somewhere mid way after we switch to his point of view.

3 stars for the second part redeeming the first.

This book has an extremely interesting premise and I really enjoyed the fact that it was written based off a true event. Romona Simon is a wonderful writer and I though this book flowed quite well. I was captured by the beginning and I am certain I will read more from this author when given the chance.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It has been published in April 2020.

Her Eyes Underwater is an unputdownable book for which it would be impossible to pinpoint a single literary genre. It combines elements of mystery, romance, horror, a touch of erotica and possibly paranormal in a highly enjoyable novel, populated with well-rounded characters and written in a very elegant style.
The prose is occasionally a bit on the purple side, but pleasantly so, and this always goes according to which character's point of view is adopted from time to time, therefore it doesn't detract from the reading experience, but makes it more complete.
All the characters, even the minor ones, are described as full, three-dimensional beings. Even the villain is portrayed in such a way that you cannot help empathizing with his plight, even as you find his thoughts and behaviour repulsive.
Extra points for creating such deliciously creepy atmospheres of urban horror that I found myself double-checking the lock on my door after I finished the book.
The only faults I noticed while I was reading are the typos (way too frequent, and sometimes downright hilarious, like for instance "his curly, public hair") and the occasional grammar slip-ups ("had went" instead of "had gone", twice).
One thing I found a bit puzzling is the age of the characters: Julia is a thirty years old law student, but she acts more like a middle-school kid, and all her friends - who are likely about the same age as her - behave like they are much younger, more immature and carefree than university students. Even the teachers don't act like university professors at all, rather like high school teachers.
One more thing that left me slightly unsatisfied is the vagueness of the narration when it comes to its time setting: we know that the story is set during or shortly after the Vietnam war, because one character briefly mentions it, but aside from that there is no clue at all of the actual time the story is set in. The background is generic enough that, apart for the lack of computers, smartphones and high-tech forensic investigations, the story could just as well be set in the present. I feel like the time setting deserved more attention, even just a few, vivid details to clarify whether we are in the late Fifties or early Eighties.
However, these minor faults don't detract much from the story, which I enjoyed very much reading, and left me wishing for more.
I really hope the author does publish a sequel, and I'm definitely looking forward to read it, too.

Her Eyes Underwater is based on murders during the 1970s in Montana. We meet our main characters, Julia and Alex, in a cafe in a small town in Montana. Julia is on the prowl to meet someone who can fulfill her needs. She sees Alex from across the cafe and completely enfatuated and immediately introduces herself to Alex. She notices that he is dressed extremely well and has something mysterious about him that she cannot put her finger on.

Julia continues to pursue Alex throughout the novel even though he does something the frightening to Julia meets him. Julia becomes quite obsessed with Alex and makes sure that Alex notices her in every aspect.

You don't find out about the murders until the middle of the book, but once you do, the novel takes so many twists and turns. If you enjoy reading about true crime and serial killers, you will love this book! It does contain some graphic and horrifying scenes, so be mindful of that. I am going to be highly recommending this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

It’s 1970s in Montana and women have been disappearing. Her Eyes Under Water is a suspenseful thriller with a twisted sort of romance inspired by true events. Julia Strauss is a 30-year-old law student who goes out one night looking for something to entertain her boredom when she meets the handsome and mysterious Alex Bowman and is instantly drawn to him. Julia is used to getting what she wants and who she wants, so when Alex doesn’t reciprocate the same instant attraction Julia doesn’t take no for an answer leaving Alex struggling to keep his distance from the beautiful Julia Strauss.

The first part of the book was slow for me and I found edit errors throughout the book. Julia is portrayed as a strong natured and confident woman, but upon meeting Alex instantly is putty in his hands following him around like a sad puppy; character traits that are fit for a young, inexperienced girl and not a mature woman who has been around the block as far as men are concerned. Yes, Julia is entranced by Alex, but I think her character could have been written in a way to capture her maturity and still show her unrestrained attraction to this mysterious man.

Aside from the slow start and the conflicting feelings about the character traits I was engaged and invested in Alex and Julia from page one being drawn in more and more in anticipation of something big to happen and when it happened it was huge. The writing is well done and at times almost poetic that it kept me reading in a race to get to the conclusion.

The book is centred around Julia and Alex. Julia Strauss is narcissistic and spoilt. She is used to getting whatever she wants, and that includes men. Alex Bowman is what every woman wants, though he seems to be immune to her charms, and she becomes obsessed with making him hers. People are going missing. Will Julia realise who Alex really is before it is too late?

The author has a unique style of prose, that I found really captivated your imagination. It was very descriptive and engaging. The character development of both Julia and Alex was masterful. You start off thinking Julia is narrow minded, selfish, and a bit of a snob but then find yourself starting to like her. You really want to understand Alex more, and find you even think he is as wonderful as Julia does at times!

The book does start off as a slow-burn romance, which was a bit hard to get into, but then switches to more of the thriller aspect and that is when I found I could not put it down! All in all, I would highly recommend this book.

i really enjoyed this mystery novel, the characters were great and I really couldn't figure out what was going on till the end.

OMG!!! This is not my usual book type but once I started I could not put it down, you become entranced! This book is full of depravity and death. I hope there is no one as sick as the perpetrator in this book but I know that unfortunately there are. If you enjoy flat out murder for sexual pleasure then this book is for you.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

I would like to thank the author and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.

The story takes place in the 1970's in Montana where we find a university student Julia Strauss who meets a man in a café by pure chance. She seems attracted to him and follows him around. What she doesn't know about him is that behind his charm lies a terrible secret. Will she discover the truth about this man and let him down before the drama?

A book read in one go so much I was hooked on the story so gripping, captivating, addictive, full of suspense and twists with very endearing characters. Can't wait to read the book two.

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. This thriller is dark and suspenseful. The story will grab you and pull you in and wonder why Julia will not take no for an answer. A good read!