How far does a girl have to run to escape a lifetime of pain and loss at the hands of Alaska's notoriously unforgiving Bering Sea? Twenty-seven-year-old Aesa Fredriksen thought landlocked Columbus, Ohio would suffice, and it does until the fear of regret drives her to return to Dutch Harbor in a final attempt to make amends with her nearly-estranged father. Intent on salvaging the wreckage of their relationship, she reluctantly agrees to join him—the only family she has left—as he heads out to fish for king crab, forcing her to brave the very waters that pulled him away from her as a child. The waters that stole her mother's life.
When the day finally arrives for the Norwegian Queen to sail off into an uncertain future, Aesa can't help but fear the worst. Beyond the violent swells and impending storms, there is far more than death and danger awaiting her on her journey: love awaits her too.
Decker, a young but seasoned member of her father's crew, is a force of nature as strong as Aesa, He's her perfect match, and even she can't deny it. But he too is a man of the sea, and with memories of tragedy and abandonment etched so deeply into her mind, can she overcome her demons and let him in or will she drown in her darkness, forever caught in its undertow?
Review: I feel justified in saying I have been a fan of Amber Lynn Natusch's since the very beginning. I remember seeing the cover for her first book CAGED in early 2012 and was caught. What an arresting cover, I thought. Well, the trend continues because I think the cover for UNDERTOW is absolutely breathtaking.
To continue on this high note, UNDERTOW is a beautiful story. Natusch once again proves that she is a magic story weaver in this book. The setting of UNDERTOW unique and unexpected. I honestly agreed to be on the blog tour after hearing the bare minimum about what the story would be. I was immediately enticed and hooked into Aesa's story.
At the start of the story, we meet Aesa who's life is pretty fractured. Not in the sense that she has had something life threatening happen to her, but in the sense that she's missing vital pieces that were stripped from her. I likened her life to how she found her bedroom when she got back, still a mess because the damage was too intimidating to go into and clean up. A lot of aspects of Aesa's life are like this. Namely with her father.
While the relationship between Aesa and her father is jagged, the signs of father-daughter bond still peek through at parts. These parts made me smile and grimace only because I could relate to a stilted familial bond like this. While Aesa's and her father's relationship takes time to function again, it is gratifying to witness the journey.
Natusch has created an evocative story against a truly arresting backdrop. I never expected to be so invested in a story that mainly takes place on the Bering Sea, and yet after I had finished my mind could not leave the story. I cannot commend Natusch enough for how immensely satisfying I found UNDERTOW to be. If you are looking for just an insanely engaging and scintillating read, look no further because UNDERTOW is it for you. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up if you haven't already. I highly recommend UNDERTOW for anyone who loves romance, or journeys of self discovery. Amber Lynn Natusch will not disappoint you with this one.
Happy Reading!
5/5 OH YEAH I LOVED IT
Buy UNDERTOW now!
About The Author:
If you're dying to know more about me, allow me to put you at ease. I'm a sharp-tongued, sarcastic cancer, who loves vegetable smoothies, winter storms, and the word 'portfolio'. I should NEVER be caffeinated, and require at least eight hours of sleep to even resemble a human being. At thirty-four, I just now feel like I can keep a straight face while saying the word "rectum" (which is actually a huge lie because I just laughed out loud while reading this to my husband). I live with my iPod firmly affixed to my body, drive too fast, and laugh/cry at inappropriate times. I'm obsessed with urban fantasy... When I discovered that genre, I knew I had found my tribe. Now I write in that world because that's what the voices in my head tell me to do. And they are very, very loud.
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