Undertow

by Amber Lynn Natusch

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?

Genres: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks, Chick Lit, Adult

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 30, 2013

About the author

AMBER LYNN NATUSCH is the author of the bestselling Caged series for adults. She was born and raised in Winnipeg, and is still deeply attached to her Canadian roots. She loves to dance and practice Muay Thai―but spends most of her time running a chiropractic practice with her husband, raising two young children, and attempting to write when she can lock herself in the bathroom for ten minutes of peace. Dare You to Lie is her debut YA novel with Tor Teen.

Reviews

[Lady Vigilante (Feifei)]

DNF at 27%



Perhaps this book is just too dense and complex for a simple-minded reader like myself, but either way it should not take me 10 brains to read something.

Also I want to say fish are cool. Boats are cool. Fish + Boats are super cool. Fish + Boats on repeat for 20% of the book = NOT cool! If I wanted to read something about the sea, navigation, and marine life I would go to the aquarium or something.



Last thing: the book moved at a slower pace than a turtle (see what I did there? Ha, linked an animal with the water...) and the writing style may seem poetic and lyrical to some, but for me, I felt like I needed a dictionary. The syntax is also a bit stilted, and I often had to re-read a sentence two or three times. Hence, me needing 10 brains to pull through the book.



But the book has crazy high ratings and fab reviews so this is probably just me being me.

Special shoutout to skankypants Christine for giving me a heads up about the book as we have similar reading tastes. Here's a cat as a thank you ;)

[Smitten's Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written, emotional, original romance. So different from everything else around at the moment.

Four and a half stars for Aesa & Decker!



I absolutely loved the atmosphere of this book. I felt like I could smell the sea salt, feel the spray on my face and hear the crashing waves! Amber Lynn Natusch does a superb job of really drawing the reader into the lives of these Alaskan fishermen and their families, beginning with that absolutely beautiful cover.



Twenty seven year old Aesa (pronounced Ice-Ah) Frederikson ran away from her father and the life she'd always know, nine years ago. She ran from everything she lost and the cruel, unrelenting Bering Sea that took it from her. Her relationship with her father was strained, to say the least, due in large part to his unconditional love for the ocean and his job as a crabber.

“The smell of the sea called to a part of me – somewhere deep in my DNA. I wanted to hate it, fight it, but I could not. With eyes closed, I stood on the shore of the Bering Sea and reflexively inhaled the salty sweetness that stole my childhood, my mother, and nearly my sanity.”

However, nine years on and Aesa is swallowing her fear and her pride and returning to try and repair the relationship with the only family she has. When Aesa decides to accompany her father on his ship, she encounters so much more than she bargains for. Not only does she begin to build bridges with her father, she also finds a man who will cause her great conflict. Decker. (pronounced Swit-Swoo) A man she could fall in love with, but a man who is everything she has always wanted to avoid... a fisherman, a man who needs the sea like the rest of us need air and a man who will spend weeks or months apart from her, risking his life every day, if she were to pursue a relationship with him. But nevertheless, a man who she connects with like nobody she's met before.

The majority of the first part of this book is more about life on board the ship and less about the romance between Decker and Aesa. Their relationship is slow and steady to develop. In some ways this was a little frustrating... I wanted stolen touches, building sexual tension and all that yumminess... but in other ways, it was much more realistic. Decker, Aesa and the rest of the crew had jobs to do on board the boat. The life of a fisherman is a dangerous one and they all took their roles at sea seriously. Their priority was the job at hand and their safety, and so, their romance took a back-seat in the beginning.

“They were soldiers of the sea, born and bred to battle her, taking her bounty along the way. Some succeeded and lived, others failed and died, but that was the life he’d been destined to have.”

However, once on solid ground, their feelings are quick to develop and it's kind of an all or nothing scenario! One minute they are denying their feelings and the next it's full steam ahead.

"I have never felt about anyone else the way I feel about you. Something about you has burrowed into me, and I do't want to let it out. If you think you share even an ounce of that same feeling, I need to know right now."

But obviously, no romance novel is ever smooth sailing (pun totally intended) and Aesa and Decker face some harrowing lows and some heart breaking realisations.

"I'll never let you fall again."

At first I really wasn't all that taken with Aesa. She was snippy, defensive and a little snobby. But you soon come to realise that this is all an attempt to keep herself and her heart safe from hurt. She has experienced loss, disappointment and abandonment and she is an expert in living a life without feeling or emotion.

She had a weakness for running.
I had a weakness for her.

Now, Decker I loved! He's calm, sure, all-seeing, kind, yet so strong and male!

"A man doesn't seek out a woman because he wants to screw her and leave, nor does he leave her because he can't screw her at all. That's an asshole. A real man goes after a woman because he knows that life with her far surpasses that without her. He should be stimulated by her very presence, lack of clothing withstanding. That is a man."

Physically he's strong, as he's a dedicated fisherman. But mentally, Decker has his own secrets and his own past, that has attributed to the man he has become.

"I'm not trying to hide my past," he said in earnest. "I've learned a lot from it. It's made me who I am today, and I'm proud of who I've become."

Having said that... perhaps 'secrets' is not the right word in this instance. This book is so refreshing because there really are no secrets at all. Decker lays everything out on the table very early on. He isn't ashamed or deceitful. It was so great to read a book where the characters don't want to hide their pasts and lie to one another. The issues that Aesa and Decker have to overcome in Undertow are real issues, not difficulties brought about due to dishonesty or half truths.

"I am a man. I don't run. I don't lie. I don't cheat, and I don't use. I don't find enjoyment in games, either. I've paid for my mistakes in life and learned from them. I know what I want, Aesa, and I want you. Nothing more. Nothing less."

As you'll see, I have knocked off half a star. This is only because, for me, there was something teeny missing. I just felt that the build up between Decker and Aesa could have been made more of. I did believe their love, by the end of the book, but when they originally got together, I just wasn't entirely convinced by them. But like I said, by the end, I was totally on board (oh, these boat puns are just coming thick and fast, aren't they?!)

“I am not going to leave you any more than I’m going to let you leave me.”

However, for the most part, I really did love this story. It's so nice, and rare, to find something that is so unlike all of the books out there at the minute. There are soooo many contemporary romance around, and that's obviously a great problem to have, but it does mean that true originality is becoming increasingly hard to come by. But it is so exciting to read about romance in such an unlikely place.



I love a book that shows us that love really can be found anywhere and everywhere. The possibilities are endless with regards to where a relationship can develop and it's great to see authors trying to branch out and find new ideas to surprise and engage us with. I also love learning about different industries, communities and ways of living, and Undertow was a great insight into the lives of the Alaskan fishermen and also those at home, who love them.



Undertow Statistics
• Steam Rating (out of 5): ♥
• Ending: HEA
• Length: 227 pages
• Narrative: Alternates between Aesa and Decker's POV. First person. Past tense.
• Series: ✗
• Can this be read as a standalone? Yes
• Themes:
Crab fishermen
Grief
• Writing: Good

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[~ Becs ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amber Lynn Natusch is far better known as a paranormal romance writer and this is, to the best of my knowledge, her first contemporary romance but it’s easy to see the experienced hand of an established writer that guides you through this tumultuous and stunning romance. It’s safe to say that I lost myself in this book, immersed myself in a world I ad no previous knowledge of and allowed it all to come vividly to life in my imagination.

Quick summary – Aesa, pronounced Ice-Ah, (be wary if you call this fiery redhead Ice!) has been estranged from her father, a Bering Sea Crab Fishing Captain since her mother’s suicide in that treacherous sea for which she has laid the blame firmly at his feet. She has an innate hatred of the sea which she believes has robbed her of just about everything and everyone that has ever meant anything to her but her experiences as an ER Doc seeing more regret on the faces of patients and family members than she can purge from her memory have prompted her to return to her roots in Alaska and attempt to make peace with her Father.



As her Father is about to set sail for the crabbing season and she has a little time on her hands before her ER residency in Anchorage begins, she agrees to face all her demons and embark out on the Bering Sea with her father and his crew on board the Norwegian Queen, determined to make sense of the past and to try to understand her Father. His crew includes Robbie who Aesa has known nearly all her life and Decker, the calm, capable and rocksteady deckhand who represents everything that Aesa does not want in her life but can’t help but find herself deeply drawn to him.

Aesa knows that the life as a fisherman’s wife drove her mother to suicide – always saying goodbye to the man that she loved, never knowing whether he would return and, although she feels something for Decker that she’s never felt before, she’s completely torn as she knows that she doesn’t want that life for herself. She’s done everything in her power to get away from it and now the lure of the sea is pulling her back towards a destiny she’s been desperate to avoid nearly her whole life.

Decker, for his part, knows what he feels for Aesa and understands her reservations and is such a noble man – despite outward appearances of being a rugged, hardened fisherman, he’s a real gentleman and incredibly zen and calm despite his rather torrid past. He’s steadfast, loyal, patient and yet so incredibly all man. The experiences he’s been through have made him the man he is today and I fell head over heels for Decker, delicious fisherman that he is.

A man doesn't seek out a woman because he wants to screw her and leave, nor does he leave because he can't screw her at all. That's an asshole. A real man goes after a woman because he knows that life with her far surpasses that without her. He should be stimulated by her very presence, lack of clothing notwithstanding. That is a man.

This was just a beautifully written romance. Obviously the world of Bering Sea fishermen is completely new to me but the evocative writing and descriptions brought the harsh reality of that world vividly to life – I could have been standing on the decks of the Norwegian Queen watching the oncoming storm, savouring the salty smell of the air. It’s wonderfully paced as Aesa and Decker’s growing feelings are given time to expand and for us, the reader, to really appreciate their burgeoning relationship. There’s no insta-love, no falling into bed – every emotion here is deep, genuine and heartfelt and I really did lose myself in their story, willing them to find a happy equilibrium but there are shocks and high drama in store for this as, frequently, the story had me gasping out loud at what was happening.

Aesa has another issue to deal with here – the deeply damaged relationship with her father. All through her childhood, she has watched her father walk away from her, heading out to that jealous mistress, The Bering Sea and her mother could not cope with the loneliness and Aesa blames her father firmly for all of this but she must learn the secrets of the past and come to terms with what really happened before it is too late. I felt desperately sorry for this man who had essentially lost both his wife and daughter and was rooting for the two of them to make peace with one another and rediscover that father/daughter bond.

But the years and the distance made me realize that, while I had lost one parent, I was unwilling to lose another. As my ER rotation had taught me, life could change in an instant, leaving no time for regret. And I had much that I regretted. So I had returned home to salvage what was left of my relationship with my father, pulling the wreckage from the deep and fixing it slowly. I wasn't sure that it was even possible, but I was willing to try. That was why I had asked to do my residency in Anchorage, Alaska: to be closer to him before he left, yet again, to brave the open water and do what he knew how to do best.

Fish and grieve.

I think that the major theme at the centre of the novel is forgiveness. Aesa has to face up to her past, come to terms with it and forgive her father for his perceived transgressions against her and her mother and put it all firmly behind her and move on and leave those demons behind. Decker is a man who has been to hell and back but he is far stronger as a consequence and he has also had to learn to forgive someone very close to him.

This was just a sumptuous read for me – beautifully, evocative writing, a heroine to root for and a hero to die for, wonderfully paced romance with plenty of shocks and store. Deeply heartfelt – this one worked for me on so many levels and is a Sinfully Sexy recommended read.

4.5 stars

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[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come!

Well hello, Decker! [image error]

[Vilma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original. Vivid. Entrancing. Utterly Heartfelt.
I loved every moment in this poignant story about love, forgiveness and boldly facing your fears.

----------------

“The smell of the sea called to a part of me – somewhere deep in my DNA. I wanted to hate it, fight it, but I could not. With eyes closed, I stood on the shore of the Bering Sea and reflexively inhaled the salty sweetness that stole my childhood, my mother, and nearly my sanity.”

I loved this book. It was truly a breath of fresh air. The story takes place in Alaska, much of it on a king crab fishing boat on the Bering Sea. The unique setting and effortless style of the writing set it apart from other books. This is a story of forgiveness, survival and love amidst the crippling weight of long-buried anger and the life-threatening waves of the Bering Sea. It’s about facing your past despite being surrounded by everything and everyone that symbolizes the very depths of your fear itself.

This is actually the first book I read by Amber Lynn Natusch and I was so impressed with her writing and storytelling. Her style was crisp yet emotive and exceedingly vivid. I felt as if I were there with the characters… I could feel the bitter and crushing Alaskan cold… smell the salty sea breeze of the Bering Sea. Just being transported into such a unique setting, reset my frame of my mind and opened up the opportunity for a really exciting reading experience. In addition, Amber Lynn Natusch immerses us in the lexicon of the fishermen, further deepening the experience.

So what’s this story about? Aesa Fredriksen, daughter of the Norwegian captain of a crab fishing boat, returns home to make amends with her father. Eight years prior, she left in a maelstrom of grief and anger, blaming her dad for her mother’s untimely death. Her father is a strong, tenacious man who wants nothing more than for Aesa to find happiness in that world she so despises, the world he would always call home.

“Norwegian fishermen were not supposed to show weakness or emotion. They were soldiers of the sea, born and bred to battle her, taking her bounty along the way. Some succeeded and lived, others failed and died, but that was the life he’d been destined to have.”

Aesa is tenacious herself, unswerving and focused, and up to then, unable to forgive her father for the hand he played in her mother's death. In her eyes, he favored the seas to his wife, abandoning her to her loneliness which in turn became an irrepressible and irreversible resentment.

Aesa herself is a study in contradiction. A jarring juxtaposition between strength and fear. Her fear of loss and being left behind has become all-consuming over the years, encouraging a proclivity to run from her problems rather than take the risk and face them head on. She's had to endure so much loss in her life, leaving her raw and vulnerable, unable to fathom the crushing loss of another loved one.

“She was driven, committed, and unwilling to fail. Knowing that about her, it only made me question how someone so outwardly tough could be so internally broken.”

When she agrees to accompany her father to sea for a couple weeks, she meets Decker, a deckhand on her father's ship. He's this calm and introspective guy who seems wise beyond his years. I loved him instantly. Decker hides a mysterious past and can't help but be drawn to Aesa. Aesa too begins to care for him and the more she needs him, the more her fear consumes again and she starts to push him away.

“I was drowning in something far more dangerous than the Bering Sea. Fear was overtaking me fast.”

But Decker... I mean, WOW. He is steadfast and unwavering, honest and direct and he refuses to let Aesa step around her issues. He forces her to face them, encouraging her to draw the necessary fortitude to find her happiness despite her past.

“I am a man. I don’t run. I don’t lie. I don’t cheat, and I don’t use. I don’t find enjoyment in games either. I’ve paid for my mistakes in life and learned from them. I know what I want, Aesa, and I want you. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

It's during this time that secrets are revealed and amidst more pain, betrayal and loss, Aesa reaches an impasse -- she needs to decide if she'll continue to run or finally forge a different path.

Everything about this book is just wonderful and original and I was simply entranced by it. Beautiful, heartfelt story, crisp and vivid writing, two strong protagonists... what else do you need?! Loved every moment and highly recommend it!

“You can’t live your life through the eyes of the past forever. You’ll never be able to move forward with that fear tethered to you, holding you back.”

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[Pavlina Read more sleep less blog]

TEASER

“What do you want?” he asked, cocking his head slightly to the side. For whatever reason that tiny movement set something off in me and I knew why my heart had won. I wanted him. I wanted him for all that he was and all that he promised to be.

“You,” I said with slightly more power behind the words that time. He smiled at me in a devilish way, like he had won the game I hadn’t known we were playing. “That wasn’t so hard to say, now was it?” His voice was playful, covering an almost palpable passion that hid just below the surface. He was holding on by a thin thread himself, his immense self-control dissipating rapidly. “Say it again…”

“I want you,” I replied with a purr, joining in with his little game. Judging by the response my words garnered, I had won.

[Natasha is a Book Junkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Everyone always leaves me… Will you leave me too?”

When you read as many books as I do, it becomes increasingly difficult to find the kind of story that does not fit into a popular mould, the kind of story that is thrillingly original and so very different from the rest. And then one day you stumble upon one such story, an act of serendipity if you wish, and you are absolutely hooked from its first flawlessly written page. Who knew I would find my thrill in a book about finding love aboard a crabbing boat…?!

Aesa is the daughter of a Norwegian sea captain, a legacy she both loathes as well as fears. Her father’s career had taken him away from her and her mother for most of her childhood, his fishing vessel being his second home, and the sea being the second love of his life. Having lost her mother to suicide and always having blamed her father for her mother’s broken heart from loneliness, Aesa has lived the past nine years far away from home and with no contact with her only living parent. When she finally returns to the small fishing town she grew up in, she does so in hopes of fixing the broken relationship with her father. But nine years of estrangement and a lifetime of resentment are not easily erased, especially when the true villain of the story – the frigid, greedy, unpredictable depths of the Bering Sea – remains an untouchable foe.

“I not only hated the open water, I feared it ardently.”

As Aesa joins her father’s crew on their latest fishing expedition, she stays hopeful that facing her biggest fears would also help them heal their bond and mend her broken heart, never expecting that the setting of all her childhood nightmares would also become the very place where she would find her heart again.

Decker is unlike any man Aesa has ever met – kind, wise, brutally honest in his observations – he gently lowers her defences, makes her question everything she has convinced herself to be true and offers her a fresh perspective on her life, her father, her past and her future. While her natural reflex is to distance herself from the people around her, guard her heart at all costs and blend in with the crowds, Decker refuses to allow her to withdraw into herself, challenging her self-taught predisposition to flee, and showing her the true bravery in selflessly caring for another human being.

“You can’t live your life through the eyes of the past forever… Don’t drown yourself in the sorrows of what has been.”

While the treacherous and whimsical Bering Sea rages beneath them, Aesa and Decker fall in love, their feelings for one another growing as powerful as the unruly waves crashing against their brave little boat. And when Mother Nature unleashes her cruellest storm, Aesa finally learns the true power of love. But twenty eight years of fiercely shielding her heart from further hurt and finding safety in solitude prove to be a large obstacle to overcome, especially when only one person is fighting for them.

“I’ll let go, if that’s what you want, Aesa. I can’t be the only one who wants this.”

A genuinely delightful and profoundly emotional tale of heartbreak, loss, forgiveness, bravery and resilience, Aesa and Decker’s beautiful romance shows us that unnecessary angst is not always the essential component of a timeless love story. The sincerity with which these characters open their souls to each other is refreshing and truly inspiring. When all odds are against their happy ending, embracing their worst fears and fighting selflessly for one another might prove to be the only way to defeat the demons of the past.

This is a truly stellar book, its unconventional storyline only matched by its perfect prose. If you need a book to warm your soul, look no further.

“I’ll never let you fall again.”

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[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Life could change in an instant, leaving no time for regret.”

Exciting, refreshingly unique and romantic. A perfect storm reading adventure!

Aesa Fredriksen has lived her life at the mercy of the Bering Sea. Having grown up as the captain’s daughter, she knew firsthand the dangers of crab fishing when Mother Nature decided to wield an angry bat at the fishermen that sailed her sea. When the death of her mother and a falling out with her father, leads Aesa to flee the fishing town and complete her medical degree, she soon realizes that staying away is not a permanent option. Aesa finally decides to head back home after nine long years of distance from her father in the hopes of mending their relationship. However when he asks her to join him on a fishing expedition before she leaves for her residency, she’s forced to once again face the sea that has taken so much away from her.

During this expedition, she meets one of her father’s crewmen, and Decker teaches her not only how to mend her broken past but also move beyond the pain of her childhood. Falling in love with a fisherman is not what Aesa ever intended for herself, and she fights against what her heart tells her. However, when Decker refuses to give up and forces her to face her demons, she finally has a chance to have more than the pain of losing someone she loves to the perilous sea.

Overall, I have to say that I really enjoyed Undertow. There was a cadence to this story that was easy to catch. I was able to experience the dangers of the sea with characters I quickly came to like, which made the journey dramatic yet enjoyable all in one pass. It was easy to care for Aesa as we witness the pain she suffers from losing those she loves to the Bering Sea. Her automatic survival response to flee when she’s in danger of being hurt was completely understandable, and I never faulted her for her reactions. However it was nice to see Decker refuse to allow her to take the easy way out and at the same time fight for the one he loves. These two proved to be a perfect pair that were ultimately able to find a middle ground.

Amber Lynn Natusch proved she knows her stuff when it comes to a fisherman’s life. It was like watching an episode of Deadliest Catch blended with A Perfect Storm and an enjoyable element of romance and intrigue. The cast, plot and narrative blended really well to provide the reader with a journey that proved to be exciting and enjoyable. Well done!

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
maybe.

I really hate doing this because I'm a fan of the author and her Caged series. Hopefully this is just me being weird and plenty of other people like this.

I just didn't get the characters. I mean, plot-wise, it's an interesting story. It's just everything else that got in the way for me. The conversations were stiff... like really stiff, it was almost awkward. When characters interacted their speech was so formal. I feel like the only one who didn't sound like a complete robot was Robbie.

I also didn't believe in Aesa and Decker falling in love so quickly. It wasn't believable for me, for some reason.

Maybe I just have higher expectations for Natusch, but this fell flat. I know she can do better. I've read better from her.

[Lorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

WOW! Utterly amazing! Stunning. I want to read for the first time all over again…..

I loved every single word of this book. I wish there were more books like this. It was damn near perfect. Once I started, I couldn’t put this down until the very last page.

Undertow is a standout among the sea of books.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this atmospheric and emotional contemporary romance. I gather it's a departure for author Amber, who earned her stripes with her PNR/Urban Fantasy Caged series, which I'm def adding to my tbr. But you'd never know this is her first foray into contemp, based on the sure-footed plotting, captivating characters, and thoughtful themes amply displayed in Undertow.

MC Aesa (pronounced "Ice-ah, but don't call her Ice, unless you want your ice kicked!) is complicated and dimensional, and although she's a prickly one, I found her broken, overcompensating and strong-willed self irresistible. She's returned to the small Alaskan fishing village she stormed away from 9 years ago on the heels of her mother's suicide, to confront and reconcile with her past, and above all with her father. She's an ER doctor now, about to start her residency, and it's made her sensitive to the fragility of life and relationships. But her dad, the sailor who all too rarely came home from the sea, isn't making it easy on her. And when he suggests she ship out with him and his crew for a short crabbing trip before she begins her residency, it becomes quite a test of whether blood is, in fact, thicker than the cold water of the Bering Sea she both loves and hates.

The first couple of chapters introduce the above situation, the characters (including swoony deckhand Decker - I love Amber's names, btw, they're real, but suggestive in a Dickensian kind of way), and the past that Aesa is struggling to overcome. I also love the way Amber uses the imagery of the home Aesa left behind to reflect the interior landscape of Aesa and her father's relationship, without being heavy handed or too direct. Once that bit of exposition is over, however, hang on to your Dramamine, because as soon as the Norwegian Queen sets sail, plot developments and events start raining down faster than hail in an Alaskan squall. And they don't let up until the reader, like Aesa, is left shaking on the shore, wondering what the hell happened, and how we're going to be able to move on in one emotional piece.

There's romance (satisfying and mature), for sure,and conflict and drama - but there's also a deeper story, one of healing and wholeness, of family and secrets, and of the way the past isn't always quite what we thought it was. No review would be complete without mentioning the vivid creation of Aesa's world - I was in the Merchant Marine (summers during undergrad), and Amber aptly recreates the claustrophobic and bone-wearying atmosphere of a hard-working small-crew ship, and the semi-macho culture surrounding it. The bars, the brawls, the bravado, it's all there.

So high kudos to author Amber for creating a gripping, compelling and characterful read, with a fresh and real feeling setting and vibe. I hope she continues to work her sweet and substantial skills in this genre, as well as in her primary realm of Urban Fantasy.

[Caitlin Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review

There are so many things that are right in this book. When you read contemporary books, YA, NA or adult, you think you have seen it all, read it all, every plot twist that has been done before. Each time you pick up a new book you truly don't know what you are getting. Undertow? I couldn't have been happier because what I picked up was pure gold. Lets go through all the awesomeness, shall we?

The setting: Set in Alaska with the focus on crab fishing, I was totally sucked in from the setting alone. It's like this setting just writes it self, the beauty and danger jumps out of you and feel like you standing at the edge of something that can take you to places you never thought. You feel as succumbed to the setting as Aesa, you feel the love and hatred Aesa has for her home. The side characters are all great and you can tell this is a family and the bonds they have are strong. If one experiences heartache, it affects them all. They protect and love each other.

"I think your cold runs deeper than that, Aesa."

In this book you see the relationships Aesa has with her father, a relationship she is trying to mend, and the one she has with the sea. Truly moving and emotion filled, both relationships. Aesa struggles with so much but still has the strength to go on, to move forward in fixing what was broken in the past. Along this journey she meets Decker. I am a sucker for the quiet, strong, and kind type. Decker, well he is a whole lot of man who a lot of admirable traits. You see Aesa fall for this man and you love it because you can't help but not.

“Disappointment and sadness don't have to be your life anymore. You can choose to have more,” he whispered, his head hanging just above me. “You can choose me...”

This book is also filled with action, heart stopping moments when you are asking yourself, what next? What happens?? There was a something that happens in the end of book, I won't give it away, that usually in books I just really don't like, but in this book? It worked, it made sense, I understood why she did it and I loved how Decker and her figured it out. Together. Aesa is one strong woman who has gone through her share of heartbreak but she still comes out strong and you can't help but wonder if the same sea that has caused this heartache isn't also the balm that soothes parts of her soul.

This is a book that is less about me telling you to read it but encouraging you to experience it. That is my best advice, just trust me and read it.

See the full review at: http://caitontheroad.blogspot.com

[IC · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what to say.

I liked it. It wasn't a bad story or awful at any means.

I just wasn't really into it. I don't know why I wasn't it was an amazing story and believable characters. But it wasn't for me.

I love the name Aesa by the way. I really liked the relationship between Aesa and her father. I have a great relationship with my dad and I don't really read a lot of stories where a daughter and father do not get along, so I liked that.

Decker was good too. He was a strong character and his past was kind of sad.

Please, do not let the stars change how you feel about this story. It really is amazing, but I wasn't as into it as I could have been.

In the future, I might try it again and read it and see how I feel then.

Thank for Amber Lynn for giving me this to post an honest review.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, the cover to this book is gorgeous! I really was intrigued when I read the blurb for Undertow. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. Undertow is very different in "a sea of same type of plot" books. If you are a fan of the show, The Deadliest Catch, this book will be right up your alley. I really enjoyed it. I will be reading more from this author in the future.

[Ashleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

It was not for me, the writing was good but I just could not connect with the characters. Aesa was extremley annoying to me for some reason. Most of the book I skiimmed I just could not get into.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3 - 3.5 stars*

I really liked the sound of this book and in the beginning I was really enjoying it, but somewhere along the way I lost interest and found myself skimming to get to the end.

Undertow is a pretty unique book. I certainly can't recall reading a book about crabbing ships off the coast of Alaska! I liked that this book was to different to what I normally read and I found it all new and exciting to be reading a whole new setting. However, I admit at times I felt the author got a little too detailed when it came to the fishing and ship stuff and I would end up feeling completely lost with no idea what was being described. I appreciate that a lot of research had been done but it was just a little bit too much for me.

The characters themselves were.. okay. I didn't feel like either the heroine, Aesa, or the hero, Decker were anything out of this world. Aesa in particular would bore me at times. I just didn't feel like there was really anything to her, nor did I feel like the reader really got a chance to get to know her. We know that she has lived through some horrible things in her life, largely due to the fact her father is the captain of this crabbing ship, but I never really felt like we got to know her that well. As for Decker, if I had to choose a favourite character from the book, he would easily be mine, but again I didn't feel like I really knew him. He too has lived through some awful times, but I didn't feel as though those times really made it in to his personality and came through in the writing. I felt like the author needed to give him excuses for certain behaviour and just plucked this particular thing from the sky.

I think part of my problem with the ending of this book is that, what I felt was the main climax of the book, actually happened at around 50%. I thought this was where the writing really was at its peak and I was almost on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. After this, I felt like I was reading and reading and getting nowhere. The main bulk of the relationship between Aesa and Decker happened after the 50% mark but by this point I almost didn't care how they got together as I knew it would eventually happen.

All in all this book was enjoyable, but I'm sad to say it won't be one that stays with me. Some books I remember always and go back to, others feel like 'fillers' for in between the greats and unfortunately this was one of those.


*Reviewing for The Hopeless Romantics Book Blog as part of the 'Undertow' blog tour.*

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of reading Undertow last spring and I wasn’t sure what to expect since this would be Amber Lynn Natusch’s first contemporary romance but she delivered big time. Being a fan of her urban fantasy series, CAGED, I knew I could expect an emotionally charged story with complex characters that I would come to love and I was right, god was I right! When you read books within the romance genre, stories and characters can appear to be the same after a short while but Undertow is refreshingly different and it was absolutely fabulous!

Aesa is a heroine you can relate to in some form or another, she’s feisty but at the same time she’s incredibly vulnerable even if she doesn’t show it and there’s a painful history that she has with her father, hence her return home. While she’s a flawed character, it’s not overdone but just enough to make her seem like a woman you would know in real life, that’s what Amber does, she creates real characters.

Everything about being back home makes Aesa almost regret accompanying her father out to sea, until Decker. Decker is the epitome of calm, cool and collected but that doesn’t mean he’s perfect. He’s equally as flawed as Aesa but their emotional connection happens even before the physical attraction which captivated me for many different reasons.

I think what made this book so enjoyable for me was the element of action, angst and romance. Too often books give you one or the other and sometimes just a pinch of all three but Undertow has it all in very equal amounts which had me reading all night long and I simply could not put this book down.

This is the story that’s written exceptionally well, one that will command your full attention and it’s a journey of forgiveness and love. You’ll be exhausted when you are done but you’ll also feel content too.

“He turned to me with a ghost of a smile. Whatever it hid clearly was painful, and I realized that wihin five minutes of me being in the cabin with him, I had managed to hit a nerve. It reminded me of yet another reason why I didn’t have any close friends: I was terrible at knowing what to say when it mattered most.”

If you haven’t experienced a book by Amber Lynn Natusch, let this be your first, you won’t regret it.

[Jacqueline's Reads]

Cover love and it has rave reviews, so I'm marking it on my list

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

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Decker, Decker, Decker....What more can I say? Undertow was an unexpected read. It's a story about Aesa, who is an ER nurse returning to her home town after several years of being estranged from her father. Aesa has abandonment and trust issues, and is quite selfish, always feeling victimized. She was raised as a fisherman's daughter, who is a captain of a crab boat that fishes the dangerous waters of the Bering Sea. She's experienced loss from that very sea, and has a hatred towards it as well as her father for "choosing" the sea.

Then comes Decker...seriously!!! He's beautiful, he's deeply connected and understands Aesa. He can see through her protective shield, gains her trust and ends up peeling back her layers, layer by layer. He's protective, loyal, loving and intuitive. I highlighted so many things he said to her - it was spoken so well, so eloquently, yet so simple.

Undertow was a different, refreshing read. Parts of it reminded me of the tv show Deadliest Catch, due to the heart stopping moments. Recommend it!

[Annamaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Beautiful Stars! Aesa is the daughter of a Norwegian sea captain and she has blamed him for her mother's suicide. She decides to return home to make amends with her father after nine years of no contact with him. Aesa meets Decker who is a man quite different from men she has dated, he helps her to see things differently in her life. Aesa and Decker fall in love while on the sea trip but mother nature relishes her fury. Will Aesa learn what true love is all about before it is too late? Ms Natusch writes a beautiful story of love, loss and forgiveness. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and I have read several books by this author and they just keep getting better! The storyline is very different from your usual romances so, if you are looking for something different this is it! Highly recommend it!

I received this book as an ARC for an honest review. This book was read and reviewed by Annamaria for Alpha Book Club.

Plot: 5
Chemistry: 5
Pacing: 5
Ending: 5
Character Development: 5

[Samantha Towle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decker... *sigh* nuff said! ;)

[All Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

MICHELLE'S REVIEW

Wow. Just wow. I really wasn't sure what to expect by this book but I ended up loving it. I have to start of with commending the author on the subject matter. Either she grew up in Alaska around king crab fisherman, or she did a ton of research because I felt like I was getting a lesson on the harsh life of a fisherman. I love it when authors really go the extra mile to paint a picture so real that you feel more like you are watching a movie than reading a book!

Aesa, our heroine, has run away from her life in Alaska. She has run away from the pain of losing her mother and the pain of never really having her father as his devotion seemed to always be to the sea. She comes back home in an attempt to repair their fractured relationship while she can.

The story that follows is nothing short of amazing. While I will admit that the first few chapters moved a little slowly for me, after Aesa steps aboard the ship, it became impossible for me to put the book down. And then Decker happens.

Decker is EVERYTHING. I don't even know how to begin to tell you how much I love Decker. So ALNatusch could have gone the more traditional route and given Aesa a bunch of issues and then given Decker a bunch of issues and then given us a whole lot of angst and heartache. Instead she gave us Aesa- who had a lot of work to do on herself and then she gave us Decker- who really didn't. Now, Decker wasn't perfect. But he had lived and learned and knew what he wanted. He was honest. He knew where he had been and where he wanted to go. And he was just so open and amazing- I think I fell in love with him the first minute he talked to Aesa.

I love that Decker and Aesa are really friends first. And they go through a few fires to get where they are. But Aesa is run by fear. Her fear keeps her from her father and almost keeps her from Decker. I want to just touch on the relationship with Aesa's father for a bit. There were times that this was hard for me. I am a total Daddy's girl so it was hard for me to see a girl have such a broken relationship with her dad, especially when both of them wanted it to be fixed. What happens between them is all sorts of beautiful and heartwarming and spent a lot of time doing this:

There are so many quotes that I highlighted that if I shared them all with you, you would have to read the book. But there is one from Decker that I have to share.

"Disappointment and sadness don't have to be your life anymore. You can chose to have more,' he whispered, his head hanging just above me. 'You can choose me.' "

That. That right there is one of the things I loved the most. Yes- Decker fought for their love plenty of times. But he also gave Aesa and courage and encouragement to fight for herself. So often in books, someone has to be saved, but Decker is letting Aesa know that she can save herself. She can choose to have things be different.

I could seriously go on and on forever. But I want you to go out and read this.
I will leave you with my favorite line- a quote from Aesa. This just sums up to me what the book is really about. Fear keeps you from great things. Don't let it run your life.

"I faced my fears, and my bravery was rewarded with the ultimate prize. Love."

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Also posted to Jen in Bookland

I had a very hard time connecting with the characters in Undertow. It was often kind of boring, and just overly dramatic for no reason. Not the book for me.

The books starts with Aesa going back to her father before starting her medical internship. This is her last chance to try and have a relationship with him. She had stormed out 9 years ago never to return. She blames her father for a lot of things, and sees him as a horrible person. I don't really get why as I felt the author never really showed us. She blames him for her mother committing suicide since she was so sad and depressed because he was always leaving on his fishing boat. I'm not sure why, even after she learns the truth of her mom's suicide, she is never upset with her mom. She blames her dad for ruining her childhood and has nothing but bad memories of him. She constantly tries to pick fights with him and see the worst in him, even when he is trying so hard to be nice to her. For the most part I just saw a dad who obviously loves his daughter, wants her to be happy and wants nothing but the best for her. He knows this is his last chance with her and is trying his hardest to make it work. So kind of sad old man that I felt sorry for. That contrasts with Aesa who is just horrible to him. Whenever anyone says something nice about him she just scoffs like as if. He is a horrible person! She keeps mentioning how he ruined her childhood and is horrible, but I never saw it. I only saw her being horrible and I really did not like her at all. She was over dramatic all the time and just a nightmare for me.

When her dad's boat has to leave earlier than expected he ask Aesa to come along. She agrees and we meet Decker on board, one of the deckhands. He was...almost too zen and I'm trying to think of how to describe it. It is like he is overly sappy, but sappy is not the right word. I don't know. Every time he talks with Aesa he just tells her what she is really thinking/feeling. What she is not willing to even acknowledge to herself most of the time. By the half way mark I was getting tired of all of the conversations that were just Decker telling Aesa something, then Aesa being all oh man he is right! It is scary how he knows me so well! He knows what I am thinking and hits the nail on the head every time! I just....it didn't seem like a natural way for her to deal with her issues and see them for what they were. It was just here let's have him say something deep and insightful that will yet again make Aesa reassess what she thinks. A couple times would have been fine, but it got to the point where I was just like alright I got it.

Decker and Aesa's supposed love for each other I didn't see either. Sure they seem to like each other well enough, but I didn't see them falling in love that quickly. Then what she does to him at the end...that is pretty unforgivable in my book. Well maybe not completely, but it would have take so much more than nothing to get back to where they were for me. I really think the reason I didn't like her so much was she keeps thinking things are always black and white, no grey, when in real life almost everything is grey. She is not willing to compromise or even talk to the man she supposedly loves and just makes rash decisions based on the black and white that she sees. She is so dense it got to be so frustrating.

The other thing I didn't like was the Damon issue. It was all resolved so quickly and easily. I kept expecting him to pop back up, but he never did. Or maybe he got someone to sabotage her dad's ship or something, but no. No retaliation from him. It didn't make much sense based on the way the character was portrayed up until that point.

I know I am in the minority on this one, but this book just didn't work for me. I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters and found the story to often be boring. I thought the idea was fun, love on a fishing boat, but the execution just did not work for me.

[Dawn Keeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Originally posted at http://wp.me/p32mvq-1PI

You know those books that just plunge you right into the lives of the characters, have you feeling each and every one of their emotions, and keeping you captive until the end? And even then you’re still thinking about the story? That is Undertow for me. This is my first novel by Amber Lynn Natusch and I love finding new to me authors like her, knowing I’ll be picking up more to read in the future because of her ability to tell a deeply real, emotional story.

Undertow’s unique setting of the king crab fishing and Bering Sea provided a harshly beautiful, salt-of-the-earth kind of feel to the story. We meet Aesa, who is headed home to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to settle things with her father, whom she hasn’t seen in over nine years. The dialogue between Aesa and her father, as well as her internal dialogue, were so real to me. Maybe it’s because I could imagine myself in her shoes with a father who might not be overly expressive or in a situation that is her heritage but not necessarily where she wants to be, but I really related to Aesa’s conflicting emotions. The story also brings us Decker, Robbie, Damon, the other captains, and so many more. All of them added a richness to the story that had me smiling and crying at various moments. And the moments with Decker…what a beautiful man! *sigh*

I give serious props to Amber Lynn for developing a story within the harsh and rugged Alaska fishing community that is rich with love, friendship, and family. The scenes on the boat were vivid but not overly technical that I lost the underlying story of forgiveness and love. I highly recommend this one!

ARC provided for honest review

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Undertow, I found it interesting that it took place in Alaska on a crabbing ship; it was different. I admit I was unsure about the book in the beginning, it started a little slow for me, but once Aesa and her father started getting over their initial awkwardness in chapter 1 I was good to go! Aesa has returned to Alaska after a 9 year leave, she left home to attend college and med school but has since returned in an attempt to mend the broken relationship with her father. With her homecoming she also meets Decker, one of her men on her father’s ship. I loved watching their relationship develop slowly; friends first. Everything was so vividly described in this book the whole thing played out like a movie in my imagination. Undertow was full of genuine heartfelt emotion, (I related with Aesa and her feeling toward her father feeling similarly towards mine after I lost my own mother). I truly enjoyed this story of loss, learning how to let go and forgive and finding love in the most unlikely of places.

[Melanie Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bittersweet story..
I enjoyed its uniqueness. Following the lives of a crabbing community off the coast of Alaska is definitely not the romantic genre norm..
There is a lot you could learn from this book, especially about not taking life for granted.
Sadly for me, there wasn't enough romance in this book. However there is a love line, it was more a undertone throughout this book..

I was pleased with the ending, it was bittersweet. And if the author would have written an epilogue and given me a solid view of the future, I would have probably given this another star..

But maybe that's just me.

I always need a really solid ending.

[Pages in Pink · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75- 3 stars...

Sigh. I don't know what to say about this- except that it was bleh. Insta-love. Big deals that are really not big deals at all. Problems connecting to the characters. The story needs WAY more fleshing out- in all facets... Character development, plot, imagery- etc.

I liked the theory of the story- I haven't ever read a story like this- so it was different- BUT- because it was SO different- more time should have been spent making those differences pronounced. This story could have been awesome- just too choppy- too many loose ends... Not enough umph.

[Preet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book for the most part. I was a little disappointed that the cause of one of the major twists wasn't revealed at any point in the book.It was interesting and enlightening to see a book set mostly on the Bering Sea in a crab boat.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Undertow. Perhaps it was because of my love for Deadliest Catch or perhaps it was because it was a good story. Either way I liked it! I did feel a little cheated on some love scenes and would have loved to see more of Aesa and her dad but Decker was refreshing!

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the setting of this book. So very different from what's out there.