Her Eyes Underwater by Romona Simon
Throwing caution the middle finger might just get you killed in Her Eyes Underwater (Amazon.com). In this frightening erotic thriller, debut author Romona Simon takes readers into the minds of a serial killer and the woman obsessed with captivating him.
Thirty-year-old Julia Strauss always gets what she wants. When your family has money, it’s easy. And Julia is a master with romantic conquests, a shameless “seeker of attention.” Her beauty and confidence ensure the perfect guy is always by her side. At least, until she meets Alex Bowman.
The most gorgeous man Julia’s ever seen strides into a café and captivates her attention. She’s entranced by his charisma and piercing blue eyes. “Her universe bent towards him in the microsecond that would ruin her life.” But she’s confused — she can’t tell if the feeling is mutual. His reserved attitude towards her makes her want him that much more.
WHEN DOES A RISK BECOME RECKLESS?
Although Julia admits she has a wild side, she wouldn’t normally take a drive with a stranger. But with Alex, she can’t help herself — she’s determined to bewitch him, just like he has her. She’s shocked when he slams on the brakes after she tells him she’s a law student at The University of Montana — the same program he’s in. A hideous mask of rage replaces his smile and charm. Should she run from the car? But just before she bails, the alluring Alex returns, murmuring in her ear. As he tells her how beautiful she is, Julia knows she’s hooked.
Although at first Alex seemed smitten with her, Julia is perplexed and angry when he barely speaks to her in the days that follow, even at school. It’s as if he’d never taken her for the drive or whispered about her beauty. Alex is the first man who’d ever refused her advances, and she will win his heart. She knows Alex is a man who can charm anyone, but Julia hates him charming anyone but her.
Alex knows he’d gone too far; the woman in the café was encouraged by his kind words and flirtatious gestures. “She thought she was a huntress in her own right and had dubbed him her prey. It was laughable. She had no inclination that she had swum far enough from her depths to allow him to drown her.” He would rebuff her affections, but the method he prefers is too risky.
Although Alex is an enigma to everyone in his law school class, he can’t help but attract attention. His charm beguiles both women and men. No one suspects his genuine nature or knows about his violent conquests. He’s extremely careful when his urges take control.
A DANGEROUS OBSESSION, A DEADLY COMPULSION
Each time Julia convinces herself she won’t waste any more energy trying to lure Alex into romance, she is continually “taken under again, forever in his moon tide. He had rearranged her.” His appeal seduced her like a magic spell. She can’t help being obsessed with him. “It was as though he anaesthetized her before surgically inserting his essence into her DNA.”
Julia knows she will continue her pursuit.
A deadly compulsion plagues Alex. “It was as if tiny sentient beetles, with minds of devilment, had slowly been crawling up the center of his spine, towards his brain, and swimming in his spinal fluid. They would poison his thoughts as they propagated uncontrollably.” The force hitting his brain compels him to fulfill his violent desires. He craves the fear he causes and the slick, warm blood on his hands.
Alex can’t understand why successful, beautiful women think they are invincible. “Or so they all thought on those days when they dared to walk home when they ought to ride, took too long to find their keys, or let a stranger get too close.”
Against his better judgment, Alex slowly succumbs to Julia’s advances. Will the sexual force connecting them calm his disturbed nature, or fuel his need to dominate? Julia believes she is the predator, but will she become his prey?
Simon takes us into the minds of a compulsive killer and a woman obsessed by his magnetic pull. Erotic sexual fulfillment, the addiction of pursuit and surrender, dangerous obsession and violent psychopathy all combine into an unnerving yet alluring read.
