The 21st century doesn't lend itself easily to gothic- modern technology and knowledge undermines the mystery and aura they need to be successful. That said, a castle in Scotland like Munro House with its long history of tragedy and secrets is a good start. Painter does her best to recreate the novels some of us grew up with. There's Stella (the woman at loose ends and mourning a romance), there's Jamie (the tormented "master of the house"), there's a ghost of sorts, there's Ben (Stella's former finance), there's a little romance, there's a back story, and so on. The medical experiments are the weak part of this, to my mind and it doesn't come together as quickly as some might like but it's a good read nonetheless. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Be patient with this one.

Trying to recover from a devastating breakup, Stella heads to stay with friends in the Scottish countryside. She accepts a position as assistant to the rich, owner of the local castle.who has been shrouded in mystery since he was a young lad. As they become closer and their relationship turns romantic, Stella must come to grips with her physical ailments that have been with her from childhood, as well as his past and the family tragedy that he never understood. An entertaining novel which will keep you guessing until the last page.

3 Stars. Review to follow.

Although I enjoyed the first half or this book, but the second half didn't make much sense.
The bad guy was a cardboard cutout of a bad guy. His grudge seemed ridiculous and his motives didn't add up as we're never given the full story. At the same time we're also handed the mystery of some old letters belonging to an ancestor of Stella's employer, written by a woman who's husband apparently caused her death. None of these mysteries are satisfactorily explained or revealed. It's a mystery that refuses to tell you how the past created the present problems except in the most superficial manner. There are too many loose ends. What really happened to Jack's parents the day they died? Did Dr. Lockhart kill his wife or was it just a bad heart? How could Stella be so dumb as to jump from one selfish jerk to another? This was an exercise in frustration.

Sigh....... this is what I get for having twitchy exciting fingers on Netgalley.

Beneath the Water is a novel that definitely should STAY under the water. YIKES. I feel bad because I realize how much work writing a book is.... but this was a HOT MESS.

I'm not sure where to begin with this review. Should I talk about wanting to poke my eyes out with boredom. I struggled multiple times trying to read this book. I should have DNF with this one.

Stella is our main character that we are introduced to that travels to Arisaig to get away from her fiancé Ben who broke her heart. Stella has had numerous heart problems since she was a child (let's not forget to mention this a THOUSAND times people).... So, Stella gets a job as an assistant for Jamie Munroe. Jamie turns out to be a freak who takes ice bathes (yes ice bathes). ..and is obsessed with his health. I'm honestly not even sure what the point of this book was?

I can't even grasp what genre this book was? Romance with a weird historical fiction aspect.

I wasted my time on this one and am so SAD to keep having duds. I think I need to take a break from reading after this one. I promise I'm not THAT picky my friends. I just unfortunately keep finding the duds :(.

I do not recommend this one at all. 1.75 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced arc in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: 2/8/18
Posted to GR: 1/27/18

The book starts out with Stella visiting her friend Caitlin after
a devastaing breakup with her fiance. However much to everyone's horror the hotel she is
staying at (the Munro house) is the exact same one where a local girl mysteriously died. The
house they say was tied to a string of unsolved murders. Not long after she gets a job as an
assistant to the excentric Jamie Munro. It is around this time that she keeps hearing about
the bad history between the Munro's and the Lockharts. However even with all this in mind
the heart wants what the heart wants and she finds herself falling for the house owner and her
boss Jamie Munro, but will this just spell out danger for her and will she be able to turn off
before its to late? And is there something more to the murders at the munro house than she was
lead to belive? And why does Dr. James Lockhart remind Stella so much of Jamie. It's been a
long time since I've read a mystery novel and after reading this book I don't know why I
waited so long. This book had such a mysterious and dark vibe without the author specifically
saying that and im not sure how they manged it but to me that proves its a great mystery.
There were so many twists and turns in this book that every time I thought I had things figured
out there would be a new pieces of information revealed. I found the main characters very
relateable and interesting that I wanted to know what was going to happen to them through the
whole story. The whole story had a creepy gothic feel to it which I just love and hate to
admit but you don't see enough of it todays stories. It had the makings of a very good
mystery movie and it played out that way the more you read the story. I think that my favourite
character had to be Jamie Munro. He was written very well. Kind of extentric but not in a over
the top fake way just when you read him you can see people acting like that but its still a
very weird person. He was the best character in the whole story. The best part about this
book had to be how I didn't even feel I was reading it. It felt more like a thriller movie
where I couldn't turn away and was waiting to see what happened. Great book and I'm thrilled
that I got the chance to read it.

I read this book because it's set in Arisaig, and I had high hopes for it given the premise and gorgeous cover. I was excited to get the ARC from NetGalley. Unfortunately, the setting ended up being just about all I liked about it. Other reviewers seem to like it, so clearly I'm in the minority here, but this was decidedly not for me...

Firstly, I found this book SO SLOW to get going. I almost gave up reading it about nine times, and trudging through this book became a chore. Literally, this book could have been 100 pages shorter and all the better for it.

Secondly, I am STILL unclear on the genre of this book.... it's not horror, because it wasn't scary (maybe creepy). It's not a mystery because it's all extremely predictable, each of the sub-plots are pretty obvious early on (and some aren't even great, I mean, media coverage betrayal? Come on!). It's not really romance either, or at least an enjoyable one, because Jamie Munro is the WORST male protagonist I've encountered in a long time and I disliked him throughout the entire book. I found myself skimming his dialogue, that's how little I liked him for Stella. He's selfish, arrogant, and unappreciative. And the "romance" between him and Stella was SO forced. He treats her like crap as his assistant, is super condescending and tempermental, and then out of NOWHERE confesses that he "can't stop thinking about her", followed by asking her out but then saying he doesn't believe in relationships? I mean, he was RUDE TO THE WAITRESS, isn't that like Rule #1 of How to Exile Yourself from Date-ability??? Apparently, Stella is one extremely understanding (re: blindly forgiving) gal.

I have to say, Stella was a likeable enough main character. She had an interesting backstory and was strong-minded some of the time. In those times, I admired her. However, even she annoyed me at times with how she constantly felt guilty for speaking her mind, how she somehow left conversations with Jamie feeling like she'd been overly harsh (she never was BTW, he's just an ass), and how she had no spine when it came to making certain decisions. From day one, she'd been going on and on about wanting a family, wanting a husband, wanting to not be screwed over, etc. and then minutes after communicating these desires she goes for Jamie, who tells her that he doesn't believe in monogamy AFTER BEING ROMANTIC AND ASKING HER ON A DATE WHEN HE KNOWS WHAT SHE WANTS!

Also, Stella's backstory, heart problems, being scared to die before seeing her children grow etc etc was interesting but it was mentioned soooooo many times that it just got annoying. I think it was meant to show that she's in a position to be especially compassionate towards other characters given the circumstances, but WOW was it redundant. And don't get me started on her backstory with her ex... it's posed like a great mystery, like as the book progresses we'll learn more and more about what went wrong with them, but we DON'T! It's clear from the tone of the book all along that he was just a bad guy. And he wasn't even bad in an interesting way!

If I hadn't sunk so much time into reading the first half of this, I would have 100% DNF'd it. As it were, I read it and truly regret finishing it. It had so much potential but I'm disappointed I wasted my time.

Fast reading novel that takes a lot of twists and turns before you get to the last page! It’s dark, unexpected and a little romantic with a wonderful Scottish village atmosphere. I enjoyed the time spent with Stella and her friends. The characters are all a bit unusual, which adds interest the to storyline. Most of the plot threads are wrapped up by the end, and the others I guess are meant to decided by the reader. I will definitely read more by Sarah Painter!

**Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishers, and Sarah Painter for an ARC to read and honestly review**

Wow this book kept me hooked. I love anything that has to do with scotland and castles. Add romance and i am all yours 😍😍😍 i definitely reccomend this is tou like a blend of mystery and romance.

I adored the setting for Beneath the Water. It was practically a character in itself. My patrons are going to love this book! I will be recommending it often. Thank you so much for this opportunity to read it early and discover a new favorite author!

'We’re all dying one minute at a time, it’s just some of us are more aware of it.'

Stella Jackson has lived with serious health complications, recently having a successful surgery but still has lingering reminders, breathlessness, lack of energy. Lucky to be healing and alive, she isn’t as lucky in love. Her beloved fiance and long time friend Ben has broken her heart, the only thing left for her to do is leave London. She decides to retreat to Scotland with her dear friends Caitlin and Rob, licking her wounds. She hasn’t much enthusiasm for anything, still trying to adjust to her loss but Caitlin decides to push her friend into a job.

When Stella begins working at Munro House for its master Jamie Munro, she wonders at his eccentric behaviors. The locals think he is crazy, and she is shocked he failed to divulge there was a death before she took the job. When she finds letters by a Victorian wife who suffered her husband’s (Dr. James Lockheart) creepy ‘medical genius’ experiments, they seem eerily similar to Jamie’s own ‘research’. No stranger to the incredible advances of medicine and it’s benefits herself, she is still uneasy with his tests and plans. Certainly he is pushing himself too far, taking too many dangerous risks. The novel promises a curse, the old letters reveal a woman who declines after giving birth, but therein lies the mystery. Stella feels a tie to Jessie, despite the passage of time. Is there truly some curse or is it something more? Just what was her husband doing?

Jamie’s own parents accident is clouded by mystery and rumors. Just what did happen that ill-fated day? Why does Rob seem so angered by Jamie? Does the village really know what happened? Jamie seems to be as much in the dark about his family tragedy as Stella is, but what will he risk to uncover the truth of the tragedy?

I enjoyed the novel but the romance wasn’t very exciting. I also felt things were sort of skimmed over, such as Jamie’s parent’s antics, etc. It just didn’t feel personal enough to me as a reader. Stella needed to be a lot angrier about many things, I kept wanting some fire out of her. Ben is thrown in here and there and that seemed pointless, I don’t know, I could have done without him showing his face at all later in the novel. I think I just wanted Stella to have more life to her, react like another woman would maybe? I was expecting a gothic curse, something more malevolent. All in all it was a decent novel, I think I was expecting something darker though.

Publication Date: February 8, 2018

Lake Union Publishing'

Beneath the water opens with Stella, our main character recently broken hearted. Her fiancé broke up with her unexpectedly and she is surrounded by memories in their dream home. To get away from her sadness, she decides to travel to Scotland to visit with college friends. After over staying her welcome a bit, her friend/hostess Caitlyn decides that it's time for a change of scenery for her friend and sets her up with a job interview at a local estate as an assistant to a young author and rumored mad man. Left with little options besides going back to her dream home without her fiancé, Stella agrees to go. Stella gets hired and is even offered free living quarters on the large estate. Her new boss, Jamie, is a young, handsome, rich man who is putting himself through impossible medical experiments for research for his new book. He seems like the mad man everyone thinks he is. As time passes, Stella sees that Jamie isn't what is seems and that there is a lot more to the town talk then meets the eye. Beneath the water was a very interesting book, well paced and with a fascinating story line. It was twisty enough to keep up with a thriller suspense novel, with a touch of historical fiction, and romance. I loved every part of this story.

2.5 stars rounded to 3
Beneath the Water sounded like a promising gothic story with an atmospheric setting - a mystery set in the grand old house in the Scottish Highlands, complete with a curse and a brooding enigmatic owner. I was very excited to read it. Unfortunately the book left me disappointed. I wasn't a fan of the writing style, it was flat and choppy. This may sound like an oxymoron but what I mean is it was flat because it elicited zero feelings (except boredom) or emotional response in me, but it was choppy because all the different elements didn't mesh well. The story jumped from one subplot to another with very little transition or connection. I didn't find any of the characters interesting, the romance was just blah, and the curse didn't make any sense. I just don't think Ms. Painter's writing is for me.

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

Beneath the Water was a really great read. It was written in such a way that you were kept engaged the entire book. There was never a moment that I felt like I wanted to stop reading. The characters were really great, and the storyline was really good too.

Having survived major medical issues in her life, Stella Jackson is confident and over the moon with the life she shares with her fiance Ben. When Ben breaks their engagement, Stella, unable to cope with the breakup moves from the home they shared in London to the rural Scotland coastal village of Arisaig at the invitation of old college friends Caitlin and Rob.

When Caitlin submits Stella's resume to Jamie Munro of Munro House and Stella is hired on as his assistant, things really begin to heat up.

BENEATH THE WATER is a tale enlivened by suspense, romance and several unexpected twists as the characters grapple with life's challenges while exploring deeper issues like loyalty, trust and long held rivalries. Sarah Painter has created complex characters and thrust them into intriguing situations deftly wrapping unusual elements into a many-layered and puzzling narrative that makes its way through mayhem and death keeping readers guessing and turning pages far into the night.

#netgalley #beneaththewater "I suggested that he might smile more and he held my hand over a candle until I cried and agreed that smiling was for fools." I thoroughly enjoyed Beneath the Water, which I received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A bit gothic, a bit mystery, a bit love story, it suddenly takes a wicked turn towards the end. I found Stella to be a funny, sympathetic, warm and down to earth character, and her pain at the beginning of the book is palpable. Painter also does a great job of creating a sense of place, in Scotland's Arisaig. Well done and highly recommend.

I was so happy with this book. It has non cheesy romance, handsome Scottish men, beautiful landscapes and buildings and a strong female character learning how strong she really is. It has everything you need for a laid back day of easy reading. Seriously, this book has really like able characters, a wonderful story content and who doesn’t enjoy imagining the beauty of the Scottish highlands! So good!

Yes! Castles, romance, and mystery! Sign me up. This didn’t disappoint and was just as good as I wanted it to be. Twisty and interesting - kept me hooked throughout the whole book. I loved the unexpected turns it took, definitely was not expecting any of it to happen.

I really enjoyed this book. Excellent storyline and great main characters. I would recommend this book.