When pampered Jacqueline Abington secretly elopes with the family gardener, she asks another woman to take her place on the much anticipated maiden voyage of the Titanic. Tessa Bowen hails from a poor corner of London but has been granted the opportunity of a lifetime—a ticket to sail to America aboard a famed vessel. But there’s a catch: she must assume Jacqueline’s identity. For the first time in her life, Tessa stays in luxurious quarters, dresses in elegant gowns, and dines with prestigious people. Then a wealthy American man takes an interest in her, and Tessa struggles to keep up the ruse as she begins falling for him. When tragedy strikes, the game is up, and two women’s lives are forever changed.
I liked this spin on the typical Titanic story. It’s almost like The Prince and the Pauper with a tragic setting and happy ending. Thompson describes the ship in great detail, having the main characters run into many real people who were actually on board the Titanic on that fateful trip. This dramatic flair felt right in keeping with the luxurious ocean liner’s reputation.
My favorite part of this book was the way that both Tessa and Nathan’s backgrounds created a similar spiritual need that they faced on board the ship. They each had struggles that they needed to confront, and the intricate weaving of these storylines together with those of the real Titanic passengers made for a fascinating story.
The love story was, perhaps, a bit predictable, but this only served to add a layer of coziness and comfort to the story. There is little else on board the Titanic that could be considered comfortable for very long! I enjoyed this aspect of the plot.
Like many Americans, the Titanic has always captured my attention. If you’re also fascinated by this amazing Queen of the Ocean, be sure to check out this book.
If you’d like to read other reviews of Queen of the Waves, click here. If you’d like to purchase Queen of the Waves, you can do so here.
Award-winning author Janice Thompson, who also writes under the name Janice Hanna, has published nearly eighty books for the Christian market, crossing genre lines to write cozy mysteries, historicals, romances, nonfiction books, devotionals, children’s books and more.
She formerly served as vice president of the Christian Authors Network and was named the 2008 Mentor of the Year by the American Christian Fiction Writers.
Thompson lives in Spring, Texas, near her four grown daughters and young grandchildren. She leads a rich life with her family, a host of writing friends and two mischievous dachshunds.
Readers can keep up with Janice Thompson by visiting janiceathompson.com, becoming a fan on Facebook or following her Twitter.
Find out more about Janice at http://janicethompson.com.
I received a free copy of Queen of the Waves from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.
