I bought this because the cover is gorgeous and I love anything about Titanic.

The story reminded me a bit of James Cameron's movie (rich girl prefers poor boy, and she's described as "a pistol," just as Molly Brown described Rose), a bit of Pygmalion, and a bit of Amanda/Miranda. I was glad to see a mention of Edith Russell's little pig! ( )

Jacquie Abingdon is in an uncomfortable position. Her father wants her to marry his potential business partner. Jacquie on the other had wants to marry the gardner Peter. When Jacquie's mother offers her a ticket to America to escape what amounts to an arranged marriage, Jacquei formulates her own plan. She and Peter decide to help Peter's sister escape a harsh home life. So Peter's sister Tessa will take Jacquie's place on the ship while Peter and Jacquie make plans for a new life. Tessa is both excited and nervous by this prospect, but overall considers herself very lucky to be in the amazing accommodations of an amazing ship like the Titanic. However, both Tessa and Jacquie will have to deal with unexpected complications stemming from their decisions to try and start new lives.

I felt drawn into this book from the start. It took almost no time to get into the meat of the story, although it did take a bit to actually get to the Titanic voyage. I liked the aspect of Tessa taking over Jacquie's life. Jacquie seemed like a pretty sincere (if a bit naive) person, so you wanted her to do well. I really felt for poor Tessa. What an awful life she had, and yet she still seemed to love parts of it. I also found it interesting that in a Christian book, there was a plot point that showed how bad religion could be when taken to extremes, such as Tessa's father did to her. The abuse Tessa had to withstand due to her father's (drunk) delusions was awful. I did find it endearing that she found so much comfort in the pet pig. I guess we all look for comfort wherever we can get it sometimes. I also managed to feel bad for Jacquie. She clearly wanted a life of her own choosing, and not one she was being forced into.

I appreciate the historical aspects of the book. You certainly got a good feeling for what it was like on the Titanic, although I wish there had been more explanation of which characters were real people on board the Titanic. I recognized a few of the bigger names, but I wondered if some of the people were based on real people. That might have helped me get into the story even more. When reading a book like this, you know where things are headed for the most part. Clearly the Titanic is going to sink. The joy in books like these tend to be the smaller details and human faces given to the victims. I really sped through this book, and I would recommend it to people who love history in general and the Titanic specifically.

Book provided for review. ( )

This being the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic there have been numerous books both true and fictionalized about that sad event. Into the mix comes Queen of the Waves, a tale of love, mistaken identities and discovering what is true.

Jacqueline does not want to enter into the marriage arranged for her by her father for she is in love with the groundskeeper of the family estate. This type of match would never be allowed in her position in society. She and her love, Peter come up with a plan to send Peter's sister, Tessa in Jacqueline's place. Tessa's father is abusing her and this will give Tessa a new start in America. While on board Tessa lives a live she could never imagine - even falling in love. But what will happen when Nathan finds out exactly who she is? And will it matter when the inevitable happens. Meanwhile, back in England all is not rosy for Jacqueline. Did she give up everything for a man that does not love her as she loves him?

This is my first novel by Ms. Hanna and it did not disappoint. She has a very descriptive pen and I felt as if I was there with the characters. I felt as if I could eat at the tables on the Titanic and feel the material of the dresses. The characters were well developed and full of true emotions. The sinking of the big ship was well written and devastating, as one would expect. The course of true love is sometimes not straight and this writer shows that with a deft hand. This was another very satisfying American Tapestry read. ( )

I haven been looking forward to reading this book ever since the Author started posting pictures of the of the museums she was visiting to research this book. I feel in love with all of the posts by Janice Thompson and could not wait for this book to come out. She did not disappoint!
The story sort of reminded me of the Prince and the Pauper...not quite it would have to be the Princess.
The rich girl...Jacqueline Abingdon sets out to deceive her family, a world wide set of events are about to happen. She is so enamored with Peter Bowen, she will do anything to be his wife.
Peter has a sister that he wants to help...her father is a cruel sick man. He takes everything that goes wrong out on his daughter Tessa.
When Jacquie's Mother sets out to deceive her husband who has arranged a marriage for their daughter. She contacts her Mother in New York, and again the seeds of fate are set. What her Mother doesn't know is that Jacquie is about to deceive her Fiance, Father, and Mother.
Jacquie convinces Tessa to be her and teaches her to be an Heiress, she even has her Ladies Maid Iris in on the plot. What none of them knows is that the ship Tessa and Iris will be traveling on is the Titanic.
Of course we all know what happens on that voyage, but you almost forget and hope not. Impossible to change history, but what a fun ride we have, of course there is a lot of heartache...as we know. Now that we know these people personally it is even harder.
Don't miss this excellent fast read. I could not put it down, and finished in less than a day. Enjoy!!

I received this book through Litfuse Publicity Tours and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

The maiden voyage of the Titanic was the opportunity of a lifetime. For many, it was a voyage to a new home, a new life, a new beginning. When Jacqueline Abingdon sees that her father has made marriage plans for her without her consent, the ship becomes the main part of her escape plan. For Tessa Bowen, her part in Jacqueline's plan will give her a new start in life, if she can carry off her part of the masquerade. But everyone's destiny is changed in unforeseen ways when the voyage comes to a tragic end.

There has always been a fascination with Titanic. An untold number of books have been written on the subject, movies have been made, and museums and memorials have been erected in her honor. One hundred years later, we still can't get enough on the subject, and I admit to being one of the worst Titanic-philes around. I love a good book, fiction or non-fiction, connected with the subject, so you can imagine my excitement when this book, the first in Summerside's American Tapestries series, arrived. I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed. This novel does a good job of telling the personal interest side of the story. The characters are well-developed, causing the reader to care about the outcome of each one. The author has maintained the accuracy of the historical aspects of the story. This was a compelling read, with no violence, sexual situations, or strong language. I look forward to reading the future installments in this historical romance series.

4 stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Litfuse Publicity Group book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” ( )