by Kate Alcott
First published 2012
Tess believes fortune has smiled on her when famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon hires her as a personal maid for the Titanic's maiden voyage. The aspiring seamstress finds herself torn between two suitors aboard the ship: a kindhearted sailor and a wealthy Chicago businessman. When disaster strikes on the fourth night, Tess secures a place on one of the last lifeboats as the great ship goes down. Her sailor love interest also survives and witnesses Lady Duff Gordon's controversial behavior during the catastrophe. The Chicago millionaire perishes in the icy waters. Back on land, Tess discovers that surviving the sinking was only the beginning of her troubles. Rumors swirl around the survivors, and Lady Duff Gordon becomes a target of public outrage and official investigation. Tess must navigate the media circus and legal hearings while sorting through her conflicted feelings about love, loyalty, and survival.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, thriller
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, love-triangle
Setting: Titanic
Period: 1910s
306 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday