 | Title: Fateful
Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sex. Rating:
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
Description
In Fateful, eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, overbearing family she works for. Once the ship they’re sailing on reaches the United States, she’ll strike out on her own. Then she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets....
Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves are real and they’re stalking him—and now Tess, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.
Featuring the opulent backdrop of the Titanic, Fateful’s publication is poised to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the ship’s doomed maiden voyage. It is sure to be a hit among Titanic buffs and fans of paranormal romance alike.
Review
I saw James Cameron’s Titanic in the theaters at least two or three times, and after reading Claudia Gay’s FATEFUL, I kind of feel like I’ve just watched it again. There’s the first-class passenger aboard the ill-fated ship who falls for the third-class passenger, the girl being forced into an unwanted marriage, even a necklace. The big different between the two is that Leonardo DiCaprio never turned into a werewolf in the movie.
There are oodles of little historical details that bring this story to life. Titanic history buffs will no doubt pick up on more than I did, but it was clear that Gray did her research. And not just about the ship. The circumstances, mistreatment, and attitude towards servants was all captured in unflattering detail. I did have a few issues with what I considered to be more modern sensibilities with some of the characters, especially the female’s attitude towards sex, but apart from that, everything felt very authentic to the early twentieth century.
The one big liberty that Gray took was with the werewolves. I don’t believe they were on the original passenger's list, but their addition made this already infamous story all the more exciting and harrowing. It’s not enough to read about the freezing cold water flooding the ship and learn that there aren’t enough lifeboats, poor Tess has to go through all that with a werewolf after her. There are some interesting tweaks on the werewolf mythology too, but nothing too drastic.
Mostly FATED is a love story set against the back drop of one of America’s greatest tragedies. Werewolves aside, there are perhaps a few too many similarities between this story and the movie for it to feel as fresh as it could have, but the writing is subtle but captivating, and the romance believable. The ending is a little disappointing and difficult to comment on without revealing too much mostly due to a revelation that came out of nowhere. Overall, a solid read especially for werewolf and Titanic fans.
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