Review: Fateful by Claudia Gray

Fateful

Author: Claudia Gray

Synopsis (goodreads):
Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It’s 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they’re sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.

Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He’s in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it’s because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. . . .

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, 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.

In Fateful, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray delivers paranormal adventure, dark suspense, and alluring romance set against the opulent backdrop of the Titanic’s first—and last—voyage.

Review

Fateful is such an amazing story about a ladies maid named Tess Davies, who works for a very important and rich family, the Lisles. They are a very rude and demanding family. She has been working for the family since she was thirteen years old, and the only member of the family that she is even remotely close to is the daughter, Irene, a very timid and shy teenager, around the same age as Tess.

At the beginning of the book, Tess is out in the city running last minute errands for Lady Regina Lisle and her daughter Irene. They are all about to make a journey to America, on the maiden voyage of the largest, most elegant ship of it's time. But it is in the city that she has her first run-in with the werewolves. One of whom is desperate to destroy her; the other saves her. She returns to the Lisle household with nothing, much to the family's dismay. The next day, they board the RMS Titanic. Tess boards with the intention of leaving the family when the ship docks in New York in search of a new life for herself with the little bit of money she has saved. Little does she know what fate has in store for them all.

After boarding the ship, Tess has another run-in with one of the werewolves (who we learn goes by the name of Mikhail) from the night before, and she soon discovers that it's no coincidence that the man is following her. But lucky for her, she has one of them looking out for her. His name is Alexander (Alec) Marlowe. A man who is quite wealthy and is traveling first-class, while Tess is in third. Love blossoms between the two despite their class differences. It is such a bittersweet tale of romance.

Tess is constantly running, living in fear while on the ship. She has no where to hide from the man who is after her, and Alec does everything he can to keep her safe. But his abilities and connections with the werewolves only get him so far. The werewolves want to initiate him into the Brotherhood, a very prestigious and dangerous organization of werewolves, for the connections of his family, but Alec wants nothing to do with them. Mikhail soon wiggles his way into the lives of the Lisles who are completely charmed by him. But it isn't the family he wants. The family owns something that he's desperate to get his hands on, and he will stop at nothing to get it. Including murder. He continues to stalk Tess, and she finds herself running into him at every turn. The only thing keeping her alive is Alec and the company of other passengers, one of whom is her roommate in third-class, Myriam. The two strike up close friendship within the time they are aboard the Titanic.

This book is full of action, romance, and secrets. You have no idea what is going to happen next, whether it's a fight with Mikhail, or a confrontation with one of the Lisles, or the ship sinking into the ocean. There is definite heartbreak, and how could there not be?? We all know that the ship is going to sink, yet we desperately want for them all to survive. You don't want to read about the ship going down, and you certainly don't want to read about the passengers dying, but it is a fate that cannot be changed. We all know the story of the Titanic. Now matter how much we wish for it to stay afloat, it just cannot be. The story will leave you broken, yet satisfied, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat as you turn page after page. As Cassandra Clare says about the book: "A heroine you'll root for and a hero with an unexpected secret. Luscious fun." I completely agree, Cassie. I completely agree. You will absolutely love both Tess and Alec, and you will hope and pray that somehow a miracle will happen, and they will both come out of this disastrous event alive.

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