The Girl Who Came Home

Well over one hundred years since the fateful sinking of the Titanic, people are still interested in the many stories that have been written about that night on April 15, 1912. When the unsinkable ship met its match when it encountered an iceberg despite the many warnings of sightings in the area and yet they failed to reduced their speed and tempted fate. So many mistakes and so many to blame, but what we fail sometimes to remember is that people did survive despite the odds from both first class passengers to steerage and even a handful of dogs, while even more lost their lives from babies to older couples in the prime of life.

For those that did survive, they have passed along their stories of what it was like that fateful night, when so many had left their homes in search of a better life in America but never reached it. Those that kept that night long buried in their memory never wanting to talk about it to even their close family and friends. If you think about it now, there are no survivors left from that night. They have all died but their stories live on in the lives of those they did share their secrets with.

In the novel, The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor, she takes a different spin on all the other novels that have been written choosing instead to focus on handful that survived among a group of fourteen that left Ireland for better opportunities each personal in their own way. It is based on fact but then filled in with some fiction as filler but the story remains the same. People struggled to survive from all social classes and on that night it was literally everyone for themselves. The reader is introduced to Maggie Murphy who is leaving Ireland despite her wishes to find new hope in America with her Aunt Kathleen. Kathleen has agreed to take a group of Irish immigrants to America if they can secure a ticket. She will make sure they all arrive as promised.

For Maggie, she is leaving behind more than just her childhood home, she is leaving behind the one man she had hoped to marry, Seamus Doyle. They agree to write one another as much as they can, but Seamus believes that Maggie will return home to him one day when she is older. He vows to wait for her, despite not being able to accompany her on this trip because of his ailing father. He only hopes the pack of letters he has written her, one for every month they have been in love, will help to pass the time for Maggie. Neither of them could ever imagine how this trip would end for either one.

The novel toggles between various characters from Maggie's journal she writes in to pass her time on the ship, to their steward Harry Walsh who has fallen for one of Maggie's friends on board, Peggy Madden who wishes to be married to a wealthy man and thus raise herself in the social class but for now has to settle for her lot in life. Grace Butler is Maggie's great granddaughter who also tells her story of what learning about survival means to her moving forward in her own life, leaving behind a man she loved to care for her father. Maggie and Grace soon learn that life is too precious to waste and thus must be embraced every single day.

I received The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. I've been a huge fan of the Titanic for quite some time and LOVE reading everything from fictional based novels to non fiction about the lives that were forever changed that night. This one tells the survival story of how a third class steerage passenger was able to live to tell her tale and how it changed how she moved forward in the remaining years of her life in America. The novel also uses the authentic Marconi messages from the Titanic and Carpathia to begin each section of the book. There is a section at the end where the author provides the factual information she obtains as the basis for her novel and a reader discussion guide as well. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Girl Who Came Home, Hazel Gaynor or where you can preorder this novel that is due for release in April of 2014, please click on the links below:

The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor 

You can also find Hazel Gaynor on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Girl Who Came Home, please visit William Morrow's website. 

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; First Edition edition (April 1, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062316869
• ISBN-13: 978-0062316868
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches

Hearts That Survive

Lydia Beaumont is about to set out on an adventure of a lifetime that will change her future forever. Being one of the first class passengers embarking on the maiden voyage of the Titanic along with her friend Caroline Chadwick she is faced with a dilemma of the heart. Also along for the voyage are Craven Dowd, president of Beaumont Railroad Company and John Ancell, a toy train maker, whose latest designs are the main interest to the Beaumont Railroad Company. The problem, both men have confessed their undying love and proposed marriage to Lydia.

Craven is 35 to her 21 years of age, is wise, wealthy, and very handsome; while John has a creative flair for not only designing trains but for poetry as well. It's this innocent heart that appears to have captured Lydia's heart. When Craven learns of her desire to marry John, he vows that her decision is childish and impulsive. In time, she will learn that and see in the long run a better fit would be to marry him instead. Her father will never accept the fact that Lydia would chose to marry John, as he would believe she deserves much better and she is lowering her standards.

Nevertheless, Lydia and John pursue their new found love and begin planning a wedding aboard the grandest ship in the world. Lydia wishes to marry on the grand staircase if only the captain would be willing. Not that she's in too much of a hurry, but when she learns that an unexpected night of passion between her and John earlier in their relationship, has resulted in her being with a child. Now if she can only find a way to tell John and hope that he will still want to marry her or will that fateful night rob them of the only love that they will ever know before it's too late?

In the latest novel by Yvonne Lehman, Heart That Survive, brings the readers on board the Titanic once more for a new romance story. This one of a railroad heiress and a toy train maker whose love seems to go behind the barriers of what is acceptable in the rich and famous. Bring back those favorite characters alongside this love story are the John Jacob Astor and Molly Brown, along with the new villian Craven Dowd. Much like the Titanic movie, this one involves a love story between two ill-fated people whose future rests in the hands of God on the night she will sink. Will true love prevail or will this be another love story lost at sea?

I received this novel compliments of Pump Up Your Books for my honest review and LOVED it! Being a huge Titanic fan, this one won me over initially with the setting taking place aboard the Titanic. Always curious to see where writers will go with a new fictional take on the fated ship, I was so caught up between the love stories of Lydia and John but also that of Caroline and her husband William. This one goes beyond the night of the sinking and shows how the lives of those that survived that night were forever changed. The reader is taken on a journey to see how each of them dealt with the losses incurred that night and how they manage to try to put their lives back on track. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars and a MUST READ for any Titanic fan or those that love a hopeful romance!

For more information about Hearts That Survive, Yvonne Lehman, or where to pick up your copy today at a local book retailer, please click on the links below:

Hearts That Survive by Yvonne Lehman

You can also find Yvonne Lehman on Facebook by clicking here.

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (March 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426744889
• ISBN-13: 978-1426744884
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches

Voyagers of the Titanic ~ Giveaway and Review

Now that the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is almost here, I've had the blessed opportunity to be able to review some incredible new books out about the disaster. One such incredible book is called, Voyagers of the Titanic by Richard Davenport-Hines.

In this historical non fiction book, Richard takes the readers some place most books have never gone, in depth into the back stories behind everything you've ever wanted to know regarding the Titanic, those who built her and sailed on that fateful voyage. He introduces you to the first, second and third class passengers as if you meet each of the people he describes in detail. From what the menu consisted of, to what they did for entertainment on each of the class decks and most interestingly, where the iceberg may have originated from.

While most books that you'll have an opportunity to read on the sinking of the Titanic will often give you an overview of what happened that night and how she inevitably sank, this one brings to life all the souls she lost and even those who survived that night. While did the California not respond to her distress messages, why would a seasoned Captain ignore the warning of an iceberg, how did Margaret Brown become so friendly with John Jacob Astor IV, one of the richest men on board, how much did the tickets cost that separated each class from one another, and were second and third class passengers really prevented from escaping aboard the lifeboats as James Cameron depicted in his movie? All these amazing questions are answered in this book along with so much more, that if you are a Titanic fan yourself or know of someone who is, this is the perfect book!

Discover what some people died with as they departed the Titanic, what some considered most valuable to them; learn how Titanic was built and what precautions were considered in her building to address three vital factors ship builders at the time had to address; what did Margaret Brown do before she became a wealthy woman; why did the Titanic not have enough lifeboats on board; what items were brought on board the Titanic by all the classes of people; how did fate play a role in people who chose to cancel their tickets and didn't die on the Titanic; why didn't some people when told to get into a lifeboat, instead went back their rooms even though the ship was clearly taking on water?

I received Voyagers of the Titanic compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins publishers for my honest review and thoroughly enjoyed reading about this fated ship from beginning to the very end. Being a huge fan of history and the Titanic, I enjoyed reading about Margaret Brown and John Jacob Astor's unique connection as well as chapters dividing into each class of passengers; from whom they were, how much they paid, what their accommodations were like, what they ate, and what happened when each learned that the ship had hit an iceberg, what did it sound like where they were and so much, much more! I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and plan to re-read this one again and again. There is even a section of photos that takes the reader back to the ship almost a hundred years ago.

For more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Voyagers of the Titanic by Richard Davenport-Hines

Thanks to the generous folks at Harper Collins, they are offering a giveaway copy of this book to one lucky follower of this blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here's your guidelines to enter:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart and leave a comment on this giveaway post on Facebook, you may have to scroll down a few to find it depending on when you get there.

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Remember No P.O. Boxes please!

4. Leave a comment here telling me why you'd love to win a copy of this beautiful hard-cover book. Don't forget to include your email address along with your comment. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

I will notify the winner of this giveaway via email when it ends on April 10th!