Queen of the Waves Kindle Fire Giveaway and Facebook Party! (10/18)

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

Psalm 46:1-3 NLT

Queen of the Waves
by Janice Thompson
ISBN: 978-1609366865
$9.25 (paperback)
$7.99 (kindle)

About the book:
When pampered Jacqueline Abington secretly elopes with the family gardener, she asks another woman to take her place on the much anticipated maiden voyage of the Titanic. Tessa Bowen hails from a poor corner of London but has been granted the opportunity of a lifetime—a ticket to sail to America aboard a famed vessel. But there’s a catch: she must assume Jacqueline’s identity. For the first time in her life, Tessa stays in luxurious quarters, dresses in elegant gowns, and dines with prestigious people. Then a wealthy American man takes an interest in her, and Tessa struggles to keep up the ruse as she begins falling for him. When tragedy strikes, the game is up, and two women’s lives are forever changed.

My Thoughts:

It was so nice to read a period romance that had a strong female lead character (there are actually 3 of them) and a wonderful hero (who is dashing, kind, honest and has a soft heart - can I hear one big collective sigh?).   Our main character is Tessa who in order to escape a drunken, abusive father agrees to assume the identity of Jacquie who in turn is trying to escape an arranged marriage. Jacquie and her mother have decided to send her to America to her Grandmother to get away from this marriage & Jacquie decides to take it one step further and send Tessa to America in her place so she (Jacquie) can marry the penniless man she loves. Our hero is a young man traveling with his mother in Europe. Amidst his concerns that the friendship his mother has with a male "friend" isn't all that it seems to be he ends up meeting Tessa and Iris her ladies maid. They in turn meet Jessie the niece of the minister traveling on the Titantic and the story takes off at that point.



The spiritual theme of Queen of the Waves is learning about the great love that God the Father has for each of us - even in our sin and guilt. Tessa learns that God loves her and isn't the kind of God her earthly father has been shoving down her throat over the years. He isn't spiteful, doesn't hold our wrongs against us and even though we all have sinned or done wrong in His (and the world's) eyes His arms are always open wide to us.  Jessie and Nathan both play a part in sharing this love with Tessa in the 4-5 days between the time they meet and the disaster the book is based on.

I think it's time I start keeping a list of my top 10 books that I've reviewed on GivingNSharing and Classic Children's Books. Queen of the Waves would easily make it into the top 3. I thoroughly enjoyed the way Janice Thompson used the story of the Titantic as a basis to share the story of several of the passengers. But she did more than that, she shared a story that is scripturally based, touches the heart and meets the needs of her readers. There is more than one lesson in Queen of the Waves - there is the all abiding love of God, the need for forgiveness & repentance and the reminder to lean on God's strength in times of trouble. 

This is a wonderful book for anyone 14 to adult. It would make a great gift for the holidays, to a shut-in, in your church or community library. I also think it would make a great mother-daughter read or for book clubs. The only thing it is missing is book club questions at the back and I would love to see a "letter" from the author that expands a little on the scriptural theme without "preaching". (Or maybe a letter or closing from a strong Christian female leader, someone like Jaci Valesquez or Beth Moore, who could share the gospel in a gentle way. This would be a wonderful way to reach someone who might not be open to being ministered to by an actual person.) It's just a thought and I just threw out a couple of names but you never know who might pick up the book and it would be a great way to close the book with a ministerial touch.

You can purchase Queen of the Waves on Amazon on sale right now for $9.25. It's also available on Kindle and I'm sure if you looked around you could find it available as other ebooks. 

About the author:

Award-winning author Janice Thompson, who also writes under the name Janice Hanna, has published nearly eighty books for the Christian market, crossing genre lines to write cozy mysteries, historicals, romances, nonfiction books, devotionals, children’s books and more.

She formerly served as vice president of the Christian Authors Network and was named the 2008 Mentor of the Year by the American Christian Fiction Writers.

Thompson lives in Spring, Texas, near her four grown daughters and young grandchildren. She leads a rich life with her family, a host of writing friends and two mischievous dachshunds.

Readers can keep up with Janice Thompson by visiting janiceathompson.com, signing up for her newsletter, becoming a fan on Facebook or following her on Twitter.

Celebrate with Janice by entering to win a Kindle Fire!

 

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Where the Trail Ends by Melanie Dobson
• Queen of the Waves by Janice Thompson

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 17th. Winner will be announced at the American Tapestries Author Chat Facebook Party on 10/18. Connect with authors Janice Thompson and Melanie Dobson for an evening of book chat, trivia and fun! There will also be gift certificates, books, and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group)!

So grab your copy of Queen of the Waves and Where the Trail Ends and join Janice Thompson and Melanie Dobson on the evening of the October 18th for a chance to connect with the authors and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the books – don’t let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!

Disclosure: I was given a copy of Queen of the Waves to read and review on GivingNSharing. I wasn't required to post a positive review and no money exchanged hands.