Barbour Publishing
Heartsong Presents
ISBN: 1-57748-548-3
Publication date: 1999

This book takes place on the Titanic, so, knowing what happens to the Titanic, the last third of it was somewhat predictable.

This book was different than most HP books I’ve read. First of all, the heroine, Esther, spends about half of her scenes with someone other than the hero! The story is somewhat of a love triangle since Philip, a non-believer, boards the ship and Esther is his stewardess. Intoxicated, Philip attacks Esther, and she escapes. She forgives him and a great deal of the first half of the book is Esther spending time with Philip, desperately trying to bring him to Christ.

John is actually the hero in the story. Esther has known him for years and they work together on the ship. She’s upset because he hints at marriage, but after six years of false promises, Esther is tired of waiting for John to pop the question.

As you can imagine, John gets jealous when he sees his beloved spending so much time with Philip, a rich boy from America. He is further angered when he sees her leaving Philip’s cabin in the middle of the night. He wonders what is going on between them, and as you read the story, you discover that Philip is an unhappy alcoholic who is practically borderline suicidal. Esther truly cares about what happens to Philip and she merely wants him to accept God’s grace for his sins.

Philip misinterprets Esther’s caring nature since she’s the first woman who has moved him so deeply. When he asks her to marry him, Esther is shocked, wondering if the Lord really wanted her to pursue Philip’s salvation so diligently.

The story does take on an unusual twist between John and Philip when the ship goes down, and since it is a romance, you can imagine how it ends.

Cecelia Dowdy
www.ceceliadowdy.com
www.blackchristianfiction.com