Bill Walker (1)

Why would someone want to revisit the tragedy of the sinking of the RMS Titanic by rebuilding the ship and recreating the maiden voyage on the centennial anniversary of it's sinking? Come aboard the new Titanic and journey along with the specially selected passengers on this historical maiden voyage, as they pay homage to the original passengers that lost their lives ... or are they really trying to create their own historical voyage?

Titanic 2012 is a hauntingly beautiful novel filled with show more so many exquisite details, it is simply stunning. The storyline is masterfully written, it is told in a timeline alternating between the present time (May 2012) and the days of the voyage (April 10-14, 2012). The story of the new Titanic's voyage is told by the main character, Trevor Hughes, as requested by his long time pal, Harlan Astor, whose great-grandfather, John Jacob Astor IV perished with 1500 other passengers on that fateful voyage 100 years ago. The characters are strong and complex, their larger than life personalities and individual stories give the story more depth, and make it that much more powerful and compelling. The attention to detail and description is first rate, the author weaves a fascinating tale that transports the reader back to 1912 with the recreation of the ship's intricate details, the time period fashions and mannerisms, and the recreation of the maiden voyage; while at the same time bringing the reader back to the present time. The reader can't help but become engrossed with Harlan Astor's vision and dream come true, particularly how he selected the passengers that would accompany him on the maiden voyage of the reborn "ship of dreams."

This is an incredible suspense/romantic story that has many layers to it, the reader is taken along on the journey with the Titanic's passengers, and with every twist and turn, you will be able to peel back the layers to arrive at the real reason for the historical voyage. The author pays homage to James Cameron and the movie Titanic through many references of the movie throughout the book. There is a common thread that ties this movie to the passengers that embarked on the 2012 voyage, it was intriguing to read how the author intertwined the movie within his character's individual stories. From the very beginning I was captivated by this story, and by the end I was left emotionally spent but very satisfied. Be prepared to ride the emotional roller coaster, and have plenty of tissues nearby! There are so many details to the story that I would love to share, but it would be considered spoilers, and this story is just too good to spoil it for anyone, trust me when I say read this novel, you won't be disappointed.

Titanic 2012 is a novel that does a wonderful job of commemorating the tragic centennial sinking of the Titanic. I could easily see this novel becoming a movie, I would definitely go see it on the big screen. Titanic fans, this hauntingly profound yet beautiful novel is a must read and should be on your TBR list!

Disclaimer: I received a paperback edition of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in the Partners In Crime Tours virtual book tour event.

Virtual Book Tour Event: On Monday, April 30, 2012, in association with Partners In Crime Tours, author Bill Walker participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews. http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/04/author-guest-post-bill-walker-...

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This is one of those romantic stories, that I can actual picture being adapted into a major motion picture. It's that good! The characters are intertwined so nicely, and the story was very well written, it was easy to read it in a day. I honestly had to know what happened.
This wasn't one of those hardcore romance novels, equipped with heaving bosoms, this was more of a story of a love that should've been. A couple valuable lessons can be learned from this book. One, greed gets you no where, show more and two, stolen moments can be priceless.
As you may already suspect, I am recommending this book. It will be on my list for a long time! show less

Do you believe in Soul Mates? Well I do, so I loved this story, so true, genuine, it touched me and the bonus was that it had a flair of suspense, my favourite genre. And for the 1st time I understand how readers fall in love with characters. Brian was so personable, I honestly felt like I wanted to meet him, so odd to me but a light bulb went off regarding readers love of characters. I started to picture celebrities as the characters, you will see my choices below. - Just a fun addition I show more wanted to add.

Bill Walker did something interesting that I am unsure was on purpose but I consider brilliant, he named one of his main characters Brian Weller, same initials as himself B.W. So I kind felt, if I feel like I want more of the character maybe this is an author I would like to meet. Weird feeling but this was a consistent thought.

I think bloggers that are striving to be a writer will love this. Brian is a Writer and Joanna is an Artist, I just think the mix of these forms were as wonderful as reading about them as lovers.

The flow of the story was perfect. A glimpse into building the story and then the Note from an Old Acquaintance. Then we go back 15 years to the affair, some may not like the idea that it is an affair and the choices Joanna makes, but from the outside it always looks like an easy choice. Eric the husband puts a spin into how love is controlling. Then the book goes back to the Note and the reunion of soulmates meeting again like a first date going down memory lane.

I love the writing, the flair of suspense with romance and the characters. And I had one question about the story line and it was answered, nothing better than that.

Why does this one get 5 stars, because I will read again, this was a feel good book, it made me appreciate love more and sometimes you just need that kind of book. show less

While you don't have to be a fan of James Cameron's Titanic movie to read this book, it would certainly help. The novel is a loving tribute or thank you to the film. Unfortunately I was never that impressed with the movie, preferring to have a little more story and characters that have a bit more depth. And in that regard I lucked out because the book has more of that.

TITANIC 2012 takes place around the 100 year anniversary of the original Titanic. Harlan Astor, a super rich billionaire and show more great-grandson of original Titanic victim John Jacob Astor, has a new Titanic secretly built using the exact same design as the original. He invites the story's protagonist, novelist Trevor Hughes, to join him on the maiden voyage and tell the tales of the ship and the people onboard. Coming off a relationship break-up, Trevor agrees. And then in a similar vein to the movie, Trevor falls in love with one of the other passengers who keeps saying that the relationship won't work. In between their moments together, Trevor interviews the passengers who all talk about Cameron's film, "the greatest movie of all time," and why they are on the ship.

Unfortunately the second half of the novel becomes quickly predictable to the readers and loses all sense of surprise. At the same time, much of the emotional attachment is sacrificed. Almost everyone devolves to a hook trying to pull on the reader's heart and not someone that I really cared about. Harlan was the most interesting to me but he's also not around very much in the second half. Overall I would say that the book was enjoyable but not great. I would have liked to see more from the book. show less