This was a fab read which I really couldn’t put down. The characters were so believable and their situations so well described. I really felt that I was aboard the Titanic watching events unfold.
Lily is married to aristocratic Henry, a nasty bully of a man who takes every opportunity to demean her both with words and violence. They are onboard the ship travelling to visit her American family.
Lawrence is recently widowed and travelling on the Titanic with one thing on his mind and it does not include arriving New York.
Lily and Lawrence are thrown together on the Titanic when she appeals to him for help, claiming that her husband is planning to get rid of her and steal her unborn baby. At first Lawrence does not believe her but as events unfold aboard the ill fated ship he begins to realise that she is in danger and he might be the only one who can help.
Lily’s misery and Lawrence’s grief are extremely well described making the characters all the more believable. Their situations are both tragic but they develop a bond in their adversity leaving the reader hoping that they can both manage to sort out their problems and SURVIVE because they are after all travelling on the Titanic and everyone knows what is going to happen. This one fact hangs over the story throughout and definitely ratchets up the tension- an excellent plot device.
It was clear from the very first page that this was an incredibly well researched novel, no detail has been spared so I would particularly advise you to read the author’s post script note which is especially interesting and explains a lot about the origins of the book.
“Hidden Depths” is highly recommended and definitely worth every one of my five stars: I stayed up reading it late into the night and couldn’t wait to pick it up again in the morning , always the sign of wonderful book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion for my arc.

Sweeping Suspense…
A sweeping historical suspense which transports the reader, along with Lily, aboard The Titanic and to another time, a fateful journey and intertwined lives. The suspense is palpable, the perfectly drawn cast of characters leap from the page and the sense of time and place pinpoint sharp. One to devour. Delicious.

This book transported me to another world… fascinating… I found it difficult to put the book down. Instantly and completely immersed me in a beautiful romance, heartbreak and passion.

OH MY GOSH I LOVED THIS BOOK. It was well written with an intriguing and simply breathtaking plot, that was so intriguing and thought provoking and well developed characters that are almost disturbingly real, I could almost feel them next to me - they really popped out of the page for me.
I couldn't put this down, it was completely gripping and I literally sat until it was finished, I have always had a morbid fascination with the Titahic so this also added an extra layer for me. I loved, loved LOVED it,

#HiddenDepths #NetGalley
Lily is pregnant, travelling onboard the Titanic to her beloved family in the United States, hoping she can get there before her mind and body give up.
For a long time now she's known her husband is not the man he's pretending to be and she's not safe. So, when she meets widower Lawrence she knows he's her last chance for help. But Lawrence knows he hasn't got time to save Lily. Lawrence is the only person on board the unsinkable ship who knows he will not disembark in New York. And the danger is much worse than either of them could imagine. Can Lily and Lawrence help each other to safety before it's too late?
This author is a genuine genius. She knows how to write female characters. I adored this story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me an advance copy.

‘Eternal father strong to save….
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea’ - hymn. Words John Dyke.

It’s Wednesday, the 10th of April 1912 and amongst the many passengers on board the Titanic there are two whose lives will become unexpectedly entwined. Pregnant Lily,
Lady Ellsworth, an American heiress, whose life has been without joy and love for so long and widower Lawrence Beesley who is deeply grieving the loss of his much loved wife, Cissy.

This is just my kind of book as it’s a very well written character driven psychological drama that plays out in the most dramatic of scenarios.
The premise is excellent, that life has no set path, it’s a game of good and bad luck, nothing is impossible and life is worth fighting for.
In these characters we see their lives sailing on an uncertain path unlike the predestined course the ship is sailing on, therein of course, lies the tragedy. The author cleverly utilises the vessel through the characters but especially Lawrence and Lily.

The characterisation is excellent. Lawrence‘s conflicted emotions, his grief and misery are almost visceral and Lily’s powerlessness, loneliness and fear are palpable as she is at the centre of a malevolent, disturbing and despicable conspiracy. Her husband Henry is an excuse for a man and a character to hate alongside Dr Henderson. Although Cissy is no longer alive we feel her presence strongly, giving strength and through her beliefs on emancipation which is in stark contrast to the weaknesses of Lily’s position, the situation for many women at this time is strongly conveyed.

The novel has everything from cruelty, manipulation and betrayal with deception and duplicity with its obvious dangers running alongside the dangerous position of the liner.
The sense of dread builds for Lawrence and Lily just as it does on the ship with very good analogies being made between their personal situations and the Titanic. Somehow, the fact we know what happens to the Titanic just makes their personal situation feel much worse! Although it is menacing at times and shockingly disturbing as do you feel the powerlessness, the strength Lawrence and Lily divine from each other gives you hope for new beginnings but will they live to fulfil that?

Finally, do read the authors note, it sheds light on so much that she has written. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Orion for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

April 10, 1912: Lily, pregnant and desperately unhappy in her marriage, boards the Titanic with her aristocratic husband Henry and maid Becky, pinning her hopes on a promised reunion with her family in America.

Fellow passenger Lawrence cannot conceive of a future at all after the death of his beloved wife Cissy, despite his young son back in Britain.

As the voyage progresses, can Lawrence, sunk in misery, find the strength and motivation to help a woman desperately in need, as his wife would have insisted he do? Can Lily, indeed, find a way to help herself? And what in fact is really going on between the newly distant Becky, Henry, and the very unpleasant Dr Henderson?

The story is deeply rooted in a righteous anger at the constrictions of women's lives and the abuse that those social conditions could render invisible and allow to flourish. Lily feels and indeed is horrifyingly trapped, her experience contrasting with that of Lawrence's late wife, a warrior for women's rights.

Of course, as we all know, the Titanic will never reach New York. But the disaster - as well and accurately written here as it is - takes up relatively little of the story as a whole, indeed I briefly forgot at times which ship the characters were aboard. When it does come, it is movingly written and believable.

I absolutely loved this book, which will stay in my mind for a long time. And the author's note at the end, in which she discusses her inspiration for the story, blew my mind. Do not omit to read!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.