The Glass Ocean – TLC Book Tour

The Glass Ocean

William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition – September 10, 2019

*Book Review copy provided by TLC Book Tours & the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

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Welcome back! Is it just me or is September already flying by? I’m knee deep in graduate school work again and I have a new internship, plus my job, and oh did you say sleep enough, eat well, and maintain your mental well being at the same time? I joke now, but it has been rough getting back into the swing of things after a restful summer. Despite my griping about my hectic schedule, one way I keep my sanity during stressful times is making time for reading. When I don’t get my reading in for the day I feel more frazzled and less happy. Thus, I am recommitting to reading anything and everything that strikes my fancy.

Including Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White’s cowritten novel that comes out today, September 10, 2019, in paperback!

Thanks to William Morrow Paperbacks and TLC Book Tours for organizing this book tour!

About The Glass Ocean

May 2013
Her finances are in dire straits and bestselling author Sarah Blake is struggling to find a big idea for her next book. Desperate, she breaks the one promise she made to her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother and opens an old chest that belonged to her great-grandfather, who died when the RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915. What she discovers there could change history. Sarah embarks on an ambitious journey to England to enlist the help of John Langford, a recently disgraced Member of Parliament whose family archives might contain the only key to the long-ago catastrophe. . . .

April 1915
Southern belle Caroline Telfair Hochstetter’s marriage is in crisis. Her formerly attentive industrialist husband, Gilbert, has become remote, pre-occupied with business . . . and something else that she can’t quite put a finger on. She’s hoping a trip to London in Lusitania’s lavish first-class accommodations will help them reconnect—but she can’t ignore the spark she feels for her old friend, Robert Langford, who turns out to be on the same voyage. Feeling restless and longing for a different existence, Caroline is determined to stop being a bystander, and take charge of her own life. . . .

Tessa Fairweather is traveling second-class on the Lusitania, returning home to Devon. Or at least, that’s her story. Tessa has never left the United States and her English accent is a hasty fake. She’s really Tennessee Schaff, the daughter of a roving con man, and she can steal and forge just about anything. But she’s had enough. Her partner has promised that if they can pull off this one last heist aboard the Lusitania, they’ll finally leave the game behind. Tess desperately wants to believe that, but Tess has the uneasy feeling there’s something about this job that isn’t as it seems. . . .

As the Lusitania steams toward its fate, three women work against time to unravel a plot that will change the course of their own lives . . . and history itself.

My Thoughts

First, the premise of the book definitely intrigued me! As mentioned in other historical fiction book reviews, I am a fan but I’m not totally in the love the trend in WWII books set in Europe. I get the appeal, they just aren’t my favorite. So when I read that the book was set (mostly) on the RMS Lusitania I knew that the book would grab my attention.

Moreover, the book has a lot of moving parts which keeps the pace going strong as you jump between characters. For me this bordered on too many perspectives. I generally enjoy two character perspective, so when you start adding more I get a little nervous. I will say that despite my initial interest in the historical plot lines, I was actually surprised how invested I was in the modern day storyline of Sarah and John. I do love a good modern day investigation into past family mysteries, especially with romance sprinkled in. Although on that romance note, one drawback for me is the love triangle. It’s not a trope I enjoy so I could not really get into to the Tess/ Robert/ Caroline storyline.

Overall, I found the the intrigues and secrets kept my attention throughout the book since we know from our modern perspective that RMS Lusitania is sunk by German U-boats. The anticipation of the event makes everything much more fraught with tension as a reader.

I think this may be the first time I’ve read a book coauthored by three individuals and I must say I am impressed! I’ll definitely be on the look out for upcoming books and I want to check out their first book The Forgotten Room .

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Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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About Beatriz Williams

A graduate of Stanford University with an MBA from Columbia, Beatriz Williams spent several years in New York and London hiding her early attempts at fiction, first on company laptops as a communications strategy consultant, and then as an at-home producer of small persons, before her career as a writer took off. She lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore.

Find out more about Beatriz at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Lauren Willig

Lauren Willig is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several novels. She lives in New York City with her family.

Find out more about Lauren at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Karen White

Karen White is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and currently writes Southern women’s fiction. She lives in Georgia with her husband and two Havanese dogs.

Find out more about Karen at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.