Book Review- Fateful

I just finished reading Fateful by Claudia Gray for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

It's about a servant girl named Tess in 1912, who wants to escape from the house where she works, and most particularly the lecherous young lord of the manor. But that's not her biggest problem. While on a voyage to America, where she plans to escape and start a new life, she meets Alec, who's ruggedly handsome, fabulously wealthy, intelligent and yet so clearly troubled that she'd rather not fall for him, but she does. That also is not her biggest problem. Alec, it turns out, is a werewolf ... one cursed to change every night, unless and until he surrenders his independence and joins the Brotherhood, a pack of violently misogynistic werewolves who have been tracking him for months. You'd think that would be their biggest problem, wouldn't you?

But no. Their biggest problem -- though they don't know it yet -- is that they're aboard the RMS Titanic.
 
Ok, I have to be honest.  I only signed up for this book because I have other books in my TBR pile by this author.  But I thought going in that I probably wouldn't like it because it's historical fiction and I usually don't like those.  But this one surprised me.  In fact, Fateful is probably my favorite historical fiction book that I've read so far.
 
I think maybe the reason I don't like historical fiction is that the characters always seem so distant to me, since they're set in the past.  But I didn't really get that from Tess.  Even though she was a servant set 100 years ago, I could relate.  Maybe it had to do with the setting of being on a cruise (I am a cruise-aholic) so that helped me to identify with her.  I don't know.  I just really liked her.  And Alec too. 
 
The whole plot was interesting.  I mean, I know the Titanic story.  I loved the movie.  And we all know what happens at the end.  But this paranormal twist on the story was so fun!  At times I got so wrapped up in the story, that I forgot that I knew how it would end, and other times I would think "oh, maybe NOW is when they hit the iceberg."  And I liked the ending!  (I'm not giving anything away!)
 
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
 
Fateful will be released on September 13, 2011.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2011 100+ Reading Challenge: 68
2011 ARC Reading Challenge: 54
2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 52
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.