Book Review: Back to Titanic

Title: Back to Titanic

Author: I.D. Johnson

Date: 2025

Quote: "You couldn't even get near the pool if you weren't a first-class passenger."

Millie's parents were Titanic movie buffs. They even named their children after passengers on the ship, hubristically pronounced "unsinkable," that sank in 1912. At least they recorded Millie's full first name as Millicent rather than the actual passenger's name, Millvina. Now Millie's mother has saved up enough money to take a cruise on a replica ship built for reenactors, with pictures of the original Titanic and the people who were on it in 1912. Fortunately they're first-class passengers who can use the pool.

Fortunately? Millie slips, takes a blow on the head, and seems to wake up on the original Titanic. She had just noticed a cute guy on the replica ship. Someone who looks like him is on the original ship. Luckily for Millie, his sister happens to be about her size--though in 1912 a fashionable lady's clothes did not fit her actual waist or feet. All fashion victims wanted their waist and feet to look smaller than they were and, to that end, they stuffed themselves into corsets and shoes as small as they could bear, often small enough to damage the body. Millie keeps most of her complaining to herself and tries to fit in by doing nice things for the people who notice her, so that they notice how nice she is rather than what a misfit she is--a nice trick for those who can make it work for them. 

The cute guy, Will, is travelling with his brother and sister. The pool on the Titanic was open to men only or to women only at different hours. When Millie turns up during the men's time, correctly giving her room number on the replica ship, which just happens to be Will's sister's room number, everyone else wants to guess that she's a third-class passenger trying to seduce a first-class passenger for money; Will says she's an old school friend and leads her to rest on the sofa beside his sister's bed. His siblings aren't as kindhearted (or as susceptible to Millie's personal charm) as Will is, but they play along with his game out of loyalty. 

Will and Millie decide that Millie's been sent back in time in order to help more passengers survive by warning them sooner and filling the lifeboats more evenly. So they do. They work together until most of the ship is under water. Then Millie slips down into the cold, cold sea...where, in a novel of 1912, because she and Will have not waited for marriage, she'd drown. (Yes. The sex scenes aren't detailed but it's made clear that they're doing what makes babies when they know they can't even plan on marriage.)

In some lines of romantic fiction today, Millie would have been having a vivid fantasy about the cute guy on the replica ship. Though the story that's been her fantasy takes up most of this volume, in a sequel they'll get acquainted while both are conscious, and fall in love...right? 

Not so fast. This is a self-published Kindle romance of 2025. There are other possibilities. For one thing the next title in what's promised to be a series is Back to Gettysburg, though the author doesn't say whether either Will or Millie will go there. You just have to read and find out.