There are so many books written about the Titanic, but I love them all. I love the idea of sailing in luxury. So many with hopes and dreams, so many looking forward to this voyage. Of course, everyone knows what happens to the ship, but what happens to each occupant is a story of its own. For these three sisters, each has a different life ahead of them, and a different experience when the iceberg is hit.

I loved the imagery and the detailed characters of this novel.

After a grand tour of Europe, the Fortune family is heading back to Canada on the Titanic. I love reading about the Titanic and every time I’m still shocked and devastated that it sinks. The family is loosely based on an actual family from Winnipeg and the sisters are interesting characters and the ship is a good backdrop for their stories.

I have been fascinated by the Titanic all my life and I've read lots of books about it and novels based on it. I was drawn to this book by the story of the three Fortune sisters. They and their brother Charlie are travelling with their parents on a world trip. As a surprise, their father has booked them passage home on the Titanic on her maiden voyage.
The sisters each have secrets and are using this trip to try to solve some of them. Each has their own agenda. Their father is a self made man and he and their mother think they know what's best for the girls and expect them to fall into line with their wishes as did most parents of this era.
The description of the Titanic itself is very well done and there's quite a lot about the food they eat and the clothes the people are wearing. The names of the real, wealthy people of the time who were travelling on the ship were included many times.
I couldn't empathise with any of the girls. I didn't take to any of them and they blew hot and cold with each other too often. One page they were getting on alright and the next they were hissing and spitting at each other like cats.
The secrets thing got dragged out and the middle chapters of the book could have been done without. Nothing happened in a lot of them.
A good read for information about the ship itself but the story felt flat.

Most everyone knows the outcome of the Titanic disaster and the well known people who died or were saved.. Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber, tells the tale of the Fortune Family. Husband, wife, 3 daughters, and one son, who were really on the doomed ship, but only were a blip on the consciousness of the people of the time. I would venture to guess unless you were a descendant of this family, you wouldn't have known them, or their story.

After a Grand Tour of Europe, Egypt, and other parts very far away from their home in Winnipeg Canada, the Fortune family sets sail on the 'unsinkable' Titanic. The book is very well researched and Ms. Huber takes fact and weaves it will fiction for a great story. The book was a bit slow to start for me, and there are so many descriptions and people for about the first half of the book I was going back and forth while reading. Expect the pace to pick up about the 50% mark and then zoom to the finish.

A well crafted tale with some facts Ms. Huber puts at the end, so you don't have to Google what happened after they were back in Winnipeg! I say a book is an excellent read if it makes me want to learn more about the characters. 4 stars for me since the beginning was slow and disjointed a bit. Worthwhile read.

1912 aboard the RMS Titanic

The tragedy of the Titanic is still fascinating after all of these years and will never grow old. Anna Lee Huber, on of my favorite historical mystery writers, excels at combining historical facts with fiction.

Three sisters, wanting 3 different outcomes in their lives, are aboard the ship with their parents and come alive with the descriptions and facts that make this story fascinating.

Not to be missed.

4.5 Stars
April,1912: It’s the perfect finale to a Grand Tour of Europe—sailing home on the largest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built. For the three Fortune sisters, the voyage offers a chance to reflect on the treasures of the past they’ve seen and contemplate the futures that await them. For Alice, there’s foreboding mixed with her excitement. A fortune teller in Egypt gave her a dire warning about traveling at sea. Flora is also returning to a fiancé, a well-to-do banker of whom her parents heartily approve, as befits their most dutiful daughter. Yet the closer the wedding looms, the less sure Flora feels. Youngest sister Mabel knows her parents arranged this Grand Tour to separate her from a jazz musician. But the secret truth is that Mabel has little interest in marrying at all. Each sister grapples with the choices before her as the grand vessel glides through the Atlantic waters. Until, on an infamous night, fate intervenes, forever altering their lives
An emotional & beautifully written book, I felt that I was there on the Titanic & felt the emotions of the passengers on that tragic voyage. The research was brilliant as was the detail. I really liked the Fortune sisters, their brother & parents & was on tenterhooks as to what would happen to them. The pace didn’t lag but it was more of a stroll than a run. A thought provoking read & if you’re fascinated by the maiden voyage then give this book a try
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

The Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber is a beautiful, beautiful Historical Fiction novel based on the affluent Fortune family from Winnipeg as they traveled aboard the RMS Titanic. April 15, 1912 is a very familiar date to many, the fateful night the unsinkable Titanic sank.

Bewildering premonitions and superstitious sentiments about the Titanic swirled like mist. Unease grew for some but ignored by others. The three Fortune sisters, their parents and brother all had different personalities and outlooks. Alice, Flora and Mabel craved escape and adventure for their personal reasons and were curious about the world. Flora especially grabbed me. It was breathtaking to experience the Titanic through their eyes. What an intriguing family from the frigid prairies so familiar to me!

Every time I read about the subject I am amazed at the heroism of some and cowardice of a few as they were faced with almost certain nightmarish death. Fame and fortune are meaningless in those moments.

While the story itself is fascinating and moving, what strikes me in particular are the sumptuously rich details of the liner such as the wood paneling I practically felt to the furnishings to the very best craftsmanship to gym equipment. All lost along with 1,517 precious lives.

Be sure to read Huber's inspiring notes. She is an automatic read author for me, always a win-win. Her writing is always packed with passion and thoughtful care.

My sincere thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this harrowing and emotive novel.

This book is a love story to the Titanic and those who sailed on her. The details are infused with love and care, and though they were overwhelming in the first few chapters, there's no doubt that the scene is set with excellently researched precision. The Fortune sisters are compelling characters, each bringing a different dynamic and motivation to the voyage. Flora, in particular, pulled at my heart, and her perspective was my favorite.

There's so many characters and so many details that it was difficult to sink into the story at first, but Huber quickly settles us into the wave of excitement felt by those setting off and the glamour that was Titanic. She skillfully added some foreboding to the mix from the very first chapter, and kept that thread until the fateful moment.

I did end up enjoying the large cast, but the balance felt precarious at times so many points of view and storylines are hard to manage for a reader. Overall, one that will keep historical fiction fans engaged if they can make it past the first chapters of information and character introduction.

Amazon and B&N reviews live on release date.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and find that I am still thinking about it several days after finishing. It's the story of a well-to-do Canadian family, The Fortunes. It mainly focusses on the three 20-something daughters and their trip from Europe back to North America on the Titanic.

It was a novel twist on the Titanic's storyline and somewhat based on real people. The author's notes at the end were particularly intriguing and well worth reading, too.

Sisters of Fortune, by Anna Huber, is a well-written fictional account of the experience of the Fortune family on the ill-fated maiden voyage of the titanic. As the author notes, the members of the Winnipeg family were real, while this tale itself is an imagined account of their experiences on their journey from England to New York.
The early chapters are beautifully descriptive of the sights enjoyed by this family on their Grand Tour of Europe. There is great detail provided about the furnishing and amenities enjoyed by these first class passengers after they boarded the Titanic. Of course, there is also a liberal sprinkling of names of the celebrities of industry, retail and society that were also on the ship.
As the tale went on, I found myself more engaged and interested in the camaraderie among the sisters. I liked the imagined conversations and inner thoughts expressed by Flora, Alice and Mabel as they contemplated their futures, unaware of the disaster only days ahead.
Once invested in these central characters, I was gripped by the disruption of the ship’s sinking and the rescues as well as personal sacrifices. There were details unknown to me, so it became another interesting perspective of this well-known tragedy. At the conclusion I was inspired to look up the Fortune sisters and find out more about their lives.
This is a very good tale, with more detail than I usually like, but the unique characters and their stories made this novel worth the read. I recommend it to readers of all things “Titanic” and to those interested in gender and class roles in the early 1900s.

Thank you to Kensington Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

I am fascinated by stories about the Titanic and I love to read historical fiction. However, this book did not click with me. A lot of names and facts are mentioned in the beginning of the story and I had a hard time remembering and understanding the storyline. This made me lose interest quite quickly. Loved the history, the romance however was not that spectacular. Probably a good read for people who do not read the genre that often.

As a history buff and Titanic enthusiast, I have read a lot of fiction and non-fiction accounts of the doomed ocean liner. Unfortunately, I had difficulty engaging with this fictional account of the Winnipeg-based Fortune sisters' experiences on the Titanic. The author's writing is beautiful, and she provides excellent detail that puts you first person on the boat, but there were too many characters and storylines to keep track of.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books, for the ARC.

This book was one of the most poignant, evocative, and beautifully written books I have ever read. It made the Titanic’s voyage real to me – in every way. The author tells the story through the Fortune family who were actually on the voyage in real life, but little is known of them. Their story is fictional but, goodness, you feel it – as if you are right there with them. You feel the bubbling, electric excitement of the passengers as they board the unsinkable Titanic. You feel the glamour of the jewels and the people, the sumptuousness of the surroundings. You also feel the panic, heroism, and bravery of the passengers and crew. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that gave me so many feels.

The Fortune family – father, mother, brother, and three sisters – were taking their version of the Grand Tour. They traveled from their home in Canada to Europe where they spent time in all the great places and even went to the Middle East to ride camels and see the sights in the desert before finally deciding to travel home on the marvel of the times – the Titanic.

The story's main focus is on the three sisters, Flora, Alice, and Mabel, and their lives, expectations, frustrations, loves, and insecurities. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses – hopes and dreams. They also find they are stronger than they ever thought they could be – especially in a time when women were to be coddled and looked after like fine porcelain figurines. However, we also get to know, like, and respect their father as well as their mother and young brother who had so much ahead of him in life.

Flora is the older sister – dutiful, caring, obedient, and engaged to a man of her parents' choosing. As she grapples with that expectation, she meets a man who captures her attention totally and finally wins her heart. Will her parents agree to her ending her current engagement?

Alice is also engaged, but to a man she adores – but she has trepidations of returning home. She wants adventure, travel, and excitement, not the protected life her fiancé has described to her. Can she find a way to have both adventure and her fiancé?

Mabel is the rebel of the family – she chafes at being coddled and protected – she believes women have intelligence and should receive an education, the right to vote, etc. Her father adamantly denies her when she begs to go to college. Can she convince him while they are on this voyage?

If you love historical fiction, or even if you don’t, you will surely enjoy this book. Anna Lee Huber’s research and attention to detail is second to none. When you finish the book, you will feel as if you walked the corridors of the Titanic, smelled the delicious aromas of the rich foods, felt the sea breeze on your face, met all of the people on board – the glamorous and the not so glamorous, and felt the fear and panic as the passengers tried to find and board lifeboats.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF at 15% for me. The story is too slow to develop and there are already so many different characters that I am confused. I was really excited about the titanic setting, but this just didn’t land with me.

I generally love anything written by Anna Lee Huber. Many obviously found the story fascinating. Unfortunately I just didn’t click with it. Perhaps I’m just so over anything to do with the Titanic. This was a miss for me.

A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley.

I thought Sisters of Fortune was a good fictional account of the Titanic. I am giving it four and a half stars.

I like this one and her unique take on the Titanic. It was a good story well told . I do feel that it suffered from too many characters which made the story disjointed but overall a good story on an event that still haunts us a 100 years later

I love stories about historical events and the Titanic is my favorite.
A family of six visiting Europe will go home on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. The three girls Flora, Mabel and Alice are ready for their set out future. But things change during their trip. But will happen with them when Titanic sinks. Who will survive and what future will they have?
I really enjoyed this story, all the sisters are so different but they stand with each other in difficult times.
This story is well written with great character building. For fans of historical fiction it’s a must read.

The cover has the Titanic right at the centre of it which is fitting as that is where the plot is based throughout the book. The cover also features a young woman dressed in the style of the era complete with hat, gloves and jewellery. The cover certainly fits the book well.

The book is set on the Titanic, so obviously there are certain facts that cannot be changed but are mentioned within the book. The book also has to stick to a certain timeline as to how the events occurred. It was a bit odd reading the book but kind of knowing what was coming up in the timeline, but I did really enjoy the book.

The interior of the great unsinkable Titanic is described really well and you definitely get a sense of the opulence and atmosphere those passengers were surrounded by. The author really represents the era well in her descriptions of surrounding, etiquette, expectations of women and even the slang and sayings of the era such as 'To the berries' = all so exciting. I had to look it up!

The book concentrates of three of the Fortune Sisters who have been travelling with their parents. The family consist of 64 year old father Mark Fortune, a very proud self-made millionaire, his 60 year old wife Mary Fortune, they had six children, the eldest of which 34 year old Robert is married and lives in Vancouver. Their eldest daughter Clara is 30 years old and married to Herbert Hutton. Robert and Clara are with their own families so didn’t go on the trip. The Fortune children on the trip which ends up with them travelling home on the Titanic, are 28year old Flora who is the dutiful daughter, who has postponed her wedding to banker Crawford Campbell to go on the trip as a chaperone to her younger siblings. Alice is 24 years old but in a lot of ways is treat younger, as she was an ill child and is still considered delicate and needs to be protected, she is engaged to, and madly in love to an insurance broker called Holden Allen. The youngest sister is 23 year old Mabel, the feisty, sassy one, who wants to do her own thing, in fact she wants to continue her education, she doesn’t want to just be married like her sisters. She says inappropriate things and speaks before she thoroughly thinks things out. The youngest Fortune child is 19yr old Charlie who is super knowledgeable about the Titanic and it’s like a dream come true for him when Titanic ship builder Mr Thomas Andrews takes him on a personal tour of the ship.

Whilst sightseeing and exploring Egypt Alice Fortune is sipping hibiscus tea with Mr Sloper a friend the family have made whilst travelling Europe when she spots a soothsayer. Mr Sloper asks if she has ever had a reading, and would she like one. He waves the soothsayer across to where they are sitting and the man reads her palm and tells her she is in danger every time she travels on the sea. He sees her adrift on the ocean in an open boat. She will lose everything but her own life. That she will be saved but others will not. It certainly upsets Alice and William Sloper quickly tries to laugh it off telling the soothsayer he would be paid more if he gave people good predictions. Mark Fortune hadn’t planned on taking his family on Titanic the Ship of Dreams, but when they decided to travel home a little earlier their reservations were switched to the Titanic.

There is a kind of magic about the Titanic, I guess that’s another reason it was called the ship of dreams. The time on the ship gives each of the Fortune Sisters time to think about their individual futures and if that’s what they really want. Flora is the sister that her parents rely on, she is the sensible, dependable one. She is engaged to be married to a man her parents strongly approve of and think is a good match for her. As the trip goes on the dread she feels about her return, she has received only one letter from her future husband Alice is also engaged, to Holden, who is approved of and considered a good match, she is madly in love with him and they have missed each other whilst the Fortunes have been travelling. They have written many letters to each other, but Alice is also dreading the return home to being tied sown to one place and cossetted. Alice has had a taste of freedom and travel that she doesn’t want to let go of. The other sister on board the Titanic and kind of the reason for the trip is Mabel. Mabel is “involved” with a musician, someone her parents do not approve of, they feel he cannot provide financial stability for their daughter. Mr & Mrs Fortune planned the trip to separate Mabel and her musician, in the hopes she will forget about him, perhaps meet someone else, or change her mind. The irony is Mabel enjoys the fact her parents don’t approve and attempts to use him as leverage, to almost blackmail her father, into accepting her real dream, which is to continue her education. Mabel wants to be a more modern independent woman, not married off and expected to have children. At one point Mr & Mrs Fortune try to suggest a suitable suitor for Mabel who is also on the Titanic, the star tennis player Chess Kinsey. Unbeknownst to them Chess does have his eyes set on one of their daughters but it isn’t Mabel, it’s Flora! I really adored the Flora & Chess dislike to friendship to falling in love. Then the Shock! Horror! Mortification! Embarrassment! when Mrs Fortune catches them kissing! And in public too! Where anyone could see! Chess blames himself for ruining Flora’s reputation in her parent’s eyes and arranges a meeting wither father to put himself forward as a suitable suitor with his own suitable finances & future plans.

So along with the Fortune family drama, there’s the scandal of one young man having his mistress on the Titanic whom he plans to marry but is yet to tell his mother! They finally meet in a lifeboat as the Titanic is sinking. There’s another young man travelling with his mother but setting up poker games, which Alice Fortune ends up being drawn into.
I loved the Fortune family dynamic, they are all always there for each other and even though the three sisters, Flora, Alice and Mabel are sharing a room they each have their secrets they are hiding from the others.

I enjoyed reading how the different characters reacted to the Titanic hitting the iceberg and needing to be prepared to get on a lifeboat. There were those that just blindly believed the Titanic was unsinkable and refused to believe the possibility of it sinking. Then there were those who wanted to retrieve jewellery, pets, luggage and take it in the lifeboats with them!
The saddest stories were of the couples and families being separated because of the women & children only policy although this wasn’t as strictly adhered to by some of the crew. The chaos of losing sight or being separated from family members.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington books for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love historical fiction, and I have been reading about the Titanic since I was a tween and Robert Ballard discovered the ship at the bottom of the ocean. That's why I was so looking forward to Sisters of Fortune.

Sadly, I ended up DNF at around 35%. For one thing, there were so many characters introduced early on, it was hard to get them all straight. There was a cast of characters listed at the beginning of the book to help, but having to go back and forth to reference who was who detracted from the story. Because there were so many characters, they all felt kind of flat and not fleshed out.

Also, NOTHING happened in the first third of the book. I have read that the story picks up once the Titanic hits the iceberg, but I wasn't going to trudge through anymore of the book to get to that point. I appreciate the research put into the book because of the intricate details of the Titanic itself, but this was a snore fest and my motto for 2024 is to jettison books that are not enjoyable instead of enduring through all of them just because I received a free copy.