Review ~ Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer

About

When love simmers between a reclusive scientist and a wealthy debutante, will they abandon ship or is it full steam ahead?

Nicole Renard returns home to Galveston, Texas, to find her father deathly ill. Though she loves him, Nicole's father has always focused on what she's not. Not male. Not married. Not able to run Renard Shipping.

Vowing to find a suitable husband to give her father the heir he desires before it's too late, Nicole sets out with the Renard family's greatest treasure as her dowry: the highly coveted Lafitte Dagger. But her father's rivals come after the dagger, forcing a change in Nicole's plans.

After a boiler explosion aboard the Louisiana nearly took his life, Darius Thornton has been a man obsessed. He will do anything to stop even one more steamship disaster. Even if it means letting a female secretary into his secluded world.

Nicole is determined not to let her odd employer scare her off with his explosive experiments, yet when respect and mutual attraction grow between them, a new fear arises. How can she acquire an heir for her father when her heart belongs to another? And when her father's rivals discover her hiding place, will she have to choose between that love and her family's legacy?

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My Review

Full Steam Ahead is one of my favorite books that Karen has written. It will make my Top Ten this year.  It’s filled with fascinating history regarding steam engines, lots of daring adventure, and her trademark humor woven in with a beautiful message of faith.

Darius’s singular dedication to finding a much needed solution to huge problems in the steam engines is an admirable quality. I hurt for him, that he was so weighed down with guilt from the riverboat accident. What will ever free him from these feelings?

Nicole is an amazingly strong character whom I found to be quite believable. Knowing she is ultimately protecting her family by stealing away with a treasured family heirloom, she is unafraid to face travelling alone and the dangers that await her wherever she goes. She is a woman with a dilemma.  Her father needs an heir so she must find a husband immediately. Will she find the solution to her problem?  

All of the characters, from Nicole and Darius, to her parents and his family, are complex three dimensional characters. I absolutely loved the reclusive scientist plot line, the greedy evil doer after the Lafitte Dagger, and Jacob. Who is Jacob, you ask? Well, you will just have to read the book to find out. I hear he gets his own story in 2015! 

Thanks to Karen Witemeyer and Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a copy for review purposes. No monetary compensation was received.

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Read an excerpt here.

 

Karen Witemeyer

Two-time RITA finalist and winner of the coveted HOLT Medallion and ACFW Carol Award, CBA bestselling author Karen Witemeyer writes historical romance because she believes that the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher, shower singer, and bakes a mean apple cobbler. Karen makes her home in Abilene, Texas, with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at www.karenwitemeyer.com.