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?
My Review: Full Steam Ahead was not exactly what I was expecting. But it was just as good as I thought it would be. I absolutely adore Karen Witemeyer. I have read all of her previous works. Some of her books more than once. I have been looking forward to Full Steam Ahead for months. It did not disappoint me in the least. Well, perhaps in one point. It had to end.
Nicole and Darius were both strong, highly developed characters. More so than some of Karen Witemeyer’s books. I was impressed with Darius’s character. Some male characters of Karen Witemeyer’s can come across as weak. But not Darius! He was a dynamic, fascinating individual. He was tormented by a memory of the past, always trying to make amends for what he deemed as his failures. Nicole wanted to prove herself to her father. She was a very strong female character, matching Darius wit for wit and strength for strength. I enjoyed their quarrels. They were always so intelligent!
Nicole was a headstrong female with a very unfeminine characteristic: a head for numbers. One thing I noticed throughout the novel was the amount of research that it took. I’m sure that the author did research with her other books as well. But it was clear that Full Steam Ahead took much more research than usual. Much of the information went over my head, but I did learn a lot as well.
I did think that Full Steam Ahead was somewhat unrealistic. The characters fell in love and decided to be together forever within two weeks. But it was so good I didn’t mind that at all. Full Steam Ahead was a fast read. It ended too soon for me. I wanted there to be more. Full Steam Ahead is definitely a new favorite of mine by Karen Witemyer. I can see myself re-reading this one in the future!
I give Full Steam Ahead 4 out of 5 stars.
**Thank you, Karen Witemeyer, for sending me an influencer copy of your book!!!**