Nicole Renard is a girl on a mission. She needs to find an
heir to take over the family business. Her father is
gravely ill, and with Nicole being the only child and an
unwed woman, she needs to find a husband fast. The only
thing that can get in her way is the Jenkins family. They
will stop at nothing to get their hands on the Renard's
most treasured family heirloom. A heirloom that the Jenkins
believe is rightfully theirs. When Nicole sets out on her
hunt for her new husband, she makes a rash decision to take
the heirloom with her to protect her family.
Darius Thornton has a mission of his own. After a tragic
accident that left many deceased and hundreds injured,
including Darius, he has dedicated his life to making
steamboat boilers safer for travel. He has become obsessed
with how the boilers work. Even risking his own life time
after time to see what makes them tick. The only problem is
that Darius is in desperate need of a secretary. He needs
someone that can rewrite all his notes and diagrams in a
legible journal so that he can send them into the Franklin
Institute.
When Nicole's plans are derailed because of the Jenkins she
takes a little detour that lands her in Liberty, Texas.
With low funds Nicole must find a job so she will have
enough money to get back to the original plan. When she
finds Darius's ad for a secretary, she jumps on it. Darius
is skeptical about hiring a women, but when Nicole corrects
an error in Darius's findings, he is intrigued by this
young, smart, and beautiful women. Soon they are on an
adventure of a lifetime.
WOW!! I could not put FULL STEAM AHEAD down. I absolutely
love it! What is not to love about this story? The plot is
perfect, and it is set at a perfect pace throughout the
book, which flows naturally. There is a little bit of
everything in this book. You have romance, humor, and a wee
bit of suspense all wrapped together in a perfect story
about love and adventure, and you get a little lesson about
steamboat history. The dialog between the characters is
wonderful. Nicole is a sweet, smart, and sassy young lady
that is willing to risk everything for her family. Darius
has a wonderful transformation that blew me away. This is
the first book I read by Karen Witemeyer, and it certainly
will not be the last. FULL STEAM AHEAD is a must read for
2014!!
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?