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!!