"Full Steam Ahead," by Karen Witemeyer

"Full Steam Ahead," by Karen Witemeyer

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?

If you are looking for a book to read that is as light hearted as the cover picture, this book is for you.  From the sparks that fly between Nicole and Darius right from the beginning, you know it's not going to be a straight forward attraction/courtship. The ups and downs that they go through make the story all that more interesting.

I am a big fan of Karen Witemeyer and this book doesn't disappoint.  Make sure you do read the Note to the Reader at the end, as that confirms a few interesting points that were brought up in the book about steamships.  Again I am a fan of all things history so this appealed to me.

Stars out of 5 : 4.5 A good book to pick up when you want a light hearted read.  You may not be a fan of mechanical things but this book was interesting without getting overly technical and boring you all.  I thought the cover portrayed the characters to a tee and the way that Karen writes her books she brings them to life.  If I had to explain the character Nicole in a couple of words I would say "Fire Cracker," and Darius, "Dark & Moody!!"

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".