Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer

Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer. Bethany House, 2014. 348p. (9780764209673)

I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while and finally was able to read it this week. When I first heard that Karen Witemeyer’s next book was not going to be about an Archer brother I was saddened, but I quite enjoyed this book.

Goodreads Summary:

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 few 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:

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This book has a more historical fiction feel to it than the author’s previous books. While the characters are all completely made up the reader still gets a good picture of the dangers of steam engines before the Steamboat Act of 1852. Exploding boiler engines isn’t something I’ve ever thought of.

Perhaps I have Beauty and the Beast on my brain from the recent Rogglewood Press contest announcement, but Darius Thornton definitely had a bit of beastliness about him in his rough temperament, ill-kempt appearance, and haggard looks from lack of sleep. Nicole is quite the stubborn character and I love her penchant for math and science. Today the author posted about the woman who received the top score in the Cambridge University mathematics tripos exam - the most prestigious mathematics exam in the world.

The danger surrounding the Renard family and the dagger served to get Nichole out of town but I found that her interactions with Darius is what kept me turning the pages. Not any concern over the Jenkins brothers – well, except of course during the dangerous part. Darius is the perfect hero – flawed, passionate, sensible, strong, and has the right background.

My favorite characters though were the butler, Wellborn, and the housekeeper, Mrs. Wellborn. Both wise people who know exactly what is best to do and say in just about any situation.

If you enjoy historical fiction with strong female characters, analytical male characters, love at almost first sight (took barely a week or so) and danger, than this is a book for you.

Go read it! Find it at a librarynear you; Buy it from Amazon ($10.62 / $9.99); Buy it from ChristianBooks.com ($9.99 / $9.69); Buy it from Barnes & Noble ($10.62 / $9.99)

(Paperback / ebook prices good as of June 5, 2014 always double check for yourself)

Disclosure: I borrowed this book from the library. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.

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