Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer

About the Book
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?

My Thoughts
As is always the case with this author, I loved this book! Karen Witemeyer never fails to serve up the perfect blend of romance, humor, and action, that makes for an amazing story!
Darius and Nicole were such fun amazing characters! I loved Darius's eccentricity, and the fact that it wasn't over the top but just enough to make him endearing. And even though he didn't exactly have the right motivation I greatly admired his devotion to the task he thought was his to complete. Other men would have given up after a few failed experiments or even chosen not to start in the first place but Darius soldiered on.
And Nicole, she was perfect for Darius! Smart, clever, brave, and just enough no-nonsense thrown in to keep him on his toes. I was impressed by how far she was willing to go to please her father even though he didn't request most of it.
I loved watching the two of them interact and I thought their love story was really cute.
The Wellborns were fantastic as well! Housekeepers and butlers often make for the best secondary characters and these two were no different. From Wellborn's stoic commitment to how a butler should act to Mrs. Wellborn's friendliness and gentle interference they quickly made me love their characters.
I really enjoyed the steamboat aspects of the story and getting a bit of a better glance at how their boilers work.

Everything about this book was so very good and I highly recommend it!

Meet the Author
Two-time RITA® Finalist and winner of the coveted HOLT Medallion and ACFW Carol Award, CBA bestselling author, Karen Witemeyer, writes historical romance fiction for Bethany House, believing that the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher, shower singer, and bakes a mean apple cobbler. Karen makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.