Book Review: Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer

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 Review:

Full Steam Ahead is a fantastic tale of family, tragedy, and love. It's no secrete that I'm a huge fan of Karen's books. I have LOVED each and every one of them thus far and have no doubt that each book hereafter will be superb (no pressure Karen).

Nicole stumbles into Darius' path in her search for employment after her family is attacked by their archenemy. Between rewriting Darius' scientific notebooks and saving lives Nicole is bound and determined to earn enough money for passage to travel down the river in the opposite direction she came. She needs to secure her family's legacy. And quickly.

Darius is doing much better on his experiments since Nicole has been helping out. However, now that there is a lovely lady around she is also proving to be a major distraction to him. Once he finds out the secret she has been hiding he does everything he can to help keep the lady he has helplessly fallen in love with safe. 

I believe that while this is a fun story the author, Karen Witemeyer, had something deeper to say. We can all try and try and try to get things accomplished by going about it our way, and in our own strength; to make sure we become who we want to be. Yet maybe that isn't God's plan for us. We need to have the strength and courage to let go of how we think things should go and what we should do, and let God mold us into who He needs us to be so we can accomplish what He needs us to do. I enjoyed going on the journey with the main characters in Full Steam Ahead as they came to find out that is exactly what they needed to do. Let go, and let God take control. 

***Thank you Bethany House Publishers and Karen Witemeyer for the free book in exchange for my honest review.***

Please check out Karen Witemeyer's website for a full list of her books and find out what she has going on right now.

Grab your very own copy of Full Steam Ahead from Christianbook.com or even from Amazon.com. I know you'll love it!

About Karen

Karen Witemeyer is a confirmed bookaholic who believes the world needs more happily-ever-afters. To that end, she combines her love of bygone eras with her passion for helping women mature in Christ to craft historical romance novels that lift the spirit and nurture the soul.

After growing up in California, Karen moved to Texas to attend Abilene Christian University where she earned bachelor and master's degrees in Psychology. It was also there that she met and married her own Texas hero. He roped her in good, for she has lived in Texas ever since. In fact, she fell so in love with this rugged land of sweeping sunsets and enduring pioneer spirit, that she incorporates it into the pages of her novels, setting her stories in the small towns of a state that burgeoned into greatness in the mid- to late1800s.

Karen is living her dream by writing Christian historical romance novels for Bethany House. Her books have consistently hit bestseller lists and have garnered awards such as the ACFW Carol Award, the Holt Medallion, and the Christian Manifesto's Lime Award for Excellence in Fiction. In addition, she is a multiple RITA and National Reader's Choice finalist. Karen is also a sought-after speaker for national writing conferences and regional workshops.