Full Steam Ahead

By: Karen Witemeyer

Narrated by: Carine Montbertrand

When Nicole Renard returns home to Galveston from an eastern finishing school, she's stunned to find her father in ill health. Though she loves him, he's only ever focused on what she's not. Not male. Not married. Not able to run their family business, Renard Shipping. Vowing to secure a suitable marriage partner, Nicole sets out with the Renard family's greatest treasure: a dagger personally gifted to Nicole's father by the pirate Jean Lafitte. Many believe the legend that the dagger is the source of all Renard Shipping's good fortune, though Nicole is sure her father's work ethic and honorable business practices are the keys to their success. Before she can board the steamer to New Orleans, Nicole finds her father's rivals--the Jenkins brothers--on either side of the gangplank, ready to grab her and steal the dagger. Quickly, she decides to instead travel north, to Liberty, Texas, where she can decide what to do next. Darius Thornton needs a secretary--someone to help him get his notes in order. Ever since the boiler explosion aboard the Louisiana, Darius has been a man obsessed. He will do anything to stop even one more steamship disaster. The pretty young socialite who applies for the job baffles him with her knowledge of mathematics and steamships. He decides to take a risk and hire her, but he's determined her attractive face and fancy clothes won't distract him from his important research. The job offer comes at exactly the right time for Nicole. With what Darius is paying her, she'll be able to afford passage to New Orleans in mere weeks. But Mr. Thornton is so reclusive, so distant, so unusual. He can create complex scientific equations but can't remember to comb his hair. And his experiments are growing more and more dangerous. Still, there are undeniable sparks of attraction between them. But Nicole is leaving soon, and if she marries, it must be to a man who can manage a shipping empire. Darius certainly doesn't fit that description. And the Jenkins brothers have not given up on kidnapping Nicole and seizing the Lafitte dagger for themselves.

©2014 Karen Witemeyer (P)2014 Recorded Books

So good worth reading again

This is my third time enjoying this story. It’s so good! The first two times I read the book and this time I listened to the audio version. I really enjoyed the audio version.

Story Took Off

Nicole Renard is determined to protect her parents and make sure the Jenkins brothers do not take the Lafitte dagger. However, when her father sends her to New Orleans to find a husband and suitable heir to his shipping business, things don’t turn out as planned. Lack of ready funds finds her as secretary to a man obsessed with making steamboat engines safer. Then, Darius Thornton starts heating up her heart, and with the enemy hot on her trail, the scene is set for an explosion of huge proportions.

I found this novel to have a slower start than most of Karen Witemeyer’s. Until chapter four, I begin to wonder if I’d have to rate a book of hers less than five stars for the first time. And the fact that a single woman from a well-to-do family in 1849 would not have been sent to New Orleans to find a husband without a female chaperone just increased my concern. However, the book took off after that, and I found it hard to put down. It turned out to be just as engaging as all of Karen Witemeyer’s books, and the narrator does a great job, as well, in the audible version. #UnlikelyHero #HappyEnding #FeelGood #Feud #AmericanWest

What is happening with the narrator?

The narrator keeps switching to a nasal tone in her narration, completely at random, sometimes at the beginning of a chapter, sometimes in the middle of a sentence. It almost sounds like two different tracks were recorded and then mixed up together.

Unexpected gem!!

Loved the story. Well read. Did not expect much from the book, judging by the cover, but I could not stop listening. Refreshing story. One adventure after another

Inspirational

I really enjoyed the plot as well as found it very enlightening of the travel trouble of the day. I saw a little of me in Nichole. Great book!

This is a clean, adventurous Historical Romance

Darius was not a “people pleaser “ as was his brother He was blunt and pointed out the facts. He was also slightly arrogant.
After a conversation proclaiming his family’s superior ships, an explosion occurred. While the men tried to save women and children, Darius found himself in a position to aid in the process. Through a unexpected quirk, he ended up loving one that he dove into the water and tried to save. This event caused him to take leave to try to find answers.
Nicole was an only child. Since her father had promised to allow her to choose her own husband, she could no longer wait for the man to find her. She must go on a sudden venture to find a man in the shipping business who she could stand to live with and who is worthy of her father’s blessing . She felt she had it all worked out and will also prove to her father that a girl can be just as successful as a boy. She had no idea how life events can quickly change.
Full Steam Ahead addresses several topics. It contains elements of superstition, eccentricity, violence, humor, mystery, discovery, and feuding between families. It also contains a touch of romance.
There is page-turning adventure
which never feels dull.
The characters are diverse and very well portrayed. The scenes are vividly described and the reader/listener can easily feel a part of the story.
The Title and Cover are eye-catching and chosen well.
The Narrator, Carine Montbertrands performance was good but her voice was low and dragged out much of the narration.

The Dagger

Would you listen to Full Steam Ahead again? Why?

Yes it was easy listening

What about Carine Montbertrand’s performance did you like?

This woman has an enornous collection of various voices. , she is excellent!

Nice Story

I liked the story, but I found the audible version just a bit irritating. I have heard a lot of audible books, but this "reader" was a bit annoying. Not awful; I would still listen but would like to hear it from another "reader" voice.

Tediously long

Tediously long and boring in parts. Karen Witemeyer is an excellent writer. I didn't care for the book topic--steamboats.

Expected More

I've been a HUGE Karen Witemeyer fan since I first read "A Tailor Made Bride." "Full Steam Ahead" didn't feel like the author I fell for in that first novel. While parts of the story were very good, I didn't connect with the characters as I had in her previous novels. It's something that I can't pinpoint, or put my finger on, but it was frustrating. I loved the historical aspect of the story, and the science behind the steam engines, but it seemed like so much was repeated, plot lines were emphasized and re-emphasized again, and I wanted more than that. Frankly, I expected more than that.

A big issue was probably the narration. Yet again, 2nd book in a row, an old sounding narrator for a book about young people. I honestly feel like had the book had a better narrator, one that didn't speak so slowly, or emphasize certain words the same way every time like, "Lafitte Dagger," it would have been smoother, and I could have connected more to the characters. Now, Carine Montbertrand was definitely not as bad as the narrator for "Stealing the Preacher." That's a book I had to return and buy in print. Looking back, I might buy this one as well and re-read it.

I felt like giving the overall rating of this book a 3 out of 5, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt by making it a 4. I enjoyed the story, I liked how the characters met and interacted, but there was a disconnect somewhere.

Definitely worth the credit if you're a fan of Karen Witemeyer, or enjoy a nice easy listening Christian romance. It's just not up to the level I expected based on her previous works.