Carol Moncado

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?

As always, I look ahead to the summer – hours by the pool, sleeping in, and new book by Karen Witemeyer.

As always, Karen weaves a story that is difficult to put down. The characters are multi-faceted and intriguing. The setting vivid. The historical details riveting.

Darius’s quirks and Nicole’s determination make the book difficult to put down. The bad guys are sufficiently bad without being TOO buffoony. I loved her family and the others who worked for Darius.

The only question… is it June yet? When’s the next one come out?

Or maybe I need to break out Short-Straw Bride again ;).

Overall rating: 8.5 out of 10 stars

Thanks to Karen and the publisher for a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.