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.
My Take:
I am never disappointed by this author. She always has fun plots with unique characters that keep you turning page after page.
Darius is a great example. He is gruff, obsessed with his experiments to the exclusion of everything and everyone else, and tortured by his inability to save a girl he didn't even know. He wasn't one for convention and manners before and now -- well he is unshaven and just as likely to growl as a hungry grizzly. The people in the town view him as a mad scientist - dangerous and more than a bit unstable. As the story progresses, we get to see beyond the surface and grow to love him nearly as much as Nicole.
Nicole is feisty and determined. She surprises you with things like strapping a knife to her thigh -- and then brings it up another notch by hurling it with deadly accuracy. Darius affectionately calls her a pirate, and the label seems to fit. She feels the need to overcome not being the son her father wanted and needs.
The information about boilers was interesting -- and not overdone. I liked how the characters meshed and brought out the best in each other. The secondary character are wonderful and add a lot of heart and humor.
I want to thank the publishers for my copy of the book. Their generosity in no way influenced my review.
Darius is a great example. He is gruff, obsessed with his experiments to the exclusion of everything and everyone else, and tortured by his inability to save a girl he didn't even know. He wasn't one for convention and manners before and now -- well he is unshaven and just as likely to growl as a hungry grizzly. The people in the town view him as a mad scientist - dangerous and more than a bit unstable. As the story progresses, we get to see beyond the surface and grow to love him nearly as much as Nicole.
Nicole is feisty and determined. She surprises you with things like strapping a knife to her thigh -- and then brings it up another notch by hurling it with deadly accuracy. Darius affectionately calls her a pirate, and the label seems to fit. She feels the need to overcome not being the son her father wanted and needs.
The information about boilers was interesting -- and not overdone. I liked how the characters meshed and brought out the best in each other. The secondary character are wonderful and add a lot of heart and humor.
I want to thank the publishers for my copy of the book. Their generosity in no way influenced my review.
