With her past behind her, she has nothing--and everything--to lose.
After being kidnapped as a child, heiress Emma Grace McMurray has seen firsthand the devastation that greed causes in the world, and she wants nothing to do with it. When she discovers her father has offered her up as a bargaining chip to expand his empire, she disappears into the night. Determined to stay hidden, even if it means always looking over her shoulder, she finds herself working as a Harvey Girl at the El Tovar Hotel.
When Ray Watkins arrives at the hotel on business, he is immediately captivated by the beauty of the Grand Canyon. Though his fame-seeking father aims to lure new investors to the Arizona Territory, Ray dreams of one day taking over the family business and doing good with the profits.
Ray immediately admires Emma Grace, and though an attraction begins to form, she can't let go of the deep-rooted fear that he's just like every other wealthy man she's known. When suspicious activity follows Emma Grace and Ray to the El Tovar, they are pulled into a mystery that stirs up their worst fears. And as shocking revelations come to light, they are left to question all they thought to be true.
My review:
I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but Kimberly Woodhouse is a favorite author and she does it well. It is obvious she does a lot of research, and I have Googled things in her books before and found them to be accurate. i.e. the El Tovar Hotel the book takes place in and around. Built around the time of this book takes place, the early 1900's, the hotel is still there and operating.
A Deep Divide is the first in a series, and was a very enjoyable read. Also a big part of the book is the hotel staffed by Harvey Girls, and it was interesting to learn more about them.
In addition to a great setting, the book also had great characters and a terrific plot. Emma Grace was a great heroine and a somewhat damsel in distress, struggling with doubts of God and if He cared about her. Ray was also a very likable character with his own struggles about his past mistakes before becoming a Christian.
Woodhouse does not shy away about putting Christian content in her books, whether she is writing solo or co-writing with Tracy Peterson. The reader will walk away with some sort of encouraging and sometimes convicting message woven through the story, and this book definitely had that.
The author also usually has some sort of suspense in the plot, not on the edge of your seat, biting fingernails scary, but still suspenseful enough to appeal to the suspense lover in some of us....and A Deep Divide had an awesome plot with suspense and a kidnapping thrown in that made the book all the more interesting.
Romance....I didn't used to like the romance part of these stories much, but that has slowly changed, and this author is one author who changed that as I became a fan of her books. This book of course has a romantic aspect, but slight spoiler: it is a very slow boil. In fact, I was wondering if they ever were going to kiss. (Oh, how I have fallen).
The book had a great ending - well great all through the book with no boring parts - and also ended with forgiveness and a definite change for the hero and heroine. It left me eager to read more in the series, but book #2 is a whole year away....
I definitely recommend.
I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.
About the author:
Kimberley Woodhouse (www.kimberleywoodhouse.com) is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than twenty-five fiction and nonfiction books including The Heart of Alaska series and The Treasures of Nome series. Kim and her incredible husband of twenty-nine-plus years have two adult children. She loves the gift of story and is passionate about music and Bible study. You can connect with Kimberley on her website www.kimberleywoodhouse.com.
A Deep Divide is available October 5 from Bethany House Publishers, part of the Baker Publishing Group.
