Tuesday, September 28, 2021

A Deep Divide, Secrets of the Canyon #1 by Kimberly Woodhouse

Book description:
 

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.

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Hostile Intent, Danger Never Sleeps #4 by Lynette Eason


Book description:

 Secrets are about to be revealed . . . but will the guilty be brought to justice?

Ava Jackson entered the military shortly after high school, but her mother's illness has forced her to request an early discharge. She already lost her father while deployed, and there's no way she's going to let her mother die alone. But after a visit to the nursing facility where her mother lives, Ava is attacked walking back to her car. Fortunately, FBI Special Agent Caden Denning arrives in time to help fight off her attacker.

Caden reveals to Ava that she may hold the key to the murders of three families, and he needs her help before anyone else is harmed. The hits show a pattern, and clearly the killer has an agenda. But if Caden and Ava can't discover what it is, Ava may be next on the hit list.


My review:

  I have been a fan of Lynette Eason's books since the first one I read and reviewed ten years ago. She has written six different series for Revell, and each one has been totally different from the others. This series has revolved around mostly characters in the military, or who were formally in the military.

  This last book in the series was a wild ride, and a definite page turner. The plot was very well done. There was a lot going on and no visible connection between murders of whole families, nor was it obvious at first what the heroine of the story had to what was going on. The bad guy's identity also was not obvious for a while.

 I loved the characters in this series, and Caden - the hero of this book - was one of the most likable ones. 

 This is a somewhat difficult review to do without giving what are somewhat spoilers away if I say what the book involved....but it was an awesome read and had a lot of old and new secrets .

  The romance part of the book was very well done, and had its humorous moments, especially since Ava never gave a guy a third date and Caden was determined to have a third date and beyond.

  Hostile Intent was an awesome read, and had a great ending to the book and series that had some of the charters from the other book.

I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.


About the author: 


Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the Danger Never Sleeps, Blue Justice, Women of Justice, Deadly Reunions, Hidden Identity, and Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of three ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, among others. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and has a master's degree in education from Converse College. Eason lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.

                                                                           Book #1

                                                                     

                                                                            Book #2



                                                                           Book #3