A Deep Divide

 Title: A Deep Divide

Series: Secrets of the Canyon #1

Author: Kimberley Woodhouse

Publisher: Bethany House

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Christian Fiction,Mystery

Source: Bethany House

My review:

This book starts all sweet and innocent, and then bang! Before you know it the tide has turned, the princess is kidnapped, and the reasoning behind it is ridiculous. Unfortunately, the damage is done and Emma Grace has to live with an overbearing, greedy father, who does not care what is best for her but only wants more money to build his business. Things do not go according to plan and Emma Grace goes on the run.

Ray Watkins knows something about overbearing parents and a father who is hungry for money. When his father sends him to Arizona to stay at the El Tovar Hotel, Ray sees this as a chance to finally prove to his father that he can handle the business. Things quickly turn sour when Ray's coworkers go do his father's bidding elsewhere and don't return. When Ray tracks them down they suggest that his father is not the businessman that Ray knows him to be.

There are many layers to this story. As you divulge deeper into the story, the mystery gets more complicated. However, you start to see many connections and can't help but keep flipping the pages to see where the story is going to go.

There is something about the Harvey Girls that fascinate me and make me want to learn all I can about them. I love the way that is incorporated into this story. I have never been to the Grand Canyon but from the great descriptions in this book, I want to go! I also appreciated the natural flow of faith in the story.  Emma Grace was not a Christian and those around her did not force Christianity on her. They would offer encouragement and maybe a verse to think on, but they never forced her into a decision or harped on her decisions.

I enjoyed this story and look forward to the next book in the series. I hope that Ruth gets her own story, but regardless, I will enjoy the location and setting again.

Thank you to Bethany House for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

★★★★/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

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--including her father's offering her hand in a business deal. She sneaks away to be a Harvey Girl at the El Tovar Grand Canyon Hotel, planning to stay hidden even if it means always looking over her shoulder.

Ray Watkins arrives at the hotel wanting to impress his father by finding success on his own. Then maybe he can take on more of the family business and do something good with the profits.

Ray immediately admires Emma Grace, and though a friendship forms, she's afraid he's just like every other wealthy man she's known. Then art and jewels go missing from El Tovar and the nearby Hopi House, a mystery that pulls them in and stirs up their worst fears. When shocking revelations come to light, they'll have to question all they thought to be true.