A Deep Divide by Kimberley Woodhouse

 

Set in the early 1900s. Emma Grace is the daughter of an extremely wealthy man, whose ambition for more money took him over. When she was still 17 she ran away from him and being his pawn. She became a Harvey girl, strove to be her best, and was able to transfer to the new restaurant at the Grand Canyon. She was tired of disguises and hiding, hoping she had run far enough away for them to find her. She had learned that her father had been murdered after she left, and she was afraid.

Ray was the son of another extremely wealthy man who was obsessed with getting more. He wasn't like his father, and little by little Emma Grace began to see him as he really was, a man of God and faith, who wanted to help others, and not like other men of their social status.
Kimberly Woodhouse is so good at creating fully real, lovable characters with great depth. Excellent story that I didn't want to put down. Beautiful Christian lessons that give a strong foundation throughout. Interesting information about the Grand Canyon and Hopi Indians from the area. Looking forward to the next in the series! 
I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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To Find Her Place by Susan Anne Mason

 

Very engrossing story of struggle for these characters. Real enough you'll feel you have to tell someone what just happened as you go along. Men are fighting and those still at home are frowned upon. Women are having to step in to fill positions, but are still not taken seriously. Jane is divorced in 1943 Toronto and acting as the Directress of the Children's Aid Society. She had been a caseworker and is completely committed to the children and making things better. Since her husband left her, and her brother is in the war, she has to support herself and her sick mother. She desperately needs this job to become permanent. Garrett is brought in to audit the business, and Jane, and is planning on submitting his application for the Director position. He also needs the money to help support his parents farm. It's quite a story of difficulties during the war and heartaches, but also has lessons of faith. Circumstances seem to dictate their paths, but we know that God is in control. Excellent read.
I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. #ToFindHerPlace #NetGalley

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A Perfect Silhouette by Judith Miller

Sweet Christian Historical Romance. Mellie is from a well to do family whose reputation and finances suffered thanks to her brother in law. So that she could make more money, she gave up her job as a tutor to work in the mills to help support her sister and her family. While in school, she had learned a talent for Scherenschnitte, paper silhouette cutting. Since additional income was needed, she found a shop in town where she earned extra money doing Scherenschnitte.
Morgan is the mill owners son. Returning home from being away at school, he wants to learn ways to improve the mills and put his engineering degree to work. To be more efficient, he went to work there under an assumed name. This is an intricate story involving likable characters, and you'll find yourself rooting for them. Lessons of forgiveness and God's love throughout the story. As is typical for Judith Miller, this is well researched and she brings to life what it must have been like to work in the mills at that time. It was an important business for our country, but working conditions were terrible. Such a good story I didn't want it to end. I'm hoping for a sequel!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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The Spice King by Elizabeth Camden

"The world was a good place. She needed to look for it, even when life was full of pain."
New book in the "Hope and Glory" series.
1900 Washington DC. Christian Historical. I was all in on the first page. 
This is intense.
Annabelle is from a farming family in Kansas. Her father was able to put her and her sister through college, which is quite a thing now, even more so back then. She and Elaine move to Washington, DC, she at the Smithsonian (later Department of Agriculture), her sister at the Library of Congress. Elaine is blind, and this seemed to be a great opportunity for her to learn and to grow, so despite the financial strain on the family, off they went.
Annabelle is a botanist (something I very much had wanted to be so I can relate). Her boss wanted a rare plant that Gray Delacroix was rumored to have, and told her that a permanent position depended on her getting in to Gray's property to see if it was there. She is pleasantly pushy (I pictured June Allison) and actually manages to get in to see him. Gray is from a wealthy family, built on hard work, and it takes more hard work to keep the fortunes going. Their family has earned their reputation by providing the best quality products. Not every company was that way. These were the early days when there was a lack of safety standards in the food industry, so companies could get away with putting out a product that was not what it seems. (Doesn't seem possible now, does it?) The story unfolds interesting information about Good Housekeeping in it's early days - what they did and why - and how important to our country it was. The story takes off from there, seeming to put Annabelle on one side of things and Gray on the other. Gray's brother never really wanted to work for the family - or so it seemed. Politics, secrets, money, mystery and life all play a part in this book. Choices made, right from wrong, scruples and personal standards are reviewed and explored. Integrity - or lack of it. Nothing boring here - all together an excellent read! Don't you just love that cover? Can't wait for the next in the series.
"The world was a huge, wide-ope landscape bursting with opportunity, and it was up to her to choose how she would live in it."
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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