There are a lot of books that mention trade and goods coming from the West Indies, but I haven't read a story in which the main characters actually go there to live. This piqued my interest in seeing how life on the islands would be described, what challenges the characters would face, and who they would meet along their journey. Another bonus was that the book was written by Lisa Bergren, who happens to be one of my favorite authors! I knew the detail would be rich and the characters well-developed.

Keturah was a character that had to grow on me a bit. Her stubbornness played a big part in her choices throughout the novel, and yet a flawless character is not an interesting one. So I enjoyed seeing how her stubbornness became part of her strength, even though I mentally shook my head at many of the choices she made : ). It's funny how a book can transport you into a fictional character's life...but that's how it happens for me. When I think back on a book I've read, it's not the text on a page that I remember, but the mental images that text conjures up. I can picture Keturah and her sisters, laboring in the sugar cane fields in the hot, island sun, as well as many other images. When I am able to form vivid mental pictures like this, I know it was a good book : ). 

Personal takeaway...Don't be afraid to take a leap of faith when you feel that is what God is leading you to do. You may be filled with uncertainty, but He will be with you every step of the way.

I'm looking forward to the next books in this series and would definitely recommend starting with Keturah. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley so that I could share my personal review, which I did.

Keturah is the first book in the Sugar Baron's Daughters Series.  This series takes place in the West Indies in the 1720s.  Keturah and her two sisters receive the news that their father is dead, and they have two estates to run.  Keturah decides that they only way for them to survive is to head to the West Indies to make the Sugar Plantation a success.  Then they can sell the property and return to England without debt hanging over their heads.  Then her sisters will be free to marry whomever they choose. 

Lady Keturah Banning Tomlison and her younger sisters set sail for the island of Nevis.  These three women work very hard to prove they do not need men to think for them, or to run a plantation.  Keturah takes charge, she hires a free black man as her overseer, and slaves are treated as co-workers instead of slaves.  At every turn, Keturah is faced with opposition.  Her old childhood friend is the only person supporting Keturah's decisions.  While it is nice to have some support, Keturah promised herself she would never be at the mercy of a man again in her life. So how will she find the balance of needing the support of a man, yet remain the woman in charge of a plantation?

 

This book was very interesting to me.  I loved the setting of the Caribbean, but found it hard to accept the reality of three young women setting off for the island of Nevis to run a plantation in 1772.  This didn't keep me from enjoying the story-line.  Keturah's battle with the dominance of men comes from a dark cause.  Yet the love of her sisters and a gentle caring man are enough to help pull her from the darkness.  The dark issue of slavery is treated with gentleness.  Bergin provides an historical look at what people thought was necessary in order to have a thriving plantation.  Yet through the eyes of these women, we find that the standard may not always have to be the norm. I appreciate the hope and dignity that Bergin provided through the sisters challenging the norms of the island.   This book is well written, and will leave you wanting to know more about their success in the world.

My thanks to Bethany House Publisher and Netgalley for the free e-book in exchange for my review.

In 1772 England, Lady Keturah Banning Tomlinson and her sisters find themselves the heiresses of their father's estates and know they have one option: Go to the West Indies to save what is left of their heritage.

Although it flies against all the conventions for women of the time, they're determined to make their own way in the world. But once they arrive in the Caribbean, proper gender roles are the least of their concerns. On the infamous island of Nevis, the sisters discover the legacy of the legendary sugar barons has vastly declined--and that's just the start of what their eyes are opened to in this unfamiliar world.

Keturah never intends to put herself at the mercy of a man again, but every man on the island seems to be trying to win her hand and, with it, the ownership of her plantation. She could desperately use an ally, but even an unexpected reunion with a childhood friend leaves her questioning his motives.

Set on keeping her family together and saving her father's plantation, can Keturah ever surrender her stubbornness and guarded heart to God and find the healing and love awaiting her?

Overall I found this book to be entertaining.  There were spots that were slow and I kept waiting for something to happen.  I didn't care for the slave issues.  But at the time this story takes place in the Indies it was a very common practice and to not have slaves would have been out of place.  It was interesting to see the rise and fall of sugar plantations during their hey day.

I would recommend this book for a light romantic read with a little mystery thrown in.

I was given this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in anyway.

Actually 4.5 stars~

Stellar author, Lisa T. Bergren, whisks the reader away on an exotic journey to the sugar plantations of Nevis Island—glorious in their rich beauty of swaying green cane and the fragrance of jasmine, mangoes, magnolias, and sea salt on the air. Ms. Bergren is definitely proficient at descriptive imagery as the sights, scents, and sounds of Nevis infiltrated my mind and intoxicated me! Though a bit slow to start with, this novel is definitely one I'm glad I kept reading. 

The romantic tension was oh, so exquisitely painful and the three sisters delightful...with the exception of Keturah, the heroine. I found it so very difficult to like her at all. Until one day she did something so amazing and so human—she giggled! (gasp!) That's all it took for me to fall in love with her character. I'm easy. lol On a more serious note, Lady Ket evolves so much throughout the novel one can't help but learn to care deeply for her. And Gray. There are no words...well, except for gallant, handsome, and virile perfection come to mind. An intriguing, heartrending novel with a strong thread of redemption, hope, and forgiveness throughout, I highly recommend 'Keturah' and anxiously await the next book in 'The Sugar Baron's Daughters' series! 

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to give a favorable one.

Keturah and her sisters, Verity and Selah, are ladies of society, used to nice things and proper respect due their station.  However, left as orphans upon their father's death, they are left with difficult decisions.  Keturah, as the eldest, determines that she must travel to the family's sugar cane plantation in the West Indies, and try to get their crops to flourish again to keep the family's finances afloat.  Her sisters agree to travel with her, and they are joined by their long-time family friend Gray, as he also travels to test his fortune in the sugar cane fields on his family's neighboring estate.  Their determination and faith will have to see them through many more hardships and surprises than they are prepared for.  Can Keturah set the scars of her past and her stubborn independence aside in time to save her family from financial failure, or worse?

I am not usually drawn to historical fiction, although I am a fan of Lisa T. Bergren.  Her children's books, in particular, are delightful, and I enjoyed her YA series, The River of Time.  I found the setting of this book, in colonial times in the West Indies, to be fresh and intriguing.  Keturah's experiences upon the island were not whitewashed, and as her eyes were opened to the harsh lives of the slaves, so will be the reader's.  While I'm not entirely sure that the storyline could have been even remotely possible - women living on their own, doing men's work, hiring a black overseer - it is an interesting fictional tale.  Watching Keturah work through her hurts and doubts is something that many readers can relate to, even if their own scars are vastly different.

I give this book 3.5 stars.  I am looking forward to the rest of the series, to see how their lives continue to develop, and to read more of this exotic location.

After a slow start, I found myself really enjoying this book.  It did take a bit for me to like the main character and feel some sort of emotional connection to her and the story but it did happen about half way through.  The last third of the book the pacing picked up and things started happening.  That time period and plantations are fascinating to me.  So exotic and adventurous, yet so perilous.  The author did a good job of capturing all those elements.  The slavery that existed is so hard to read about and so, so awful yet plays a large part in stories like this.

I loved the idea of three sisters banding together and forging a new life in the unknown.  They learned and grew and I loved that they did that together.  They took good care of each other.

I have to say that I LOVED the River of Time series by this author.  It's one of my very favorites.  I didn't love this book like I did those but I will probably come back for the next book because by the end I was very interested in the other sisters and where their stories may go.

Content:  violence, slavery, kissing, Christian elements

- I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher at my request via NetGalley.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Keturah is the first book in Bergren’s new The Sugar Baron’s Daughters series, and I am already anticipating the second. The recently widowed Keturah is the oldest of the three Banning daughters. With the death of their parents, she assumed the responsibility of her sisters, the family estate, and their sugar plantation in the West Indies. A responsibility she carried on her own as her disastrous marriage had left her determined never to be at someone else’s mercy or under their control again. Unheard of in the latter half of the eighteenth century, Keturah and her sisters decide the only way to save their family estate is to embark on a journey to the island of Nevis, and to personally see to improving the harvest of sugar on their plantation. While things might be done differently on Nevis, the European residents there, might not be accepting of the role these young ladies were stepping into. 
     Gray Covington, a childhood friend of Keturah’s, was also traveling to Nevis to run the sugar plantation that he’d purchased from his brother, heir to their family’s English estate. He had invested everything he had in the venture. Gray had absented himself from Keturah following her marriage, and had high hopes of renewing their friendship as they traveled on the same ship. Tales that had formed a less than reputable reputation for Gray among the young ladies of their set, and the lasting effects of the abuse she had suffered at her late husband’s hands, caused Keturah to be warry of his sudden interest in her affairs. Gray suffered to think that she might never trust and lean upon him, that he might not ever be able to keep her and her sisters safe. 
     The central themes of this book are perseverance and forgiveness, both of which were necessary for the peace that Katurah sought. Reading about how these developed through hardships in her life would be very encouraging to readers going through hardships of their own. The author was sensitive to readers who might have been or might be involved in an abusive relationship, offering resources in her author’s notes to assist them. Whether one is drawn to these themes, or is just a fan of historical fiction, Keturah promises to provide hours of quality reading.  
     I thank NetGalley and the Baker Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of Keturah in exchange for my review. I received no monetary compensation.

I love Lisa Town Bergren. She writes exciting historical stories about very rich and full characters. You know when you read a historical romance and it's basically just the one milk toast girl thinking about and looking at the dime-a-dozen hunk and vice versa? (Yawn.) LTB's characters are never milk toast and never dime-a-dozen! They always stick with me. They are real people...well, to me, anyway! :)

This one was fun b/c it was set on Nevis and I just went to Nevis' sister island, St. Kitts a few months ago. So, to see the places she mentions made it more real. I thought the whole idea of a Lady leaving England to make her way as plantation owner was great. The slavery in the book was...well, hard. And even Keturah's reaction to one particular slave, left me wanting more. BUT I think historically, it's exactly as it would have been.

LTB's books are also always full of action--never a dull moment sitting over tea! Always something big coming around the corner. I do think this one started a bit slow on the boat and even left me wondering why Gray was even in the mix, but once their feet were on the island, it was non-stop!

Of course, LTB also fills her stories with hope, redemption and God's love without being heavy-handed.

Also. The cover of this book is to die for! 

*I requested this book via NetGalley b/c I love Lisa Town Bergren. All thoughts/words my own.

This is the first book in Lisa T Bergren's new series, The Sugar Baron's Daughters. It follows orphaned sisters Keturah, Verity, and Selah as they leave England for the Caribbean island of Nevis to take over the management of their father's sugar plantation. It's a fabulous setting:

Sloping landscape, in shades of green, down to a turquoise sea lapping at creamy sand.

That was the best part. The plot proceeds very much as expected. There are good characters, bad characters, and indifferent characters. Bad things happen to good people, but the good people also get their happy ending ... along with the promise of more bad people doing bad things in book two.

I found Keturah to be a frustrating and somewhat contradictory character. She's an English slave owner who—despite being horrendously treated in her first marriage—has never thought to question the morality of slavery or consider that perhaps not everyone treats their slaves as kindly as her family does. So she's shocked when she sees the way slaves are treated on Nevis. 

That was annoying, but I could understand it from a privileged woman who'd had a sheltered upbringing in 1770's England. What I found harder to understand was how a woman who'd sworn off all men based on the disaster that was her first marriage manages to get over her past with little or no effort. That didn't ring true. It takes more than a kiss to get over physical and sexual abuse.

This was a solid novel with an interesting and new-to-me location. The history and location had obviously been well researched, but a great novel needs more than a great setting and excellent research. Overall, Keturah was let down by average writing, and a plot and characters that never rose above predictable.

Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Well written and engaging this book tackles some tough issues but with skill and grace. I loved the main character and how strong she was for her family despite her past. The romance was sweet and satisfying without being too much and the historical aspect was very interesting.

Lisa has written yet another page turner. I love this book so much. I appreciate the time spent on character development and I love that Lisa's lead male character is a human with flaws and not just a romansical superman. Loved the story, loved the characters, loved the setting - I will be buying this book once it comes out. It is one I can see myself reading time and again.

This was a wonderful book! I didn't want it to end and can't wait to read the next book in the series. This book will take you on an amazing adventure with the three Banning sisters as they journey from the home in England to the West Indies in one last effort to save the failing sugar plantation. The characters are believable, their struggles and joys woven through the pages will leave you on the edge of your seat. Don't miss this book!

I generally really like Bergren’s writing so I was very excited to see her releasing a new series, but I have to say that this wasn’t my favorite of her works.  There were positives to the story.  I appreciated Keturah’s journey back to God and to herself after struggle and suffering.  I appreciated the way that the injustice of the time was dealt with on multiple levels.  And yet, the characters each seemed to have only one real facet, whether that was a striving for independence, compassion, a need to prove themselves, I just found all the players in the story a bit too one note for my taste.

If you have an interest in reading about Nevis in the 1700’s and the history of the era then you’ll probably enjoy this novel, but I just didn’t love it.

Keturah is a broken woman.  After her failed marriage to her abusive husband, she’s vowed never to be under the control of a man ever again.  She’s decided to travel from England to Nevis to turn around the family’s sugar cane plantation.  Her two sisters make the decision to travel with her, and they leave their old lives behind.

Once they arrive at Nevis, things are much harder than Ket anticipated.  She’s been offered help from her childhood friend, Gray, but she’s reluctant to let any man have any control in her life.  She’s also made an unexpected discovery at the plantation, and she doesn’t have enough slaves or even a foreman.

This book was a bit of a roller coaster for me.  It’s definitely a journey of healing for Keturah, but there’s some hard moments in there.  The treatment of the slaves and abuse of them, while accurate to the time period, are hard to read.  Also, there’s recollections of the abuse Ketrah suffered at the hands of her husband and some of the things the sisters have to deal with as females trying to run their own plantation can be troubling.  There’s beatings and attempted rape.  Just something to be aware of if those things bother you.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I had a problem with the pacing.  For the first third of the book, I was reading about Keturah’s journey on board the ship.  It just seemed like she’d never get off the ship.  The thing that redeems it for me is the characters.  I want to find out what happens to Verity and Selah, Keturah’s sisters.  I want to read more of this family and look forward to the next book.  Good Book!

*I received a copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit that it took me awhile to get into this book but once I did, I didn’t want to put it down. It had been some time since I had read a book by Ms Bergren and she did not disappoint. I am glad that she gradually included the background of Keturah’s life. Also liked the strong bond between the sisters. I would definitely recommend this book.

Mourning the loss of her father, Lady Keturah Banning Tomlinson must find a way for her beloved sisters and herself to survive. Now the sole owners of their family’s sugar plantation in the West Indies, Keturah decides its up to her to travel the seas and run the plantation for herself, bringing in fruitful crops so they don’t lose the family estate. But Keturah’s sisters have more gumption than she gave them credit for and they soon find themselves traveling to an unknown land, a place their father never let them visit while he was alive. Thankfully, a long-time neighbor and friend, Gray ….., is also traveling to the West Indies to make a name for himself.

But when they arrive, the ladies find themselves with more than they bargained for. Most of their slaves died with a yellow fever outbreak, the next crop was never planted, and the other plantation owners and overseers don’t want to see woman run a plantation. In fact, they are hard-pressed to run the ladies out of time! Will Keturah’s stubbornness for success lead to victory or their ruin?

Ya’ll, I couldn’t put Keturah down! Not only is the cover utterly stunning, but the story within is just as gorgeous and vibrant. A story about three woman taking their fate into their own hands by traveling the high seas to run a sugar plantation they’ve never seen and being forced to deal with conflict on every side? Yes, please! Talk about gumption and courage! And that steadfastness is much needed as Keturah deals with some heavy-handed issues, but I love how Bergren infuses grace and strength throughout the pages and within the characters. This is a truly beautiful story. Fans of historical fiction – pre-order this for your personal bookshelves now! Keturah releases everywhere on Feb. 6, 2018.

I was graciously provided a free copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.

"Keturah" was a super fast read and I eagerly look forward to the release of book 2.  Full of excitement and adventure, Christian Fiction fans are sure to love this newest release from Bergren!

With Bergren's penchant for layered historical research, winsomely poetic voice and dialogue that swiftly spins a spell on the helpless reader, KETURAH is unlike any other historical inspirational tale I have ever read. 

It features a stunning history and local as well a a situation wherein women are forced to act as catalysts for their own agency -- while still accepting the grace of a male (this hero is to die for, fyi) protector.

Inspirational fiction like this takes strides in not only painting a realistic and visceral portrait of history; but also showing the strength and determination of women to pursue roles and adventures most often suited for men.

The scales of equality are balanced beautifully between Gray and Keturah.


this is far deeper than an inspy novel, instead navigating the social injustices of its era against a land of beauty and great danger. 

An intricate tapestry worthy of your time and gushing. 

For any reader who has ever questioned the intelligence of CBA historicals, allow me to present this as a thesis.

Words of praise can not do this book justice.

Amazing? Awesome? Wonderful? These words can't even begin to describe what I thought of Lisa T. Bergren's newest novel. I always say that her books can't get better than the last one. And then it does. Every. Single. Time.

I'm not much of a writer so to try and explain what I loved so much about this book is difficult. Is it the strong independent heroine? The oh so charming, yet genuine, man who tries to woo her heart? The plot with adventure at the turn of every page? Maybe it's all those things, and more, combined. After all, in my opinion, a great book isn't one that you can list a favorite thing about it. It's one that you can't stop listing your favorite things!

If the next few books in this series are as seriously addicting as this one…well there's no use trying to find a cure for me. Because I don't want one!

Keturah and her sisters, Verity and Selah set sail for the island of Nevis to try and redeem their fortune after their father dies. What they find when they arrive is shocking to say the least. Their first encounter on the island is with a slave auction. While their family have always had slaves they were always treated well. Never have the girls been exposed to the human terror and torture of slaves just off the ships. Once they arrive on their plantation another surprise awaits them. Another reason for Keturah to never trust another man. Determined to provide for her family and their slaves Keturah works hard to find an overseer for their plantation. But the men of Nevis are determined that a woman will not run her own plantation so they plot against her. Gray has also come to Nevis to try his hand at raising sugar cane on an adjacent plantation. He has also promised the girls' uncle that he would keep an eye on them. Will the hardships that they face on-island bring them together or will the girls be sent back to England defeated? 



I love Lisa T. Bergren's writing! Keturah reminded me a bit of Scarlet O'Hara! Two strong females determined to make it in a man's world. As the author herself says in the notes at the end of the book, the slavery was hard to depict. It was also hard to read! So many gritty scenes that caused me to want to look away or skip, but were reality for the times. I loved  Keturah, Verity and Selah's characters! All of them strong and ready to take their place on-island.  When faced with adversity they are ready to close ranks and stand together! I was swept away in this story and am now missing the characters and can't wait for Verity's story.