In 1773 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 … 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?
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Fantastic book! I love how adventurous this book is! The struggles the women faced when traveling to uncivilized location in a time woman where looked down upon. Plus Lisa covers some tough topics of domestic violence that touched my heart.
I can just picture this occurring as I was reading it!
Wonderful read. Very well written and kept my attntion! Could not wait to see how it would all work out. I cant wait for the next in the series!!
I really liked this book and would rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars. It’s been several months since I read it and it’s a bit foggy in my memory to give details. Sometimes I felt like shaking stubborn Keturah, but some stubbornness was probably needed for her keep the plantation working. She definitely had many hardships. She reluctantly owned black slaves, but did treat them well.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but really liked it. Even though it’s true to its historical time, I could relate to the characters.
This was a great read and I look forward to reading the next story in the series.
Exciting historical fiction with a romantic twist. Encouraging young women to accept opportunities beyond what they might believe possible and yet be willing to trust others with god-directed discernment.
Keturah is historical fiction at its best! I enjoyed this well researched story set in 1773, which begins in England and ends at a Sugar Plantation in the Caribbean. Three sisters know how being a woman is defined in England and now must decide how to define themselves in an entirely different place. They face difficulty upon difficulty and together learn what it takes to persevere. Their journey will keep you reading while providing many thought provoking lessons for our world today. This book easily lends itself to discussion for book clubs. I am looking forward to the second book in the series.
I enjoyed the strength of the women characters and the delicate way you handled the abuse That had taken place.
So engrossing, I cannot wait for the next title in the trio of books in Sugar Baren’s Daughters series.
It shows how abuse can have long-term effects on our perspectives and hinder our ability to be open to others. Well written and worth reading.
This was a very hard book to get through as I cried through most of it. The heart wrenching treatment of slaves during this time period was nothing short of inhumane. The author gets to the nitty gritty and leaves nothing to the imagination. As Ket and her sisters set sail for the West Indies, they are exposed to treacherous seas, tight quarters and see first hand how slaves are treated. There is danger on the ship and the women are asked to be accompanied by a man when walking on deck. I would be shaking in my boots about that time.
What an undertaking her and her sister’s take on trying to rebuild their plantation. They have so many obstacles to overcome with one being the prejudice of women being there running a plantation. Ket is such a strong character I wanted to join her and fight for her land. It is hard to imagine that women who tried to run a plantation were looked down upon. No one wants them to succeed. I loved how the author emphasized how important it was for the sisters to do this on their own and to not depend on men to run the plantation. It is a very different place there in the West Indies and the shock of how prejudice runs rampant is hard for the sisters to accept. One of Ket’s biggest problems is having to stand up to a man. Her marriage was horrible and her husband treated her with little respect. That has impacted her need to succeed without the help of a man dictating what she should do. The hard work out in the fields was back breaking and at times I think I may have given up.
I think one of the smartest decisions Ket made was to team up with Gray so they both to achieve getting their crops planted by sharing their men. There are so many obstacles they endure and it seems at every turn , sabotage is happening. The mud slide was devastating and I gasped when they couldn’t find Ket. Gray is such a fair man and I admire his willingness to protect both his plantation , while trying to do the same for Ket and her sisters. The story is very intense and the horrors of living there were at times hard to read. I appreciate how the author clearly show readers what it was like in 1772 in the West Indies for women and slaves. It is important to have historical facts to remind us of the suffering and how difficult it was for people of color. There are some evil men out to destroy Ket and the plantation. Will she be able to fight them off? Can she protect her slaves from harm? The book is mesmerizing and hard to take in at times, I appreciate the authors portrayal of a time when all people were not treated as equals. The story blends history and survival into an epic adventure. This is one story that I will remember for a long time.
I received a copy by of this book from LitFuse. The review is my own opinion.
Keturah (2018) by Lisa T. Bergren is the first book in The Sugar Baron’s Daughters series. This novel comes in all forms including eBook, and is 352 pages in length. With a full-time job and a very active five-year old at home, this book took me four days to read. I received a review copy of Keturah from Bethany House Publishers that I requested from Litfuse Publicity Group. In no way has this influenced my review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I give this story 5+++ STARS. Keturah is a Christian Historical novel set in the West Indies in 1773.
Keturah is a fantastically intense story. I loved every second, and I am so sad that my time with this book is over. I adore Keturah and her sisters. I love their distinct personalities, how they interact with each other as sisters, and how they support one another through think and thin. Gray is a superb hero. He is sweet, caring, strong, smart, and knows when to ride in and save the day, but also knows when to back off. I find knowing when to back off an excellent trait in my fictional and real heroes!
The villains, especially Mr. Shubert, are so evil and hateful they made my skin crawl anytime they appeared in the story. Mr. Shubert has the blackest of black hearts. He is arrogant and smug and cold. Several moments were very difficult for me to read because I would have such visceral reactions to his actions. I found myself actually making a fist and tearing up with frustrated tears…you know, the kind of crying you do when you are so frustrated you feel like screaming and hitting something. That’s how frustrated I got with Mr. Shubert. What a testament to Mrs. Bergren’s writing prowess! I wanted to physically harm a fictional character…LOL!
At first, I struggled hard with this story. I found myself getting very angry. Most all of the men in this novel are repulsive. Keturah’s first husband, Edward, is awful. The white men on Nevis Island are cruel and haughty and smug. And, I even found myself not liking Keturah for a few chapters because she, too, felt arrogant and self-serving. I was starting to get a little worried that I wouldn’t like this book, but then it dawned on me — I was reading this story as a woman in 2018. I was projecting my 2018 ideals, values, sense of justice, education, and Biblical understanding onto a group of people who lived 245 years ago.
245 years ago, wealthy white men purchased human beings for various purposes. 245 years ago, women had extremely limited power, if any, they had limited access to funds, if any, and they had very limited rights, if any. In 1773, men were the top of the food chain and made sure everyone knew it. They were allowed to behave like monsters, and society called this their God-given right. Once I realized I was reading Keturah through the wrong perspective, I adjusted and finally realized just how amazing this story is. I started to see Keturah as a person, and could truly value her personal growth. My change in perspective allowed me to see the stunning symbolism that’s rampant throughout this text. A small change in perspective — placing myself into the historical context of Keturah’s time — made Keturah a story I will remember long after I post this review.
Keturah is an amazing read. This story deals with some truly ugly aspects of our human past. But, it also deals with issues we laud today: women’s rights, justice for those mistreated, overcoming fear, standing up for what is right, the underdog winning against all odds, and allowing God into our hearts so He can fix the hurt spots. This story is SO complex and beautiful and real. If you are looking for a gripping and intense Christian Historical novel with a sweet romance story on the side, then I cannot recommend Keturah enough. This is definitely a story I recommend you buy today!