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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What an emotional and all-encompassing historical romance from Lisa T Bergren! Set in 1772 on the island of Nevis in the West Indies, the story chronicles Keturah and her two younger sisters as they journey from England to the island in order to revive their deceased father’s sugar plantation. Their six week ocean journey brings them to an island where their neighbors plot their failure simply because they’re three women trying to make way in a man’s world. They are fortunate to have Gray, an old friend from home, be a good neighbor to them, but violent bigotry, harsh weather conditions, terrible disease, and uncertainty of farming plague the sisters as they settle into their new home.
Keturah is a young widow who has been abused by her deceased husband and erects a wall around herself to become a stiff, hard, unbending, and bitter woman only set on never relying on another man and paving an easier life for her sisters. She isn’t very likable in the beginning but does come around to accepting God’s grace and mercy. Gray is a reformed rogue, a stout believer, and fully committed to making a small sugar plantation work by pouring his blood and sweat into the land. As their former childhood friendship blossoms into something more, they stand united in confronting mistreatment of slaves and women, even if it’s only on their portions of land in Nevis.
I’m heading straight to read the next book about Verity, the middle Benning sister. I received a copy of the book from a giveaway on Christian Fiction Girl blog and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
It’s 1773 and Lady Keturah Banning Tomlinson and her sisters find themselves on a ship on their way to the West Indies to a sugar cane plantation they have inherited from their deceased father on the island of Nevis, where sugar Barons reign. Keturah, Verity and youngest sister Selah go to try to save their inheritance from total ruin.
There they find things are not as they seemed. The sugar Barons are not all doing well as their father had written them, making things harder along the way. Secrets are revealed and danger exists throughout the island.
With the help of childhood friend Gray Covington, who is going both to keep an eye on his best friend’s cousins, but to make a name for himself as a sugar Baron as well.
I really enjoyed this book and the characters, except the villains of course. Troubles abound, but do the ladies crumble and slink away with their tails between their legs back to England? Get a book and check it out for yourselves. I know you will love this book as much as I did. Enjoy!
Amazing book with great character!! I never read a Christian book that I liked but this one was fantastic!
Fascinating peek into a world I have never explored. I loved watching these sisters find their way, and their personal power.
I’ve been on a little bit of a Lisa Bergren kick lately. I read one of her books for the first time a few weeks ago and fell in love with her style. After taking an Eastern Caribbean Cruise with one stop at a British West Indies island at the end of January, I knew I had to read “Keturah” next. In this first installment in the Sugar Baron’s Daughter Series, three sisters leave their home in England to revive their deceased father’s sugar plantation on the island of Nevis. I think this is Lisa’s best book yet. Totally swoon worthy!
Keturah is the main character, eldest daughter and widower of an abusive husband who left her a substantial inheritance. The thing I loved about Ket was her determination to defy the odds, care for her sisters and most of all, being real. On the island, she learned of things that shocked her and caused her shame and anger (like seeing slaves bought at the auction block, finding out about her father’s mistress, etc.) At the end of the book, Ket was a very different person and I admire how the author grew her character throughout the story.
Now, onto island life! I loved how the author depicted life on the island in Nevis. As someone who has visited several of the Caribbean islands, Ket’s story really brought to life what my imagination could only dream about over stops during cruises. During Ket’s story, the book went over what kind of life plantation owners and slaves could have lived on the island and the process of growing sugar. I don’t why, but I always get so excited when an author takes the time to weave in the extra detail of how people actually grew sugar cane in that time period. The scenes where the characters were out in the field planting are some of my favorites. If you’re looking to learn something new and unique, this book will definitely do that!
Conclusion: No matter where I travel too, learning about the culture and history is always important to me. In the Caribbean, it can be a little tricky, because there are not many books in this genre with such a setting. “Keturah” takes the era, growing sugar and social barriers in the Caribbean to the next level by showing what plantation life could have been like in the 1700’s Caribbean. I’ve never read a book like it! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a unique read in Historical Fiction, or, an addition to the “Around The World In 80 Books” reading challenge. And if you’re going cruising, this is a must read… 😉
This book is the basis for the trilogy of The Sugar Baron’s Daughters. The focus is the oldest sister, but all three characters are built in this first book. The characters are interesting and have adventures while promoting good values. I highly recommend this trilogy. Once you finish Keturah, you will want the other two books.
Lisa has been a long-time favorite author of mine, and I’m never disappointed by her books. Her historical research is seemlessly woven and the themes are so well presented, thoughtful and heartfelt. This series, set in the west Indies during the regency period, was a place in a period I’m less familiar with. I found the details of the setting very interesting, and the story was entertaining and insightful. There was a little bit of stereotyping (the neighboring overseer) but a very interesting turn with the freed slave who ran his own plantation–with slaves! Hopefully, I’ll get to time to read the other books in this series. They’re a fun dabble in something different in my TBR pile.
I really liked the setting of this story, the West Indies is not a setting that I’ve seen much in stories before. Lisa T. Bergren writes such a vivid picture of life in the West Indies, the good, the beautiful and the ugly. She captures both the beauty of the island and the horror of slavery. Keturah and Gray’s story of delayed love was both lovely and refreshing.A hallmark of a good story is one that keeps you thinking about it long after the last page has been read. Thinking about the storyline, the characters, the setting. Imagining what it must be like or putting yourself in the character’s place. A good story sticks with you. Keturah is one of those stories.
Clean, interesting historical romance with Christian themes running throughout, I enjoyed it ver much!
A good book with well rounded characters and an intriguing storyline. A good opening for a sequel
Such a good book!! Enough surprises to make it a very interesting read.
Lisa Bergren is a fantastic writer and, as someone who does a happy dance over any story involving sailing ships, romance, and pretty dresses, the cover for Keturah left me doing a jig. However, lest you think that this novel is all ballrooms and champagne, let me set the record straight. While Lisa Bergren weaves an enjoyable tale of romance with island life, she also tastefully tackles sensitive topics such as slavery and spousal abuse. It’s a story that may be difficult to some who have experienced abuse, however I felt it was an expression of the belief in hope and healing through the heartache.
Keturah is the first book in The Sugar Baron’s Daughters trilogy. If you enjoy it, I would recommend also reading Lisa Bergren’s Northern Lights series. It’s about 19th century Norwegian sailors and is one of my trilogy rereads.
This review was first posted on kelseygietl.com.
I never cry in books, but this one moved me. Lisa’s writing style is magical and it has the ability to transport you to another time. Keturah’s tale is about a hurting young widow who is determined to provide for her unmarried sisters, even if it means leaving England for the Caribbean to run her late father’s sugar plantation. On the island of Nevis, she discovers more about her father than when he was alive. This is a story of awakening, heartbreak, healing and ultimately love, some tellings of which brought me to tears. Excited to read more of this series from one of my favorite authors! Verity (Book #2) has been staring at me from the bookshelf and I cannot wait to dive into her story! Review to come!
I was completely impressed with how organically Lisa Tawn Bergren connected the elements throughout this story.
Keturah Tomlinson knows the depth of hurt and grief. What she can’t fathom is how much this will influence her towards good when she is challenged to live in a society surrounded by prejudice, slavery, and injustice.
Loss has blackened the Banning household and the three sisters decide to sail towards the West Indies and salvage their father’s legacy there. But the land is enfolded by secrets which will challenge the girls to choose between bitterness or forgiveness, acceptance or isolation, rage or kindness.
The historical aspect was really well done and the love story grew sweetly and tenderly.
I`m surely looking forward to the next one.
What a wonderful start to this series! I liked Keturah instantly—she posses a quiet determination that pulls you into her circumstances and allows you to easily connect with her. She is not afraid to go against popular beliefs for what she believes in. I appreciate that the author did not create a perfect world for the main characters, instead being willing to tackle difficult subjects such as abuse and slavery with frankness and honesty. The romance was well done and the spiritual truths are interwoven well among a backdrop of interesting history and beautiful scenery. I highly recommend this novel and look forward to the rest of the series!
The setting for this story is definitely interesting. I learned a lot about the West Indies while reading this story that I did not know. The story line was intriguing too as the three, young women attempt to do the impossible to save their family’s inheritance. It’s a story that has you routing for the women to succeed, but wondering if they are too far above their heads to make things work. There are some surprises along the way that throw some twists into the plot and keep the story interesting. And there is definitely a good bit of romance woven into the story. There are some elements in this story that can be difficult to read dealing with abuse both for females and African Americans. But the author was staying true to the time of slavery and that women didn’t have as much say as the men. Overall, the writing is good. The story kept me interested and added to my knowledge of history. I do look forward to reading the other 2 books to this series when they come out.
I loved reading about this hard working, determined heroine, and I can’t wait for the other books in this trilogy.
Lisa Bergren wrote a thoughtfully researched and completely engaging story set in the West Indies. Despite a crazy busy, beautifully full life I just kept returning to Keturah becoming completely engrossed in the story and invested in the lives of the the three Banning sisters.
Keturah, Verity, and Selah are just different enough, have just enough conflict between their varied personalities and a fierce commitment to each other as sisters that make them completely believable and very relatable. The themes of loss, family and slavery make the book beautifully sad and challenging to read; thought provoking; and just plain interesting.
I read this book with a friend and the greatest fault we could find is that it was just released in February 2018 and now we have to wait for the next installment in “The Sugar Baron’s Daughters” series to discover what is next for the Banning sisters. We are completely invested and it makes me want to check our Bergren’s other series, like “River of Time,” “Northern Lights Trilogy,” and the “Grand Tour” series for sure.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review
I was very surprised by how this story played out. When it comes to slavery, generally characters in Christian fiction are full-fledged abolitionists (Whether they come out and say it or not). I believe that the author has captured a more accurate representation of how the characters would have actually felt and reacted in the time. Although they were shocked by and didn’t like slavery, the sisters were also able to see that it was the way of life and felt it was the only way they could keep their plantation afloat. It felt more honest to the historical reality of the inner-battles people would have faced. Although there is much more to the story, this is what stuck with me the most.
Despite owning slaves (like everyone else on the island), the sisters are very different in their treatment of them. Although there is ingrained prejudices they hold themselves, they are still able to see the slaves as people and they try to treat them kindly. This upsets a lot of the other plantation owners because they fear a revolt by other slaves if they begin to see themselves as mistreated. They also do not approve of the sisters running the plantation without a man to be the one in charge. Even after they start to receive male help, they still come under-fire for their moral views and treatment of others. Although discouraged, the sisters won’t give up without a fight.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next in the series. Lisa Bergren is a new author for me but I am glad she was suggested to me, and I have added several of her other books to my TBR pile. I highly recommend this book to lovers of history and historical fiction.
Keturah is the first book in The Sugar Baron’s Daughters series by Lisa T. Bergren. In 1772, the three Banning sisters inherit what’s left of their father’s estate. Due to dwindling finances and few options, the girls decide to venture to the sugar plantation in the West Indies themselves, in order to attempt to salvage it from a grim fate. Having been raised as proper ladies in England, the sisters find themselves having to adjust to a simpler and less elegant lifestyle while trying to assert their authority in a world ruled by men.
This volume focuses primarily on the story of Keturah, the oldest of the sisters, and her journey to make amends with the past, overcome her personal demons, and learn how to trust God – and people – again.
In an elegantly flowing novel with a deeply rich storyline, Lisa blends the darker and less pleasant sides of life for women (and slaves) in the English colonies of the 1770’s with the picturesque landscape and beauty of the West Indies and all the possibilities of venturing into a new world.
This book does paint a somewhat graphic (though accurate) picture of the abuses endured by women and the mistreatment of slaves during this time period. Thus, I would not recommend it to sensitive or younger readers (16-18). That being said, I find her vivid portrayals of the period to be a vacuum that whisks you into a time of simplistic elegance and grand dreams. I would encourage mature readers with an interest in the period or a desire to adventure into a tale of true love to give Keturah a read. Personally, I eagerly await the next book in the series. 5/5 stars.
*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary print copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of this honest review. All opinions are my own.*