Keturah by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Title: Keturah
Series: The Sugar Barons Daughters
Author: Lisa T. Bergren

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 once-great plantation, can Keturah ever surrender her stubbornness and guarded heart to God and find the healing and love awaiting her? 

My Thoughts:

I am a big fan of Lisa T. Bergren's River of Time series, and have read many of those books repeatedly. I love all of the characters, the plots, the settings, and the various aspects that made those stories unique. When I found out that she was coming out with a new YA series, I was so excited! Unlike, Bergren's other books that I have read, Keturah is not centered around time travel at all. It is strictly historical fiction. That did not deter me in any way, and I still found myself enjoying it.

Prior to Keturah, I hadn't read that much about the West Indies during the late 1700's. It was interesting to see what life was like there. While the book seemed historically accurate, many of the aspects were still sad, as much was focused around slavery. It is sickening to know that many thought that way and had such disregard for humanity. The light in this story was that there were those in the story who had different attitudes towards slavery and humanity.

As in her other stories, I found myself drawn to the characters. I appreciated that they were not perfect (personality wise) and that the main characters each had lessons that they had to learn about themselves. Keturah was dealing with a lot of things prior to coming to the West Indies. She had been hurt and betrayed. She ended up facing an emotional and spiritual journey, in addition to a physical journey across the ocean. Her sisters were adorable and I hope that we read more about them. Sometimes they seemed a little too perfect and sweet, so I am really anxious to read each of their stories to find out what issues they were really dealing with personally.

The romance in this story was captivating. I adored the two of them. While the romance was not rushed, per say, sometimes I felt that there was just a little something missing. I'd hoped for just a little more dialogue between the love interests, and for them to share more about their histories and themselves.

With that said, I really liked this story, especially the spiritual aspects of it. I am also interested to know what ever came of a few of the characters, and am really hoping that we find out in the next book, as I will be anxiously awaiting it's release.