Keturah

Author: Lisa T. Bergen

Series: The Sugar Baron’s Daughters #1

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: February 6, 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Historical fiction is a difficult genre for some of today’s authors but Bergren does it with ease giving an amazing setting and characters we can’t help but long to see succeed.

Lady Keturah Banning Tomlinson has found herself in a difficult spot. The year is 1773 and she and her sisters are about to lose everything their family has worked so hard for. As the heiresses of their father’s estates in England and the West Indies, they know they must leave the comforts of their English home and sail to the West Indies in order to save all they have.  An unprecedented venture for women did at this time, but that doesn’t stop Keturah and her sisters from continuing their journey without a man. Keturah has been under the thumb of men all her life and refuses to let herself be put in a helpless position again. No matter how hard she tries to avoid it, every man on the island tries endlessly to win her hand, and with it the ownership of her family’s plantation.  The only person she can trust is a childhood friend that has journeyed to the island as well to gain his own wealth. She isn’t sure of his motives but she has no one else besides her sisters and without letting him help she risks losing everything.

It doesn’t seem to matter which genre Bergren writes in, she is always able to provide readers with a story they won’t soon forget and long for more. I loved her YA series and have been a fan of her work ever since. The setting of Keturah was beautifully described along with the characters and the struggles they faced.  The three sisters are forced to band together and work harder than they ever have in order to save the family plantation and secure their future.  I love the way they come together and work this out instead of looking to a man to give them the security they could have and so many others probably would. Keturah knows that she is in charge of her future and happiness and I love the way she lets her strength shine through even with the trials she has faced in her past. The relationship between Ket and Gray develops well and I enjoyed seeing him win her trust and how loyal they both were to the people around them.  With this being the first in a new series, I am curious to see how the next will play out with the other sisters most likely taking the lead.  I recommend this book to readers that enjoy historical romance with a beautiful setting and characters they can’t help but fall in love with.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.