Keturah

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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.