"Keturah" by Lisa Bergren Blog Tour (Review) and GIVEAWAY!

About the Book:

Keturah (The Sugar Baron’s Daughters) (Bethany House, February 2018)

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, they’re determined to make their own way in the world. But once they arrive in the Caribbean, conventions 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 harsh and 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.

To keep her family together and save the plantation that is her last chance at providing for them, can Keturah ever surrender her stubbornness and guarded heart to God and find the healing and love awaiting her?

Learn more and purchase a copy.

Click here for the Litfuse tour landing page.

My Review:

Lisa Bergren has long been one of my favorite authors, starting with her famous “River of Time” series.  I was so excited for the chance to read and review her newest book, “Keturah,” the first book in the “Sugar Baron’s Daughters” series.  I can say that I truly loved “Keturah!”

“Keturah” is a beautifully written story.  I love Ms. Bergren’s engaging writing style that kept me turning pages and made me so invested in her characters.  Even though this isn’t as fast-paced as her young adult novels, it’s still written in such a way that I was able to be fully engaged and read it quickly. 

This story also deals with some heavier issues, like slavery and abuse.  The main character has experienced physical and emotional abuse in the past, but nothing is described in detail.  These topics didn’t bog the story down or make it depressing.

I love the way Ms. Bergren writes her characters.  This book tells the story of three sisters embarking on a life changing journey.  Obviously this is mainly Keturah’s story and it sounds like the other sisters will each get their own stories in subsequent books.  Keturah has to learn to make her own way and take things one step at a time.  She is a strong female character.  The sisters have such a great bond and I fell in love with each sister. 

Our hero, Gray, is very swoon-worthy!  The way he cares for Keturah and looks after her is so sweet; even though his love is unrequited for a large part of the novel.  He reminds me of my husband, which is high praise!  I also love the strong faith many of the characters have.  God is a large part in many of the main characters’ lives.  There is such a great faith thread interwoven throughout this story.  I definitely recommend this book!

Content: Ms. Bergren is one of the more “edgy” Christian fiction writers.  I would probably rate this book PG-13.  As I mentioned above, this book does deal with physical and emotional abuse, which could potentially be a trigger.  Some other examples of content are: mention of rape and violence; reference to women of ill repute; talk of a man’s conquests; the word Negro is used in a historical context; a man eyes a woman’s bodice; allusions to abuse in a past marriage; mentions of a man getting drunk; people drink wine as part of a meal; sailors sing bawdy songs, references to tavern wenches and giving favors; a man swears, but the word is not actually written; slaves are nude when being auctioned and there is violence; talk of a woman being a man’s mistress.

Rating: I give this book 5 stars!

Genre: Christian fiction; Romance; Historical

I want to thank Litfuse Publicity, Lisa Bergren and Bethany House Publishers for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

About the Author:

Lisa T. Bergren has published more than 40 books with more than 3 million books sold combined. She's the author of the Christy Award-winning "Waterfall," RITA®-finalist "Firestorm," bestselling "God Gave Us You," and popular historical series like Homeward, Grand Tour, and more. She's also a recipient of the RT Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and three teen-and-older children.

Visit her website here

Giveaway:

Enter to win a copy of Keturah. Five winners will be chosen! Click here to enter to win. The winners will be announced March 13 on the Litfuse blog!