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Keturah (The Sugar Baron's Daughters) by Lisa T. Bergren - Lady Keturah Banning Tomlinson is a young widow returned to her family home and two younger sisters when they receive news of their father's passing. He had been living in the West Indies building up his sugar plantation, but recent years had been difficult and the estate was losing money. Then the plantation manager also passed away and Keturah decides to take matters into her own hands. She and sisters Verity and Selah decide they will travel to the West Indies and run the plantation themselves, despite their cousin and guardian's attempts to dissuade them from such an unconventional and dangerous course. Young women of good character and noble families simply do not sail across the ocean unaccompanied! As fortune would have it, an childhood friend, Gray Covington, is also headed to Nevis to try his hand at growing sugar cane, and this news is received with mixed feelings. Gray would be glad to watch out for the sisters on their journey and help them in Nevis, but Keturah is determined to be as independent as possible. Her marriage was abusive and unhappy, and she is adamant that she will never be under the control of any man again, and she is sure she will never want to marry again. And yet, she cannot forget that she once wanted Gray's attentions nor can she long deny that she still is drawn to him.
by Lisa T. Bergren - Lady Keturah Banning Tomlinson is a young widow returned to her family home and two younger sisters when they receive news of their father's passing. He had been living in the West Indies building up his sugar plantation, but recent years had been difficult and the estate was losing money. Then the plantation manager also passed away and Keturah decides to take matters into her own hands. She and sisters Verity and Selah decide they will travel to the West Indies and run the plantation themselves, despite their cousin and guardian's attempts to dissuade them from such an unconventional and dangerous course. Young women of good character and noble families simply do not sail across the ocean unaccompanied! As fortune would have it, an childhood friend, Gray Covington, is also headed to Nevis to try his hand at growing sugar cane, and this news is received with mixed feelings. Gray would be glad to watch out for the sisters on their journey and help them in Nevis, but Keturah is determined to be as independent as possible. Her marriage was abusive and unhappy, and she is adamant that she will never be under the control of any man again, and she is sure she will never want to marry again. And yet, she cannot forget that she once wanted Gray's attentions nor can she long deny that she still is drawn to him.
Once they arrive in Nevis, Keturah is faced with one trial after another. The estate has gone to ruin without a manager, and most of the slaves have run away. It's late in the season to plant sugar cane, and she desperately needs to hire a manager, yet whenever she hears of a man available, someone else has hired him before her. Finally she discovers that the other owners are conspiring against her - offended that a woman would try to run a sugar plantation. They are hoping to force her or one of the sisters to marry one of the growers so that they can take over her land. Keturah finds an unlikely ally in one of the former slaves, and finally accepts Gray's assistance in order to succeed. And as she and Gray work together, her heart is softened and the two of them grow closer. But there is still a manager on a neighboring estate that means to harm Keturah, and more difficulties to face - yellow fever, a hurricane and mudslide, and the continued opposition of islanders - before Keturah can overcome her fear of marriage so that she and Gray can plan a future together.
It's been a few years since I've read something from this author, but the cover and the plot description caught my attention; and the story itself captivated me right from the start. Keturah is a wounded, stubborn, but determined character who I was rooting for all the way. Their experiences on board the ship and their courage and compassion as they adjust to life on Nevis are fascinating. Their reactions to the brutality of the slave trade and how they handle the reality of their situation with dignity add to the draw of the story. And of course, there's a good love story woven through it, along with the promise of at least one more to come.
It's been a few years since I've read something from this author, but the cover and the plot description caught my attention; and the story itself captivated me right from the start. Keturah is a wounded, stubborn, but determined character who I was rooting for all the way. Their experiences on board the ship and their courage and compassion as they adjust to life on Nevis are fascinating. Their reactions to the brutality of the slave trade and how they handle the reality of their situation with dignity add to the draw of the story. And of course, there's a good love story woven through it, along with the promise of at least one more to come.
From the publisher:
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?
By the same author: Grave Consequences, Glamorous Illusions, The Blessed, The Betrayed, The Begotten
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?
By the same author: Grave Consequences, Glamorous Illusions, The Blessed, The Betrayed, The Begotten
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