Keturah by Lisa Tawn Bergin

Keturah is the first book in the Sugar Baron's Daughters Series.  This series takes place in the West Indies in the 1720s.  Keturah and her two sisters receive the news that their father is dead, and they have two estates to run.  Keturah decides that they only way for them to survive is to head to the West Indies to make the Sugar Plantation a success.  Then they can sell the property and return to England without debt hanging over their heads.  Then her sisters will be free to marry whomever they choose.
Lady Keturah Banning Tomlison and her younger sisters set sail for the island of Nevis.  These three women work very hard to prove they do not need men to think for them, or to run a plantation.  Keturah takes charge, she hires a free black man as her overseer, and slaves are treated as co-workers instead of slaves.  At every turn, Keturah is faced with opposition.  Her old childhood friend is the only person supporting Keturah's decisions.  While it is nice to have some support, Keturah promised herself she would never be at the mercy of a man again in her life. So how will she find the balance of needing the support of a man, yet remain the woman in charge of a plantation?

This book was very interesting to me.  I loved the setting of the Caribbean, but found it hard to accept the reality of three young women setting off for the island of Nevis to run a plantation in 1772.  This didn't keep me from enjoying the story-line.  Keturah's battle with the dominance of men comes from a dark cause.  Yet the love of her sisters and a gentle caring man are enough to help pull her from the darkness.  The dark issue of slavery is treated with gentleness.  Bergin provides an historical look at what people thought was necessary in order to have a thriving plantation.  Yet through the eyes of these women, we find that the standard may not always have to be the norm. I appreciate the hope and dignity that Bergin provided through the sisters challenging the norms of the island.   This book is well written, and will leave you wanting to know more about their success in the world.

My thanks to Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-copy to read for this review.