Keturah by Lisa T. Bergren

Back Cover: 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?

Review:  My review in a sentence: If you haven't read this book already...do so immediately. 

Lisa T. Bergren is one of those authors whose books I will pre-order without even reading the synopsis. Her stories never fail to tug at your heart strings, make you teary eyed, or grin as her heroine does something epic. Perhaps my favourite aspect of Lisa's books are her female lead characters. They are strong, independent, and capable women who maintain their femininity and grace while being non-apologetically powerful. If I had a teenage daughter, I would be giving her all of Lisa's books to read. These are the perfect female leads for any young girl to look up to to. 

Lisa's newest book, "Keturah", is no exception. Keturah had been beaten down by life, but instead of cowering in the corner, she has risen up out of her abusive relationship with her deceased husband as a stronger and more fierce individual. I loved Keturah's strength. She is amazing - and I found myself cheering for her from page one. 

The novel "Keturah" diverged from the 'run of the mill' historical fiction for teens in several aspects. One, it touched on marital abuse. Although there were no explicit scenes depicting what happened to Keturah in her first marriage, the reader is given a clear understanding that her husband abused her in a multitude of ways. As a result, Keturah is not eager to step into another relationship with any man and is very cautious of marriage for her sisters. Second, Keturah and her sisters own slaves. Now, many historical fiction romances will reference servants, but I can't recall any that I've read that have included actual slavery. When Keturah moves to the Indies, the slave scene there is described in detail and it is quite horrifying. This book touched on some very real and heavy issues (as just mentioned), and follows Keturah during a very rough period of her life and her journey with God through all of it.

This was an incredible book and I would highly recommend it. I read it in a day, and am eagerly awaiting the second book in this new series (The Sugar Baron's Daughters) 

Thank-you to Graf Martin Communications and to Baker Publishing House for a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions mentioned above are entirely my own. 

Taken by Dee Henderson

... Were you starting to think this blog was dead? I don't blame you! But I have a somewhat valid excuse. This last book by Dee Henderson was HUGE! However, I thoroughly enjoyed spending the majority of my reading time this month going through this novel. The second part of my excuse for the blog inactivity this month was that I was finalizing the plot lines for my fist novella project - so excited!

With no further ado...

Back Cover: Abducted at the age of sixteen and coerced into assisting the Jacoby crime family, Shannon Bliss has finally found a way out. She desperately wants to resume some semblance of normal life, but she also knows she has unfinished business to attend to. She might have enough evidence to put her captors behind bars for a very long time.

When Shannon contacts private investigator Matthew Dane, a former cop, to help her navigate her reentry into society, he quickly discovers that gaining her freedom doesn’t mean her troubles are over. If the Jacoby family learns she is still alive, they’ll stop at nothing to silence her.

If justice is to be done, and if Shannon’s life is ever to get on track again, Matthew will need to uncover exactly what happened to her-even if it means stirring up a hornet’s nest of secrets.

Review: Dee Henderson crafts a beautiful relationship between Shannon Bliss and Matthew Dane. What begins as a business relationship takes the slow but deliberate turn towards friendship and then upwards into something even stronger. The male characters in all Dee Henderson’s novels are filled with integrity, make their choices based on honor and God’s will, and they respect the needs and desires of the women in their lives more than their own. If only real life was filled with more men like the fictional ones created in her novels.

I appreciated how Dee chose to write this book from Matthew Dane’s point of view only. Her POV decision really contributed to the overall suspense of the story. I did not feel like I lost any connection to Shannon by not being “in her head”. Dane is a perceptive character and his experience with his own daughter’s abduction allows him - and the reader - to discern what is happening in Shannon’s mind.

The point I most appreciated about this book was the clear, concise answers that Shannon gave Matthew in reply to some of this world’s most challenging questions. Why does a just and good God allow evil to happen? How does your faith survive when faced with something as brutal as an eleven year abduction? How could she still love and trust God? The book is worth reading to simply hear her answers to those questions. I am not sure if these replies were of Dee’s own making or if she had a wise pastor helping her, but the truths spoken on these pages made me think and truly struck a chord within me.

In regards to the story line, I found it engaging, enjoyed seeing the characters from Dee’s previous novels, and felt that the action and suspense carried well and consistently throughout the book. There were no ‘dead’ sections in this novel. The Jacoby crime family plot line was well thought out and researched and I found Shannon’s abduction and her years of captivity very believable.

An excellent book provided by Graf Martin Communications and Baker Publishing House