I was in Kauai a couple years ago, reading about sugar plantations there, when I started thinking about this series. As much as I adored Kauai, I knew a sugar-plantation-novel should be set on an island we’d visited as a family years before: Nevis, a tiny island in the West Indies.
Why? Because Nevis was once the greatest sugar producer of all.
Once I got a contract for the series, we were blessed to again travel as a family to Nevis—this time bringing along my parents as well as all three kids—so I could do some more research (and celebrate my 50th birthday). My teen son, a budding drone videographer, took some footage for me to give you a sense of the place. Check out this video:
Here’s the summary of my book:
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 unconventional, 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 sugar plantations are in decline–and that’s just the beginning of their education in this harsh and unfamiliar world.
Keturah never intends to put herself a 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 stubborn and guarded heart to God and find the healing and love that awaits her?
Here are some early reviews:
“With Bergren’s penchant for layered historical research, winsomely poetic voice and dialogue that swiftly spins a spell on the helpless reader, Keturah is unlike any other historical inspirational tale I have ever read.”
—Rachel McMillan, Author
“Bergren puts a fresh spin on popular colonial fiction in this series launch.” —Library Journal
“The setting is lush, the political and cultural climate is as heated as the weather and the characters are authentic and believable.” —RT Book Reviews
“There’s much to love in Lisa Bergren’s Keturah, the first in a lush new series set in the West Indies in the 1770s, a fascinating and barbarous era. The sisters are a fascinating trio, intrepid in their desire to maintain their independence and restore their family’s fortunes following their father’s death. The setting is exotic and drawn vividly by Bergren’s experience and talent, with multiple characters on Nevis that set the scene and outline the social classes, the scourge of slavery, and where the power on the island rests.” —Relz Reviewz
Keturah is available at your local bookstore, at Amazon, B&N, CBD, and other online retailers, as well as in audio, or ask for it at your local library. As always, thanks for your support. Buying, reading and reviewing my books is a gift to ME. I so appreciate you!