Keturah (The Sugar Baron's Daughters)

Title: Keturah 

Series: The Sugar Baron's Daughters (Book #1)

Year: 2018

Author: Lisa T. Bergren

Summary: 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 for women of the time, they're determined to make their own way in the world. But once they arrive in the Caribbean, proper gender roles 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 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. 

Set on keeping her family together and saving her father's once-great plantation, can Keturah ever surrender her stubbornness and guarded heart to God and find the healing and love awaiting her? (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Keturah Banning Tomlinson
~ Gray Covington
~ Verity Banning
~ Selah Banning

Review: I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, honestly. I've read through bits of Bergren's River of Time series, and was more disgusted than anything else with the amount of romance and mush in it. To be honest, I expected the same of this novel -- but was pleasantly surprised. Instead of mooning over a guy's muscles and lips, the heroine actually *did* things. 

Keturah and her sisters, Verity and Selah, aren't your normal, run-of-the-mill heroines. When their financial destiny lies on their father's tropical plantation, they aren't content to just sit around and hope it does well. They go to the island to run the plantation themselves. Of course, that's basically unheard of, and many people think it disgraceful. Especially when the girls are out in pants and in the dirt itself to make sure the plantation does well. 

The first chapter didn't catch my interest completely. In a way, it just felt slow and unnecessary. It really wasn't until the second or third chapter, once the Banning sisters had set sail that I got drawn into the story. 

I liked Keturah. Other than the really cool name, she was believable and stubborn. After her first husband died, she wanted nothing more to do with men since he provided her with a relationship she'd rather wish to forget. Gray is the man determined to change her mind -- you know, once he's managed some success with running in own plantation on the island. Their relationship was actually pretty nice; they were able to interact beyond just the romantic aspect -- discussing business and enjoying a laugh now and then. 

I particularly liked Verity's falcon, and that's one of the reasons I'm tempted to try to get my hands on a copy of book two once it comes out (since I'm assuming by the series title the next book will be about her). The descriptions of the island were really neat, and now I've got a hankering to get to a sunset-lit beach for myself. 

I liked that both Gray and Keturah were in favor of treating their slaves well, but the issue of slavery in history as portrayed in literature is something that I've got my foot on right now (thanks to finally reading Uncle Tom's Cabin). While I think it noble of them to behave toward the slaves in the way that they did, I almost find it a bit optimistically unrealistic. Historically, it was very uncommon for plantation owners to think of their slaves as actual human beings. I'm not complaining about Gray and Keturah's kindnesses; I'm just pointing out that, in this book, all the good characters treat their slaves well and all the bad characters treat their slaves badly. 

Advisory: Some romance. If my memory serves me correctly, our loving couple shares a kiss or two. Both do dwell some on the mushier aspects of observation, but it's not overpoweringly sickening. 

Some violence/graphic descriptions of slave mistreatment. I wouldn't describe it as horrible, but that is something to take note of. Also, a character is discovered to have taken a mistress (unbeknownst to his wife) and fathered a child through her, and a few female characters are manhandled/threatened by the bad guys. 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

*Please note: I was given a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Light from Heaven (Mitford Years)

Title: Light from Heaven

Series: Mitford Years (#9)

Year: 2006

Author: Jan Karon

Summary: Father Tim Kavanagh has been asked to "come up higher" more than once. But he's never been asked to do the impossible-until now. The retired Episcopal priest takes on the revival of a mountain church that's been closed for forty years. Meanwhile, in Mitford, he's sent on a hunt for hidden treasure, and two beloved friends are called to come up higher. As Father Tim finds, there are still plenty of heartfelt surprises, dear friends old and new, and the most important lesson of all: It's never too late. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Father Timothy Kavanagh
~ Agnes
~ Cynthia Kavanagh

Review: I’ll admit straight up: I haven’t read any other book by this author before. Meaning, I haven’t read any of the previous eight books in this series. I think that was both good and bad for me. How so?

Bad because I was jumping into the conclusion of a story I hadn’t followed since the beginning. Many characters appeared briefly, apparently having larger parts earlier in the series, but I didn’t connect with them emotionally since I didn’t follow their adventures and trials. Honestly, I really didn’t care about them. And that’s what happens when you jump into a series at the very end.

Good, however, because every time a character from the past showed up, the author summed up the backstory. So in the end, I got the information I needed to put the character in context. In a way, this book was almost strong enough to stand on its own without the need for any of the previous books. Which… I think there’s a little bit of a problem if a book can stand alone without its series. If it can do that, you can do what I did here: read the last book and still get the whole story.

Anywho, onto the plot itself.

Father Timothy Kavanagh is a small-town priest who, with his wife, is currently farm-sitting “in the sticks.” Although he has people and errands and animals to keep him busy, he feels that he’s not doing anything with his life. That is, until he receives a new commission from his bishop: revive a closed church and get it thriving again.

When I read the synopsis for this book before I cracked the cover, I was expecting a long tale chronicling the trials Timothy would have to go through to get this church to thriving again. As a pastor’s daughter myself, I’ve seen the struggles that ministry presents – particularly those in reviving a church. However, Timothy seemed to have no problem getting the job done. He finds the church in a well-kept state, with everything it needs already stocked and ready for use. The mysterious caretaker is a kind, religious woman and her son, both of whom are eager to see the church come back. Timothy wonders at first who will attend the church, but on their first Sunday, he counts seven people. Second Sunday, they’ve doubled to fourteen; after that, there’s no mention of him having trouble with attendance. They need a piano – and someone gives them one. Everything goes right for them. Maybe it was just a really good, religious location, but from my experience, it was pretty unrealistic. Sorry.

The whole book felt like a romanticized Hallmark movie with a little bit of the good ladies of Cranford thrown in. The plot and multiple subplots were semi-cheesy and predictable. I think the only plot twist I didn’t see coming was the wind storm that knocked the chimney down – but even that didn’t seem to be a bad thing. Timothy’s wife was only inconvenienced by the mess in the house and the workmen mending the chimney. I’m almost ashamed to admit my favorite parts were identifying what lunch J.C.’s wife packed for him every day. Unfortunately, the author stopped giving us those details after a few lunches. 

Advisory: A woman confesses to having a child out of wedlock, but the matter is handled discretely. A few deaths are mentioned; some characters talk about past murders, but nothing is described graphically. 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars