Keturah

First things first, I am not a huge historical fiction fan, so I put this book at the bottom of my pile. I have not read any of the author's previous works, but I will pick up the next books in this series. I enjoyed the book to some degree although as you will see below there were some parts that left me disappointed.

The setting begins in England and then travels to the West Indies in 1772. Due to some unfortunate financial woes of their father, three sisters inherit his estates and have to make some tough decisions. They choose to go the unconventional route and travel to the West Indies via ship. Here lies my first disappointment - this is an almost unbelievable journey in the story. During that time period, what occurs on their travels to the West Indies is not historically accurate. So if you are one who likes historical fiction, I would say this book will be an annoying if not frustrating read. I already stated that historical fiction is not my type of book, so I kept reading it for the story and not the history or accuracy of the time period.

While I enjoyed the sisterly bond between the three sisters, some of their interactions left me rolling my eyes. I do believe the author was going for strong female characters, but in my opinion two of the sisters missed that mark. Maybe their strength will come out in future books in this series.

The main characters, Keturah and Gray, are both unlikable. I struggled to connect with them. Her interest in him was awkward and his interaction with her was the same. Their romantic connection fell flat. The book mentions some very heavy topics (rape, slavery, violence, etc.) although doesn't go into great detail. There is a enough that I do think it is worth mentioning and being aware of while reading.

I was most looking forward to the setting in the West Indies as I have not read many books that have used that location. This did not disappoint! I enjoyed the journey via ship and the West Indies.

All in all, this was not an easy read. I will read the other books in the series out of curiosity.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher (Bethany House). All opinions expressed are my own and I was not required to give a favorable one.