Keturah by Lisa Tawn Bergren

A beautiful romance about life after abuse from a spouse. Keturah is recovering after living with her abusive husband; however, now her father has died and left her with debts and a failing plantation. She decides against all social norms to move to the planation with her two sisters to rescue the family business and provide a future for her family.  What makes things interesting is her childhood friend also is moving to the same island and their two paths keep crossing.  

It was an enjoyable book with moving scenes that leave a lasting impact on readers.  The book was also rich with detail that made the time period romance come to life. I found myself brought to different emotions such as fear, love, and joy as the story unfolded, and I could not put the book down.

However, I had a hard time completely understanding the main character since I was blessed to not have an abusive background. Flashbacks or memories may have helped me understand more of what it was like. I understand though that the author was being delicate with the subject matter and wanted to touch readers who have gone through similar situations to Keturah.  Therefore, I actually was more interested in what happens with the other two sisters.  The relationship between the three sisters was touching and a perfect centerpiece to hopefully a book series; I hope she continues their stories in future books.
 

(The publisher gave me a free paperback version of this book to review, but this opinion is my own after reading the book for myself.)