Review: Selah by Lisa T. Bergren

Lisa T. Bergren’s “The Sugar Baron’s Daughters” series wrapped up in a beautiful way with Selah! I’ve been following along with this series from the beginning—and even got to read book two, Verity, for review before its publication—and have enjoyed following the story of the Banning sisters.

Selah Banning has come of age on the West Indies island of Nevis, shaped by experiences far beyond the typical upbringing of a young British lady in 1776. She never anticipated that the most tumultuous time of her life might await her in the year ahead. 

Jedediah Reed, a young Methodist preacher with a call to serve the slaves of Nevis, has settled at Selah’s family’s plantation, the Double T. As Selah’s heart is drawn to the same people, their shared purpose brings them together-despite her guardians’ concern about a romance that promises little security for the future. 

While Jedediah’s faith and Selah’s abolitionist leanings lead to changes on the plantation, the Revolutionary War continues to build in the States. With the threat of starvation and the conflict with island mogul Angus Shubert growing ever stronger, the future of the Double T and its people hangs in the balance.

I’ve long been a fan of anything to do with high seas adventure and tropical islands. Something about stories with this kind of setting feels so exciting and romantic to me! Haha! So I was super excited when Lisa started writing these books. I love the way she brought the colonial era Caribbean to life, and especially in Selah, examined what slavery was like on the islands. Abolition was already gaining more popularity in England at this time, so it isn’t completely improbable that a family like the Bannings/Covingtons would go against convention to free their slaves and hire freed laborers. These “radical” views made the family very unpopular with their fellow plantation owners, and even invited violence to stalk their journey.

When I first began this series, I did not expect the character of Angus Schubert to become the antagonist for all three books, but I liked how Lisa chose to carry this thread across the series, tying all of it together. Schubert turned out to be a villain you couldn’t help but loath, and his “just desserts” at the end of Selah was fitting and satisfying.

I love the sisterly love dynamic that is so strong in this series, and I loved getting to see this play out even more in Selah. The Banning sisters are all fierce and independent, yet unique in their own way. Up to now, Selah always seemed like the most gentle and passive of the trio, but in this book she really came into her own and showed that she is made of stern stuff. In fact, I think she ended up being the bravest of all the Bannings. I appreciated her heart and her willingness to help others, even at great cost to herself.

Her and Jedidiah’s love story was somewhat unexpected in the way it played out, and was definitely different from most romance novels, which I liked. I became frustrated with some of Jed’s choices in the relationship later on, but I understand where he was coming from and why he made them. Ultimately, the couple’s happy ending was perfectly satisfying.

The two things I loved the most about the book were 1.) the way Jed and his Methodist beliefs shook the Bannings/Covingtons up and changed the way they viewed God. Believe it or not, these beliefs were very radical for the time. And 2.) the way this book (and Verity, as well) takes a look at the American Revolution from a rare angle. When thinking of the Revolutionary War, I have always focused on what was happening in America, on the actual warfront. I had never given thought to what life was like for others in the British Empire at the time, and how this war affected them. The Caribbean islands suffered greatly because of the shipping blockades imposed by England, and had to resort to desperate measures, including smuggling, to survive. It also seemed to me like the islanders were pretty much forgotten during the war. England was more focused on keeping hold of continental America than on taking care of its loyal subjects living further south. I also never thought about how vital spies and privateers-like Verity and Captain Ian McKentrick-must have been in this region. They could not only smuggle goods in and out of the colonies, but smuggle valuable information as well, particularly between the Americans and their allies, the French.

While I didn’t love everything about this book-sometimes the story moved kind of slow for me-and I still think Keturah was the strongest book in the series, Selah is a sweet romance that offers an interesting “behind-the-scenes” view on the American Revolution, and it’s look at slavery is very fitting in the times we are living in. I give it 4/5 Stars and recommend it and this series to anyone who loves books set in the colonial era and/or the Caribbean.