I really enjoyed this story and the bit of suspense towards the end. This story takes place during a less known period of American history. It would have been nice to have a little more background on the Whigs, Tories, and Hessians from The Revolutionary War period. I think it would have made some of the plot a little stronger.

The books in the Daughters of the Mayflower series keep getting better. The Cumberland Bride is my favorite so far. I enjoyed the perilous journey taken by Thomas and Kate, and because of the level of historical detail, at times I felt as if I was along with them (although I'm really glad I wasn't!). I also thought the pacing of the romance was just right--not too soon but not so far into the book as to be boring. My only complaint is that I wanted to know more about a few things.

I look forward to the next book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series, and while I wait, I think I'l check out a book by Shannon McNear!

The Cumberland Bride was an interesting book that kept a great amount of history along with enough fiction to keep my attention. While a number of books have been written about the journeys that were taken by pioneers to new lands, this is the first that I have read that did not go west of the Mississippi River. I appreciated the history that was incorporated into the book and the different experiences that these pioneers faced. The usual details were not in this book which I also appreciated. It was great to have a different perspective coming more from the single daughter than just a basic subjective view of the travels west that is so often part of fiction. This is a definite read and I look forward to the other books from this series.

The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear is excellent both in spiritual and historical lessons. Thomas reminded me in some ways of the Prodigal Son. I loved that the author showed how God works in our lives for our own good, drawing us to him and how scripture applies to every part of life. I enjoyed reading the history of the Kentucky pioneers since my ancestors were of German English decent and settled in Kentucky by the 1770’s. This book may have been close to their own story. The characters were well developed, descriptions of the scenery and the hardships of the journey through the wilderness were exceptional. I hope to read more historical books in this excellent series by this author and others. My thanks to the author, Barbour Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this Christian Historical Romance. In the Daughters of the Mayflower Series.

This book almost seemed like a fairytale. Not that there's anything magic or supernatural, just that Thomas almost seems like the long-lost prince who must rescue his peasant princess-to-be from the wicked villain. I loved it. I cannot say enough about how unique it is that each book in this series is written by a different author. It gives a unique voice to each book and Bride, but all are united with themes of adventure, romance, and faith in God. Each book has at least one character who has lost their faith and the danger and impossibilities they face lead them back to God.
Readers get to see significant character development in both Kate and Thomas, and the story is perfectly paced. It is also clear that Ms. McNear has done in-depth research into the time period, as well as Cherokee and Shawnee culture. Good research makes for a great story. This one definitely kept me reading. This series is truly a delight - I recommend it for any lovers of historical fiction, even if you're not typically the romance type, but especially recommended if you are. This series is also completely clean romance - nothing beyond a few stolen kisses.

Great, historically accurate, interesting read. Some parts are heartbreaking but others make you laugh out loud.

I’ve enjoyed every book in the “Daughters of the Mayflower” series.

I loved Shannon McNear’s addition to this series. She did some great research and incorporated historical facts to make this story believable. (Be sure to read the author’s notes at the end of the book.) Kate was a delightfully imperfect heroine and Thomas was the perfect match for her. There’s quite a bit of action and adventure all through this book and I wanted to keep reading to see how things were finally going to work out for this couple, and for Kate’s family, as they made the dangerous journey to their new home in Kentucky.

This is a clean, sweet book with no foul language or embarrassing scenes. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series and I’ll also be watching for Shannon McNear’s next book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Love and suspense on the Wilderness Road as Thomas guides Kate and her family through the Cumberland Gap to Kentucky. In 1794 after the Revolutionary War, thousands of settlers poured into the western lands inhabited by Native American tribes. This is the first novel I have read by this author and I am impressed with her research as well as her ability to make her characters come to life. Having personally visited the Cumberland Gap and viewed the awesome scenery, I enjoyed the author’s descriptions which I think are spot-on! This entry in the Mayflower Brides series is one of my favorites—highly recommend it.

The Cumberland Bride is the fifth book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series. It can be read as a stand alone, as the book are tied together through a connection in the Lytton family tree. This series is unique because most of the books are written by a different author. I have read all of the books so far and have enjoyed being introduced to authors that I was previously unfamiliar with. The Cumberland Bride may be my new favorite of the series. It is hard to choose between this novel and The Captured Bride, by Michelle Griep. Both follow a similar premise: boy meets girl, boy and girl travel through wilderness, boy and girl face hardships, boy and girl fall in love, but the stories themselves differ in time period and are both marvelous. If you are in the mood for a good romance, this is the book for you! I read it in less than 24 hours and found it nearly impossible to put down! The characters were likable, the descriptions vivid, the story line was engaging and well researched. This book would make a great movie as I felt transported in time and like I was travelling along the Wilderness Road with the Gruener family. Shannon McNear hit this one out of the park!

The Cumberland Bride will be available for purchase from your local or online book retailer October 1, 2018.

Thank you Barbour Books and Net Galley for the free copy of The Cumberland Bride. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Thomas was partially raised by Shawnee Natives in his teens. He Guides to a pioneering group of settlers, with Kate's family in it, over the dangerous Cumberland Gap Trail, into Kentucky. Kate & Thomas fall in love. Then a Shawnee raiding party kidnap Kate & take her back to their village. Can Thomas use his knowledge of the Shawnee to rescue Kate? How does God use this experience, to draw Thomas into a relationship with Him? How does Kate become the Cumberland Bride?
Shannon McNear has created an Outstanding, & Engrossing Christian Historic Romance! You Really Need To Read "The Cumberland Bride: Daughters of The Mayflower Book 5". I couldn't put it down, until I finished it. I'll definitely be checking out SM's other stories!
I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley, & voluntarily chose to review it.

The Cumberland Bride is a decent read. I like the setting and the time period. The author depicts a group traveling to Kentucky via he Wilderness Road in 1794 and the adventures and mishaps that occur. Romance flares between the trail guide and one of the pioneers. Kate is somewhat annoying She is very Inquisitive and nosy, gets into scrape after scrape, and is sometimes a pain. The author has her develop trouble with her feet, then almost drown, them get captures by marauding Shawnee. She's the only traveler that mishaps happen to, which is far fetched and implausible.

THE CUMBERLAND BRIDE by SHANNON MCNEAR is a historical novel that takes place in 1794
Katarina Grace Gruener is a young woman who loves to write in her journal and is always asking the people she comes across for their stories. When her father hires Thomas Bledsoe to lead their family to the land he has acquired in Kentucky, Thomas finds Kate and her relentless questions irritating, especially with his responsibilities towards the families he is leading on the wilderness trail.
Thomas had been captured and adopted by the Shawnee Indians, and is not quite sure where his loyalties lie, whether to his sisters and family or to his adoptive Shawnee family.
The novel is full of twists and turns and the characters are believable.
It is an interesting story with good Christian content.
I was given a free copy of the book by Barbour Publishing from NetGalley. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear, and the fifth installment of the Daughters of the Mayflower series is outstanding. Perhaps I’m biased as I love history, romance and intrigue; this novel has it all and then some.

Kate Gruener is travelling with her family further west in order to claim land and finally build the farm he dreams of. It is 1794 and the family, which includes Kate’s parents and her younger siblings, must traverse the Kentucky Wilderness Road to reach their destination. Due to the roughness of the roads and it’s mountainnes terrain, there are no wagons, just pack horses that carry only that which they need to survive the trip. Furniture, tools and the like we’re sold before leaving on the trip; they will build new.
Without wagons, the travelers all walk with the exception of the youngest children.

Not only is it a dangerous trip in the terms mentioned, the Shawnee are very restless and news of the slaughter of other travelers reaches Kate and her family. Thomas Bledsoe, a scout, has been hired by Mr. Gruener to see the family safely through the Kentucky Wilderness Road. Ever diligent, Bledsoe becomes distracted by Katie’s determination to learn his story, something he does not want to share. The other distraction is Katie herself and her penchant for ending up in the most precarious situations. When Katie injures her foot, he orders that she must ride and gives up his own spirited horse to see that she rides.

Despite Bledsoe’s every effort to protect those he’s been paid to lead, something happens that forces him to reconsider his own life plans. Katie finds herself growing beyond the immature thinking of a young women, to one who has been tried,becoming stronger and wiser in the process.

Highly recommended. I could not put it down.

The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear is the 5th book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series. It is set in 1794 as the Gruener family travels from Tennessee west along the Wilderness Road. Thomas Bledsoe acts as their guide as they venture into territories occupied by the Cherokee and Shawnee Indians. I really tried to like this book but found the plot moved at a glacier pace. The characters were flat. The plot picked up towards the end, but it was not a memorable book.

This story was quite a journey. A journey of faith restored, and a literal journey through the Wilderness Road and Cumberland Gap. I was unfamiliar with this author, but I thought she did a beautiful job slowly building Kate and Thomas’s story. Another lovely addition to the Daughters of the Mayflower series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The series how focuses on the fifth and six generations of the Lytton family who are now migrating in 1794 from Tennessee to Kentucky. The westward expansion movement is taking place. The main characters are Kate Greuner and her family who are traveling westward with two other families guided by Thomas Bledsoe, a frontiersman who had been taken as a young man by the Indians and spent 2 years with them before his release.

Kate is an independent young woman who dreams of love and romance and loves to read books and write in her journal. She thinks she is prepared to travel to Kentucky; but, sadly, doesn't understand how difficult that will be as the roads are too rough for wagons, and she'll be walking most of the way. Thomas Bledsoe isn't sure how this small group will do as he knows there is Indian unrest and may be trouble along the way. When Kate continually finds herself having one problem after another, Thomas seems to always be there to help her out of trouble.

Kate and Thomas are well developed, interesting characters who both grow and mature during their travels. The secondary characters round out the storyline. McNear's historical research was obvious in her knowledge of the interactions and feelings between the native Americans and the whites who were taking over their lands and hunting grounds. It was interesting to see how well Kate was treated by the Indians when they discovered that she was connected to Thomas Bledsoe known to them as Eyes of Sky. The idea of an Indian adopting a white to take the place of a member of their family and how well the honored them was somethng I did not know about.

Another good read in the Daughter of the Mayflower series.

This was a new author to me and I was excited to see another story in this series.
This book is difficult for me to pin down, the first half of the book to me felt slowly paced. It was mostly focused on the historical feel of how families made the trek into the wilderness. I never really connected with Kate, she wasn't annoying or anything, just.....there.
I did enjoy reading about Thomas, he had an complicated background and enough struggle to keep him interesting.
After the halfway point things got interesting! I won't give anything away but the last half of the book was in my opinion the best part.


I received this book through Netgalley and was not required to give a positive review. My opinions are my own.

The daughters of Mayflower series is not for the faint-hearted! It is full of adventure and history, and, the casualties of both. The Patriot Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse opens with Faith losing her parents, and whilst loved and cared for, her life doesn’t get easier. The looming war draws her into the role of messenger between a spy and the Loyalists, a dangerous and precarious position. Getting to know Faith and Matthew is interesting as is the historical context. To keep fighting for what they believe in, they both go above and beyond as do their friends. I found this one a slightly slower pace than the others in the series but beautifully written. A five out of five and, I eagerly await the next one!

This is the first book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series that I've read. Having read a couple of novellas by this author, I was happy to dive into this novel. It didn't disappoint! I was transported back in time to the backcountry of Kentucky, surrounded by the magnificent landscape, and immersed in the lives of those brave pioneers who risked it all to settle the land.

Author McNear didn't sugar-coat the experience. She drags the reader into a river, over a mountain, and keeps them looking over their shoulder for hostile natives. She also does a very good job of balancing the differences between those natives and the settlers. And one of the things I really like is the author's notes and historical notes at the end. I love learning how much of the story was true.

I received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book and am under no obligation to post a positive review. The above review reflects my honest opinion of this novel.

Excellent journey!
Kate makes me think of how I was as an older teenager. I was awkward around others my age, since there were few who lived around us, and I thought I was always saying the wrong thing in the wrong way. Like her, my heart was true though and I felt things deeply. And I so loved being out in the woods. The area they travelled through Tennessee and Kentucky was beautiful with rolling hills. I used to imagine how it was for the Indians, for Kate's travelling group they were a current reality. I loved camping, so it's easy for me to imaging pioneers moving to another place to live. But I never like to think of the cruelty of the Indians to those moving into lands they had lived on for generations. I really enjoyed this story, told so well that you easily picture it all. And I like the way the characters think. Kate finding her way to be around their trail guide Thomas, and Thomas sorting out his feelings for Kate and her family, since he missed his own sisters. Dangerous journey requires bravery and cool thinking, all wound up with romance. Christian Historical Fiction

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Author and Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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