Another good entry in the True Colors series, which draws its stories from real-life events! This time, it's the late 1700s and we're out on the frontier, where hospitality and humanity can turn into hostility (and even homicide) on a dime. I don't know much at all about this period of American history, so I was excited to read about what life was like back then.

Our two main characters, Rachel Taylor and Benjamin Langford, are drawn together by less-than-ideal circumstances, both tied to the Harpes, a murderous group of bandits wreaking havoc along the Wilderness Road. While there is hope, faith, and love to be found in this story, be warned that some of the details of the Harpes' violent acts can get a bit graphic.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this series. Thank you to Barbour Publishing and #NetGalley for the digital copy of this book!

Because I've read and enjoyed two other books in the true color series, I expected this book to be similar. It was not; and I did not like this book.

It wasn't because of the book's goriness, which I feared (see below for more info here). It wasn't because she spent too much time with the Harpes, which I also feared. That said I did not enjoy the story or her take on it. I've read other books that deal with gruesome serial killers that didn't get bogged down in the evilness or the quest for justice. Those stories were lighter and just as informative.

I didn't like her writing style. There was too much of "telling" and not enough "showing." Moreover, I felt like it droned on and on repeating the same story over and over with out much new information. Chase the Harpes, nearly catch them, try again. The romance wasn't very intriguing either--too much of Rachel and Ben's drama that was redundant.

I want to say a bit about the gruesome details of the Harpes. More than one review commented on the gory details, and I almost didn't read the book. I think those reviews set me up for worse than it really was. She didn't graphically describe most of the details, and only included a couple without lengthy horrible detail in chapter 15. (If you desire, you could skip the last half of that chapter and not be lost, for the details come out later.) At the same time, the reality and the "off-stage" happening of the events was disturbing.

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a wonderful true crime historical novel set in the late 1700's in Tennessee. It follows the Harpe brothers as they possibly become the first known serial killers of the US. This is the first book I have read in the series and I'm excited to read more. This book is graphic so I would not recommend it to a younger audience.

While stories based on historical crimes are not by usual read, I was drawn to this book because of the author and since I have ties to Kentucky. Having read other books by this author, I knew that she delved into historical records before she started writing. I was not disappointed. Rachel's friend Sally marries one of the brothers early in the story while Ben's cousin is one of their first victims. Even though the two main characters Rachel and Ben are fictional characters, this connection and later romance gives a nice framework for the story. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgallery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. While the murderous acts became more gruesome as the 'brothers' traveled through the state, the main characters learn about the atrocious crimes after the fact. I like the historical notes at the end of the book and the sources for her material. I was glad to learn about this piece of Kentucky history. I was surprised to learn about the real life women who were compelled to travel with the brothers. The only reason that I gave this a 4 star is because of the subject. It is a good read.

This book had my heart racing! Without divulging any spoilers… This was a crazy story and to know that it’s based on a true story is crazier! I was infuriated at times and mad… all the emotions! I loved the prayers and faith shown by Ben and Rachel and others. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

The Blue Cloak
By Shannon McNear
3 stars

I'm torn by this book. Half of me enjoyed it and half didn't.

What I did enjoy was the thorough research into the Kentucky wilderness in the 1700s. The chase of the posse after the Harpe brothers. The budding romance of Ben and Rachel. The internal struggle of Sally.

But the violence and gore was disturbing. The the author even said in the afterword that she even toned it down. But it was all based on real acts of violence by these vile men.

If you think you would be triggered by this I would hold back on reading this novel.

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This was great Christian Historical Nonfiction! It had me interested all the way through! And yes, it was dark, but heinous acts were committed and the story needed to be told, I feel, in its entirety. It shows us that God is with us and He will answer prayer, if we just trust in Him and His promises. I do recommend for all to read, but some parents, if they are parents that are watchful of what their children read, may want to make sure their teenager can handle this type of dark reading. Great book though! Great author!

I have really enjoyed this series based on true crime and history. This installment was violent in parts but the author did a great job in describing events. It was very atmospheric of the time.
Many thanks to Barbour Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a roller coaster of a book.I hadn't heard of the Harpe brothers before so I went in blind to their crimes and wow what a tale.

I'll admit I was more interested in Sally's tale than Rachel's especially at beginning.
Ben is a wonderful hero with all the rashness,determination and heroics required of the situation.
Rachel is a lovely heroine and her love for her friend shines through she just isn't memorable for me.
The Harpe's are scum of the earth and the other residents react in a realistic way.

I didn't consciously realize that that Rachel and Ben were the main couple though having read previous books in the series I suspected it.This is more graphic but most of the detail is of the page and what is on the page is not gratuitous or is historically accurate.

That being said this is a well researched and well written book.Lovers of Historical Romantic Suspense,Historical True Crime and the good overtaking the bad will enjoy this.

I was selected to read and possibly review “The Blue Cloak” by Shannon McNear, a novel written about the Wilderness Trail in 1797. It seemd to be part of a series called True Colors, historical stories about American Crime. This is not the sort of historical novel that I usually read, but I decided that the description was enough to lure me into the story.

During this time in history, The Wilderness was just that, a wilderness. It drew strong, adventure-seeking men and women to forge into a new area, facing many dangers. Indians, storms, the geography of the land, and highwaymen were dire threats. Many lost their lives to one of these dangers. What drew these settlers to the west? Was it space, land, wealth? Why would anyone dare these to set up a new life on a new frontier?

I was very interested in the way Ms. McNear presented the characters in this novel. As I read further, the blood-lust of some of the robbers and murderers along the trail left me cold. I finished the book, but must admit that I did skip over some of the story just to find out what happened in the end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.com. for my review.

A fascinating historical fiction. I've always enjoyed historical fiction and one so rooted in true events was a very intriging read. It is a darker story and not for everyone. Well written fictional characters where created to be a vehicle to tell a story of people that where psychopathic and serial killers. A bit of a creepy storyline but solidly based in truth with a firm belief in God by those that are good. The author did a good job of research and explaining the history and geneology that drove the story at the end of the book.

This is the second book I've read by Shannon McNear and I admit I chose it because of the previous one I read and loved (The Rebel Bride--Daughter of the Mayflower, #10). The Blue Cloak is a little different from what I normally read since it's about two serial killers back in the late 1790's, the wives they had and the men who were hunting them down. That's where Ben Langford comes in...his cousin is one who is murdered and on his way to learn more about that he meets Rachel who is working at her brother's way station.

Shannon's research is extensive and she has more information about this true story at the back of the book.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Romance & murder on the frontier - definitely a page turner! It was a lot more grim & gritty than I expected but it was very interesting. I found it to be well-written & the author tried very hard to stay true to the historical aspects, providing citations at the end.

Wow! Just because this is a Christian book with characters relying on God through prayer, doesn’t mean we’re spending all our time at the church social. Based on actual historical events, The Blue Cloak tells the story of Wiley and Micajah Harpe, who terrorized the Wilderness Road in 1797. Rachel Taylor and young lawyer Ben Langford try to rescue Sally, a young woman tricked into a sick marriage. The violence these men perpetrated is unspeakable, and Sally thinks she’s destined to live a horrible life. The Blue Cloak is a story that will keep you up at night because you just can’t put it down.

This novel is dark and deep. However, the thread of hope and goodness weaves throughout this story. It is a difficult book to get through...but once you complete this story, you will have a new appreciation for it.

Not gonna lie, this was a tough read. The Harpe brothers were disgusting savages. Not mad at the author for choosing to be descriptive of the murders, as well as their relationships with their wives, as this is unfortunately a true story and it is good to be reminded that things are not always straight out of a perfect romance novel and God’s redemptive power is greater than any evil. That being said I couldn’t wait for the parts of the book that focused on Ben and Rachel’s romance for a happy shift from an otherwise very upsetting story.

What I most appreciate about this is that the story isn’t “christianized” and the author recognize victim psychology and the reality that it isn’t easy to just leave or stand up to an abuser. It is often a long, tough battle to overcome abuse.

I don't know what I think about this book.

Some books are crazy easy to review. You immediately connect with the protagonist, love to hate the villain, and are drawn into the story like nobody's business. Easy peasy.

The Blue Cloak, however, left me staring at the book, not knowing how to respond. I usually follow Amazon's old rubric of "loved it, liked it, okay, didn't like it, hated it." That doesn't work for this one. I didn't like the book, but the author did her job well. You see, I don't think anyone should like this book. Some books are like that, you know?

Especially since this is the story of true crime--real people who died in senseless, horrifying ways simply because two men felt like it.

I can't compare this book to the others in the series. It's not right to compare one book to another. Each book needs to stand on its own merit, and this one has a lot going for it.

For the most part, the writing is solid. Ms. McNear made people I wish hadn't lived come alive on the page. That takes skills. On the other hand, the characters she created are necessary to the story, but I always felt like they didn't let me in.

Still, that might be a good thing, actually. I mean, we're talking about characters who have seen the brutality of mankind at its worst, fear for their friends, and fear for their own lives in trying to put a stop to heinous crimes. What felt like the desire for more from them might just be genius.

So, yeah. I can't say I like this book.

But that leaves the question of did the author tell the story she was given to tell well? Considering I dreaded turning every page that deal with the horrible Harp men, I'd say she did. If it hadn't been true crime, I would have considered the glee the men displayed with each killing to be way over the top. Instead, she actually managed to draw hope from me--hope that the younger Harp might have repented eventually.

One thing Ms. McNear definitely demonstrated was that brutality begets brutality. It's an ugly, ugly thing.

in the end, I'll say this. Ms. McNear did a good job of showing the horror of those years and the senselessness of their crimes. She took the crime she chose to expose and made us feel the horror of that era, the hopelessness of the women trapped in such a terrible life, and the relief when it all ended. And she did it well.

But again, no. I didn't like the book. by the old rubric, that should mean a 2-star rating, but that's not right. The Blue Cloak is better than that. So, this doesn't follow my usual grading scale. I'm saying four because I can't decide if the created characters are done crazy well or if they leave something wanting. I just don't know.

An extremely well written title that merges fact with fiction. It seems so strange as an observer that 3 women would continue to be tethered to 2 awful men on a murdering rampage. But, this is exactly what happened.

I had never heard of this murdering rampage in Tennessee. The author's story was riveting enough on its own. Her details of the history she uncovered during research was a greatly appreciated part of the book.

I have read several of the books in the True Color Series. Each is based off a real historical event - recreated as a fictional story. This book, is a bit gorier then some of the others that I have read. But I enjoyed it. I don't know if I have read anything by this author before, but I will be on the look out for anything that she writes in the future

In this edition of the True Color Series - We travel back to 1797. This time period is not one that I read about often. It seems that the author has done amazing research to bring this time period to life.In this story, we see what life was like in the historical setting of the frontier of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. I can't imagine what life was like during this time - we are post revolution and building as nation. In this story, we see the story of horror that 2 men inflicted. As stated above, there are some gruesome descriptions -- but there is a lot of FAITH weaved through it. It's sad to think that this is based off a true story - but we know (as with what we are going through now with COVID) God is ultimately in control. There is also a sweet love story that is included - Rachel and Ben. Ben wants to find out who killed his cousin, and is following clues. Rachel, who works at her father's story - ends up mixed up through her friend. During the chaos their paths cross and they develop feelings for each other.

This was a well written story. There is a lot of description and character development. I love suspense and mystery stories. Again, just the disclaimer of the description of the gore.

I received a copy of this story, through the Celebrate Lit blogging program - all thoughts are my own.

My favorite book so far in this series. True crime is disturbing yet fascinating and the mixture of fact and fiction never ceases to attract my attention.

This series is not for everyone, and The Blue Cloak has some content that not everyone will be able to read since it does deal with some heavy subjects and has at least one rather gruesome scene.

The story is brilliantly written, and its evident Shannon McNear spent a great deal of time and prayer on the story. Her exceptional writing skill shines and brings to life a tale of hardship while also giving rise to God’s grace. The light is stronger than the dark, and The Blue Cloak is a testament to that.

It can be difficult to see the good amid so much evil, and the deeds of the Harpe men are not the focus of this tale. People are cruel. God is not.

Rachel and Ben’s parts here bring a solid faith element and keep the story pointed toward the light. Ben seeks justice while Rachel seeks peace for her friend. Their acts of courage and faith bring everything together.

I requested a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.