The Blue Cloak is the latest installment of the True Colors series. Set after the American Revolution, the novel follows Rachel Taylor and Benjamin Langford as they face the terror wrought by the Harpe brothers. I had never heard of the Harpe brothers until I read this book. I think it’s necessary to say that if you’re sensitive to dark content, this book may not be for you. Even McNear wrote in an author’s note that she had difficulty with the topic. But I felt she handled it very well.

The characters are well-developed. McNear manages to use the characters’ interactions with one another to develop them. From the beginning, the reader gets a glimpse of Rachel’s relationship with Sally. Sally’s character proves important to the narrative, especially since she’s based on a real person. But I don’t want to risk spoiling anything. That relationship shows Rachel’s caring and loyal nature, a trait that had me rooting for Rachel very quickly. Similarly, Ben’s relationship with his cousin Thomas brought out Ben’s character without endless exposition. The romance between him and Rachel seems well-paced. Rachel did annoy me a bit at one point, but her concerns seemed understandable considering her friend’s experiences.

McNear did a great job of keeping the reader abreast of real-life events surrounding the Harpe brothers’ murders. The novel itself is well-researched and includes a lot of historical detail. I think she dealt with everything in a real but tasteful way — at least as tasteful as you can when murder is involved. I also liked the way she handled Sally’s experiences. Sally’s struggles illuminates an issue that still resonates with readers today: Why don’t victims of abuse leave? I appreciated that McNear addressed this in her author’s note.

Overall, I think readers of mystery and romantic suspense will enjoy this book. And history lovers will appreciate the attention to detail as well as the respect for historical accuracy.

(Blog post goes live Feb. 21 at 5:00 PM)

I believe I first saw this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. I thought is sounded interesting, so I signed up for a chance to win. A few says later it appeared as an offer on NetGalley so I quickly downloaded it. Although I don't always enjoy historical fiction, the author had me at the first scene. She thoroughly researched the historical event and created characters that I grew to care about. It ended as I hoped it would, adding to the appeal. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and give it four stars.

THE BLUE CLOAK by SHANNON McNEAR is a true crime story that is very well written and researched, but may not appeal to everyone.
The wickedness of murderers Micajah and Wiley Harpe, and the horrors they inflicted on their "wives", make for some hard reading, but somehow the author has drawn our attention to God's presence in the midst of it all. I found the Christian message good.
I like the fictitious romance between Rachel and Ben.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. The opinions in this review are completely my own

The Blue Cloak is part of the "True Colors" series comprising historical fiction about crime in America. Shannon McNear relates the events that took place over The Wilderness Road in Kentucky beginning in 1798. Two men who may have been cousins, posed as brothers and travelled through Kentucky wreaking havoc in the wilderness.

The events surrounding the serial killing done by these men for sport, revenge, or to procure supplies was hard to imagine. The author does a good job of mostly depicting those acts with veiled references but a few acts of cruelty are described in more detail.

Almost as horrifying as the killings, were the fact that three women were often made to witness to these acts. The make-up of the travelling party of two men and three women is based on historical fact. One woman had been completely blindsided by one who had professed to be a Christian, attended her father's church and had been recently baptised. How deeply he hid his true nature as she was entirely in the dark about his true character until the day he brought her to his home where she found two women were already in residence.

Reading this account, readers witness not only the madness of two of America's first serial killers but also the tragedy of domestic abuse and the evil power that kept the women entrapped. How could those women willingly follow these men for so many years? Because they knew if they tried to escape, they would most certainly be hunted down.

This may be a good series for those with an interest in true crime and historical fiction. Without overly gory detail, readers will be able to learn about some of America's painful past in a pretty sanitized manner. I would definitely recommend this book for adult audiences only.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of The Blue Cloak from NetGalley for the purpose of review. Opinions expressed are my own.

When I picked up this book I was not certain I would like it. Most books glorify the settling of the frontier and make it sound glamorous and romantic. That doesn't match my ancestors account. This book reflects the darker side of the frontier where relationships develop quickly and life was hard. I actually liked this book. Yes, the brothers are evil and the women missed opportunities for help. But we see inside the twisted relationships while at the same time seeing life through Rachel's eyes. The story was well done.

I thought this was going to have more romantic suspense and less gory details of criminal activity, but I was mistaken and let down. However, it was interesting to read about this period of time on the frontier. The Harpes are psychopathic murderers and I want to erase some of the details of their killings from my memory. Ben and Rachel were sweethearts, but the emphasis was mostly on the Harpes.

This is the second book that I have read from Barbour’s True Colors series. Each book in the series is based on a true crime event from the past. I gave 4 stars to The Blue Cloak, but I’m not sure that saying I “enjoyed “ it is the right term. It was fascinating in a horrific way—the relationship between the 3 women and the psychological struggle they faced daily as a result of their connection to the Harpes was one of my favorite aspects of the story, along with Ben and Rachel’s romance. The description of the Harpe brothers actions was difficult to read. I definitely appreciated the author’s note at the end of the book. Thanks go to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Based on a true story, The Blue Cloak is a heartbreaking and emotional tale of what life may have been like for one of the women held by the Harpe brothers. Sally's story is woven in alongside the fictional characters, Rachel; a young woman who works at her family's trading posts, and Ben, a lawyer who is searching for the men who brutally murdered his cousin.

The brutality of some of the events described was difficult to read, especially as a mother, but all in all, the book was a great read.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rachel watches as her friend Sally is wed to Wiley. She is happy that Sally has found someone that she loves and loves her in return. As a wedding gift Rachel has made Sally a beautiful blue cloak, the color will bring out the color of Sally's eyes.
If Rachel only had know the type of person Wiley was she would have saved her friends a lot of heartache, but neither woman or anyone else at the small wedding ceremony knew the evil that dwell in his heart.
Sally would endure and see many monstrosities committed by Wiley and his brother. The first was the surprise of the two women who already lived with the men. All three women were shared with the brothers. When all three became pregnant, none of them knew who the father was.
The Blue Cloak is a historical fiction. Though some liberties may have been taken to enhance the story, the brothers did exist. They did leave pain and destruction wherever the went. They murder at will, mutilating some of the bodies of the victims. The women that lived with them Susan and Betsy were kidnapped when they were young. Fear of retribution if they left kept them anchored to the brothers.
Excellent book. Interesting and entertaining!

Interesting yet quite disturbing:
This book revealed a dangerous and turbulent time in colonial American history but the truths and lessons are still relevant today. It would have been a totally dark and depressing book if not for the sweet, gentle slow romance between Ben and Rachel. However the primary focus of the book is on the Harpe family and the efforts to bring them to justice. It was awful and tragic and quite difficult to read at times, especially knowing that this was based on a true story. However it was still a good reminder that the Lord sees our predicaments and hears our prayers.
I can't say I really enjoyed reading this book despite it having been quite well written. The subject matter was just rather dark and I also found that it dragged a bit and was a little disjointed with frequent flipping back and forth between the main characters.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This book follows multiple Points Of Views. You get to see what it was like for someone who was married to a serial killer, for someone who read about what was going on, and for someone looking for the suspects.
Sally was someone who married Wiley. She didn’t know at the time what she was getting herself into. She only knew one version of Wiley, the one she married in 1797.
Rachel was Sallys best friend. She was worried when the killings started happening. She realized that Ben, her love interest in the book, might not come back every time he went to go look for Wiley and Micajah. You get to see throughout the book how worried Rachel is not only for Ben but for Sally and eventually Sallys daughter.
Ben wants to bring both Micajah and Wiley yo justice based on what happened to his cousin Thomas. That was always his main purpose for going after Micajah and Wiley. But eventually, he did free Sally and the other two women from the abuse they suffered at the hands of both Wiley and Micajah.

This was a great book. I did want to see how Wiley was at the beginning of his relationship with Sally. In the end, before Micajah was killed, Wiley had a ”pleading and desperate” look in his eyes. I would have like to know if that was the real Wiley who was scared of getting caught or the Wiley who knew what he did was wrong but wanted Sally not to say anything. Wiley was eventually caught, tried and executed for his part in the murders between 1797 and 1799.
Ben and Rachel had a happy ending and love how they got that after everything. And it does seem like Rachel is pregnant with baby number 3 at the end of the book.

This was an intriguing read as it dealt with a little known piece of American history, gruesome though it was. Not a light read by any means but interesting

I love this series!!! It combines my favorite things - true crime, historical fiction, and Christian fiction. I highly recommend picking up all the books in this series. You won't be disappointed!

I have enjoyed the True Color series, which takes crime stories from America’s past and creates a story around the events. The Blue Cloak is set in the late 1700’s in the American frontier. Rachel Taylor’s friend Sally marries a man with questionable reputation. Rachel’s instincts are correct, and Wiley Harpe and his brother turn out to be serial killers and take Sally and several other women into the frontier. The women are mistreated while the two men randomly attacked and killed innocent bystanders. Ben Langford’s cousin is a victim of these thugs, and he heads out to track down the killers and bring justice.

The author, Shannon McNear had a big task ahead of her, as these crimes were extremely heinous and the women were abused. I did a Google search as I had never heard of the Harpe brothers, and they are credited as being some of America’s first know serial killers. The author handled the details with a lot of action happening “off-screen” but if you are sensitive to violence, be warned. Also, the setting is in the 1790’s – not my favorite time period to read, but if you are a historical fan, the author did a lot of research to bring the details of the time period to life.

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Blue Cloak is another book in the True Colors series. The books are written by different authors but all have one theme, strange but true crime stories.
I have read all the stories so far, and this one is the most gruesome. It tells the story of the Harpes and their serial murder spree in the late 1700s. The characters are quite well developed and the story flows well. At the end, the author provides a lot of the history she used for writing the story.
I am big on a well-edited story and this story was great. There were no major errors that detract from reading although some of the wording was unusual to me though not in a bad way.
You can tell that the author put a lot of time and research into this story. It is a Christian book but not as you'd expect. It shows how God works even in bad situations without being preachy. It shows how different people, in different aspects of the story, rely on God, or in some cases don't.
I really enjoyed the book but it is not one to read just before bedtime. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book to my friends. This review is my personal opinion, freely given. I requested and received this book through NetGalley and Barbour Publishing.

The Blue Cloak is a very good addition to the True Colors series. Well written plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommend this book. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review

This novel is graphic and grisly and dark. On the other hand, it has moments of hopefulness, healing, and romance. McNear balances it well so the darkness doesn’t overwhelm the tale – and yet darkness is the body of the unfortunate events depicted – it leaves a stain or heaviness behind.

It’s quite difficult to explain my reaction. It was intense. The novel is very well-written and you may cry more than once – at least I did. It was gripping and evocative. I highly recommend it, but I recommend it with a bright strobing word of caution. You may feel a little banged up upon completion, especially if you’re a sensitive soul. The “true crime” aspect makes it difficult to process and will have you questioning how humanity can be so broken.

This story was very enjoyable and might possibly be disturbing for some as it deals with the dark side of the human condition. It is a Christian read so any violence does happen “off screen” and the descriptions are kept to a minimum. Having said that this is a true story and the author did keep to the facts, which are difficult at times to read. She did do an amazing job of really portraying Stockholm syndrome and all that that implies. I think her writing in this story was wonderful and would recommend this book to any true crime lover. The story is well written and I enjoyed the way the author unfolded the facts. The ending was a bit mind-blowing (in a certain way). I read it all in one sitting, never putting it down. This series has become a favorite for me.

Absolutely riveting! I didn’t realize until the end of the book that the brutal crime spree depicted throughout this book is actually based on real events, but I should have known! Shannon McNear is an absolute master at researching just the right facets of history, and finding the beauty in even the darkest of times. Despite the ghastly situations that Sally went through, Rachel and Benjamin managed to find a happily ever after when they least expect it. I also enjoyed the cameo of the Bledsoes from The Cumberland Bride. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

I have really enjoyed most of the books in this series by Barbour. I have never read anything by Shannon McNear, but I have enjoyed this series, so I picked it up. The novel is different, yet wonderful. It fits right into the vein of stories that Barbour is publishing. I enjoyed the writing. McNear is a fabulous writing. She showed the horrors surrounding this story, but in a safe way. No real horror on the pages, but I did shake my head a number of times at the pain Sally had to be feeling. Their is romance between Ben and Rachel, but it isn't overwhelming to the story. It felt just right for this time period and the length of the story. Overall, The Blue Cloak is a delightful story showing the historical crimes and bringing the to life for the readers. I'm glad I read this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of The Blue Cloak by Shannon McNear from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.