Monday, August 9, 2021

About the Book

Book: The Scarlet Pen

Author: Jennifer Uhlarik

Genre: Christian Historical Suspense

Release date: July 2021

Engaged to a Monster

Book 12 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Enjoy a tale of true but forgotten history of a 19th century serial killer whose silver-tongued ways almost trap a young woman into a nightmarish marriage.

In 1876, Emma Draycott is charmed into a quick engagement with childhood friend Stephen Dee Richards after reconnecting with him at a church event in Mount Pleasant, Ohio. But within the week, Stephen leaves to “make his fame and fortune.” The heartbroken Emma gives him a special pen to write to her, and he does with tales of grand adventures. Secret Service agent Clay Timmons arrives in Mount Pleasant to track purchases made with fake currency. Every trail leads back to Stephen—and therefore, Emma. Can he convince the naive woman she is engaged to a charlatan who is being linked a string of deaths in Nebraska?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a preteen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a BA in writing, she has won five writing competitions and was a finalist in two others. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and is a lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenage son, and four fur children.

More from Jennifer

Hello, Readers! For all who might never have read one of my stories or come across me, it’s great to meet you! I’m a wife, a mom, a (young!) grandma, and an author—among many other things. My author tagline is “Where Grit Meets Grace.” If you’re familiar with my writing at all, you’ll know that most of my stories at least touch on a bit of the difficult side of life. Death, abandonment, war, addiction, or who knows what else you might find. The Scarlet Pen is no different.

Given that this novel is the final installment in Barbour’s True Colors series, the story revolves around a true crime from history—in this case, the murders of serial killer Stephen Dee Richards—AKA the Nebraska Fiend. Anytime you’re dealing with someone so depraved as he, you’ll find plenty of “grit” to write about. But that’s only half of my tagline. Remember, it’s “Where Grit Meets Grace.”

While I love a story that delves into difficult topics and, in some cases, pushes the characters right to the edge of what they can handle, I also love a truly redemptive story. When I was asked to write for this series, the ideas that drew me the most were the ones that had something redeeming in the actual history. There were plenty of interesting historical killers I could’ve chosen where I could have manufactured a positive, even happy ending through the fictional characters in the book. In the case of Stephen Dee Richards, there was no manufacturing needed. The “grace” part was already written. The end of Stephen’s story is precisely why I chose to write about him. I hope you’ll find it as though-provoking and compelling as I did. Happy reading!

MY REVIEW

Each one of these book in this series has given me insight into crimes committed from different time periods, Some of them I knew about but the majority of them were not known to me. I have enjoyed each one and am sad to know that this is the last book in the series.

This story is set in 1876 and focuses on a man that is ruthless, calculating, uncaring and a heart that is cold as ice. I have tried to figure out why this man is so creepy but some people are just wired differently. Even though Stephen does some unthinkable crimes I was intrigued with him. How could he show a caring side then in a split second he was an evil man who thrived on killing? His temper seemed to rise if he was threatened by words. Those triggering hurtful words like liar, cheater and criminal brought him to seek revenge on those who dared utter anything that attacked his character.

Poor sweet innocent Emma. You know the saying, “Love is blind” well that describes Emma. She refused to believe that her intended is a criminal. Why he is so sweet and caring around her yet can murder someone and actually enjoy it? Her father describes Emma as fierce and strong, yet when it came to Stephen her blinders were up. I did want to shake her several times and tell her to open her eyes. She prays and seeks God’s wisdom but for some reason she is ignoring any signs that God is showing her. I did wonder why she and Stephen were in such a rush to marry. Good thing her parents slowed that down and told her she needs to wait.

Now I liked Clay and appreciated how dedicated he was to prove Stephen guilty but I was annoyed at the attraction both he and Emma felt for each other so quickly. I think temptation snuck in and both are trying to fight that off. I did cheer for Clay has he dug his heels in and followed every lead that led to where Stephen might be. I loved how the author let us go along as Clay pursued Stephen. As the story continues I began to understand why Clay felt an attraction toward Emma. The author slowly begins to set the stage for these two to share their feelings and Clay was a perfect gentleman throughout the story. Kudos for redeeming yourself Clay. I was a bit troubled with you but it all makes sense at the end of the story.

There are moments in the story that may be sensitive to some readers. The author does describe the murders but I think she did it in a way that is not very detailed and spares readers from more intense facts that would be hard to read. The author includes scripture throughout the story which I found helpful in showing how the characters drew near to their faith in the troubling situations they faced.

The ending is bittersweet and I was surprised at some of it. I liked how the question of God forgiving Stephen for his sins was handled. As the story closes we are faced with a question? Should God forgive even someone like Stephen and welcome him home to heaven?

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.