Monday, June 21, 2021

Jennifer Uhlarik: The Scarlet Pen

 By Kelly Bridgewater

Step into True Colors — a series of Historical Stories of Romance and True American Crime
 
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?

 


My Thoughts:

What a scoundrel!!! In The Scarlet Pen, Jennifer Uhlarik crafted a villain that appears to be suave and handsome, but instead, he has a cold heart with no connections or feelings toward anyone he meets, which is shown over and over again in the plot. I felt so bad for Emma who fell in love with Stephen. This happens to many women today even. Why do women fall in love and stay with men who abuse them? I do not understand it. I know, mostly, because they are looking for validation and the love, but it is harmful to them and God forbid if there is children involved. The plot of The Scarlet Pen was well-crafted and captured my attention the whole time. I enjoyed this story and will recommend it to others. Definitely a story keeper. The romance was okay. It was not my favorite part. I do enjoy the relationship between Clay and Emma. I liked the part where they shared Bible verses to encourage each other. This was a great addition to the True Colors series.

I received a complimentary copy of The Scarlet Pen by Jennifer Uhlarik from  Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Purchase TheScarlet Pen

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