**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

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?

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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 Thoughts

Romantic suspense and historical fiction... my two favorite genres! Perhaps it goes without saying that I have really enjoyed the True Colors series, which combines the two--- blending true crimes in history with fictional romantic tales. Each book is written by a different author and takes on a different crime in history, and as such can be read as a standalone. The Scarlet Pen is book number twelve in this series.

Now, while I do love historical fiction, I must admit that I prefer that I prefer those stories that take place a little more recently in history. Anything in the 1800s and earlier? Well, that's a little more hit and miss, and so I wasn't sure how I would feel about this one before I began reading. Even at the start, it seemed to have a slow build... but once it took off, I absolutely could not put it down! The author did a really great job of balancing out just how depraved serial killer Stephen Dee Richards truly was, while still keeping the book from becoming too dark. (Though to be clear, there are some tough moments to read--- as some of his victims did include children.) Seeing the contrast of how he presented himself to the world and particularly his fiancé Emma and how he could so casually take a life was really eye opening and disturbing... but certainly kept me intrigued in the story nonetheless. The ending was quite surprising and certainly left me thinking about it all long after I'd finished. I found it really fascinating to learn which part of the stories were true and which were more fictionalized... the ending being one that was true to history making it all the more compelling!

While I have not yet read all the books in this series, I can say that after finishing this one- despite my initial uncertainty, it's definitely one of my favorites in the series so far. If you enjoy true crime and history, this is certainly one worth checking out.