Thomas Bledsoe and Kate Gruener are traveling the Wilderness Road when conflicts between natives and settlers reach a peak that will require each of them to tap into a well of courage. A brand new series for fans of all things related to history, romance, adventure, faith, and family trees.
Love and Adventure Are Discovered on the Wilderness Road In 1794, when Kate Gruener’s father is ready … Road
In 1794, when Kate Gruener’s father is ready to move the family farther west into the wilderness to farm untouched land, Kate is eager to live out her own story of adventure like he did during the War for Independence and to see untamed lands. And she sets her sights on learning more about their scout, Thomas Bledsoe. Thomas’s job is to get settlers safely across the Kentucky Wilderness Road to their destination while keeping an ear open for news of Shawnee unrest. But naïve Kate’s inquisitive nature could put them both in the middle of a rising tide of conflict. Is there more to Thomas’s story than he is willing to tell? Is there an untapped courage in Kate that can thwart a coming disaster?
Join the adventure as the Daughters of the Mayflower series continues with The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear.
More in the Daughters of the Mayflower series:
The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1620 Atlantic Ocean (February 2018)
The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo – set 1725 New Orleans (April 2018)
The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep – set 1760 during the French and Indian War (June 2018)
The Patriot Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1774 Philadelphia (August 2018)
The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear – set 1794 on the Wilderness Road (October 2018)
The Liberty Bride by MaryLu Tyndall – set 1814 Baltimore (December 2018)
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‘Ah, Lord God! The world You made us very fair indeed.’
If you are a history lover, as I am, this series will please you very much! This one, set in the American frontier, is very well written, with wonderful descriptions of the land, the customs and the people. Very enjoyable and interesting. The romance element was so sweet and the spiritual theme was also very good. Recommended.
*My thanks to Barbour Books for a copy of this book via Net Galley. I was not required to leave a review and the opinion stated here is entirely my own.
Shannon McNear’s lyrical prose weaves a magnificent tale of the early settlers along the Wilderness Road of the late 1700’s. Her settings literally spring to life, as the story slowly unfolds describing the many hardships the early settlers faced as they moved westward. McNear alternates the POV between one of the settlers traveling the Wilderness Road Kate Gruenner and Thomas Bledsoe, their guide. Though she initially appears to be unprepared to face the hardships and survive in the wilderness, McNear has given us a courageous heroine. While trying to keep his distance, Thomas is drawn to Kate. He is torn between two worlds, searching for a place to call home. As they face many dangers along the way, they also find this a journey of faith.
Reminiscent of Lori Benton, Laura Frantz and Michelle Griep, fans of historical fiction will be captivated by Kate and Thomas’ story. McNear has written a tale, rich in historical detail, and with a spiritual message that is relevant regardless of setting. She has also given us a romance that is tender and sweet.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Cumberland Bride is a book in a series of books by Barbour Publishing called The Daughters of the Mayflower. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. This is a new to me author and I loved this story. The historical aspects of the frontier and the dangerous plot kept me glued to each page. I felt as if I was there enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Cumberland Gap. The romance however, was what kept me turning the pages. It was so well done and oh so precious, that I wanted the story to continue. As I said, this is a new to me author and I am thrilled to have found her. I can’t wait to read more from Ms. McNear.
*This book was given to me by Barbour Publishing. I was not under any obligation to leave a review. This is my honest opinion.
This is the first book I’ve read in the Daughters of the Mayflower Series and also the first time to read a book by Shannon McNear, it was an excellent book. You felt like you were right there with the characters of the book. I stayed glued to this book until the very end, it will have you laughing, crying, holding your breath and cheering. I felt she stayed very true to history and I really enjoyed reading the Author’s Note at the end of the book. I look forward to reading more of the books in this series and more by this author. I received an ARC copy of this book from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley. The opinions in this review are my own.
Reading tales of the perils that many of the early settlers faced is always unfathomable to me. The bravery and heroism that it must have taken to leave everything, travel under the most difficult of circumstances, all in hopes of a more prosperous life is commendable to say the least. Kate and the young Gruener family, along with several other families, leave the only life they’ve known in hopes of a brighter future. Kate’s faith throughout the journey is inspiring and her craving to document everything she can makes her a woman after my own heart.
Thomas is hired to help lead, and protect, the expedition all while at a crossroads of his own. The attraction between Kate and Thomas is noticeable to everyone, no matter how much each of them try to deny it. Poor Kate is accident prone throughout the entire novel yet somehow Thomas is always there to help, making your heart swoon for both of these characters.
This dynamic, paired with their characters growing in such a short amount of time, the obstacles throughout the journey, and a beautiful backdrop of uncharted Tennessee territory, made for a sweet and enjoyable story. My only negative is that there are parts of the book that do tend to lag but other than that The Cumberland Bride is a superb historical fiction and another wonderful installment in The Daughters of the Mayflower series.
*I have reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the Barbour Publishing through NetGalley. All opinions are completely honest, and my own.
Loved the setting, time period, and characters!
Kate Grueners and her family are getting ready to leave Spring Tennessee for a new life in Kentucky. In order to go her dad hires a scout named Thomas Bledsoe. Thomas is there to help look out for Indians and any other trouble that may come up. They also have other families traveling with them. One of the families in the group is the Hughes family. Jacob Hughes is one of their sons. He has a strong attraction for Kate and is always trying to be near her.
During their travel Thomas is trying to focus on his job watching for trouble . But his mind wanders to Kate a lot. He doesn’t want to deal with a woman at all. His childhood had lots of sadness and loss. He lived with the Shawnee tribe for almost 2 years. He was adopted into the tribe and then felt loss when he was rescued and taken back to his sisters. His Mom and Dad had both passed away.
Kate has injuries to her feet after walking in a creek bed, Thomas suggest she ride a pack horse for a bit to let her feet heal. Thinking they are almost healed she decides to walk and her toes start to bleed again. She is back on the pack horse with her little brother. As they cross a creek that has risen because of rain. The horse loses its footing and rolls on her and her brother. Thomas is panicked at the site of her and her little brother struggling in the water. He rushes to their rescue and realizes she has a head injury and suggest they stop for a couple of days. Not everybody is happy with this and threaten to leave. He is fine with that if they want.
When they are back on the trail his gut tells him things are not as good as they seem. Kate comes out and finds Thomas. He is trying to get her to go back but its to late . They are captured. Thomas leaves her to go back to warn the families and get help to get her back. When he comes back for her he sees his Shawnee father and he helps them while the rest of the tribe tries to figure out what to do with Kate. Along the way they both open up about their feelings and decide to get married. I love this series. I enjoy the historical parts of these stories . ( This book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review)
3.5 stars
“Be brave, sweet Kate.”
It’s 1794 and Kate Gruener’s father has decided to move his family west; regaling them with stories about the wild, barely tamed Kentucky frontier and its wide, open opportunities. He hires experienced scout Thomas Bledsoe to lead their cluster of local families safely across the Wilderness Road, knowing that renegade Shawnees are continuing to stir up trouble throughout Cumberland Gap.
Kate’s natural curiosity and propensity to record details, about people and places, prompts her to quiz the intriguing scout from time to time about his family history, to which he barely responds. But as the miles disappear under their feet, an invisible thread begins to form between them, causing Thomas much angst. He is determined to avoid attachments, he never wants a woman to cry over him again, and the lovely Kate is proving hard to resist with all of her annoying questions.
It seems the Almighty has His own plans for Thomas and Kate, for after Thomas’ worst nightmare is realized, he turns to the only source of wisdom that he should have ever considered to begin with and listens to the still, small voice of the Spirit saying, ” And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, This is the way, walk ye in it.”
Honestly, the first and second halves of this story differed remarkably in intensity, but make no mistake; the author ends strong and ultimately that is what matters.