Caine Allen, Texas Ranger, is a man with a mission. That
mission is to breed horses on his ranch that is known
throughout all of Texas -- and perhaps beyond -- as Hell's
Eight. No body messes with anyone from Hell's Eight and all
those with a vested interested in that land share rather
dubious pasts. Good men and women whose lives haven't always
run smoothly. But Caine Allen and his group are good people
who believe in hard work, trust, justice and keeping
promises. Watch out if you are on the receiving end of that
justice. Desi is a woman all out of options. Her parents are
dead, her sister kidnapped by Comancheros and she has been
held captive as a sex slave for several seemingly upstanding
men in town. Her many scars both physical and emotional bare
witness to the horrors she has lived through. Caine is taken
with how strong her survival skills are from the very moment
he spies her alluding the gang of men who kidnapped her and
several other townswomen. Physically Desi was a strikingly
beautiful rather petite woman but her will more then made up
for her smallness. The only way to save her from continued
harm at the hands of some dubious town gentlemen is to take
her to Hell's Eight and the only way he can do that is if
she becomes his wife. Desi also realizes that her very
survival depends on escaping the brutality in the town and
agrees to the marriage.
What Caine and Desi didn't foresee was the amazing mutual
physical attraction. But as Caine quickly realizes he has
many hurdles to overcome if he and Desi were to have any
kind of life together. The first is to get Desi to believe
he sees her as a useful and sexy woman not a whore. Watch
out when the sparks start to fly. The second is to keep her
safe from someone who seems intent on having her, dead or
alive.
CAINE'S RECKONING was a wonderful introduction to not only
Sarah McCarthy but what is categorized as an erotic western.
Westerns are favorites of mine and there is no lack of great
story telling in this book. The main characters are sexy as
all get out and are as raw as the time and territory they
are living in. It took real grit to stay alive during the
time where you couldn't tell the good guys from the bad.
McCarthy makes her characters real and shows there was no
room for being delicate. It's a story about earning respect
for ones self and learning how to survive despite cruelty
beyond imagination. Hang on to your hats and get entranced
by Desi. I for one can't wait for the next in this series.
Hot stuff with substance -- how can you miss? The sexy parts
were raw but fitting for the story. All and all an A+ for
Sarah McCarthy.
The Hell's Eight is the only family he's ever needed, until he meets the only woman he's ever wanted… Caine Allen is a hardened Texas Ranger, definitely not the marrying kind. But when he rescues a kidnapped woman and returns her to town, the preacher calls in a favor. One Caine's honor won't let him refuse. From the moment he beds Desi, Caine knows turmoil will follow. Desi might have the face of a temptress, but she also has a will of iron and while she needs his protection, she's determined that no man will control her again. They establish an uneasy bond, but it isn't enough for Caine. He wants all Desi has to offer. He wants her screams, her moans, her demands… everything. Yet there's still a bounty on Desi's head, and keeping her sexually satisfied is proving easier than keeping her alive.