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Hell's Eight #1
Caine's Reckoning
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.
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.
474 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2007
About the author
Sarah McCarty
49 books1,049 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)romance author
Sarah has traveled extensively throughout her life, living in other cultures, sometimes in areas where electricity was a concept awaiting fruition and a book was an extreme luxury. While she could easily adjust to the lack of electricity, living without the comfort of a good book was intolerable. To fill the void, she bought pencil and paper and sketched out her own story. In the process, Sarah discovered the joy of writing.
Sarah writes what she loves to read; fast paced stories with vivid dialogue, intense emotion and well developed characters. Her attention to detail in her stories has earned her multiple awards and a reserved spot on Keeper shelves everywhere.
Sarah writes for Ellora's Cave, Harlequin HQN, Harlequin SPICE, Berkley HEAT and Berkley SENSATION.
(1)romance author
Sarah has traveled extensively throughout her life, living in other cultures, sometimes in areas where electricity was a concept awaiting fruition and a book was an extreme luxury. While she could easily adjust to the lack of electricity, living without the comfort of a good book was intolerable. To fill the void, she bought pencil and paper and sketched out her own story. In the process, Sarah discovered the joy of writing.
Sarah writes what she loves to read; fast paced stories with vivid dialogue, intense emotion and well developed characters. Her attention to detail in her stories has earned her multiple awards and a reserved spot on Keeper shelves everywhere.
Sarah writes for Ellora's Cave, Harlequin HQN, Harlequin SPICE, Berkley HEAT and Berkley SENSATION.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews
July 28, 2017
3.5 stars
Caine's reckoning started strong but once the couple started having sex it kind of lost the plot and was all about sex. Pages and pages of sex like three pages of just a blowjob. It was kind of crazy and I wish it would've focused more on the story plot. Because there was so much focus on the sex the ending felt rushed. The bad guys died way too easily. It was still a good read.
Caine's reckoning started strong but once the couple started having sex it kind of lost the plot and was all about sex. Pages and pages of sex like three pages of just a blowjob. It was kind of crazy and I wish it would've focused more on the story plot. Because there was so much focus on the sex the ending felt rushed. The bad guys died way too easily. It was still a good read.
March 25, 2015
"Danger lurked around him in an invisible shimmer, so much a part of his presence, she didn’t even think he realized it. She knew he could kill as easily as he changed his socks, and she knew he wouldn’t worry overly much about it when he was done. Survival was a matter of course to him. He was a lot like the land that way—rugged, deadly and uncompromising. Those who understood that and respected it would survive.
Those who didn’t, would die."
Why oh why didn't I read more western books before????????
After reading two books from this series, I can definitely say I'll be reading more, especially from this author!
The story
Caine and Desi are forced to marry after he saves her from some kidnappers and she tries to run away from him several times :D
Desi's got some nasty people she's trying to get away from, and luckily for her, Caine realises it and brings her into Hell's Eight protection :)
They both take time to adjust to married life, with Caine trying to get Desi to trust him and let go of her fears, and Desi thinking it would never work between them.
The bad guys from Desi's past are the main threat, and Caine will do everything he can to get revenge for what they did to her.
Caine met her gaze, letting her see the determination rolling through him. “I’ve spent my whole life kicking ass and it’ll be a cold day in hell before I change my ways when my wife’s the one hurt.”
“They’ll kill you.”
“They’re welcome to try.”
Forced marriages are one of my favorite plots, and I loved it here :D
Desi tries to run away a lot and I loved those scenes, plus them being married and Caine trying to make her feel safe with him... Awesome :))
Since this is in the past, all the laws are different, so you can guess how the dealing with the bad guys is too :) I have no problem with it ahahhahah :D
Oh I forgot, the scenes with the cock (male chicken) were hilarious!!
The Hell's Eight
I love the idea btw :D
They are all Rangers, tough-ass, not afraid to kill (well they have a licence for it ahahah), plus the horses, the riding, the shooting, the whole wild west thing... LOVE!!!!
I am already dying to get to the next books, especially Desi's sister and Tracker!!!!!
Seriously can't wait for that one!
Caine looked up, pinning Tucker with his gaze. “It’s my woman he touched. My woman he hurt.
My woman he threatens, so it’ll be my hand that ends his miserable life.”
Caine and Desi
Caine is a Ranger, gunslinger, fighter, and a man who is NOT the marrying kind. That of course changes when he meets Desi, he wants to protect her and care for her, after seeing what she went through.
Even though he wouldn't choose the marriage, he is prepared to do his best to make it work.
Desi was put in the protection of a gambler who took advantage of her, and she was abused for over a year and unable to get away.
After Caine saves her and they get married, she is still afraid of him, thinking he's the same like all the others who raped her.
Caine shows her different, and she learns to let go with him :)
He was really great to Desi, I loved the way he tried to make her feel safe and was all protective and gentle <3
He did one thing that was pretty weird, but OMG how that played out! ahahah Desi was amazing and he soon figured out he was a jerk, so it was all good :))))
The smexy times were HOT, even though it's still weird to see anal sex mentioned in a historical ahahah but oh well, this is erotica so I guess everything goes :D
Caine is very dominant in bed and boy, it's super hot!
Desi was great too, she was both fragile and tough, and I loved how the ending played out :)))))
"The shudder that ran through her on her next breath lashed him raw. A fine husband he turned out to be.
"I'm not sure how much tender I have left in me, Gypsy, but I promise you, from here on out, you're going to experience it."
I recommend this one to all western lovers, and to those of you who aren't, give it a try! It's really great <3
August 11, 2014
Caine's Reckoning: 1 star DNF- Rape Victims: They Need time not more penis
Maybe I'm too liberal, biased, and unyielding.... but as a romance writer you absolutely must handle the case of rape delicately. You know, Bodice Ripper's just aren't a think anymore...I think....I hope.. ANYWAYS,
You've got Desi, a previously rich girl, who was the unfortunate victim of some indian raids. She lost her family and was brutally raped. She was "saved", I use that word liberally, only to be granted by a crooked judge guardianship to a shitty ass gambler who had her chained to a bed to be this piss poor towns fuck slave. My details are fuzzy, but the protagonist and her cross paths when Cain, a texas ranger, is called with his team, hell's eight, to retrieve Desi and three other bitchy townswomen who have been stolen by some hispanics in the area. Blah blah blah, he likes her fierceness, blah blah blah she tries to get the fuck away blah blah blah she doesnt blah blah blah he takes her back to town and stands up for her blah blah blah the only solution is marriage which he is down with..... okay you get the picture. HERE IS WHERE I GO THE FUCK OFF
Just tell me why, WHY, when this girl can barely stand the look of another man, she has been raped, brutally, A shit load of times at only 20, WHY IN GOD'S HOLY NAME WOULD SHE EVER WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH YOUR RANDY "LETS FUCK BY THE CAMPFIRE" ASS. She doesn't know you, only that you were the lesser of the many evils....which isn't saying shit since she is constantly being raped by every man that crosses her path. I'm disguisted with the writer. Call me harsh, I D O N T C A R E.
Trust me, I can handle a alpha-hero, I can even handle a western alpha hero, but I can't call you a respectful or even understanding hero if you're trying to force this girl to "get used to your touch" and are basically forcing her to fuck you. Her feet are shredded, her hair is tangled, she hasn't had a bath in god knows when, her dress is torn off in the front, she's always being raped, has no clue who you are, where she is, where she's going, where her sister is, or nothing. Like ACTUALLY FUCK YOU. 
I really tried to continue on. The premise is good. The writing, despite this major flaw, is sound. AND, I have it on good authority that the series is at least worth it because I actually, SURPRISE, have read the second book and it was good. The scene that made me say I quit is when he finally gets the gal home, he insists on undressing her for her bath. Dude, she finally gets to have a bath and it has to be dampened by your too hung ass.
He is FORCING her to get over her past and her problems when he should be helping her. I can't stomach a book where the hero is a not as dangerous but glorified version of the heroine's worst nightmare. Sorry, McCarty but as a woman...I just can't.
Maybe I'm too liberal, biased, and unyielding.... but as a romance writer you absolutely must handle the case of rape delicately. You know, Bodice Ripper's just aren't a think anymore...I think....I hope.. ANYWAYS,
You've got Desi, a previously rich girl, who was the unfortunate victim of some indian raids. She lost her family and was brutally raped. She was "saved", I use that word liberally, only to be granted by a crooked judge guardianship to a shitty ass gambler who had her chained to a bed to be this piss poor towns fuck slave. My details are fuzzy, but the protagonist and her cross paths when Cain, a texas ranger, is called with his team, hell's eight, to retrieve Desi and three other bitchy townswomen who have been stolen by some hispanics in the area. Blah blah blah, he likes her fierceness, blah blah blah she tries to get the fuck away blah blah blah she doesnt blah blah blah he takes her back to town and stands up for her blah blah blah the only solution is marriage which he is down with..... okay you get the picture. HERE IS WHERE I GO THE FUCK OFF
Just tell me why, WHY, when this girl can barely stand the look of another man, she has been raped, brutally, A shit load of times at only 20, WHY IN GOD'S HOLY NAME WOULD SHE EVER WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH YOUR RANDY "LETS FUCK BY THE CAMPFIRE" ASS. She doesn't know you, only that you were the lesser of the many evils....which isn't saying shit since she is constantly being raped by every man that crosses her path. I'm disguisted with the writer. Call me harsh, I D O N T C A R E.
Trust me, I can handle a alpha-hero, I can even handle a western alpha hero, but I can't call you a respectful or even understanding hero if you're trying to force this girl to "get used to your touch" and are basically forcing her to fuck you. Her feet are shredded, her hair is tangled, she hasn't had a bath in god knows when, her dress is torn off in the front, she's always being raped, has no clue who you are, where she is, where she's going, where her sister is, or nothing. Like ACTUALLY FUCK YOU. I really tried to continue on. The premise is good. The writing, despite this major flaw, is sound. AND, I have it on good authority that the series is at least worth it because I actually, SURPRISE, have read the second book and it was good. The scene that made me say I quit is when he finally gets the gal home, he insists on undressing her for her bath. Dude, she finally gets to have a bath and it has to be dampened by your too hung ass.
He is FORCING her to get over her past and her problems when he should be helping her. I can't stomach a book where the hero is a not as dangerous but glorified version of the heroine's worst nightmare. Sorry, McCarty but as a woman...I just can't.
November 3, 2013
Welllllllll....hmm. Here's an obligatory shirtless cowboy...can't pass up the chance for one of those...
\
And now my review :D:D
Usually I like the second half of a book more than the first. But this was one gave me the opposite feeling. The first half of this book was really great...the setup for the ititial meeting was intense and exciting, the bad guys really bad and the good guys apparently really good. (Except they all have that tangible bad boy streak, which is even more exciting!!)
Caine's first sight of Desi is of her standing in the middle of a stream in her underwear, beating the crap out of any of her captors that dares to come close enough to touch her...all the while, another group of women simply sits there and squeals.
When Caine's group of Hell's Eight boys saves the day, these same women refuse to return in a group that includes Desi. Because she is a temptress and a seductress, I guess?
What the reader comes to learn is that Desi's story is not what the townspeople make it out to be, and the Hell's Eight guys catch wind that Desi is not necessarily a willing participant in her activities...namely because she fights them like hell when they try to take her back. And therein lies the core of the story...
And I liked how this story brings to light the plight of women of that time. If you were stuck with a beast of a man, there was no way out. It's all brawn and muscle on the frontier, and a lone woman back then was at the mercy of those surrounding her.
Now, the second half is where things go wrong for me. The first 'sexual' scene was super slow, uber sensual, wonderfully done. After that? No holds barred. Caine was so pushy in that he doesn't give this traumatized woman any time to recover from her powerless ordeal. He is determined that not only will she accept him into her bed and body, by she's damned well going to LIKE it, too. But he doesn't spend any time really delving into her psyche, being gentle or working his way into her heart. He just demands his rights, and leaves her no way out. Even though she makes it plain and clear that she's not ready emotionally...in fact, she's scared to death of him for nearly the entire book. For God's sake, the first time he tries to actually put it in, she has a full blown, no breathing, in shock panic attack! Back the freak off, buddy. For real!
And I would say that literally 2/3 of the second half of the book was 'intimate scenes'...either doing the deed, foreplay, or trying to convince her that she really does want this. Way too much.
I had another problem in that I felt that the villain(s) here were dealt with way too easily; in fact, most of the focus was not on the really bad guys, but some new dude who comes into the picture late in the story. Still one MORE villain wasn't dealt with at all. Meh.
My fave part about the second half of the book: The faithful, loyal hound dog and the crazy ass rooster...the hound dog because of his adoration and protection of his new mistress, and the rooster because he is so easily distracted and added a spot of laugh out loud humor to the story.
Boone the hound dog:
Cantankerous the rooster:
I think I'll read one more book before throwing in the towel on the series. I'm really intrigued by the rest of the guys, especially the Native American brothers...love me some quiet, stoic gamma heroes! This one held such promise and had me so excited for a bit. I'm hoping to get that same loving feeling back.
Buddy read with my British babe Steph ;D Bring on the cowboys!!
\And now my review :D:D
Usually I like the second half of a book more than the first. But this was one gave me the opposite feeling. The first half of this book was really great...the setup for the ititial meeting was intense and exciting, the bad guys really bad and the good guys apparently really good. (Except they all have that tangible bad boy streak, which is even more exciting!!)
Caine's first sight of Desi is of her standing in the middle of a stream in her underwear, beating the crap out of any of her captors that dares to come close enough to touch her...all the while, another group of women simply sits there and squeals.
"Then she looked up at him and sucker-punched him with the eloquence of those big eyes. Everything she felt inside, everything left out of her remarkably composed expression, whirled in the deep blue depths - shame, anger, hope and fear..."
When Caine's group of Hell's Eight boys saves the day, these same women refuse to return in a group that includes Desi. Because she is a temptress and a seductress, I guess?
What the reader comes to learn is that Desi's story is not what the townspeople make it out to be, and the Hell's Eight guys catch wind that Desi is not necessarily a willing participant in her activities...namely because she fights them like hell when they try to take her back. And therein lies the core of the story...
"Maybe I'm just a natural born whore."
The statement she wanted to sound cold and matter of fact came out high and strained. Caine cocked his head to the side. His thumb stroked the corner of her mouth.
"It's been my experience there's no such thing. Just women who've run out of options."
And I liked how this story brings to light the plight of women of that time. If you were stuck with a beast of a man, there was no way out. It's all brawn and muscle on the frontier, and a lone woman back then was at the mercy of those surrounding her.
Now, the second half is where things go wrong for me. The first 'sexual' scene was super slow, uber sensual, wonderfully done. After that? No holds barred. Caine was so pushy in that he doesn't give this traumatized woman any time to recover from her powerless ordeal. He is determined that not only will she accept him into her bed and body, by she's damned well going to LIKE it, too. But he doesn't spend any time really delving into her psyche, being gentle or working his way into her heart. He just demands his rights, and leaves her no way out. Even though she makes it plain and clear that she's not ready emotionally...in fact, she's scared to death of him for nearly the entire book. For God's sake, the first time he tries to actually put it in, she has a full blown, no breathing, in shock panic attack! Back the freak off, buddy. For real!
"She stared beyond the firelight, to the wildness beyond. It matched the wildness she felt inside. She just wanted to be free. Free of men's demands, society's scorn and the personal pain that ate like acid at her soul."
And I would say that literally 2/3 of the second half of the book was 'intimate scenes'...either doing the deed, foreplay, or trying to convince her that she really does want this. Way too much.
I had another problem in that I felt that the villain(s) here were dealt with way too easily; in fact, most of the focus was not on the really bad guys, but some new dude who comes into the picture late in the story. Still one MORE villain wasn't dealt with at all. Meh.
My fave part about the second half of the book: The faithful, loyal hound dog and the crazy ass rooster...the hound dog because of his adoration and protection of his new mistress, and the rooster because he is so easily distracted and added a spot of laugh out loud humor to the story.
Boone the hound dog:
Cantankerous the rooster:
I think I'll read one more book before throwing in the towel on the series. I'm really intrigued by the rest of the guys, especially the Native American brothers...love me some quiet, stoic gamma heroes! This one held such promise and had me so excited for a bit. I'm hoping to get that same loving feeling back.
Buddy read with my British babe Steph ;D Bring on the cowboys!!
January 4, 2009
I can see why the reviews for this book are kind of all over the place. It's a good book, one I'm glad I read, but at the same time, there are things about it that are frustrating and annoying. I enjoyed it a lot, but there were just some things that kept it from being a five-star read.
Set in the mid 1800's in the western U.S. (Texas), Caine's Reckoning is a story about a group of men, one in particular, Caine Allen, who've survived hell (the massacre of their town) and a young woman, Desi, whose life has gone from privileged to hell in the blink of an eye. Once a spoiled rich girl, Desi family was killed by Comancheros and it wasn't long before she ended up in the hands of man who saw her as a sex slave. Then she's kidnapped and rescued by Caine. She begs him to let her escape, but instead, the two end up married. Caine takes her back to Hell's Eight land where he promises to protect her and cherish her. But Desi doesn't believe in good things anymore. And she knows her guardian will do anything to get her back. Just as Caine begins to make Desi believe she can trust him, her past comes back to haunt her.
One of the things I heard about this book before reading it was that it was very wordy, had a lot of filler. Which I agree with to a certain extent. The book is long, 473 pages in trade pb format. And there were times where scenes seemed to go on and on and on and I just wanted to say 'get on with it already!' I think the first 220 pages of the book take place over only a period of a day and half. That's a lot of pages for a short period of time. So yeah, I agree that things could have been condensed a little bit. But I wouldn't say it was a huge issue. All the description and whatnot gave this book much more depth than you typically get in a book with an erotic label. I liked that it was more involved, but at the same time, it did really drag at times when it took 20-30+ pages to get through a short scene.
Another thing with the writing...at times there was a bit of an awkward flow. Though I'm not sure that's the best way to describe it. But I'd be reading and then I'd get to a section that what I was reading didn't make sense according to what I'd just read before it. And I'd have to go back and reread paragraphs to try and figure out what exactly what going on. Maybe it makes more sense to say the sequencing and logic was off at times. Whatever it was, it got irritating.
I liked all the characters in the book. Desi was an interesting mix of fragile and innocent, and strong and independent. She kept things lively! That battle she had with the rooster was amusing. And Caine...well, he was a good guy, but more than once I wanted to whack him on the back of the head because of how he handled Desi. He just wasn't very intuitive when it came to what she'd been through and how it affected her. So he was frustrating sometimes. And I wish there had been more on his past, and the Hell's Eight group. There was some basic explanation, but I wanted to know more about how all eight of them joined up together, why they still stuck together, how close they were (or weren't) and all that stuff. For me, there were just some wholes in the whole Hell's Eight concept.
When it comes to the sex in the book...well, it was certainly hot! But something about some of the scenes, though, were...ill-fitting. Though I think it was more that Caine was always pushing and pushing for intimacy and doing really stupid things that just did not work considering Desi's situation. Then near the end, Desi suddenly becomes submissive and accepting of her darker desires and it was such a quick jump it didn't make sense. There needed to be more exploration of Desi accepting and embracing her sexual nature.
...and all I've done is criticize so far. But like I said in the beginning of this review, the book was good, but it had things about that bugged me. I did enjoy the book, though. It had a great premise, good characters and a nice romance. At times while I was reading, the book reminded me of a (much) more erotic Catherine Anderson story. There's a lot of emotion, tortured characters...just a lot to make you feel about the characters and the situation. The overall vibe just made me think of a CA book...those this one is much much more explicit ;)
So overall...a good book, but I would call it amazing or great. A little cleaner writing, a little better logical flow, and it's be great. I look forward to reading the next book, Sam's Creed, though I can't say I've got a burning desire to start it right way. I'll probably wait a little bit. For others, I wouldn't really recommend the book to those just wanting to read some erotic romance or erotica, because the book is much more than that. It's more like a historical romance with quite a few erotic scenes.
WARNING, this book contains: explicit m/f sex, anal sex, D/S, spanking, flashbacks/mentions of rape and torture.
Set in the mid 1800's in the western U.S. (Texas), Caine's Reckoning is a story about a group of men, one in particular, Caine Allen, who've survived hell (the massacre of their town) and a young woman, Desi, whose life has gone from privileged to hell in the blink of an eye. Once a spoiled rich girl, Desi family was killed by Comancheros and it wasn't long before she ended up in the hands of man who saw her as a sex slave. Then she's kidnapped and rescued by Caine. She begs him to let her escape, but instead, the two end up married. Caine takes her back to Hell's Eight land where he promises to protect her and cherish her. But Desi doesn't believe in good things anymore. And she knows her guardian will do anything to get her back. Just as Caine begins to make Desi believe she can trust him, her past comes back to haunt her.
One of the things I heard about this book before reading it was that it was very wordy, had a lot of filler. Which I agree with to a certain extent. The book is long, 473 pages in trade pb format. And there were times where scenes seemed to go on and on and on and I just wanted to say 'get on with it already!' I think the first 220 pages of the book take place over only a period of a day and half. That's a lot of pages for a short period of time. So yeah, I agree that things could have been condensed a little bit. But I wouldn't say it was a huge issue. All the description and whatnot gave this book much more depth than you typically get in a book with an erotic label. I liked that it was more involved, but at the same time, it did really drag at times when it took 20-30+ pages to get through a short scene.
Another thing with the writing...at times there was a bit of an awkward flow. Though I'm not sure that's the best way to describe it. But I'd be reading and then I'd get to a section that what I was reading didn't make sense according to what I'd just read before it. And I'd have to go back and reread paragraphs to try and figure out what exactly what going on. Maybe it makes more sense to say the sequencing and logic was off at times. Whatever it was, it got irritating.
I liked all the characters in the book. Desi was an interesting mix of fragile and innocent, and strong and independent. She kept things lively! That battle she had with the rooster was amusing. And Caine...well, he was a good guy, but more than once I wanted to whack him on the back of the head because of how he handled Desi. He just wasn't very intuitive when it came to what she'd been through and how it affected her. So he was frustrating sometimes. And I wish there had been more on his past, and the Hell's Eight group. There was some basic explanation, but I wanted to know more about how all eight of them joined up together, why they still stuck together, how close they were (or weren't) and all that stuff. For me, there were just some wholes in the whole Hell's Eight concept.
When it comes to the sex in the book...well, it was certainly hot! But something about some of the scenes, though, were...ill-fitting. Though I think it was more that Caine was always pushing and pushing for intimacy and doing really stupid things that just did not work considering Desi's situation. Then near the end, Desi suddenly becomes submissive and accepting of her darker desires and it was such a quick jump it didn't make sense. There needed to be more exploration of Desi accepting and embracing her sexual nature.
...and all I've done is criticize so far. But like I said in the beginning of this review, the book was good, but it had things about that bugged me. I did enjoy the book, though. It had a great premise, good characters and a nice romance. At times while I was reading, the book reminded me of a (much) more erotic Catherine Anderson story. There's a lot of emotion, tortured characters...just a lot to make you feel about the characters and the situation. The overall vibe just made me think of a CA book...those this one is much much more explicit ;)
So overall...a good book, but I would call it amazing or great. A little cleaner writing, a little better logical flow, and it's be great. I look forward to reading the next book, Sam's Creed, though I can't say I've got a burning desire to start it right way. I'll probably wait a little bit. For others, I wouldn't really recommend the book to those just wanting to read some erotic romance or erotica, because the book is much more than that. It's more like a historical romance with quite a few erotic scenes.
WARNING, this book contains: explicit m/f sex, anal sex, D/S, spanking, flashbacks/mentions of rape and torture.
September 25, 2009
I just didn't enjoy this one as much as I wanted to. I thought it dragged on far too long. Desi truly has a lot of issues and she has my complete sympathy in regards to the rather horrific year she has endured. Caine was also a good man, he wasn't a lout or a sex crazed maniac. It wasn't just one individual thing, it was the combination of everything that made me unable to enjoy this.
While Desi has had a truly horrible year and has been as sexually abused as a woman could get, she's still eager to be a good wife to Caine. *While I could easily misconstrue that as her wanting to please him so he would let her stay, I'm not going to.* Despite her abuse, she discovers she likes it when Caine is at his most intimidating best. *That seems unbelievable to me, but again, I'm going to ignore it.* Caine makes her feel feminine and alive when he presses himself against her and she's eager to know what sex is like when done right. Caine is just as eager to show her, but every time they make progress, an ugly memory surfaces and he immediately backs off. That got old real fast. It was this endless, "Oooo, I'm going to give it to you, baby. Hard and fast. Just the way you want it. Are you ready? Cause this is it. I'm going to give it to you just the way we both want.......tomorrow." They did this like three or four times and when the sex scenes are like 8-10 pages each, that's a lot of go-nowhere sex. If he's not holding back, then she is and vice versa and it was so annoying. This could have been easier to take if I could have read about more interaction between Caine and Desi throughout the day. Instead it seemed to me that Sarah McCarty was just using the day to day activities as filler until she could return to the bedroom. Desi has a lot of problems, and they weren't all sexual. She needed a stronger hand during the day, someone helping her to build up her self confidence again. Instead, Caine lets her figure things out on her own and that was just unnecessary, and dragged out her poor feelings of self worth, imho.
While the main plot about Caine and Desi's sexual relationship is worked through, there is a secondary plot regarding the men who helped destroy her family and made her life hell. I say secondary because the amount of energy that Sarah McCarty put into this wouldn't have powered a nightlite, much less a flashlight strong enough to light our way and I thought it was sooo disappointing. Plus Caine's was always saying how much he was going to put the hurt on the guys who used and abused his wife but when it came down to it, those guys had faaaaar too easy an end. There was another villain that pops up during the end of the book and at that point, I could have cared less.
It was at the very end where I lost it. Desi writes a letter to her sister and in it she says, "hey, remember that guy we knew? Well, he was the bad guy!" WTF? That's how Sarah wrapped up this story? That just made me mad and after 450 pages, I wanted and deserved more.
I'm really glad I read Sam's Creed before I read Caine's Reckoning, because this reckoning was pretty lackluster. It chugged along, depending far too heavily on loosely connected bedroom scenes to fill it out and I just can't recommend this one. I wanted to love it. Heck, I would have settled for just liking it, but this one just rubbed me the wrong way. I kind of went back and forth on what I felt this book deserved and finally I went with 2 stars. I didn't like it. :(
While Desi has had a truly horrible year and has been as sexually abused as a woman could get, she's still eager to be a good wife to Caine. *While I could easily misconstrue that as her wanting to please him so he would let her stay, I'm not going to.* Despite her abuse, she discovers she likes it when Caine is at his most intimidating best. *That seems unbelievable to me, but again, I'm going to ignore it.* Caine makes her feel feminine and alive when he presses himself against her and she's eager to know what sex is like when done right. Caine is just as eager to show her, but every time they make progress, an ugly memory surfaces and he immediately backs off. That got old real fast. It was this endless, "Oooo, I'm going to give it to you, baby. Hard and fast. Just the way you want it. Are you ready? Cause this is it. I'm going to give it to you just the way we both want.......tomorrow." They did this like three or four times and when the sex scenes are like 8-10 pages each, that's a lot of go-nowhere sex. If he's not holding back, then she is and vice versa and it was so annoying. This could have been easier to take if I could have read about more interaction between Caine and Desi throughout the day. Instead it seemed to me that Sarah McCarty was just using the day to day activities as filler until she could return to the bedroom. Desi has a lot of problems, and they weren't all sexual. She needed a stronger hand during the day, someone helping her to build up her self confidence again. Instead, Caine lets her figure things out on her own and that was just unnecessary, and dragged out her poor feelings of self worth, imho.
While the main plot about Caine and Desi's sexual relationship is worked through, there is a secondary plot regarding the men who helped destroy her family and made her life hell. I say secondary because the amount of energy that Sarah McCarty put into this wouldn't have powered a nightlite, much less a flashlight strong enough to light our way and I thought it was sooo disappointing. Plus Caine's was always saying how much he was going to put the hurt on the guys who used and abused his wife but when it came down to it, those guys had faaaaar too easy an end. There was another villain that pops up during the end of the book and at that point, I could have cared less.
It was at the very end where I lost it. Desi writes a letter to her sister and in it she says, "hey, remember that guy we knew? Well, he was the bad guy!" WTF? That's how Sarah wrapped up this story? That just made me mad and after 450 pages, I wanted and deserved more.
I'm really glad I read Sam's Creed before I read Caine's Reckoning, because this reckoning was pretty lackluster. It chugged along, depending far too heavily on loosely connected bedroom scenes to fill it out and I just can't recommend this one. I wanted to love it. Heck, I would have settled for just liking it, but this one just rubbed me the wrong way. I kind of went back and forth on what I felt this book deserved and finally I went with 2 stars. I didn't like it. :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2009
5+ stars – Western/Historical Romance/Erotica
I L-O-V-E-D this book and find it interesting that the reviews are so mixed. Caine’s Reckoning is the first book in McCarty’s Hell’s Eight historical western romance/erotica series about a group of Texas Rangers who have banded together after losing their families in a brutal massacre of their town years before. They own thousands of acres in the Texas territory in the late 1850’s (known as Hell’s Eight land) and fight injustice and right wrongs on their terms. In Caine’s Reckoning, Texas Ranger/Hell’s Eight leader Caine rescues a kidnapped young woman, Desi, only to discover later that she has been viciously raped and abused by her gambler guardian and the men of her town, so she refuses to go back to them. He has no choice but to marry her and bring her back to the Hell’s Eight ranch to protect her, but she fears her former guardian will come after her. Caine and Desi’s relationship is tentative and slow-building. Caine vows vengeance against those who have hurt Desi, and she worries that her past will keep them from having a future together. Certain aspects of the story reminded me a little of Lonesome Dove (with some steamy sex thrown in of course). Caine is a tough yet tender honorable Texas Ranger, Desi is a strong heroine who prevails in spite of suffering unspeakable brutality at the hands of men, and the evil villain Apache Jack reminded me of Lonesome Dove’s Blue Duck. Some reviews mention the amount of violence in the story and extensive abuse suffered by the female protagonist, but I think both are accurate for a historical western with its time and setting. I mean, Texas in the 1800’s was harsh and unforgiving, especially for women. This book is a heavy historical western with slow-developing romance and a few very hot, explicit, erotic sex scenes, but not really an erotica novel; so I wouldn’t recommend it for those who are mainly interested in a romance/erotica and not actually fans of historical westerns. I thought it was one of the best western romances that I’ve read in a long, long while, and I’m really looking forward to more books in the series. Caine’s Reckoning is now one of my very favorite westerns/romances…I loved it! Oh yeah, and the cover is seriously H-O-T!!
I L-O-V-E-D this book and find it interesting that the reviews are so mixed. Caine’s Reckoning is the first book in McCarty’s Hell’s Eight historical western romance/erotica series about a group of Texas Rangers who have banded together after losing their families in a brutal massacre of their town years before. They own thousands of acres in the Texas territory in the late 1850’s (known as Hell’s Eight land) and fight injustice and right wrongs on their terms. In Caine’s Reckoning, Texas Ranger/Hell’s Eight leader Caine rescues a kidnapped young woman, Desi, only to discover later that she has been viciously raped and abused by her gambler guardian and the men of her town, so she refuses to go back to them. He has no choice but to marry her and bring her back to the Hell’s Eight ranch to protect her, but she fears her former guardian will come after her. Caine and Desi’s relationship is tentative and slow-building. Caine vows vengeance against those who have hurt Desi, and she worries that her past will keep them from having a future together. Certain aspects of the story reminded me a little of Lonesome Dove (with some steamy sex thrown in of course). Caine is a tough yet tender honorable Texas Ranger, Desi is a strong heroine who prevails in spite of suffering unspeakable brutality at the hands of men, and the evil villain Apache Jack reminded me of Lonesome Dove’s Blue Duck. Some reviews mention the amount of violence in the story and extensive abuse suffered by the female protagonist, but I think both are accurate for a historical western with its time and setting. I mean, Texas in the 1800’s was harsh and unforgiving, especially for women. This book is a heavy historical western with slow-developing romance and a few very hot, explicit, erotic sex scenes, but not really an erotica novel; so I wouldn’t recommend it for those who are mainly interested in a romance/erotica and not actually fans of historical westerns. I thought it was one of the best western romances that I’ve read in a long, long while, and I’m really looking forward to more books in the series. Caine’s Reckoning is now one of my very favorite westerns/romances…I loved it! Oh yeah, and the cover is seriously H-O-T!!
February 5, 2010
I had several problems with this book. (Just FYI I listened to an audio version.)
First this woman had just been kept tied to a bed as a sex slave for a year. Caine rescues her and marries her and that night (one and a half days later) he has her naked in the kitchen of the farm house where anyone could walk in and starts up some anal play. Really? This girl should have been running screaming from him. He knows about her abuse and still is on her all the time (and not in a gentle careful way mindful of her past) and she only barely seems to mind. Just not realistic and made me pretty uncomfortable.
Second the love scenes were way too long and mostly abortive. Where was the actual story?
Third there really wasn't much feel of the old west. Like the author said "let's throw in some horses and some six shooters! It'll be a Western!"
Fourth how many times did someone say "She's Hells Eight now"? I started to cringe every time I heard it.
Don't waste your time.
September 2, 2008
Reviewed for www.thcreviews.com
"4.5 stars" In my opinion, many erotic romances have a tendency to suffer from an overabundance of sex and underdevelopment of plot. Fortunately, Caine's Reckoning has no such issues. It has an interesting and engrossing storyline while still maintaining the steamy sexuality that tends to mark erotic romances. The overarching plot of the series, that of eight mostly unrelated but sexy alpha men who have banded together as a “family” to fight evil and injustice, reminds me in some ways of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Although I have to say that since one features sexy cowboys in the old west and the other sexy vampires in a contemporary urban setting, the similarities for the most part, end there. The individual premise of Caine's Reckoning was interesting as well. Between the heart-stopping romance, Desi's struggles to overcome her past, some wild west action, and a light mystery surrounding one of Desi's abusers and his motives, I had a hard time putting the book down. After reading several reviews for this book, I was expecting it to be very violent. While there were a couple of shoot-outs and one short 2 ½- page nightmare sequence that contained an explicit sexual assault, I found that most of the violence was left to the reader's imagination, and wasn't much worse than many other books I've read. That's not to say that it would be easy for everyone to read, and for this reason, I would caution sensitive readers about the content. I think that it simply didn't bother me as much, because in my opinion, the author didn't delve quite as deep into the emotional fall-out to Desi's psyche as some other authors with similar characters have done, and Desi was a very strong heroine as well.
I thought that Desi was an admirable heroine, a young woman who had suffered unthinkable abuse, and yet had never truly allowed herself to become a victim. When the story opens with her courageously fighting her captors like a hellcat while the other women sat passively by, I immediately liked her. Later when she showed tremendous vulnerability, it only endeared her to me further, as did her ability to frequently blush in spite of her “experience.” I also found her to be relatable as a young woman who had been raised as a prim, proper lady, but who always felt a burning passion inside trying to surface. It wasn't until she started stubbornly holding herself at arms length from Caine's gentle, loving overtures, that I had a bit harder time with her character, but ultimately, her actions were understandable in light of her past. Some stubborn heroines can tend to annoy me, but that wasn't really the case with Desi. I think I just spent most of that part of the story worried that her willfulness would cause her to do something really stupid, but when she exhibited intelligence and ingenuity in the end, she truly earned my respect. I also thought that when Desi was finally able to fully let herself go and surrender to Caine, trusting him completely, their resulting lovemaking was both darkly passionate and thoroughly beautiful and romantic, a heady combination indeed.
Caine was an incredibly appealing hero. Having lost his family at a young age, like all of the Hell's Eight men, he has a dark tortured past too, but it wasn't explored in as much detail as I would have liked. I suppose that is understandable though, as there shouldn't be too much darkness in one novel, or it would become depressing. Actually, I thought that Caine had a wry and sometime self-deprecating sense of humor which I enjoyed, and which also helped to lighten things up a bit here and there. He is a very dominating alpha male, but he has a heart of gold and isn't afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve when it comes to Desi. He also pampers her in the most thoroughly romantic ways, and has some of the most swoon-worthy lines I think I have ever read in a romance novel. I absolutely loved the way that he is completely committed to their marriage and being faithful to Desi right from the start, even though he had no intentions of getting married anytime soon and basically only agreed to it out of a sense of honor and duty. Even though Caine's every instinct is to dominate, he puts his own needs on hold and shows Desi an unbelievable amount of patience. I liked that Caine was very intelligent and intuitive when it came to Desi's needs. Time and time again, Caine proves that he is an honorable man who can be trusted with anything and who is the epitome of a true gentleman, a diamond in the rough. Even though I'm raving about him, Caine did have a few impatient moments when he allowed his desires to get the best of him, but I was still able to admire him because he immediately recognized his mistakes and admitted he was wrong. All in all, I thought he did pretty well for a guy in the old west who didn't have access to a psychotherapist for his wife.;-) Caine is definitely a hero I'll remember for a long time to come.
Though Caine's Reckoning was good enough to earn a place on my keeper shelf, it wasn't quite perfect. There were several scenes, a few of the love scenes in particular, that I thought were a little too verbose. I'm all for whispering sweet nothings during lovemaking, but sometimes it seemed like they were carrying on an entire conversation. In my opinion, it made these scenes feel rather forced, like the author was trying too hard to convince me of the character's passion and feelings instead of showing me. I think a few more descriptive details and a little less chattiness in these scenes would have made them flow a bit more naturally. There were also several scenes involving dialog, especially among multiple characters, where I had a difficult time determining who was speaking. Going back and reading the passages a second time usually cleared things up, but having to do this multiple times throughout the book was rather distracting. I would have to say that Desi's ability to overcome her past, not only the abuse but the sexually repressive atmosphere in which she was raised, was a little too quick, taking mere weeks instead of the months or even years that any real woman would have likely needed. However, since this is fiction and it was good otherwise, I can allow for a little creative license. I was also a little disappointed that the mystery surrounding the ringleader of Desi's captors was not fully resolved nor justice fully exacted, but I think this was meant to be something of a cliffhanger ending that is going to carry over into a future book or books. Overall, though this was a very good novel that I would definitely recommend.
Caine's Reckoning is the first book in the Hell's Eight series. It introduces the eight members of the group, some with brief background information and some only by name, but one, Sam, is given a slightly more detailed background and more scenes. He becomes the hero of the next book in the series, Sam's Creed. The third book, Tucker's Claim, is due out next spring with another, currently untitled, volume to follow by the end of 2009. Though she is not directly on the canvas in Caine's Reckoning, Desi's twin sister, Ari, is mentioned and does play a part in the mystery that was left unresolved. I suspect that she may become the heroine of a future book, possibly paired with Tracker, since he was the first to volunteer to search for her. Unfortunately, if my assumption is correct, it could be a while before readers get to experience their story. Caine's Reckoning was my first read by Sarah McCarty, but I am really looking forward to continuing the Hell's Eight series and checking out the other books that she has written too.
Note: This book contains explicit language, violence (as mentioned in my review), and sexual situations, including mild domination/submission, spanking and anal sex, which some readers may find offensive. However, considering the subject matter, everything was handled very tastefully in my opinion.
"4.5 stars" In my opinion, many erotic romances have a tendency to suffer from an overabundance of sex and underdevelopment of plot. Fortunately, Caine's Reckoning has no such issues. It has an interesting and engrossing storyline while still maintaining the steamy sexuality that tends to mark erotic romances. The overarching plot of the series, that of eight mostly unrelated but sexy alpha men who have banded together as a “family” to fight evil and injustice, reminds me in some ways of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Although I have to say that since one features sexy cowboys in the old west and the other sexy vampires in a contemporary urban setting, the similarities for the most part, end there. The individual premise of Caine's Reckoning was interesting as well. Between the heart-stopping romance, Desi's struggles to overcome her past, some wild west action, and a light mystery surrounding one of Desi's abusers and his motives, I had a hard time putting the book down. After reading several reviews for this book, I was expecting it to be very violent. While there were a couple of shoot-outs and one short 2 ½- page nightmare sequence that contained an explicit sexual assault, I found that most of the violence was left to the reader's imagination, and wasn't much worse than many other books I've read. That's not to say that it would be easy for everyone to read, and for this reason, I would caution sensitive readers about the content. I think that it simply didn't bother me as much, because in my opinion, the author didn't delve quite as deep into the emotional fall-out to Desi's psyche as some other authors with similar characters have done, and Desi was a very strong heroine as well.
I thought that Desi was an admirable heroine, a young woman who had suffered unthinkable abuse, and yet had never truly allowed herself to become a victim. When the story opens with her courageously fighting her captors like a hellcat while the other women sat passively by, I immediately liked her. Later when she showed tremendous vulnerability, it only endeared her to me further, as did her ability to frequently blush in spite of her “experience.” I also found her to be relatable as a young woman who had been raised as a prim, proper lady, but who always felt a burning passion inside trying to surface. It wasn't until she started stubbornly holding herself at arms length from Caine's gentle, loving overtures, that I had a bit harder time with her character, but ultimately, her actions were understandable in light of her past. Some stubborn heroines can tend to annoy me, but that wasn't really the case with Desi. I think I just spent most of that part of the story worried that her willfulness would cause her to do something really stupid, but when she exhibited intelligence and ingenuity in the end, she truly earned my respect. I also thought that when Desi was finally able to fully let herself go and surrender to Caine, trusting him completely, their resulting lovemaking was both darkly passionate and thoroughly beautiful and romantic, a heady combination indeed.
Caine was an incredibly appealing hero. Having lost his family at a young age, like all of the Hell's Eight men, he has a dark tortured past too, but it wasn't explored in as much detail as I would have liked. I suppose that is understandable though, as there shouldn't be too much darkness in one novel, or it would become depressing. Actually, I thought that Caine had a wry and sometime self-deprecating sense of humor which I enjoyed, and which also helped to lighten things up a bit here and there. He is a very dominating alpha male, but he has a heart of gold and isn't afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve when it comes to Desi. He also pampers her in the most thoroughly romantic ways, and has some of the most swoon-worthy lines I think I have ever read in a romance novel. I absolutely loved the way that he is completely committed to their marriage and being faithful to Desi right from the start, even though he had no intentions of getting married anytime soon and basically only agreed to it out of a sense of honor and duty. Even though Caine's every instinct is to dominate, he puts his own needs on hold and shows Desi an unbelievable amount of patience. I liked that Caine was very intelligent and intuitive when it came to Desi's needs. Time and time again, Caine proves that he is an honorable man who can be trusted with anything and who is the epitome of a true gentleman, a diamond in the rough. Even though I'm raving about him, Caine did have a few impatient moments when he allowed his desires to get the best of him, but I was still able to admire him because he immediately recognized his mistakes and admitted he was wrong. All in all, I thought he did pretty well for a guy in the old west who didn't have access to a psychotherapist for his wife.;-) Caine is definitely a hero I'll remember for a long time to come.
Though Caine's Reckoning was good enough to earn a place on my keeper shelf, it wasn't quite perfect. There were several scenes, a few of the love scenes in particular, that I thought were a little too verbose. I'm all for whispering sweet nothings during lovemaking, but sometimes it seemed like they were carrying on an entire conversation. In my opinion, it made these scenes feel rather forced, like the author was trying too hard to convince me of the character's passion and feelings instead of showing me. I think a few more descriptive details and a little less chattiness in these scenes would have made them flow a bit more naturally. There were also several scenes involving dialog, especially among multiple characters, where I had a difficult time determining who was speaking. Going back and reading the passages a second time usually cleared things up, but having to do this multiple times throughout the book was rather distracting. I would have to say that Desi's ability to overcome her past, not only the abuse but the sexually repressive atmosphere in which she was raised, was a little too quick, taking mere weeks instead of the months or even years that any real woman would have likely needed. However, since this is fiction and it was good otherwise, I can allow for a little creative license. I was also a little disappointed that the mystery surrounding the ringleader of Desi's captors was not fully resolved nor justice fully exacted, but I think this was meant to be something of a cliffhanger ending that is going to carry over into a future book or books. Overall, though this was a very good novel that I would definitely recommend.
Caine's Reckoning is the first book in the Hell's Eight series. It introduces the eight members of the group, some with brief background information and some only by name, but one, Sam, is given a slightly more detailed background and more scenes. He becomes the hero of the next book in the series, Sam's Creed. The third book, Tucker's Claim, is due out next spring with another, currently untitled, volume to follow by the end of 2009. Though she is not directly on the canvas in Caine's Reckoning, Desi's twin sister, Ari, is mentioned and does play a part in the mystery that was left unresolved. I suspect that she may become the heroine of a future book, possibly paired with Tracker, since he was the first to volunteer to search for her. Unfortunately, if my assumption is correct, it could be a while before readers get to experience their story. Caine's Reckoning was my first read by Sarah McCarty, but I am really looking forward to continuing the Hell's Eight series and checking out the other books that she has written too.
Note: This book contains explicit language, violence (as mentioned in my review), and sexual situations, including mild domination/submission, spanking and anal sex, which some readers may find offensive. However, considering the subject matter, everything was handled very tastefully in my opinion.
January 21, 2015
Caine Allen is Hell's Eight and a Texas Ranger, what he isn't is husband material. He finds himself rethinking that when he saves Desi from her kidnappers, her wild spirit calls to him and makes him want her as his own. When he realises the abuse she has been suffering from her guardians, he knows he can't take her back, so he does what he longs for...makes her his. Desi will do anything to avoid going back to chained to that bed and used to service whoever her guardian wants to reward. Her experience with men knows she can expect only pain and humiliation, but although Caine has a deadly reputation he vows to keep her safe and with him she only experiences pleasure, and maybe even love.
Phew, what I need after reading this is a ice cold glass of water and a smoking hot cowboy! Caine's Reckoning is the first in the Hell's Eight series. Hell's Eight are a group of (sexy) cowboys whose town was massacred when they were kids. They were the only survivors. They banded together to survive and for vengeance against those who destroyed their families and homes. Years later they have destroyed the men responsible for killing their families and have become Texas Rangers, they are now known as Hell's Eight; the more dangerous and deadliest men around.
What a great start to this series, it has everything I love, gorgeously rugged cowboys, feisty women and lots of hot sex. This is definitely an erotic, slightly BDSM romance, in this book Caine hands out a lot of 'sexual healing' after Desi has spent the last year being raped and humiliated. She expects only the worst from men, and I loved watching her slowly come to trust Caine as he gives her only pleasure and safety, all whilst he is taking total control.
It was hard not to love Caine, he was a tough Texas Ranger who had lead Hell's Eight since he was a child, hardened to the harsh life of the West, but he nevertheless softened towards Desi and offered her only tenderness and acceptance.
This book was full of emotions as we watch Desi heal and watch them both full in love, however, I did find the long drawn out sex scenes a bit boring after a while, towards the end I was skimming through them. But, I did really enjoy this book and I can't wait to see read the next book.
August 8, 2017
Rereading for a buddy read - August 2017
First read - Nov. 2013
4.5 Stars - Awesome, erotic historical western romance - and much to my surprise - very HOT! Loved this book and the hero, Caine. I'm sure men like him were rare for that time period and in fact, may be rare even today. So caring, patient, loving, willing to give so much to earn the heroine's trust. And what a feisty, spunky heroine in Desi with a heartbreaking past. Caine has to win her trust to move forward, and he goes about it the same way he'd break a wild horse...with lots of gentle, loving care. A Page Burning Must Read!
First read - Nov. 2013
4.5 Stars - Awesome, erotic historical western romance - and much to my surprise - very HOT! Loved this book and the hero, Caine. I'm sure men like him were rare for that time period and in fact, may be rare even today. So caring, patient, loving, willing to give so much to earn the heroine's trust. And what a feisty, spunky heroine in Desi with a heartbreaking past. Caine has to win her trust to move forward, and he goes about it the same way he'd break a wild horse...with lots of gentle, loving care. A Page Burning Must Read!
July 30, 2008
I loved this book. It made me remember how much I love Cowboys and stories about the American West. There were many issues in this book. Issues about sexual assault and physical violence. Issues about "Frontier Justice". Issues about the kind of choices women had in Texas and in the westward expansion during the 19th Century. I know you don't want me to preach, rant and rave on that subject...
Mostly this is a book about love, trust and keeping your spirit after horrible things happen. The main male character was sensitive, patient and hot. Very hot. This is a tender and lovely story about relationship building, emotional and sexual healing.
Mostly this is a book about love, trust and keeping your spirit after horrible things happen. The main male character was sensitive, patient and hot. Very hot. This is a tender and lovely story about relationship building, emotional and sexual healing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2008
Well let me start off by saying I totally understand why this book is all over the map when it comes to reviews.
My emotions did a rollercoaster ride throughout the whole book. I want to add here that I was glad I chose the ride but can't say I enjoyed the whole thing. :D
We have the classic "abused by men in the Wild West" heroine that is rescued by the "alpha tough cowboy" of the Wild West.
In this case the abused heroine has been severely used by some high dollar citizens. The hero rushes in with his high libido and dominating personality. This was where I got a bit mad. I felt he should have been a bit more sensitive to what she had been through from before. I was turned way off by a few of the earlier scenes. She became a Barbiedoll to me.
I did keep on reading despite my instincts to quit at this point. I was glad I did. The sex scenes were very sensual and hot!!!
I won't go on besides this point to ruin it for everyone else but this book will be a test for some.
My emotions did a rollercoaster ride throughout the whole book. I want to add here that I was glad I chose the ride but can't say I enjoyed the whole thing. :D
We have the classic "abused by men in the Wild West" heroine that is rescued by the "alpha tough cowboy" of the Wild West.
In this case the abused heroine has been severely used by some high dollar citizens. The hero rushes in with his high libido and dominating personality. This was where I got a bit mad. I felt he should have been a bit more sensitive to what she had been through from before. I was turned way off by a few of the earlier scenes. She became a Barbiedoll to me.
I did keep on reading despite my instincts to quit at this point. I was glad I did. The sex scenes were very sensual and hot!!!
I won't go on besides this point to ruin it for everyone else but this book will be a test for some.
July 9, 2013
I had to quit. This was just...yikes.
So Desi, our heroine has been repeatedly raped by just about every man she has known for the past few years...when along comes our hero (nope) Caine. He rescues her and for some obscure reason is told he must marry her. What does he do to our rape victim and his bride of less than 24 hours? Yep, you guessed it...coerces her into anal sex. I'm sure that's EXACTLY what she needed. No prelude. Just butt sex. So, that's about where I left it.
So Desi, our heroine has been repeatedly raped by just about every man she has known for the past few years...when along comes our hero (nope) Caine. He rescues her and for some obscure reason is told he must marry her. What does he do to our rape victim and his bride of less than 24 hours? Yep, you guessed it...coerces her into anal sex. I'm sure that's EXACTLY what she needed. No prelude. Just butt sex. So, that's about where I left it.
February 27, 2013
Hopefully the rest of the heroes in this series aren't pushy assholes who pressure their sexually abused wives into compromising positions.
November 9, 2013
This book was such a pleasant surprise. I have to admit that I have never been a fan of Historical books, but the synopsis of this one sounded too good to miss, so here I am.
I will say that at times there were 'lulls' in the story. Some times where nothing much was happening and Caine and Desi were just at home. Which after a little while got a little boring (although all the sexy stuff was awesome. lol), but when it picked up, there were some really fantastic scenes of action.
I really liked how we met Desi. She was fighting her captors with everything she had, she earned the respect from all the Hell's Eight men before she even met them. I knew then that I was going to like her, and I wasn't wrong.
I did get a little frustrated with her at times, for pushing Caine so hard when all he wanted was to help her and to love her. How she always saw anything sexual as being a whore... but then I tried to think about her upbringing and what has happened to her in captivity. It's not really a surprise that she was acting this way, but I loved seeing her grow and accept herself for who she really is, with Caine's help.
Caine is sooo amazing. I loved him from the moment he... The dedication we saw from that point on was outstanding. The fact that he wanted to keep Desi and to make her happy no matter how they may have gotten together, really made me love and admire him.
"I can't promise you a soft life, Desi, and I can't say that I'm an easy man, but I can promise you this. I'll care for you, protect you and honour you as my wife and the mother of my children.
The sex scenes in this book were so powerful and beautifully intense. Desi and Caine had to get to know each other's personalities as well as what they both like in their sexual relationship, and it wasn't always easy.
There were times when I wanted to smack Caine for how hard he pushed Desi and what he asked of her, but I always tried to remember that Caine has such a strong personality. He is fierce and possessive and he wants to give her everything she could ever want in a husband. He's fighting for her, to be with her. But he was facing more issues than he could have ever known.
Desi has been through so much in the last year, and the sexual abuse she faced has left them with many things to overcome. Caine has to learn her triggers and how to get her through them. So maybe sometimes he got frustrated and pushed her too hard, or forgot himself and treated her like just any another woman. But he accepted and apologised for those mistakes and then he learned from them. He's a fantastic hero.
Something I felt that was a vital factor in me loving this book was that we got to see things from Desi's point of view, as well as Caine's. Seeing the reasons why she acted the way she did and the fears she had made me understand her so much more. It was the perfect way to keep balance throughout their story.
The storyline about the bankers and the awful men that took Desi and her sister, Ari was so though to read. The fact that these sweet, beautiful women would be targeted like that even when they have done anything wrong was really hard hitting.
This was where my only other complaint comes from. I was expecting this huge showdown when Caine and the others went to get their revenge, their justice, but I what we actually get is a really short scene where they kind of get rid of themselves, while Caine and the gang watched from the side-lines. I was just a bit disappointed with that aspect of the book.
I really like the gang of Hell's Eight, Sam, Tracker, Shadow and Tucker and I can't wait to read their stories. I will definitely be continuing with this series.
*Thanks to Nicole for the awesome Buddy Read*
I will say that at times there were 'lulls' in the story. Some times where nothing much was happening and Caine and Desi were just at home. Which after a little while got a little boring (although all the sexy stuff was awesome. lol), but when it picked up, there were some really fantastic scenes of action.
I really liked how we met Desi. She was fighting her captors with everything she had, she earned the respect from all the Hell's Eight men before she even met them. I knew then that I was going to like her, and I wasn't wrong.
I did get a little frustrated with her at times, for pushing Caine so hard when all he wanted was to help her and to love her. How she always saw anything sexual as being a whore... but then I tried to think about her upbringing and what has happened to her in captivity. It's not really a surprise that she was acting this way, but I loved seeing her grow and accept herself for who she really is, with Caine's help.
Caine is sooo amazing. I loved him from the moment he... The dedication we saw from that point on was outstanding. The fact that he wanted to keep Desi and to make her happy no matter how they may have gotten together, really made me love and admire him.
"I can't promise you a soft life, Desi, and I can't say that I'm an easy man, but I can promise you this. I'll care for you, protect you and honour you as my wife and the mother of my children.
The sex scenes in this book were so powerful and beautifully intense. Desi and Caine had to get to know each other's personalities as well as what they both like in their sexual relationship, and it wasn't always easy.
There were times when I wanted to smack Caine for how hard he pushed Desi and what he asked of her, but I always tried to remember that Caine has such a strong personality. He is fierce and possessive and he wants to give her everything she could ever want in a husband. He's fighting for her, to be with her. But he was facing more issues than he could have ever known.
Desi has been through so much in the last year, and the sexual abuse she faced has left them with many things to overcome. Caine has to learn her triggers and how to get her through them. So maybe sometimes he got frustrated and pushed her too hard, or forgot himself and treated her like just any another woman. But he accepted and apologised for those mistakes and then he learned from them. He's a fantastic hero.
Something I felt that was a vital factor in me loving this book was that we got to see things from Desi's point of view, as well as Caine's. Seeing the reasons why she acted the way she did and the fears she had made me understand her so much more. It was the perfect way to keep balance throughout their story.
The storyline about the bankers and the awful men that took Desi and her sister, Ari was so though to read. The fact that these sweet, beautiful women would be targeted like that even when they have done anything wrong was really hard hitting.
This was where my only other complaint comes from. I was expecting this huge showdown when Caine and the others went to get their revenge, their justice, but I what we actually get is a really short scene where they kind of get rid of themselves, while Caine and the gang watched from the side-lines. I was just a bit disappointed with that aspect of the book.
I really like the gang of Hell's Eight, Sam, Tracker, Shadow and Tucker and I can't wait to read their stories. I will definitely be continuing with this series.
*Thanks to Nicole for the awesome Buddy Read*
August 20, 2016
I really really liked this one. Caine has a special place in my heart.
September 28, 2010
2 ½ stars. Intriguing characters. Good first sex scene. Excellent plot, but weak execution - needed more events and action.
STORY BRIEF:
Desi and her twin sister Ari were kidnapped by Indians and raped. Some “respectable” white men paid the Indians for Desi. They kept her naked and chained to a bed as their private sex slave. Somehow a gang of men kidnapped Desi and three ladies. Caine and two of his partners were traveling nearby and heard screams. They saw two men trying to rape Desi. They killed the men and took the women back to town. Caine learns that the territories’ crookedest judge gave Desi to James (a gambler) as her guardian. Caine decides to take her to his ranch for safety, but the local priest says Caine can’t take her from her legal guardian unless he marries her. So Caine marries her on the spot. Caine and his seven partners own the ranch called Hell’s Eight. They are also Texas Rangers, giving them license to kill bad guys. The white men are unhappy at losing Desi. They put out a reward for anyone returning her. Bad guys come to the ranch to try and take her. Meanwhile there are many long sex scenes between Caine and Desi. They are mostly about Caine bringing pleasure to Desi, and Desi being reluctant due to her year of being repeatedly raped. The sex scenes include spanking, rear door activity, torture, and rape.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
There was a lot of potential. Intriguing characters – good and bad. Good first sex scene. Excellent overall plot, but weak execution. Not enough happened. It needed more events and action. At the end, there was an unfinished feel. Some readers will be uncomfortable due to torture, rape and other sexual acts.
The first sex scene between Caine and Desi was intoxicating and memorable. He was giving her a bath, washing her hair and then slowly, methodically massaging her body. Some of the other sex scenes were less interesting and too long. Many of them felt cutoff, leaving you wondering. A couple of times I was tired of Desi’s nervousness and reluctance. I didn’t like her logic on page 315. As she started liking Caine, she decided she was not going to experience sexual pleasure with him because “if she let go she’d lose herself in him and nothing would be the same again” – whatever that means. Several days later she just changes her mind and decides “she wanted to give herself the way he needed her to, but for her pleasure, not his” (page 368). Why did she change her mind? I don’t know. The author didn’t do a good job justifying this conflict or resolution.
I did not like the heroine doing something stupid for the sake of the plot. She knows bad guys are coming to the ranch to try and take her. Sam is her current guard. When he goes to the outhouse for a few minutes, he tells her to stay inside the house. She doesn’t. She decides she wants to gather some eggs to bake a cake. She sneaks out of the house, and of course something bad happens.
My main problem with the book was too much sex and not enough story. I wanted more details about Caine and his partners getting revenge on the white men. There was one scene with Caine and his partners going after some of Desi’s rapists that was unsatisfying. I was expecting cunning, skills, suffering, and revenge but got none of that. It’s like the author couldn’t think of anything interesting to say, so she used a convenient, easy and boring end to the bad guys. At the end of the book, the “worst rapist” (who offered the reward) was still out there. I wanted something to happen to him and learn about his motive, but nothing happened. That part of the story was unfinished. The epilogue conveniently provided some information about him which was told rather than shown.
There wasn’t enough story about bounty hunters coming to the ranch for Desi. I would have liked seeing more of them or groups of them coming to the ranch and fighting Caine and his buddies.
One of Caine’s partners told Desi he would find and free her sister Ari from the Indians. I was expecting something to happen but was disappointed to learn that a sequel will have to do that story. However, to date there have been two sequels and neither one of them is the Ari story. “Sam’s Creed” has Isabella as the heroine. “Tucker’s Claim” has Sallie Mae. Will we ever have closure regarding Ari or the “worst rapist”?
DATA:
Story length: 465 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious words. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 12. Total number of sex scene pages: around 102. Setting: 1858 Texas Territory near Los Santos. Copyright: 2007. Genre: erotic western historical romance.
STORY BRIEF:
Desi and her twin sister Ari were kidnapped by Indians and raped. Some “respectable” white men paid the Indians for Desi. They kept her naked and chained to a bed as their private sex slave. Somehow a gang of men kidnapped Desi and three ladies. Caine and two of his partners were traveling nearby and heard screams. They saw two men trying to rape Desi. They killed the men and took the women back to town. Caine learns that the territories’ crookedest judge gave Desi to James (a gambler) as her guardian. Caine decides to take her to his ranch for safety, but the local priest says Caine can’t take her from her legal guardian unless he marries her. So Caine marries her on the spot. Caine and his seven partners own the ranch called Hell’s Eight. They are also Texas Rangers, giving them license to kill bad guys. The white men are unhappy at losing Desi. They put out a reward for anyone returning her. Bad guys come to the ranch to try and take her. Meanwhile there are many long sex scenes between Caine and Desi. They are mostly about Caine bringing pleasure to Desi, and Desi being reluctant due to her year of being repeatedly raped. The sex scenes include spanking, rear door activity, torture, and rape.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
There was a lot of potential. Intriguing characters – good and bad. Good first sex scene. Excellent overall plot, but weak execution. Not enough happened. It needed more events and action. At the end, there was an unfinished feel. Some readers will be uncomfortable due to torture, rape and other sexual acts.
The first sex scene between Caine and Desi was intoxicating and memorable. He was giving her a bath, washing her hair and then slowly, methodically massaging her body. Some of the other sex scenes were less interesting and too long. Many of them felt cutoff, leaving you wondering. A couple of times I was tired of Desi’s nervousness and reluctance. I didn’t like her logic on page 315. As she started liking Caine, she decided she was not going to experience sexual pleasure with him because “if she let go she’d lose herself in him and nothing would be the same again” – whatever that means. Several days later she just changes her mind and decides “she wanted to give herself the way he needed her to, but for her pleasure, not his” (page 368). Why did she change her mind? I don’t know. The author didn’t do a good job justifying this conflict or resolution.
I did not like the heroine doing something stupid for the sake of the plot. She knows bad guys are coming to the ranch to try and take her. Sam is her current guard. When he goes to the outhouse for a few minutes, he tells her to stay inside the house. She doesn’t. She decides she wants to gather some eggs to bake a cake. She sneaks out of the house, and of course something bad happens.
My main problem with the book was too much sex and not enough story. I wanted more details about Caine and his partners getting revenge on the white men. There was one scene with Caine and his partners going after some of Desi’s rapists that was unsatisfying. I was expecting cunning, skills, suffering, and revenge but got none of that. It’s like the author couldn’t think of anything interesting to say, so she used a convenient, easy and boring end to the bad guys. At the end of the book, the “worst rapist” (who offered the reward) was still out there. I wanted something to happen to him and learn about his motive, but nothing happened. That part of the story was unfinished. The epilogue conveniently provided some information about him which was told rather than shown.
There wasn’t enough story about bounty hunters coming to the ranch for Desi. I would have liked seeing more of them or groups of them coming to the ranch and fighting Caine and his buddies.
One of Caine’s partners told Desi he would find and free her sister Ari from the Indians. I was expecting something to happen but was disappointed to learn that a sequel will have to do that story. However, to date there have been two sequels and neither one of them is the Ari story. “Sam’s Creed” has Isabella as the heroine. “Tucker’s Claim” has Sallie Mae. Will we ever have closure regarding Ari or the “worst rapist”?
DATA:
Story length: 465 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious words. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 12. Total number of sex scene pages: around 102. Setting: 1858 Texas Territory near Los Santos. Copyright: 2007. Genre: erotic western historical romance.
May 8, 2012
Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
So first my confession – I’ve had this book in my TBR pile for almost a year. I bought it at the Borders going-out-of-business sale (the cover might have swayed me) and it went right into the to-be-read pile. I found myself wanting to read something a little different and definitely naughty so I picked it up and kept smacking myself with the book wondering why I waited so long to read it! The story and the characters drew me right in and while a few of the sex scenes maybe pushed my belief based on Desi and her past, overall it was such an enjoyable read that I have the rest of the books in the series ready to go.
To say Desi’s past is horrific is an understatement. Her wealthy, high-class family was heading west when they were ambushed. Desi’s parents were killed and she and twin sister were taken, raped and held for months. Desi was sold to local men and separated from her sister. Desi’s life didn’t get any better, being chained to a bed and raped repeatedly until a random run in with the Hell’s Eight happened. These Texas Rangers came upon Desi trying to defend herself, wearing next to nothing and having no weapon other than the rocks she could grab. Caine is one the Rangers who helps get Desi out of a bad situation. Instead of returning her to the town she’s a captive in, he marries her to get her away from the town’s “claim” on her and takes her to his Hell’s Eight compound.
The one thing that I was so glad about was the rape that Desi had to endure is not detailed out, much. She does have one nightmare/flashback and it’s more than enough to understand just what she went through. This story was about her healing with the help of Caine and feeling a sense of security that she lost. She’s jumpy, she’s convinced that Caine won’t want someone like her who isn’t pure and she’s just waiting for the other shoe to drop, the one that sends her back out on her own. Caine has news for her – he’s kind of a big softy when it comes to Desi and he wants nothing more than to bring the fire and spirit back out in her and he sets out to prove to her that she can trust him and he and his men will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. The men she escaped from still play a part in the story and this provides the suspense throughout the book.
With Desi and her horrible past, sex plays a huge role. Even though she suffered so much, she starts to feel more and more comfortable around Caine and the sex gets more and more intense, for lack of a better word. It takes Desi a long time to actually let her guard down to enjoy sex and Caine pushes her. Maybe a little too hard at the start, but when she trusts him and wants more from him their scenes reflected that. She got more adventurous and their sex did as well.
What drew me in and kept me into the story was simply Desi. I love reading about a tortured character recovering and rebuilding their life and we meet Desi at her lowest point. The Hell’s Eight are a group of alpha men, all with issues of their own. We meet them, but don’t get a lot of details as the story was pretty much centered around Caine and Desi. There is a continuing storyline with Desi’s lost sister and I can’t wait to get her story. I thought this was a satisfying story and a nice start to the series.
So first my confession – I’ve had this book in my TBR pile for almost a year. I bought it at the Borders going-out-of-business sale (the cover might have swayed me) and it went right into the to-be-read pile. I found myself wanting to read something a little different and definitely naughty so I picked it up and kept smacking myself with the book wondering why I waited so long to read it! The story and the characters drew me right in and while a few of the sex scenes maybe pushed my belief based on Desi and her past, overall it was such an enjoyable read that I have the rest of the books in the series ready to go.
To say Desi’s past is horrific is an understatement. Her wealthy, high-class family was heading west when they were ambushed. Desi’s parents were killed and she and twin sister were taken, raped and held for months. Desi was sold to local men and separated from her sister. Desi’s life didn’t get any better, being chained to a bed and raped repeatedly until a random run in with the Hell’s Eight happened. These Texas Rangers came upon Desi trying to defend herself, wearing next to nothing and having no weapon other than the rocks she could grab. Caine is one the Rangers who helps get Desi out of a bad situation. Instead of returning her to the town she’s a captive in, he marries her to get her away from the town’s “claim” on her and takes her to his Hell’s Eight compound.
The one thing that I was so glad about was the rape that Desi had to endure is not detailed out, much. She does have one nightmare/flashback and it’s more than enough to understand just what she went through. This story was about her healing with the help of Caine and feeling a sense of security that she lost. She’s jumpy, she’s convinced that Caine won’t want someone like her who isn’t pure and she’s just waiting for the other shoe to drop, the one that sends her back out on her own. Caine has news for her – he’s kind of a big softy when it comes to Desi and he wants nothing more than to bring the fire and spirit back out in her and he sets out to prove to her that she can trust him and he and his men will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. The men she escaped from still play a part in the story and this provides the suspense throughout the book.
With Desi and her horrible past, sex plays a huge role. Even though she suffered so much, she starts to feel more and more comfortable around Caine and the sex gets more and more intense, for lack of a better word. It takes Desi a long time to actually let her guard down to enjoy sex and Caine pushes her. Maybe a little too hard at the start, but when she trusts him and wants more from him their scenes reflected that. She got more adventurous and their sex did as well.
What drew me in and kept me into the story was simply Desi. I love reading about a tortured character recovering and rebuilding their life and we meet Desi at her lowest point. The Hell’s Eight are a group of alpha men, all with issues of their own. We meet them, but don’t get a lot of details as the story was pretty much centered around Caine and Desi. There is a continuing storyline with Desi’s lost sister and I can’t wait to get her story. I thought this was a satisfying story and a nice start to the series.
August 22, 2017
3.75/5 💪
October 30, 2013
Updated 11-1-13: 3 stars
Sometimes, the desperation and sheer grit of the era of the Western Frontier truly grabs me. I used to watch old westerns with my uncle. I was engrossed by stories like the Alamo, Wyatt Earp and Jessie James. I got into TV shows and movies like Deadwood, The Missing, and even the Hallmark channel's Love Comes Softly series (Is it too corny or inappropriate to add I loved Little House on the Prairie, at one point?(The dad in that show was hawt! I don't mean to offend:).
Anywhoot! There's got to be an honorable mention of the era that lends it's credence to the Gold Rush, railroad expansion and lawlessness, while also the age that brought about a melting pot, very unlike the cities of the Midwest and the East, but no less significant. Native Americans, newly freed Negroes, Mexicans and Chinese, as well as European immigrants and Whites from the East, looking for adventure and new beginnings in the West, lived together, though among extreme prejudice, and worked together to further meld what is the United States.
So if you can appreciate all that plus the addition of erotica and romance, then Caine's Reckoning is a good enough read. The history of what is “Hell's Eight” and the depiction of this group of men as Texas rangers, who are hawt as hell and ridiculously alpha, is a treat. The men are of a few ethnicities as well.
Caine, the hero of this one, is unapologetic and reminds me of Wyatt Earp or the Seth Bullock of Deadwood. He doesn't give up and makes the right call when needed, a trait that initially made him the leader of this bunch. His love is Desdemona, or “Desi.” She survives a terrible ordeal wrought by a virulent business of prostitution and greed, which, in this novel, harshly outlines the brutality and disregard handed to women who lived in this era, in this part of the country. Caine is not as gentle with Desi as some readers may want[the love scenes bordered on excess], but he does protect her with a fierceness that shines through in this author's writing. The ferocity of his “ownership” and eventual love of Desi is extended in his brothers, not menage style but with a strong sense of family and belonging.
In all, this first book is a great enticement to read on in the series. Sometimes, the plot is too muddled with half-bake notions of the enemy and unfinished conversations. The heroine's awakening is awkward and not exactly smoothly written. Yet, the emotions of the characters are given some relevance that read, at times, poignantly.
I liked the second book more in this series because the chemistry of the couple was more infectious, but the setting and meeting of Caine and Desi in this story is memorable.
Sometimes, the desperation and sheer grit of the era of the Western Frontier truly grabs me. I used to watch old westerns with my uncle. I was engrossed by stories like the Alamo, Wyatt Earp and Jessie James. I got into TV shows and movies like Deadwood, The Missing, and even the Hallmark channel's Love Comes Softly series (Is it too corny or inappropriate to add I loved Little House on the Prairie, at one point?(The dad in that show was hawt! I don't mean to offend:).
Anywhoot! There's got to be an honorable mention of the era that lends it's credence to the Gold Rush, railroad expansion and lawlessness, while also the age that brought about a melting pot, very unlike the cities of the Midwest and the East, but no less significant. Native Americans, newly freed Negroes, Mexicans and Chinese, as well as European immigrants and Whites from the East, looking for adventure and new beginnings in the West, lived together, though among extreme prejudice, and worked together to further meld what is the United States.
So if you can appreciate all that plus the addition of erotica and romance, then Caine's Reckoning is a good enough read. The history of what is “Hell's Eight” and the depiction of this group of men as Texas rangers, who are hawt as hell and ridiculously alpha, is a treat. The men are of a few ethnicities as well.
Caine, the hero of this one, is unapologetic and reminds me of Wyatt Earp or the Seth Bullock of Deadwood. He doesn't give up and makes the right call when needed, a trait that initially made him the leader of this bunch. His love is Desdemona, or “Desi.” She survives a terrible ordeal wrought by a virulent business of prostitution and greed, which, in this novel, harshly outlines the brutality and disregard handed to women who lived in this era, in this part of the country. Caine is not as gentle with Desi as some readers may want[the love scenes bordered on excess], but he does protect her with a fierceness that shines through in this author's writing. The ferocity of his “ownership” and eventual love of Desi is extended in his brothers, not menage style but with a strong sense of family and belonging.
In all, this first book is a great enticement to read on in the series. Sometimes, the plot is too muddled with half-bake notions of the enemy and unfinished conversations. The heroine's awakening is awkward and not exactly smoothly written. Yet, the emotions of the characters are given some relevance that read, at times, poignantly.
I liked the second book more in this series because the chemistry of the couple was more infectious, but the setting and meeting of Caine and Desi in this story is memorable.
March 3, 2020
March 2020 Review
(Downgrade from 5 to 4 stars)
I'm struggling with reviewing this one. Years ago (probably at it's release) I read this book and was always on the prowl for the next one in the series. I was in love and obsessed with the men of Hell's Eight. However it has been years since I've read it and obviously I've aged as well and I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected to. To be clear this book was allllllll smut, smut and more smut with a little story thrown in. It was a little uncomfortable at times as Caine rescues Desi from a situation most of us could not fathom. After the murder of her family she is essentially sold to a gambler in a small town who (I'm guessing because it's not 100% proven) rents out Desi to the men in the town to do as they wish. As you can imagine her life has been nothing but HELL. Sex is not and has never been pleasurable to her. Caine must marry her to protect her and in doing so Caine really pushes the limits of her sanity. Personally I don't think he should have pushed her to come to terms with her past so quickly. Hell he's feeling her up on the first night. It just felt dirty and I couldn't help but feel for her. Give this woman a damn minute to enjoy her freedom-sexual and otherwise. That is not what happens and while Desi does fall for Caine, it just wasn't as romantic as my head remembered it. Having said that I must admit that this is historical and takes place in a time when women literally were possessions. They had no rights, no say and without a man/husband they were fair game. It's disgusting and sad but unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it Desi is saved by an upstanding man who at the end of the day just wants to make her happy and give her the life she deserves. Maybe not the luxurious life she was accustomed to before her imprisonment but a life of freedom, happiness and independence that she probably gave up all hope for. I'm looking forward to the rest of the men's stories, particularly Desi's sister who is most likely living in her own hell. Now that I can be prepared for more of an erotic western rather than a damsel in distress romance I'm hoping I'll enjoy the following books more!
(Downgrade from 5 to 4 stars)
I'm struggling with reviewing this one. Years ago (probably at it's release) I read this book and was always on the prowl for the next one in the series. I was in love and obsessed with the men of Hell's Eight. However it has been years since I've read it and obviously I've aged as well and I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected to. To be clear this book was allllllll smut, smut and more smut with a little story thrown in. It was a little uncomfortable at times as Caine rescues Desi from a situation most of us could not fathom. After the murder of her family she is essentially sold to a gambler in a small town who (I'm guessing because it's not 100% proven) rents out Desi to the men in the town to do as they wish. As you can imagine her life has been nothing but HELL. Sex is not and has never been pleasurable to her. Caine must marry her to protect her and in doing so Caine really pushes the limits of her sanity. Personally I don't think he should have pushed her to come to terms with her past so quickly. Hell he's feeling her up on the first night. It just felt dirty and I couldn't help but feel for her. Give this woman a damn minute to enjoy her freedom-sexual and otherwise. That is not what happens and while Desi does fall for Caine, it just wasn't as romantic as my head remembered it. Having said that I must admit that this is historical and takes place in a time when women literally were possessions. They had no rights, no say and without a man/husband they were fair game. It's disgusting and sad but unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it Desi is saved by an upstanding man who at the end of the day just wants to make her happy and give her the life she deserves. Maybe not the luxurious life she was accustomed to before her imprisonment but a life of freedom, happiness and independence that she probably gave up all hope for. I'm looking forward to the rest of the men's stories, particularly Desi's sister who is most likely living in her own hell. Now that I can be prepared for more of an erotic western rather than a damsel in distress romance I'm hoping I'll enjoy the following books more!
October 8, 2017
Down and dirty review as I am on a plane and not much time left on air wifi.
Reading completely out of order, morefun time with that rugged Texas band of brothers, the Hell's Eight. Stalwart, honorable Caine rescues dainty Desi from an immediate and longterm terrible situation.
Bottom line, Desi was captured by Comanches and raped, then rescued and raped by skeevy townsmen, and is now rescued by Caine and forced to marry him by the priest.
Taken to the Hell's Eight fortress of solitude, Caine tries to gentle her and rehab with sex essentially. Okay, it's good sex, but I was seriously uncomfortable with a woman who has been raped by so many men just jumping into the fire.
Desi is a pretty feisty heroine, but this book barely makes the three star rating. Yep, Caine is a rugged hot hero, and Desi is pretty great as a heroine, but the sad miasma of her sadistic treatment is a serious downer. Not to mention that there is no backstory or much detail of how the eight men get together other than they were orphaned as children in various brutal ways. They banded together to create their own family and wreck revenge on the evil-doers. As much as I like the romance, I want the bromance! The backstory and adventures of eight hunky and basically sweet Texas Rangers of various ethnicities deserves more than we are given here.
Not for the faint of heart regarding the rape situation.
Reading completely out of order, more
Bottom line, Desi was captured by Comanches and raped, then rescued and raped by skeevy townsmen, and is now rescued by Caine and forced to marry him by the priest.
Taken to the Hell's Eight fortress of solitude, Caine tries to gentle her and rehab with sex essentially. Okay, it's good sex, but I was seriously uncomfortable with a woman who has been raped by so many men just jumping into the fire.
Desi is a pretty feisty heroine, but this book barely makes the three star rating. Yep, Caine is a rugged hot hero, and Desi is pretty great as a heroine, but the sad miasma of her sadistic treatment is a serious downer. Not to mention that there is no backstory or much detail of how the eight men get together other than they were orphaned as children in various brutal ways. They banded together to create their own family and wreck revenge on the evil-doers. As much as I like the romance, I want the bromance! The backstory and adventures of eight hunky and basically sweet Texas Rangers of various ethnicities deserves more than we are given here.
Not for the faint of heart regarding the rape situation.
February 21, 2012
2.5/5; 3 stars; B-
If I could give a book a rating for 'potential' I'd give this one a higher score. There was the definitely the potential for a better book here. I liked the characters in the story, for the most part. But, I did have a strong objection to some of the behavior of Caine. On one hand, he is supposed to be this strong ethical guy who would never hurt a woman, yet on the other hand, he's completely insensitive and stupid when dealing with Desi on several occasions. It bothered me a lot.
I think the author could have made a stronger book by focusing more on the story line surrounding the Hell's Eight group and what they were trying to do on their farm/land. I was disappointed because I like this author's storytelling voice. I think she got sidetracked trying to make it a 'hot' love story between Caine and Desi.
If I could give a book a rating for 'potential' I'd give this one a higher score. There was the definitely the potential for a better book here. I liked the characters in the story, for the most part. But, I did have a strong objection to some of the behavior of Caine. On one hand, he is supposed to be this strong ethical guy who would never hurt a woman, yet on the other hand, he's completely insensitive and stupid when dealing with Desi on several occasions. It bothered me a lot.
I think the author could have made a stronger book by focusing more on the story line surrounding the Hell's Eight group and what they were trying to do on their farm/land. I was disappointed because I like this author's storytelling voice. I think she got sidetracked trying to make it a 'hot' love story between Caine and Desi.
December 29, 2015
Why oh why didn't I read more western books before???????? I can see why the reviews for this book are kind of all over the place. In my opinion, many erotic romances have a tendency to suffer from an overabundance of sex and underdevelopment of plot. But this book is not one of them! So first my confession – I’ve had this book in my "to-read" pile from August this year - and I am sorry for not reading it sooner! I felt a little intimidated when I received this book as a gift. I was in the impression that it will be just the sex and crudeness and nothing more - boy, I was wrong! I really enjoyed this book! Why oh why don't women stay put when everyone is telling them to (Desi is just plain loco)? I was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed Caine's Reckoning as much as I did.
So, without further argument - great recommendations! :D
So, without further argument - great recommendations! :D
July 5, 2016
I don't like BDSM with my HR. I did like the story though.
Desi had inner strength especially for a pampered princess so I was impressed that she kept fighting. Caine was a good man despite the hard outer shell. Novels like this were the precursors for modern day biker stories. Just substitute cowboy/Marshalls with motorcycle gangs. Code of honor, brotherhood, and loyalty.
The writing was just okay for me. It wasn't as flowery as I was hoping for. In fact, this story was pretty dark for what I normally get with western HRs.
There was an HEA and Desi's twin will feature in book 2.
I will continue this series.
Desi had inner strength especially for a pampered princess so I was impressed that she kept fighting. Caine was a good man despite the hard outer shell. Novels like this were the precursors for modern day biker stories. Just substitute cowboy/Marshalls with motorcycle gangs. Code of honor, brotherhood, and loyalty.
The writing was just okay for me. It wasn't as flowery as I was hoping for. In fact, this story was pretty dark for what I normally get with western HRs.
There was an HEA and Desi's twin will feature in book 2.
I will continue this series.
August 23, 2016
Spoiler Ahead This was a pretty good book and a long book it was also my first time reading this authors work. The Hell's Eight are a band of men who have gone through hell when they were children. After seeking retribution for what happened to them, they are now on the right side of the law, acting as Texas Rangers.Caine Allen and other members of Hell's eight, save Desi and two other women who were kidnapped. Curiously, the other women will have nothing to do with Desi and Desi doesn't want to go back to town doing whatever she can to avoid it. When Caine returns her to town, he understands why the most crooked circuit judge in the territory has made a slimy gambler Desi's guardian. Caine Allen is definitely not the marrying kind. Desi isn't quite sure what to make of Caine she has had bad experiences with men over the past year that have left her with horrible memories. Caine is determined to help her withher fears and make their marriage work. He doesn't always know what to do, but he's determined to Desi's with fears but she is stubborn. But can Caine help Desi overcome her fears while there's still someone who wants her back and is determined to get Desi back no matter what? This book started out with a bang and kept getting interesting as it went on with all the emotions that were in it. The book also had some funny scenes in it like the roster scene or when Caine was teaching Desi how to shoot. The book also had some really hot sex scenes in it. I liked both of the main character's in this book. Caine was determined to help Desi and keep her. This book was long but it was a good read as I stated this was my first time reading this author and not my last. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
Caine
Desi
Caine
Desi
March 11, 2013
WOW, WOW, WOW!!! This book is SERIOUSLY HOTTT!!! *fanning myslef*
I'm asking myself how come I've missed this series? How? Why didn't I read it before?
But now, I'm very happy to have started it! *wink*
It is very, very well written. The lady does know how to use words!
The story is soooo good! And Caine is to die for! He's so alpha and so bossy, but he's also so gentle and loving. He's also fun and caring. And he's soooo sexy!!!
I loved how the heroine overcome her many wounds and problems... poor girl... I don't know if I could have done it.
I'm asking myself how come I've missed this series? How? Why didn't I read it before?
But now, I'm very happy to have started it! *wink*
It is very, very well written. The lady does know how to use words!
The story is soooo good! And Caine is to die for! He's so alpha and so bossy, but he's also so gentle and loving. He's also fun and caring. And he's soooo sexy!!!
I loved how the heroine overcome her many wounds and problems... poor girl... I don't know if I could have done it.
July 22, 2008
This was a dark western romance chalked full of horrible abuse and treatment. I found it to be depressing and sad. The main character, Desi, had some horrific memories and it's a wonder to me that she didn't have some kind of disease. The other main character, Caine, was a good man and did his best to help Desi heal. But, he/they were into dominance "games" and for me with Desi's background, it's a wonder she ever trusted a man again little lone allowed herself to be dominated.
August 10, 2016
I wanted to love Caine's Reckoning. I'd read so many rave reviews I thought for sure I would! I just didn't feel attached to the characters, I wasn't sucked in. The sex scenes were a bit too wordy for me. The writing was a little hard to follow in some places. I found myself having to go back a few pages to figure out what the heck was happening/happened. I'm on the fence about whether or not to move on to Sam's Creed.
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