PDF Ebook Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), by Sarah McCarty
Reviewing the e-book Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty by on-line could be also done conveniently every where you are. It appears that hesitating the bus on the shelter, waiting the checklist for queue, or other places possible. This Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty can accompany you because time. It will certainly not make you really feel weary. Besides, in this manner will additionally improve your life quality.
Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), by Sarah McCarty
PDF Ebook Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), by Sarah McCarty
Book fans, when you require a brand-new book to review, find the book Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty right here. Never worry not to discover exactly what you need. Is the Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty your needed book currently? That holds true; you are actually a great reader. This is an ideal book Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty that comes from fantastic writer to show to you. The book Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty offers the very best experience as well as lesson to take, not just take, yet additionally discover.
Maintain your way to be here as well as read this web page finished. You could appreciate looking guide Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty that you actually refer to get. Below, obtaining the soft file of guide Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty can be done quickly by downloading and install in the web link page that we offer right here. Obviously, the Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty will certainly be yours quicker. It's no have to wait for guide Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty to get some days later on after acquiring. It's no have to go outside under the heats up at middle day to go to the book establishment.
This is several of the advantages to take when being the member as well as get guide Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty here. Still ask exactly what's various of the other site? We offer the hundreds titles that are produced by advised writers as well as publishers, worldwide. The link to get and also download and install Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty is additionally quite easy. You might not find the complicated site that order to do even more. So, the method for you to get this Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty will be so easy, will not you?
Based on the Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty information that we provide, you could not be so baffled to be right here as well as to be participant. Get now the soft documents of this book Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty and also save it to be your own. You conserving can lead you to stimulate the convenience of you in reading this book Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty Even this is forms of soft file. You could actually make better opportunity to obtain this Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), By Sarah McCarty as the recommended book to review.
Caine Allen is definitely not the marrying kind. But when he rescues a kidnapped woman and returns her to town, his honor and his desire for Desi won't allow him to let her go.
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. All he wants is to keep her in his bed. But with a bounty still on her head, first he must keep her alive.
- Sales Rank: #728479 in Books
- Brand: HQN Books
- Published on: 2010-12-21
- Released on: 2010-12-21
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 6.62" h x 1.25" w x 4.21" l, .50 pounds
- Binding: Mass Market Paperback
- 480 pages
- Great product!
Review
"Promises Prevail is an outstanding western historical romance! From the moment readers meet Jenna and Clint, they will be enthralled in their love story. This book is a guaranteed page-turner." -- The Romance Studio
"Ms. McCarty has become a must read author." -- Fallen Angels Reviews
About the Author
Before becoming a full-time writer, Sarah McCarty traveled extensively. She would bring a pencil and paper with her to sketch out her stories and, in the process, discovered the joy of writing. Today, Sarah is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including the award-winning Hell’s Eight series, and is best known for her historical and paranormal romance novels. You can contact Sarah through her website at www.SarahMcCarty.net.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
1858: Texas Territory
He hated the sound of a woman's scream. Caine pulled Chaser up short. The black Appa-loosa's hoofbeats ended in cadence with Tracker's and Sam's horses. After fifteen years together, there was no guesswork to the men's moves. They were a team.
The high-pitched scream came again, cutting through the cold morning air, hovering a desperate moment on the heavy mist before dropping off with eerie abruptness.
Tracker took the blade of grass he'd been chewing from between his teeth. "Looks like we've found them."
"Yup." Caine pulled his rifle from the scabbard, scouting the surrounding area. There weren't that many areas a man could hide here in the flatlands.
Sam tipped back his hat, his blue eyes glittering like cold ice. "About the only place that offers protection is that cluster of trees yonder."
Caine didn't need to hear the grim edge to the statement to know what that meant. If those were true Co-mancheros who'd stolen the women, they'd already been spotted. The women were as good as dead, and that scream had merely been a baited invitation to a trap. However, nothing in this whole kidnapping spoke of the snake-in-the-grass intelligence Comancheros were known for. Greed, yes. The women stolen had been the youngest and prettiest, but there was a certain lack of intelligence displayed in taking the sheriff's wife. Even if he had been out of town at the time. There were some things a smart man didn't do, and one of them was stealing a lawman's woman.
Tracker slid off his horse, stepped forward and squatted next to hoofprints in the mud. He flicked aside some debris and touched the base of an indentation.
"Same notched shoe?" Caine asked.
"Yup." Beneath his hat, Tracker's long black hair blew back from his face as he followed the trajectory of the tracks to the cluster of trees, revealing the hard ridge of scar tissue puckering the dark skin of his cheek. A scar he'd earned at the age of fifteen when he'd extracted justice for his mother from the man who'd raped her. He pointed to the copse of trees halfway up the rise. "They're in there."
Another scream tore through the morning calm, this time rising and falling on a ruptured, barely recognizable "No!"
"Shit." Sam flipped the strap on his holster. "Stopping to fuck with a posse on their tail? I've a mind to complain to the padre. It's a waste of time sending us out to round up this bunch when any kid in knee pants could do the job."
Remnants of the scream echoed off the surrounding hills, raising the hairs on the back of Caine's neck. Right along with memories he'd rather have stayed buried. "Gotta admit that much stupidity fairly begs a man to put it out of its misery."
"That it does." Sam checked the cylinder of his pistol, the easy nonchalance of his attitude belied by the grim smile lifting the corner of his lips. Nothing irritated Sam more than a stupid outlaw. "But seeing as they chose to bring their law-breaking to our land, I suppose it won't overwork us none to teach them a lesson."
The same tug of cold intent in Sam's smile flowed through Caine's blood, sharpening his senses, giving a home to the anger that had festered without satisfaction for the last fifteen years. They'd fought long and hard for a place to call their own, carved two thousand acres out of these canyons with their sweat and blood. This was their home, and the only law that existed in it was the one they enforced. And on Hell's Eight land, a body could do a lot of things, but hurt a woman and live wasn't one of them. "I don't suppose it will."
Sam dropped his revolver back into his holster. "I'll head 'round."
"You want the sentries, Tracker?" Caine asked, as Sam loped off, circling to keep the slight rise between him and their quarry.
Tracker stood and put his hand on the worn leather-wrapped hilt of his knife. "My pleasure."
Silhouetted against the morning mist, he looked every bit of his reputation—a big, mean nightmare come to life. His dark gaze fixed on the copse of trees, his focus already on the battle to come. If Tracker ever allowed one of the sentries to see his expression, the implacable intent there, the man would piss his pants. Too bad Tracker never let them see his face. Caine levered a bullet into the chamber of his rifle with the snap of his wrist. He'd pay money to see that. "Then I guess that leaves the how-de-do's up to me."
The barest hint of a smile touched Tracker's lips. "Enjoy yourself."
Caine crept on his belly to the edge of the low ridge overhanging the small clearing. Tipping back his hat, he looked directly below to the small group in the hollowed-out bank in the curve of the stream. Stupid did not begin to describe this bunch.
One of the five men they were tracking held a gun loosely on three women who cowered in terror against the earthen bank. Three more outlaws were engrossed in trying to catch a blond-haired hellion knee-deep in the rushing stream, pitching curses and stones at their heads with assorted degrees of accuracy. If she'd once worn a dress, it was long gone. Her bloomers and camisole were plastered to her compact body, her small breasts and mound clearly delineated by the transparent material. The provocative display no doubt contributed to the idiocy of the men, one of whom chose that moment to rush the woman. She jerked to the side, her long hair obscuring her expression as he grabbed her arm and pulled. Instead of fighting, she went with him, planting her feet when he stumbled on the uneven stream bed, bringing her knee up hard enough to feed the guy his balls for breakfast. She should have run, but she was a fighter and clearly had a fighter's instinct to finish the job. As the guy sank to the ground, hands clamped over his balls, she kicked out again, catching him on the chin. He went over like a felled ox, water splashing high. Out cold.
Caine raised an eyebrow as she turned on the other two, feet braced, daring them to come after her. A smile tugged past his fury. Hell, if they delayed a bit, the little spitfire might just take care of this mess for them. A barely perceptible thud to his left deepened his smile. But it wouldn't be necessary. Tracker was nothing if not efficient and that thud was the first sentry. One down.
Two more to go. Caine inched closer as the outlaws on the edge of the stream shifted position. The bigger of the two said something to the other, his heavy beard obscuring the shape of the words. In response, the smaller man pulled off his hat, revealing a thin face scraggled with beard. He slapped the hat against his thigh. Whatever the suggestion had been, the smaller man wasn't cozying up to it.
"Just rush her for Christ sake," the redhead guarding the other women shouted impatiently, punctuating his point with a wave of his rifle that had the women he was guarding screaming and covering their heads with their hands.
"If you want her rushed, Red, do it yourself," Scraggle Beard hollered back. "I like my balls right where they are."
"Do I have to do everything myself?" Red aimed his revolver at the two men. They went absolutely still. With a flick of the muzzle, he ordered, "Get out of the way."
The two men stepped aside, relief seeping into the set of their shoulders as Red centered the muzzle on the blond woman. "Get out of the stream."
The blonde's response to that flat order was a flip of her head that had her hair whipping back over her shoulder, revealing a delicately shaped face devoid of color but full of determination.
She didn't move a foot, nor say a word, but if there was ever a combination of gestures that said go to hell, it was the lift of that small, pointed chin and the narrowing of those big eyes.
Over the rushing of the stream, Caine heard the faint click of the gun hammer locking into place. Shit.
"Now."
Caine had never seen a more stupidly brave woman.
Instead of obeying, she squared her shoulders. Courage was one thing but she was just about begging the man to pull the trigger, and for that she needed her cute little ass paddled. Caine notched the barrel of his rifle between two stones and took aim as Red straightened his arm.
The blonde narrowed her eyes and stretched her defiance out to the last possible second before, with another toss of that wet mane, she sloshed out of the stream. Water dripped in a small river as she stomped up the bank. She came to a stop three steps from Red, chin still high, shaking like she had the ague. Goddamn, if she didn't drop with pneumonia before the day was out, they would all be lucky.
"See, boys, nothing to be afraid of," Red sneered, releasing the hammer and lowering the revolver to his side. "Just a pretty little whore displaying her goodies for our pleasure."
The "boys" converged on the woman, grabbing her arms. If looks could kill, Red would be dead and the "boys" not far behind. The bearded man grabbed the woman's hair, yanking her around as he ripped the chemise from her body. Her screech echoed around the clearing. With the speed of a rattler, she sank her teeth into his hand, hard enough that his holler followed hers. Scraggle Beard jerked her back. She didn't let go, just stretched out between the two men, hanging like a crazed coon, anchored by her teeth and the grip on her arm.
"Fucking shit! Stop yanking on her before she bites my thumb clear off!"
Scraggle Beard froze. The bearded man brought his hamlike fist down on the woman's back. Her knees buckled, but she held on. No matter how the man shook his hand, yanked and threatened, she didn't turn him loose. Son of a bitch, she was something.
Caine adjusted his aim. "That's right, hellcat. Keep them busy just a little bit more, just until Tracker gets those sentries." He tightened his finger on the trigger. "Just a little bit more, and I'll settle this for you once and for all."
As if she heard, the woman clung to the outlaw, flopping where he shook her, getting a bit of her own back the only way she could, clearly stuck on her course of action with no real way out. If she let go she'd be helpless, if she held on, she was an easy target for his fist. The man brought his fist up a second time. Caine sighted the gun. That was one blow that wasn't going to land.
Tracker's signal trilled through the clearing, sharp and sweet. Followed immediately by another. Caine fired in rapid succession. Simultaneously, three shots shattered the rain of curses streaming into the clearing, followed quickly by a fourth. The men dropped, the blond woman with them. Caine leapt over the ledge and slid down the muddy slope, sending loose rocks tumbling before him. He reached her side in a few rapid strides. No way had he hit her. He'd placed his bullets precisely where he'd wanted them. So had Sam and Tracker. He'd lay money on it. All of the Hell's Eight were known for their accuracy. That fifth shot had him worried, though. That shot hadn't come from any of their guns.
The closer he got, the smaller the woman got. Fine bones, fine build. He stepped over the outlaw at her side, the screams and cries of the other three women no more than the buzz of insects. Blood splattered on what he could see of the little blonde's arms, but he didn't think it was hers. The impression of fragility increased as he cupped her shoulders through the wet mass of hair. Shit, there wasn't anything to her beyond grit and determination. And temper, he decided as he tugged up and she snarled. She was still biting the man. "You can turn him loose now, ma'am."
There was a pause and the tension under his hand eased. He pulled. She sat back, wiped at her mouth with both hands before huddling into a ball, looking for all the world like she'd start plastering herself with mud to cover up if he didn't present an alternative fast. 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.
"Who are you?" she asked, through the chattering of her teeth.
"Caine Allen, Texas Ranger." He'd tip his hat if he had a free hand. Though she was all but naked and covered in blood, she had an air about her that reminded a man of his manners. The introduction didn't ease any of the turbulence he read in her eyes.
"Father Gerard asked me to come fetch you home," he added, shrugging out of his wool-lined leather duster and wrapping it around her, drawing her into his body heat. She fit against him nicely.
"Is he dead?"
It was hard to acquaint the quavery whisper with the woman who'd faced down three grown men with nothing more than her temper and teeth. He took in the fallen man's blank stare, the hole dead-center between his eyes and the blood pooling beneath his head. "If not, he's doing a fair imitation."
"Oh."
If he hadn't been studying the blue tinge under her skin, he would have missed the subtle tremble that ran through her and just mistaken it for another of the cold chills shaking her from head to toe. Winter was wrapping up, but spring had yet to put in an appearance and the late March wind was cold. He helped her up and forward, moving her away from the blood toward the other women. She'd fought like hell, but as soon as reaction set in, she'd be wanting the company of her own sex.
To their right, there was a series of splashes. He looked up. Tracker stood over the man in the stream.
"That the last of them?"
"Yup." Tracker bent and grabbed the man's arms, hauling the body out of the water.
The cold damp of the woman's hair soaked through his shirt as she turned her head to stare at the gruesome sight. Another almost imperceptible shiver racked her frame. Caine turned his body, shielding her from the horror.
Her "Good riddance" caught him by surprise. He tipped her chin up, checking her expression. Her face was tight with strain, her pale lips drawn to a narrow, bloodless line, but she was still with him. "It is that, ma'am."
Most helpful customer reviews
53 of 59 people found the following review helpful.
Another Keeper By Ms. McCarty!
By Anne Mercier
Caine's Reckoning by Sarah McCarty. Where do I start? It started off with a bang that sucked me right into the story and ended on a more emotional note, one that had the tears flowing. Oh how I love a book that takes me on a roller coaster ride emotionally.
I won't go into the plot or try to summarize it for you as so many others have done, but I do have to ask you one question: Did you all laugh aloud as I did at the rooster scene? And the second one on page 428? I must share the snippet:
She looked down at the red pacifier in her hand and then at the dog. "What do you think, Boone? Should we throw away our scruples or make a stand for what's right?"
Boone eyed the monster. It spread its wings and crowed. Mid-crow, Boone shivered and let out a moan of pure terror.
Desi glanced at the outhouse. Shadow would be popping out of there any minute now, which meant expediency was her best bet if she didn't want a twenty-minute lecture. "You're right. We don't have time for scruples."
She tossed the pacifier on the ground. Cantankerous went for it with unholy zeal. She shook her head as he hopped on board. "That's just not right."
LOL...No, it's not right, but it sure is freaking funny. That as well as the scene where Caine is teaching Desi to shoot and she misses on purpose (the purpose is a kiss), shooting the outhouse instead of her target, and Sam comes running out pulling up his drawers, gun at the ready. Snort. Ms. McCarty paints a very vivid picture, one that made me laugh out loud.
I felt so badly for all the men of the Hell's Eight, what they went through when they were little boys. The old West was a son of a bear, wasn't it? Forcing boys to grow into men before their time, and allowing women to be used as any man saw fit. Son of a bear, indeed!
I enjoyed watching Desi bloom as she found her footing on the ranch, and mostly after she learned that she didn't have to work herself into the ground to earn Caine's respect. She'd already had it.
I liked Caine from the first page. I found his hard exterior very attractive, but when his sensitive side came to the fore, that was when I fell in love with him.
Together Caine and Desi learn to give and take, to bend, and in the process find love. She's the one thing he'd never expected to find, he's not at all what she expected her husband to be, yet together they find the one thing neither knew they were looking for: Each other.
Caine's Reckoning is a story of hope, a story of grit and determination. At the core of the story I found love, laughter, and family. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time, and one I will read time and time again as I anxiously await the next book in the series: Sam's Creed.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
This one made me mad....
By Amazon Customer
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. :(
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Another McCarty winner
By Book and Dog Lover
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. Why is that? And why is this guardian saying that Desi isn't quite "right in the head" when clearly she's as sane as the next person? Recognizing a bad situation, Caine plans to bring her to his ranch, but the local padre calls in a favor and so, to take her away from her guardian, Caine marries Desi.
Desi isn't quite sure what to make of Caine. Her experience with men over the past year has left her with horrible memories and fears. Caine is determined to help her overcome her fears and make their marriage work. He's not always sure what to do, but he's determined to cure Desi's fear - if only her stubbornness will let her let go. 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?
In Caine's Reckoning, you have both a hero and heroine who have gone through hell. Yup, some of what you read is painful - Desi's nightmare comes to mind. But there's also some scenes (the rooster and outhouse come to mind) that are just laugh out loud funny.
I'm not a big fan of historical romances - I tend to go for contemporary romances. But Sarah McCarty's books are a whole different genera - yup, they're historical western romances, but the depth of the characters and the wonderful storylines make you just sink into the story and forget any preconceived notions you may have about westerns or even romances. Strong women, wonder alpha men, secondary characters that you care about and a plot that will cause you to read late into the night. It really doesn't get any better than that.
If you were wondering about the steaminess of the book as the series is part of Spice instead of Ellora's Cave (who published the author's previous books), have no fear - the steaminess is still there.
My only issue with these books? I want the next story NOW! Write faster Sarah!
Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), by Sarah McCarty PDF
Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), by Sarah McCarty EPub
Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), by Sarah McCarty Doc
Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), by Sarah McCarty iBooks
Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), by Sarah McCarty rtf
Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), by Sarah McCarty Mobipocket
Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight), by Sarah McCarty Kindle
No comments:
Post a Comment