CAINE'S RECKONING

Author: Sarah McCarty ISBN: 0373605188 11/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: SPICE
Time Period: 1858 Texas

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 established 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.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Ok, so I am totally on the fence with my review of this book and I will tell you why.

First off, let me say that Sarah McCarty is a phenomenal writer. It is no wonder that she has won all kinds of writing awards. The story flowed, the dialogue was nice, the relationships really came together nicely and there was a nice, thick, meaty plot to go along with all of that. Lovely.

And I truly loved the heroine. Desi is so spunky, and in the very first scene of the book, she is taking on three grown men with nothing but her bare hands and her teeth. She has been horribly abused and is more in need of a savior than any heroine I have ever read about. Her story brought tears to my eyes and I was so happy when Caine came along and swooped her up.

Caine is the persona of an alpha male. He is bossy, arrogant and downright mean at times, and he always gets his way. He is one of Hell's Eight and he has a reputation to uphold, even if it's not the one that he wants. I love how he comes in like an avenging angel and doesn't take no for an answer when it comes to saving Desi's life. He doesn't care who he crosses or who he has to kill to get her out of harm's way.

I also loved the secondary characters. All the men on the Hell's Eight ranch are wonderful, and the way they took to Desi right away and made her feel like family was beautiful.

So, here is the sticky part about this story. I absolutely disliked the consummation of this relationship. For a woman such as Desi who has been abused horribly, the last thing she wants is a man pawing at her. She needs a man to take it slow and give her time to adjust, but Caine doesn't do that. He kind of goes about things with a "more is better" kind of outlook and sexes the heck out of Desi right from day one. There was an explanation for his actions—that he just didn't understand what Desi had gone through—but that wasn't really good enough to make it fly with me. I just couldn't like those parts of the book.

All in all, CAINE'S RECKONING is a pretty good book and I love Sarah McCarty's style of writing. I know that I would not mind reading another of her books at all, especially if it is a Hell's Eight book.

Kristal Gorman