Helpful Score: 3
Maddie OHare was born in a brothel and forced to turn tricks at a very early age. She has only recently escaped that life and often reverts back to her former way of coping by mentally checking out when things get too tough.
Caden Miller is also no stranger to hard times and he has a tendre towards Maddie he isnt quite comfortable with. Lately his friends have been marrying and that is something he has no interest in. But when Maddie gets captured by a rival Caden finds himself on the wrong side of a shotgun and standing in front of a preacher alongside of Maddie. Hes convinced she has betrayed him, but cant help all the feelings that she inspires.
I havent read the previous books in this series so I was worried I would feel like I was missing something while reading this book. Happily that wasnt the case. The author has written this book so you get enough background information from the previous books but still feel like you are reading a standalone romance book.
I happened to read the reviews AFTER I ordered this book and found quite a few people upset by how Caden treats Maddie. I was afraid I was going to agree with those reviews and I felt it would probably ruin the story for me if I didnt like Caden. Luckily, I didnt agree with those reviewers. I found everything that he said and did concerning Maddie to be very human and realistic. Was he always nice? No, but when is anyone? He said things in the heat of the moment that were cruel, but nothing different from what Maddie hadnt already said about herself. And he feels guilty after he spews his nastiness and he apologizes. It really brought a lot of emotion to the story and made it all the more believable.
Their romance isnt always sweet and easy but I think I loved their characters because of their struggles and flaws. Their happily ever after was deserved. I really liked this historical romance and it makes me want to read the ones that came before it and the ones that will come after it.
Cherise Everhard, November 2012
Reviewed for the Amazon Vine Program
Caden Miller is also no stranger to hard times and he has a tendre towards Maddie he isnt quite comfortable with. Lately his friends have been marrying and that is something he has no interest in. But when Maddie gets captured by a rival Caden finds himself on the wrong side of a shotgun and standing in front of a preacher alongside of Maddie. Hes convinced she has betrayed him, but cant help all the feelings that she inspires.
I havent read the previous books in this series so I was worried I would feel like I was missing something while reading this book. Happily that wasnt the case. The author has written this book so you get enough background information from the previous books but still feel like you are reading a standalone romance book.
I happened to read the reviews AFTER I ordered this book and found quite a few people upset by how Caden treats Maddie. I was afraid I was going to agree with those reviews and I felt it would probably ruin the story for me if I didnt like Caden. Luckily, I didnt agree with those reviewers. I found everything that he said and did concerning Maddie to be very human and realistic. Was he always nice? No, but when is anyone? He said things in the heat of the moment that were cruel, but nothing different from what Maddie hadnt already said about herself. And he feels guilty after he spews his nastiness and he apologizes. It really brought a lot of emotion to the story and made it all the more believable.
Their romance isnt always sweet and easy but I think I loved their characters because of their struggles and flaws. Their happily ever after was deserved. I really liked this historical romance and it makes me want to read the ones that came before it and the ones that will come after it.
Cherise Everhard, November 2012
Reviewed for the Amazon Vine Program
Helpful Score: 1
Book 6 in the Hell's Eight series
Our hero starts the book out feeling uncomfortable with all the domesticity of the Hell's Eight ranch - he doesn't begrudge his brothers their loving families and children, he's just a little envious. And that thought makes him really uncomfortable. After all, why would be be envious - he's a bred-in-the-bone loner, right? And then there's Maddie who makes him feel things he doesn't want to feel. So he heads out on his own planning to leave all the entanglements behind but Fate [of course] has other plans.
Sarah always delivers a great action plot with interesting characters but [especially compared to the other Hell's Eight books] this one is more relationship than action driven. Maddie was strange [understandable given that she'd been born in a brothel and been forced into active participation at the tender age of 8] and her grasp on reality tended to waver. She heals and grows over the period of the book. Caden equated love and tenderness with vulnerability and he feared it. Over time he learns that the bonds of love can be worth the price... There is lots of action of course, especially in the last part of the book, but really it's all about Maddie and Caden and their issues.
This is not the strongest book in the series but it's a good read. I will continue with the series [I'm assuming there will be more.]
Series:
#1 Caine's Reckoning
#2 Sam's Creed
#3 Tucker's Claim
#4 Tracker's Sin
#5 Shadow's Stand
#6 Caden's Vow
Our hero starts the book out feeling uncomfortable with all the domesticity of the Hell's Eight ranch - he doesn't begrudge his brothers their loving families and children, he's just a little envious. And that thought makes him really uncomfortable. After all, why would be be envious - he's a bred-in-the-bone loner, right? And then there's Maddie who makes him feel things he doesn't want to feel. So he heads out on his own planning to leave all the entanglements behind but Fate [of course] has other plans.
Sarah always delivers a great action plot with interesting characters but [especially compared to the other Hell's Eight books] this one is more relationship than action driven. Maddie was strange [understandable given that she'd been born in a brothel and been forced into active participation at the tender age of 8] and her grasp on reality tended to waver. She heals and grows over the period of the book. Caden equated love and tenderness with vulnerability and he feared it. Over time he learns that the bonds of love can be worth the price... There is lots of action of course, especially in the last part of the book, but really it's all about Maddie and Caden and their issues.
This is not the strongest book in the series but it's a good read. I will continue with the series [I'm assuming there will be more.]
Series:
#1 Caine's Reckoning
#2 Sam's Creed
#3 Tucker's Claim
#4 Tracker's Sin
#5 Shadow's Stand
#6 Caden's Vow
This series is on my keeper shelf but I have to say that these last 2 books are not as good as the first 4. I hope the last 2 in the series are better.
I have to agree with the prior review,Caden could be harsh at times, but it added to the humanity of the two and did not detract from the story in my opinion. Found this book in a local store, being a Sarah McCarty fan I purchased it on that alone. Once again Ms. McCarty did not disappoint as did none of the others in the"Hell's Eight" series. Looking forward to the next as I have read all the others thus far.
Sorry guys, but I cannot agree with you. I think this one is the worst, the weakest of the series. The heroine miraculously "cures" herself of a mental deficiency? Ok, it can be done, but it's a long process, not a quick fix. And the hero? Arrogant, stubborn, uncommunicative,and quite unlikeable in my book. The two of them are so consummed with brooding that they hardly bother talking, which would clear up all the misunderstandings. And the repetitiveness of the dialogue was really annoying. I found all the other books in this series entertaining, but this one? Meh.
