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Book Review of Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight, Bk 1)

Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight, Bk 1)
frazerc avatar reviewed on + 672 more book reviews


Good read. Historical western setting. Despite numerous action sequences, this is a relationship driven book.

The heroine was raised as a princess with lots of money, lots of training in propriety and expected to be pretty and ladylike in return. Then her father takes the family West [Texas] where they are attacked and her parents and brother killed. She and her twin sister are dragged off. Desi, our heroine, is 'rescued' by supposedly Good People - who enslave her, keep her,torture her and abuse her as their private whore. And all that is before the book starts...

Caine, the hero, is a Texas Ranger and part owner of Hell's Eight - a ranch he and his friends have founded. He ends up married to Desi and takes her back to the ranch. It's obvious to him she's glad to get away from the slime that had her but [for obvious reasons] she has sexual and self-worth issues and is still terrified that her previous 'guardians' will come and get her back. He spends a lot of time trying to convince of two things - she's not responsible for what was done to her and therefore is NOT a whore and that feeling pleasure when he touches her doesn't make her one either.

I enjoyed the book and the plot kept me turning the pages. The sex scenes are well done and actually support the plot. There are fun bits. Desi's battles with the rooster as she tries to gather eggs and her riding lessons are cute and a lot of the dialog is amusing. Desi is a heroine with grit and spunk as she tries to become the person she could be and Caine is caring and has a soul-deep integrity. On the other hand Desi's past is horrific and the reader gets occasional flashbacks when something panics her. If someone has personal issues, this book would be a really uncomfortable read.

Hell's Eight Erotic Adventures
Caine's Reckoning (2007)
Sam's Creed (2008)
Tucker's Claim (2009)