Review: Shadow's Stand by Sarah McCarty (Hell's Eight #5)

Shadow's Stand (Hells Eight #5)
by Sarah McCarty
Published by HQN
Expected Release January 31st, 2012
Acquired through Net Galley

From Goodreads:

Shadow Ochoa is lying low in the western Kansas Territory, waiting for his fellow Texas Rangers—the Hell's Eight brotherhood—to clear his name. That is, until he's unjustly strung up for horse thieving…and pretty Fei Yen intervenes. Invoking a seldom-used law, the exotic lady prospector claims Shadow as her husband and rides off with the bridegroom shackled to her buckboard.

Savvy, fearless Fei is single-mindedly devoted to her hidden claim and all it promises: wealth, security and freedom. A husband is just a necessary inconvenience and a name on paper to hold the claim she cannot.

Shadow isn't a man to take orders from anyone, especially from lovely Fei—except that the daily friction between them ignites into nightly blazes of all-consuming passion. Soon Shadow is dreaming a little himself: of the life they could have if only Fei could see past the lure of independence. If only bounty hunters weren't closing in on him. If only he's left standing when the impending showdown has ended….

My Thoughts:

I read the first four books in this series when they first came out. Due to contracts and such, I had to wait a whole year for this book! I thought I might die waiting! So when I saw it on Net Galley I simply had to request it!

A little background on the series; Hell's Eight are a band of Outlaws turned Texas Rangers. The eight men survived an attack of Mexican Army as young boys and once they grew into mean they hunted down the mean who killed their families. Rather than waste energy and men trying to arrest these skilled killers, the government offered them jobs as Texas Rangers. Together they have worked hard to establish their ranch and work to keep peace in Texas. No longer outlaws, they still aren't above using necessary force. Once by one the men of Hell's Eight encounter women who turn their worlds upside down and change their way of thinking.

The first four books of the series were Caine's Reckoning, Sam's Creed, Tucker's Claim, and Tracker's Sin.

Tracker's Sin ended with Shadow Ochoa shooting a man in front of the US Army. Now a wanted man, Shadow is on the run after escaping his captors. He has cut himself off from his brother and the rest of Hell's Eight. Along the way trouble continues to find him as does Fei Yen, a young Chinese American woman who is looking for a quick husband that can help her with her current predicament.

There are a few slow spots in the book but I really enjoyed it on the whole. Shadow has already been portrayed throughout the series as the most dangerous of Hell's Eight but he has always been on the fringes. We finally get to know him and learn that he may also be the most damaged of the group. Fei Yen is also a very interesting character. She isn't necessarily my favorite heroine in the series, but she is very likable. Her culture is different and that is always fascinating. This series is full of diversity as far as the heritage and backgrounds of the characters.

My copy had a lot of typos and errors but it was an advanced copy so hopefully most of those will be taken care of before the final print.

A point worth making for those who have read the previous book in this series is that this book was published under the HQN imprint as opposed to the SPICE imprint. The first four books, published under Harlequin's SPICE Imprint, were real sheet scorchers and I loved them! Now all of the 'SPICE' books are being published under the HQN imprint. Does that mean they will be tamer on the whole? Time will tell, but this one definitely had a lot less steamy sex scenes than it's predecessors. That's not to say I didn't still like it! But fans of the series will notice the change.

Overall impression? I really liked it, and I will continue to read this series, and I have a feeling that Fei's cousin Lin will be making another appearance. Maybe? Who knows. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a sexy cowboy book. Because if it's place in the series you could read this book without having read the others before it, but I recommend starting with Caine's Reckoning and working your way through.

** Due to explicit sex scenes this book isn't recommended for those under the age of 18 ;) **

Serial Review! Shadow Wranglers #1 & #2

Sometimes I read series where each book can stand all on it's own, and I personally believe that is what makes a series great. Sometimes though, a series is nothing more than and incredibly long story in which it takes forever for anything to really happen. That's not such a good thing.


I'm getting a little ahead of myself though. I've recently read both Caleb and Jared, the first two books in Sarah McCarty's Shadow Wrangler's Series.

Allie always desired mysterious, sexy rancher Caleb Johnson, but he never seemed to notice her. Until the night she's attacked by a vicious animal, and rescued by a shapeshifting vampire that she almost seems to recognize: the baritone growl, the mesmerizing eyes, the inexplicable animal attraction. That's because her savior is Caleb, and now he has no choice but to bring Allie into the shadows with him-to protect her from a rival werewolf pack, and to finally reveal his true feelings for the woman he's been afraid to love. 

Meet Jared-a cowboy with bite-in the latest paranormal romance from the national bestselling author. Jared Johnson has always been a force to be reckoned with, first as an outlaw and now as a vampire. Caught in a war between immortals, he doesn't have time to waste, but when a female vampire is attacked, he can't just walk away. He expects a quick good­bye, but what he gets is a vulnerable woman who intrigues and seduces while giving away nothing of the secrets holding her hostage. Raisa may not have extreme physical strength, but she's been able to survive as a vampire longer than most by keeping to herself. But that's about to change. Forced to accept Jared's protection, Raisa finds it increasingly hard to resist his forbidden allure while keeping the secret that could destroy them both.

- Synopsis from Goodreads

I'll start by saying that I was excited to read this books. I had high expectations. I am a huge Sarah McCarty fan after reading her Hell's Eight Series.  Also, I've not really read vampire or werewolf books before. I was told that these books are vampire light and heavy on the cowboys (my favorite!). So yeah, I had seriously high expectations for this series. 


I was very disappointed, starting with Caleb. There is some high action in the very beginning of the book, and then there is a long span of seemingly nothing happening. Then there is a huge battle scene near the end and it feels like it should be over, but it's not. I just felt like the book dragged a bit. I can only read so many battle scenes that don't move the plot along. The chemistry between Caleb and Allie was good, but it wasn't quite enough to carry the book.


Hoping that the series would get better I moved on to the second book. Unfortunately, I liked Jared even less than I liked Caleb. It felt like nothing really happened until the last 30 pages or so. Even then, I called everything. Now, I enjoy the little burst of pride that comes with figuring something out before the author actually tells you, but it was just too easy.


I also wish the characters had a little more depth. There is so much activity happening that I didn't feel like I got a good grasp on the personalities of the characters.


Having said all that... I will probably keep reading. Maybe because I'm a glutton, but more because I still really want to like this series! I like the author and I hate to think that the whole series is a dud. For both of the first two books, I can only give two cups. As of right now, I just can't recommend them. If I keep reading though, I will keep reviewing. Maybe they will get better? I don't know. We shall see.

Books contain scenes of explicit sex, not recommended for those under 18.