Shadow's Stand by Sarah McCarty

By: Unknown on Thursday, February 13, 2014

Title:  Shadow's Stand

Series:  Hell's Eight #5

Author:  Sarah McCarty

Narrator:  Savannah Richards

Published:  January 31st 2012 by HQN Books

Length:  377pgs/9hrs 9min

Format:  audio book

Genre:  historical romantic suspense

Shelf:  bought

Rating:  ★★★★★

Synopsis 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….

Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages.

My Review:

What a vividly realistic yet shockingly imaginative story. McCarty had my attention from the first and kept it throughout. Her solid writing and storytelling combined with vivid descriptions that brought this world to light and created a masterpiece. She also kept her story firmly placed within the time period in question , giving her audience the chance to travel in both time and space while falling in love her characters.

The lead couple in this novel were perfect for each other. They complemented each others strengths and weaknesses while still remaining true to themselves and calling each other out when necessary. As for the female lead? She was priceless. After a while I found myself both cringing and laughing every time I heard ‘stay here, don’t get in trouble’ because you knew trouble was about to find her. The supporting cast, although not overly large, was also fairly well developed and each person served a purpose within the story. It was really nice to see a cast with a purpose. There wasn’t anyone who was there to simply increase the number of people mentioned.

This was definitely a unique story. I loved it and can’t wait to read more by this author.

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