Love and Lust rec: 'Ace's Wild' by Sarah McCarty
Ace's Wild by Sarah McCarty
What it's about (courtesy of HQN Books):
Unlike the rest of the Hell's Eight brotherhood, Ace Parker's home isn't on the range. This restless cowboy craves the hustle of Simple, Texas, a lawless town where he can sate his darker appetites without guilt. At least he did, until Petunia Wayfield arrived. The prickly new teacher is insisting that Ace help her rid the town of drunkenness and card playing. For that kind of miracle, Ace demands a reward the spinster schoolmarm will surely never give.
But Petunia isn't backing down. Not when the intense passion Ace offers shatters her to the core. As soon as she can afford a ticket home back east, she'll leave Simple behind for good. Until then, she'll match his sensual challenge with her own, daring him to give up his fiercely guarded self-control. And then real danger claims Petunia, forcing Ace to reveal the man he really is—even if it drives her away forever…
Why you should read it: If you have followed the Hell's Eight series, you have been looking forward to Ace's story as much as I have. The Hell's Eight men, as they call themselves, were all orphaned in a massacre of their town when they were young boys. Ace was only 8 years old at the time. They were taken in by Tia, who also lost her family to the violence of early Texas. They called themselves Hell's Eight because their mission as adults was to wreak vengeance straight out of Hell on the men who orphaned them. They became Texas Rangers during a time when lawlessness prevailed and the Rangers were little more than outlaws with badges. So, on to the most recent release, Ace's Wild …
Ace is a gambler and assayer in the town of Simple, Texas. We get to see some of the other Hell's Eight men, but not all of them and not very much, except for Luke and Caden. That, however, makes this book able to stand alone if you haven't read the series. One by one these rough Rangers have found their true loves, and this time it's Ace's turn, whether he wants to fall in love or not. Ace is a Dom and slakes his thirst for that kink with the women of the brothel.
Petunia is an upper-class woman from the East who was headed to San Francisco to start a school for all children, modeled on the schools where society members sent their children in the East. She is robbed of all her money in Simple and takes a job as a schoolmarm to earn enough money to continue her trip to the West Coast. She is a woman of strong beliefs about class, bullying and women's rights. An "old maid" at thirtysomething, she is perfectly happy being single and independent, and Ace's dominant personality doesn't do much to change her attitude initially.
A terrible fate befalls Petunia, one that she may not be able to recover from socially and emotionally. The glimpse at the lack of esteem women were held in during this time is shocking and difficult to read. Petunia is going to have to learn to trust Ace and he is going to have to learn to trust Petunia in order for them to have their HEA.
I loved this book, just as I have the other Hell's Eight books. There is only one to go, Luke's story, and I'll hate to see the series end. Luke's intended woman is introduced in Ace's Wild, and I can hardly wait for the finale of the series. If you haven't read this series, it's OK to jump in with Ace's Wild, but you will be hooked and want to go back to read the other books. Enjoy this highly recommended historical Western series.
Becky Condit is a widow, mother of three and grandmother of 10 who reads all kinds of books, but her go-to comfort books are erotic romances. A romance novel coupled with just-out-of-the-oven chocolate-chip cookies and a glass of cold milk is her idea of heaven. She reads and reviews more than 250 books a year, so you won't often find her without her Kindle in hand, but when you do, she'll probably be gardening, doing needle crafts, working in her upholstery workshop and spending time with her family.