Sign of the Wolf Book

This third book in Sarah McCarty's Hell's Eight series was a very enjoyable, sweetly erotic, and mildly suspenseful read and moved along at a pretty good pace that made me want to keep turning the pages. Not quite as "wordy" or disturbing as Caine's Reckoning, not quite as erotic as Sam's Creed, but a great effort with two pretty likable leads and the welcome return of a bunch of characters from previous books.

This one picks up a few months after Sam's Creed left off, in Texas around 1859, with the members of Hell's Eight still looking for Desi's (Caine's Reckoning) kidnapped sister Ari. Tucker McCade (who is also a Texas Ranger), is hanging around Lindos, Texas, waiting to see if a lead will pan out, but also keeping a watchful eye on the widow Sally Mae Schermerhorn. Sally Mae has recently lost her doctor husband to murder in this wild Texas town, and she has come to taking up where he left off, providing her own formidable nursing skills to those in need. The half-breed Tucker is smitten with the willowy blonde Quaker, as she is with him, even though his violent world is against everything she believes in. His long black hair, silver eyes, ripped physique (he can't fit in sleeves!) and gentle way with her sets her mind to fantasizing--she's lonely and has a thirst for adventure that would be against her Quaker beliefs. Lonely, lacking in faith Tucker, whose whole family and town were wiped out in a Mexican raid when he was 16, leaving only eight young boys who survived (Hell's Eight) bent on vengeance, longs to have what he thinks he can't have--a woman to love him for what he is, like Bella loves Sam and Desi loves Caine. But he's part Indian, and an Indian with a white woman in those days is unthinkable. But that doesn't stop Sally Mae.

Sally Mae decides to give in to temptation, enjoy the "now" and not look to the future, and enjoy the pleasure of Tucker's company. They meet in the woods behind her house, and Tucker shows her a thing or two about passion and lovemaking...hot...hot...hot. Sally Mae is a Quaker? Well, what starts as a one time thing turns into a months long passionate affair (hidden from the townsfolk of course, because if they found out, Sally Mae would be scorned and Tucker would be hanged). And although Tucker and Sally Mae have no problems setting the sheets on fire, Sally Mae, being a pacifist, has big problems with the violence in Tucker's world. Sally Mae keeps insisting that Tucker has a choice--that he doesn't have to settle differences or threats against himself with violence. Tucker insists that there's no other way in untamed Texas. Eventually it comes down to a choice for Sally Mae, and her long held beliefs are put on the line. Will she choose violence if it means saving herself and the people she loves?

Good story, even though at times I was wondering where the author was going with it. Not that it was slow or anything, since it wasn't, but I kept waiting to see if something 'more' was going to happen. There was a lot of disagreements about what Sally Mae thought was unnecessary violence on Tucker's part, but I thought she was being a bit unreasonable and naive. I mean she was a pacifist, yet she came to the most violent place in the country--what did she expect? I don't think that "turn the other cheek" was going to work here. That was the main focus of the book--would Sally Mae's religious beliefs get in the way of her relationship with a man whose "profession" was something she abhored? And of course there was the taboo relationship between a half-breed and a white woman, and how was that going to work out--there was a little complication to the relationship that forced them to take a good hard look at where it was heading. The book really started to pick up when Bella and Sam came on the scene--I enjoyed the conversations that Bella and Sally Mae had, as well as Tucker's interaction with Sam and Tracker and Shadow. I liked how Shadow's advice to Tucker put everything about the relationship into perspective. The book built up to an exciting, gripping conclusion that had Sally Mae making a "choice" and also finding her place among the Hell's Eight.

Now the love scenes? Not as many as you would expect, but well placed throughout the book and plenty hot. Of course the obligatory anal scene and the use of some sex toys (in 1850s?) helped to push this to the erotic romance category, but by no means was it a sex-fest. There was plenty of story to go with it, especially towards the final third of the book.

I did have the feeling while I was reading the book that I knew a lot about Tucker (who I loved and just wanted to give a big ol' hug), but wasn't so sure about how well I knew Sally Mae. I kept thinking that maybe I had missed something about her that was in the previous book? I had questions about her background (before she married her husband) and wasn't quite sure that SM was going to satisfy my curiosity. Thankfully she did address my questions, even though she did wait until near the end of the book--so be patient, and you'll find out how/why Sally Mae became a Quaker.

Fans of this series should be pretty pleased with this one. Little spoiler coming here...*no, Ari hasn't been found yet, but I feel like they're getting closer.* This book had some violence, some steamy romance, and a bit of harrowing suspense. And aside from dealing with Sally Mae's speech pattern (she substitues "thee" for "you") which at first was a little jarring, the book flows very smoothly and provides a very nice HEA yet leaves you wondering what's going to happen next. I for one can't wait to find out! 4 1/2 stars