Shadow's Stand

Hell's Eight #5

by Sarah McCarty

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….

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Westerns, Historical, Western Romance, Erotica, Erotic Romance

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 18, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)romance author

Sarah has traveled extensively throughout her life, living in other cultures, sometimes in areas where electricity was a concept awaiting fruition and a book was an extreme luxury. While she could easily adjust to the lack of electricity, living without the comfort of a good book was intolerable. To fill the void, she bought pencil and paper and sketched out her own story. In the process, Sarah discovered the joy of writing.

Sarah writes what she loves to read; fast paced stories with vivid dialogue, intense emotion and well developed characters. Her attention to detail in her stories has earned her multiple awards and a reserved spot on Keeper shelves everywhere.

Sarah writes for Ellora's Cave, Harlequin HQN, Harlequin SPICE, Berkley HEAT and Berkley SENSATION.

Reviews

[Auntee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. Took me a while to remember where the story left off with Shadow's situation (this is not a stand alone read), but once I got up to speed I started remembering why I like this series. Sometimes I find Sarah McCarty's writing a little choppy and her dialogue is not always easy to follow, but she does tell a good story. In this book, Shadow Ochoa (who is wanted by the law for a crime he committed in Tracker's Sin) is minutes away from being hung for stealing a horse, until a brave and beautiful young Chinese/American (Fei Yen Tseng) woman steps in and saves him from the hangman's noose. She needs a temporary husband (to help her with her gold claim), and Shadow will do just fine. But what she doesn't count on is having an attraction and burning desire for a man who could never be in the life she's destined to lead...

Loved the heroine in this one. Fei Yen, 23, was brave, smart, and passionate. I thought she clicked with Shadow, her Dragon, and taught him a thing or two about love. Loved learning about her Chinese culture and the things that were expected of her, and how she was 'limited' because of her mixed blood. Enjoyed her relationship with her 'full-blooded' Chinese cousin Lin too--some nice scenes with the two of them.

I liked our hero too. Shadow, 31, had a tendency to try to protect the people who loved him by pushing them away. He didn't think he had much to offer a woman because of the pain and violence in his past. But that didn't work with Fei Yen, or with the rest of his Hell's Eight 'brothers'. I was so happy when they appeared in the story to save his butt and to kick it! Nice bit of suspense at the end involving Fei, Shadow, the Hell's Eight guys, a corrupt Army general, a gold mine and some dynamite...had me biting my nails with worry.

The love scenes? Not too many, but steamy enough. Definitely passionate, and I could feel the love between the two. Very sexy wedding night...

"All right?" he asked, his voice harsher than he intended.
"Yes, oh yes."
"What do you need?"
Nails digging into his shoulders, she sighed. "More. Just more."

So, a pretty good addition to the series. Maybe not my favorite of the bunch (I still like Sam's Creed the best) but one that fans of the series should enjoy. It kept me turning the pages, which is enough for me. A solid 4 stars.

I received this ARC from Netgalley.

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

5/7 - I returned this to the library back on the 10th of June, but somehow I managed to forget to review it. I will attempt to write a comprehensive review despite the time gap.

3.5 stars, better than the last Hell's Eight book I read, but still not quite up to the level of Caine's story. Fei Yen is my favourite heroine of the whole series. She and Shadow were a great couple and I loved the way she brought out Shadow's softer side. Why do these Hell's Eight men always think they're cold-hearted bastards who will only bring pain and suffering to the women they love? They always sell themselves short and that gets so frustrating. I loved Fei Yen's expertise with explosives and the enjoyment she seemed to get whilst using them. Not a particularly comprehensive (or cohesive, now that I read back over it) review, but that's about all I can think of regarding memorable scenes and my feelings while reading them.

[Laura V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mis hermosos Fei y Shadow juntos de nuevo, qué corto se me ha hecho, quiero un epílogo, una serie, secuelas, lo que sea, los quiero ver juntos, criando muchachitos medio chinos-medio indios-medio americano-medio mexicanos, quiero que recuperen a Joya, quiero que tengan muchos caballos como Noche, quiero que tengan esa casa con la que Shadow sueña, quiero que Fei se haga amiga de las demás mujeres, quiero que Shadow se reconcilie con Ari y que su relación con Tracker vuelva a ser unida y sin recelos, quiero tantas cosas y tendré que imaginarlas. Pero por ahora este libro me basta.

[namericanwordcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The hero and heroine in this book have really met their match. Sparks fly.

There is a really sense of the West in this entry into the series as our Chinese American heroine who knows how to blow things up meets our badass Mexican Indian hero.

They heal each other and have awesome sexy times. A great adventure!

[Vintage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadow (half Mexican, half Native American) is the more dark and brooding of the twins although Tracker's not exactly unicorns and rainbows. Shadow, love that name, is on the run after killing the big bad guy at the end of Tracker's Sin that was after Desi and her twin whatserface.

Fei (half Chinese,half white) is the pretty awesome dynamite throwing heroine who saves Shadow from being hung, hanged????. She needs him to find some gold so she can rescue her fully Chinese cousin. The book throws in nice tidbits of Chinese culture. For example, as a half-caste Chinese, Fei would basically get the bottom of the barrel on the marital roundup which is saying something as any arranged marriage would be bad enough.

Shadow falls for Fei and vice versa in a big ole case of insta-lust I wasn't buying. I liked each character quite a bit, but just did not buy the love. Like his twin, Shadow kind of fell into a miring martyrdom that got in the way of the romance.

The Hell's Eight bunch show up at the end to kick some butt, thank goodness. They threaten to teach Shadow a lesson from running away from their bro-love, but that didn't go anywhere either. A good brotherly smackdown is always fun.

Could have been so much better with a little more adventure, character development and more bathing. Every time they jumped into bed all I could think of is they both really need a bath.

Barely squeaked by with three stars.

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a hero who thinks he is a cold hearted bastard, when really he is a big fluffy marshmallow on the inside. All he needs is the love of a good woman to bring out all his softer side, soon he will be feeding stray kittens (if he isn't already) and helping elderly women across the street (again, if he isn't already!) Shadow Ochoa is that kind of guy. So when Fei Yen saves him from the gallows and marries him so he will protect her whilst she corrects her crazy father's wrongs, he is a goner. It would all be a very quick happily ever after, if only there wasn't such a large bounty on Shadow's head and Fei's gold wasn't wanted by any scavanger who hears about it.

What I love about Romancelandia is that the bigger and tougher the heroes who claim to love nobody are, the more and more they talk/think about their tender feelings and how they couldn't possible have any. Men *sigh* even in highly romanticized fiction they can be dumb as rocks. But, despite that little factor making me smile a little, I did really enjoy this book. I have read Sarah McCarty before, and loved her other historical western series Promises and I thought this was just as good. It had a little more action and adventure in it then her Promises series, which I thought added a lot od excitement to the book but also a very sweet romance.

If you like your heroes, talk, dark, broody and very very sexy, which luckily I do, then Shadow will be the guy for you. There are plenty of his kind of character around so don't expect anything too original, but that didn't stop me liking him. Fei was also good, I like a heroine that doesn't always expect the hero to save her and has a mind of her own, and Fei definitely did, armed with dynamite and a few matches she can pretty much take care of herself!

I haven't actually read the other titles in the series, but if you have, characters from the previous books pop up, and now I have read a little about them I am definietly intrigued about their own stories and will be reading the rest of Hell's Eight as soon as I get the funds!

A good historical western, nothing original but the romance is sweet, the sex is hot and the action is exciting, there are worse ways of passing time!

[Splage · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5- 4 Stars
Genre: Historical Adult Romance/ Early American
Heat Barometer: 3 out of 5 flames


I started reading Sarah McCarty many years ago and fell in love with the Early American timeline she writes about in both Hell’s Eight and the Promises series. They seem very realistic from the rough terrain to the rougher times. Both are fantastic series with the kind of heroes I love and crave: all alpha, all possessive, all honorable, all loyal and above all, sexy as hell. They are REAL MEN, strong and protective and they choose what is right over the law.

I thoroughly enjoyed SHADOWS STAND in the audio version. The narrator did a beautiful job with each character’s voice and distinguishing between male and female. Also, the Chinese women’s submissive culture and attitude came across loud and clear.

The story takes off quickly as Fei saves Shadow from the hangman’s noose. She needs a man to marry so she can have a fresh start and collect her gold claim. Since she is Chinese and a woman she has no rights. Why she picked Shadow I don’t know, but she lucked out because Shadow was a goldmine.

This was a nice, easy listen that kept my interest. There were a few holes in the story line that I felt I needed more closure … mainly the gold, her father, and what happen to her cousin, Lin. It also lacked the intense heat that I have felt in other McCarty’s books, she tends to be on the hot, hot side. She still had her dirty, descriptive talking, and the love scenes were stirring, but I would have liked a little more encounters especially because Shadow and Fei were so beautiful together.

[Jess the Romanceaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Expected Release Date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: HQN Books
Author’s Website: http://sarahmccarty.net/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 5, Hell’s Eight
Series Best Read In Order: Worked well as a standalone
Steam Level: Hot

While I don’t think I’m a prude (because really, how can one read as much steamy romance as I do and still be a prude?), I was a bit taken aback by the spanking. Not that it was objectionable, mind you, just that it was unexpected in the context of the story and really threw my off my stride in reading this, and I don’t think I ever really recovered from it.

It was deliciously steamy, and I really loved the chemistry and dynamics between Shadow and Fei Yen, but because unexpected spanking is unexpected, I couldn’t say that I loved it. *shrugs* From what I understand, though, this series tends to be more romantica than just steamy romance, which of course tends to have light kink and/or taboo acts in them just for the thrills. It was completely a case of mea culpa there since I didn’t pay attention to the fact that previous books in the series were from a steamier imprint.

Even knowing that, however, I can only go by what I actually felt while I was reading it, and in the end I simply never recovered my stride in reading after that one minor incident, no matter how much I enjoyed the characters and the storyline.

4/5 Stars

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do love the Hell's Eight series. I thought that Shadow and Fei Yen were an intriguing couple. Shadow, who is on the run from the military after the last book is in Kansas. He was caught "horse-stealing" and is set to hang. But pretty Fei Yen has other uses for Shadow and involkes a little used law that she will marry the convict. She needs his help in keeping her gold claim from being jumped. So our story goes on from there. The storyline is kind of all over the place and her usual hot as a fire cracker love scenes seemed a bit toned down to me.

I did enjoy the story, but it never seem to quite reach its full potential with me. The editing however was much better than some of the books in the series have been. I do look forward to the next one in the series. Although the rest of Hell's Eight comes in at the very end of the book, I don't think you would be lost if you hadn't read the other books in the series.

[Liriom_Land · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5 💪

[Sandra Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - Reread Nov. 2017 - Love this book & series! The heros are seriously bad*ss, Hot, & alpha, the heroines sassy, the banter funny & snarky and the plotlines solid! Historical Western Romance at its best! A Must Read!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très différent des tomes précédents, ce cinquième épisode des Hell’s Eight que j’attendais avec impatience est parfaitement à la hauteur de mes espérances. Depuis le premier tome et surtout avec le quatrième, je suis attirée par le personnage de Shadow par son côté très sombre et (encore) plus solitaire que ses compagnons (autant dire que pour le croiser et entamer une discussion avec lui il faut se lever tôt !).
Un an et demi se sont passés depuis que Shadow s’est sacrifié pour que son frère jumeau Tracker puisse vivre pleinement son histoire d’amour avec Ari. En tuant l’homme qui pourchassait cette dernière, il est devenu un fugitif, traqué par les chasseurs de primes et obligé de s’éloigner de sa « famille » le Hell’s Eight. Mais sur le point d’être pendu haut et court, une jeune femme va lui sauver la vie en l’épousant in extremis. Fei est elle aussi une sang-mêlé, à moitié chinoise et à moitié américaine, et n’a d’autre choix que de trouver un homme qui pourra la protéger et l’aider à atteindre les buts qu’elle s’est fixés. Le choix de prendre un criminel, la corde autour du cou (pour le coup beaucoup moins agréable que celle du mariage quoiqu’en dise Shadow !) le regard dangereux et mystérieux, sera-t-il le bon ?
Bien plus que dans les histoires passées, ici nous plongeons complètement dans l’ambiance Far West. Comme dans un western spaghetti, on pourrait presque sentir les odeurs de sueur, de saleté, voir ces petits arbustes qui volent dans les rues des villes désertes, frémir en voyant approcher des cowboys aux longs manteaux sales et aux chapeaux masquant leur regard, et tout cela avec une musique à la Ennio Morricone en fond. Un régal !
Depuis le début de la série, Shadow représente le personnage du groupe le plus mystérieux. Toujours en retrait des autres, il disparaît et apparaît sans crier gare, et montre un réel scepticisme face aux histoires d’amour qui se mettent en place progressivement. Et lorsque son propre frère jumeau tombe amoureux, sa première réaction fut celle de l’éloigner de cette femme. Donc c’est un homme désabusé, insensible, ou plutôt qui ne se croit pas capable de ressentir de l’amour pour qui que ce soit, et qui sent la mort en permanence autour de lui, comme si elle attendait patiemment le bon moment pour le prendre, qui va être obligé de servir de « mari-garde du corps » à Fei car il lui est redevable de sa vie.
Fei est une héroïne extraordinaire. De par sa culture chinoise très stricte, elle a un côté très soumise, et en même temps, ses origines américaines la poussent à désirer autre chose de sa vie, et surtout pas de devenir la deuxième ou troisième femme d’un homme de sa culture comme son statut de métisse l’y oblige. Elle est forte et déterminée. Elle se bat pour ceux qu’elle aime, pour ce auquel elle croit et a dû faire de gros sacrifices pour pouvoir survivre malgré sa condition. Bien que d’abord apeuré et intimidée par ce superbe indien, aussi dangereux que sexy, elle va découvrir un être d’exception, un guerrier, son Dragon.
L’histoire qui va se tisser entre eux est de toute beauté. Malgré un érotisme moins poussé que dans les autres tomes - ici les scènes hot sont plus tendres que piquantes, plus sensuelles que sexuelles - le personnage de Shadow reste l’un de mes préférés de la série. Blessé au plus profond de lui-même, il fuit tout ce qui ressemble à de l’amour par peur de décevoir ou de mettre en danger la personne qu’il pourrait aimer. Mais lorsque que Fei entre dans sa vie, tous ses principes sont chamboulés. Cela ressemble tout à fait aux histoires des autres tomes me direz-vous ? Eh bien, pas tout à fait… Bien que marié, Shadow va tout faire pour éviter d’approcher de trop près sa « femme », là où ses compagnons étaient plutôt intraitables et demandeurs… Et lorsqu’il aura cédé à cette barrière, bien fragile au final, c’est avec une tendresse, une douceur et une passion qu’on ne lui aurait jamais cru capable qu’il va conquérir le corps et le cœur de Fei! Shadow est une véritable surprise pour moi, et je suis pour ma part totalement tombée sous son charme.
Autre point très positif, cette fois l’auteure a vraiment travaillé son intrigue, avec beaucoup plus d’action tout au long du livre (dans les autres tomes l’action se focalise souvent seulement sur la dernière partie de l’histoire), et c’est un régal de voir nos héros dans des situations difficiles ce qui va révéler leur nature forte et courageuse.
Une vraie belle histoire de cowboys, où le sexe n’est pas l’unique ingrédient (bien que j’en étais aussi satisfaite dans les autres histoires) et avec un héros que l’on découvre différent de ce à quoi on s’attendait, mais pour notre plus grand plaisir ! Par contre, je trouve qu’il ne caractérise pas trop la collection Spicy, car plus soft mais a tout à fait sa place dans cette série.

[Dabney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dear Ms. McCarty,

In general, with the exception of Deadwood, I have never been a fan of the western. I’ve read good things about your Hell’s Eigh t series, however, so I thought I’d see if perhaps your book Shadow’s Stand might be the western that changed my mind. After finishing it, I am open to reading another western. That said, I don’t think it will be one of yours.

My struggle with Shadow’s Stand began with the opening scene. The time is the summer of 1859; the place, the West Kansas territory. Fei Yen, a young Chinese American woman, needs a husband and she needs him fast. There’s a new law that forbids Chinese from holding mining claims and Fei has a claim on which she’s found gold. (Were you were referencing the Foreign Miners Tax passed in California in 1850 that taxed any non-citizen—which meant non-white–claim owners at astronomical rates?) There’s also, in your book,—I couldn’t find any mention of such a law after a cursory internet search so I’m taking your word for this—a law that allows a woman to take a condemned man as a husband thus saving him from death and giving her a spouse. This law also states that should the woman become displeased with her convict, she may return him to the gallows where he will be immediately hung.

Fei, who has just locked her literally crazy father in the cellar and has no one to turn to, rides into town and claims the half Mexican, half American Indian Shadow Ochoa just as he’s about to be hung. Shadow, though, despite the noose around his neck, refuses to be claimed by Fei until she actually asks him to marry her. The sheriff, racist asshole that he is, starts to hang Shadow before Fei has a chance to say anything. Fei grabs up a knife conveniently sticking out of a nearby boot, runs up Shadow’s body and, as he is choking to death, saws through the noose around his neck and, in the literal nick of time, cuts him down. Even after she’s saved his life, he still won’t take her up on her offer until she gasps out “Marry me,” to which he replies, “I thought you’d never ask.”

None of this made much sense to me. If Fei needs someone who could legally protect her claim, why pick Shadow, a non-white? Won’t he run up against the same prejudices and laws limiting the Chinese? The men hanging Shadow are violent racist drunks; Fei, a young unmarried attractive “half-breed” Chinese with an out of it dad, lives near them and yet none of these cretins have managed to rape or harm her. Shadow viciously fights the men trying to hang him, despite having his hands tied behind his back, and yet, when offered escape, he refuses it. This seemed unlikely to me. One moment he’s fighting for his life and the next he needs to be wooed?

After the two are (maybe legally, maybe not) married by a drunken “padre,” Fei, who married Shadow so she’d have protection, then asks the same men she’s worried will harm her and steal her claim to put Shadow in shackles and toss him in her wagon. Fei puts the key to the shackles “into the lace-trimmed pocket above her breast” and Shadow thinks “Of all the things that pissed him off about the last day, it was her drawing attention to her breasts that he resented the most.” REALLY? Being beaten, hung, knifed, and shackled all rankled less than having to notice his new wife has breasts?....

If you'd like to read the rest of my review, please go to Dear Author:

http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...

[willaful · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a half-Chinese woman in a white man's world, Fei needs support and can think of only one way to get it -- by saving a man about to be hanged and "marrying" him. She picks Shadow Ochoa because he's a "half-breed" and less likely to look down on her mixed heritage, but when she sees him for the first time, her resolve falters: "Dragon. She had enough dragons on her back. She didn't need another one..." But Fei is desperate: her cousin Lin is in danger, her father is useless, and it's illegal for her to own the gold claim she's found.

Shadow has no interest in marrying, and and not even that much interest in staying alive. But having accepted Fei's offer and gone through a wedding ceremony, he finds himself drawn to her. "All he had to offer a woman was the pain and violence of his own upbringing and no decent woman deserved that... and suddenly he was thinking of rights and possibilities."

This was an interesting pairing, because Fei in many ways is as dark and tough as Shadow is, even uncomfortably ruthless at times. Required by her culture to feign submissiveness, she's become very skilled at manipulating people and situations through the use of guile and potions, even drugging her beloved cousin to have an uninterrupted night with Shadow. But though I found them intriguing as a couple, the story overall never really gelled for me. There seemed to be a lot of filler, especially in the sort of dialogue that just goes back and forth and never really gets anywhere.

This was my first time reading McCarty. Although Shadow's Stand is clearly a direct sequel to the previous book in the series, I didn't feel lost, though I suspect I might have had a richer understanding of Shadow's character if I had read the previous books.

(reviewed from e-arc provided by netGalley)

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite of the series so far and it is due to Shadow and Fei. These two, both considered half breeds, and used to be looking down upon while going about their business, have a lot in common. They both are so fiercely protective with those they love and will do whatever it takes to get things done.

I loved how these two argued! Both had valid points and often said things to annoy the other. I thought it was great how everyone around them realized how much they loved each other but them and each chimed in with advice. Some of the most amusing was the advice from Shadow's Hell's Eight brothers. Their plan to get Shadow home had me laughing at the end.

I can't wait to read more about these outlaw brothers!

[Mei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadow, Shadow, Shadow.... you stubborn man!!! So, sexy, so apprently cold! The mighty Dragon! WOW!
And Fei? I LOVED her!!! She's a perfect mix of demure oriental woman and hell-on-wheels!!! I loved her knowledge of explosives, her smart remarks! Her skipping grammar when upset! Great!!!
She was sooo perfect for Shadow's nature!
The heat in this book is absolutely there, but I LOVED the fact that Shadow was "strait" in his loving. *blush* His loving is just passionate enough that the DSM from the other books was just not needed.
Let's see what Caden will do! :D

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this is the best book so far, out of the Hell's Eight Series. I couldn't put it down.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite of the series. It has been quite a long time since I read the others and I don't remember all the details, but some of it came back to me.
***Now, I don't go into details and looking up old laws and the like, I saw someone complained in a review about not finding these old laws...I did look up the tomato thing though, because I had never heard that! ***
Anyway, I really liked Fei, she was strong and just in a really shitty position. I love Shadow and they are well suited for each other. Ida was amazing! LOVED her!

[Toth Jo-Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fascinating to read. Shadow never really recovered from his loss til Fei. I love the way Fei challenges him. She makes him think. About how to keep her safe. The story is fascinating to read. The author manages to bring the characters to life in this story. She also brings characters from previous stories in as well I love how she brings attention to certain details that are important. I really wish for Zack's story and his group for they sound fascinating. Despite the intimate scenes this is a great story to read. J

[Maida (Medley of Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 4 'Dragon' Hearts!

[Book Binge · Rating 4 out of 5]

He's huge and he's gorgeous, bearing the obvious appearance of one of mixed heritage--Native American and Mexican--and a man who has been defamed and insulted on that basis alone. Now he is dangling at the end of a rope for horse theft, when in deed he was retrieving his own horses. His only hope: if a woman wishing to marry him cuts him down. (Only in the American West, eh?) And that's just what happens, when a woman who is half Chinese and half American decides that she needs him to protect her as she tries to work out a very complicated set of circumstances which involve, in part, freeing her Chinese cousin from an unprincipled man to whom Fei Yen's father has sold her. (The American West wasn't a good place for any women, it would seem.)

The continuing stories of Hell's Eight, a finely tuned group of strong and independent warriors with the Texas Rangers are some of Sarah McCarty's finest. Strong, Alpha-type men who have come through hell--thus the name--as their families were massacred and their community plundered, barely surviving and only with the help of a few individuals who reached out to them. Now they are each having to deal with their inner demons, and none more troubled that Michael (Shadow) Ochoa, a man of strange extremes and one who is not afraid to show strength one minute and tenderness the next to strangers, but is scared stiff of opening his heart to a little Chinese American woman who is wise beyond her years and who loves him without reserve. The only thing she insists on is complete honesty and her fearless pursuit of the real person who is Shadow Ochoa is almost his undoing and the death of the tenuous relationship they call a frontier marriage.

I have long delighted in Ms McCarty's stories after having read one of her other American Western historical series and found her writing to be stimulating to the imagination and a treat for the brain, but also heart warming and resonating with genuine human qualities, with characters that speak of the best and worst that people can be. She does not paint the American West with a gilded brush, choosing to deal realistically with persons and situations that often existed outside both legal and moral boundaries which celebrating relationships that could only have existed where a greater amount of legal and moral freedom was to be found. Life was hard and it was even harder for women. Consider that a woman was of mixed race, and she was even more invisible and thought to be even less of a person of worth. Yet this story's heroine knows how to deal with the issues she knows are hers, the burdens of society's prejudice, and yet she is willing to beggar herself in many ways in order to bring the best to this man whose inner wounds have never turned him loose.

Lastly, the continuing story of the loyalty and friendship that binds Hells' Eight together form a very important part of this story. For each of these men and especially for Shadow, their relationship, their support, their friendship and regard are his true "home." And even in the darkest moments of this novel, the existence of those ties are what keep Shadow sane and possibly just a little hopeful. Best of all, each of these men can be trusted to do whatever it takes to do right by one another, even if that means telling truths that don't want to be heard, crashing into situations where their presence can be unwanted, or dragging one of their compatriots out of circumstances where they wrongly choose to be. They are, in a word, true friends. As an ancient text proclaims: "Greater love has no man than this: that a man will lay down his life for a friend." Such a love is at the heart of this story.

Don't miss this one. It is truly a keeper. I give it a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

This review was originally posted on Book Binge by Judith.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Fei Yen and Shadow were both intriguing characters. Fei is in a bit of a bind. Her father has lost it mentally, leaving her unprotected. He sold her cousin to an unscrupulous man. She needs to get enough gold out of her claim to buy her cousin back. The problem is that Chinese people cannot own a claim, so she needs a man to hold it for her. She finds just such a man in Shadow, who is about to be hanged for horse theft. Invoking an odd law, she claims him as her husband and takes him away with her.

The horses Shadow was stealing were his own that had been taken from him. He's also wanted for the murder of a soldier who had kidnapped his sister-in-law. He doesn't really feel like dying yet, so he takes Fei up on her offer. Things turn out to be a little more complicated than he expected when it comes to his new wife.

I really liked both Fei and Shadow. Fei is unusual for a woman of Chinese ancestry. Because she is half Chinese and half American, she is looked down on by both sides of her heritage. She has developed an unusual amount of independence because of it. I loved seeing the way she used the men's perception of her to save Shadow from his hanging, and then had the courage to stand up to him when telling him what she needed from him. There are also plenty of times when she isn't sitting around waiting for him to save her, she steps up and takes action herself. Of course, some of those times she gets into more trouble and he ends up saving her after all.

Shadow is one of those dark brooding kinds of guys that are all tough on the outside, but have a soft center that you have to work at to find. His life has not been an easy one as a half Mexican half Native man, but has gotten worse since he killed that army man at the end of the previous book. He is a very protective man and rather than bring his troubles to his brothers of Hell's Eight he has cut himself off from them. His current situation adds another person to protect. He is determined to protect Fei not just from outside forces but also from himself.

As the days go on and they work together to save Fei's cousin there is a growing passion between them. Fei knows that any future with her father's people will be bleak and she wants to experience everything she can with Shadow. I really liked seeing the way her complete honesty about her feelings is such a turn on for Shadow. She also sees past the hardened exterior to the man he keeps hidden from everyone. I loved seeing how some of the things she tells him about himself scare the crap out of him because she's right. Shadow is so determined to protect her and everyone else that he denies himself the connection to Fei and to his family that he needs. He refuses to believe that he is worth loving. There's a great scene at the very end where the other member's of Hell's Eight show him the errors of his thinking.

There's plenty of action going on as Shadow is rescued from hanging, Fei disregards Shadow's orders to stay put and goes to rescue her cousin on her own, that rescue gets complicated and Fei brings her expertise with explosives into use, Shadow does something stupid and gets himself nearly hanged again, Fei runs away from her family and ends up captured by a bad army officer, she uses explosives again to try to save herself, and Shadow and company save the day. I loved the interactions between Fei and Shadow as each one tries to make sure the other understands their point of view and frustration frequently ensues.

This is the first of this series I have read but I definitely want to read the others, past and future.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The following review was posted to my blog as today's Thursday Book Review. www.learningtosubmit.com

Shadow's Stand is a fast-paced, racy romance novel by acclaimed author Sarah McCarty, and I liked it quite a lot.

In this 5th book in the Hell's Eight series, we find our leading man, Shadow Ochoa, about to be hanged after being wrongly accused of being a horse thief in 1800s Kansas. To his great surprise, a pretty woman named Fei Yen intervenes, calling on a little-used law that allows her to take him as her husband. She's done this because she's sitting on a literal goldmine, but as a half Chinese woman she is forbidden to claim it herself. The only way she can get the wealth and freedom her father's land promises is to marry a condemned man and hope that in his gratitude he will share it with her.

Fei is the perfect romance heroine in need of taming -- independent, mouthy, opinionated and not quite sure of her potential in the romance/sex world. Shadow is gorgeous, bright, troubled, and takes orders from no one. They are attracted to each other, but their own demons prevent them (for a while) from actually connecting, emotionally. Physically, though? Let's just say you'll probably need to lower the thermostat in your house when you read this.

While some readers will likely enjoy the graphic scenes, just as many will possibly be turned off by them. So, you've been warned. If that's not your cup of tea, then this ain't your book.

McCarty is a sparse, minimalistic writer, with a great ear for dialogue. She's a passioante observer of history, and manages to deftly and accurately weave her spicy stories through with important facts and issues of the epoch she invokes. She's also good at capturing that intangible magnetism surrounding dangerous, rugged men.

I picked this book up at random, and haven't read the others in the series. But now I'm hooked. I'm going to read them all.

[♡ Sassy ~ Amy ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

HA! Read this a while ago and forgot to review... Trying to organize my reads! Anyway... this is going on my feed, so hence the commentary...

Well, this was the second book from sarah mccarty I've read & I was seriously trying to give her another chance. But... It didn't fly well for me. Maybe it's the genre. I am not sure.

Sooo... The hero (Shadow) is about to be hung for horse stealing. The heroine (Lei) decides she must save him and calls forth a law that if someone is willing to marry the condemned, he can live. Hmph. ??? Geez! If that was the case... *shiver* well I guess, we wouldn't have the death penalty to close that loop hole up! LOL! Luckily...

Anyway, the mob always wants blood and violence in the old west, so the horse is moving & the heroine has to jump up and saw the rope with a knife to save him. GREAT START!! And to think I thought I may not like this book when I started it!

THEN, they are off to find Lei's gold. Not bad, but then you have the yep we are married, but I don't really feel married & maybe we shouldn't really be, but we are so, no sex. That last a while. Pshht! right.

Lei's is a tough little mighty might relying on herself to get out of a bind or to help out with someone else's bind.

Shawdow is self loathing & thinks he's to bad for Lei. You get the back and forth dialogue throughout the book to make sure you don't miss that point too.

All in all, I think you like SM or you don't. I am thinking maybe it's partially the genre. The first one of her books I thought it was about demon's not texas rangers!LOL!

[Mollie *scoutrmom* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I'd gotten my hands on an edition from Spice rather than the HQN version. I loved the characters and the plot, but the level of eroticism just isn't there, they cut it back to only four steamy love scenes. Yuk.

I read the first four books in the series as published by Spice. Wow.

The writing is excellent. The plot is great. I love the characters. The setting, where authentic old-time bigotry pushes many of the scenes, works well.

Our heroine is of mixed origins. Her mother is of European ancestry, her father an oriental coolie working on the railroad construction. Neither parent's family approves of mixed children. Dad's job is to dynamite tunnels for the railroad, Fei learns enough from him to pass as him and earn a living and protect herself.

Our hero is of mixed origins, Half-Mexican and half Native American. Danger comes from others seeing him dare to put a hand on a seemingly white woman. In addition, he is wanted Dead or Alive by the U.S. Army for executing a man to avenge his sister-in-law in full sight of the unit. Crooked officers and crooked lawmen abound in the many twists and turns of the plot.

I liked that he cheated the gallows twice, and that at the end it appears that he may be exonerated. I like it even better that the author does not tie everything up neatly, we are left in doubt as to whether or not his name will be cleared.

From now on, when I look for a secondhand book, I'm going to be very particular about the publisher.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadow Ochoa is on the run but not beaten just yet by his circumstances, however having been caught in the act of supposedly stealing horses he now finds himself in danger of being hanged.

Fei Yen is a 23-year-old Chinese American who is in need of help to gather her gold from a claim she and her father had been mining, being that she was not a full blooded American and female to boot the law stated she could not own a gold mine so she had devised a plan where she found a husband" to protect her.

Shadow just so happened to be her choice and while he did not think he was the best one he promised Fei he would do his best and in the process of doing so found the love he did not think he needed in his life.

From the first this is more than just a story of a hard man who finds himself facing hard truths, it is also a story of second chances as well as overcoming beliefs that are long ingrained in both Fei and Shadow.

While remaining true to her style once again Sarah McCarty manages to spin a tale that captures the readers emotions as well as their imagination, catapulting them into every scene with breathless abandon right along with the reckless Fei and Shadow.

Now reading book 6 Caden's Vow.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skipped over every sex scene in this book. I cannot tell you anything about that, but I otherwise read it from cover to cover. So Shadow, rather than being a big, tough hardened texas ranger (as explained and as shown in "Tucker's Claim"), just happens to be the little baby of the clan. When was he ever an alpha male? And the ending, let's not talk about it. Corny out of this world! All this bromance and "we love you" and "she loves you like my girl loves me and everybody loves everybody!"ick! spare me, please!
Anyway, Fei Yen was the hero. Fei was the fighter. Fei took on all the bad stuff like the wild boar and so forth. Fei saved everyone. What the hell did Shadow do? Dragon my tail! And then when it came time to save Fei, he was nearly too whimpy to go help her. He wanted to send one of his friends to go save her life.
I really didn't like everyone in his group talking down to him like he was some kind of baby. He was a grown man who'd lived through hell and watched all his family murdered by a mexican army and grew up hard and unaccepted. Why should he take anyone's bull shit talk?

Any who. Where was Caden and Ace when all this adventure was going on? Hmmm....
Caden and Ace are in the next book and they were never there for 1 damn thing in the other books. Somebody prove me wrong!

[Pamela(AllHoney) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fifth addition to the Hell's Eight series by Sarah McCarty. After being disappointed in the last book I read in this series, I was hesitate to jump back on board and continue the series. But I did and I am glad. This was actually pretty good. Not great, mind you, but good. The hero and heroine are not your typical hero and heroine. Shadow Ochoa is a half breed (Indian/Mexican) man on the run from the law. He ends up in Kansas and is getting ready to be hung for horse thief. Enter Fei Yen, a young Chinese/American woman who needs a man to help her with her gold mine claim. She invokes a law to claim Shadow as her husband.

I had a few issues with the "I want you but I don't deserve you" mentality of the hero but I loved the strength of Fei and how she was determined in her goals. I give this 3 1/2 stars and round it up to 4.

[Jane Doe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah McCarty is a wonderful writer. The first book in this series is my favorite by far. This one is one of the better ones...I like how she can write about two people that seem very different but fit together perfectly in ways that don't seem apparent at first. Enjoyed seeing people from the past books in this one.

Now for the down side.... I know authors try and have "catch phrases" for characters but if Shadow would have said Son of a bitch one more time I might have screamed (okay I did roll my eyes after the 5th time)and why did Fei have to say husband so often, yikes. Difficult balance.
Still overall I give this book a solid 4 stars.

[Michelle the Romance Witch · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars another great story in a fantastic series. Shadow is one of those men.. you know the ones you just wanna reach out and slap every time they open their mouths b/c inevitably they're gonna say something stupid? yeah one of those. But thankfully he meets his match in a fiery and determined little woman.
Loved this story and was so thrilled to finally see him beat his demons.
Hope this isn't the end of Hell's Eight as i'm wanting more already!