This is not a love story. This is a story of three sisters, born into a world that wasn’t built for girls unless they forced it to be.
In the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, 1882, the Riley sisters live by grit and gunpowder. Ennis, the eldest, carries the weight of being the mother none of them ever knew. Lake, quick-tongued and restless, can outdraw most men in town but longs for something steadier than dust and whiskey. And Thomasina—Tom to her sisters, Sina in town—wants nothing more than to be a lady, even if trouble follows her like a curse.
When Tom returns home bloodied and broken, carrying a confession that could destroy them all, their hard-won survival teeters on the edge of ruin. Now the sisters must decide how far they’re willing to go to protect their own, even if it means becoming exactly what the town thinks them to be.
But Oak Crest is not a town that forgets. Blood is demanded. The new sheriff watches with equal suspicion and interest. And a hired foreman proves he’s more than a match for cowgirls forged in fire. Secrets multiply, loyalties fray, and the Riley sisters find themselves caught between desire and devotion.
The Devil’s Daughters is a sultry, dark-humored Western gothic about blood ties, buried sins, and the women who learn the world won’t hand them power—so they must take it.
Morally gray heroines Fierce sisterhood Touch her and die (Protective Women Version) Power, control, and forbidden intimacy Small town secrets Lawman vs outlaw 1880s Western Gothic setting
Calla Tate (pen name) writes dark romance with sharp story telling and a wicked sense of humor. When she's not making her characters fall hard, she's likely laughing at the ridiculous dialogue she crafts. If you like your love stories with a side of danger, explosive chemistry, and irresistible banter, you're in the right place.
The way I inhaled every page of this book. Absolutely a million stars.
A western gothic that follows the Riley sisters in 1882 details family dynamics, family feuds, secrets, and a new sheriff in town who has his sights set on one of the Riley sisters.
I laughed at times. Tears slipped at others. The writing is phenomenally done with the best western metaphors.
I fell absolutely in love with these characters and their story. Tate has such a way with words and really brings an incredible story to life.
Wow is all I can say. When Calla Tate first described the book, my immediate thoughts were that of a movie I had watched when I was younger called Bad Girls. Turns out in the acknowledgments at the end she mentioned the movie along with other westerns she had watched when she was younger.
There are 3 Devil’s Daughters. The story is told from the POV of the middle daughter. Women that were raised by their Pa after mom died in childbirth of the youngest. Pa raised his daughters like they were sons and he never raised a hand to them. The women help run the ranch. All with different life attitudes, the responsible one, the trouble maker and the flirt. The youngest, Tom, is the flirt. She comes home one morning with a black eye & marks on her neck. In defending herself, she killed her attacker who just so happens to be from the wealthiest family in town. Does anyone see where this may lead? The wealthiest family is also corrupt. The older sister, Ennis and Lake, middle sister, go back to the scene and take the body home to bury him up on the ridge.
Enter the new sheriff in town, Theo. He’s looking into the corruption in town for the Federal Marshals. He’s an observer for the most part. When the wealthy family members start looking for their murdered one. They immediately go to blaming the Devil’s Daughters for having a hand in the disappearance. This feud is like the Hatfields & McCoys. He said. she said. You get the picture. It’s not a western without turmoil between two families is it? Well Theo takes a shining to Lake. He’s looking into the rumors of her family as well. Well let’s just say they’re some truth to the rumors. The women of the town LOVE Lake because she doles out justice for women wronged. Never displayed on page but mentioned. To say that Theo grows to really care about Lake and vice versa is putting it mildly. The tension between the two is obvious to everyone.
One night after a burlesque show that has come to town, more mayhem occurred that left one of the girls with a concussion. So the remaining family members, Pa included—he came up with the plan—start to spread rumors about the wealthy family, they disrupt the wealthy family business and Lake confronts Theo with half truths. Bada bing, bada boom the wealthy family decides to retaliate.
What do they do you may ask? Well you’re just going to have to read this amazing book to find out the rest. I wish also say this. This book has one of the BEST DAMN CHAPTERS I HAVE EVER READ. It was only 2 words. I laughed for about 5 minutes.
Received an ARC copy from the author for an honest review.
I just finished The Devil’s Daughters and I was honestly kind of surprised by how much I enjoyed it. This is not my usual genre at all, but it kept me interested the whole time and I was never bored.
It takes place in the late 1800s, and the author calls it a gothic Western. It definitely leans toward a dark Western with strong sister dynamics, tension with a rival family, and definitely some spice.
The story follows three sisters, Ennis, Lake, and Tom, who grew up on a ranch with their father after losing their mother during childbirth with the youngest. Their dad is very emotionally distant and comes across as cold for a lot of the story, so the sisters were basically raised to be tough and take care of themselves. You can tell in his own way that he does love them, even if he rarely shows it.
Ennis is the oldest and kind of the steady one who keeps things running on the ranch. Lake is the middle daughter and one of the dual POVs. She is blunt, sharp, and doesn’t take anything from anyone. Tom is the youngest and even though she is rough around the edges like her sisters, she kind of wants to be seen as more of a proper lady and fit into that world, even though that is not really who she is.
There is also a lot of judgment from the town when it comes to the Riley sisters and how they carry themselves. They are known for not letting men walk all over them, and they definitely stand their ground. Some people respect them for it, especially some of the women in town, but others do not quite know what to make of them.
I really liked Lake as a POV character. She was really fun to read, blunt, and easy to follow. Each of the sisters also felt very different from one another, but you could still tell they were a strong family unit. I also liked having the sheriff as the second POV because it added another layer to the story. I also liked the dynamic between him and Lake, and it added a lot to the story.
Overall, this was way more engaging than I expected. I do not usually read Westerns, but this kept my attention the entire time and I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.
If this author can keep me this interested in a genre I do not normally pick up, I would definitely read more from her.
The Devil’s Daughters is a unique dark western romance. I seriously love a morally gray FMC. When I see that listed as trope immediate read!! I love reading about bad ass women
The setting in this book is a gothic western style set in the 1880s, it honestly gave me a western movie vibe too. The way Calla Tate described the characters and the way she uses her words are just incredible. This is my second book I’ve read from her and I highly recommend her books. It has great tropes, different elements from your typical book and it will pull you in immediately. It will have you loving every moment you spent reading about the Riley sisters.
Lake and her 2 sisters are feisty and strong. They are so close and will do anything for one another. They have one good unbreakable bond. Literally don’t mess with these girls they will break you apart. Lake is my girl 🙌
Lake and Sheriff Theo together will have you clutching your pearls because once Theo lays eyes on Lake.. the rest is history. And the spice!!! Ooh yes… so delicious with the use of restraints 😏🌶️ I would love to see some NSFW illustrations
This isn’t your cute country cowboy romance. This is a dark western romance. Where the FMC’s are tough as nails and the MMC’s could set a field on fire.
The Devil’s Daughters is a unique read that takes place in 1882. It’s gothic, gory, and a little rough around the edges. There is corruption rotting the town of Oak Crest. And the power dynamics as well as the line between villain and victim get blurred at times.
I loved all the dark themes and the attention to detail within Calla Tate’s book. She really knows how to set a mood within a scene.
When things were dark it still had so much humor and made you think of the Addams Family. This is a family that is a little left of center and they do not apologize for it and lean harder away because of it. They also have a fierce sisterhood that cannot be shaken.
The villains in this story you will hate with a passion. And the spice will leave you just as parched as the sierra foothills before a rain. If you are a lover of dark gothic reads and enjoy spice in your book this will be the read for you.
This was my first spicy western book and I’m not mad about it at all! It had the saloon, the swinging doors, the sheriff with his two man cell jail, the outlaws (good and bad ones) and horses as transportation! Thank you Calla for allowing me to read this ARC!
It was full of dirt, blood, sweat, war, secrecy, death, love stories, and a whole lotta dirty thoughts that those love stories were built off of.
Sometimes the pressure of being a woman in general is too much but for The Riley sisters it’s at higher stakes. They have a name to carry, a legacy to run and they’re competing with men who use money for power and get away with it.
A new sheriff is in town though and he quickly learns where his loyalties lie. Literally. But his morals are different than Lake’s and he needs to do things his way in order to earn her trust and in the end, her love. They earn each other’s trust by making those dirty thoughts come true (insert jail cell scene🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️) and following through on their word.
First off, the dedication. Never knew someone else to have a Big Grandma, yet alone one that loved grocery store romance. So sold from that. Second, THE DESCRIPTION OF LITERAL EVERYTHING. Ya girl was straight up living as a Devils Daughter while reading. Everything was described so well! Third, obviously the girls were amazing but the MEN, bc that’s what those were M E N. Theo, and Hank, and a surprise, and PA. I love that grumpy man. Third, justice. It was perfection. Needs no changes.
10000000000/10 recommend reading and I know that I’m lucky enough to be able to see Calla Tate at local events but you should definitely order a shelf copy if you can because I promise you’re gonna want it!!
Dark western romance, this was a first for me and I was hooked from page one. Calla Tate writes in a way that just pulls me in and I cant put the book down!
Thanks so much to the author for this advance copy, I loved it and hope we see more of the Riley sisters!
The sisters had me laughing, gasping, & even shedding a tear or two while reading this roller coaster of a story. The sheriff was a favorite & i loved reading about him interacting with the Riley family.
If you enjoy spice this one has that also but its written into the plot so it doesnt distract you from the darkness thats going on in this town. Dark romance & dark humor makes this one an easy 5⭐️ for me. Id say its a 🌶🌶🌶 on the spice scale.
Arc review. I was not paid to write this review, I am doing it because I want to.
This was a really twisted Western and let me tell you, I was here for it. It was spicy, sassy and had a lot of twists that I did not see coming.
3 daughters, their father, a decades long feud, and a new sheriff who is trying to figure everything out. A town that calls the father a devil and the daughters "devil's daughters" because of tales told through the years.
This book has bad ass women Mystery Thrills Plot twists galore Blackmail "Touch her and die"
If you like westerns you will definitely like this book.
I swear Calla Tate is one of my favorite new authors. This book was so different from what I expected. I was locked in from the very beginning. The Riley sisters are totally bad @$$. It was so refreshing to see such strong, powerful, dominant, take no sh*t FMC's. Each one is different in their own right. I love the relationships between the sisters, the banter. To them family means everything. They gave the true meaning between ride or ☠️. There is some spice and it is definitely spicy! I loved Lake and Theo. The dynamic and chemistry between them was fire hot from the very beginning. I really hope this might turn into a series so we can get to know the other sisters a little better.
While I really liked this story line, the book really threw me off with the names. The daughters all have male names and it really messed up the story itself for me personally. I rated this book 5 stars because the book is actually good however it’s not a book I would read again due to personal preferences. If you like the old time western type of books (think Wyatt Earp era) then you’ll love this. It just wasn’t for me personally. I typically read dark romance and while this book does have dark themes it’s not the right era/genre for me.
I am obsessed with this book. One would think that as daughters to a widower in the 1800’s, there is definitely a take on this around cowgirls that you wouldn’t have thought to see back then. One is prim, one is surly and the other is open about her wants. This book was very hard to put down. But I also cannot find any fault with it because it was just that good. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
4.25 stars. Thank you to the author for this free and early read. I really enjoyed the setting and the main characters. I never knew what they were going to do next. The romance mixed in was exciting and learning a little about what life might’ve been like during this period was intriguing. I’d definitely read this author again.
Wow. The Riley sisters really took my emotions on a roller coaster ride with their story. Lots of detail went into the story. Storyline was addictive, dark at times, and moved at a good pace to keep my attention. Character interaction was awesome. Emotional five star read that I couldn’t put down. Calla Tate always delivers a gut wrenching story that is a phenomenal read!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE !! Was so happy to have met Tate and buy her book at a local festival. All she needed to say was “western gothic and sisters who don’t let men get away with shit” and I was SOLD !! The setting, world building, characters, suspense, and the journey is addicting. Absolutely fantastic book - THANK YOU CALLA !!
There is something about a well written Western that just does it for me. Lake is my girl. I loved the dynamic between the sisters. I'm going to need another Western from you in the near future, please and thank you.
Received this as an Avanced Reader Copy. I started reading it stopped for a bit, but then picked it up again. It started slow but it picked up and was a good story overall. Great powerful, Lead female characters setting examples for women everywhere.
ARC READ : Obsessed with Calla Tate's style of writing. This one was not the normal kind of cowboy romance. It was filled with dark themes and the attention to details ✨️. CHEFS KISS 💋 Glad i had this baby as an Arc 🥹
This book was so so good and nothing like you’ve ever read!! Dark and gritty and had me laughing out loud at inappropriate moments! For sure, check your triggers before starting!
The authors language made it feel like I was watching a western in real time with great character descriptions. When Calla says fierce sisterhood, she means it. These gals are too different but come together when needed and do not play about family!
When I saw #gothicwestern, it pulled me in immediately. This genre was much different than what I'd been reading and previously read by Calla Tate and I wasn't disappointed.
I enjoyed The Devil's Daughters because as gothic as it is, the story has refreshing tropes. Also, can I be the one to ask when some #NSFW spicy illustrations are coming because there is one scene where it was spicy and I need my eyes to feast upon it!
This book is unlike anything I have read before and I loved every minute of it! Calla Tate does an incredible job with world building and character descriptions. I felt like I was right there and could picture everything so easily.
The Riley sisters are all so different and show up in their own ways, yet they are all strong, fierce, incredible women. They know how to take care of business and are complete bada**es! I really enjoyed the added suspense and how everything came together at the end.
I didn't think I would enjoy this as much as I did. 3 sisters who couldn't be more different if they tried but closer then ever. The strength each of them has along with defending themselves and others who can't. They get their HEA just not in the standard way. This was good and if you reading books in the western Era that have more plot then spice or romance then you need to dive in.