Petunia Wayfield was on her way from Boston to California, when due to unfortunate circumstances, she ended up in Simple, Texas. Without a penny to her name and no financial support from her father, she got a position as schoolteacher to earn money and make her way to San Francisco. Two months later, she's no closer to reaching her goal because of her tendency to help the needy, especially neglected children. In this, she has the help of Ace Parker, brawler, gambler and womaniser extraordinaire. He doesn't seem to have much in common with the prim and proper schoolmarm, but appearances are often deceiving.

Sarah McCarty was a new author to me, and I was a bit surprised that ACE'S WILD is the latest instalment in a long series; I didn't feel I was missing much, although it made me curious as to the previous books if only to know a bit more about the enigmatic Hell's Eight, who come off as some sort of Wild West Motorcycle Club with real horse power! I loved how Ms. McCarty gave me the impression I was truly reading something that took place in the American West of 1860. The world of ACE'S WILD is rich and colourful, the writing is crisp and breezy, the dialogues are quite entertaining, and the author doesn't dawdle.

Much is to be said about the characters in ACE'S WILD: there are quite a few secondary characters and they are just as compelling as Petunia and Ace. Ace is exactly how I imagine a 19th Century cowboy to be: he seems a bit on the fence between wrong and right, but is all for justice. Petunia is a rather unusual heroine: she's an old maid at almost 30 years of age, and mostly because she's an intellectual, progressive in her thinking but quite proper most of the time. It is quite the sexual power struggle between Petunia and Ace, and the chemistry between them is palpable; ACE'S WILD features the best first kiss I have ever read. However I was a bit perplexed at the behaviour of Petunia on the aftermath of a somewhat disturbing, if not totally unexpected event, which I shall not disclose, and I must admit I enjoyed the historical and romantic part of the story more than the light BDSM angle, but all in all ACE'S WILD is sensual and fast-paced; a quick and entertaining read.

Book Summary

When you gamble with desire, be prepared to risk everything…

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 could, 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….