Knowing Caleb (Hawkins Ranch 4) by Cameron Dane

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Caleb is the last of the Hawkins brothers to be still a demon. The Hawkins are not really siblings, they found each other and called themself brothers since all three of them were shapeshifter demons, even if of different breed. And in fact Caleb is the less "devilish" of all of them, and when he is in demon form he is not as much different, only his features change. Due to his nature Caleb needs to hunt living prey, usually wild animals, and his sexual urges are very strong. Usually he has no problem to find a willing woman to satisfy them, but one night a unexpected event prevent him to finalize his hunt; Jake, one of the dearest friend of his sister-in-law Risa, is in trouble: six years before he lost his beloved wife and he is still grieving; in this night all he wants i to reach his wife... Caleb can't let him alone, and he spends the night with him, looking after the sleeping man. This cemented a friendship between the two men and the morning after Caleb offers a job as foreman to Jake. Having the man around on the ranch serves only to Caleb to take more and more notice of him, not like a friend but as something more. The problem is that nor Caleb or Jake has never imagined possible to desire another man, and they are moving on a shifting territory. Plus Jake is still mourning his lost wife.

The story is very very long, almost 350 pages, and has a lot of sex scenes among with an interesting plot, with some unexpected turns. It's true that there is a lot of sex, but it's not the only reason of the story, the sex is well balanced in the story.

Caleb and Jake's relationship is very intense, and both men approach it at the same way: they are not gay, they are not realizing something of them that it was always there ready to be unveiled, they only happen to fall in love with another human being, and the fact that the other is a man is only a details. Moving in an unknowing territory, it's only natural that at first they are not at all comfortable with the idea, but I like their approach. I like also Caleb's way to deal with the memory of Jake's lost wife, even if maybe, he reacts in that way since he doesn't judge himself worthy of the full love of Jake: if Jake retains something of him in their relationship, Caleb is feeling a little less guilty for him, a demon with a dark past, to love a good man like Jake.

I also felt a bit sad for Gabriel (I don't want to say more to not give up the story); I'd be glad if Cameron Dane would take in consideration the idea of writing also his story.

http://www.loose-id.net/detail.aspx?ID=789
 
Series: Hawkins Ranch
1) Demon Moon
2) Falling: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/216740.html
3) ReneCade
4) Knowing Caleb

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by April Martinez