As a child I loved make-believe, especially if it involved a princess. Disneyland was pure magic and watching Disney movies based on fairytales was a treasure. As an adolescent, I read Sunburst novels titled after a centralized adolescent female character having to choose between two honorable young men who loved her like I drank water. I was a romance reader in the making; as an adult I have read innumerable romance novels. Nina Bruhns' Hard Case Cowboy is another title to add to the countless, though in my humble opinion, not particularly memorable ones.

Rhiannon O'Brannoch has had a difficult life. She's lost both her parents, her father to the IRA and prison, and after nursing her mother through illness, watched her die. When her father passes on, he leaves the small family farm to her aunt and uncle, shocking her to her core. Rhiannon, prompted by her Uncle Fitz, who's settled on a ranch in Arizona in the United States, leaves Ireland to live with him. Feeling destitute on the goodwill of her Aunt Bridget and Uncle Patrick, Rhiannon agrees to go to America hoping to find a place where she can belong.

Redhawk Jackson has spent his life running from delinquency and Native American stereotypes and tries to make a go of it in the rodeo. After sustaining an injury that costs him his dream, he finds a new one, the Irish Heaven Ranch, where he's worked the last eleven years for Fitz O'Brannoch. Years ago Fitz, who's more like a mentor and a father than an employer, took Hawk under his wing and promised him the ranch upon his death. Hawk has a real stake in working the ranch, knowing that one day it will be his own. The only thing he feels more strongly about than Fitz, is Irish Heaven.

When Rhiannon arrives at the ranch, Hawk is instantly on his guard. She's so green in the red desert that she can't help but stand out, yet he's surprised by her grit and her fortitude. Both think they have a right to the ranch. In opposition, they rub each other against the grain, splintering themselves in the process. When Irish Heaven is threatened, however, the two adversaries come together for a common purpose to save a ranch that both have a heart for. In the process, they find they just might have a heart for one another as well.

I can hear you Bruhns' fans demanding: okay full-of-yourself-reviewer, explain your rating! Here's the scoop. This novel is missing three things for me. The first is depth. If you don't care about delving into the heart of the characters then Hard Case Cowboyis an adequate read. I felt that I never truly connected with any of the characters. In fact, I never felt like I could picture either character, which says a lot to me.

On one level, I knew that Hawk is gorgeous and I knew that Rhiannon is a titian-haired temptress, but I had to constantly remind myself who the characters were and what motivated them. Rhiannon came across as a spineless "pity me" heroine at times and a spitfire, as I am sure Ms. Bruhns intended her to be, at others. Hawk, on the other hand, tended toward arrogance and pride, and then turned into a sensitive man (if only that could happen!) nearly quoting poetry. Second, the story was static for me versus the dynamic narrative that I enjoy. For me, the storyline was oversimplified; I never had to make assumptions nor was I ever surprised by the outcome. It was predictable (aside from one great twist near the end that I hadn't imagined) and at times it seemed as though characters pulled reasoning and their own assumptions from nothing.

I often wondered how the characters got from point A in their thought process to point B. Finally, fiction has to be even more realistic to capture a reader. Hard Case Cowboy didn't carry me into a world of realism. I always knew, and always remembered, that I was reading a story and never disconnected from the real world to enter into the world of Nina Bruhns. Stories I enjoy have a way of pulling me into the prose, leaving me breathless.

Hard Case Cowboy had some salient points, however, and I think it would be a shame not to mention them. First, the prose is neat and tidy. All of the loose ends are tied, all of the relationships are clean and satisfying, and most of the questions are answered (I say most because there was one that I am not sure Nina Bruhns intended that I may have wondered about). Next, Nina Bruhns wrote steamy love scenes between Hawk and Rhiannon, notably the 'bath tub' scene and 'the corral' scene. The sexual tension was taut and well-strained to allow for the satisfying coupling of the two characters. All in all, Nina Bruhns is a solid writer. I closed Hard Case Cowboy feeling satisfied about the work and would recommend the story to those looking for a good read.

Reviewed by Maci Walker
© 2005