When Darby McPhee falls in love with Cayo Bradley, a wild cowboy from a nearby ranch, her world is ripped apart. Caught in a lifeless existence of caring for her father and brothers since her mother’s death, Darby does little else but work. But a death-bed promise to her mother to get her education now stands in the way of her heart’s desire to belong to the rough-and-tumble Cayo Bradley.Darby is … Bradley.
Darby is Cayo’s redemption from a horrific act in his past that torments him. After being captured as a young boy by the Jicarilla Apache, he now tries to settle back into white society—but how can he? If he loses Darby, he loses everything.
Darby is determined to keep her promise to her mother, but will Cayo wait for her? In this stunning tale of love and loss, Darby comes to understand that no matter what happens, she will always be THE GIRL WHO LOVED CAYO BRADLEY…
Romano’s story sizzles with the tension of lovers—one struggling to blend Apache ways and white, the other torn between East and West—searching for a way to join two lives going in opposite directions.
— Ruth Hull Chatlien, Blood Moon, and The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte
The Girl Who Loved Cayo Bradley, a superbly crafted romantic page-turner, is a deftly spun tale of ill-starred sweethearts in the American West. Darby, a charming farm girl, and Cayo, Apache raised, a secretive man with a disturbing past. Sparks ignite, burning intensely despite cruel circumstances to separate them—an expertly woven story with witty dialogue, fast-paced plot, and stunning, enchanting prose!
— Michelle Cox, award-winning author of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series.
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In the interest of full disclosure, I don’t generally read romances, and I haven’t read a lot of Westerns. I’m going to have to rethink that.
Not only does Nina Romano have a wonderful way with words, she is a master of all the right skills—plot, characterization, dialogue, social commentary, psychology. She puts us fully in the scene from beginning to end. This is what her readers have come to expect from her award-winning novels. I will, too, going forward.
The diverse cast of characters seem real and authentic to the period. Romano has clearly done her research, and she takes us deep into everyday life in the New Mexico and St. Louis in the late 1800s.
The contrast between Darby McPhee’s life, as a fifteen-year old, stuck taking care of her father and brothers, and Cayo Bradley’s, as an accomplished cowhand, are stark and believable. But there’s more. Cayo has had a hard life, although the time he spent as a member of a band of Jicarilla Apaches, was arguably the best part of it. He balances his ethics and his values between the two cultures admirably, though not always easily. Cayo is illiterate, rough around the edges. Darby is more refined and hopes to become educated. Yet they fall deeply in love, almost at first sight. And they struggle mightily to overcome the major obstacles in their path along the way. Are they successful? You’ll have to read The Girl Who Loved Cayo Bradley to find out.
The supporting characters are nearly as memorable as Darby and Cayo. The unforgivable malicious intentions of Hannah Pederson make you cringe. Aunt Bea’s attempts to control Darby’s life are irritating, even though she clearly means well. And Mbai’, the Jicarilla elder is both more patient and wiser than anyone else in the novel.
Romano isn’t afraid to tackle the racial, gender, and social issues of the time—sadly, many of them are still with us. These issues are part of the story always, but they never get in the way of the plot.
Bottom line, I loved this novel. Trust me, you will, too.