Hardland

I love this book because the protagonist—gritty, hard-talking heart-of-gold Ruby Fortune—is a lady as tough as the Arizona land she comes from and loves. She cusses and shoots, rides horses, entertains and cooks, and takes no guff from men. But first, she must rid herself of an abusive husband in order to save herself and her young boys. 

I am partial to a cast of characters in what I read, and a remarkable cast joins her in this exquisitely written story. Her father Big Burl, her chosen mother who’s a madame, the Shakespeare-quoting drunk she puts up in her barn,… show more.

I loved this story of a strong-willed woman who survives her husband’s abuse and does what she needs in order to provide for herself and her sons.

She maintains a loving and compassionate heart—a character I could cheer for. She is surrounded by vividly drawn, often desperate characters who find it easy to threaten a woman to get what they want. But Ruby is not just any woman. Add the excellent descriptions of the Arizona desert, and our perilous scene is set.