Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1044210 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 256 pages

Customer Reviews

Very Enjoyable
Love the variety of plots and locations in Ms. Bruhns' books, especially this one. Fell in love with Phillip - what a great and understanding guy! Ms. Bruhn's characters seem realistic and compelling. Also try Ghost of a Chance - cute and silly yet a great love story.

"...a super sexy, intrigue-laced romance from Nina Bruhns."
Getting the jump on the wrong man is a career first for bail enforcement officer, Luce Montgomery. It would have been nice if Piñon Lake's Chief of Police, Philip O'Donnaugh, had told her who he was before she felt the rear pockets of his jeans for his wallet or ID. But Luce has to admit, she enjoyed her hands-on confrontation with Chief O'Donnaugh.

Apparently, he enjoyed it, too, and has made his interest known on more than one occasion since their late-night tussle in the dirt. As luck would have it -- bad lucky, really -- they're after the same man, but for different reasons. Clyde Tafota is a bail jumper and Luce has come to New Mexico to bring him back to St. Louis before his bond expires. Philip, on the other hand, is looking for Clyde in relation to a local office robbery.

Their shared interest in Tafota is going to make her job kind of difficult, Luce acknowledges, but not impossible. She needs to get this "skip" in her custody or else risk losing a large chunk of change that will help her open her own P.I. business. Working side-by-side with Chief O'Donnaugh isn't going to further her cause; not when he's likely to claim jurisdiction and insist she go through proper channels.

Time is running out on the bail jumper's bond, damn it! Philip is conscious of an entirely different timeline, however. If he hopes to get Luce in his bed before she leaves the state, he has to be quick -- and ruthless -- about his plans for seduction. Which is why he has done something he has never done before: let an outsider work on a case with him.

Hell, the peace and quiet of Piñon Lake has become a thing of the past. And while he doesn't want to get burned again, Philip is mightily attracted to the pretty bounty hunter. Their joint investigation of Tafota's whereabouts will keep her in the state for a little while longer...but will it be long enough to make a difference? Luce appears to be on the run from something, so Philip can only hope that she will eventually run straight into his arms.

BLUE JEANS AND A BADGE is a super sexy, intrigue-laced romance from Nina Bruhns that will thrill readers with its taut suspense and lush levels of sexual tension. Silhouette Intimate Moments has a star in this author, so if you have yet to pick up a novel by Ms. Bruhns, I strongly recommend that you do so. Now. Right this very minute. Philip is a very special hero, and Luce is a very unique heroine (whom is commitment-phobic, to a certain extent).

Philip is more of the picket-fence sort -- even though he's had lousy luck with relationships in the past -- while Luce would prefer to run for the hills (or scale mountaintops) than contemplate any sort of permanency with a man. Philip, in particular. When chemistry is this potent, this overpowering, though, we all know she'll be fighting a losing battle. It seems strange that she would even try to fight this attraction (and its resultant temptations) when Philip is so mouth-watering, but there are influences at work here that will lead to some very shocking discoveries for Luce.

I don't know how Nina Bruhns does it, but each and every release from this author is a "keeper" in its own right. Her books are always chockfull of adventure, romance and lavish love scenes, and BLUE JEANS AND A BADGE is no exception to this rule. It's intelligently plotted and curl-your-toes romantic; it also seems to draw upon the author's "gypsy" roots, her fondness for Indian culture, and her ability to make a reader want to step inside of the pages of her novels. The New Mexico landscape, for example, is described with colorful, vivid prose. Even more colorful and vivid, however, is Philip and Luce's relationship and the sparks they shoot off from their very first encounter...Er, is it hot in here or is it just me?

Reviewed by Cheryl Jeffries for romanticfiction.tripod.com

Blue Jeans and a Badge--Ever want to handcuff a cop???
Nina Bruhns
Blue Jeans and a Badge
April 2005

Left on her adopted parents' doorstep at a young age, Luce Montgomery grew up with a loving and happy family. Knowing she wasn't their biological daughter made no difference to her, she loved them just the same for taking her in when no one else would. But through the years Luce had been searching for something. She felt incomplete, even with her adventurous job of bounty hunter; something was still missing in her life, what it was she didn't know yet.

Luce's career kept her traveling and away from home a lot, but that never deterred her from her life back home in St. Louis. Her latest assignment lands her in Sante Fe, New Mexico looking for a criminal that had recently jumped bail, one she needed to apprehend in order to get paid and open her new PI business. Luce wasn't about to let any obstacle stand in the way of collecting her bounty. One thing was for sure; even a case of mistaken identity wouldn't cause her too much grief. Although, the shiny, metal badge he was wearing did cause a minor problem.

Sheriff Phillip O' Donnaugh has handcuffed a lot of people in his career, he could truly say he'd seen it all, up until now. He may be on the wrong end of the handcuffs this time, but the beautiful woman leering over him intrigued him more that he wanted to admit. Phillip might not be the man she was looking for, but he was more than willing to be exactly what she needed. He hoped she felt the same way, only time would tell, but first he had to get out of the handcuffs.

After speaking with Luce for a short time, Phillip decided he was just what she needed on a personal and business level. Realizing they were searching for the same man, he decides that they should work together. After all, two heads were better than one. Now the feat was trying to convince her of his plan, but as he soon finds out, female bounty hunters can be the most stubborn people in the world.

Hesitantly, Luce decides to go along with Phillip's idea, they could make a lot more progress with both of them tracking the perp, and at least Phillip new his way around a lot better than she did. As much as she begins to enjoy his company, Luce isn't as easily swayed or seduced as he seemed to think she was in the beginning of their adventure.

Through trial, error, and dead ends, Luce and Phillip finally get some leads they can use in their search for their mutual target. What they find is a whole lot more than either of them imagined, in more ways than one and more levels than just business. Will their growing attraction cause them to lose site of their top priority? Or will it help them in the long run to trust each other and maybe even pursue a relationship outside of their jobs? And can the two of them concentrate enough to solve the case, or are they headed for yet another dead end and secrets that were better left unknown?

Nina Bruhns is a joy to have in the world of romance. I've read most of Nina's other work, and just like Blue Jeans and a Badge, I've enjoyed them thoroughly. Blue Jeans and a Badge is a refreshing change from the reality of today's world. Its life like characters speak to you making you long to join in and climb the same mountains in their fictional world.

Blue Jeans and a Badge is not my normal genre of reading. Contemporary romances were never really for me. Not until I discovered that some contemporary romances can hold my attention almost as much as a good vampire or paranormal novel. I put Nina's books and ability right up there with the likes of Nora Roberts and Deb Stover. Blue Jeans and a Badge is one for my keeper shelf and should be part of yours as well. Maybe with enough coercion, we can all get a vampire or paranormal romance from Nina as well. I'll keep my fingers crossed.


If you're searching for a good novel to read that can make you laugh, cry, and imagine yourself as one of the characters in the story, Blue Jeans and a Badge is the book you need. So get your copy now, sit in your favorite chair, grab a tall drink, and emerge yourself into Nina's Bruhns world of fiction. Meanwhile, I'll just kick back and wait for my next opportunity to review some great works of fiction. Happy Reading!!