Avery is a pop singer, but when she poses for a magazine cover in a feather warbonnet, she essentially gets cancelled. To hide outside of the spotlight, she heads to her grandmother's ranch in Oklahoma. This is also a chance for her to connect with her Native American roots. But Avery isn't used to life on the reservation or living on a working ranch. Add to that, there is Lucas, the sexy ranch hand who wants her gone. Avery strikes a deal with him; she will save the struggling ranch if he will teach her about being Indian. Of course, they cannot seem to resist each other.

All in all, this was a cute romance. My problem? Avery was just so unlikable. I struggle with helpless characters as I cannot relate, but if that is something you enjoy, you may like this. I loved Lucas. I loved the side characters (aside from Lucas's family and Avery's mother). I want to read more that focuses on those everyday characters. I am also realizing that I do not tend to like famous characters, which is, again, a me thing.

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkey Publishing Group for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Berkley Romance for my advanced copy. It is so brilliant to see Nava's writing growth from her debut. She has stunning storytelling and in the realm of adding a voice to the native voices it is so refreshing and wonderful to read. I couldn't put this one down and I feel I'll need to do another re-read because I loved it so much.

Danica has done it again! This book was straight up Hannah Montana vibes and I loved it. I adore how Danica’s main focus is Native American & Indigenous representation within her romance. She really took back the western theme and took us to Oklahoma in this story. While I enjoyed the characters and their love, the cultural emphasis of the book are what made it so good.

What a delight of a cowboy romance! Reminded me of the Hannah Montana move (complimentary). I also think fans of "The Simple Wild" by KA Tucker would also love this one.

I really loved Lucas, the love interest. He was broody and flawed in all the best ways. I loved his interactions with Avery. I really enjoyed this book and found it pretty hard to put down!

Nava's writing is straight forward and uncomplicated, which almost serves the story well and makes reading easy. I only had a few clunky moments where I wanted a little more finesse and intricacy.

Only had a few minor complaints, such as the repeated mention of her Gray Goose shoes!

This one made my little millennial heart so happy. This felt like Hannah Montana the movie but 10x better.

Avery is an up and coming pop star who makes some poor artistic choices and ends up getting cancelled. The only place safe for her to regroup and let the dust clear is her estranged grandmother’s ranch. Here we see Avery embark on a journey to reconnect with her Muscogee heritage with the help of the easy on the eyes ranch hand Lucas.

This was such a great read and Danica Nava did an excellent job of creating authentic characters. I will definitely be reading more by this author in the future.

I have been struggling to write this review - not because this is a bad book, but because I don't know how to talk about, y'know, everything. First off, if you love cowboy romance, you have to pick this up. I loved the Oklahoma ranch setting, the themes of authenticity vs. artificiality, what "getting back to your roots" really means, and the compromises we have to make for success.

I would have liked a little more time spent with all of the characters - Avery's relationship with her mother and grandmother was one that interested me a lot! And I will rarely say no to more time spent developing the romance.

All in all: this is a quick read, and not only was I entertained the whole time, it gave me a little something extra to chew on.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Pop star Avery Fox is on the peak of superstardom, with a record deal, Billboard Top 100 hit, opening act slot, and Rolling Stone cover--and being one of the first indigenous artist to do so. But when her magazine cover of her in a headdress receives backlash, the public accuses of her of not actually being Native American, and she starts receiving threats, her momager sends her to Oklahoma to spend time on her estranged grandmother's ranch. Avery can keep out of the public eye and reconnect with her indigenous roots at the same time. But a frosty reception from her grandmother and a downright artic one from the handsome farmhand makes her wonder if the trip was the right move.

I adored this book! It has everything I love--celebrities and cowboys--and a totally unique story integrating the author's culture. I'm always here for a pop princess fish-out-of-water moment and I loved every bit of Avery clashing with (and then hooking up) with rancher Lucas Iron Eyes. I am also FASCINATED by stickball and need to immediately look it up on YouTube. I don't want to spoil anything, but I'll also add that I'm pleased with the ending and loved seeing Avery both find love and not give up on her dreams.

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

What a culturally beautiful cowboy/pop star romance. I absolutely loved Lucas and the way he loved Avery and the beautiful way he describes it. Avery also had a beautiful character arc in discovering who she really is and what she stands for. This is my first Danica Nava book but I need more from these characters!

Format: Kindle
Rating: 4 ⭐

"I was feeling inspired in a way I hadn’t in a long time, like my soul was bubbling and wanted to float along the air with my melody. For the first time since coming here I felt . . . hope."

I absolutely devoured Love is a War Song. This was my first official cowboy romance and I feel so excited to say it was a story written by an Indigenous author. Our FMC, Avery Fox, gives total Hannah Montanna vibes as she navigates Pop Stardom while also navigating her identity and strained relationship with her Momager.

We follow Avery as she takes some time away from the spotlight to visit her Grandmother in Oklahoma, where we encounter and learn about the roots she has within the Muscogee community. And, of course we can't have a cowboy romance without a cowboy, which leads to the introduction of Lucas Iron Eyes, our MMC who works and lives on Red Fox Ranch. We follow Avery as Lucas teaches her about the Muscogee community and what it means to him and eventually, what it can mean to her.

I really appreciated the Indigenous representation and cultural elements weaved through Love is a War Song. It felt educational without being overly explained or taking away from the story of Avery and Lucas. Definitely recommend this to fans of cowboy romances, especially those who are craving a fresh POV and needed voice, when it comes to this genre.

Thank you to Berkley for this e-ARC of Love is a War Song via the The Berkley Influencer Hub for Underrepresented Voices!

Thanks to @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for the gifted e-ARC and to @prhaudio for the ALC!

Avery Fox is a Native American pop star who knows nothing about her Muscogee heritage or culture. Her mom raised her on her own in LA. So when she signs off on a culturally inappropriate photo shoot, she has no idea the backlash that is coming. Disgraced and facing death threats, she retreats to her grandmother’s ranch to finally learn about her people and culture. Lucas, one of her grandmother’s ranch hands immediately dismisses her as a spoiled celebrity but as they become friends, he teaches her about their heritage and she helps him realize his dreams.

This is an Indigenous author writing about Indigenous issues, such as who is “native enough” and what is cultural appropriation? The author said in her author’s note that she wants to reclaim the western romance genre without racist stereotypes. She definitely succeeded! It’s a powerful story told from a perspective you don’t often see in the genre.

Avery had good character growth. She learned to find her voice and get out from her mother’s thumb. The other characters, including Lucas and Avery’s grandmother, were a bit all over the place. Blowing hot and cold. Avery really had to work to earn their trust. But they were still likable.

There was some good spice. Lots of great kissing scenes, and a spicy makeout in a tornado shelter during a storm!

I really liked the ending and thought it was very satisfying.

It was great single POV narration. The narrator did an excellent job bringing all the characters to life.

This is a fun fast western romance read with some good thought-provoking lessons built in.

This was cute!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hannah Montana movie vibes 🤝🏾 Cowboy romance
There’s drama with family, a dose of fake dating, small town-rockstar romance! He highkey doesn’t like her at all creating a “dislike to lovers” and kind of forbidden.
~ There’s a hot spicy scene involving Mother Nature. 🤭
Thank you Berkley for an arc in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own

I am so glad this book exists!!! The nostalgia and warm fuzzies I felt while reading were so nice. More indigenous contemporary romances please!

4⭐️
I LOVED THIS!!! This book is for all the Hannah Montana girlies and I ate it up.
I flew through this book in 5 hours from last night to this morning and it was such heartwarming story! Avery is a pop singer who has to go to her family’s small town in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to escape from the spotlight after a public scandal. In this small town, she meets her grandmother, Lottie (who I adored!!), Lucas, our MMC, and all the other ranch hands working for Lottie.

I loved how Lucas and Avery initially clashed with each other in the beginning. Lucas was grumpy and truly could not stand her but in a comical way. As Avery got more comfortable working on the ranch and Lucas got to know her more, their relationship progressed in the sweetest way. I loved the connection they had and the way they went to bat for each other in any and every space. Avery telling off Lucas’ parents?! ATE IT UP Lucas saving Avery in a thunderstorm? LOVED IT. All the side characters in this were amazing but especially Lottie!! She takes no shit and was soo funny!! Highly recommend this for a quick SWEET romance read!! Now I need to go read Danica’s other book!!

Thank you endlessly to Berkley for the e-ARC🐎💚

Fellow romance readers that love a cowboy romance should absolutely pick this one up! I do love a cowboy romance, and I also love romances about musicians, and a fish out of water story, so I loved this!

The book follows Avery Fox, a pop star who is in the middle of a media scandal after a photo shoot that was supposed to be a statement about her success as a Native American Singer. Her mother (momager) sends her to stay with her grandmother Lottie (that Avery doesn’t even know) at her ranch in Oklahoma to hide out. Of course at the ranch we meet our love interest, the man who runs Lottie’s ranch, Lucas Iron Eyes. Despite thinking he’s the most handsome man she’s ever seen, they certainly don’t get along at first. Eventually they come to an agreement that Avery will help raise funds to save the ranch and Lucas will help show her what she’s missed with her mom in California and get in touch with this side of herself.

I read Danica Nava’s debut last year, which was the first traditionally published indigenous romance. I enjoyed it, but I loved this one! It has so many things I love in a romance. It’s a perfect book to pick up and add to your end of summer reads!

tropes and things: cowboy + pop star, indigenous rep, small town, city girl in the country, grumpy x sunshine, music references, a rain scene, tornado storm cellar scene

Love is a War Song was a compelling book with a strong premise. I liked the FMC, Avery. She felt well-rounded and layered. Her voice was easy to connect with, and I appreciated how the author gave her room to be complex and vulnerable. I enjoyed the way the author developed Lucas and Avery's relationship. The enemies to lovers felt believable and natural. I liked watching their walls come down. The side characters were okay. I wanted more depth from Avery's relationships. Lottie and Avery's relationship had a lot of potential, and I would have liked to see it explored further There were some writing issues that pulled me out of the story. Avery's internal monologue felt repetitive at times, and a few passages were clunky. I appreciated the Native American representation and the way the author added in Native American culture. Overall, this was a well-paced story that kept me engaged. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

Thanks to Berkley for my copy of Love is a War Song. If you loved Hannah Montana you'll enjoy Love is a War Song!

Avery Fox was a childhood actress who wants to be a pop star but when she gets canceled her mom sends her to Oklahoma to be with her estranged grandmother. Avery is proud of her Muscogee heritage but wasn't raised to know the culture and traditions but Lucas the manager of the ranch helps her learn while they fight their growing feelings for each other.

I enjoyed this fun romance with a grumpy cowboy and disgraced pop star. I liked learning more about Muscogee culture and seeing Avery learn more about her heritage. The family drama added to the story and helped add to the characters. I appreciated the author's note at the end of the book too.

I recommend checking out Love is a War Song!

This book was so funny and amazing!!!!!!! Indigenous cowboy romance!!! This needs to be on the shelves of every cowboy romance reader

Love is a War Song by Danica Nava is my top-rated romance for 2025 (so far).

This rom-com is a cowboy x pop-princess native american romance, where the FMC never learned about her own heritage and makes a huge mistake by wearing a war bonnet on a rolling stone cover, pandering to her record label and making the entire internet angry. To hide from death threats and let everything blow over, she moves in with the grandmother she's never met on a horse ranch in Muscogee nation. Here, she makes a deal with the grumpy but handsome cowboy. He'll teach her about the native culture if she agrees to help save the ranch from financial ruin.

I loved every minute of this book. From the relationships to the laugh out loud moments, I was completely sucked in. I'm a slowburn girlie, and this was a slowburn with the best payoff. Other things I loved were the side characters, especially Lottie, and the setting. I could absolutely picture myself on the ranch and adjusting to life there. I also adored how we (those of us without native knowledge) got to learn along with the FMC, like how the elder women are called grandmother or there's no whistling at night (I knew that one!).

5/5⭐
2-3/5 🌶️ Some open door/explicit sexual scenes

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the e-ARC of this book!

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

When I heard this book pitched as a romcom version of the Hannah Montana movie, my reaction was literally "nahhhhh". But god damn if it didn't hit it beat for beat. EXCEPT Danica Nava did it one better by packing it with Native American representation. (Because yes y'all, the first cowboys were NOT white). Kyla Garcia's narration was spot-on and kept me engaged the whole time. I enjoyed Avery's character arc and how she and Lucas so reluctantly grow closer. And the family drama be DRAMAAAAing!

You've got stickball, you've got line dancing, you've got getting it on during a twister. What more do you want??

I absolutely LOVED this! Heartfelt and sweet. At first, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to root for Avery. She’s a bit of a mess, but I enjoyed seeing her growth. Her struggles with identity hit close and I ended up wanting to give her a big hug. I loved the romance and adorable scenes with a steadfast Native cowboy, Lucas. He’s a reserved, no nonsense type of man, and I was mush. I’m sat and ready for all the Native daddies!