This was an enjoyable read for me. It was a sweet and inspiring love story. The characters were all so entertaining. This author never disappoints.

4.5

native american stories belong in the cowboy romance genre!!! this was so good and lucas is so HOT. immediately adding danica nava to my auto-buy author list :)

This was just fantastic. Fish out of water, a smidge of fake dating, celebrity-cowboy. What more could you want in a romance?

Danica Nava is an incredible author.

There are lots of adjectives to describe this book, sweet, entertaining, fun, but what really matters is it's a good story with an excellent plotline that finds a popular singer going back to being "just another ranch worker" after she embarrasses herself. She finds her place in life outside the mega-stardom she's used to, and decides she likes it. An excellent story hiding behind a cute cover.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

Oh my goodness Danica Nava is on fire!! I loved this cowboy and pop star romance which takes the fish out of water and small town elements and turn them into something so lovely and fresh! Nava shares in her Author's Note the care that she took with this story as she's depicting a Muscogee community and she is Chickasaw as well as her inspiration loving Hannah Montana and Country Strong and wanting a Cowboy and popstar romance that is Indigenous.

Avery Fox has been a child star trying to become a pop star with her momager by her side steering her career. Her label is leaning into the fact that she's Native, but using it in a controversial way. Her Rolling Stone cover with a headdress on sparks fury online so Avery is sent to meet and stay with the grandmother she never met in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Lottie Fox. Who picks her up after the Greyhound bus trip from hell? Lucas Iron Eyes, one of the ranch hands who works for Lottie and stays on her property and who just happens to be the hottest guy Avery has ever seen. They go from dislike from misunderstanding each other and Avery having a lot to learn (she goes from pampered, nervous, and clueless to cooking three meals a day for the staff and riding horses) to not being able to stay away from each other even though they should.

If you love it when the heroine sticks up for the hero when people are being AWFUL to him... there's a scene in here for you. If you loved Twisters and wanted them to kiss already... there's a scene here for you. This is a romance novel but it is also a novel about community and people's ability to grow and change. I want Danica Nava to continue to write romances but if she wanted to just write a fiction slice of life book about Native folks in a community like this I would eat it up. She gives such detail and care to the smallest of side characters. I'm obsessed with everyone we meet, and I felt that way reading The Truth According to Ember as well. This book had me giggling and kicking my feet because Lucas and Avery are just that kind of couple but it also had me crying a lil bit because Avery goes through so much emotionally in the course of like a month? A new favorite of the year.

Avery Fox had posed on the cover of Rolling Stone to celebrate her Native heritage, but it was seen as a stunt, and she was called a fake. Retreating from the threats, she returns to her estranged grandmother's home in the Oklahoma reservation. Red Fox Ranch has been home to Lucas Iron Eyes since he was sixteen years old. He has lived by three rules to keep himself out of trouble: 1) preserve the culture, 2) respect the horses, and 3) stick to himself. He hates what Avery seems to represent, but the two strike up a deal. Avery will help raise funds for her grandmother's ranch, and Lucas will teach her Native traditions. What could possibly go wrong?

Avery was micromanaged by a mother determined to see her succeed in Hollywood. She was never truly involved with her Native heritage growing up, so wearing a warbonnet in a photo spread when it's usually reserved for chiefs of high honor. Now canceled by the internet and at risk of losing her pop star career before it starts, she goes to the grandmother her mother had cut them off from. Her mother is basically the stereotypical Hollywood mom, and offers little sympathy for a situation she had a hand in creating, instead blaming her for it and complaining about the extra work she has to do. Avery is then thrown at her grandmother's horse ranch with zero knowledge and the expectation of working as hard as the experienced hands. The very premise immediately has us sympathizing with Avery and hoping she could get a career again by the end of the book.

Family issues don't get solved easily here, but there are steps toward improvement. Avery gets a lot of questions answered regarding the past, the broken connections within her family, and the rest of the tribe. Reconnecting with her ancestry helps her feel less untethered, and of course, there's the dramatic grand gesture for the finale of the book. While I wasn't fond of Lucas at the start, he eventually warmed up. I really enjoyed seeing Avery get to that side of him and find a relationship that worked for her.

My first cowboy romance—and I’m so glad it was this one. It was wonderful. Danica Nava is one of the few mainstream Native American voices in romance, and she absolutely delivers. Love Is a War Song is her second novel, and I loved her debut, The Truth According to Ember, too.

Nava writes such swoony male leads. Truly just…unproblematic kings. The adversaries-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine dynamic works beautifully here—the chemistry is believable, and both characters experience growth that feels natural and earned.

The novel also offers thoughtful commentary on parasocial relationships, cultural appropriation, family, community, and what it means to be Native American. I genuinely feel like I learned a lot from this book.

Oh, and there’s a tiny hint of the supernatural—which was such a fun surprise!

Highly recommend for fans of cowboy romance, diverse voices, and the grumpy/sunshine trope.

I enjoyed this pop star & cowboy rom com about finding yourself by going back to your roots. Muscogee star Avery Fox has worked hard for her success ever since she was a child. But one risqué photo shoot causes her to fall from grace and lose it all. Fleeing the humiliation in LA, she finds herself at her grandmother’s ranch in Oklahoma where she learns about her culture and her herself and finds love along the way 💖

𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆:

🌸 Pop star & cowboy
✨ Small town romance
🌸 Native American rep
✨ Enemies to lovers
🌸 Slow burn

*4.25

Wow, everything about this book was so beautifully written!

Cowboy x Popstar has been a trope that I secretly love but that rarely is executed in a way that spotlights BIPOC communities. As a POC, I acknowledge how vital it is BIPOC representation is for all media spaces but in particular. It is extremely vital to have representation in spaces in which targeted harmful rhetoric to specific marginalized communities has been made.

The authors note, in which Danica highlights that writing this romance was her way of reclaiming the western genre that has pushed upon harmful representation of Native Americans only shows how we as the romance book community needed this book.

I’m in awe of Danicas work, her passion is felt thru every page and her storytelling is captivating. I read this book in 1 whole sitting because i couldn’t stop flipping the pages.

Avery and Lucas are to complex individuals who are surviving off their current circumstances. Their journey in embracing each other’s company and falling in love shows that love is acceptance of our flaws and our talents.

Danica also shout out my absolute childhood favorite film aka Hannah Montana: The Movie 🙂‍↕️ (I can confirm that this book will be loved by ALL Hannah Montana lovers)

Thank you Berkley for the E-ARC, I couldn’t be more excited for everyone else to read this!

This is such a beautiful story about a young famous woman being cancelled which leads her to learning about her roots and also learning about love in the process! There is some amazing Native American representation in this book and reading it you get to learn about Mvskoke. We also get some fun facts about celebrities who are Mvskoke alongside of the FMC being unregistered and learning about their culture and who she really is. There is also a glossary in the back with Mvskoke words and what they mean and the pronunciation which I appreciate because I was butchering the heck out of it in my brain.
I really loved how the FMC rose above the cancel culture and didn’t pay any mind to the massive amounts of hate she was getting online and buckled down and really learned her families roots! Also the romance between her and the MMC was wonderful but then coming together as “business partners” and figuring out how to save her grandmothers ranch that has been in her family for generations was wonderful! I definitely shed a few tears while reading this book!
If you love tropes like fish out of water, forced proximity, grumpy X sunshine and found family you’re really going to enjoy this book!

I have a soft spot for untraditional cowboy romances, and this is the best one I’ve read in years. It has all the texture I love in a ranch setting, softly worn work shirts, a sweeping big sky, buttery biscuits, and a slow smile under a tipped hat. But my favorite part is how Avery isn’t forced to choose between her dreams and love. She doesn’t have to make herself small to appreciate small town life.

Readers who are fans of enemies to lovers stories, or books where celebrities learn to live like regular people might like this a lot, but it’s especially welcoming to readers who want more romances with Indigenous characters crafted by Indigenous writers. The tropes are familiar, but the characters and their community make this book very, very special.

This was such a cute rom-com. giggled throughout the entire book and read it all in one sitting.

It felt like a movie playing out on the page with just the right mix of humor, heart, and tension between Avery and Lucas. I loved following Avery’s journey as she returned to her roots, reconnected with her grandmother Lottie, and slowly found a place in the community she never really knew. I just wish Lucas had been a little more fleshed out but the chemistry between him and Avery still kept me hooked.

This story had all the opposites attract, small-town drama, and emotional growth I love in a romance.

I really needed this novel in my life! Love is a War Song examines the impact cancel culture has on a celebrity, while also speaking about the importance of cultural identity within a community. This also speaks about the complexities of love when two people live such opposite lives.

Avery and Lucas had great chemistry, and it was wonderful reading about Avery’s experiences as she learns about her family history and the secrets that rest.

Thank you Berkley Pub for the gifted book!

I really enjoyed this new perspective on a cowboy romance, and the Hannah Montana The Movie twist makes it even better.

4.5 - I loved this book so much!! Everyone run, don't walk to get THE cowboy romance of the summer!! Love is a War Song was literally Hannah Montana the Movie with Native American representation and it was so cute!! The best cowboy/popstar vibes. I felt like I was a teen again watching one of my favorite movies but with a focus on community, representation, cancel culture, and family.

Love is a War Song follows Avery, a pop star, who gets into a scandal when she poses on the cover of Rolling Stone wearing a feather warbonnet. Avery, who is very estranged from her Native American family and culture, thought she could make a statement about being a Native American successful singer, but instead, gets cancelled as the whole world turns on her. Avery's mom and manager decide that she should spend the summer at Red Fox Ranch, the home of Avery's estranged grandmother, in Oklahoma. Avery is forced into a world that she has never been a part of before, where she meets Lucas Iron Eyes, one of the workers on farm.

This is a beautiful slow burn romance, but above all, a story about growth, learning, forgiveness, and cancellation culture. I loved how Danica wrote the idea of being cancelled for appropriating and using your own culture, and the ways that we should respect even our own heritage and culture. I loved the way she incorporated Native American culture and going along with Avery as she learnt more about her people and history. The story of forgiveness, both internally and externally, as Avery learns from her mistakes and begins to change was so well done. And the ROMANCE between Avery and Lucas was so cute, I love how Lucas was so drawn to Avery and wanted to help her get adjusted and learn about her people and family.

The perfect cowboy romance with a lot of depth and emotion, Love is a War Song is out now!! Thanks to Berkley Romance for the free ARC.

First off, I loved this cover so much. The colors, the connection between the characters, the subtle introduction of the details of their lives...it's just perfect. This book is about a new, hot Indigenous pop star who makes HUGE missteps and is publicly dragged because of it. Now, while she should be on the cusp of stardom, she's fighting for her reputation.

The thing is, our heroine Avery is Indigenous, but has never experienced life on the Rez and all the cultural and social intricacies that come with living and breathing that experience. Her misstep is not her fault, and she's willing to learn. She escapes to her Grandma's ranch in OK, a place she's never been, but desperately needs.

Lucas helps run the ranch alongside Avery's grandma. He's aware of the spectacle around Avery and wants nothing to do with her. But damn is he cute! And he's a cowboy! Giddy up, baby. His character is so intense, and the more we dig into his own backstory it so easy to fall in love with him. While initially he's hesitant to be any part of Avery's experience on the ranch, he inevitably has to show up.

Their relationship forms so organically. From reluctant friends, to eventual lovers, these two tackle their emotions, big social and cultural differences, and fully feel the weight of not only their community, but the bigger world that Avery lives in.

There's a Bridget Jones "just as you are" scene that made me chuckle and showed the wit and humor that this author wove perfectly into the story. “Just as you are. Loincloth and all.”

Perfect for fans of the Hannah Montana movie... Not joking this has the same energy. An interesting dive into cancel culture and redemption. A beautiful love story tied in with learning about culture, what it means to be Muscogee, family, and what it feels like to belong. I loved everyone.

Thanks so much to @berkleyromance for the free book! #BerkleyPartner

When I think of "cowboys," even despite the current western (white) takeover, I tend to think of Native American men and Black men as the classic cowboys. However, I've never read a book with a Black cowboy, and I definitely haven't read one about a Native American cowboy. Until now. Love Is a War Song was incredibly easy to read, and I loved how much I learned from it.

Danica Nava's prose is cheeky and boldly proud to be Native American (even when one makes a misguided mistake), filled with lots of pop culture references and a female main character who feels very much like the brand of artist/influencer people rally behind nowadays. At times, Avery was bratty, but most times she comes across very thoughtful and generous. Lucas was sweet, solid, and absolutely dreamy.

I feel like the core message is locked onto how important community is, and how important it is for you to know where you come from, especially when the world has attempted to erase the existence of your people, culture, and customs from history. For that reason, parts of this book reminded me of "The Thing About Home" by Rhonda McKnight. I also feel like there is an important message about how keeping family secrets only leads to perpetuating the things you're running from. The topic of cancel culture—and the nonexistence of it, because no one is ever truly canceled—was aptly handled, especially with the recycled conversations about cancel culture that only pop up when accountability is demanded from someone who caused harm.

I didn't care for the veneer scene at all, and it went on far too long for me to find it adorable. I think the pacing somewhat moderately chugged along and then rapidly sped up and ended in the last 20% or so, which was jarring because things had just started becoming stable between Avery and Lucas—I wish there had been more romance between them honestly. While I am not someone who shies away from reading books with a lot of references to celebrities, I will continue to say I hate when books mention Elon Musk/Tesla. A character also claims Carrie Underwood is Native American? I couldn't find anything that proves that online—but that's two too many bigots for me in one book.

3 ⭐️s
1.5 🌶️

3⭐️ 1.5🌶️

I was so excited to dive into this book! I love that Danica wanted to give a Native American take on a cowboy romance. The beautiful cover and blurbs by some of my favorite authors only increased my excitement.

I loved Avery’s journey to learning more about her cultural identity. As someone who is not Native American but is biracial, it was a journey I could really empathise with. After a bit of a rocky start and despite feeling like a fish out of water, I loved Avery’s willingness to learn and enthusiasm. I definitely wasn’t expecting her to play stickball!

I’ve heard a lot of people say this book is perfect for fans on the Hannah Montana Movie and while I haven’t seen it, I imagine that would be pretty accurate. I did struggle at times to believe that Avery was as old as she was supposed to be.

As a life long equestrian I really struggled with so many little inaccuracies when it came to the horses . I truly don’t expect authors to know everything about horses and portray everything realistically (I’m a sucker for some horse trope despite knowing how uncomfortable that can be), but there were some glaring ones that really pulled me out of the story like Lotti, the third generation rancher, referring to a baby horse as a calf. 🫠

Thank you for Danika and Berkley for this ARC.

Sooo many snort laughs with this one! Danica Nava always creates characters I can connect with! This was my first cowboy romance, and while Lucas as the MMC was amazing, I fell in love with the horses! #animallover

I love how Nava sprinkled topics of importance throughout Love Is a War Song. With blood quantum, cancel culture, reclaiming your heritage, equine therapy and more, there's no shortage of topics to ponder.

I appreciate her exploration of the nuances of being Native in today's world. I especially identify with Avery being Native American and not being raised with her tribe. I love finding books that celebrate this richly diverse culture instead of only focusing on the negatives.

I would have liked to know more about the back story of Avery's mom, especially since it played a large part in the mother-daughter aspect of the story, but overall, Love Is a War Song is a stellar second novel!

Read this if you like:
•  Native rep
•  Disability rep
•  Cowboy x Pop Star
•  Cancel culture
•  Behind-the-scenes of a pop star's life
•  Mother-daughter relationships

Many thanks to @berkleypub for the complimentary copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own and provided voluntarily.