this book had promise and i loved how unique the premise was. this is a setting i would never think of for a cowboy romance, but it was fun. this also ended up being heavier on the spice than i was anticipating, which wasn’t a bad thing. i loved the chronic illness rep.

however, overall, this was a bit of a miss for me. it wasn’t “bad” per se, but it just wasn’t my favorite. i found myself bored a lot of the time, hoping it would be over soon. i think this stemmed largely from the fact that i felt like there wasn’t any true conflict. i just did not feel invested in any of the characters or the plot, which was lacking. i felt like Esra and Noah had great sexual chemistry but i didn’t believe in them together in an actual relationship. both of their characters felt under developed and the transition of them hating each other to being into each other felt too abrupt.

i wanted to love this one so much more than i did.

thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Dell Romance for the ARC.

3.5/4 stars

This book was cute!! I consider myself a cowboy romance connoisseur at this point in my life so color me surprised with how refreshing this book felt! I was so excited to see this one brought the unique element of taking place at an amusement park! There really was so much to love about this... we had the grumpy x sunshine, best friend's little sister trope, forced proximity, chronic illness rep (LOVE), and some fun spicy scenes I loved as well!! I think people will really like this one!

A good cowboy/theme park/brother’s best friend/enemies to lovers romance. It was slow at times, but picked up at the end. I really wanted to like it, but had to force myself to return to it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Banter, Boots, and Butterflies.

I’m definitely in my cowboy book era right now and this hit perfectly.

Enemies-to-lovers in a Wild West theme park? Yes, please.
Esra is the kind of heroine you root for, strong, funny, and quietly carrying more than anyone knows. Noah is the grumpy cowboy you love to hate… until you don’t. The banter is sharp, the chemistry is sizzling, and Bravetown is the perfect quirky backdrop.

A few slow spots, but overall this was pure, flirty, boots and stetsons fun.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.75

I LOVED the idea of Bravetown, it’s so unique and new. An Old West theme park that’s full of western inspired attractions, shops, restaurants and cafes, live shows, plays etc… I also love the idea of the popular OG characters of Bravetown and their stories that are brought to life.

🎡 Old West/Small town
🎟️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🎠 Brother’s best friend
🐴 Dislike to lovers
🎢 Chronic Illness rep
🤠 No cheating or ow drama
🌶️ Very Spicy

The main characters were interesting especially the FMC because the book seemed to talk more about her issues and struggles than the MMC.

Esra Taner, who dropped out of college and went immediately to Brave Town for work, but also to explore and find her own purpose. She suffers from a chronic illness and due to that her parents became overprotective of her and strict to the point of controlling her life which made a huge impact on her and explains a lot of things and ways she handles things in the book. Few scenes I made me a bit annoyed at her but also understanding as someone with strict parents I felt for her a lot. All these parts of her and her struggles made her so real and relatable at some point.

The MMC Noah Young, her coworker and brother’s best friend. He struggled growing up which’s also mentioned and explains his character and some of his inner monologues and his way of thinking, and from what I understood is he has some sort of abandonment issues. He’s grumpy and at first I didn’t really like him because he seemed uptight and brooding and gets mad at everything… but as the book progressed, i liked his character growth and the way he cared for Esra, supported her and stood up for her. There’s one scene that made me absolutely furious with him though and I disliked him for it a lot, and I wish it was handled better because I feel the apology was overdue..

Now to the romance aspect which’s the main part. I enjoyed the banter a lot, they’re so silly it was hilarious. But I feel like there was no progression between Esra and Noah, one chapter they disliked each other and the next they were on each other. Like there was no build up or growing feelings, it just happened, y’know? So that’s the problem that really didn’t give it 4 stars. There were miscommunication in some scenes which you get to see from both their POVs, and I got to understand more about how their issues and struggles affected the way they handled those situations, but in the end they managed to solve them together. Another thing is that in my opinion, it started more as lusters rather than lovers, but again as the story progressed you can see them fall in love with each other which was so beautiful and wholesome, and the ending?? I loved it a lot.

All in all, it was a really enjoyable read despite the things that I pointed out.💕


Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC🙏✨

The Brave and the Reckless just wasn't for me. I think I'm in a funk though so don't take my word for it!

⭐️4.25
🌶️ 3.5

Oh hot dang! I loved this fresh take on cowboy romance. Our FMC Esra is a city girl finding herself and moves to TN for the summer to work at a western themed amusement park. Her initial role changes from a standard employee to a cast member of the parks main attraction. MMC Noah is the villain in the show but is also a real cowboy. Living under a shared roof in staff housing leads to some tension early on, and it only builds 🤗. The banter between these two is chefs 💋 kiss. There are so many great moments between these two. Enemies to secret lovers was hottttt and the spice was 3.5 out of 5. I really enjoyed the neurodivergent and EDS representation, it was done beautifully. I hope there are more books to come for these characters. I would love to read more about Adriana and Brooksy 😉.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell publishing for the
ARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

i loved this book a lot more than i expected too. i mean, i knew id like it because who doesn’t love a good cowboy romance but honestly - it hit so hard that i fell head over heels for esra, noah & bravetown. i loved the theme park part of the story, and how these two who disliked each other immediately ended up finding common ground. something about their banter was just perfect for me. and let’s be real - noah as ace ryder… 🔥🔥 that did it for me too.

what to expect..
quick and easy to binge
very spicy
great chronic illness rep
great banter
hate to love
loved the side characters
A+ chemistry/tension
medium-burn
sheltered city girl
duel pov
self discovery journey (FMC)

i loved the concept of this book and the idea of the self discovery journey. i love the take on fresh cowboy romance. i loved the characters and their banter. i loved the spice in the book as well! it was all around a good book.

2.75⭐️ i had to close the book the first time i read it because i could not move past the first chapter. i should’ve known it wasn’t going to be for me when she described her backpack as fluffy and heart-shaped with the words “bite me on them.” i gave the book a pass for that but then her shirt said “retired porn star” and her other option said “u can’t pick ur dad but u can pick ur daddy.” mind you she was going to sign papers for her job…. she was very unserious and i was not vibing w it. there was a lot of juvenile dialogue that i could not move past and i had to resort to the audiobook.

there were times when there were serious conversations and moments that felt disconnected from the other immature parts. they were written so well i would have enjoyed it more if there was more of that (aka when she talked about her chronic illness, med school, etc.) than the jokes that didn’t land.

thank you dell and netgalley for the arc.

Welcome to Bravetown, where the cowboys are hot, the drama is fake, and the chemistry is very real.

Esra signs up for a summer of theme park chaos and ends up getting fake-kidnapped daily by Noah, aka Ace Ryder, aka the smug cowboy with a smirk that should be illegal.

He’s granola off-stage, trouble on it, and somewhere in between, things start feeling way too real.

Flirty, fast-paced, and full of heart🩷🩷 The Brave and the Reckless is the ride you want to be stuck on. 🤠💥

4.5 stars and rounding up to 5!!! I needed this book it was such a great palette cleanser
I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more by Dilan

The Brave and the Reckless is a cute, cowboy summer romance. Where it exceled was chronic illness and disability rep - bonus points for the FMCs brother being a Deaf Interpreter because I work in the Deaf community and have never seen that in a book before.

This is perfect for people who just want a fun, fluffy romance with a grumpy x sunshine trope. It's a good palate cleanser with some tender moments.

However, it failed to deliver complex enough character development for me to be truly invested in this story. I found the FMC to be immature and that never really improves over the course of the story.

Thank you to Dell, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was briefly shown in my "Book Menu" video on TikTok (@alireadsanywhere).

I am a sucker for Cowboy Romance and small towns. There is something about characters of small towns that hold my heart. This was everything you expect and want out fo a small town cowboy romance. It was fun, spicy, super easy to read and binge in one go. The plot was very unique and not one ive read before so i thought it was great!

i always resonate with a story about a girl who’s trying to find herself and her purpose, so Esra was a character I really liked reading. Plus, grumpy cowboy with a secret heart of gold and good banter?? Basically, all of my favorite things.

I loved the idea of an amusement park with reenactments of an old country town (I want to call it the wild west but it’s Tennessee, so, not quite). There’s something so nostalgic about it that I can’t get enough of!

The plot was well-paced and the character development was exceptional! I also loved how the betting pool turned out; it made me laugh out loud!

Amazing book loved the characters and plot. I couldn't stop reading I stayed up all night. I loved the book so much thank you for the arc.

In The Brave and the Reckless, Esra is a med student that flees her program and follows her brother to Tennessee to work with him at a Wild West amusement park called Bravetown. She thinks she’s going to be scooping ice cream for the summer while she comes up with a new life plan, but the park manager has other plans. Esra is going to play sweet, little Annie Lou - one of the parks most beloved characters. Every day (and sometimes twice a day) she acts in a show where she is dramatically abducted by cowboy bandit Ace Ryder. He’s played by her new roommate and workplace enemy, Noah, who also happens to be her brother’s best friend.

To be totally honest, I picked this book completely based on the cover expecting a small town, cowboy romance in line with the many others I’ve enjoyed recently. I was so pleasantly surprised by the amusement park aspect. It was so much fun! I loved watching Esra and Noah’s relationship grow both as themselves and as the characters they played. And the tension created by that bandit cowboy costume?! Unreal. My only complaint was the maturity of the FMC, which is totally appropriate for her character, but just was off putting to me at times… especially during the third act conflict. Other than that, I totally ate this up!

Give The Brave and the Reckless a read if you enjoy :
▫️A new twist on cowboy romance
▫️Enemies to lovers
▫️Brother’s best friend
▫️TONS of good tension and chemistry
▫️A few (quality) spicy scenes
▫️Chronic illness rep

Esra and Noah have such a special relationship and chemistry. If you love a good enemies to lovers then this is the book for you. I loved that this book had a different plot that you see in a lot of books. It really captured my attention. The theme park added a lot of fun into the story. The spice was written well and added more depth to the characters.

Thank you so much to Random House for the ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing, for the ARC! This one’s for my fellow Disney/cowboy lovers. I’m not even kidding—most of the book is set in a theme park that’s basically Disney World for cowboy fans. I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did, but let me tell you: if you’ve somehow stumbled across this review, do yourself a favor and read it. If you love moody cowboys, brother’s best friend, and enemies to lovers, this is the book for you.

The Brave and the Reckless is Dilan Dyer‘s first traditionally published novel and her writing totally blew me away. I absolutely loved this book and finished it in one day. Esra and Noah are the perfect enemies-to-lovers/ grumpy-sunshine match.

This novel takes place at a Wild West-themed amusement park, which provides the perfect backdrop for lots of drama, acting (role play?) and romance. The main characters, Esra and Noah, are total opposites, and they clash from the start. Fighting quickly turns into something else, and their chemistry and attraction are obvious to everyone around them. The rest of the amusement park staff even has a running bet on Esra and Noah.

The chemistry between the two characters is off the charts and the steamy scenes are HOT. Their relationship grows and develops in secret, and they build trust and genuine friendship.
Both characters are really admirable, and Ms. Dyer does a fantastic job showing the reader the complexity of their feelings and their experiences.

The banter and drama throughout the book is laugh out loud funny, and the pacing quickly moves you through the story. Before reading this book, I was under the impression that Dilan Dyer is a new author, but this book was masterfully written. The characters, the plot, and the history of the park drew me in, and I literally could not put this book down. I highly highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance.

Thank you to Dilan Dyer, Ballantine Publishing, Dell Romance, and NetGalley for this advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.