I really wasn’t a fan of the FMC. She is selfish and out of touch. She steals the belongings of others on purpose, and then acts shocked that people are upset about it. It was all just really hard to root for her.

I feel like I should put a small disclaimer in front of my review. This book takes place at a theme park. An environment I have way too much experience in. Working at a theme park for 10+ years has caused me to be more critical of books using them for there plot. I have to admit after finishing "The Brave and The Reckless" by Dilan Dyer, I’m a tad bit disappointed.

Now don’t get me wrong even though I was slightly disappointed overall I still enjoyed the book and will definitely be checking out more of Dilan Dyers books. Our story follows Esra, a medical school drop-out who gets a job thanks to her brother at a Wild West theme park. Instead of working at the ice cream shop she’s thrown into entertainment and forced to play “Annie”. That’s where she meets her partner in the show criminal “Ace Ryder” also known as Noah. The two immediately clash and lines are drawn. Setting up for a summer romance.

My first big issue was of course the theme parks elements. The events that transpired would never actually take place in a theme park. Quite literally I was screaming safety red flags from the get go. So for me the whole theme park misadventure and antics felt like a giant HR issue. But I digress beside my obvious struggle with the theme park elements. I also struggled with Esra’s character I found her at times to be extremely unlikable and spoiled. I understand she wants to break free and not be treated like bubble wrap. But girly I need you to use your adult brain and speak up. Your brother and Noah can’t read your mind. And as a reader you could genuinely tell they both cared and would bend over backwards for her.

Now Noah’s character on the other hand. I loved him and I wish we got more backstory and his perspective. I found him to be super relatable and such a great charming cowboy. And even though I had my issues with Esra. I still really enjoyed them as a couple. Their banter was hilarious, the tension was great and the ending chef kiss for them!

Overall, even though it had its hiccups I still enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to my fellow romance readers. Lastly Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Romance is far from dead in the wild west - or at least the wild west theme park called Bravetown.

Esra is questioning her life choices when she winds up at Bravetown working with her brother. Expecting something straightforward, she is hired instead to play the lead in the park's main act -- a reenactment of a cowboy heist. The cowboy is played by her brother's best friend Noah, who is not much fun. Esra and Noah fight like cats and dogs until the sparks sent up by their friction erupt into a blazing passion neither of them expected.

I wish I liked this more. I loved the representation of chronic illness, which is something you don't find often. Some of the spicy scenes were very hot, and the romantic connection seemed genuine enough. But there was...something...missing. Something about the fabric this story was woven into seemed too thin. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what was missing, but it left me wanting.

One thing it does have going for it is the immaculate title. If you're looking for a spicy romp this summer, this one will certainly scratch that itch, it just may not be something to write home about.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4 stars ⭐️ Cowboy romances are my guilty pleasure! I can read through them in 1-2 days. The Brave and the Reckless is cute, funny and spicy!

What to expect:
- small town romance
- brother’s best friend
- grumpy x sunshine

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC. All opinions are my own 🫶🏼

This book is ADORABLE! I absolutely loved Esra's antics and her dynamic with Noah.

Esra is on a journey of self-discovery, determined to experience everything she’s missed—and to do it on her terms. Noah, a rigid, by-the-book kind of guy, completely clashes with Esra’s free-spirited approach to life.

When they start working together, sparks fly—mostly in the form of fiery tension and mutual irritation. But hey, opposites attract... and these two definitely did.

This book was such a fun ride, full of heartfelt and surprisingly enlightening moments. I'm sure I’ll ALWAYS remember it.

Cowboy romance! This is the first time I’ve read this sub-genre and I had a good time with this one! Following Esra as she upheaves her life and moves to where her brother is working at the Wild West Theme Park of Bravetown. She meets Noah, her brother’s best friend and a real cowboy, of whom she butts heads with immediately.

I loved the plot of this novel, I thought the banter between Noah and Esra was a lot of fun, and the Wild West theme park aspect of this was also so much fun. The dual POVs worked here too, with Noah and Esra being such different people, this novel was really strengthened by getting both of their perspectives. I didn’t find myself preferring one or the other too, which I think is a huge plus; both were equally entertaining. While their tension and banter was good, I think we do lose that a little too quickly, but there is a specific chapter here that is both so sweet for developing their relationship and…hot.

My one note about Noah is that I would have liked to feel more of his friendship with Sinan, Esra’s brother, because it was there and it was mentioned a lot that they were best friends, but I don’t think we got enough time of them two together for that to feel real. With Esra, that third-act breakup I really struggled with. Her choices could very much be boiled down to her age, but even then, I felt so frustrated by it and I don’t think the resolution made up for the things she did/said. While I liked what her personal journey was (wanting to live for herself and not others), the argument she had with Noah was just so much and I don’t think it’s fully redeemed.

That being said, this novel is a good time, and I think it is well worth the read if you like a very outspoken FMC and well, cowboys.

Thank you to NetGalley & Ballantine/Dell for the ARC! Book comes out July 29, 2025!

I had been looking forward to reading this book as it seemed like a straightforward romantic comedy set at a theme park. I was pleasantly surprised by the ways that the book went beyond that to touch on chronic pain/illness and how it effects the patient but also their family and friends.

Thank you NetGalley for this book. I unfortunately just wasn’t interested in this book. It was not keeping me interested at all. I definitely seem to be in the minority on this one and that is okay. I think it’s a super fun idea and others would love it, but it just wasn’t for me sadly. I can’t really explain why, I’m not sure what it is.

The chemistry. Just everything had me giggling and kicking my feet and I think I read the book too fast because I miss them now.

same condition and dealing with the things you deal with daily is mind blowing
This book is something else and I'll be thinking about for a long time.
Can't wait to recommend it to all my friends,.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers for sending me an e-arc of this book! Unfortunately this book was just not for me, some the dialogue was a bit weird to me. I think this could be a good read for someone it just wasn’t my personal taste.

A small-town romance set in a western-themed amusement park? With chronic illness rep, brother’s best friend, and top-tier banter? Um, yes please. 👏🏼

Hands down, this has been my favorite western romance of the year.

The FMC, Esra, is a med school dropout with a wicked sense of humor and the most hilarious wardrobe. I swear, every time her T-shirt choices came up, I was cackling. 🤣

She moves to a small town reliant on tourism that the amusement park brings. After she abruptly put the medical field on hold, Ezra’s brother hooks her up with a summer job at the local amusement park’s ice cream stand. But plot twist… her boss has other plans. Suddenly, Esra finds herself cast as the leading lady in the park’s staged wild west town.

Cue all the delicious banter with the MMC, Noah, who happens to be her brother’s best friend. At first they despise each other, which results in the best banter ever!! Noah is only working at the park to save up for the therapeutic horse facility he dreams of building on the land his late parents left him. Also, Noah stars as the lead outlaw in the park’s main attraction—which just so happens to involve him kidnapping Esra’s character in every show!

What follows? Spicy banter, prop/faux gun play (yes, in that way 👀), and a slow-burn romance that absolutely delivers.

I especially appreciated the chronic illness representation and Esra finally standing up to her overbearing parents. So, so good.

After dropping out of Med School, Esra Taner moves to Bravetown for the summer after her brother secures her a job scooping ice cream. Bravetown is a Wild West theme park located in a small town in Tennessee (think Disney on a much smaller scale). Country boy, Noah Young, is Esra’s new coworker and roommate and the two opposites need to spend a lot of time together this summer.

Initially, I was skeptical of the theme park setting but it was fun and whimsical. Fans of The Fine Print by Lauren Asher will enjoy this one as the setting and build up are similar. The banter between Noah and Esra was very entertaining but the tension was resolved pretty abruptly. The characters seemed a lot younger than their ages noted, for Esra this made sense, but as a whole I was lost a little on this.

Overall, this was a fun read and the romance was sweet but theme park x cowboy romance is probably not my favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC provided by NetGalley

Rating:- ⭐⭐⭐.75/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spice rating:- 🌶🌶🌶.5/🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

Tropes:-

✨Small town romance

🐴Brother's best friend

✨City girl x Town boy

🐴Grumpy guy

✨Cowboy romance

Esra, a city girl (who according to me was kinda spoiled), goes to Bravetown for the summer after leaving the city and has no plans about what she's going to do with her life after summer. Esra gets a job in the town's famous show as the 'Pretty Annie Lou' however, the job requires spending a lot of time with Noah, the grumpy cowboy, who also happens to be her brother's best friend who lives next door.

Now let's start with their first meet, which spoiler alert! is not cute, but kinda funny. Anyway, this was my very first cowboy romance and... Yk they say, 'First impression is the last impression,' I really hope that it's true cuz my first impression of cowboy romance is really good... In fact, this might become one of my favorite tropes.

Now let's move on to the smut... The smut!!! Yk, there's something about the smut in Dilan's books. Maybe it's the foreplay or maybe it's the tension between the couples... Or maybe it's both, but whatever that is, it makes the smut so fucking gooooodddd!! Like, the smut written by her can NEVER disappoint me.

Last but not least, I really hope that Adriana (Esra's bsf) gets her own book with Lucky Luke, cuz they'd just make the perfect couple.

Ps:- I looove Tornado, the horse.

The most perfect grumpy sunshine book!! Plus cowboys…hello sign me up!! The banter, the sass and enemies to lovers was just perfect. I also loved Esras whole journey and her learning to take care of herself. I have a new auto but author now. Will definitely be recommending this to all my cowboy girlies.

This was such a fun cowboy small town romance. Just what I needed! They are my guilty pleasure, and this one was so good! The characters were amazing!

If you know me, you know I enjoy a good cowboy romance, and this book hits all the right spots.

The story follows our protagonist, Esra, who had to leave medical school and start working at an amusement park where her brother is employed. She finds herself working in close proximity to her brother's best friend, who is also her enemy—Noah. As events unfold, their relationship begins to develop in a way neither of them anticipated.

Overall, this is an adorable read. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! :)

THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!! Very funny and all around a good damn time!

This follows Esra who just quit med school and decides to go where her brother works in an amusement park called Bravetown!

The Brave and the Reckless has chronic illness rep, deaf rep (not from either main characters), theme park shenanigans, ‘seven minutes in heaven’, and horses!!

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect going into this but it was the cutest romance I’ve read in awhile. I loved Esra and her iconic shirts. And NOAH YOUNG??? Oh boy, he was down bad for her and I ate every second of it up.

Imagine you had your future all planned out, chased it like a girlboss on a mission... and then bam—you’re working at a western theme park, screaming in a corset as a fake damsel in distress.

Enter: your co-star. Older. Broody. Cowboy hat and mask. Golden retriever heart under a grumpy exterior.

Cue the swoon, the chaos, the “are they or aren’t they?”

Throw in found family feels, real-life choices, and the sweetest journey to figuring out what you actually want.

This was such a cute read!

Loved Noah and Esra’s banter and the way their relationship slowly grew. They were perfect for each other.

The third act break up wasn’t my favorite. While I get the why Esra showed her age and it felt like a very immature response. Say it with me COMMUNICATION.