I love the plot of this book. It’s a small town theme park romance with a cowboy themed.
Noah Young plays Ace the smoldering mysterious robber, according to Esra he is a grump.
Esra is a chaotic mess, but she was fun just trying to figure out her future after dropping out of college. The pranks between her and Noah were hilarious. She has no filter except when it comes to her well-being she is tight lipped. She wants to take care of herself and not ask for help after being smothered by her family specially her parents growing up with her condition.

The Brave and the Reckless is the first book I have read by this author and it was a good read. Esra Tanner dropped out of med school and joined her brother at Bravetown, the Wild West theme park he works at. Esra is now playing the towns damsel in distress, which means getting dramatically abducted by the lawless cowboy Ace Ryder all summer. Noah Young, the man behind the costume was not a fan of Esra. The tension between the two was thick and the banter was non stop. But when they finally snapped, they were sizzling! I loved Noah, he was grumpy but was kind of sweet and caring. Esra annoyed me a good amount of the book but did grow on me. The chemistry was perfect.

Pros:
The Brave and the Reckless follows a female main character suffering from a chronic illness, Esra. She is exploring a new world after dropping out of med school. She gets a job at a western themed theme park where she meets Noah. I enjoyed this aspect of the book representing disability and a new way to engage my cowboy romance loving heart.

Cons:
The characters seemed to lack something in the beginning, but that could be me personally not connecting to Esra. She felt impulsive and while totally valid I wanted to give her some coping skills! The bear vs man addition will date this book and only makes sense to people chronically online (myself lol). the blurbs before the chapters felt unnecessary, to where i stopped reading them all together.

Overall I enjoyed the ending of this book and the side characters really stood out to me! I think I might find myself back in Bravetown again!

I love the premise of The Brave and the Reckless and how it’s set in a Western theme park with sheriffs, a bad guy, and a damsel in distress. I love the community of the small town and how they all help keep this theme park going since it keeps the whole town thriving.

While there were some slow parts in the book, I loved all the characters that we met and the disability representation in this book.

This story is a wild, fun ride! Esra’s unexpected detour to a Wild West theme park had me smiling from the start—especially when she’s cast as the damsel in distress and paired with the dangerously charming Ace Ryder. This book is a perfect mix of sweet, sexy, and downright entertaining.

wow, just wow!! i love when i read something with a new concept or a twist on an old reliable plot. esra, our ex med student turns up to work at bravetown- an amusement park made to looks like the wild west and gets a job as annie lou, the damsel in distress who has character shows with ace ryder, the outlaw bandit who steals her away who is played by noah, a grumpy cowboy who has dreams to open up a horse therapy ranch (swoon)
at first, i genuinely didn’t see how they were going to fall for each other, the build up was ridiculously good with the glaring, rude remarks, and hiding of peanut butter of course
but that day of the first 7 minutes in heaven while the show was going on??? literally insane i was gasping the whole time
i really enjoyed how they got together and how their personalities grew from start to finish
i hated the breakup & miscommunication but honestly it was very in character for noah to plan ahead and try to fix things and esra being so sick and tired of everyone planning her life for her
ridiculous smut & banter btw i need more

overall: 4.5/5
spice: 3/5

I love the setting in a Wild West amusement park. Esra was pretty unlikable but she had great growth in the book. The banter was top notch and I loved the tension. Such a great small town cowboy book. Highly recommend.

The tone of this book throws you off about 40% of the way through this romance. It felt like the FMC was like 2 different people, this overly sexual confident diva and a 12 year old girl and it tripped me up more than I would have liked. Like at first I was getting mild YA romcom but it definitely turned into rated x fast after the two mmcs started rehearsal for her new acting gig as being Annie. Im not saying that the spicy parts weren't written well or anything I just kind of felt like it was a little out of the blue with half of Esras personality. I should have guessed that this was a spicy cowboy romcom but I guess that's on me for guessing. However this book was still a really quick read because the banter between these two characters really was fun and enjoyable despite my surprise when they started getting down and dirty, and do they ever. Plus Noah Young is definitely one of those love interests I will be thinking about for a while. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e arc copy early.

I want to thank Net Galley and Dlian Dyer for sending me this e-ARC

I will give this book a solid 4 at first I was thinking a 3.6 but a 4
I have to say the way this book was set up any amazing small town and was a small town cowboy Romance was extremely amazing now the FMC her name is Esra It took me a while to connect with her only because I felt that she was unlikable in her character, but that just dumped from the author setting her up to grow throughout the story, I do believe that, as I kept reading, she started growing me a little by little. Noah the MmC he gave that kinda alpha especially being a lead just like the FMC in entertainment they tend to bump heads but when you saw the banter between the two it was amazing. I do feel that with the two main characters it was so grata to see how there story developed. I also have to give snaps to the story itself it was something nice and cozy because I enjoy cowboy romance books but I also like banter in my books !

Book Stats:

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️(3.5/5)

Tropes: Grump/sunshine, Forced Proximity, Brother's Close Friend, Chronic Illness Rep

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Review:

*thank you to Netgalley and the author for sending me a early copy in exchange for a honest review, it means a lot that you trust little old me! Especially with Dilan's first trad-published book!*

So before you think "this is just another cowboy romance..." I beg you to give this book a try.

First off, I can honestly say this is the first time I have ever read a cowboy romance set in a cowboy themepark. Honestly it's genius and leads to some great tension when the FMC has to become a themepark icon and not alot of time to do it. She needs help from the bad-boy cowboy Noah, or she could hurt the park. Problem is? she doesn't know how to ride a horse, or yah know, play a themepark character whose whole stick is doing horse tricks. What can go wrong?

ALSO. CHRONIC ILLNESS REPRESENTATION(yes that deserved to be said in ALL CAPS). I just love getting to see it as someone who has a chronic illness myself. Esra(the FMC) made me feel SO SEEN. Can we please have more of this in our mainstream romance novels? pretty please? with a cherry on top?

I love how Esra's character growth is written as well. I think her struggle of not knowing where to go or what to do next is something all lot of people can relate to. I also love how our FMC and our MMC come and meet in the middle of their different struggles.

So the spice. 10/10. No Notes.

I read this book in one sitting. The Banter was amazingly well written. I love the surrounding cast and the found family aspect of the book. The tension was also *chef's kiss*.

I have followed Dilan since her first indie published book, Cinderella is Faking it. I am so proud to see how far she has come. I will always have a special place in my heart for her original books, but I gotta say, this book is probably my favorite. I really hope she continues to write amazing books!

The setting of The Brave and The Reckless was the best part- small town Wild West theme park with costumes actors and a bank robbery! The setting and the cast of characters draw you into the story and as you slowly peel back the layers of the main characters you see their depth and see the obvious connection between them. The heated banter and food fights was just built up foreplay for Esra and Noah because once they finally snapped their chemistry only got more intense.

I wasn’t so sure about Esra in the beginning but she was like a hot mess express but once you get to know her you get her and you appreciate her all that much more. She was going through some major changes in her life and having the freedom to make choices for herself was a big deal. Noah was great, albeit a little too stubborn and rigid at times but once you understand Noah’s background it makes sense. They are opposites in many ways but similar in the ways that matter. Esra and Noah make a cute Pretty Annie Lou and Ace Ryder and certainly knew how to capitalize on their time in the hideout.



Thank you @dellromance and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book had such a unique setup — a romance set in a Wild West theme park! Between the quirky setting, entertaining chapter intros, and a cast of lovable side characters (shoutout to Vivi, Adriana, and Tornado!), I was totally hooked early on. The pace was quick, the banter was chef’s kiss, and the spice? Hot like the desert sun.

Now, let’s talk Esra. Our FMC didn’t exactly win me over right away — she came off as immature and kind of chaotic. But as the story unfolded, her background and personal struggles added depth, especially with the chronic illness rep. She grew on me, even if I did roll my eyes a few times. Noah, the grumpy cowboy with zero patience for Esra's antics (especially food theft), brought the tension in the best way. Their dynamic was more snark-to-sizzle than slow burn, and it totally worked.

This isn’t your typical cowboy romance — ranch life takes a back seat here — so if you’re expecting hay bales and lasso lessons, adjust expectations. But if you love small-town charm, spicy stage chemistry, and messy-but-growing characters, this one’s worth saddling up for.

4 stars for the creativity, banter, and heart. Would I visit Bravetown IRL? In a heartbeat.

Love this. I felt connected to the town. Such a good small town romance. Forced proximity was written with love and ease.

The Brave and the Reckless was the first book I’ve read from Dilan Dyer, and it won’t be the last!

I enjoyed this read very much and adored all the characters, especially our two main characters, Ace and Esra! Their story was fun and very well put together, and I loved the humor and banter between the two of them. I loved that it was a small-town romance kind of book because I loved the small-town vibe throughout the book. The character development and the relationship between Esra and Ace made this book. I was happy to see them both come together💙

Love the representation in this one! Dilan Dyer knows how to write a romance that is the perfect balance of spicy and sweet. More in depth review to follow!

I had a lot of fun with this one. Like, kind of want to find an old timey Western theme park to go wander around for a day after finishing it. The setting was fun, the characters were fun, the spice was fun 👀 It was a good time all around.

Esra was a really interesting character with so much personality. I enjoyed her and her determination to live the life she chose after being deprived of choice for so long due to her EDS and overprotective parents. She didn’t always know what she wanted in the moment, but that was part of her learning experience and character growth to figure it out for herself.

Noah was a great reclusive grump to Esra’s outgoing nature, and the way the two of them clashed immediately let me know I was in for a good time ride with them. And they did not disappoint. Their whole dynamic was highly entertaining. They also had extremely hot chemistry. This was a spicy one, but the spice didn’t feel gratuitous because for a lot of the time, it was where they were able to show each other their most vulnerable sides and build trust between them.

There were a lot of intriguing side characters in the mix here too. I’d love to see more from them with additional books. Thank you to Dell for the eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 41%. i think this setting at a wild west theme amusement park is super unique and i was excited to finally read a cowboy romance that's different than all the others!

and yet, it turned out to be just as vanilla and totally boring as the rest lol. if you enjoy cowboy romances and want the usual city girl/small town cowboy dynamic then this is your vibe. but i could not connect with literally anything in this book. the characters felt childish/juvenile and there wasn't interesting enough to keep me going.

loved this cast of characters! i would continue to read books set in this town/series. I was a big fan of the hypermobility / ehlers dahnos rep, as its not done as often as it should be.

3.25⭐
Set in an amusement park with Western flair with performances of bank robbers kidnapping the mayor's daughter this story has ambiance in spades. Having an FMC dealing with a chronic illness added more interest to this spicy story. Still I couldn't connect with any of the characters, probably just a me issue. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spicy, angst-filled, and a friends/enemies to lovers trope... what more could a girl ask for?

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!