This was such a unique take and felt like a breath of fresh air in the cowboy romance genre. This book follows Esra who drops out of medical school and leaves the city life she knew behind for the summer to work at Bravetown, an old Western amusement park that her brother works at. She ends up being cast as the damsel in distress lead in the show they put on for park visitors opposite our MMC, Noah. Noah plays Ace Ryder, the bad boy bandit who kidnaps her. These two are total opposites (city girl/country boy) and constantly clash. This is such a great enemies to lovers romance. The banter between them was SO good. You could feel the tension coming off the page. There’s an added element of Noah being her brother’s best friend that makes the forbidden aspect add to the tension. I really loved the small town vibes, the chronic illness representation, and getting a peak behind the curtain of character actors in an amusement park setting. Overall I thought this was such a great book. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters, as well as the side characters, and can’t wait to read more in the Bravetown universe. Thank you Random House and NetGalley for this ARC!

What a fun, trope-packed twist on a classic Western cowboy romance. I am GIDDY.

Esra, officially done playing it safe, ditches her overly cautious lifestyle (partly thanks to a lifetime of managing—and being managed by—a chronic illness) and flees to Tennessee for a summer of escapism at Bravetown: a kitschy theme park with a cult following and some truly committed roleplay. She signs up to scoop ice cream. She ends up cast as Annie Lou, the park’s damsel in distress, opposite Ace Ryder, villainous cowboy, professional heartthrob, and alter ego of Noah Young, her brother’s best friend and her obnoxiously responsible new roommate. It's a mouthful, I know.

Let’s run the trope checklist, shall we?

🐴 Enemies to lovers? Obviously.
🐴 Brother’s best friend? Yessir.
🐴 Villainous cowboy with a heart palpitating smolder? Check, check, and CHECK.
🐴 Mask kink? Oh, it’s there, and it’ll tickle the fancy of every dark romance gremlin lurking in the shadows.

But even with a full trope buffet, nothing felt gimmicky or checkboxy to me. Esra’s chronic illness isn’t just there for show, it’s written with care and adds depth to her character. And Noah? Noah is a gooey cinnamon roll of a man under all that villain flair. The way this man flip-flops between smoldering menace and sweet, anxious caregiver? Yeah. My blood pressure will never recover.

This book was a delight to read. Clever, chaotic, and way more emotionally satisfying than I initially expected. The side characters? Endearing. The found family vibes? Strong. The banter? Sharp.
The spice? Sizzling.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine | Dell, and Dilan Dyer for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a fun opposites attract, grumpy x sunshine, older brother's best friend, slow burn debut contemporary romance set at a Western theme park that has newcomer Esra slowly falling for her hot cowboy coworker. There's great disability rep (Esra has hEDS), open door spice and tons of emotional depth. I loved both the main characters and highly recommend it for fans of the Dreamland billionaires or Honeywood series (other amusement park romance books). Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! I can't wait to read the next book in the Bravetown series!

I wanted to like this so much but unfortunately I couldn’t even finish it. I got to 70% and was absolutely withdrawn from the story and the characters. I think the concept is there but overall the execution is lacking horribly.

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the dual POV, disability rep, and setting. I liked Esra and Noah’s banter, real actual enemies to lovers where it made sense in the book.
The chemistry between the two main characters were great and I loved the secondary characters.
This didn’t impact my score or make me dislike the book, and maybe it was just the formatting of the book but the content warnings/dic(k)tionary page was the last page of the book which seemed weird.

5/5 stars. I didn't think I could enjoy Dilan's writing more but OMG this book is perfection. Like truly, wonderfully perfect. Esra and Noah's banter had me cackling and giddy all at the same time. Even in the middle of spice, there were so many moments that had me laughing. This book has it all. Noah is a grump without being an a**hole and Esra knows just how to push his buttons. When the tension boils up and they hit the point of no return with their chemistry, it is absolutely *chef's kiss* impeccable. The lack of "big brother anger" over a brother's best friend trope book is so nice too. Sanny and Noah's friendship is such a huge part of the book and I'm glad it stays that way until the end. Like this book is just perfection and I don't have the correct words for it anymore.

Dilan is so great at including good representation in her books and this was no different. From deaf rep to hypermobile EDS rep, it is included seamlessly (as it should be) and with care. Her writing is impeccable and just keeps getting better. I cannot wait to see what else she writes because she is SO good.

If you're looking for an unconventional "cowboy" romance, this is THE one. Think Julie Olivia's Honeywood Park series and Lyla Sage Rebel Blue series had a baby. So SO good.

I Loved this book! I am a sucker for a good romance especially when it has to do with a cowboy without over doing it. I have never heard of this author before but I look forward to seeing more of their work!

I love cowboy romances and this one ate! I loved the Wild West theme park setting. I think it was so unique and such a fun thing to add to a romance novel.

The chemistry between Esra and Noah was so good and I loved seeing their relationship evolve from loathing to love.

If you’re looking for a small town, brothers best friend romance, pick this one up! It was so good and I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

This was such a fun concept for a romance novel. The setting of a Wild West theme park?! Yes please. I had such a great time learning about Bravetown and its residents. The focus on “starting over” for both MCs but in different manners was so nice to follow along with. I appreciated the fact that all of the characters had their own flaws that made them realistic. I also loved the inclusion of the authors culture as well as the inclusion of chronic illness and characters living with hearing loss.

I think my favorite part of this is that there’s a potential for future stories in the same setting and I love that.


Thank you NetGalley and Dell for allowing me to read this early 🥰

Western theme park ✅
Grumpy/sunshine ✅
Brother’s best friend ✅✅✅

Who else loved the banter? And that sparkling chemistry between Noah and Ezra? Phew!

Loathe to love was on POINT!!! But also, the way Noah soften up for Ezra, swoon!

Thank you
Netgalley, Ballantine and Dell for giving me the opportunity to read The Brave and the Reckless in advance!

first off, the setting for this book is everything to me. a wild west theme park??? sign me tf up. my literal dream!!! the chemistry, the spice, the banter, the roleplay. it was all so hot. i liked this a lot and i cannot wait to get this in my hands, i'm obsessed!

I absolutely love Noah & Esra this book had me laughing off an on I love the grumpy vs sunshine trope I liked that this Author picked a topic that nobody’s really wrote about. I love the theme park aspect of this. I went into this book completely blind and thought I was getting a country western love story and it was not at all what I expected, but I loved it thank you net galley for this opportunity. I look forward to reading more from this author.

🐴The Brave and The Reckless🐴
By Dilan Dyer
~~

- Review posted to Goodreads, BookBub, and TheStoryGraph on 7/15/25
- Review to be posted to Amazon, B&N, and IG on or closer to the release date of 7/29/25

~~

“I accepted my fate. I was done. She was sinking her claws into me, figuratively and literally, and I was going to say thank you and ask for seconds.” 🤭

Don’t mind me over here just casually BEGGING my bookish besties to make sure they snag The Brave and The Reckless by Dilan Dyer on release day because oh my god, that was a fun, sexy read!

Not only is the general concept of a romance novel set in a western-themed amusement park so adorably unique and endearing, but the characters hit that mark as well. Never have I ever read a more quirky and charming FMC. Esra’s fiery wit and her collection of hilarious novelty tees hooked me right away and had me cheering her on in her journey of self-discovery and self-reliance. Her flirty summer of freedom took a surprising turn when she quite literally landed herself in the role of the pretty park princess Annie Lou. Whiiiich also means she secured a spot in the beefy arms of Bravetown’s lawless cowboy Ace Ryder, night after night after night. But the real man behind the bad boy character?? Now that guy is a dream! 🥰 Played by the seemingly quiet and intentional Noah, with big dreams, a filthy mouth, and a guarded heart, this MMC had me swooning and fanning myself from the very start. Throw these two in a dark room for, hmm let’s say seven minutes 😉, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a time!

I’m still so freaking giddy over this story! The spice was delicious, the pace was enjoyable, the banter was playful and addictive. Eeeaasily a top westerny, small town romance read of the year! I already know I’ll be sprinting to download the audio once released because I’m already itching to be back to Bravetown!

Why you’ll love The Brave and The Reckless
🐴 Small Town Romance
🐴 Dual POV
🐴 Sunshiny City Gal x Grumby Cowboy
🐴 Loathe to Love
🐴 Brother’s Best Friend
🐴 Roomies
🐴 Masks and Harneses
🐴 Chronic Illness Rep

Thanks so so much to NetGalley and Ballantine, Dell Romance for sharing an early copy! These are my honest thoughts 🥰

4.25/5

i swear the title of this book is also a title for a soap opera...

as a lover of the honeywood series by julie olivia, i was thrilled to stumble across another small town romance in a small town theme park. esra is our main character and she is having a life crisis at the age 23. she leaves home and her med school future to go to bravetown, a small theme park, to work with her brother. she gets there expecting to be just another employee but she then gets forced into playing a role in the show, she becomes annie lou. noah is her brothers best friend and he plays the villain in the show. the two of them do not get along to start and this leads to tensions rising and connections forming!!!

the romance between these two was just so amazing to read. i think the way this author implements forced proximity into the story was so good, every seven minute scene was so hot and so perfect!! noah and esra each have other things going on in their lives but when they get together and share their lives they get to be there for each other and i loved it! seeing esra's illness explained and seeing how that affected her life was so interesting. noah's ranch plans were so sweet and honestly i wish we saw more of him plans because it really made me swoon.

this book really surprised me. by the end of the book i was just so connected to these people and their found family in bravetown. yes, there were moments where esra is quite frustrating but its understandable given how her life has gone so far. i feel like the pacing was a bit rocky around 45 percent, when they got together for the first time, but everything else flowed smoothly and i hope this becomes a series of interconnected standalones!!! adriana story when ???

*thank you netgalley and dell for the arc!*

Thank you to NetGalley, Dell Books, and Dilan Dyer for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored the Princess crossover series, so I was so excited to dive into Dilan Dyer's new world of theme parks and cowboys. This had all the quintessential quirk and charm so prevalent in Dyer's work.

Some of the characters felt not really fleshed out, so I am hoping that we will get to see more depth to them in the later books. I didn't necessarily get the sense that Esra and Noah had an opportunity to grow when they were apart from one another. They were stuck in their feelings and then had a sort of "aha!" moment almost out of the blue. However their ending was cute, and I am looking forward to seeing the progress their therapy ranch makes in the future.

3.5 rounded up to 5 stars.

I tried to get into this book, as I normally love cowboy romances, but this one just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect with the FMC, and after several chapters, ultimately wound up DNFing, That being said, there will be others who enjoy the book, and if you like cowboy romances, you may want to give this one a try.

4.5/5.0 ⭐️
3.5/5.0 🌶️

RELEASES JULY 29, 2025

Ye-haw. Literally. This was such a fun read and I couldn’t put it down! Esra is spunky and sassy, maybe a little naive in life, but that’s what makes her endearing. Noah is a broody, overprotective man who wants nothing but Esra to keep her hands away from his peanut butter. When she is thrust into the role of Pretty Annie Lou who gets kidnapped everyday at 4pm in the Bravetown shows, she has to grin and bear it even if it means getting manhandled by Ace Ryder who is none other than Noah, peanut butter police.

Their relationship that develops is spicy and an enemies to lovers of sorts. The emotional walls break down and so do the walls that hold back the tension. A lawless cowboy, a damsel in distress, and prop guns. What could go wrong?

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dell, and Dilan Dyer for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own honest views!

This was so much fun. I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I enjoyed it from start to finish. There’s so much to love here, from the top-tier banter and all of the side characters to the love-hate tension and the unique setting. I could go on and on.

Esra’s trying to hit reset on her life and ends up working at a wild west theme park where the staff not only performs together but also lives together. She’s cast opposite her brother’s best friend who is very, very grumpy, and very much not a fan of hers. The tension between them is instant.

Her journey felt grounded and real, especially as she navigates complicated family dynamics and past trauma. And Noah’s inner turmoil added a lot of depth to what could’ve just been a spicy romp (not that I would’ve complained).

Their relationship is messy, stubborn, and probs one of my faves so far this year.

“I blame the costume. You put on the mask and the feminism leaves my body.”

+ small town
+ cowboy
+ brother’s best friend
+ enemies to lovers
+ grumpy sunshine
+ forced proximity
+ chronic illness rep

2/5 🌶️

Netgalley ARC review

The Brave and the Reckless by Dilan Dyer

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Ballantine, Dell, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Esra Taner drops out of medical school and her entire life plan suddenly feels out of control. Her brother suggests she join him at Bravetown, a Wild West theme park he's working at. Since she couldn't find a good reason to say no, she moves to the Wild West on a whim. Once she arrives, Esra fits into the costumes for Bravetown's damsel in distress, so she's going to spend the summer acting with Ace Ryder, the lawless cowboy. Noah Young, the man playing Ace, seems to hate Esra immediately, and she definitely feels the same about him. They somehow get through their performances despite all their arguing, but when their futures at Bravetown become at risk, they realize that there might be something more between them than they initially thought.

The Brave and the Reckless is an awesome western romance! It’s a bit more unique and that’s what makes it so enjoyable! The setting of a Wild West theme park, where the MCs play the cowboy and damsel in distress, was super interesting. Also, this story has great character development and depth to it. Esra and Noah both have their own baggage and pasts that have shaped who they are, but it all works out well in the end. The chemistry between them is great as well! Overall, a fun, entertaining take on a cowboy/western romance!

Tropes:
- Small town MMC x big city FMC
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Small town romance
- Cowboy romance
- Enemies to lovers
- Dual POV

The perfect summer read. Pre-order it ASAP! It’s got it all: disability representation, Turkish representation, found family, brother’s best friend, cowboys (including the evil kind), banter, and more. The “perfect storm” for the perfect summer read.

Light, potential spoilers ahead:

Esra is so instantly lovable, decked out in shirts reading “If you’re rich, I’m single” and “you can’t choose your father, but you can choose your daddy” while also being a brilliant med student. She has hEDS so her parents have been beyond over bearing, so she gets a summer job and a Wild West theme park to get some space and have some fun.

Noah is a real life, kind-hearted cowboy who happens to play the fictional, evil (and very sexy) bandit cowboy within the theme park.

They are similar in all the ways that matter and different in all the ways that keep it interesting. I couldn’t put this book down and instantly ordered a copy for my best friend. It’s just that good.

It touches on deeper topics that bring a grounded feel to the book, but still maintains itself as a light hearted summer of fun.

Highly recommend.

More tropes to note: “arms up”, she gets the flu and he takes care of her, forced proximity