This was a fun and unique read, with good vibes! The fact that it easy cowboy themed, but set in a West World theme park made it even more interesting.

The immediate introduction to all the characters were done in such a great way. I didn’t struggle to keep up with who’s who, and what their role is. The bickering and banter she had with Noah was just *chef’s kiss*. It was everything I look for in an enemies to lovers trope. I absolutely loved to see how they went from hating each other, while also being severely obsessed with each other, to not wanting to be apart.

I found her a bit childish at times, but that’s to be expected when you’re used to having to follow rules in a strict way, have your life planned out for you by parents and also struggling with chronic illness. Which I think this book was a great rep of. The ending felt a bit rushed, but didn’t affect how much I liked the story!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book so much. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House!

Some favourite quotes and scenes:
🥜 “I usually liked silence, but I hated hers.”

🥜 “She was sinking her claws into me, figuratively and literally, and I was going to say thank you and ask for seconds.”

🥜 “He’s mine. Don’t even think about stealing my Peanut Butter, got it?” the cutest!

This was the spin on cowboy romance that I didn’t know I needed. Noah and Esra both work for a Wild West theme park, where they both play characters in the parks show. Noah the dastardly bandit and Esra the mayors pretty daughter. Of course Noah is a real cowboy too, but the Wild West theme was so much fun. This story honestly checked all my boxes, brothers best friend, disability rep, cowboys and grumpy sunshine. This is literally some of my favourite things in books.
The tension between Noah and Esra was absolutely delectable, they really started off on the WRONG foot- with so much disdain for each other- which turned to a different kind of passion.
If you enjoyed Elsie Silver, Lyla Sage or Bailey Hannah, I would sincerely recommend trying this book. You honestly won’t be disappointed, it’s so funny and so sweet, I loved every minute of it.

A theme park romance with fake kidnappings, cowboy roleplay, and sizzling banter? Say less.

Esra ditches med school for Bravetown, where she’s “rescued” daily by Noah—aka the grumpiest, hottest cowboy actor alive.

What I loved:

The banter is 10/10—equal parts whip-smart and unhinged. Chronic illness rep handled with care and depth. The setting? A chaotic, Wild West theme park?? Iconic. Spice lovers, you're in for a ride.

Why it’s not a full 5:

Esra’s early immaturity made me want to gently shake her. Noah? Love him, but could’ve used a tad more emotional depth.

Overall, this is a flirty, fast-paced summer read with real heart —this one’s your rodeo. 🤠

3.75/4 ⭐️

Thank you to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Dilan in her cowboy romance era is something I didn’t know I needed, and I honestly had such a fun time with this one. I really appreciated how much detail went into creating the small-town setting, with its theme park twist—it felt unique, fun, and added a really playful charm to the whole story. The southern vibes, the close-knit community, and the slightly larger-than-life backdrop of Bravetown all worked together to create a setting that felt easy to sink into and perfect for a cosy cowboy romance.

I really liked Noah. He came across as authentic, and you could sense there was more to him beneath the surface. I have to admit, though, I found myself struggling a little with Esra. She’s younger than Noah, and at times that came through in her actions and behaviours. I think the intention was to capture the impulsiveness and recklessness that can come with being in your early twenties, which I completely understand, but for me, it didn’t always quite land. I also appreciated the inclusion of her chronic illness, but sometimes her choices felt a little at odds with that aspect of her character. Because of this, some of the more tender moments between her and Noah didn’t fully connect for me; though there were still plenty of sweet scenes, and I really loved how attentive and caring Noah was towards her.

All in all, I had such a great time in Bravetown, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what Dilan has in store for the rest of this series!

When I got the Netgalley arc I SCREAMED WITH JOY!! I even got to meet Dilan Dyer at RARE in London and we had a massive fangirl over Noah and our love of Disney!

I will admit, I found this very slow to begin with and took a while for me to get in to, but the banter was amazing! I sort of went in blind, thinking this was really a cowboy romance (yes, I judged by the cover), but it's western themed, which is actually a very unique setting.

Noah was such a heart throb! How he is with horses is so sweet, but he is not a cowboy. He only plays a villain and owns a ranch and horses but it's not central to the story.

Esra took a while for me to like.. I get wanting to live a little after having your life planned out for you. But she grew up a lot throughout the book.

The spice was really good and I even BLUSHED in one scene... Dilan and I had words🤭😍 The foreplay! the roleplay! It was *chef's kiss*

What to expect -
💕Loved the loathe to lovers.
💕Banter & bickering
💕Forced proximity
💕Brother's Best Friend
💕Grumpy x sunshine
💕Very spicy
💕Chronic illness rep
💕He plays a villain… mask play
💕Theme park ride 🌶️

I liked this book, but I didn’t love it the way I hoped to.

The premise is incredibly fun: Esra, a recent med school dropout, flees to Bravetown, a dusty Wild West theme park where her brother works, intending to spend the summer scooping ice cream and ignoring her parents’ voicemails. Instead, she gets wrangled into performing in a live-action stunt show alongside Noah—a grumpy, actor cowboy with a complicated past and a short fuse. Sparks fly. Emotions flare. Guns are fake, but the tension is real.

The setting is the real star here. Bravetown is rendered with charm and clarity—dusty trails, kitschy saloons, costumes, and all. It’s immersive and vibrant.

But the character work is a little shakier. I appreciated that Esra wasn’t a standard “reluctant girl with anxiety.” She’s clearly rebelling against a life defined by chronic illness and overbearing parents. That said, I struggled with her. A lot. Her reckless behavior made sense in theory, but in execution, it often came off as selfish and immature.

I understood that Esra didn’t want to be treated like she was fragile—but for someone who had lived with a chronic illness her whole life, she was surprisingly careless about her own health. I get the desire not to be defined by your illness, but at some point, you have to work with your body, not against it. Add in her lack of communication—expecting her brother and Noah to read her mind—and it was honestly frustrating to watch. I’m still not sure whether she needed a character arc or just a nap and a good therapist.

Still, despite its flaws, The Brave and the Reckless has a ton of charm. The world is compelling, the supporting cast is lovable, and there are moments of genuine wit and warmth. There’s real potential here—Dyer has something special in Bravetown.

A solid debut with a standout setting, a complicated heroine, and a romance that simmers—just not always in the way you want it to.

“Always remember: In the face of adversity, kindness can be the bravest act of all.”

Okay I don’t even know where to start. I LOVE Dilan’s writing and how I easily get sucked into the world and characters she creates. I had so much fun with this read. It had summer local town theme park vibes with excellent character development, witty banter, and a swoony grumpy bandit MMC.

“This was exactly what had gotten us into this mess. I had to resist his stupidity-inducing hotness.”

Esra Taner is looking for a fresh start, leaving city life behind and trying to make it on her own accord. Living with chronic illness, she is stepping out of her comfort zone and is challenging herself to have the best summer ever full of new experiences and people!
Noah Young is local and has been working to save money to renovate and establish his family property into his dream property. As Bravetown’s surly bandit Ace Ryder he is a fixture of the park. This year the theme park has to get a new “Pretty Annie Lou”, the damsel in distress who Ace rides away with in the daily show. Esra needs a job and her brother who has worked at Bravetown gets her in to scoop ice cream, but last minute plans change when the new Annie Lou falls through.
All in all I LOVED this!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

*Chronic Illness Rep
*Cowboy Theme Park
*Protective MMC
*Grumpy/ Sunshine
*He Takes Care Of Her
*Strong Capable FMC
*He Role Plays For Her

I enjoyed the setting of this book and thought it was a really fun angle on the cowboy romance. But unfortunately there were elements of both Esra and Noah that didn’t quite click with me and it made it difficult for me to connect with the romance element of the story. I did like the individual arcs that the two charterers went on and it was great to see a character be so unapologetically herself in Esra.

I'm sorry but where do I begin!! I was not expecting to love this one as much as I did.

What a fresh take on a cowboy/small town romance. Kind of like if you mixed the struggles of Violet in FW with the small town romance/cowboy vibes of Elsie Silver/Lyla Sage and add in the spice of Paisley Hope. Honestly the best combination.

I don't want to give the plot away so I will talk about what I loved about this story.

The setting - the western theme park setting was so fresh and new. First book I have read like this.
The characters - so much family vibes throughout this book. I loved that it wasn't just solely based around Esra & Noah and we got to witness quite a few other characters too - I'm secretly hoping there are more books in the works - maybe Lucas or Adriana?
The chronic illness representation - I don't think there are enough books out there with this as the forefront of the story and it was really interesting, heartwarming and heartbreaking at times to read about this.
The costumes and scenes around this .- yes sir! I am locked in and paying attention.
The enemies to lovers and the anghst!!!
The spice - so much and written so well that it did not feel repetitive one bit!!!

Esra does come across very carefree and reckless in the beginning of this story; but the middle child in me actually loved this. Noah really was pretty heartless in the beginning but when they finally clashed - oh lordy!

100% will be recommending this to friends! And now I need to read more of her books!
Love it when you find new authors you love through arcs.

So cute I love the country aspect and the Cowboys done so well. It’s exactly what I needed. The perfect cowboy romance.

Esra & Noah
Small town romance
Brothers best friend
City girl x Town boy
Chronic Illness Rep
Cowboy

When I saw this book eas set at a Wild West theme park, I was so intrigued!!

Esra drops out of med school and runs away to the small town where her brother works, and here she's cast to play the damsel in distress where Noah is the Villain who kidnaps her.

These two are great together! They do not get along and its so fun to watch them 🤣🤣. I love Noah being our grumpy cowboy!!!

I loved meeting the side characters too!

Overall great book!

I LOVED this.

First of all, the setting? Absolutely perfect. A western inspired theme park? Sold. I loved the Ace Ryder & Annie Lou dynamic for Esra and Noah, it was perfect for their initial dislike of the other.

The representation in this book was 10/10. As a chronically ill girlie it was so nice to see another badass female mc just trying to sort her life out. The scene where he took her knee and ankle braces off made me WEEP. It was so tender and beautifully done. It felt so nice to see her feeling sexy and getting worshipped in this way.

1000% recommend.

a fun and unique concept - think cowboy/western romance at Disneyland, with great potential for future books in a series however I just really didn’t vibe with the main characters, both felt incredibly immature and I didn't feel the connection. it was a quick and spicy read but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had anticipated.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

I loved how we see that Esra has more to her early on, it had me intrigued and wanting to find out what happened in the past and what her story was. I loved the attitude between them and then tension which built up till they reached the point of no return. I enjoyed as they spent more time together and opened up we saw them making plans for Noah's future career and I could see it would also match up well for Esra.
I would have rated this book higher but I wish we got more depth to both Esra and Noah and their past, maybe a bit more insight to Esra explaining her illness. It touched on it and did explain but I felt it lacked depth, similar to Noah's parents I would have loved a bit more depth.

Honestly i did not vibe with this story i don’t know what it was but for me the relationship between the two characters lacked any connection whatsoever
It kinda redeemed in the end and that’s why im giving it a 3 star review but im so bummed this wasn’t what i was expecting

Thank you to the publisher for the arc

I really enjoyed the fact the book is based in a wild west theme park! Its such a fun spin on a typical small town cowboy romance that I found really refreshing.
I love the fact that the beginning of each chapter gives you little snippets of the park so you can really feel submerged into Bravetown itself.

I found the chronic illness representation for the FMC Ezra really well done and loved the acceptance she instantly got from MMC Noah. It was beautifully presented. It wasn't too heavy but helped explain why Ezra is the way she is.
It has some great banter between the characters and some of my favorite tropes.

-Brothers best friend
-City girl x Country boy
-Small town romance
-Grumpy x Sunshine

I would totally recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a small town romance and really enjoyed reading this.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin books for providing me with an ARC of this book for my honest review. I had already pre ordered this and can't wait to get my physical copy.

Wow. I wasn’t sure about this trope at first but I absolutely loved it. The fun fair setting was genius. The excerpts at the beginning of each chapter were so well devised. I loved Noah and Esra. The perfect mix of sweet and spice. Loved the enemies and grumpy tropes. EDS representation was brilliant to read. It was good to learn more about it. The therapy horses was a lovely touch also. I really liked the character role play and the 7 minutes in heaven. Brilliant spice. Would recommend.

A sizzling cowboy romance like no other!

The Brave and the Reckless is a wildly unique blend of forbidden romance, enemies-to-lovers tension, and colleagues-with-benefits chaos—set in a surreal, immersive Western-themed role-play amusement park. Yes, you read that right. This isn’t your typical cowboy love story!

Ezra, a former med student suddenly cut off financially by her parents, ends up taking a temporary job alongside her brother in this bizarre alternate reality park. There, she meets brooding ranch owner Noah—and sparks fly immediately, though not the friendly kind.

From clashing egos to undeniable chemistry, Ezra and Noah’s journey is packed with sexual tension, witty banter, and a fair share of kink (new mask kink unlocked!) Their transition from enemies to lovers is full of fiery moments and heartfelt growth, with the spice written to perfection.

The concept was fresh, the characters compelling, and the heat? Off the charts. If you’re looking for a bold, adventurous take on cowboy romance, this one is definitely for you.

Big thanks to Dilan Dyer and Michael Joseph (Penguin Random House) for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

📚 Follow me on TikTok: @LacedInLit for more romance recs!

Okay, so I’m gonna need a Bravetown season pass IMMEDIATELY. This book was so much fun right from the beginning. Cowboys and villains (in the same man?!) Dilan said “get you a man that can do both” right from the beginning.
Esra was so funny and smart and messy and I loved watching her explore this new adventure on her own being nothing but herself. Noah was so perfect for her and from their first interaction the chemistry and banter and tension was perfect! Dilan really knocked it out of the park with this book. I could not put it down. The slow burn loathing to lovers was KILLING me but worth so worth it because once these two started getting together it was stupidly hot. I loved the characters, the world-building, the characters and the ones they played at Bravetown. I especially loved the communication between Esra and Noah, whether they were bickering, opening up to each other, fighting or making up they were so communicative. I love that in romance, especially when the spice is a part of that too. I love seeing characters grappling with their own issues, and being imperfect falling in love but growing and opening up all at once. They were still completely themselves at the end but crazy about each other and starting a new chapter together (with the same banter - DELICIOUS) I cannot think of a single thing I did not like about this book. 10/10 no notes!!!!

I had so much fun reading this book. The Wild West amusement park set was really original and made Esra’s « fun summer » very well named.

I loved Esra’s character, she’s strong and proud and I found her very relatable in how she fights to be more than her disability, both in herself and what she can or cannot do but also in how others around her treat her. Her relationship with Noah felt very natural, we can clearly see them slowly falling for each other as the book goes. He was the perfect character to match her personality and offered her exactly what she needed as she was figuring out what she was going to do in her life. And the way Esra kept making him go crazy was hilarious!