Love Is a War Song

Today Danica Nava releases her second novel, Love Is a War Song, and I loved it! This romance follows Avery Fox, a new pop singer (and former child actress) after she’s been canceled for maybe lying about being Native American and misrepresenting her culture. For damage control, she goes to stay with the Grandmother she’s never met, Lottie, on her horse ranch in Oklahoma. While there, Avery will learn more about her Muscogee heritage (she truly is Native American, btw) and how to be Indian, so to speak. This help largely comes from the ranch hand who works on her grandmother’s land, Lucas. Too bad this cowboy hates Avery’s music!

What I Liked:

• Music! Avery sings pop music, though she wants more creative control in writing her own songs. Lucas prefers country. She likes Britney Spears, he likes Garth Brooks. I like how they overcome their differences in taste and find a common love for songwriting.
• Horses! I loved horses growing up, so it was fun to follow Avery to her family’s horse ranch. I was shocked at her initial fear of horses, but I knew it was just a matter of time before she’d grow to like them.
• Indigenous culture, family heritage, and Avery learning where she comes from. At the age of 23, Avery hasn’t been told almost anything about her Muscogee heritage by her single mom, and she’s never met the rest of her family. When she gets to the family ranch in Oklahoma, she “learns to be Indian” with the help of her grandmother Lottie and the three men who work there (including Lucas!). As they show throughout the novel, there’s no one way to be Native and no stereotype fits everyone. I loved seeing the diverse representation across characters.
• Avery is so immature and naive at first! Girl, grow up! You’re 23, act like it! She’s a bit of a pushover in her career, kind of bratty when she arrives in Oklahoma… but she goes through a great arc as the book progresses. She becomes more confident in herself and more prepared to stand up for her ideas and what (and who) she wants in life.
• Lucas’s family is so toxic! He has some serious history. I love how he finally opens up to Avery and how she sticks up for him.
• Grandma Lottie is so scary at first! But underneath that hard exterior, I grew to really like her.

Final Thoughts

Love Is a War Song is such a fun and joyous romance. I loved the musical side, the horses, and learning about family and heritage while finding love. Forbidden romance that seems like it could never work out… but somehow they must find a way. I’ve loved both of Danica Nava’s novels and I look forward to reading more from her.

Special thanks to the publicists at Penguin Random House, Berkley, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Love Is a War Song here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Love Is a War Song by Danica Nava
Audience	Adult
Genre	Contemporary Romance
Setting	Oklahoma
Number of Pages	336
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	July 22, 2025
Publisher	Berkley

Official Summary

A Muscogee pop star and a cowboy who couldn’t be more different come together to strike a deal in this new romantic comedy by Danica Nava, USA Today bestselling author of The Truth According to Ember.

Pop singer Avery Fox has become a national joke after posing scantily clad on the cover of Rolling Stone in a feather warbonnet. What was meant to be a statement of her success as a Native American singer has turned her into a social pariah and dubbed her a fake. With threats coming from every direction and her career at a standstill, she escapes to her estranged grandmother Lottie’s ranch in Oklahoma. Living on the rez is new to Avery—not only does she have to work in the blazing summer heat to earn her keep, but the man who runs Lottie’s horse ranch despises her and wants her gone.

Red Fox Ranch has been home to Lucas Iron Eyes since he was sixteen years old. He has lived by three rules to keep himself out of trouble: 1) preserve the culture, 2) respect the horses, and 3) stick to himself. When he is tasked with picking up Lottie’s granddaughter at the bus station, the last person he expected to see is the Avery Fox. Lucas can’t stand what she represents, but when he’s forced to work with her on the ranch, he can’t get her out of his sight—or his head. He reminds himself to keep to his rules, especially after he finds out the ranch is under threat of being shut down.

It’s clear Avery doesn’t belong here, but they form a tentative truce and make a deal: Avery will help raise funds to save the ranch, and in exchange, Lucas will show her what it really means to be an Indian. It’s purely transactional, absolutely no horsing around…but where’s the fun in that?