Book Review: Love Is a War Song by Danica Nava
A pop princess, a broody cowboy, and a romance that’s equal parts cheesy and necessary—Love Is a War Song sings with heart.
If you crossed a city-slicker pop princess romance with a classic ranch romcom—then layered in honest, grounded Indigenous representation—you’d get Love Is a War Song. It’s soft, a little over-the-top, and exactly the kind of heartwarming escape read that still manages to say something meaningful.
Avery Fox is a disgraced pop star who retreats to her grandmother’s ranch after a cultural controversy tanks her career. Lucas Iron Eyes is the brooding cowboy who wants nothing to do with her—or what she represents. But forced proximity, family obligations, and unexpected chemistry have other plans.
The romance is familiar in the best way: enemies to lovers, opposites attract, a touch of emotional growth. Some scenes are cheesy (and the pop culture references a bit much), but there’s a certain charm in its predictability. It leans into the romcom formula with full confidence, even if a few moments are more made-for-TV than grounded drama.
What sets this story apart is its Indigenous representation.
Cowboy romances are everywhere—but it’s rare to find one written by an Indigenous author about Indigenous characters. Nava delivers a story where culture isn’t explained for outsiders or treated as decoration. It’s embedded in the ranch, the relationships, and the quiet journey of reconnecting with identity. And that matters.
It’s not perfect—some dialogue clunks, some pacing lags—but it has heart, authenticity, and something the genre desperately needs: stories that center Indigenous voices in the present, not just the past.
