Bodice Ripper - by Danica Nava (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

When a young Native woman is transported into an old-fashioned Western romance novel, she must play the role of the heroine to find her way out--but chooses to take back the narrative instead--in this comedic and subversive novel by USA Today bestselling author Danica Nava.

Grad student Natalie Morningstar is determined to finish her master's thesis on the harmful nature of old western romance novels. Her research isn't complete until she reads the most popular and problematic one of them all--Wild Heart by Edie McNight.

It's late at night as Natalie reaches for the library's lone copy when she suddenly falls headfirst into the story's pages and into the fictional 1800s town of Silver Springs, Oklahoma, where a battle is raging between a Comanche warband and white settlers.

When a cowboy swoops Natalie onto his horse, calling her his Stella, she realizes she has inexplicably taken the place of the novel's heroine. In her efforts to escape, she winds up in the company of a Comanche warrior who goes by Kaheeka and is quite possibly the most gorgeous man she's ever seen.

Natalie is desperate to find a way out of this dangerous fictional world, but she knows how the story ends for the Comanche. Now she's determined to save Kaheeka and his tribe from the settlers and drive them out of their territory. But with every chapter she changes, the path back to the real world grows murkier, and soon she may become stuck in the pages of this story forever.

Review Quotes

"Bodice Ripper is Outlander meets American Western expansion, a speculative mix of historical and contemporary conflict voiced by a headstrong heroine with everything to prove. Nava threads the fish-out-of-temporal-water story with nuance and open-heartedness; Bodice Ripper bursts with joy and care. It's both a criticism of American settler mythology and an unmistakable celebration of love--a cheering, playful escape."--Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of Girl Dinner

"What if, in Western romance, Indigenous people were written authentically as main characters, instead of being cliches and villains? What if a modern Indigenous woman found herself trapped in one of those books, trying to write the author's wrongs? This long-overdue, fascinating inversion of a trope had me completely captivated--and eager to revisit cowboy historical romances with fresh eyes."--Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"I cannot overstate just how much the romance world needs this book. Sharp, fresh, witty, and hot, Bodice Ripper is a 'historical' romance written through a much-needed modern lens. Danica Nava turns the genre on its head, reclaiming Indigenous stereotypes and rewriting a story that's long overdue. I laughed, I cried, I was changed. The story is fun, but the book is important."--Nisha J. Tuli, New York Times bestselling author of Storm Breaker

"Bodice Ripper is fresh, funny, and totally original. Danica Nava shatters the status quo of western romance, delivering not only a swoony, funny love story, but a brilliant and hilariously satirical commentary on the genre."--Brynne Weaver, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Bodice Ripper is satirical, self-aware, absurd, and, most importantly, FUN. I've never done so many spit-takes. The protagonist, Nat, is a frustrated, caustic Indigenous scholar who finds herself flung into the seminal story of the genre that exasperates her the most: the Western Romance novel. What ensues is a finely balanced mix of incisive genre critique and a delicious whirlwind romance. Bodice Ripper is Danica Nava at her funniest and most cutting."--Brigitte Knightley, New York Times bestselling author of The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy

"The herstorical romance you have been waiting for--Danica Nava delivers in this sharp, witty, and delightfully romantic cowboy-coded romp! It takes a deft hand to pen such an incisive social commentary while skillfully blending modern sensibilities with beloved historical tropes, and this clever, laugh-out-loud banger will have you hooked, swooning, and kicking your feet from the very first page!"--Amalie Howard, USA Today bestselling author of The Worst Duke in London

"Bodice Ripper is bold in the best way. Like my favorite satires, the writing is sharp and hilarious and full of heart. I think readers will agree that Danica delivers a thrilling adventure with just the right amount of romance. I could not put this book down."--Riss M. Neilson, USA Today bestselling author of A Love Like the Sun

"Bodice Ripper had me cracking up in one chapter and gasping at the subversive commentary in the next. Nava has written a hilarious, nuanced and incisive takedown of anti-Indigenous racism in publishing, and the powers that stand to benefit from it. A must-read for romance lovers."--Jill Tew, critically-acclaimed author of Headspace

About the Author

Danica Nava is an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and works as a chief of staff in the tech industry. She has an MBA from USC Marshall School of Business. She currently lives in Southern California with her husband and daughter.