Book Review: "Take a Hint, Dani Brown" by Talia Hibbert
“Take a Hint, Dani Brown” by Talia Hibbert
Synopsis: Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits--someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.
When big, brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it's an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and former rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact to him, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Suddenly, half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae--and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?
Dani's plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf is secretly a hopeless romantic--and he's determined to corrupt Dani's stone-cold realism. Before long, he's tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his... um, thighs.
The easy lay Dani dreamed of is now more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?
Rating: 4
Review: Yes, this is a book about fake relationship turned real one — don’t worry, our heroes are in on the joke — and it is…electrifying, to say the least. Dani is a brilliant and focused PhD candidate, too busy and unemotional for love. Zaf is a retired rugby star/aspiring philanthropist with a heart of gold and a massive crush on his building-mate. Naturally, he saves her during a fire drill gone awry, and their story goes viral. #DrRugBae is just as adorable as it sounds, and they launch a plot to be fake date with no feelings getting involved.
Let’s be real: it doesn’t take someone’s of Dani’s intellect to see how that’s going to end.
Along the way, Dani and Zaf get to know each other, and both expose their soft sides — Dani actually lets him in to her rigid life, and Zaf opens up to her about his past and his goals for the future (man, this is hard to explain without giving away plot points). I so appreciated that the author integrated so many different identities — Muslim, Black, queer, plus sized — into the books without making it noteworthy. Just like it should be IRL, it was a stated fact on the page in a way that prompted no controversy.
While we first meet Dani in her big sister’s Chloe journey to love (my review here!), the two are standalone novels. Neither Chloe nor Red have a starring role in her story; they are only there for support and comic relief. Admittedly, I did love getting a glimpse at their happily-ever-after, but y’all know I’m the biggest sap of the SFOL bunch. Talia Hibbert has a knack for creating a world that’s both believable and a little bit out-of-touch; i.e., where is my friend that can conjure up a man for me? Every person in Dani and Zaf’s circle is a delight to read, and it made me so sad that I cannot go to London anytime soon.
I do want to warn: this book is far steamier than both Chloe Brown and most other romances we review around here. I found myself blushing quite a few times, and as you all know, I’m a pretty experienced reader of romance. If you are at all shy, I would be cautious picking it up.
TL;DR: A very steamy update of a tired rom-com trope, perfect for 2020 — it’s got sports, it’s got witches, it’s got lots of inventive sex — what more does one need?
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