Review: Take a Hint, Dani Brown

I wasn't the only one who fell in love with Talia Hibbert last year when I read Get a Life, Chloe Brown. Bloggers and bookstagrammers everywhere were gushing about it. So, it was with excitement and a little bit of nervousness that I picked up the second book in Hibbert's Brown Sisters series, Take a Hint, Dani Brown. I didn't need to be worried. I absolutely, totally, completely freaking adored it.

Here's the 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 brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now 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’s 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.

Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is 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?

If you never got around to reading Chloe's story, that's OK. I mean, you definitely should, but if you find yourself with a copy of Dani's story first, go forth and read. Chloe and her HEA are in the story because the sisters are all very close but you don't really see her that much. 

Dani is a PhD student so she's wicked smart but she has this...charm to her that kept her from being the kind of pretentious academic you sometimes read about. I think what I especially liked was reading how Zafir was in total awe of her brain and how it worked. Sometimes it seemed like she was all over the place or zoned out but really it was because her brain was moving super quickly or she was, as many characters told her, thinking very hard. So hard it was almost audible. It just all added to the wonderful uniqueness that was Dani and part of why I loved her so much. 

I absolutely loved that Zaf reads romance novels. That element reminded me a bit of The Bromance Book Club (which I reviewed here) but only a touch. I guess it's really only because they're both rom coms that have the male characters reading romance novels. Unlike the guys in Bromance though, Zafir turned to romances after a devastating loss. And I'm sure there are many of us who can relate to having that need for a story with a Happily Ever After when life is really hard. I know I'm especially drawn to romances right now during the pandemic. There were so many wonderful quotes around Zaf and his reading that I'd love to share but 1. I don't have a finished copy to check against and 2. I think you should read it to find them out on your own.

Ooh, and the chemistry between Dani and Zaf? Hoo boy, pass me a fan. It was palpable and so fun to read as they flirted and teased and then finally slept with each other. I don't blame the students for filming the rescue because the two of them were obviously so into each other. Obvious, of course, to everyone but them.

I know lots of people are trying especially hard to read more diversely (ie read more authors who aren't white) - myself included (it's been something I try to do every year and I haven't done nearly as well as I should). So, please note that Hibbert is a Black author, Dani is Black and bisexual, and Zafir is Muslim. 

I really can't think of a single thing I didn't like about Talia Hibbert's novel, Take a Hint, Dani Brown. Seriously. I mean, other than I would have loved to read more...and more...and more. Dani and Zafir will completely charm the reader as thoroughly as they charmed each other. Hibbert's novel is one that should be read for all sorts of reasons, the main one being is it's amazing and you'll love every second you spend with it.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*