RELEASE DAY REVIEW: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Title: Take a Hint, Dani Brown
Author: Talia Hibbert
Series: The Brown Series, #2
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: June 23, 2020

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?

Buy Take a Hint, Dani Brown

Excerpt

Sonja's Review

I loved Get a Life, Chloe Brown so hard that I absolutely could not wait to read Take a Hint, Dani Brown! I had high expectations going into this book not only from loving the first one in the series so much, but I became even more hyped for it every time I saw a teaser or heard someone praise it. I had no doubts that it was going to be good and Ms. Hibbert so did not let me down. I just adored Take a Hint, Dani Brown, it was positively marvelous! 

I loved Dani’s story even more than I did Chloe’s, though I have to say that it mostly all due to Zafir. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dani too, she’s funny and we both think emotions are gross, so we totally clicked, but there’s just something about Zaf. I have been so excited to meet him because I love me a grumpy hero, like a lot and oh, Zafir was just perfect! He’s all gruff and scowly, but he’s just the swooniest, sweeetest, most lovely man ever — I loved and couldn’t get enough of him! Zaf is wonderful and brave and he completely and utterly stole my heart — I’m a total goner for him and I could gush about him forever! 

Get a Life, Chloe Brown made me fall in love with it while I was reading it and that happened with Take a Hint, Dani Brown too. It made me feel all giddy and warm and it made me melt. I laughed, I cried, there was no part of me that was disengaged with Zafir and Dani. They were just the most adorable couple ever and I wanted nothing more for them to get their happily-ever-after. Not only is Take a Hint, Dani Brown one of my favorite reads of the year, but I think Zafir is my favorite hero of the year — so read this book because it is AMAZING! 

~ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

Book One

Synopsis: 

A witty, hilarious romantic comedy about a woman who’s tired of being “boring” and recruits her mysterious, sexy neighbor to help her experience new things—perfect for fans of Sally Thorne, Jasmine Guillory, and Helen Hoang!

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?

Enjoy a drunken night out.

Ride a motorcycle.

Go camping.

Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.

Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.

And... do something bad. 

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job. 

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit. 

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…

Buy Get a Life, Chloe Brown

Sonja’s Review

Get a Life, Chloe Brown is utterly delightful! I’ve had this book on my kindle for months and I’m kicking myself that I just now finally read it because it was so amazing and oh man, was I missing out! I completely understand why everyone is absolutely bonkers about Talia Hibbert and as well they should be because she is a writing rock star and she is definitely one of my authors from now on. She really nailed it out of the park with Get a Life, Chloe Brown and I know it’s only February, but it’s my favorite read of the year so far and I have no doubts that it will be on my favorites of the year list by the time 2020 comes to an end. 

Get a Life, Chloe Brown was heartwarming, beyond entertaining, so funny, and I enjoyed absolutely every minute of it. I really identified with Chloe, especially her grumpy, sarcastic side. I positively loved her and I loved Red just as much. He’s just the sweetest guy ever and I swooned so hard over him. Chloe and Red were wonderful characters and they go together perfectly. 

Get a Life, Chloe Brown was one of those books where I fell in love with it as I was reading. It enchanted me, captivated me, and I never wanted it to end. I could have spent forever with Chloe and Red. I’m so excited for Dani and Eve’s stories though it’s hard to imagine them topping Chloe and Red, but I have faith Talia Hibbert can do it! 

~ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

About the Author: 

Talia Hibbert is a Black British author who lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly, there is a world beyond that room, but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate. She writes sexy, diverse romance because she believes that people of marginalised identities need honest and positive representation. Her interests include beauty, junk food, and unnecessary sarcasm.

Author Links: 

Website: https://www.taliahibbert.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTaliaHibbert/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaliaHibbert

Instagram: https://instagram.com/taliahibbert

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Talia-Hibbert/e/B074PWF27Q

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17088554.Talia_Hibbert

Newsletter: https://www.taliahibbert.com/viplist/

RELEASE BLITZ REVIEW: Faked by Karla Sorensen

Title: Faked

Author: Karla Sorensen

Genre: Sports Romance

Release Date: June 16, 2020

Every action has a consequence, and Claire Ward knows it. And yet, even knowing that her decision to swap places with her identical twin sister, Lia, for a night could be disastrous, she still does it.

Why? 

Because it will give her an evening with the man she’s been crushing on for years, Lia’s best friend, Finn. 

Miss Straight A Student has thought through all the angles, and knows the risk is worth it. And everything would have been fine, if Finn had been the one to show up at her door. 

But it wasn’t. 

Bauer Davis— Finn’s half brother and his exact opposite in just about every definable category is the one waiting for her instead. A professional snowboarder, Bauer is covered in ink, full of attitude, and has a chip on his shoulder the size of Mt. Olympus. The kind of bad boy that Claire has never been attracted to before. 

Now the good girl is with the wrong brother for a night, and when the consequence is that they have to pretend to be together for an event, it’s nothing she could have predicted. But maybe, just maybe, what makes Bauer so bad, is exactly what Claire needs.

Well, let’s see ... I’m a wife and a mother. If the things that I write bring a smile to someone's face, then I've done my job. I am obsessed with Outlander (both the books and the show). I’m almost exclusively a romance reader, which means some people will never consider me a literary snob. If I could meet one historical figure, it would be Jane Austen. I received my Bachelors in Public Relations and worked in health care marketing before I had my babies. I hate Twitter. I do it, but I hate it. Also, if you want to get on my good side, bring me wine and I'll love you forever.

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Lia's Review

I’ve loved getting to know the Ward family and have been waiting on pins and needles for each of the sisters' books. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a good twin swap trope. So I couldn’t wait to dive into this one. 

Let me just say, Bauer is smoking hot, and sweet, and sensitive. He checks all my boxes. Claire was just the right amount of tough and insecure. However the relationship seemed uber rushed. The conflict was a tad superficial. I did like this story, I would’ve just liked some more build to their relationship. Five days is too insta-lovey for me. 

There was a good sneak peek for Lia’s book at the end of Faked, so I’m super stoked for that. I just wanted a bit more development in this story, but I liked it. 

~ 3.5 Stars

RELEASE BLITZ REVIEW: Heart Thief by Ker Dukey

Title: Heart Thief

Series: Sinister Fairy Tales Collection

Author: Ker Dukey

Genre: Dark Fairy Tale Retelling

Release Date: June 8, 2020

Monsters come in many forms.

Some want shiny new toys to play with—others want blood.

Mona Walters dreams of adventure, of a world beyond the shoreline she’s confined to. She yearns for vibrancy in her dull, mundane existence, but succumbs to the bleakness.

Until the necklace her sister wore the night she was brutally murdered shows up on her door wrapped in a neat bow, fueling her to run away and seek out the person responsible for stealing her sister’s life.

Mona wished for more—for color in her gray world.

What she didn’t realize was just how much more she would get.

And that the world outside her own was soaked in red—blood red.

The world she dreamed of is made of nightmares.

A rich, influential world of two brothers—and once they have her in their sights, they plan to keep her there.

Her father kept her secluded for a reason.

Be careful what you wish for.

There's a thief out there, and he's coming for Mona's heart.

Cold burrows into my marrow. My self-preservation to seek out warmth has my feet inching toward a roaring fire in a grand room lavished with furniture and rugs. This place is huge, like nothing I’ve ever seen before. We live a minimal life with only the true essentials. Everything else is considered an indulgence, and that’s sinful. Apparently. 

A graze scorching with pain to my knee makes me wince, the torn material of my dress rubbing against the broken skin. “Hello?” I call out, inching closer and closer to the roaring orange glow of the fire. Shadows dance down the walls as footfalls sound just outside the room I was deposited inside by the man who said he was security. 

“Look what the tide washed in,” a deep rumble booms across the room. 

My hand wraps around my waist to ease the nerves. 

“This is private property. Do you want to tell me what it is you’re doing docking here?” The voice steps into the light, stealing my breath. 

He looks like a man from the stories Clara used to tell me at night when I couldn’t sleep. Dark probing eyes seek me out, making a quiver of excitement and fear ripple through my body. Powerful arms fold across a broad chest covered in clothes I’m not used to: formal wear, a suit. 

He has a confidence about him that commands the space he’s dominating with his size. He’s taller than me by a comfortable foot and a half. As he edges closer, the urge to run away sends a rush of energy to my legs. “Do you speak?” He narrows his dark orbs on me, bringing a hand up to loosen a tie around his neck. 

Moving toward a table set out with bottles full of liquids, he asks, “Drink?”

The dryness of my throat aches. A longing to quench a thirst I hadn’t realized I had has me nodding and pushing a meek, “Yes, please,” past my lips. 

The quirk of his lips doesn’t go unnoticed as he pours amber liquid into two glasses and hands me one. His fingers brush mine as I accept the offering, sending a spark over my skin. My eyes fixate on the contents of the glass. There are two mouthfuls at most. Maybe he can’t spare more. I smile a thank you and lift the glass, taking a sip. 

A harsh burn explodes over my tongue, making me gag. “Oh God, what is that?” I choke out, holding the glass out to give it back to him. A harsh laugh barks from his lips, making my stomach dip. 

“You’re one of them, aren’t you?” He steps toward me, closing in around me like a predator would prey. I shuffle back, bumping my hip against a couch. 

“One of who?” I frown. 

“Cult Island.” He scoffs, snatching the glass from me and throwing the contents into the fire. It hisses and snaps, flames jumping out in retaliation. “I should have guessed by what you’re wearing.” He smirks, his eyes lazily roaming down my body, making a blush bloom on my cheeks.

Ker Dukey is an International bestselling author based in the United Kingdom. 

Genres include: 

Dark Romance, Psychological Thriller, New Adult Romance, Romantic Suspense, and Erotic Romance. Ker, is an international bestselling author, with over thirty titles published. Her titles have held multiple #1 bestseller banners and have had rights sold to numerous countries.

In addition to being an author, Ker is an annoying wife and a mother of three children + one dog (who thinks he's human.) She has a passion for reading and binge-watching crime documentaries.

Find her on social media, where she loves interacting with her readers.

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Sonja's Review

I was really excited when I learned that Ker Dukey was going to a part of this collection after it was announced because I’ve read and loved her before and I couldn’t wait not only to read her book, but also see which re-telling she was doing. And I feel like a total doofus since I didn’t realize that hers was Moana until I saw a blogger do a quick review of Heart Thief. It was a real omg, of course facepalm moment, but then I got over that and I couldn’t wait to get started on it! I was a touch nervous in the beginning, but that quickly faded and I had such a good time reading Heart Thief — it was fantastic!

It might sound a bit crazy, but when I think about Heart Thief, I just have such chill feelings towards it. I mean, it has difficult scenes to read and other parts that made me gasp and had me on the edge of my seat, but I mostly felt calm and comfortable while I was reading it. I think it was because I knew it was going to be a short, fast read and also with everything moving along at a good pace, there was no lingering at those hard to read times and though there was suspense, it was built just the right amount. Heart Thief was efficient and tight, but it didn’t leave me unaffected. I loved Mona and the journey she went on of finding love and freedom. It was just wonderful and it’s definitely one of my top reads of this collection!

~ 4.5 Stars