Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads 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?
Review
I love a good fake-dating trope if it’s done correctly and this book hit the nail on the head. Take a Hint, Dani Brown was so funny, charming and sexy that I honestly struggled to put it down. Talia Hibbert is such an amazing writing who creates such realistic characters, each with their own set of problems. She tackles hard-hitting topics in such a relatable way that she already has me excited for her next book!
Dani is such a strong-willed character who knows what she wants out of life. She doesn’t like to get romantically attached and is focused on working on her career. Zaf on the other hand looks incredibly intimidating but is a hopeless romantic and such a kind soul. I honestly loved their chemistry and how understand Zaf was of Dani’s busy career, taking the time to look after her when she didn’t even realised, she needed it. The development for these characters was perfect and I honestly loved everything about them.
What I love most about these Talia Hibbert’s books representation of Chronic illness and Mental health. In Get a Life, Chloe Brown we saw a big focus on Chronic illness and with this book we saw Zaf suffering from anxiety. It’s so important to enlighten people about illness that we cannot visibly see and Hibbert does a perfect job at this.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Take a Hint, Dani Brown was such a super easy, sassy and steamy read that fans of fake-dating tropes need to pick up!
Rating: 5/5 stars