Take a Hint, Dani Brown: A Novel

Talia Hibbert

Jun 2020 · The Brown Sisters Book 2 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

Named one of the Best Romances of 2020 by Apple, Kirkus, PW, Washington Post, NPR, BookPage, OprahMag, EW, Insider, Buzzfeed, Bustle, and Amazon!

USA Today bestselling author Talia Hibbert returns with another charming romantic comedy about a young woman who agrees to fake date her friend after a video of him “rescuing” her from their office building goes viral...

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? 

“Talia Hibbert is a rockstar! Her writing is smart, funny, and sexy..." - Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Little Bridge Island and Princess Diaries series   

Featured in OprahMag, Bustle, Parade, PopSugar, New York Post, Essence, Travel & Leisure, Ms. Magazine, TheSkimm, Betches, Shondaland, Buzzfeed and more... 

Ratings and reviews

Delightful story, characters well matched. Love how their friendship blossoms into more and it's very interesting and humorous to read how they learn the difference just being friends and being in a relationship, fake or not adding depth to the plot. Zaf is a sweetheart and everything about Dani excites him. Enjoyed the laugh-out-moments, the supporting characters and the romance.

3.5 stars. Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert is a cute romance that is also quite steamy. This second installment in The Brown Sisters series can be read as a standalone. Danika “Dani” Brown does not want a relationship. She is very career-oriented and focused so she often disappoints her romantic partners. Dani is open to a no strings fling so when a video of security guard Zafir “Zaf” Ansari carrying her from their work building goes viral, she agrees to a fake relationship in order to help the charity he runs. Before the pretend romance, Dani enjoys Zaf’s company so spending extra time with him is no hardship. He readily agrees to her rules but suddenly, she is the one breaking them. Having been hurt in the past, Dani puts a screeching halt to anything resembling feelings. Zafir is no stranger to pain, grief and anxiety. After recovering from a tragic loss, he started a sports charity and uses his past experiences to teach young men to accept and express their emotions. Zaf does not like being in the media spotlight, so he is not quite hitting the mark with publicizing his charity. Thanks to his interfering niece, the viral video shines a spotlight just where he wants it. However, in order to capitalize on the free publicity, Zafir and Dani keep their fake relationship in the public eye. Behind the scenes, they are enjoying their time together and mutually agree to give into their sizzling attraction. Zaf is a little leery of this part of their arrangement since he does not indulge in meaningless flings. He easily justifies his decision to himself but will he keep his heart out of their arrangement? Both Dani and Zafir are delightful characters that are vibrantly developed. Their exchanges are witty and their text messages are laugh out loud funny. Due to his struggles with anxiety, Zafir is self-aware and comfortable with expressing his feelings. Dani is unapologetically honest about what she wants in life and she steadfastly works hard to reach her goals. She is also not quite as inflexible about letting Zaf into her life as she originally believes. They perfectly complement one another and their bedroom scenes are off the charts smoking hot. Take a Hint, Dani Brown is a lovely romance with a diverse cast of characters. The storyline is enjoyable although it is a little predictable. Zaf and Dani are a well-rounded couple who are genuinely appealing. However, both of them get lost in their own heads which leads to long introspective passages that become repetitive. The conflict that arises is unsurprising but Talia Hibbert resolves their issue in a very sweet and imaginative manner. An enjoyable addition to The Brown Sisters series that will leave readers eagerly awaiting Eve’s story. I received a complimentary copy for review.

Full review at I am, Indeed 4.5 stars – rounded Mix together a grumpy, romance-reading security guard with a dose of pain and ever-present anxiety with a formidable PhD student in women’s studies, particularly as it pertains to racism and misogyny in literature, a single-minded focus on task at hand, and a dash of fascination with witchcraft as practiced by her grandmother in Jamaica and you get one of the smartest, funniest and most heartwarming stories I’ve read in ages. See Dani is living the dream, while singularly what the ‘first or few’ women in her area of study do: demanding nothing less than perfection from her work and teaching because she may be the reason another girl who ‘looks like her’ gets (or doesn’t ) a chance. It’s a ton of pressure – and because she’s been so singularly focused for so long, she’s also decided that relationships aren’t for her – because everyone needs her to change, stop working so hard, or even ignoring her work and thoughts because their needs are important at the moment. Grab this book – read it – you won’t regret it. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

About the author

Talia Hibbert is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling 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.