Title: Take A Hint, Dani Brown
Author: Talia Hibbert
361 Pages
Publisher: Avon Books on June 23, 2020
Type: Fiction
Genre: Romance
Book 2 of 3 in The Brown Sisters Trilogy
Dates Read: March 16 – March 18, 2022
Main Characters
Dani Brown – Main Character, Bi-sexual, Ph.D Candidate, Junior teacher
Sorcha – Dani’s Best Friend
Zafir Ansari – Ex Rugby player, Security Guard, Founder of Tackle It
Fatima – Zafir’s niece, Student of Dani’s
Jamal – Zafir’s best friend
Ahh, now we’re onto the second book in the series. After reading Get A Life, Chloe Brown, and getting hooked, I knew I had to read the rest of the books in the trilogy to find out what happened to Dani and Eve. While halfway through the first book, I went ahead and purchased the remaining two books. I wanted to jump right into the next one without waiting. So I hopped onto Amazon and snapped them up. Just an FYI, all three books are standalone so they can be read in any order you choose without sacrificing the storylines.
Summary
The novel starts off with Dani and her bestie, Sorcha, praying to Oshun, a god, and to the heavens. Dani prayed for a “sex buddy” with no drama. She asked the gods to point her in the right direction aka give her a hint (haha I guess this is where the title of the book comes from).
Fast forward 5 months and we meet Zafir Ansari, the cute security guard/ex-rugby player with whom Dani is friends with. They developed a routine where on days when Dani taught classes in the building, she would bring Zaf coffee and they would talk and catch up. Dani takes the elevator to the ground floor one day after class, only to get stuck inside because of a building fire drill (many emails were sent). Zaf, realizing Dani is missing from the headcount, soon comes to the rescue. He finds Dani, pushes the elevator doors open with his bare hands, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her outside. The heroine rescue was caught on video and soon went viral with #DrRugBae. Instead of disputing the relationship, they decided to continue the charade. Dani, so she can have her sex buddy and Zaf so he can get the publicity for his sports charity, Tackle It. There’s just one tiny problem. Dani doesn’t do relationships and Zaf doesn’t do casual. Uh oh. What ensues is a book about two people on different life courses colliding and learning to heal and love.
My Review
This book made me laugh literally out loud. It was quite enjoyable. I loved every minute of it. I read this book in 2 days. The character development really flowed and kept building as the novel went on. I mean we really got an understanding of who Dani was within the first 10 pages of the book. She is unapologetically herself, a bi-sexual, Ph. D student, who loves to wear black and who changes her hair color as often as her underwear. We first glimpse Zafir as a gruff, strict man who has a soft spot for his niece and loves romance novels (go figure). As the novel progresses, both main characters grow and we learn how they turned out the way they are.
Let’s be real. This plot is not a new one. I mean a couple fakes being together so they can both reap the rewards of the relationship. Read it, seen it. Again, plenty of books and hallmark movies with this plot idea. What set this book somewhat apart is 1) how the two became a “couple” I thought it was both cute and funny. 2) The feelings. They clearly like each other (Dani brings him coffee just the way he likes and Zaf sweet talks her every time they see other). They just needed a push from fate. Once they got that pus, they went full speed ahead and my eyes and mind were ready for it.
I really enjoyed the merging of the many different “identities” together. Sorcha is black and gay, Zafir is Indian and Muslim, and Dani is Black and Bi.
The book moved quickly. I’m not sure why I thought it would move slowly, especially with the first book as an example. It was 361 pages of fast-paced, funny, fake coupledom. And I do mean funny. Remember the book started with Dani praying for a new sex friend, while commenting that she has great boobs. Just as the first, this book does have raunchy, racy parts, so brace yourself. These parts are not for kids. I repeat, NOT FOR KIDS. The book also touches on death of loved ones and anxiety, both topics were noted in the author’s note.
Rating
Favorite Quotes
“I get that you want casual. But as long as we do this, Danika, no one touches you but me.”
“The universe might as well have pointed flashing neon arrows in the direction of Zaf’s delicious shoulder and screamed, “This one, then, since you’re so impatient.”
“There’s power in knowledge passed between generations, whether it’s by those books of yours or by an elder’s mouth”
“You know that feeling when you truly adore someone and also want to sniff their underwear?”
“Men are much less time-consuming when you lie.”
“When you’ve moved past something, you don’t focus on the rearview mirror.”
Links
https://www.amazon.com/Take-Hint-Dani-Brown-Sisters-ebook/dp/B07Y8DL7CY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30LVARNERUZHO&keywords=take+a+hint+dani+brown&qid=1654706069&sprefix=take+a+hint%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-1
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/take-a-hint-dani-brown-talia-hibbert/1133747238?ean=9780062941237
Once you have read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.
-Louis L’Amour