Page Count: 361
Published On: June 23, 2020
Published by: Avon
Genre(s): Adult contemporary romance
Steam: 4/5 (5 being super steam)
TW: the death of a parent and sibling, panic attacks
My Rating: 5 stars
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?
~ ~ ~
Hey, guys!
I'm back with another gushing review. Once again, Talia Hibbert has blown me away with her characterization, representation, and overall writing style.
Reading a Talia Hibbert novel is like breathing a breath of fresh air after a long stuffy day inside. I adore everything about this novel and I just adore Talia's writing style.
When I first read Get A Life, Chloe Brown in 2019, I fell in love with Talia's witty, smart writing style, her ability to include the perfect amout of steam and romantic/sexual tension, her flawless execution, and her delightful characters. It became an instant favorite of the year and it's one of the few books that I've already reread this year.
This book has:
-fake dating
-a romance that stems from a viral video
-Zafir: a Muslim ex-rugby player with anxiety who uses his experience to teach mental health seminars for young rugby players
- Dani: a fat, Black, bisexual witch with commitment issues
- a quirky, addicting writing style that you won't get sick of
From the first page, I knew that I would adore Dani Brown and her story. Not only was she instantly captivating and relatable, but there were also factors that went into her personality that I didn't expect -- but loved so much. Dani is such a blunt and fascinating character. Not only is she a practicing witch, in the midst of her journey toward a doctorate in a literature-based degree (and she has the best focus of study that she's immensely passionate about! I love it so much!), and she has the best confidence.
While this concept is usually quite a cliche, Dani isn't like other characters. Hear me out. Dani is so freaking realistic. I saw so much of myself and so many facets of my friends in her. I related to her so much. She's so intensely passionate about her goals and aspirations, but she works hard for it. Additionally, she's Dani isn't like so many characters that I have read about. She's passionate, hard-working, and she guards her heart. There are so many romance novels where the character will just jump into the new relationship and they don't really worry about guarding their heart.
Zafir was the perfect love interest. The representation of his anxiety disorder was done so well (in my opinion and based on my own experiences). I can't really go into it too much, but I cannot rave about Talia Hibbert's ability to discuss mental health gently and respectfully enough.
This book is just so phenomenal. Read it!
Happy reading!
Olivia
~ Liv the Book Nerd ~
Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository Affiliate Code // Ko-Fi // Book of the Month
No comments:
Post a Comment