Get a Life, Chloe Brown
About the Book:
Author: Talia Hibbert
Published: November 5th, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Description:
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…
Review:
Get a Life, Chloe Brown is a dual POV book about the relationship between Chloe and Redford. I found, the tension between them was somewhat established at the beginning of the book but it took me about 100 pages in to get fully invested in the idea of them as a couple. After that point I started enjoying their little moments a lot more. Additionally, in the beginning Chloe is quite a rude character but by the end of the book you come to understand her vulnerabilities thus liking her more. However, her personality remains the main reason I rated this book so low. I thought she was totally outshone by Red who was a hilarious, sexy ray of sunshine.
Speaking of…due to the dual POV you get to see Red’s side of their pining for each other which is not as common in contemporary romance books, most of which are from the perspective of a singular character only. I really enjoyed his emotional journey regarding their relationship as he’s the one who falls first. I also loved reading some of the hotter scenes from Red’s view as Hibbert captures the male perspective really well.
I have mixed feelings about the ending of this book…On one hand it was a happy ending but on the other hand it was after a painful fight based on miscommunication(I know a lot of people hate this trope) which I didn’t enjoy as much. So to conclude, though I enjoyed certain little moments between the couple I wasn’t as invested in this story as I would have liked.
Rating: 3.0
Trigger Warnings: reference to past emotionally/physically abusive relationships(including sexual pressuring)
Tropes: grumpy/sunshine
Take a Hint, Dani Brown
About the Book:
Author: Talia Hibbert
Published: June 23rd, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Description:
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 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 was hooked on the main characters Dani and Zafir from the first chapter! Both of them are equally grumpy and yet totally adorable. I found the use of the fake dating trope was really well done with them particularly. It brings them together and allows their relationship to progress from friendship to more. I also loved how Zaf fell for her first and then she slowly grew to realize she loved him back just as deeply. This,I think, was because she was the emotionally unavailable one not him. It was nice to see that romance trope reversed.
Dani’s character development was a huge part of this story and I thought it was incredibly well done. The author makes you love her as a character and then slowly shows you her flaws, but not in a way that makes you hate her, in a way that makes you understand her.
It was so fun to see the three sisters interact in this book, and if you read the first one in the series you get little moments that reference it! It was also nice to see their dynamic more than in the first and specifically how they support Dani when she finally lets her guard down.
The spicy scenes were particularly great in this book! Zaf is commanding in the sexiest way possible, I’m obsessed with him. Dani is equally sexy and just generally a badass. This compatibility mixed with independence, I think, is a huge part of what makes them a really good couple. Finally, I really loved this book and would recommend it to anyone but especially to fans of the fake dating trope.
Rating: 4.0
Trigger Warnings: prominent discussion of mental health(anxiety), single joke about consent(pg.10)
Tropes: Fake dating, friends to lovers
Act Your Age, Eve Brown
About the Book:
Author: Talia Hibbert
Published: March 9th, 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Description:
In Act Your Age, Eve Brown the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard—literally.
Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It's time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she's not entirely sure how…
Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.
Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.
Review:
With this book I quickly fell for both characters, I’m a sucker for a classic grumpy/sunshine romance and Eve and Jacob are the definition of one. I particularly liked Eve who is so sweet and genuine while being absolutely hilarious at the same time. The dual POV is really great in this book because it is enemies to lovers so you get to see them slowly warming up to each other after the original “hate” they both felt. Additionally, it reads like a slow burn, the spicy bits don’t happen until 2/3 into the book, but it’s worth the wait of course! I especially appreciated how respectful Jacob is toward her while still being super hot.
Finally, I love love loved the ending of this book, even though there was a fight first, I completely wanted to see them have a happy end as they really were perfect for each other, dare I say soulmates. I also loved the involvement of the family as by the third book you love all those characters and are excited to see them again on page. To conclude, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves grumpy/sunshine romances.
Rating: 4.0
Trigger Warnings: discussions of autism throughout the book
Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers
Final Thoughts
This series overall was really fun to read. Each romance was perfect in the way that they were all sweet as well as spicy. I also loved how in all the books each characters core value was family, the connection between the sisters and the rest of their relatives, especially their grandmother, was present throughout the series. I’d recommend this as a great introductory series to anyone looking to get into romance as well as to any contemporary romance lovers out there!
Series Rating: 4.0
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