[Book Review] Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

FACK, this book had me swooning real quick.

I loved that both Danika and Zafir had emotional trauma they needed to sort through and how, as the story progressed, they were accepting and supportive of the other particularly when it came to her past relationship baggage and his family tragedy. I also felt like the mental health aspects of the story were handled respectfully and realistically.

Talia, you should really warn a reader before writing such a delicious leading man like Zaf. I MEAN, ALL OF THE SMOLDERING AND SWEETNESS?! Gah. AND he reads romance?! Stop giving me extremely high expectations.

Call it the social media professional in me but I’m really vibing on novels that include some social media drama, in this case, having that video go viral.

The sexual tension was REAL and I literally kept thinking, you two better have sex ASAP. A+ on those scenes, though I did burst out laughing when the table broke. Because of all of the inner dialogue/thoughts shared with the reader as we went along, I was really cheering for both of their walls to come down and embrace the situation fully. And yes, I did cry when he said “I love you as you are” because isn’t that just the ultimate?

This book is technically book two in the Brown Sisters series but I feel like it can be read on its own so no worries there.

Pick up your copy of Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert on Bookshop.org and let’s discuss!

Favorite Black Romance Novelists

In honor of Black History Month and Valentine’s Day, I’m sharing my favorite Black romance novelists and their work. I still have many books by Black authors on my TBR but these are only books that I have read and recommend. Let me know if you’ve picked any of these up!

Ms. Beverly Jenkins

A huge thank you to my romance book club for introducing me to the work of Ms. Bev! Forbidden was my first historical/western romance and I absolutely LOVED it! I am definitely going to keep reading this series (and have the following book on my shelves), I really liked how she addressed race and society ‘standards’ in a very matter-of-fact way.

Purchase a copy of FORBIDDEN.

Rebekah Weatherspoon

Honestly, Rebekah is pretty much an automatic buy for me. Most recently I’ve been obsessed with her Cowboys of California series (omg so much swoon) but my first introduction was her sugar baby novella series, starting with So Sweet. Her books have the perfect combo of intriguing characters and sexy steam, I basically devour her books as soon as I buy them. Listing my favorites below!

Xeni: A Marriage of Inconvenience

A Cowboy to Remember

If the Boot Fits: A Smart & Sexy Cinderella Story

Sugar Baby Novella Series: So Sweet, So Right, So For Real

Alyssa Cole

I remember seeing Alyssa Cole’s books on the front table at The Ripped Bodice and being intrigued by the covers but it took me while before I picked one up to read. Oh man, I’m so sad I waited! I absolutely tore through her Reluctant Royals series and am looking forward to picking up her first thriller (When No One Is Watching) soon. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the LA Festival of Books and she was so nice! I love supporting friendly and talented authors. If you’re going to pick up the Reluctant Royals series, I highly recommend reading them in order and not skipping the novellas!

A Princess in Theory

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy

A Duke by Default

Can’t Escape Love

A Prince on Paper

Jasmine Guillory

To say that Jasmine’s books made a splash is an understatement. I remember seeing The Wedding Date EVERYWHERE and man oh man, once I got my hands on a copy I immediately saw why people were so in love with it. Her entire Wedding Date series is so charming and funny and relatable, I absolutely loved them all. I think my two favorites (if I HAD to pick) were The Proposal and Royal Holiday. I can’t remember the last time I saw my copy of The Wedding Date and The Proposal, I’ve lent them out so many times!

The Wedding Date

The Proposal

The Wedding Party

Royal Holiday

Party of Two

*Links are affiliate links

She's a Mood Reader

I’m always fascinated by people who put together monthly TBRs for themselves. I’m what you would call a mood reader, I basically only pick up books I’m in the mood to read at the moment. It’s not uncommon for me to be reading 2 - 4 books at a time. My most common mix is a marketing/business book, a romance, and either a memoir or self help book. Those categories typically fit any of my moods.

If I find myself overwhelmed with life or particularly swoony, I reach for the romance.

If I’m still on work mode at the end of the day or on a weekend, I’ll open up whatever marketing or business book is on my side table.

And sometimes a memoir is the perfect solution to getting out of my head and walking that hypothetical mile in someone else’s shoes.

How can I predict my moods and put together a TBR to fit that? Impossible! Also my brain is an utter jerk because as soon as something is even suggested to be ‘required reading’ it shuts down and turns to another direction. This also makes me a horrible book club member.

Even the way I pick out my books is weird. At times, I will literally sit or stand in front of one of my bookcases and just scan my books until a cover jumps out at me. It can take a minute or it can take up to twenty.

So I’ll carry on my mood reader nonsense, I quite like the spontaneity of it all. Would love to hear if you’re a mood reader or if you plan your reading out in advanced, leave it in the comments!

[Book Review] Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey

I really enjoyed Tools of Engagement, it was a funny and steamy read (thx to the publisher for the gifted copy)! I still think the second book in this series was my favorite but this was right up there. Seeing Bethany push herself to move forward and face her fears (and imposter syndrome, perhaps?) was really great and hope it inspires people to take charge and go after a dream that scares them. I loved the chemistry between her and Wes, so steamy! The only thing that kind of threw me (and made me laugh bc it was a little ridiculous) was his weird possessive/jealous comments. IRL I would laugh at any guy who did that and throw a “bitch, please” in there as well.

I like how the show provided the platform to keep things moving along which in turn also fueled some of the drama and excitement. I will say, I’m a sucker for a book that has a kid in it. It just adds that additional layer of feels!

Overall, this book did literally make me laugh, cry, and fan myself 😂

Ode to a Book Stack

Is there anything more magical than a stack of books?

They can be a mountain of stories just waiting to be discovered.

They can be the perfect decor partner, standing by to give a boost to a monitor or a plant.

You make of them what you will but a stack of books will always be magical to me.

[Book Review] First Comes Like by Alisha Rai

Meet the book that kept me up till 2am because I couldn’t put it down. I was so caught up in Jia and Dev’s story, it was so sweet and enticing! I’ve realized I’m a sucker for a good story that shows strong family ties and really enjoyed how the family relationships play out.

Purchase your copy on Bookshop.org (affiliate link)

Release date: 2.16.21

My Review: Alisha Rai does it again! The latest in her Modern Love series absolutely hooked me from the start. I really love how her characters have dimension and what I would consider real life issues. I think a lot of us can relate to having a close family that is always occupying a piece of your mind. There was a variety of topics that were woven into the story in a respectful and interesting way, such as mental health, grief, anxiety, and even a touch of religion.

I definitely chuckled at all of the influencer lingo and descriptions. As someone who works with a lot of influencers on behalf of her clients, I can attest that Rai got pretty much everything spot on. Yes, there are actually several notable luxury apartment buildings scattered around L.A. that are home to clusters of influencers. A lot of them live there most of the time but it’s also not uncommon to do what Jia did and share a space as a studio.

Dev was certainly an interesting character to watch develop throughout the book. I like that he had his own work drama but that the focus seemed to be more on his family drama and relationship development with Jia.

I obviously don’t want to spoil too much but safe to say that I very much enjoyed this book and loved the way everything turned out in the end.

Publisher description: The author of The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral returns with a story about finding love in all the wrong inboxes...

Beauty expert and influencer Jia Ahmed has her eye on the prize: conquering the internet today, the entire makeup industry tomorrow, and finally, finally proving herself to her big opinionated family. She has little time for love, and even less time for the men in her private messages--until the day a certain international superstar slides into her DMs, and she falls hard and fast.

There's just one wrinkle: he has no idea who she is.

The son of a powerful Bollywood family, soap opera star Dev Dixit is used to drama, but a strange woman who accuses him of wooing her online, well, that's a new one. As much as he'd like to focus on his Hollywood fresh start, he can't get Jia out of his head. Especially once he starts to suspect who might have used his famous name to catfish her...

When paparazzi blast their private business into the public eye, Dev is happy to engage in some friendly fake dating to calm the gossips and to dazzle her family. But as the whole world swoons over their relationship, Jia can't help but wonder: Can an online romance-turned-offline-fauxmance ever become love in real life?

Note: I received an early copy from the publisher but opinions are entirely my own.