Take A Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2) by Talia Hibbert

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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?

Source: ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review, Netgalley

The second book in The Brown Sisters series introduces us to the sassy, brazen and highly ridiculous Dani who livens up any space that she's in. She's intoxicating which is exactly how Zaf feels about her. The two of them work in the same building - she a professor, he a secruity guard - and when a video of him rescuing her during an emergency drill gone wrong goes viral, they're instant superstars. Couple goals, baby! They decide to egg it for what it's worth so they pretend to date, playing it up to the gawkers to gain publicity for his youth program, Tackle It. As a former rugby player who's been through his own fair share of emotional turmoil, he espouses the importance of mental health especially in young boys whom society tells it's wrong to show emotions. A relationship, even a fake one is untested territory to Dani who likes to avoid commitment. 

Talia Hibbert writes the BEST banter! Zaf and Dani flirt, bait each other and toss out quick retorts which amuses and keeps things lively. There's not a boring moment when these two have the most insane chemistry! Dani is straight up confident in her sexuality and her desires, and Zaf is equally honest. Attraction aside they do approach the concept of relationships differently, in part due to their personal struggles. Zaf suffers from anxiety but has developed ways to cope. I liked how Hibbert demonstrated the way his anxiety manifests showing that it differs for everyone. I was awed by how she had Dani be so patient and supportive through this because Dani isn't one to put someone ahead of herself. After a bad experience she vowed never to compromise for anyone ever so the fact that this vivacious person could be so quiet during one of Zaf's episodes and just be present with him is one of the little things that makes Hibbert's characters so lovable. Zaf's sensitivity and insistence on being in touch with his emotions is the anti-alpha move and I am all for it. Dani's effusive embrace of her femininity and sexuality makes her one of the most appealing characters I've ever read. Seriously, Dani and Zaf breathe new life for relationship dynamics. I'm not giving anything away here but let me just say that the ending is super sweet and shows how much they evolve.

Talia Hibbert is an enigmatic writer. I love how she phrases things, sets up situations and takes quirky to new levels. Though it's only the second book of hers I've read I know for sure that I can never know what to expect from her or her characters. Take A Hint, Dani Brown is genuinely hilarious, sexy and aspirational. It's good-feel vibes through and through.

~ Bel

The Play by Karina Halle

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A troubled Scottish rugby player who doesn't play by the rules. 

A vivacious man-eater who's given up on love.

When it comes to Lachlan and Kayla, opposites don't just attract - they explode.

Kayla Moore has always been comfortable with her feisty, maneating reputation. At least it was fine until she hit her thirties and saw her best friends Stephanie and Nicola settle down with Linden and Bram McGregor, leaving Kayla to be the odd one out. Tired of being the third wheel with nothing but one-night stands and dead-end dates in San Francisco, Kayla decides to take a vow of celibacy and put men on the backburner.

That is until she lays her eyes on Linden and Bram’s cousin, hot Scot Lachlan McGregor. Lachlan is her sexual fantasy come to life – tall, tatted, and built like a Mack truck. With a steely gaze and successful rugby career back in Edinburgh, he’s the kind of man that makes her want to throw her vow right out the window. But Lachlan’s quiet and intense demeanor makes him a hard man to get to know, let alone get close to.

It isn’t until the two of them are thrown together one long, unforgettable night that Kayla realizes there is so much more to this brooding macho man than what meets the eye. But even with sparks flying between the two, Lachlan can’t stay in America forever. Now, Kayla has to decide whether to uproot her whole life and chance it all on someone she barely knows or risk getting burned once again.

Sometimes love is a game that just needs to be played.

Holy cow! This achingly sweet and intense novel has given me THE biggest book hangover! So many feels going through me now that I’m still recovering from.

The Play is a case of opposites attract. Kayla is swearing off men – in theory that is until she’s introduced to Lachlan, a hot Scottish rugby player who’s in San Francisco for a visit. He makes her weak in the knees and she wants to do many things to him. Lachlan who’s in town with the sole purpose of helping with his cousin’s business venture, has no intentions of getting involved with anyone, anywhere, anytime. Kayla is a different matter. Both are interested in each other but the fact that he’s only in town for another week makes it illogical for them to start something. Her outgoing personality is a contrast to his dour one, so it’s unsettling to him that she actually gets under his skin. For Kayla, she’s simply beguiled by this guy who shows moments of tenderness behind his gruff exterior. Their hooking up is inevitable and thank the gods because these two together are positively combustible!

I admire Karina Halle for writing a fierce and brazen character in Kayla. It’s not too often that I come across a heroine who owns her sexuality and states exactly what she wants. At the same time, she’s floundering career-wise. I thought it was an accurate portrayal of someone in their 30’s who’s attempting to make sense of how their original ideals and goals hold up against their present situation. Just because you have it all figured out in one area of your life doesn’t mean that’s how it is all the way around. Then there’s Lachlan. To say he needs a massive hug is an understatement! I liked that we are given brief glimpses into his turbulent past, just enough to understand that he’s been through some terrifying things that have scarred him. While on the outside he’s guarded, the walls do come down unleashing a flood of serious emotional distress. Lachlan’s problems go way deep, and the complexity of them are described cleverly and sympathetically.

By the time I was done with The Play, I was a bit of a mess. My emotions ran the gamut thanks to Kayla and Lachlan’s heated romance, their various issues, and Lachlan’s love of rescuing dogs, particularly pit bulls. I have to admit, I didn’t realize how misunderstood and vilified pit bulls have been made out to be. By making Lachlan an advocate for stray animals, Halle has also shed light on a serious cause: that of abused or unwanted dogs in desperate need of good homes. She’s so passionate about this cause that she has even donated $1 from every pre-sale and first-week sale of The Play towards various animal shelters! (If you'd like more info on how much money has been raised from sales and where's it's going click here.) 

The Play is the second book by Karina Halle that I've read (Where Sea Meets Sky being the other one) and it contains the same passion and heat that drew me in. Set in two of my favourite locales, San Francisco and Scotland, it was like I was sight-seeing again as I immersed myself in the story. As a new fan of her writing, I will definitely be making my way through her catalogue. If you need more encouragement to read this book, will it help to know that the muse for Lachlan was based on none other than Tom Hardy, another advocate for rescuing and adopting dogs? Yeah...go ahead and drool. And pick up The Play while you're at it!

~ Bel

Photo: Esquire UK May 2015 issue

*The Play is a stand alone novel. The Pact and The Offer also feature the same recurring characters and can be read in any order.

The Play by Karina Halle Cover Reveal

A troubled Scottish rugby player who doesn't play by the rules.

A vivacious man-eater who's given up on love.
When it comes to Lachlan and Kayla, opposites don't just attract - they explode.

Kayla Moore has always been comfortable with her feisty, maneating reputation. At least it was fine until she hit her thirties and saw her best friends Stephanie and Nicola settle down with Linden and Bram McGregor, leaving Kayla to be the odd one out. Tired of being the third wheel with nothing but one-night stands and dead-end dates in San Francisco, Kayla decides to take a vow of celibacy and put men on the backburner.

That is until she lays her eyes on Linden and Bram’s cousin, hot Scot Lachlan McGregor. Lachlan is her sexual fantasy come to life – tall, tatted, and built like a Mack truck. With a steely gaze and successful rugby career back in Edinburgh, he’s the kind of man that makes her want to throw her vow right out the window. But Lachlan’s quiet and intense demeanor makes him a hard man to get to know, let alone get close to.

It isn’t until the two of them are thrown together one long, unforgettable night that Kayla realizes there is so much more to this brooding macho man than what meets the eye. But even with sparks flying between the two, Lachlan can’t stay in America forever. Now, Kayla has to decide whether to uproot her whole life and chance it all on someone she barely knows or risk getting burned once again.
Sometimes love is a game that just needs to be played.

ADD TO GOODREADS

AMAZON  ***   AMAZON UK  *** AMAZON AU

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky, Racing the Sun, The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Atria Books/Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle , on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com  and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.

 FACEBOOK   TWITTER   GOODREADS   AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Stand-Off (Winger #2) by Andrew Smith

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Reviewed by Bel

It’s his last year at Pine Mountain, and Ryan Dean should be focused on his future, but instead, he’s haunted by his past. His rugby coach expects him to fill the roles once played by his lost friend, Joey, as the rugby team’s stand-off and new captain. And somehow he’s stuck rooming with twelve-year-old freshman Sam Abernathy, a cooking whiz with extreme claustrophobia and a serious crush on Annie Altman—aka Ryan Dean’s girlfriend, for now, anyway.

Equally distressing, Ryan Dean’s doodles and drawings don’t offer the relief they used to. He’s convinced N.A.T.E. (the Next Accidental Terrible Experience) is lurking around every corner—and then he runs into Joey’s younger brother Nico, who makes Ryan Dean feel paranoid that he’s avoiding him. Will Ryan Dean ever regain his sanity?

From the author of the National Book Award–nominated 100 Sideways Miles, which Kirkus Reviews called “a wickedly witty and offbeat novel,” Stand-Off is filled with hand-drawn infographics and illustrations and delivers the same spot-on teen voice and relatable narrative that legions of readers connected with in Winger.

Ryan Dean is now a senior at ripe young age of fifteen. Things are a bit different in the year since losing Joey. He and Annie are officially dating now; O Hall, his former dorm is closed, as a result he now has to reside on the first floor of a different dorm with a new roommate. Here’s the rub: this new kid, Sam Abernathy is only twelve. Not only does Ryan Dean have to bear the embarrassment of being the only senior on the first floor but he’s now stuck with a pre-pubescent kid! The powers that be thought it’d be a good idea for Sam to room with him since he himself was the youngest kid at the school. Ryan Dean has no interest in being friendly to him. He looks at Sam aka The Abernathy (also called a host of other ridiculous names he assigns him) as an outsider. Still dealing with the loss of his best friend, Joey last year, Ryan Dean has this constant dread looming over him that the worst is going to happen at any moment.

Rugby which usually provides some kind of solace for Ryan Dean has now become a weight on his shoulders. When his coach asks him to be the new team captain, replacing his former teammate and best friend, he’s reluctant to do it. How can he live up to that? Then he runs into Joey’s younger brother Nico, who he feels this desparate need to reach out to. Nico is probably the only other person who can understand the loss that Ryan Dean feels but he's reluctant to talk.

While I’ve been excited about Stand-Off for some time, I was also hesitant to read it. As phenomenal as Winger was, I was so shaken after reading it that I was afraid of what new turmoil might be awaiting me in these pages. However, as soon as I was done with the first page I felt an instant wave of affection for Ryan Dean. Some things may have changed but his humor and self-deprecation are very much intact. It’s impossible to not find his awkwardness and knuckleheaded moments endearing. And his doodles are as always, hilarious! What sets him apart is that he's experienced a tragedy that you wouldn't want befall on anyone. Otherwise, he’s like any goofy fifteen year-old with a wild imagination, a strange assortment of friends and a certain stubborness that lands him in some trouble. Believe me when I say that Ryan Dean and his antics have given me plenty to think of as I prepare for my own son's steps towards adolescence!

Fans of Smith's works will enjoy Stand-Off. Mind you I'm slowly making my way through his catalog and have read three of his books so far, including this one, but they all carry his unmistakable style and wit. For those who've read Winger, fell in love with it like I did and felt a need for some closure, I certainly found it here. Stand-Off is the perfect follow-up!

~ Bel

Winger (Winger #1) by Andrew Smith

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Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

I’ve seen this book around and was both intrigued and grossed out by the cover.  I mean who wants to stare at a bloody nose? But once again, if I’m at the library and it’s in front of me, I go for it. And boy, what a story this turned out to be!

It took me a couple of chapters to get into Winger and once I did, I just had a blast with his fourteen year-old sense of humor and wit. This kid is hilarious and smart! Every time he quipped about what a loser he was, I could honestly hear the disdain and resignation in his voice. He is such a hapless, awkward hero and it’s most glaringly apparent when he’s around his crush, Annie. His inner monologues are ridiculous. When he’s assigned to room with Chas, one of the meathead teammates from his rugby team, even he’s surprised that he hasn’t been beaten to a pulp yet. The two of them form a shaky and unlikely friendship based on poker, beer and taunts.

What makes Winger enjoyable is that Ryan Dean is essentially an "every kid" going through those rough and awkward stages of growing up: puberty, girls, being one of the guys. In his case, the horrors are magnified because he’s in 11^th grade. Being the youngest gives him a slight disadvantage when it comes to his love life, but you’d never realize it seeing how his other friends treat him. Ryan Dean ends up bonding with his fellow teammates, guys he is either been intimidated by or thought would have no interest being friends with him. His confidence grows both on and off the field as does his own awareness of the people and relationships around him. His teammate Joey, who is becoming his best friend, happens to be gay, and many times Ryan Dean acknowledges that Joey’s “gayness” does not affect him. I fully appreciated his introspective observations about the relationships surrounding him, sorting out for himself how he feels about all his friends and all the changes they’re experiencing. As read it, I kept thinking how I hope when my son gets to that age, that he can be as bright and true to himself as Ryan Dean. I also kept thinking, wow, boys are such perverts. Yeah, I realize those two thoughts cancel each other out!

The unexpected and life-shattering event that occurs has a very somber affect throughout the remainder of the book.  I was too blindsided and stunned to even absorb the rest of what was happening. I had a restless night’s sleep after I’d read it and each time I tossed and turned I remember wondering if that really happened. Sure enough, it did. I re-read that brief chapter again, willing so desperately for it to be different. Once I accepted it (unwillingly), I went through the rest of the chapters a couple of times, but I could not escape that feeling of being punched in the gut.

I cannot express enough how much I love this book. Five stars is our highest rating and I wish I could give it an entire cluster. This is my favourite kind of discovery, where you grab a book without suspecting in the least that it will impact you significantly. Winger is a profound journey through the ups and downs of growing up, changing relationships, endless embarrassing moments (oh just wait til you get to the Spongebob bandaid story) and loyalty among friends, making it a strong contender for my Top 10 of 2014.

~ Bel