Category Archives: The Brown Sisters Series

March 11, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

Title:Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
The Brown Sisters Series Book Three
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 393 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

In USA Today bestselling author Talia Hibbert’s newest rom-com, 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:

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert is an endearing romance. This third installment in The Brown Sisters series can be read as a standalone but I HIGHLY recommend the entire series.

Eve Brown has flitted from career to career and her parents finally put their foot down. They are cutting off her trust payments until she holds a job for an entire year. Upset, Eve goes for a drive and ends up at an adorable B&B that is looking for a chef. Through a series of erm, mishaps, she is now the Chef at the Castell Cottage B&B. Eve is also trying to prove to herself and her new boss B&B owner Jacob Wayne, that she is the absolute right person for her new job.

Eve is the youngest in her family and she feels like she has never measured up to her sisters. She has always had trouble fitting in and her education and job failures leave her lacking self-esteem. Eve does not want to love her new job because, in the past, that seems to doom her chances of success. But she is  completely comfortable cooking and taking care of the B&B’s guests. Eve’s upbeat, sunny personality makes her a hit with everyone except for Jacob.

Jacob is methodical and sticks closely to his routine. He initially convinces himself that his impulsive new employee is not at all suited for working for him. Jacob is straight-forward and always speaks his mind, which other people sometimes find off-putting.  He is delighted that Eve is also not one to hold back her opinions or thoughts. Jacob gradually realizes he is attracted to her but he does not want to take advantage of an employee.

Eve is drawn to Jacob and an unexpected friendship springs up between them. Some of their interactions are laugh out loud funny while others poignantly pull on the heartstrings. Jacob helps Eve understand herself better and she begins to grow more confident. After they give in to their mutual attraction, will Eve and Jacob give their fledgling romance time to grow?

Act Your Age, Eve Brown is a fun romance that deals with true to life issues. Eve and Jacob are wonderful characters whose flaws add to their charm.  The storyline is engaging and perfectly blends humor with more serious topics. Their friendship gradually turns into a steamy romance but their respective fears threaten to derail their burgeoning relationship. Old and new fans of Talia Hibbert’s The Brown Sisters series are sure to enjoy this  captivating romance.

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Filed under Act Your Age Eve Brown, Avon, Contemporary, Rated B+, Review, Romance, Talia Hibbert, The Brown Sisters Series

June 17, 2020 · 11:58 pm

Review: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Title: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
The Brown Sisters Series Book Two
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 398 pages
Book Rating: C+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

USA Today bestselling author 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 big, brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and former rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact to him, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Suddenly, 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 is 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.

The easy lay Dani dreamed of is now 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:

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert is a cute romance that is also quite steamy. This second installment in The Brown Sisters series can be read as a standalone.

Danika “Dani” Brown does not want a relationship. She is very career-oriented and focused so she often disappoints her romantic partners. Dani is open to a no strings fling so when a video of security guard Zafir “Zaf” Ansari carrying her from their work building goes viral, she agrees to a fake relationship in order to help the charity he runs. Before the pretend romance, Dani enjoys Zaf’s company so spending extra time with him is no hardship. He readily agrees  to her rules but suddenly, she is the one breaking them.  Having been hurt in the past, Dani puts a screeching halt to anything resembling  feelings.

Zafir is no stranger to pain, grief and anxiety. After recovering from a tragic loss, he started a sports charity and uses his past experiences to teach young men to accept and express their emotions. Zaf does not like being in the media spotlight, so he is not quite hitting the mark with publicizing his charity. Thanks to his interfering niece, the viral video shines a spotlight just where he wants it.  However, in order to capitalize on the free publicity, Zafir and Dani keep their fake relationship in the public eye. Behind the scenes, they are enjoying their time together and mutually agree to give into their sizzling attraction. Zaf is a little leery of this part of their arrangement since he does not indulge in meaningless flings. He easily justifies his decision to himself but will he keep his heart out of their arrangement?

Both Dani and Zafir are delightful characters that are vibrantly developed. Their exchanges are witty and their text messages are laugh out loud funny. Due to his struggles with anxiety, Zafir is self-aware and comfortable with expressing his feelings.  Dani is unapologetically honest about what she wants in life and she steadfastly works hard to reach her goals. She is also not quite as inflexible about letting Zaf into her life as she originally believes. They perfectly complement one another and their bedroom scenes are off the charts smoking hot.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown is a lovely romance with a diverse cast of characters. The storyline is enjoyable although it is a little predictable. Zaf and Dani are a well-rounded couple who are genuinely appealing. However, both of them get lost in their own heads which leads to long introspective passages that become repetitive. The conflict that arises is unsurprising but Talia Hibbert  resolves their issue in a very sweet and imaginative manner.  An enjoyable addition to The Brown Sisters series that will leave readers eagerly awaiting Eve’s story.

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Filed under Avon, Contemporary, Rated C+, Review, Romance, Take a Hint Dani Brown, Talia Hibbert, The Brown Sisters Series

November 3, 2019 · 11:58 pm

Review: Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Title: Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
The Brown Sisters Series Book One
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 384 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Talia Hibbert, one of contemporary romance’s brightest new stars, delivers a witty, hilarious romantic comedy about a woman who’s tired of being “boring” and recruits her mysterious, sexy neighbor to help her experience new things—perfect for fans of Sally Thorne, Jasmine Guillory, and Helen Hoang!

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 by Talia Hibbert is a sweet and sexy romance that is laugh out loud funny and achingly poignant.

Thirty one year old Chloe Brown has a life altering epiphany following a close brush with an accident.  Deciding it is high time she leads a more exciting life, she moves into an apartment and pens a list of must do adventures. Chloe is a smart, sarcastic and funny woman but chronic illness has left her socially awkward and afraid to trust anyone outside of her family. She has many mechanism she relies on to cope with her debilitating pain but she is ready to step out of her comfort zone. Chloe is not looking for love, but she is unexpectedly fascinated with and attracted to building superintendent, Redford “Red” Morgan.

Red is a gifted artist who is comfortable in his own skin yet is plagued with self doubts following  a disastrous relationship.  He is incredibly charming but still healing from the romance that has forever changed him.  Due to superficial similarities to his ex, Red is initially put off by Chloe despite being drawn to her. However, he soon realizes he has drastically misjudged her

Red’s and Chloe’s relationship is at first transactional as she helps him build a website in exchange for his assistance in ticking off items from her “get a life” list. But as they spend time together, their perceptions about their respective lives begin to slowly alter. Chloe realizes the items on her list need to have deeper meaning. At the same time, Red gradually becomes aware that he might just be ready to step back out into the world. But as their feelings for each other deepen, will the unresolved demons from their pasts prevent them from finding a future together?

Get a Life, Chloe Brown is a highly entertaining and thought-provoking novel that is quite captivating. Chloe and Red are fully developed, multi-faceted characters whose flaws and strengths are very easy to relate to.  Talia Hibbert deftly balances serious issues with humor and the resulting story will resonate with readers. I absolutely loved and highly recommend this heartfelt and engaging romance. I cannot wait to read the next installment in The Brown Sisters series.

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Filed under Avon, Contemporary, Get a Life Chloe Brown, Rated B+, Review, Romance, Talia Hibbert, The Brown Sisters Series