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:
Absolutely loved! Talia Hibbert was not exaggerating when she described Zaf, her latest hero, in her last author newsletter. That man is all that, and more!
(He reads romance! And coaches rugby teams on how to take care of their mental health! And actually pays attention to Dani when she talks–and remembers what she says! Plus, he reads her academic articles! I could go on and on and on, but really–read it for yourself. Once you do, let the Zaf-gushing commence. Trust me, it’s inevitable.)
Honestly, from her descriptions of them Dani’s previous romantic partners were all seriously lacking. But even if they had been more…average? I hesitate to say “normal”…OMG, they would have paled in comparison to the significant other that Zaf is, and has clearly always was meant to be. Dani wasn’t a slouch in this department either–for all of her I can’t do relationships and I’m just in it for the Os protestations, the way she took a single mention from Zaf about panic attacks as a reason read up on them, and then was an absolute rock star when he then had one in front of her? I mean, good grief. These two. They were almost too much.
(Yet, not. Because this book could have gone on for another 400+ pages and I would be here for it.)
I really enjoyed Chloe’s book ( Get a Life, Chloe Brown ) and I’m sure Eve’s book will be perfectly lovely…but goodness. Dani and Zaf will stay in my memory as one of *those* couples for a good long time, I am sure.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.