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Talia Hibbert
Aug. 9th, 2022 01:17 pmTwo books of a contemporary romance trilogy about three black sisters. I read two of them because I could tell the middle book’s heroine was going to be waaaaay too much of a hot mess express for my enjoyment at this moment, and I do what I want. I liked these in general – they’re a big step up from her earlier books, which I bounced off of. And I particularly like having black heroines and one black hero in books that are not really about race, for the most part.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown
4/5. The one about Chloe, who moves out of her parents’ mansion to try and make it on her own. Which she can definitely do, though her bad case of fibro makes it tough going in places. She ends up asking her building superintendent for help, you know, getting a life. They have super hot sex, there’s a cat, it’s great. This definitely falls into the category of ‘wish fulfillment disability romance,’ because part of what makes him The One is how immediately and flawlessly he gets it. He knows how to plan for her unpredictable chronic pain, he doesn’t mind when her meds make her anorgasmic (and oh look, magic, she comes anyway), etc. That’s not life – attraction doesn’t grant a person a special ability to get it, trust me. This book is in general super invested in sorting people by how they react to a disability and keeping only those who get an A+. Doing that would result in having a very small world, which is exactly what this book is trying to expand, so it doesn’t really work here. But it’s a nice fantasy.
Content notes: Recollection of ableism, chronic illness.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown
4/5. Cranky bisexual wiccan Ph.D. student sister ends up fake dating the hot security guard on campus for romance reasons. He’s already falling hard but she doesn’t do relationships – is incapable, she thinks – so it gets a little messy when they start sleeping together. Also, the universe is trying to give her a hint here and she’s a bit slow on the uptake. Points for a fat heroine where the hero appreciates every inch.
Content notes: Recollection of grief and depression.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown
4/5. The one about Chloe, who moves out of her parents’ mansion to try and make it on her own. Which she can definitely do, though her bad case of fibro makes it tough going in places. She ends up asking her building superintendent for help, you know, getting a life. They have super hot sex, there’s a cat, it’s great. This definitely falls into the category of ‘wish fulfillment disability romance,’ because part of what makes him The One is how immediately and flawlessly he gets it. He knows how to plan for her unpredictable chronic pain, he doesn’t mind when her meds make her anorgasmic (and oh look, magic, she comes anyway), etc. That’s not life – attraction doesn’t grant a person a special ability to get it, trust me. This book is in general super invested in sorting people by how they react to a disability and keeping only those who get an A+. Doing that would result in having a very small world, which is exactly what this book is trying to expand, so it doesn’t really work here. But it’s a nice fantasy.
Content notes: Recollection of ableism, chronic illness.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown
4/5. Cranky bisexual wiccan Ph.D. student sister ends up fake dating the hot security guard on campus for romance reasons. He’s already falling hard but she doesn’t do relationships – is incapable, she thinks – so it gets a little messy when they start sleeping together. Also, the universe is trying to give her a hint here and she’s a bit slow on the uptake. Points for a fat heroine where the hero appreciates every inch.
Content notes: Recollection of grief and depression.
