AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In 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.
Featured on Parade, PopSugar, Marie Claire, Oprah Mag, Bustle, Shondaland, CNN.com, Kirkus Magazine, Bookpage, USA Today, Bookish, Bookriot, and more!
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.
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In 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.
Featured on Parade, PopSugar, Marie Claire, Oprah Mag, Bustle, Shondaland, CNN.com, Kirkus Magazine, Bookpage, USA Today, Bookish, Bookriot, and more!
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.
Critiques-
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January 4, 2021
Hibbert serves up all the heat and humor fans expect in her finale to the Brown Sisters series (after Take a Hint, Dani Brown), but the romance itself feels half-baked. At 26, Eve Brown bolts from home after her parents call her a “spoiled brat,” cut off her trust fund, and ask her to stick with a job for a year. She ends up at the storybook-beautiful Castell Cottage Bed-and-Breakfast, where she impulsively interviews for the open chef position—despite not really wanting it. After she hits Castell Cottage owner, Jacob Wayne, with her car, Jacob’s friend Montrose guilts Eve into taking the job and helping to run the B&B while Jacob’s indisposed. Jacob’s understandable qualms about working with someone who broke his arm fade as he and Eve discover they have a lot in common. Autistic Jacob is a charming and worthy hero, but entitled Eve’s refusal to accept the consequences of her actions grows grating and goes unresolved in the otherwise nuanced arc about her coming to realize her own neurodivergence. The idyllic English Lake District setting, steamy sex scenes, and wry humor leaven the otherwise underdeveloped Eve-centric plot, but readers who aren’t won over by the flighty heroine may struggle with this one. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. -
Starred review from February 1, 2021
Eve Brown is a disaster. After her career implodes her parents tell her it's time to sort out her life and move out of their house. This tough love sends Eve out of the city and into a job interview at Jacob Wayne's B&B in the English countryside. Jacob can't imagine a worse fit for the job. Eve strikes him as chaos personified, but when he's out of commission after a car accident, Eve gets a chance to prove herself. She's a natural in the hospitality industry, but as soon as Jacob heals, she's gone. The one thing Eve and Jacob agree on is that a human tornado can't be a fixture at the B&B--or in Jacob's ordered life. VERDICT This satisfying conclusion to Hibbert's "Brown Sisters" trilogy provides a happily ever after for the third Brown sister. Through Jacob and Eve, both characters on the autism spectrum, Hibbert explores themes of self-discovery and belonging with her trademark humor and sensitivity, providing plenty of heat as her characters begin to understand each other. --Jessica Moore, Milwaukee P.L.
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Starred review from February 15, 2021
A British woman takes a job as a chef at a bed-and-breakfast owned by a handsome, grumpy man. Eve Brown has always struggled to finish what she starts--university, jobs, relationships. After her latest job-related disaster, her parents give her an ultimatum: They're cutting off their financial support until she can hold down a job. Furious and embarrassed at disappointing herself and her family again, Eve takes off in her car and ends up a few hours away in the Lake District. On a lark, she applies for a job as a cook at a bed-and-breakfast, but owner Jacob Wayne can just tell that Eve is too inexperienced and undisciplined for the job. When an unexpected accident leaves Jacob with no choice but to hire her, though, they're forced to work together to keep the bed-and-breakfast running. There isn't much of a plot; instead, it's all situational: How will these two people coexist despite their differences? Eve is caring but plagued by insecurities while Jacob is taciturn and methodical. Jacob, who has autism, helps Eve realize her own place on the spectrum. Eve's journey to understanding her fears is sweet, and Jacob's belief in her as a caring, capable adult is the stuff romance heroes are made of. Hibbert has a gift for writing truly funny dialogue and genuinely tender emotional moments. Full of heart and humor, this is a sexy, satisfying end to a beloved series. Absolutely charming.COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Starred review from December 1, 2020
Despite being multitalented and initially successful in every endeavor, it is impossible for Eve Brown to stick to one career path. Now her usually supportive parents present Eve with an ultimatum: her trust fund is cut off until she stays employed for one year. As luck would have it, an adorable bed and breakfast in the Lake District is looking for a new chef and Eve is determined to get the job in spite of the exacting owner, Jacob Wayne, whom she accidentally injures after a brutal interview. While Jacob nurses a broken arm, guilt pushes Eve to throw all her talents into cooking, cleaning, and generally making Jacob's guests feel right at home. For someone on the autism spectrum who finds most people insufferable, Jacob recognizes that Eve is a glowing exception to his rule and that her free-spirited inability to focus on one thing is a sign that she might be more like him than she realizes. Their biting banter and saucy looks will delight readers who enjoy a good enemies-to-lovers tale that doesn't shy away from epic sex scenes or raw emotions. Hibbert concludes the brilliant Brown Sisters series, following Get a Life, Chloe Brown (2019) and Take a Hint, Dani Brown, (2020), on high a note.COPYRIGHT(2020) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Taylor Jenkins Reid
"I love getting lost in a story that I cannot put down—and even better if it involves a lot of laughter and swooning. Talia Hibbert always delivers and her books are the perfect material for a beach trip or a pick-me-up. She's unputdownable, every time." — Taylor Jenkins Reid
"Talia Hibbert knows how to write funny, sharp characters with love interests who meet them toe to toe in such a *hot* way... The author's charm and wit sings off the page..." — Bolu Babalola, author of Love in Color
"[W]hen I read the Brown Sisters series by Talia Hibbert, those books warmed my heart because I got to see Black femmes who were in chronic pain, who were neurodivergent, and who didn't fit white supremacist beauty standards being loved and loved fiercely." — Akwaeke Emezi, author of You Made a Fool Out of Death with Your Beauty
"This witty enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract novel is downright adorable — all three Brown Sisters books need to be on every romance-lover's reading list!" — Popsugar
"Their biting banter and saucy looks will delight readers who enjoy a good enemies-to-lovers tale that doesn't shy away from epic sex scenes or raw emotions. Hibbert concludes the brilliant Brown Sisters series on high a note." — Booklist (starred review)
"This satisfying conclusion... provides a happily ever after for the third Brown sister. Through Jacob and Eve, both characters on the autism spectrum, Hibbert explores themes of self-discovery and belonging with her trademark humor and sensitivity, providing plenty of heat as her characters begin to understand each other." — Library Journal (starred review)
"Eve's journey to understanding her fears is sweet, and Jacob's belief in her as a caring, capable adult is the stuff romance heroes are made of. Hibbert has a gift for writing truly funny dialogue and genuinely tender emotional moments. Full of heart and humor, this is a sexy, satisfying end to a beloved series. Absolutely charming." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Talia Hibbert has quickly become the go-to writer for those who like their romances to be heartwarming, thought-provoking and fun in equal measure... Throughout Eve and Jacob's story, Hibbert exhibits masterful control of plot and character. Act Your Age, Eve Brown is a wonderful blend of tropes and reality. It's the kind of book that inspires myriad feelings: It will make you laugh, cry, sigh and swoon. But more than anything else, the experience of reading Act Your Age, Eve Brown is pure pleasure." — BookPage (Starred Review)
"There are perhaps few things that put me in a better mood than the prospect of a new Talia Hibbert book. [This] is her conclusion to the divine Brown sisters series, a trio of books as warm and comforting as a hug... Hibbert's books are always big-hearted, sexy-as-hell reads... Reading Act Your Age, Eve Brown is like nestling into a cloud, an invitation to float way on a dreamy, soft puff of bliss. Because Hibbert's books are brilliant, wonderful gifts, bursting with the promise that everything will be okay — at least while we're lost in her stories." — Entertainment Weekly
"The third novel in Hibbert's Brown Sisters trilogy is as delightful as her previous books. Eve — a purple-haired woman who specializes in chaos — finagles her way into a job at a B&B, working for the very uptight Jacob. Expect snappy dialogue and simmering tension that will inevitably turn romantic." — Washington...
