Talia Hibbert

Protective. Obsessive. And rough around the edges. James Foster knows the rules: you don't fall for your best friend's little sister. Nina is too young, too reckless, and too busy saving the world to be tied down by the commitment he craves. If he was smart, he'd stop wanting her. But she's the one thing on earth James just can't quit. Fierce. Principled. And impossible to resist. Political campaigner Nina Chapman is sick of one-time things. She wants forever, and she wants it with her brother's best friend-but James still sees her as a child to be coddled. So when a controversial article lands Nina in hot water, she finds herself under his protection and under his roof. It's a shame James doesn't want her in his bed, too. ...Or does he?

Guarding Temptation

menna

3.5 stars

talia hibbert's writing is amazing as usual but i'm kinda conflicted,,, this was SO hot skdshdf but it was also annoying at times especially because of the miscommunication trope. so im just going to give this 3.5 stars because i enjoyed it nonetheless

dija

Izza

2.5 stars | Sadly I didn't really enjoy this one. A little too much of that male-protector trope and I didn't really connect to the characters. Still looking forward to her next one.

Stefanie  Uwah

This one is really short but is still super spicy. The main thing preventing this from being 5 stars is that I found the thing keeping Nina and James apart to be extremely weak. This is supposed to be a brother's best friend trope but I was disappointed that it didn't really have much of a part in the story. But overall, it was an enjoyable read!

Jaclyn

Cute, light and fun. It’s fast, fluffy, and steamy all mixed in one! I just wanted it to be longer! I loved James and Nina together I wish their story was longer! I feel like this plot could have been expanded into a full book but it was sweet for what it was which is a short, happy and sexy story. I love Talia Hibberts writing and I love how even though this was a novella, it was well developed! If I’m ever in the mood for a great steamy novella, Talia hibbert is always first choice! Her writing is addicting and fun to get lost in! If you have a couple hours to spare and just want to feel happy for a few hours, this is a good one to pick up!

Nicki

It's actually somewhere between a 3/3.5, but it gets 4 stars here cause I saw a glimpse of my babies Jasmine and Rahul. I am very glad that this was a novella because the back and forth was getting tired cause y'all know ain't nothing I hate more than people who can't communicate! Ha Ha! James and Nina were cutee.....

Maya Federman

4.5 stars.

This was my first Talia Hibbert and let it be known that I will be coming back for more of her spicy goodness very soon.

Nina has been in love with her brother’s bestie James pretty much her whole life. They hook up, he freaks out, and she transforms his rejection into the silent treatment. Little does she know, James actually feels the same way for her. A situation arises that puts Nina’s life in danger, so James jumps at the chance to be her bodyguard.

Y’all know at this point that I love forced proximity, and this was no exception. These two want to rip each other’s clothes off so bad but both are also afraid of rejection and ruining their friendship. There are a few scenes in which they service themselves, together, (if you catch my drift) and holy fuck were those scenes hot. When they eventually come together fully, it’s well worth the wait. Sexual chemistry on level 1000.

If you like forced proximity, obsessed heroes, and excellent spice, I’d highly recommend this bad boy.

Lauren Sullivan

Content warnings: (view spoiler)[racism, cyberbullying and threats of violence (including doxxing), racially motivated tensions with police, near altercation in public (hide spoiler)]

First off, this is an expanded reissue of Talia Hibbert’s “Resisting Desire” from the Rogue Nights anthology. I reviewed it ages ago (has Brexit really been going on so long?) and remembered enjoying it, so I was excited to see what had been added and revisit some old friends. This is set after the two Dirty British Romance books, and while the main characters from Wanna Bet? make an appearance, this could be read as a standalone with no issues.

“Three years of unrequited adoration was more than enough. She was a dignified sort of woman, after all.”

Nina runs a website dedicated to independent political reporting, and her latest article on Brexit has led to death threats. Afraid to stay in her own home, and knowing the police will be of no help, she reaches out to her brother’s best friend James for help. Problem is, things are a bit awkward between the childhood friends after a kiss led to a make out session that blew both their minds. Can they go back to being just friends, or is whatever between them worth risking that friendship to explore?

“Everything was awful right now—monumentally awful—and this man was her only haven.
She couldn’t risk it. She couldn’t risk him.
Not now. Not ever.”

This novella is a whole bucketful of tropes – sibling’s best friend, friends to lovers, and forced proximity. While the sibling’s best friend trope is there – it’s how Nina and James met and became friends themselves – the worry about what her brother might think/James jeopardizing his friendship with him isn’t a big focus of the book, which I appreciated as that trope can make me go all “down with the patriarchy!” pretty quickly. Most of the fear of acting on their feelings is that they’ll ruin their own friendship – or rather, that a spur of the moment kiss (that led to a whole lot more) already has. Nina tends towards love-’em-and-leave-’em, and James worries that changing the terms of their relationship will mean that he’ll become just another notch on her bedpost. So while it hurts to keep his feelings from her, it’d hurt James’ heart even more if she left his life completely. Nina has some of the same worries, though for her, it’s more that she thinks he still has her cast firmly in the “kid sister” role, and his
“oh hell no” reaction to the steamy goings-on on his couch have cemented her commitment to keeping things platonic. It doesn’t help either of them that the awkwardness between them – six weeks of no contact – also happened squarely when Nina began receiving death threats, so James blames his libido for not being there for Nina when she needed him. My favorite part of this story, though, is that while Nina does lean on James for support, she’s the one who figures out the solution to her problems.

While many scenes have been expanded, my favorite addition was a trip to a trampoline party place. Seeing Nina and James goofing around together added a new dimension to their relationship that wasn’t present before. It’s a nice bit of lightness, too, as Ms. Hibbert doesn’t shy away from the realities of police racism and the double-standards for women in media, especially Black women, or the tension between doing what is right and protecting those you love.

The original story was one of the first things by Talia Hibbert that I read, and even though I’ve gobbled up the rest of her books since then, this one is still a sentimental favorite!

I received this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Jayarna La Bozzetta

This was cute and I can confirmed that Talia Hibbert is wonderful at writing steamy sex scenes. I didn't love the ending however, I felt it kinda ruined the great pacing for me.

Lonneke

This is a fun little novella about friends to lovers and I love Talia Hibbert her writing and characters. The story itself didn't have enough substance for me to be a full five stars though.

Jenni Clark

***4.5 stars

Loved this so much. Hibbert’s works are such a treat. Wish there were 100 more pages.

b.andherbooks

A quick, fun, and delightful novella featuring two pining idiots who are scared to ruin their friendship and run with their feelings. A great twist on the best friend's little sister trope, especially in the care taken to reject that form of toxic masculinity. Another fun hit from Hibbert. And wow that couch scene is FIRE!

I received a free ARC from the offer for review.

Alyssa deRaad

Kayl

Protective. Obsessive. And rough around the edges. James Foster knows the rules: you don’t fall for your best friend’s little sister. Nina is too young, too reckless, and too busy saving the world to be tied down by the commitment he craves. If he was smart, he’d stop wanting her. But she’s the one thing on earth James just can’t quit. Fierce. Principled. And impossible to resist. Political campaigner Nina Chapman is sick of one-time things. She wants forever, and she wants it with her brother’s best friend—but James still sees her as a child to be coddled. So when a controversial article lands Nina in hot water, she finds herself under his protection and under his roof. It’s a shame James doesn’t want her in his bed, too. …Or does he? Warning: this red-hot novella contains one radical leftist heroine, one over-protective hero, one annoying childhood nickname, and a shared apartment with only one bed. Also, Brexit. But not too much, I promise. Please note: a version of Guarding Temptation was previously published as Resisting Desire in the Rogue Nights anthology. This version has been revised and expanded to double its previous length.

Guarding Temptation

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