As a kid, I always wanted a twin so we could switch places and fool people, so when I read the synopsis for Scoring with the Wrong Twin I knew this book was for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Identical twins, unless you count the piercings and tattoo on one, the fact that one is super outgoing and an up and coming super model and the other is a app developer switch places when the model needs to be in two places at one time, what could go wrong? Well, in this case not much because the non-model finds love with a man who rocks her world in more ways than one.

Sophia Cruz has no idea how her model sister once again convinced her to do something she didn’t want to do, but the truth is Sophia has trouble saying no to Giovanna so she finds herself at a photo shoot for a sports/men’s magazine and wearing far too skimpy clothing and posing with Zephirin Black, tight end for the Washington Warriors NFL team; a man her sister has worked with before and a man who ignites her libido like no other.

The chemistry between these two was off the charts and I loved that Sophia turned down Zephirin’s demand she go out to dinner with him after the shoot. I like that she had the upper hand, but when they meet again by accident there was nothing stopping the lust train rolling through them. While I understood Sophia’s need to keep her sister’s secret, I also knew that by doing so she was jeopardizing what she was building with Zeph and she knew it as well. It was easy to see that “playing” her sister was something that bothered her especially as Zeph shared his past experience with her. I hated that while he really was getting to know the “real” Sophia, there were some things she simply couldn’t share for fear of harming her sister’s career. I will say I was impressed that Zeph turned a corner after a much needed talking to by his grandmother and made the ultimate grand gesture to show Sophia what she meant to him.

My only complaints; I kind of wanted to see the public’s reaction to their photo shoot because in my head those pictures were smokin’ hot and I wanted to see Sophia’s jerk of a boss realize what a mistake he made when the app she created for Zeph was hugely popular and her business was much sought after mainly because I’m a bit vindictive that way. That all being said, I enjoyed this easy romance that was filled with fun and some seriously steamy sexy times!

Very sexy hero! The cover made it a one click request, and was so happy I got approved! Loved this sexy romance!

Scoring with the Wrong Twin grabbed me from the beginning. Not only a twin story, a wrong twin story but a twin story where they swap places. I loved the premise of this book and the writing is exceptional. The characters have depth and their story does too. The simple premise might make you think it would be a simple story, but this story has a lot of depth. This book is very enjoyable and hard to put down once I picked it up. Thank you for sharing.

4.5 stars.
Naima Simone writes smoking hot reads and this one was no exception.
I absolutely loved it.
Sophia Cruz and her twin sister, Giovanna were so totally different in personalities but identical in looks and their true commitment to each other was sweet and adorable.
Excellent read from it's lovable characters, to the interesting sports-themed story line and of course the anticipated "switch" of the twins.
Zephirin was definitely worth the effort on Sophia's part of pretending to be her sister Giovanna. He was very much a "keeper".
Entertaining and sexy read, low drama and angst, well-written. I really like Naima's style of writing.
Have previously read several of her books.

I have not read this author before, but I am glad I took a chance. This was one of those stories that sucked me in and wouldn't let me go until I finished. It was well written and the characters were great. Loved it!

Rating 3.5

TW: transphobic statement.

Right so i waffled on how to rate this exactly. It's my first Naima Simone book and it had me torn because there was a lot to like here, but i had some problems with it as well.

First off i love the author's writing style. drew me right in.

I loved the chemistry between Zeph and Sophia in all their scenes together, especially that one where they first meet, during that photo shoot daaaaamn. Sparks flying everywhere.

Loved that we got POC mains yessss. Heroine's Puerto Rican and hero's a black man. awesomeness!!

BUT. I was also frustrated by this book a lot. There’s this line that threw me wayyyy out of a particular scene, and it was uttered by the hero “You and gossip. Makes me want to check you for panties instead of shorts” and whut >.> He was called TF out for that right away by one of the women they were hanging out with cuz I was about to get heated. But he didn’t even apologize so I’m still salty about it ._. And if you want to play that off as oh he spotted the heroine right then so was obviously too distracted to be listening or to apologize yeh nah I don’t know bout all that. Easy enough for him to realize how terrible it was to say that. It’s just so unnecessary ya know? Can we just not have the hero make comments that heavily imply things like “ugh you’re such a woman and thus less of a man for gossiping.” Just stop ok.

So that was the first thing that dragged me out of an otherwise captivating story and then...there was more. We get these moments of unnecessarily gendering things that were so annoying, and littered throughout in little scene, when I was so otherwise into the characters and the MCs’ chemistry. Like: how does the way someone drag their clothes off even indicate masculinity? It didn’t stop me from going back to reading but damn they kept throwing me off, and had me rolling my eyes, and just ugh…

There was even a line that was pretty damn transphobic so I just want people to be aware when they’re reading: “between his powerful thighs, and the thick, long part of him that made him a man,” Um no.

The longest of sighs.

So those are the things I did not like

But what I did like as I mentioned in my opening, the MCs had some serious off the charts chemistry. holy helllll them together was scorch the page hot???? Like…phew…all the fire emoji. This author can write a tension filled sex scene daaaamn!!

I really liked Sophia. Yes, she knew Zeph hated being lied to and yes she was doing it to him but I understood? She’d done this favour for her sis and was protecting her by keeping up her charade as Giovanna so I got that and I could see how torn up Sophia really was about all this. Through her POV we see her berating herself for lying, constantly. She wasn’t lying to him out of maliciousness, she really thought she was protecting her sister's career.

So while I kept shaking my head at her the longer it went on it didn’t make me hate her but I reallyyy wanted to shake her, and that amped up the tension of wtf is gonna happen when she does tell him cuz obviously she has to at some point!

I liked Zeph too but him making that foolish joke about gossiping that I mentioned above did piss me off so I couldn’t not mention it! Like can we not have the hero make foolish jokes like this please? Apart from that (seriously what was even the point of him saying that supposed joke???) I like that we get to see his vulnerabilities, how and why he hates liars, how his past basically shaped his whole thoughts on relationships and how he , like Sophia, was struggling with this casual thing becoming more because that trope iiis my jam. " Yeah we'll totally keep this all casual no one is falling in love here" LOL right sure.

They really were great together. But I didn’t know how the hell the author was gonna make these two work after he finds out Sophia’s been lying to him the entire time and that’s what kept me reading. I just had to knowww!!

And it all played out as expected but they got their HEA anyways. So while the book had it’s issues that at times yanked me out of my enjoyment of reading >.> I’m really intrigued to read more in this series. There are clearly some interesting secondary characters who I hope get a story and I hoooope going forward in these books there will be less of the issues mentioned above.

Scoring With the Wrong Twin is the first book in the new series and what a super start it was.I just loved this book and I would recommend it to all.Sophia and Giovanna are identical twins and while both are really beautiful Sophia has always been a bit of a nerd where her sister is a model.When Giovanna gets double booked she asks Sophia to stand in for her and that's where she meets Zeph he is a footballer.The attraction is immediate and then end up agreeing to a no strings short-term relationship but as their relationship develops what will happen when he finds out she is not who she says she is.This was a super read and i just loved it.

As a member for The Washington Warriors, Zephirin's job requires focus. That focus was put to the test when Zephirin discovered the "love" of his life was lying to him. She lied, cheated, and stole from him before he realized he had been played. He was so distracted, he put his career in jeopardy. His team lost faith in him, something he vowed to NOT let happen ever again! Until Sophia struts into his life...

Sophia grew up bullied and always thought of as "less than" when compared to her identical twin. Sophia was always shy and somewhat a recluse. Her sister, a upcoming model, never had issues with her self esteem. She worked hard to become a model. When she's asked to walk the runway in Paris, she begs Sophia to take her place in a shoot that's to take place the same day. Sophia doesn't want to as she doesn't like to deceive or lie. She also feels she lacks the confidence to step in for her sister. Of course the tattoos and blue streaks in her hair don't match her sister's either! But she doesn't want to let her twin down, so she agrees.....not expecting to meet Zephirin.

Zephirin has worked with the Cruz twin before and this wasn't her. She looked like her, sounded the same, but something was off. Sophia was instantly attracted to Zephirin, but knew she didn't have a chance with him. She also didn't want to put her sister's career in jeopardy. Never knowing that Zephirin wanted her too. Until...

Wow! Hot🔥🔥🔥. I wanted to eat Zephirin up! I can't wait to see what Naime Simone has in store for the rest of the Warrior players! I loved Sophia's quirkiness, love for others, and intelligence! Her tattoos and blue tipped hair were adorable. Zephirine's love and respect for the grandma who raised him was AWESOME! While he was somewhat cocky, he was very respectful and his manners were a salute to his grandma's teachings. I loved it!!! I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.

Scoring with the Wrong Twin was a GREAT read. Author Naima Simone has become a go to author for me because she creates strong characters & fantastic stories. And the sexy time is pretty steamy too.

Zeph and Sophia are so interesting individually & together create a couple you just can't help rooting for. This is the first book in the series WAGS

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I found myself cruising through Scoring with the Wrong Twin by Naima Simone. I skimmed pages and skipped scenes to get this book done and read in just a few hours. I read through this book unreasonably fast. Although the mistaken identity aspect of this book sounded enticing in the blurb, in actuality it didn't hold my interest. I felt bad for Sophia almost the entire book, focusing much more on her individual story rather than the romance.

However, the steamy bits of this book were totally amazing. Simone can certainly write a good sex scene!

Although I didn't love mistaken identity aspect of this book, I did like Simone's overall style. I am certainly looking forward to more WAGS books in the future.

Scoring With The Wrong Twin is a good start to the WAGS (Wives and Girlfirends) series. I realize that Naima Simone is setting the scene and the characters up for the series, but that made the book seem a little unbalanced. Though I really found the main characters to be compelling and engaging, and the secondary characters interesting, this story just seemed to drag a bit - I could almost have preferred a novella. I do however, really appreciate Ms. Simone's writing overall. I think Scoring is an entertaining, sexy, passionate read, and a good series starter. I look forward to the next installment in the WAGS series.

Phew--this is one read sure to warm up the coldest winter day!

I really liked Sophia and Zephrin's story. (My only regret? We didn't "meet" his grandma in person--just over the phone...no doubt Ms. Simone was afraid she'd take over the book, LOL) The whole identical-twin-switching places story can be fun when done well (probably because we've all secretly wished for an identical twin to switch with, at least once--amiright?), and this one, fortunately, was done well. Even if I did spend three-quarters of the book yelling at her to "Just tell him already!" I get why she didn't, and it's hard to blame her.

I mean, you see that cover, right? And somehow the description inside--especially when coupled with his personality--makes him even hotter. I know it shouldn't be possible, but trust me.

This one is the first in the WAGS series (Wives And GirlfriendS), and I cannot wait to see what Ms. Simone has in store for Zephrin's teammates!

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Scoring with the Wrong Twin by Naima Simone was a book I impulsively hit request on on Netgalley after reading the summary. The plot sounded nice and it had elements which made for the kind of romance I usually end up enjoying. Some things were pretty unrealistic but then again this is fiction and overall the book was enjoyable.

Let's start with Sophia. Sophia is the shy awkward twin. She is more into creating things such as apps on the computer than making herself look model like and pretty like her twin sister. When Sophia's sister needs her to stand in her place Sophia agrees for it as a one time deal. What she doesn't expect is the chemistry she has with Zeph, the tight end for the Washington Warriors.

Zeph has known what it feels like to be betrayed by a loved one. He is not into giving second chances and is already wary of anyone who claims to love him. When Zeph meets Sophia he expects a spoiled model but what he finds is a gorgeous girl with a refreshing personality. Zeph doesn't want a relationship at first but the more he gets to know Sophia the more he wants her.

The author has done a great job of showcasing the chemistry between Zeph and Sophia. They were genuinely attracted to each other and it was there for all to see. Sophia was keeping a big secret from Zeph and when it comes out it definitely explodes but you can see that she has her reasons behind it.

Naima Simone has done a great job of fleshing out the characters with their personalities. Sophia and Zeph both have insecurities and vulnerabilities. It was nice to see them work through their issues to be together in the end. Zeph also had a great group of friends and there was definitely something going on between a few of them. Maybe we'll get a book for someone. All in all you Scoring with the Wrong Twin was a quick romance.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

I really enjoyed this book the premise was one that was fun and made you want to keep reading. You have two sisters, twins. One, in the world of modeling, that at fifteen-years-old knew what she wanted. At fifteen she was driven and making her mark to become the first Porte Rican top notch model in the business. On set, she is known as all business. Not a person that is one to mess around or sleep around.
So, now she has a problem she has just booked a runway modeling event in Italy, Malan. She just can’t pass it up. They asked for her and it’s an honor. But she booked a year ago to do a sports shoot for a magazine layout. She has done it before and can’t cancel. The thing is the shoot is the day after she will have left for Italy. So, who does she call but her twin, Sophia?
They are identical with the exception of piercings, a beautiful tattoo below the bikini line of a peacock, and blue tips on her chocolate long hair. Although, this is not something Sophia feels comfortable doing and she gets Giovanna to promise to coach her for the next week before she leaves she agrees.
This is totally out of her comfort zone. You see, Vanna as Sophia calls her, always the more confident of the two of them. The bolder, prettier, (so Sophia thought too), and the most outgoing. Everyone wanted to be around her. Stepping over her to get to her sister to do it.
The football players would tease and torment her for being a geek and a nerd. They even went as far as asking her out to find out info about her sister for dating tips. The bullying was painful. The thing is she was a brilliant minded as a computer specialist. As a junior, she was an assistant teaching the class in high school. Then in college, she created her own game app and companies were recruiting her. At twenty-four-years-old she’s now been at a company that makes sporting apps but the company as a whole is not fulfilling her needs. They are taking advantage of women within the company.
She is saving though to branch out. So, this one day although she is scared senseless. It is better than facing Brian, her prick of a boss, for one day. When she arrives the other person, she will be working with on the shoot is a player on the Worriers Football Team, tight end, Zephirin Black. A sexy black god at 6’4’’, with tattoos, muscles, and eyes that look right through you. When she says hello to everyone he says nice to see you again. And her heart stops because she knows he knows she’s not Vanna.

The chemistry between these two characters is so hot and steamy it melts the pages as your reading them. There are times you are just laughing so hard or talking out loud to the characters. I was a fun fast read. 5++++ stars. Provided by netgalley.com. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

One of my reader/blogger goals for 2018 was to read more books from new authors (or new to me authors). Another was to read more romances written by women of color (and just in general read more diversely). What better way to start off 2018 than by picking up a book that is by a new (to me) author who is also a WOC? And I’m glad I did because while I do have a few things to complain about, overall I very much enjoyed Scoring with the Wrong Twin.



Our heroine, Sophia, is Puerto Rican-American. She’s got tattoos, dyed hair, and piercings (everything but the clit, basically, because she chickened out; I don’t blame you, girl, not one bit!). Basically, she’s awesome. But wait, there’s more: she’s also super smart and nerdy; she’s an app developer. Her twin sister, Giovanna, is a model, and when she accidentally overbooks her gigs, she begs Sophia to help her out. After all, Giovanna can’t be in two places at once . . . at least not without the help of her identical twin! Sophia agrees and takes the Sports Illustrated-like shoot in the city, while Giovanna goes off to do a shoot out of the country.



(By the way, I’m still not sure how Sophia managed to take her place and NOT create any problems or make anyone suspicious since, you know, the model they know and hired does NOT have dyed hair, or piercings, or tatts. And Sophia has all of these things. But whatever, I guess you just have to suspend your disbelief about that in order to get to the setup for how Sophia is going to meet her man.)



Zeph is a black NFL player, originally from the South. He also has tattoos, though I admit I’m a bit mad still that the cover model for this book does not have tatts (I also have a few other thoughts on the cover, but we’ll save that for later, shall we?). But whatever, I’m just happy that we got a black model on the cover. And said model is fine as hell. So I’ll let the lack of tatts pass, especially since it’s rare that tatts are done well when Photoshopped onto a cover.



Wow, tangent much, TBQ? Back to Zeph! Zeph had a bad experience with an ex-girlfriend who used him, his fame, and his money. So obviously, in true romance hero fashion, he now has a hard time trusting women, doesn’t do relationships, and hates lying.



Can we see where this is going to be a problem? Remember, Sophia is playing her sister for this photoshoot, which is where she meets Zeph, as they two are partnered up.



The photoshoot scenes were pretty intense, and you could all but feel the chemistry coming off the pages from those two. At one point, Sophia even takes change of their poses and sprawls at his feet, kinda like Princess Lei and Jabba the Hutt. Except it’s much hotter in this book, obviously. And seeing her that close to his groin is giving him allll sorts of inappropriate thoughts, which he pushes away so he can be a professional and just get the shoot done.



Since they definitely have chemistry, Zeph is very much interested in hooking up with Sophia. Sophia is hesitant to do so at first; not because she doesn’t find him insanely attractive, but because she doesn’t want to ruin anything for her sister’s career. Which means she has to continue the charade of being Giovanna. Which also means that when they do finally sleep together, the name he calls out is not her name. Yeah, that’s going to burn.



Speaking of their first time: all I can say is DAMN.



If a kiss could be deemed sex, she considered herself well and truly fucked. And yet, she still needed more.



Seriously, their first kiss --- FIRST KISS, NOTHING MORE IS HAPPENING YET – and I just about died while reading it.



Breaking his erotic hold on her neck with some regret, she turned, balling her fingers in his shirt and arching up on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss. To taste more of him, all he had to give—and then demand more. What she couldn’t put into words, she voiced with her tongue, her lips, her moans, the restless, almost frantic clench and release of her fingers. With a growl that rumbled in his chest and over her breasts, he cupped her face, taking what she freely offered, until all she could do was gasp and tremble. When those big hands slid down over her shoulders, her knees buckled as if they had been the only thing holding her up. But he was right there, catching her. In a show of casual strength that left her even more breathless, he hiked her up, palming her ass and bracing her until she locked her legs around his waist.



And then they starting touching and grinding and . . . .oh, yeah, I definitely died then.



“Fuck,” he muttered, his head falling back, granting her lips and tongue easier access, his fingers flexing over her ass. Taking that as a sign of appreciation, she rolled her hips again, using him as leverage. Once more, she bucked against that delicious length, a half cry, half whimper catching in her throat with each grind over her clit and folds, the thin material of her skirt a laughable barrier. She shuddered, a wicked heat sliding through her, settling on the quivering flesh between her thighs.
“Jesus,” she gasped, tilting her head back and rubbing over him in complete abandon. And he stood there, supporting her with his strength, allowing her to use his body to get off. And that craved for, but often elusive, release glimmered on the horizon behind her closed lids. So near, but… A whimper escaped her, and she dug her nails into the nape of his neck, clutching him as she tried to get closer. Tried to push herself over that edge…
“You need help getting there, baby?” he asked, already striding from the room, but not going far. In seconds, her back met a wall in a corridor, his body pressed between her spread legs keeping her in place.



I’ve got to hand it to Simone; she knows how to write some A+ tension, chemistry, and release. Ha! Pun intended, of course.



Slowly, he straightened and crossed the space separating them. Flattening his palms on the bar counter, he leaned forward until their faces were centimeters apart. Until she could taste his kiss on his breath. “I want you. I want to suck on that full, sexy-ass bottom lip, taste you, touch you. It’s taking everything in me not to pull you on this counter, pull down those jeans, and bury myself inside you until you come, screaming my name.” His gaze dropped to her mouth, remained there for several seconds before sliding up again. “Now I’m finished.”



Well fuck, Zeph. THAT’S NOT PLAYING FAIR!




But as much as I adored the sex, I do have one complaint that came up during that first sex scene. It’s when she first sees him naked, and she refers to his cock as



“[...] the thick, long part of him that made him a man.”



No, authors, don’t do this. This is transphobic, and implies that to be a man, he must have a penis – or that having a penis makes one a man. Either way, that’s a no-no. Sex and gender are not the same thing. I’ll leave it at that because I admit I am not the one to explain it fully and accurately, so I won’t bother and risk butchering it. Instead, I’m here to remind you that a statement like that is not only NOT NEEDED, period, but it’s hurtful and transphobic. I was very disappointed that it made it through edits.



As far as I could tell, there were no other transphobic remarks in the book. But I’m not letting that throwaway comment off the hook.



Before I move on, there is one more sex scene I want to talk about, though it’s more like lovingly laugh at. They start having sex in a car, which, okay, fine. But here’s the part that made me laugh, twist my head a dozen different ways trying to make it work, and cringe while reading it. Because while the sex itself was hot, the position was NOT. At least not if attempted IRL! He’s in the driver’s seat, and he pushes his seat all the way back and reclines it. Okay, fine, that will give you, what, a few extra inches of wiggle room. But then she gets down on the floor by his feet – so she’s CROUCHED UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL, MIND YOU – and proceeds to give him a blow job. He’s a big football player and she’s 5’11” and I don’t care how fucking huge this truck/SUV/whatever-vehicle-of-masculinity-he-drives is, there’s no way that’s going to be comfortable for her. AT ALL. Damn, my neck/back is killing me just at the thought of this position!



[…] she wiggled further down his body, settling between his spread legs and the steering wheel. Quickly, she released the button on his jeans and lowered the zipper."



Sharing that scene on Twitter did lead to a fun convo about romancelandia sex positions though and how authors could use a virtual-sex-position app that tells them if what they just wrote is possible or not. I love when we have those convos, so for that reason I’m not exactly MAD at the BJ Car scene. But I am still side-eyeing it and calling BS on the positioning.



While the first half of the book was hot and fun and really good, I did feel like the last half was a bit more bogged down and moved very slowly – without actually accomplishing much.



Also, the fact that her real identity doesn’t come out until 75% -- and then it’s not because she tells him, but rather because he sees the sister back in town and puts the pieces together – ugh. I get that this might be fairly true to form for this trope, and especially for a category romance, but still! This was annoying and meant we didn’t get enough time for them to come BACK from the whole “technically we built this relationship on a lie…” issue. Remember, he had such major trust issues with women, and even though Sophia wasn’t doing anything wrong with this lie – that is, it didn’t hurt anyone, and especially not him – I found it difficult to believe that he would go from learning about the lie to accepting her apology and then riding off in sunset together, in only the span of a few chapters. I just needed the pacing of the book to be a bit more even.



Another minor thing, really, but I was a bit confused about how she managed to accomplish all her degrees and experience in her career. . . and she’s only 24. Not that it’s impossible for a person to do so, mind you, but the way it was all described, the timeline just didn’t quite add up and left me trying to puzzle it out.



One thing that I did enjoy, and it has nothing to do with the romance, was seeing the sexism in her workplace brought up. I was frustrated alongside her at the way she was treated and how her boss would take credit for all her hard work. I wish I could say this is magically fixed, but ultimately she quits and goes after her own dream instead, which I was fine with. However, she does have more than a few scenes leading up to that when she puts her foot down and tells them off, and I loved seeing that.



“You go right ahead,” she said, her voice calm, strong. “You start your little smear campaign against me because I dared to stand up for myself and demanded to be treated with the dignity and respect I deserve. Because the moment you do, I plan to respond with my own story. Of how you said I should just be patient and my time would come, while you took credit for my ideas. Of how I know for a fact I don’t get paid as much as the newest male hire. Of how FamFit prides itself on equal opportunity but really allows misogynistic, little men to get away with promoting other men in their company while expecting women to toe the line and wait their turn for recognition and the opportunities men are simply afforded because they have dicks. As a matter of fact, I’m begging you to try it. You think you can shut me up just because I’ve allowed you to do it for the last three years? I have breaking news for you, Brian. The media just adores a David and Goliath story. And that’s where I plan on waging this war. And let me tell you, the court of public opinion is a bitch.”
She straightened, giving him a broad smile. “Now, you have a nice day.”
Not waiting for a reply, she turned on her heel and strolled out of his office. Goddamn, that had felt good.


And the quote that might have made me swoon the most?



“You want to slay my dragons?” she murmured.
“If you’ll let me.”



This was my first time reading Naima, and for the most part this was a very hot and enjoyable read. At times, especially towards the front of the book, I was leaning towards 4 ½ stars, but at other points I was down to a 3 ½. Regardless, I’ll definitely be back to try more from her in the future because I did have a good time with this one. I was happy to see these characters in a romance, especially from a mainsteam publisher, and I want that to continue in 2018 (and beyond).



4 STARS!

Naima Simone’s first entry in her WAGS series (Wives and Girlfriends) is a steamy, twin switch romp that introduces some hot football players and the women they fall for.

Sophia Cruz is used to playing second fiddle to her model twin sister Giovanna. As an app developer with a love of ‘80’s movies, a penchant for funny t-shirts, and her own pierced and tattooed style, she doesn’t begrudge her sister’s fame since being in the limelight is the last thing she’d enjoy. When Giovanna begs her to take her place at a sports magazine photo shoot so she can do a walk on gig that could boost her career, Sophia reluctantly agrees. Impersonating her sister is doable in the short term. But when her eyes light on her hot photo shoot co-star, playing her part becomes ten times harder.

Zephirin Black doesn’t mind the publicity shoots that go with his Washington Warrior’s football career. And having hot model Giovanna gaze at him with her bedroom eyes is no hardship. He’s met her before but something about her seems different this time, and the spark of mutual attraction is impossible to ignore. He’s a man who’s been burned before and is particularly wary of lying females. Staying clear of commitment means one night stands are all he’s willing to offer. Convincing ‘Giovanna’ to continue their seductive dance off set takes a little work, but it’s worth it.

Sophia figures that she deserves one lustful night with Zeph. He’s firm on the no strings part, so he’ll never find out that she’s not really who she says she is. Right? Except, their one night together leads to more and suddenly Sophia is left with a serious dilemma. How long can she keep her secret before telling all will ruin what’s turning out to be something more than a fling?

I really enjoyed this story! Though the series focuses on football, in this one the sporty scenes are relegated to side work the players do with younger kids, and not on-field playing. In this sense, it’s nominally a sports romance by virtue of the male characters’ careers, but it won’t further ones understanding of the game. But that’s okay – I wasn’t expected an in-depth football analysis. On the other hand there’s plenty of discussion on the other aspects of a professional athlete’s career including sponsorship, publicity, and fandom.

The chemistry between Zeph and Sophia is off the charts, and sex scenes are abundant. Sophia’s secret is held for quite a while, and forms the basis of the conflict between them when the truth comes out. It’s up to Zeph to figure out whether what he and Sophia have is real or not. I enjoyed the contrast between Sophia and Giovanna’s characters. Sophia’s work environment as an app developer under a misogynistic boss is a timely storyline and I liked seeing her figure out how to stand up for herself. They get their happy ending, and the reader gets some hints as to what stories are coming next. I’m looking forward to the next in the series!

This review has been posted at Bingeworthy Books (formerly Straight Shootin' Book Reviews) and feedback updated with the link. It will be posted at sale sites during release week, and goodreads when the blog post goes live.

Title: Scoring with the Wrong Twin
Series: WAGS Book #1
Stand Alone Title: yes
Author: Naima Simone
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Blurb: Shy, awkward Sophia Cruz has a hard time telling her vivacious identical twin “no.” But when her sister begs her to swap places for a modeling shoot, she caves … again. Then Zephirin Black walks onto the set. The brooding, aloof, and gorgeous tight end for the Washington Warriors. But she can keep it professional… She has to. Because the adorkable Cruz twin has no luck with guys once they compare her to her sister.

After a bad break-up, Zeph hasn’t been big on second chances—and even less with trust. But he finds himself giving please-call-me-by-my-middle-name-Sophia both. The woman he’d dismissed as a spoiled cover model is different from the first time he met her. Quirkier. Funnier. Definitely sexier. What started as one night turns into another…and another…and another…

Still, Sophia can’t go on keeping her secret from him. But telling Zeph the truth will mean losing him for good.
Favorite quote(s): “I want you. I want to suck on that full, sexy-a$@ bottom lip, taste you, touch you. It’s taking everything in me not to pull you on this counter, pull down those jeans, and bury myself inside you until you come, screaming my name.”
Thoughts: With Scoring With The Wrong Twin, you feel the initial sparks between Sophia and Zeph immediately, and that is just one of the things I loved about this book. Honestly, I would have enjoyed it just as much without the whole ‘wrong twin’ aspect to it, because the story and the attraction between these characters is enough. The whole ‘twin’ angle though doesn’t take over the whole book, and it doesn’t play out the whole way your typical ‘wrong twin’ storyline goes. There is no ‘good twin’ and ‘bad twin’, just two women who happen to look alike and have a bond – they are not out to sabotage one another or hurt anybody, just one sister helping another. Sophia, too, is as honest as she can be about who she really is without blowing her sister’s cover.
Both characters are a little love leery – but especially Zeph, and therein lies the crux and the angst of the story. Sophia, of course, lets the lie go on too long, but it’s not just her secret to share, and her sister has more at stake than she does if their deception is revealed. Oh, what a tangled web we weave! It’s a great journey to see these two fall in love with each other and work things out. Great read by this author!
Rating: B+/A-

SCORING WITH THE WRONG TWIN is the first installment in Naima Simone’s sexy, contemporary, adult, romance story lin. This is app developer Sophia Cruz, and Washington Warriors’ tight end Zephirin Black’s story line.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Zeph and Sophia) SCORING WITH THE WRONG TWIN is a ‘twin trope’ romance story line that follows the building relationship between professional football tight end Zephirin Black, and app developer Sophia Cruz-a woman our hero believes to be model Giovanna Cruz. Giovanna Cruz is a model who double booked a shoot with Zephirin Black and Sports Unlimited, and the runways of Milan but having a twin sister came in handy especially when no one could tell them apart. Enter Sophia Cruz, nerdy, tattooed and pierced sister of up and coming model Giovanna Cruz, and the woman with whom Zephirin Black would fall in love. What ensues is the building relationship between Zeph and Sophia, and the fall out when Sophia and Giovanna’s ruse of a lie is revealed.

Zephirin Black has been burned in the past, and all he asks, going forward, is honesty in his relationships but Zeph has no idea that the woman with whom he is falling in love is not the woman she purports herself to be. Sophia Cruz knows the longer she continues to lie the more likely she is about to destroy not only her heart but the heart of the man she is starting to love. On several occasions she has attempted to reveal the truth but in the end, her meagre attempts made for a less than honest romance.

The relationship between Zeph and Sophia begins as a lie; a lie meant to protect the sister she loves but a lie that will once again destroy Zeph’s faith in relationships and love. Burned in the past, Sophia’s lies reignite the betrayal of a previous love. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to a number of Zeph’s teammates and friends including Ronin , Dom, Tennyson, Jason and Renee. There is something developing between friends Dom and Tennyson; and the one-time ‘friends with benefits’ relationship between Jason and Renee has placed a strain on the tight knit group of friends.

SCORING WITH THE WRONG TWIN has a little bit of everything: conflict and drama; betrayal and heart break; forgiveness and love. The premise is spicy and captivating; the romance is sexy and passionate; the characters are colorful and energetic. SCORING WITH THE WRONG TWIN is a fast paced, encouraging and heart-warming story-perfect to curl up and read on a cold winter’s night.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

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This is the first book in Naima Simone's new series. All I can say it started off with a bang! I loved Sophia. She's nerdy with blue tipped hair and tat. I found her very relatable especially after I learned about her past. I felt so bad for her because she's being impulsive for once with Zeph, but under false pretenses. You know while reading it's not going to end well. I loved Zeph and Sophia together.They had a ton of chemistry. I loved the detailed way Simone described the characters because I could picture them perfectly in my head. Also I'm eagerly awaiting the story of Zeph's teammate that was described to be a Sam Heughan look alike. Great kick off to the series and looking forward to more from this series.