4.5 for me!

I liked that it was fast, but at the same time, packed every page with sarcasm and hilarious lines that had me almost dropping my kindle, I was laughing so hard. This story sounds REALLY familiar, though, so I personally had a hard time just following the story because of how much it sounded like something I'd read a long time ago. But I guess I would eventually come across something like that as an avid reader, right? Anyway, I liked Ten. I thought she was funny and I liked that she decided to live her own life. Dom was hot and hilarious in his own oblivious way, and I liked seeing him 'advance' without even realizing it. Silly man. The ending was interesting, a happily-ever-after you'd want, though it did have me wondering for a few seconds before deciding that it was an overall entertaining, hot read. Fun read, chill friends you wish you had to hang out with, and sexy moments.

Sexy friends to lovers sports romance

Scoring off the Field is a sexy friends to lovers sports romance with a little unrequited love / friends-with-benefits added in to make this an addictive read. The book has a well written mix of drama, humour, and sweetness to keep the reader engrossed with the easy to follow plot with some surprising twists. I adored the chemistry between Tennyson and Dom, something that was clearly shown through the dual perspective as well as the emotional battles both go through in dealing with not only their present but their intertwined past too.

If you enjoy a sexy friends to lovers romance, definitely give this standalone a read - I really enjoyed it!

*I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Wowza! This book checked all my boxes!

Sexy.
Steamy.
With the right amount of angst thrown in!!


It's no secret that I love the two tropes equally: unrequited love and friends-to-lovers. Scoring Off Field has both. So yeah, I requested this baby so fast and [insert squee here] I was not disappointed.

Tennyson Clark has been in love with her best friend, Washington Warrior's quarterback, Dominic Anderson. Football was Dom's whole life. His other whole life is his best friend and personal assistant, Tenny. Unfortunately, Tenny just dropped a bomb. She's moving on and getting a life away from Dom. This decision turned Dom's world upside down and became the catalyst for their relationship changing.

I loved Tennyson. She had a hard life but she never lost her optimism. She had some emotional scars that came from a difficult childhood so I totally felt for her and understood her decision to walk away from Dom. I applauded her decision despite also wanting them to get together.

While I do think that Dom cared about her even prior to their romance, he took her for granted. Football was his last connection to the family he loved and lost so his decision to make football his lover and mistress was understandable. He was clueless about his best friend's feelings but he wasn't intentionally cruel. He did everything he could for Tenny but it wasn't exactly what Tenny wanted from him. It took a while for Dom to realize it but once he did, he was all in. I also understood Dom.

The transition from friends to lovers can be tricky but it felt seamless here. I was already invested in both Tenny and Dom, so their coming together was something I was already invested in. I loved that despite their physical chemistry, there was still some emotional issues and character journeys that they have to embark on, and it was those issues and character journeys that kept me glued to the book. It was emotionally satisfying to read how these two characters grow and develop.

Naima Simone did an exceptional job with Tenny and Dom. I loved them as individuals and loved them together. I sound like a broken record saying this but the romance in this book was so satisfying. It's one of those books that puts a smile in your face throughout the day after you finished it. Definitely one of my top reads of the year.

I thought Zephirin & Sophia were hot, but trust me - they ain't got nutten, nada, zilch on Dom & Tenny.

Tennyson Clark has been in love with Dominic Anderson, her best friend, for-freaking-ever, it seems, but he's firmly friend-zoned her. Realising she's facing a certain future of excruciating pain if she stays too close, Tenny decides to cut her losses and move out of his life so that hers can finally get started. Only... the quarterback has decided he's not giving up on changing the mind of the person who gave him some of the best years of his life. But, since Tenny doesn't just want Dom's friendship, he needs to find a way to hold onto her, or it just might spell the end of everything he's ever held dear.

There's no disguising or sugar-coating the pain Tenny feels as always placing second best in Dom's life, knowing there's a chance he would never see her the way she sees him. Yet, she's strong and eventually finds the courage to tell him exactly how she feels.

"I love you, Tenny. How could you ever doubt that?"

"I know you do. Just not the way I need you to."

It's one of the reasons she stole my heart from the start. That, and her quirky love for big words. Dom is a sexy alpha, though he was a bit of a doofus, not seeing what was right in front of him for so long. The way those two struck off of each other was like dry kindling - whew!

Their story isn't just about two friends suddenly falling for one another. They've been through a lot together, rearranging their lives around one another for so long. The author shows how closely connected Dom & Tenny are, so that the reader understands how a change - even minute - in the bond they share would completely restructure and change the face of their relationship. Friends-to-lovers is by far my favourite trope, and I totally loved the passion that Naima managed to create between the childhood friends.

I am so excited for Book 3!!! I cannot wait, really! I wholeheartedly recommend this series! I really hope the rest of the crew gets their own story.

I liked this book but didn't love it. I understand with the characters past why they had the hangs up they did, but I was screaming at him in my head to stop being so dumb. You want to fall in love with your best friend. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Dom had been her protector for fourteen years. He sheltered her as a child and provided everything she ever needed as an adult. During all that time she harbored a secret. She loved him with everything she had. Tired of living in the shadows she takes a stand and asserts her independence to achieve her dreams. Will he realize he loves her before it’s too late? An absolute great story of realizing the one who has been there all along could possibly be so much more.

This friends to lovers story is an absolute winner! Dom and Tennyson are great characters and you can just feel how much they care about each other.

Tennyson has been in love with Dom most of her life but he's always kept her squarely in the friend zone. Dom is a no relationship guy and Tenny knows she needs more though so if it can't be with Dom then she needs to find someone else. Finally Tenny has decided it's time for her to move on and find a life of her own. This throws Dom's world off it's axis and he fears losing Tenny forever. How much is he willing to risk to keep Tenny in his life?

Highly recommended read.

4.5 stars

Wow! I absolutely LOVED this book!

Tennyson and Dominic met while they were both in foster care. Dom immediately recognized the devastation that lived in Tenny’s eyes and he vowed then and there to always protect her and prevent anything from wreaking havoc on her emotions in such a way again. Fourteen years later and she has spent years working as his PA but the time has come for her to walk away.

Being in love with Dom and knowing she will never have his romantic love in return is more than Tennyson can endure. To watch his one night stands leave is slowly breaking her heart because she is not the type of woman that Dom would ever desire. Giving him a one month notice, she prepares to step away from her best friend and the love of her life.

Dom lives for football. And it’s not just love of the game that keeps him striving to be the best. When Tenny declares she’s leaving he scrambles to find a way to stop her. And suddenly he’s looking at her with new eyes. Eyes that are hungry and desperate. However, despite any physical relationship they share, he must remain free from emotional entanglements so he can continue to concentrate on his whole purpose in life, the game.

I really loved these characters! Tennyson had an unusual and horrible background but found strength in Dom. She slowly finds her own strength and courage and it was a beautiful tale. Dom was just so clueless and yet what could have been simply not seeing what was in front of him and leaving it at that, this story took it a step further and shows us the true character growth within him.

This is a fast paced read with incredible secondary characters and plenty of steam. I haven’t read anything by this author before and I will definitely be digging into her backlist.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Entangled. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dual POV
Safety – H does sleep with other women after meeting h (they were 11 and 13 yrs old); No ow/om drama after they are together
Possible Triggers - child abuse

I love the Brazen line of books and this was a good second book in the WAGS books. Tennyson has led a difficult life as she was moved from foster home to foster home. She finally found one that was tolerable but became better when she met Dominic. Dominic took care of Tennyson, making sure his job could support both of them. Tennyson now works for Dominic and has been in love with him for ages. Realizing, she can't do this anymore, she gives her notice. Suddenly, Dominic has to picture his life without Tennyson and he really starts to SEE her. Very well written. A smooth read with believeable characters. I love books that keep my attention, making it hard for me to stop to eat.

Scoring off the Field is a sweet and spicy friends to lovers story. Dom is a star quarterback who is devoted to the game and will let no woman in. He’s been there, done that and not doing that again. Dom’s assistant and best friend Tennyson Clark has loved him for years. She is tired of watching his one night stands traipse past her while she gets relegated to the friend zone. Not that being his BFF is a bad thing but she wants so much more. It is time for her to move on. It’s a case of you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. What will Dom do to keep Tenny in his life?
I loved Dom and Tenny’s back story. This is romance at its finest.

This was a short but full of feels story that I really enjoyed!

Tenny & Dom have been best friends for 16 years. They have been through a lot. Tenny was also Dom's PA. And she was completely in love with him.

Deciding to finally become independent and make a life for herself, one focused on her and not Dom, she tells Dom she quits and that's when everything starts changing for them and their relationship.

Lines are crossed, boundaries are broken. They become more than best friends and feelings, involuntarily, become involved.

I have to admit, I wanted to shake some sense into both of them. Tenny needed to snap out of it and put herself first, for once, while Dom needed to open his eyes and see what Tenny truly meant for him.

It had funny scenes too and I liked the side characters. The sex scenes were H-O-T! Phew!

All in all, it was a pretty good read and I'm rating it 4 stars. I voluntarily agreed to read an early copy through Netgalley.

High 3 1/2 Stars


This is a friends-to- lovers romance. Tennyson and Dominic were actually in the same foster home for a few years, and became fast friends, looking out for one another, Years later and that bond is still strong. Now Dom is an NFL quarterback while Tennyson is his personal assistant. However, Tennyson is finally ready to move on and have her own life, follow her own passion – and, okay, she’s tired of watching his hook-ups leaving the house early in the morning. Especially because she doesn’t see him as just a friend. Too bad that’s all he sees her as. Or does he.

Before I forget: Tennyson is a heroine of color, black, and she’s also described as being curvy – breasts and ass and, quoting her, about 15 pounds too many.


My first time with Simone was book 1 in this series, which I just talked about in January. So when I saw this one pop up on Netgalley, I was definitely curious to see if I would enjoy it as well. And I have to say, I did. I have one big complaint, which I’ll get to, but for the most part this was a quick, enjoyable and sexy read.



You know what, let’s start with the part I had a problem with. Let me just read you the quote directly, because it pretty much speaks for itself.


But in this moment, with her eyes gleaming and her breath breaking on her lips every time she swept her fingers over his inked skin, he felt…beautiful. Worthy of the appreciation lighting her dark eyes. And fuck, didn’t that sound like he’d grown a vagina in the last five point two seconds?



No. No. No. No. NOOOO.

You know what this is saying? That showing emotions and having feelings is something that’s only connected to vaginas – and that’s not a good thing.

To which my response is, you guessed it: fuck that and fuck you, Dom.


Now outside of that line, I didn’t really have anything else to complain about with this book. I liked it. It’s fun at times, such as:


“I take it back.” She scowled. “You’re not an asshole. You’re an ass-a-hole.” His crack of laughter bounced off the walls of his pristine kitchen. “Is that a new vocab word?” “Yes,” she shot back over her shoulder, marching past the gleaming pots and pans hanging from the iron rack. You can’t bash him over the head with a frying pan, she reminded herself. At least not until he saw reason. Then she might swing for the fences. “It’s a noun. Definition. When someone is so much of an asshole, they need another syllable.”




And there were some great lines, towards the end, when Tennyson steps forward and takes control of her life and stops putting everyone else first:


"At some point, God, I’m not even sure when, I realized I’m worth love. I deserve it. The kind of love that lights up a man’s face when I walk into the room. The kind that movies are written about. The kind that consumes a man so his first thought in the morning is me, and his last word at night is my name. That’s the love I want and am worthy of. And for the first time in my life, I’m not going to wait for someone else to make me a priority. I’m going to make myself one. For me."




Listen, everyone needs to learn that very important lesson. Hell, I’m working on it myself. But it’s so very important to know you are worth so much more than what you allow people to get away with. Trust me.



And finally, let’s go over the sex. Because Simone sure as hell knows how to bring the heat. Now, they don’t hook up until later in the book, but then we get this from them:


With another of those greedy sounds, she tore her mouth from his and nipped a stinging path down his chin, jaw, and neck. With movements that spoke of impatience and need, she attacked the buttons on his shirt. Good. He didn’t help her; he loved this side of her—hot, hungry, forceful. It let him know he wasn’t the only one caught up in this crazy, disorienting lust. Her soft, wicked tongue licked at his collarbone, tracing it, and he tilted his head back, granting her more access to him. Jesus, her touch. It seared him. Tomorrow, he wouldn’t be surprised if he found scorch marks on his skin. Not when every caress and small bite branded pleasure into him. Her teeth lightly scored his chest, grazed his nipple. He lifted his head, the urge to watch a fevered compulsion. “Harder, sweetheart,” he muttered. “Mark me.” He wanted to glance down his body tomorrow and see the proof that she’d had him."




During one scene, he uses a mirror, to show her how beautiful she is, and how she comes apart for him – and to watch them together. I don’t even need to tell you how fucking hot that was, do I? But I will share the end of that scene with you, because it’s got one of my favorite sexytime moves:



“I’m not coming without you, “he growled, curving a hand around the base of her neck and drawing her back and against his chest. The fingers remained, circling her throat. He didn’t exert pressure, but the weight of the caress, the possessive grip, it sizzled through her like a high-voltage current. And when he slipped the fingers of his other hand between her spread thighs and pressed her clit, the current exploded in a burst of light, heat, and fire.




Trust me, their other scenes together were just as explosive. I told you: Simone does chemistry and sex WELL.



Overall, Scoring off the Field by Naima Simone was a good friends-to-lovers romance with a good deal of heat, and only one big problem – the hero believing showing emotions makes him a weak pussy. I’m not going to let that shit pass in my book, but, for me at least, there were enough good things going for this book to make it a good read regardless. I’m looking forward to the next book.

I really enjoyed this book! I will admit that it took me a couple chapters to really get invested in Tennyson and Dominic, but when I did I couldn’t read fast enough. This author’s writing is very good and story was interesting. It seems at first like this could be the same as most other “in love with my best friend” trope. At face value, it is. But there is something in this author’s storyline and writing that sets it apart from anything similar. And whatever that something is makes it well worth the read. I will definitely be looking for books from this author in the future!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Scoring off the Field (WAGS #2)
by Naima Simone
Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥❣

Tennyson Clark and Dominic Anderson are close. In fact, they are so close Tenny personally sees to Dominic's every need. He hires her as his Personal Assistant.

Tennyson has two degrees, is smart and beautiful but she needs a life. She has been living in the shadow of her BFF for too long. It's time to break the cord.

Dominic is an all American boy. He's a star quarterback, loves the easy loving ladies and doesn't do relationships. He's alpha strong with determination. The day Tennyson quits is the first time in years he hasn't been able to control everything. He doesn't want her to leave his side.

Tennyson is in love with her best friend but he doesn't feel the same way. She was friend zoned years ago and now her heart can't take anymore. She has so much potential for a better job and she is definitely girlfriend material. She gives Dominic one months notice.

Now the clock is ticking and Dominic needs to get over his relationship issues and get his head out of his ass before he loses the best thing he ever had. To him, football comes first but maybe it's time to think of the bigger picture.

This is a fiery best friend to lovers romance. It's heated, sexy and adorable. It's comical, heartwarming and addictive. The basic storyline has been told many times before and you are getting exactly what you would expect.

4.5 stars out of 5. Fun read.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


Kindle Edition £3.95 , $5.47 Paperback $14.99, 186 pages
Expected publication: March 12th 2018 by Entangled Publishing

What a great read!! I love friends to lovers stories. Scoring Off The Feild Is a heartful story with some sexy scenes. This is my first book by Naima Simone but won't be my last. She kept me wanting more and more. It was externally hard to stop reading late a night, I just wanted to keep reading. I would recommend this book.

Tenny has been in love with Dom since they met in foster care, but Dom has never seen her as anything more than his best friend. Tenny’s life revolves around Dom till she decides that she needs to move on and get a life.
Dom doesn’t do relationships, his passion is football and has one constant in life, his best friend Tenny. Till she decides to quit her job as his assistant and shakes up his life, and he starts to finally see her as more than his best friend.
I love reading friends to lovers story and this was no exception. It’s a story that kept me engaged from start to end. I loved the bond between Dom and Tenny. Naima Simone is a relatively new author for me and I would love to read more from her.

Great read, I was needing something new and fun and this was it. Dom and Tenny are childhood friends that grew up within foster care and have always been there for each other. Dom a professional football player has been determined to take care of Tenny in every way imaginable except sexual. He see's her as a great friend but nothing more. Tenny has always treasured Dom's friendship but her feeling for him have grown over the years and she is done hiding them. She knows if she crosses that bridge it could damage what they have, so she has to make changes in her life to take care of herself in life. Will Dom and Tenny realize what they have before they lose everything. Honest review in exchange for ARC.

Four and a half lustful, friends to lovers Stars!
**** 1/2

Friends to lovers is always an intriguing tale to tell and Naima Simone has really put a different spin on her “had me sitting by the edge of my seat” version (and not to mention staying up late to read to the end as well). Usually the main characters have been friends for quite some time, interests they share and a slow discovery to love, but in the case of Scoring Off the Field, what we have is unrequited romantic love on one side and little sister/family love on the other side. Oh Naima, it takes talent to pull off a convincing story line when dealing with such opposite feelings of love and you do it with your usual (and what I have come to expect from you!) fantastic writing skills that hit all the senses (from characters’ scents to their hot libido to the sounds that come from their mouths), complex character development, and a very compelling and “too hot to handle”, sexy, steamy, sizzling story.

Tennyson Clark has been in love with Dominic Anderson for what seems like forever. At first it is love for an older brother figure who grew up in foster care with her but as they both grow and mature, Tennyson’s love for Dominic turns into the kind of love that makes you want to jump someone’s bones, to spend the night and wake up in their embrace, and to be their forever person. Brotherly love it is not! Dominic on the other hand feels a protective nature for Tennyson as a little sister and someone he needs to care for. Tennyson had a very abusive life when she was little and Dominic will do anything in his power to keep her safe. He has achieved great success in his life, first in college football and now playing for the Washington Warriors in the NFL, so he makes sure Tenny is provided for with college tuition and a job that lets him watch over her as his assistant. She’s “family” after all. However, the last five years of quietly being in love with Dominic and watching his string of “one night hook-ups” has Tenny realizing nothing more will ever come of this relationship. He will never look at her with anything more than sisterly love. So she tells Dominic she is quitting her job as his assistant. It is time to move on. It’s time for her to get a life! It’s time for her to find someone who will love her the way she wants to be loved.

Whoa!!! Talk about being blindsided. It seems Dominic is the only one that doesn’t realize how in love Tenny is with him and even after she quits, he still doesn’t see it. This man has some serious “loose screws” in his head and in his body!

Tenny and Dominic’s journey is a path I loved traveling with them. Every word and sense, every feeling written was a light to brighten a dark path. It’s a path of discovery, acknowledgement and becoming who you need to be. With each step our characters learn more about each other and themselves. They finesse the turns, the rocks, the steep climbs, and the pitfalls of their path to emerge at the end whole and complete. And at the end of the path? A scene so well written by Naima that I read it over and over and over. I can’t stop thinking about it. The light has finally dawned for Dominic and oh, so worth the wait!!! You will know it when you read it. It makes the heaven’s line up and everything falls into place! Now, no peeking! Read the story, journey the path, and make yourself complete in reading this incredible friends to lovers story!

After a week of what felt like dying! (Sinusitis is no joke) on top of being unwell anyway .. this book was exactly what I needed.

I love a good friends to lovers romance! Especially when they are written with a great history. Dom and Tenny's story is one that'll have your overies singing. Two kids who met through the shittiest circumstances but stuck through it together. They became eachothers rock, their home. So what happens when your best friend starts feeling more than friendly feelings?. Well in Tenny's case she confessed that during one drunk night years ago and only to be given the friend zone talk the next morning. So she hid her feelings better than most for years until it all became to much.

Dom, typical cocksure alpha with a side of sweet.
Tenny, sweet heroine with a fiesty backbone.

I loved how the story progressed! I found myself waiting, hanging on the end of my seat for it all to come to a head. It felt like a lifetime waiting for something to happen and colour me surprised at how it did!. I really liked the pace and how nothing was rushed. Both characters had their own personalities and it was a pleasure getting to know them separately then together. The chemistry between them was just out of this world! So hot I was like how has this not happened before and why are you being so stupid to not realise your ment to be now!. They had their own fears which I totally understood and related to. They also had moments of sweet and moments of hot. I loved how the story unfolds and that ending ... perfection!.

I kindly received this ARC from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.