Cover Image: Scoring the Player's Baby

Scoring the Player's Baby

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Great romantic read with low drama. Fast paced novel with a great build world. Perfect read for an afternoon. Arc provided by Netgalley

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A stranger begs for help at a wedding expo that leads to a scorchin hot night.

If you love surprise pregnancy, sports romance don't miss this must read.

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Naima Simone’s WAGS series has been a bit hit and miss for me, but Scoring the Player’s Baby was a huge hit. It quite possibly be that the hero, Ronin Palamo, is a character who has intrigued me from the first book in this series, it could also be that it was impossible not to feel the attraction between this couple from the start, or it could be that despite both the hero and heroine having some heavy duty baggage when it came down to it, their child and their growing feelings trumped all. I loved the emotions both characters had throughout this book, the lust that made it difficult for them to stay away, the parental baggage that made them both know they wanted better for their child, and they way they both fell despite believing they would never do so again.

I always appreciate a smart, strong, sophisticated heroine and Kim Matlock is all of that and so much more. The product of an affair between her model mother and business mogul father left Kim with a great female role model and a dad who refused to acknowledge her existence with the exception of his monthly check. While she now works with and has a great relationship with her half brother, her father still has an attitude against her even though she is working hard to save the hotels he bought that have been losing market share. On top of her father’s abandonment, Kim’s recent divorce from her pro football playing husband who repeatedly cheated on her and made a fool of her has left her less than trusting of men and swearing off anything resembling a relationship. Daring to embark on a one night stand with a man who has made her body sit up and take notice after a very long drought, Kim has no idea that the man she chose is none other than Ronin Palamo, a wide receiver for the Washington Warriors.

The minute Ronin spots Kim from across the room at a wedding expo he is attending with his sister he can’t explain the draw she has on him and meeting her only intensifies that feeling. When she helps him out of a sticky situation he finds he admires her quick wit and smart mouth leading to a night they both will never forget in more ways than one.

You’ll I can’t even begin to describe the beauty of Ronin and I don’t just mean his looks; this man is sweet, funny, kind, caring, and takes care of his sisters and his mom. Ronin is the whole package; tough when he needs to be, patient, sweet, and dominate and despite his feelings on relationships he is all in when he finds out he is going to be a dad.

I loved how multi layered both these characters were and that throughout this book we got to see all of them. I will say this book was highly sexual because sex was easy for these two and emotions were not, but somehow through it all they shared their lives, opened their hearts, and fell in love despite all their reservations and the events in their past that had made them wary.

Scoring the Player’s Baby was completely satisfying from start to finish with characters that were easy to fall in love with making it a perfect romance.

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First I want to say, I enjoy Naima's book and I have been reading them for a while. Unfortunately, as a long time reader, they have become a bit formulaic. It may be because I read the two books in the series that I feel this way. It is an entertaining, solid read, but I would like to see a little bit more inventiveness.

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Naima Simone writes the hottest football players around. This story is just so dang sexy. And throw in a baby, what's not to love?

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Fantastic book! I've enjoyed each book in the series, but this is my favorite (so far). The chemistry between Ronin and Kim is pretty freakin' hot, until Kim discovers who Ronin is....and then learning she's pregnant. Just seeing how Ronin is there for Kim was great, and I couldn't wait to see how Kim was going to deal with the situation regarding her father.

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Book 3 of the WAGS Series, Scoring the Player's Baby by Naima Simone is a sweet and sexy read that will leave you breathless. If you haven't yet had a chance to read one of this author's incredible stories then I'd highly recommend you get started right quick! A must-read!

An ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review of which this is both honest and completely voluntary.

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A unique take on the "OOPS, we made a baby" story. Overall good writing and dialogue .Enjoyed the romance.

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We had a rocky journey, the book and I. Sometimes I liked the story and others not so much. It's not one of the author's best works. I felt like giving up sometimes on the book and others I liked where it was going. I wasn't a fan of the heroine or the heroine. The secondary characters were more to my liking to be honest. The plot was good and the pace was even. Overall I feel like the book was mediocre and I don't feel like recommending it.

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This is the third book in this series by this author. This author has a fab way of bringing you fun, sexy and exciting characters with each book and this one is no exception. The characters have fantastic attraction between them. Another amazing, well written story from this author. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.



Highly recommended author

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book

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Scoring the Player's Baby was a quick and fun read. It was a fun twist on the surprise baby story with a sports romance angle.

Ronin's not what you'd expect for a baller - sure he's had his pick of women and given in to his urges but he's also up front and honest about his intentions or lack thereof - it's not that he doesn't believe in love - he just doesn't think it will exist for him. But he's not a bad guy - in fact he's probably one of the best - a token to growing up with a single mother and four sisters.

After a previous bad experience with her football player ex-husband Kim had sworn off football players - at least until she "accidentally" gave into one for a night of passionate fun. But that night led her to a little something more.

From that one night comes quite the journey for these two with Ronin being the one who is all in and ready to commit to Kim and their baby and Kim, feeling a bit non-trusting - with good reason. I really enjoyed the interactions between these two as things progressed and how Ronin seemed to know just what Kim needed. Their path wasn't easy - but it was enjoyable and seemed to suit them.

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Tons of sexual chemistry between the H/h in this one!

The heroine (business woman Kim Bishop) was initially a little stand-off-ish due to her past with her football playing ex (who really did her wrong, so she wanted nothing to do with the Jason Momoa-look alike hero ( Ronin Paloma) when she found out he was a football player also! Aren't all football players party animals with no morals and are not to be trusted?

Yes, they did have one scorching night together (but that was before Kim knew who he was! This was just a one night stand!), but who knew she would turn up pregnant? And that Ronin would turn out to be this sweet, protective guy that refused to bail on her.

Kim had some additional baggage besides her divorce from a cheating ex; she was the 'bastard" daughter of a rather unfeeling corporate tycoon, who only saw her as a nuisance in his life. God, this guy was a real prince. His only son ran his business enterprise, and he hired Kim on (she had a good relationship with her half brother) to work for the company. For some reason, Kim was determined to prove to her 'father' that she was an asset to the company and his family. (I wouldn't have bothered with this loser).

So, will Kim give Ronin a chance to prove that not all football players/men are alike? That they can be loving, monogamous family men and not just good for one thing (scorching hot times between the sheets)?

I think I liked this hot number...I know I definitely liked Ronin.

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Holy. Bejeezus. This. Book.

I have adored this series, and this latest installment did not disappoint. Kim is emotionally bruised, surprised by motherhood, and sideswiped by love. She runs hot and cold and damn does Ronin love it. Ronin carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and tries to just add Kim and their baby to that, but when he finally lets her carry some of that burden? Hot. Damn. I loved this story so much! Five stars.

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Well, hello there, Naima Simone, and welcome to my auto-buy list.
Firstly, I am seriously kicking myself for waiting this long to try this author because I have been missing out! Her writing is sexy, fun, lighthearted, and I couldn’t get enough of it! If you’re a fan of the surprise pregnancy trope, this will be your catnip. It was full of humor, delicious dirty talk, a little bit of angst thanks to two stubborn main characters, and some swoon mixed in.

"What I want,” he murmured, “is to hear that sexy moan again. The one you made while sucking on my tongue like you tasted something real good. “I want you to use that beautiful, tight control you got going on to dance and twist on my dick. Then I want to see you lose it, see that control crack right down the middle as you come so hard, I don’t have a choice but to go with you. And after that? I want to do it again and again all night until I limp home in the morning.”

Kim was not a character I’d usually enjoy. While this is one strong alpha female, she has quite a bit of baggage that gives her judgmental tendencies. Burned by her pro-football player, cheating ex-husband, Kim has sworn off professional athletes. So when she finds out that her sizzling one-night stand is actually the wide receiver for the Washington Warriors, she doesn’t hesitate before lumping him in with the rest. But Ronin is nothing like her ex. While he has some commitment issues for reasons of his own, he’s caring, sweet, and doesn’t hesitate to take responsibility when he learns that their one night together has resulted in a pregnancy neither of them expected.
Can I just tell you how much I adored Ronin. Let’s set aside the fact that the man is sinfully sexy and has a mouth on him that will set any ovary aflame. But he also has a hidden sweet side to him that I loved seeing come out more and more with the bristly Kim. I loved the way he soothed her rough edges. And though Kim did frustrate me at times with the way she pushed Ronin away, I understood why she did.
Admittedly, what really brought it together for me was the ridiculously sweet ending and I particularly loved the twist to the typical romance grovel. I can’t believe I just discovered this series and this author, but I’m also thrilled because now I have her entire backlist to binge one; starting with the first two books in the WAGs series.

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I adored this book! It gave me all the feels!! It was a heart string tugging story of love, forgiveness, finding yourself and happiness. It centers around pro football player Ronin (squeeeeee that name!) and marketing executive Kim.. one who has suffered a lost love and the other a cheating love. Throw in some intense hot sex and a surprise baby and you have a delicious story. This is my first book by this author but I WILL be looking to read more. Needless to say this was a big thumbs up read for me!

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#ScoringThePlayer'sBaby #NetGalley

So I have read Scoring off the Field and loved it, and I could wait for this book. But for whatever reason, I kept getting distracted and missing this one. But I finally found the time and was able to get to it. Man, I wish I had found time earlier. I loved this story. It made me laugh, cry, and laugh some more.

Kim is a woman that is a year out of her divorce from a dick of a football player. He cheated on her and made her feel less of everything. She has a history of men walking away from her and she is just so tired of it. But she doesn't have the spirit or fight in her to make a change.

When Ronan sees Kim at a wedding expo he knows he wants her. So when a stalker shows up he uses Kim as a block and gets to kiss her. They trade numbers and he lets Kim set the pace. When she decides to get a hold of him that night. They both use each other to forget their past. Little does he know what that one night might bring.

Ronan is a wonderful character. He has a lot going on in his life, but he makes time and effort with Kim even when she tries to push him away. He might not want love any more than she does but sometimes you don't always get what you want.

I loved this story and am happy to have read it. I can't wait to see where Naima brings us next.

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Scoring the Player's Baby was a fun read. Unplanned pregnancy isn't my favorite troupe--especially when one of the characters has had a lot of partners, birth control had better be a priority--but it worked well here. With all of their hang-ups and past relationship issues, I'm not sure if anything else would have gotten these two together. And there is no question that Kim and Ronin need to be together :)

I especially appreciated that Ronin, though he wasn't technically a widower, had had a positive past relationship that ended in death and he was able to move on to another positive one without vilifying or reducing the importance of the first. His guilt over moving on felt spot on, even as his worry about Grace's family being upset felt a teensy bit over the top (especially since given her situation she and her entire family had to know that the long term dream of marriage and a family were truly a long shot. Of course Ronin deserves a chance to move on and be happy, and they'll agree with that. Grace would have agreed with that.)

I haven't read a lot of books from Ms. Simone, but she's quickly moving toward my list of must-read authors :)

And OMG, that grand gesture...loved!!! Abso-freaking-lutely perfect :)

The third book in the WAGs series, Scoring the Player's Baby works fine as a standalone. The other couples from the series make an appearance (and a future couple--Renee and Jason, yes? ;)) but you don't have to have read their books to enjoy this one. (But if you have read the others, that epilogue... :D)

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

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Scoring the Player’s Baby was such a good accidental pregnancy novel. This novel was laugh out louad funny from the very beginning. It’s novel three in the series so because I’ve read the first two I already meet the hero Ronin and knew he would be entertaining. I fell in love with Ronin beyond my expectations. The heroine Kim has been burned in the past by a football player and now she is anti-men, especially men who are just like her ex-husband. Ronin is everything she isn’t looking for and if she knew who he was when they met then she never would have had a steamy hot one-night stand. Ronin must prove to her that he is nothing like her ex and their chemistry is too hot to ignore. This was a great novel to read that while light hearted was also very intense.

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Disclaimer: I DO NOT find Jason Momoa hot - at all! But, now every time I see a pic of him, I remember Ronin Palamo, and I get little flutters :D

Portrayed as a sexy, tattle-tale playboy in previous books, we see a different side to Ronin in WAGS #3. A fortuitous kiss between him and a sexy brunette named Kim ends in a night both can't forget. Both clearly want a repeat, but Kim's past is their biggest obstacle. When she finds out that their night together has resulted in a pregnancy, Ronin surprises her with his resolute and steadfast support. If they can only see past the baggage they both need to unpack, the couple might just realise that their wicked hot chemistry only serves as the perfect complement to their blossoming feelings for each other.

I liked Ronin's sweet yet alpha personality. It really warmed my heart to see him fight for Kim to give them a chance.

I really enjoyed this book. From the first book, I knew that this series was gonna be awesome, and so far, the WAGS series just keeps getting better! I can't wait for the next one!

I voluntarily read & reviewed an ARC of this book, which I received via NetGalley.

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4 stars

Scoring the Player's Baby by Naima Simone is a hot, steamy and very enjoyable read.

I found the storyline entertaining, the characters likable and a little frustrating, but overall I liked them together and was happy watching them get their happily ever after.

*Available now*
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*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the advance copy.*

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