Cover Image: Ravaged

Ravaged

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Member Reviews

Ravaged by Naima Simone is book 2 in the Burned, Inc series. Thanks to @netgalley for early access to this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. I did not read the first book as this was a standalone; that said, I may have liked the main characters in this one if I'd had more backstory.

✔️ Friends to Lovers
✔️ Sports Romance
✔️ One Night Stand

This one was just ok for me (3⭐️). I liked the setup (friends dealing with their one night stand) and the angst that comes with both of them pining for each other but not wanting to ruin their friendship. However, the middle of the book lagged a little for me. I wasn't emotionally connected to either main character and found their banter over the top.

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️
Swoon 💕

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I always wonder how the author always comes of with a short and love filled story. Even this book was just as amazing to read as her all the books.

JORDAN - The Male Character who appears to be really strong also has his own past which truly hurts him. In a few ways his way of forcing himself to stay away from Miriam was cute. He can't lose his best friend.

Miriam - The Female Lead is a beautiful woman who posses a lot of talents and keeps herself occupied in her work. She carries out a positive attitude and keeps everyone around her at ease. Her sassy talk made her sustain between Jordan and his friends

The best part is Miriam friend-zoning Jordan and refusing to accept her feelings.

Tropes:-
Basketball
Sunshine Heroine
Sportsman Hero
Friends to lovers
Contemporary romance

Even for someone like me who mostly avoids books with Hero as a sportsman this book was such an amazing read.

If you are looking for a slow burn sport romance filled with love then give this book a chance ☺️

Thanks to @netgalley and @naimasimoneauthor for giving me the ARC

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This is my first time reading this author and it won't be the last! I absolutely loved her writing and can't wait to read more of her books.

"You are under my skin, entrenched in my heart, my soul."

Jordan Ransom and Miriam Nelson have become the best of friends after a hot, unforgettable one night stand. Miriam is not in the market for a committed relationship, and Jordan will have her any way he can have her in his life. However, when one of his good friends shows an interest in Miriam, Jordan uses it as an attempt to move on from the woman he loves but can never have.

"You're...everything. My Narnia."

Gah! This story was so good! Jordan was so damn gorgeous. I swooned hard over that dude. He only had good intentions, with a touch of self-preservation thrown in. He was sensitive, thoughtful, and a really great all-round guy who protected a vulnerable heart under his fun exterior. I wanted to give Miriam a good shake since she'd basically put them firmly in the friendzone, and it was obvious neither really wanted to be there. My heart hurt for Jordan's fears and sense of worth, although I could see why Miriam put such a barrier around her own heart. Her dysfunctional family and a bad experience had her running scared. They were both a little broken but I adored how the love, affection and respect they had for each other healed them. This story was filled with angst, tension, some seriously sexy passion, and left the reader on a fabulous high note!

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I thoroughly, throughly enjoyed this book. I loved the fact that the couple had already done the deed and decided to be just friends after the fact. I also loved being privvy to Jordan's thoughts as well as Miriam. I'm not a fan of love triangles and I wanted to strangle Jordan when he wasn't truthful with his teammate but his heart was in the right place. It was delightful to catch up with Cyrus and Jordan I look forward to reading more stories centered around other players on Jordan's Team.

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This book had me hooked from the very first page and I couldn't put it down. This book was full of spice, steamy, banter, chemistry and attraction.

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Thank you @netgalley the publisher and the author for the advanced copy of Ravaged. Ravaged is available now in paperback and KU.

I was excited to continue the Burned series with Miriam’s story. I usually love the sweet slow burn that is a friends to lovers novel, however this one fell flat. Very flat.

In Ravaged we follow Miriam and Jordan. Miriam is Zora’s younger sister and Jordan is Cyrus’ best friend. We met them all in book one.

The thing that put me off this book was Miriam’s insistence that she ‘doesn’t do athletes’. (Jordan is a pro basketball player). The fact that she doesn’t do athletes doesn’t stop her from getting down and dirty with Jordan… but it’s just one night and doesn’t mean anything because, did I mention Miriam DOESN’T DO ATHLETES.
Meanwhile both Jordan and Miriam are so in love with each other. So in love in fact that he sets her up with one of his teammates 🙄 the miscommunication trope does my head in.

Take out 100 pages of Miriam NOT doing athletes and this book would have been great. Once the realisation that she actually DOES do athletes (78% of the way through the book) the story got good 😉🔥🌶 and then it ended 🤷🏼‍♀️

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avaged by Naima Simone slowly creeps in your heart with the brilliant humor, blinding hot passion and heartaching feels. Miriam and Jordan took me through all the swoony, confusing, sinful and beautiful stages of love!

Miriam is the woman with many talents. She is not only the partner of BURNED Inc with her siblings..she is also secretly creating the popular graphic novel Ravaged Lands. Celebrity basketball player Jordan Ransom has serious feels for her but after one spontaneous night of passion, Miriam has friendzoned him though she also has deep feels for him. She is just refusing to accept it.


It is my first Naima Simone book and I loved her writing style. It was poetic and sharp and a very unique storytelling. Three cheers for a heroine who is not only sexy but has the sharp brains to match. She is super smart and has an enviable academic career. But she has joined the business because she wanted to blend. She has sharp tongue, sassy attitude and fierce personality but she hides a lot of vulnerability and uncertainty behind the mask. She has been hurt and idea of love makes her want to run. And Jordan Ransom is hard to resist. Now he is what I call a perfect book boyfriend. Charismatic, enigmatic, confident, drop dead gorgeous..and yet unusually reserved and hesitant when it comes to Miriam. And it almost cost him everything. But like any good man, he managed to win her heart. They became great friends and stayed so even after that one steamy night. And that friendship is so precious. They tease and taunt each other but they stood by each other through thick and thin. Miriam felt seen and loved and understood with Jordan and he definitely played the role of devoted ,doting, supportive ,caring and possessive man very well. I wanted to kill them for being so stubborn but the slow burn just intensified their connection. And when I slow burn..it is like the slowest slow burn book I read recently and yet it captivated me.

Ps Idk why Goodreads is showing the review for Audible. I received e ARC from Netgalley and Montlake.

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First of all, let me admit to being a bit nervous reading this one. While I ended up liking the first book in the series, Heated, I did struggle with it early on. And as much as I love Naima Simone (and I do), it just wasn't my favorite. When added to the blurb here, I was apprehensive and might have put off reading it longer than I should have. As it turns out, I really enjoyed Ravaged, and my apprehension was all for naught. Yes, this one is angstier than my usual fare—especially with Daniel's added backstory putting him squarely in the "this guy needs a HEA ASAP" category—but in the end, I found myself compelled to come back to it in the hopes of seeing how it would all play out.

Now, that's not to say this book was perfect, because it was not. I definitely wanted to give Miriam a piece of my mind at times and Jordan's inability to admit to anyone what was really going on hit my heart a little too hard (see above re: Daniel) at times. Communication is key, people!

Together, those two pieces of this otherwise well-paced and well-written story could have derailed my reading experience, but thankfully that wasn't the case. Why, you ask? Because they were outweighed by all the good. Which included, but are not limited to:
✓ Miriam's secret career
✓ Jordan's unwavering support
✓ The banter and nerdy references
✓ Sibling support and love
✓ All the steaminess

In the end, a good addition to the series, and another book that proves Simone is a talented, engaging author. I look forward to Levi's book next!

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A lot of angst with this story, it appears early and often. Once Jordan and Miriam stop the tap dancing around each other and get past the friend zone, wow! Miriam is one complex woman, and I enjoyed getting to know her.

I love the writing style of this author and will grab any book of hers I can.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the advanced copy; this is my voluntary review.

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This was a fun book. The dynamic between Miriam and Jordan was great - their chemistry really worked for me and there was a really sexy vibe to the whole book. I’d say that was this books biggest strength; the heat feels really high and I was just anxious for most of the book for them to act on the feelings they clearly had for one another.

When I focused on the actual romantic element of the book then I really enjoyed it, but I did have some issues. I found some of the geeky references a bit grating and I wanted the author to stop referring to Jordan physically being like a viking - it was fine the first time but after a while I just found it overdone.

I also wasn’t really keen on a lot of the external drama. The plot involving Jordan’s teammate, Daniel, didn’t work for me - it felt uncomfortable and I felt really bad for his character. Neither Miriam nor Jordan’s responses to that situation made sense to me and it was hard to root for either of them putting such a vulnerable character in that position. I also personally didn’t find that the drama involving both Miriam and Jordan’s respective parents fit very well into the book.

Overall I just felt a bit lukewarm to the book. There were a lot of good ideas, and I did enjoy reading it, but I think the external drama and plots could have been dialed down way more. Still, this was fun in parts and if you’re looking for a sexy friends-to-lovers romance with a lot of sexual tension then this would probably work for you. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Absent parent, toxic relationship with parents, death of a spouse (side character, in past), references to traffic collisions, intimate partner violence (in past, side character), on-page sex, unprotected sex.

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*3.5 stars*

I liked Jordan and Miriam from book 1 and their book didn't disappoint. Jordan, a superstar basketballer has been pining for Miriam with whom he had a 1 night stand months before. Miriam however had firmly put him in the friend zone after. Things come to a head when one of Jordan's friends likes Miriam too and stuff ensues...

I really like both of our protagonists. I enjoyed their friendship, and kept screaming at them to just talk and start their relationship because it was so obvious that they deeply cared for each other in ways other than pure friendship.

The little things I didn't like include how long it took them to get together, how Miriam's issue didn't totally gel with who I felt she had grown up to become, and eventually the 3rd act breakup felt unnecessary. Overall though, I enjoyed this a lot. And phew, the steam was hot.
I am just glad I only saw their awful, awful parents once.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC.

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Miriam is a lot like me when I was her age, hiding her real self as she lives her life. Loving someone with them thinking you're just friends is horrible but life has a way of working, sometimes better than we thought it could. A cute rom-com of friends to lovers and as a first time reader of Ms. Simone, I will be looking for other books of hers to read.

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4 1/2 STARS!

A decadently tempting friends to lovers story with all of the angst and feels rolled into one delightful read! I loved this second book in Naima Simone's BURNED Inc series even more than the first and the only thing I really wanted to see developed a bit more was his NBA world which fell a little to the wayside behind Miriam's secret life. I loved their story and am looking forward to seeing what is in store for Levi.

Miriam is the family brainiac and has let herself become comfortable in business with her brother and sister, but what no one knows is the secret desire she has in life and how far she's come towards achieving it.

Jordan is a sweetheart and I loved watching his love for Miriam outshine just about everything for him.

I recommend this book as well as the rest of the series to anyone that likes a fresh business concept revolving around a close knit group of siblings who are thriving despite the turmoil of life around them.

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Miriam is smarter than her peers which at times has her feeling isolated. She decided to become partners with her siblings in the business they created partially to work with them and partially so that others didn’t have to repeat the experience from her past which still affects her. She and Jordan shared a steamy night, but she decided that they were destined to be friends only in large part because of his career.

Jordan is a professional basketball player who is in love with Miriam but is willing to accept whatever relationship she will give him. He only wants her to be happy which is why he sets her up with his fellow teammate which will force both of them to finally face their feelings for each and decide if some risks are worth the reward.

Both Miriam and Jordan have difficult pasts but have handled it differently. The chemistry between them is intense but it was the way they supported and shared all their deepest secrets and feelings with each other that made their relationship so special.

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I enjoy Naima Simone's books - she writes quick, easy read, steamy books that are very character and plot driven. This one (this series) is no exception! I'm glad I read the first book in the series before picking up Ravaged (book 1 in the Burned, Inc. series is Heated), because I know I would have been very lost with the backstory and the characters involved, otherwise! I read it immediately prior - available from KU.

Ravaged follows youngest sister Miriam, of the three siblings that own and operate Burned, Inc. - a company that helps people break up with their significant other in a gentler, kinder way. We met older sister and one of the twins, Zora, in the first book. Zora started out by breaking up with Cyrus (for his entitled girlfriend), who she ended up falling for. Cyrus is best friends with Jordan, a basketball star and one of his entertainment law clients. Being that they're best friends, and the girls are sisters, Jordan and Miriam meet and have a bit of a fling, but in the first book, she friend-zones him. He's actually quite in love with the girl - but it's unrequited.

Book 2, Ravaged, finds one of Jordan's teammates interested in Miriam. Jordan, now being Miriam's "best friend", and sidelined from the team with an injury, wants to help a fellow (and widower) out, and sort of Cyrano's him with what to say and do to win her over, after Daniel and Miriam's first date goes horribly wrong. She eventually realizes that Daniel is not the one for her, and she moves on (to Jordan's relief). But... Jordan is still just her friend - not a place he wants to be, but not much he can do to get past it.

I really enjoyed how Naima Simone was able to write Jordan's tough story, Jordan's family life and his dad storyline, the basketball teammates close-knit bonds, as well as continue the sibling's experience with their parent's difficult marriage and keep Miriam's big quirky personality going and very much expanding on this... and then there were a few of the side character's story arcs. Miriam's side-hustle of her art and writing career is also quite interesting, especially with where it takes them in the end!

I definitely recommend this book for everyone, as it's beautifully written, but the first book is very important to read first. The continued story arc is necessary. This mixed-race, genius-level IQ, hard to understand and just needs her person to "get" her behaviour character, the difficult family life, the close sibling bonds, it's all there! Also, a great sports romance (sort of behind the scenes with his injury), with close-knit friendships. You will find a lot of great tropes explored here!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Montlake, and this is my honest feedback.

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Complimentary copy provided by NetGalley and publisher for my honest opinion and review.
Steamy factor: 3 Romance factor: 3. This book took some time to get to the story line. The author used plenty of adjectives in descriptions that sometime became overbearing. On a rating of: I love, I like, it's ok and meh..... this book is a like!

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Ravaged was a surprising and wonderful book. Jordan is in love with his best friend, Miriam, but he can't tell her because she has put him firmly in the friend zone. Jordan is a professional basketball player on medical leave from the team while he heals from an injury. This gives him lots of time to think about Miriam and to want to spend time with Miriam. He can't even think about being with a woman who isn't Miriam. For her part, Miriam is just living her life. She likes being part of a company with her brother and sister. She has a successful side career that she keeps secret from everyone. She has no plans to ever settle down with anyone after watching her parent's disastrous marriage and after being treated horribly by men in the past. Can Jordan survive if Miriam meets someone else and starts a relationship? Will Miriam ever realize her best friend is in love with her?

Jordan has a lot going on in this story. I really like that the author had Jordan dealing with healing from his injury by sitting around. It sounds weird but the type of injury he had would require him to just sit around. Jordan's frustration with the situation made sense and really played well with the overall story. I liked the scenes with Jordan's family, both the good and the bad. Learning about Jordan's past and what made him the man he is was very interesting. Jordan has some personality quirks that were really fun. I was glad that the author chose to give Jordan something kind of off the wall as an interest but also made it very meaningful to the character. Miriam is kind of going through the motions at the beginning of the book. At times I got frustrated with her because I wanted her to SEE what was right in front of her. I really enjoyed the moment when she realized her feelings and decided to act on them. Overall, they are a good couple and I can imagine them being happy together long-term. The side characters were really good. I am looking forward to future stories in this series because there are some characters that need to find love!

I want to give a round of applause for one thing that the author did that I really appreciated. Both Jordan and Miriam have moments that happen off the page that are important to the story. A lot of authors would include scenes with all of the details and then rehash them later in the book when it becomes relevant for other characters to find out what happened. The author opted to let things happen off-page. Bravo! It was nice to have the characters have to talk it out in order to find out all of the details.

The one area that I thought the author needed to explore a bit more was the fact that Miriam thinks Jordan is a player. I was left wondering if he had been a player or if she really misunderstood him. Ok, I have a bone to pick! Jordan is TALL and Miriam is short. There were moments when I felt like maybe their heights were adjusted to make it fit the scene better. It's an issue for me this happens after the author sets up a serious height difference and then throws it away briefly when it's inconvenient (it's not a deal breaker but it's annoying).

Ravaged is a contemporary romance set in Denver. This story is part of a series but can be read alone. I wish I had read book one first because I think I would have enjoyed knowing about Jordan and Miriam before this story started. I would recommend this book and I plan to read more from this author.

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I really wanted to like this book but I have to say that I was not a fan of Miriam. Written as a strong, smart character, there were too many internal monologues that made me question her strength as a female character. Her blanket statement regarding how she was not going to get together with Jordan was also a little odd, given they were best friends and then the whole book, we had to hear about how attracted to him she was. It all just ran a little odd to me. There were plenty of funny moments and I liked how Miriam was with her family and how Jordan (who was a really great character) was with his best friends. I just wished the book didn't drag so much as we waited for Miriam to warm up to the idea of Jordan. And of Jordan's kind of weak character when it came to Miriam- like not speaking up when his best friend wanted to ask Miriam out. All of these made the story just feel slow.

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I loved Miriam!

Miriam Nelson avoided all athletes since college but now she is best friends with tattooed Viking pro basketball player Jordan Ransom. But Miriam doesn’t know that Jordan has been in love with her since the one night they spent together because he knows that Miriam doesn’t have relationships but that is his goal and he is a competitor.

Miriam Nelson is the character that I really wanted to know more about after reading Heated (Burned Inc. #1) because they never knew what she was going to do. Miriam has layers upon layers and it takes Jordan a long time to get to her center and learning all of her secrets as they go from friends to lovers.

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

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This is the 2nd book in the “Burn Inc. Series” and this is the romantic journey of Jordan who is a professional NBA basketball player and Miriam whose family has a service called Burned Inc a break up service and she is a graphic novelist. Miriam and Jordan are the best of friends and the two shared one sizzling hot night of which the two can’t seem forget nor let go of. Miriam does not do athletes but somehow she found herself in bed with Jordan. Miriam just happens to be the love of Jordan’s life. These two were a piece of work, there were so many obstacles in their path. They couldn’t see the forest for trees, others saw that they were perfect for each other but they were just in their own way. As the two continued on their journey they finally got it together.

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Montlake and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

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