3.5 Stars
When I saw this was a single dad hockey romance all I said was sign me up. Plus this author is a favorite of mine. I loved her Lord of the Rings references. She did kill me though with the Pats and Brady references. I really wanted to love this one, but I did struggle at times investing into this one. I loved that Adina is a firefighter. It's a family tradition to go into the field. We see the struggles she endures not just being a woman in the field, but also as a black woman. I did love that both MCs are black characters. It gave me diversity through a black woman author creating these characters. Gave us the slang and accent to the characters which I thought was cool. Now Solomon his redeeming quality is the love for his son. It took me a long time to warm up to Solomon. I know both Adina and Solomon are struggling with the grief of the loss of their loved ones. Trust me I know that struggle daily. I may not have lost a significant other, but my grandparents loss has crushed me so I can't even imagine losing a significant other. I could feel the pain and struggle of them opening up to the possibility of moving on and finding love again. Little Kahlil, he stole my heart. He is such a cutie that brings out the softer side of Solomon. It's a good book that I just wish I could get emotionally more invested in. The connection between reader and the characters was just lacking on my part.

Oh my goodness! This story hit me so hard because I had a complete connection with Solomon. I too was left trying to pick up the pieces and adjust to my life after the sudden death of my husband. I totally understand all his emotions about opening yourself up to love again but feeling as though you’re betraying the love of your whole world on top of the pressure of not wanting to fail at raising your kids. I too found the courage to love again. I am Solomon. I can’t lie. I had to stop reading several times to cry and regroup. I’m so glad I finished it because it reaffirmed that there is life after death of your spouse. I enjoyed the laughs that took me away from the heavy stuff of the story. All of the characters were fantastically written. I will be reading more books by Naima.

Wow, the drama! This one was hot, hot, hot from start to finish, and I mean that both literally and figuratively. After fighting a fire, Adina finds a journal. I was a little surprised that she actually read it - all of it! In doing so, she discovers who the journal belongs to. She finds herself connecting with the material and, thus, it's writer. Solomon, on the other hand, isn't too happy about the intrusion. From there, the two begin their burning hot push and pull relationship. There's anger and betrayal, but there's also sexual tension. Plus the two are dealing with a similar grief - that of losing a partner. They become anchors for each other and end up enjoying the time they spend together, even while they are both dealing with separate issues. I liked how real these characters were and their story was a good read.

Played by Naima Simone is a captivating romance that intertwines deep emotional struggles with sizzling chemistry. The story centers around a Black female firefighter and a widowed pro hockey player, both trying to heal from personal tragedies. When the firefighter finds Solomon Young's charred journal, she feels a connection to his pain and guilt for invading his privacy. Their initial interaction is frosty, but the attraction between them quickly ignites into something powerful and undeniable.

Naima Simone's characters are well-developed, with real emotional depth, and their chemistry is both intense and steamy. I appreciated that the characters were in their late 20s to early 30s, making them more relatable and mature. The balance of heartfelt emotion, humor, and passion made this a thoroughly enjoyable read. Simone’s writing pulls you in from the start, and I found myself rooting for these two damaged souls to find healing and love together. Highly recommended!

Adina is a firefighter and she meets Solomon, a local hickey player. They have an intense chemistry but both are wary of relationships.

I did like our MC's, I just found it hard to love them, I felt that they both went to extremes sometimes. Solomon was icy and then spicy and Adina went from bada$$ firefighter to cowed. I did enjoy the band of brothers vibe she had with her fellow firefighters/family but could not understand her hesitancy to ask them for help. However, Khalil, well he just stole every scene he was in!

Highly emotive and dealing with major issues. I found it was more of a romance with sporty characters than a sports romance. There is a heavy strain of religion to the MC's, which while not really something I would automatically search for, didn't affect my enjoyment of the story too much. Well worth a read but research for your TW.

What a story! Ms. Simone takes the two main characters through major emotional wringers. Both Dina and Solomon are each grieving the loss of their significant others. Solomon is left a single father (with an amazing five year old son); Adina lost her fiancé in the line of duty (both were firefighters). WIth great imagination, Ms. Simone brings the two of them together. I felt all their jagged edges bouncing off each other as they worked on their own mental landscape while trying to sort out how they understood the other's situation and their reaction (like? love? hate? understanding?) to it. Both the world of professional hockey and the world of firefighting provide big stages for all the drama that ensues. Solomon's son Khalil brings the energy and sunshine that only a small child can provide. Adina's firefighting, New England Patriots-loving family and her best friend Noni add in some humorous conflict along the way. I felt that the author also brought forward some of the current day issues of misogyny and discrimination in a way that informed and helped drive the story, which is quite a specialized skill. Top all this off with the chemistry between Adina and Solomon and the result is a novel I enjoyed immensely. I'm looking forward to a "reread" via the audiobook!


I was given an ARC by NetGalley and asked to provide a review, which I was happy to do.

There is love again after losing someone you love.
This book is heartwarming, hilarious at moments and gives real issues of life that I have seen people go through.
Adina and Solomon were definitely unexpected to find love again. They definitely had their challenges along the way.

Their chemistry is smokin' hot that they can start their own fire.
Solomon's son is such a fantastic addition to this story. He is a hoot.

Now Adina's bestie is absolutely hilarious. I laughed so hard I was laughing crying. I want to go hang out with her beastie.

The reason this book got an actual score of a 4 is due to the fact the cover of this book is absolutely horrible. I have seen way better Hockey covers. If this book was in a store I wouldn't pick it up to read the blurb.
Another reason is the C word. That word doesn't belong in any book for any reason.

This story was good. It touched on several different topics which I appreciated. The characters had good energy and the story was cohesive and straight to the point. I liked the pacing and the fact that it wasn’t long and drawn out.

The characters both being able to relate on losing a partner was great although I felt like Adina’s grief wasn’t as fleshed out as Solomon’s. I did appreciate the way his grief was handled and how he allowed his in laws to act with no boundaries, it felt like a real life experience of a widower/single dad.

Asian’s issues being a Black woman firefighter were also another thing I appreciated. It made the story seem more real and less thoughtless.

Overall a good story.

3.5 I have been waiting on this book since the first time I saw Naima teasing it. Cause I love me some hockey romance and the number of them out there with Black MMCs and FMCs is minuscule. And Solomon’s swagger and confidence did not disappoint, but my guy played in my girl Adina’s face for too much and for far too long. While this was a good read, I didn’t feel like the relationship development was there. It was giving a mix of love at first sight and eff and fall in love. Which is fine if there was something outside of the way Kahlil took to Dina that would have explain Solomon’s willingness to let go of his grief and embrace love. The author told me how the characters felt but I couldn’t tell you what or where those feelings came from, outside of attraction. I know she gave him a sense of peace by being around but how does that translate to love? Overall the banter, Dina’s internal monologue, Solomon’s alphahole nature, and her hilarious bestie Nina carry the story but the romance didn’t do it for me.

4.5 ⭐ 3.5 🌶

I absolutely loved this story. When I picked it up I had no clue it was about two Black MCs and written by a Black author, but I was so excited when I discovered this was the case. It was written with a lot of AAVE which really helped me get immersed in the story and picture the characters and how they spoke. This is a double love after loss, hockey MMC and firefighter FMC romance, there's a lot of angst as these two attempt to overcome their grief and find their happily ever after.

Solomon and Dina were wayyyyy spicier than I expected, but I loved every minute. Every time he called her ma or lil mama I swooned so hard. I'd call it a slow burn since they don't actually do the dirty until almost 3/4 in, but the entire beginning is filled with (hate) flirting and innuendos galore which made it feel way spicier.

I adored Khalil so much, especially his relationship with Dina. I really felt for Solomon's grief and his actions with Khalil involved. His actions and half donkey grovels were why this gets docked half a star though. I really wanted a big on his knees grovel, but alas. We also don't get a epilogue, which makes it feel like a HFN instead of an HEA... But with all they went through I'd like to think they're happily ever after now 🥰

Rated 4.5 Stars

Played was amazing. It was jam packed with emotion. Emotion was a living breathing entity in this book, it packed quite a punch, several punches actually.

It was also funny, sexy and heavy on the steam.

I loved the characters both main and secondary. By secondary characters I specifically mean, Noni. I love her. She took fierce, feisty and sassy to a whole other level. Any time she graced the page she had me laughing. The things that came out of her mouth were way too funny. Just thinking about it has me laughing all over again. She was just a joy period.

As for the main characters, I loved the banter between them. Solomon had quite a mouth on him as did Adina, she gave as good as she got. I loved watching them interact with each and of course fall for each other.

Although this book dealt with heavy themes it still managed to be a lighthearted, fun and feel good read that I highly recommend.

This book is hot and HEAVY, and not just in the sexy sense but in the hits you right in the feels way. If you like your romance fraught with lust, but with more hard-hitting backstory than this is the book for you. It's a sports romance but will make you feel all the things.

Because there are so many hard topics covered here and this book is ghost pepper sexy, make sure that you read the authors very well-defined trigger warnings. The author does each subject such justice. There is so much story here and you fall in love with so many of the characters.

The only reason that this book is not a higher rating for me is because the type of dirty talk used in the book does not work for me. Which is something that is specific to my tastes in romance and really has no reflection on the book as a whole.

Overall, Naima Simone is a new go to author for me in the romance genre. This story reminds me of Kennedy Ryan, one of my favorite authors, in that it is some spicy romance, but there is so much more to the story than just the romance. It is about so much more than just the relationship between the two characters. I think that all romance lovers should give this story a read and I will be letting them all know about this one!

3.75 stars

What happens when you find someone’s innermost thoughts written down in an abandoned journal and realize that they understand the grief you’re currently experiencing? Let’s just say that Played has the microtrope I never knew I’d want to read.

Author Naima Simone expertly explores the ways in which loss and grief affect us and how sometimes the guilt of surviving can inhibit our ability to move forward. Adina and Solomon are both processing a similar kind of loss, and the connection they feel toward each other complicates that immensely. There’s a lot of vacillation and back-and-forth, which might give some readers whiplash, but I thought mostly gave authenticity to the story.

My only qualms come from some of the secondary plot elements that seemed both too convenient and also not sufficiently wrapped up. And Solomon’s hot-and-cold routine got a little bit tired, even though it was kind of understandable. But he also understands the job in the dirty talk arena, so I wasn’t too mad about it.

Played puts an interesting twist on a love after loss story and presents an interesting relationship dynamic and plot that felt fresh and enjoyable to read.

DNF: I really wanted to like this, but no matter how hard I tried I could not get into it. I understand the style of writing the author was going for but I couldn’t understand why the MMC kept calling the FMC ‘ma’ I wonder if it’s a cultural thing but I didn’t get it.

I only got 20% in but everything happened so fast! And instantly I just felt that the FMC was less strong and more aggressive.

I have no doubt from review I’ve read about this authors work that she is a great writer but this one was not for me unfortunately and I could not continue.

I will not be posting this review on any other social platforms

I was emotionally hooked into this book from the journal entries and only fell more in love with these characters with every page. I’m just reading every book lately from start to finish in one sitting, and this book was no different. Adina and Solomon honestly have a complicated beginning, middle and end, but man they have overcome a lot of struggles and have fought for each other against their loved ones.

Solomon has a lot to fight against as his father-in-law is his boss, and after his wife’s death, it has caused a complicated relationship of demanding things beyond the scope of either position, and Solomon agreeing until he has a reason to disagree. He truly loved his wife, and his second Chance at love isn’t easy, but he’s willing to take a chance, and I love how he is with Adina!

My favorite part of this book was Adina’s inner thoughts, she was hilarious and added a much needed lighter tone after some of the scenes in this book!

3 1/2 STARS!

Fast paced and attention grabbing! Let me start this review by saying that I adore Naima Simone and her writing as a whole and I adore hockey romance, so I went into this book expecting to LOVE it ... but sadly it just wasn't a hit with me. It wasn't the plot as a whole because I loved Adina and Solomon both and their storyline and surrounding drama was spot on. The disconnect for me came from how slang filled the writing style was, how much race talk there was, how those things distracted from the heartfelt goodness that was pouring out from these characters as they co-mingled on their journey of healing and rediscovery. I walked away loving the characters and their happily ever after, but the route to get there was super choppy and a tad painful. I love snark, I love REAL ... but I need things to make sense without having to dissect every sentence and to have a point other than to just be preaching a platform. This book won't stop me from picking up a Simone novel again because she's been the bomb many times in the past, this just isn't my favorite.

This book was difficult for me to get into but I think that’s mostly a me problem as I don’t read a lot of hockey romances. However, I continued on anyways and was happy with the pacing and characters enough to finish the book and genuinely enjoy it.

In the end, I liked Adina and Solomon as a couple but I did find Solomon to be very mean and having too much attitude for the majority of the book. You could definitely feel the chemistry between the two and empathize with their grief. I did become emotionally invested in the story to see how everything worked out.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. I reviewed it for Library Journal. My verdict: This touching, funny, sexy novel from Simone (Ravaged) is a joy to read and is sure to be popular where contemporary sports romances and multicultural fiction circulate well.

Played wasn't quite what I expected. I went in anticipating a sports romance, but that aspect was minimal. However, I loved the representation with Black main characters, which earned this book a solid 3.5 stars from me.

The story is beautifully written, particularly in how it handles grief. The raw emotions really tug at the heartstrings, balancing moments of deep loss with hope and happiness. The relationship between widowed hockey player Solomon and firefighter Adina develops after she finds his private journal. Their connection is genuine, with great chemistry and plenty of spicy moments.

Despite the engaging characters and well-crafted narrative, I found myself wishing for more of the sports element. Still, it's a powerful story, just not one I'd recommend if you're looking specifically for a sports romance.