Another hot and steamy read from Naima, great series, and I am looking forward to future booked in the series.

A solid sports romance from Naima Simone. Characters were well written and stayed true to form without using small quirks to create unrealistic drama.

The pacing was good and I devoured this book pretty quickly.

ARC generously provided by NetGalley and Montlake in exchange for fair and honest review.

So this is the second book in a series, which I didn't know until after I started it. But the good news is that you don't have to read the first one to understand anything that is happening in this one. The only reason I point out that it is book number two is so you can go back and read book number one. Because I absolutely am! This was a seriously emotional and angsty ride. And one that I enjoyed every second of! The angst pretty much kicked in from the start and didn't let up for the entirety of the book.

Jordan and Miriam had chemistry for days and I loved the way they supported each other while also trying to pretend they weren't head over heels in love with each other. The journey to the two of them getting together wasn't a smooth one. They had a lot of obstacles to overcome and plenty of things about themselves and their lives that they needed to figure out first. Something I liked about this is that while Jordan and Miriam are the main characters and their love story is at the center of it all, it isn't the only thing happening. There are side plots going on throughout the book as well and they have me already hooked for the next book in the series to come. Naima Simone is introducing us to this whole world and the cast of characters that she has created and she has me invested. Making those side characters appear in this book, knowing they are going to get their own happily ever afters has me invested in the continuing story of this group of people.

I liked that this wasn't overly spicy, too. Don't get me wrong, I love a good spicy book. But sometimes it's nice to have the focus be on the characters getting together and not completely focused on after they are together. It's nice to be able to sit back and enjoy the journey of them finding their way to one another. There was a lot of depth to these characters and I loved exploring that depth and being able to understand what made them tick and how their pasts have affected and made them who they are today. We all have a past and sometimes it can get in the way of our present and future. So I understood some of the struggles the characters were facing when it came to that and I related to them battling with their pasts in different ways. Overall, this was a great read and I very much recommend it. I also recommend reading the first book in the series.

This was a really amazing read. While I had to adjust a bit to the author's style of writing, I loved it. This one is a case of loving the hero just a teeny bit than the heroine but both of them were really great. I could have done without the love triangle but it was intricate to the story, I guess and it worked out well. I love how amazing the hero was. He was well written and fleshed out as a character. I want a story with Levi as the main hero though 😂
Read this one!

Miriam and Jordan’s love story delivers all the feels and satisfies with a buffet of tropes: friends-to-lovers, professional athletes, brainy tenderhearted confident women, millionaires, story-within-a-story, big misunderstanding and more. Plus, a clever variation on matchmaking seemingly inspired by Cyrano de Bergerac adds another layer of emotional intrigue to this substantive tale about healing from past trauma. Ravaged unfolds at a nimble pace that balances contextual details with compelling intensity and incendiary sexual chemistry. It’s also funny, celebrates the importance of healthy connections with family and friends, and works as a stand-alone, although reading it immediately generates the compulsion to add the “Burned, Inc.” series to one’s TBR list. Fans of Nalini Singh’s rugby stories should especially enjoy this.

[Profanity is common throughout characters’ casual conversations and thoughts–no judgement, simply a note.]

It took me a while to get into this book but once I did I enjoyed it, very well written and all the characters were believable, some I liked, some I didn't but the storyline was interesting.

Loved this!
This was a fantastic friends to lovers, slow burn romance. I am absolutely stunned by how fast I devoured this story. This was a short read but I easily could have read more about these characters.
I loved Miriam and Jordan. Their friendship felt real. This is always a factor I think about when it comes to the friends to lovers trope. The foundation needs to be there for the romance between them to develop and I felt Simone did a good job accomplishing that in Ravaged. I also loved that everyone knew they liked each other. It added to the humor and tension.
The angst/mutual pining is strong here! These two stubborn goats certainly took their time giving into their feelings for each other. My goodness!
Simone delivers the spice too! I was actually quite surprised but how spicy this book was. I was not expecting it at all but delighted it was there.
Overall, this was a spicy friends to lovers romance that readers should definitely one-click!

Book provided by Netgally for honest review.

I have never heard of or read this author before. I enjoyed the second half of this book a lot. The first half took me forever to get through. So while the book over all was good I felt either the authors voice or writing style really hindered me enjoying this book.

This is a new author to me and I absolutely loved the style of writing. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author. Love loved this story.

I really enjoyed this book and I thought that it had a good storyline

The characters were well developed and they had some great interaction throughout the book too.

There were quite a few long passages of text which had a bit too much detail for me that stopped the lovely flow of the story that the author had built up and that was a little disappointing as whilst it didn't detract from the plot it did elongate the reading time as it wasn’t needed, it could easily have been a five star read without but it was still a really enjoyable story

It is 4 stars from me for this one, highly recommended!

Ravaged was sweet. It was sexy. It was sassy. It was awesome. I enjoyed Jordan and Miriam’s story despite their stubbornness. They were both quite stubborn. I loved the tension between them. I enjoyed their journey and I’m hoping for more in the series.

3.3 stars. My first Naima Simone book and I consider myself impressed. I've heard her mentioned a bunch of time in a podcast but I had never read a book of hers. I went in a bit hesitant with this one. At first, I wasn't sure this couple dynamic would work for me. Two friends who are so head over heels for each other but they both think their love is unrequited BUT she made it work. I found myself really enthralled by her writing style and quite charmed by the characters and their relationship. I will definitely check out more of her books.

Ravaged is the second book in the Burned, Inc series but I read it as a stand-alone and had no trouble following along. It was fast-paced and a friend to lover’s romance with lots of heat.
Miriam and Jordan both had family baggage they needed to overcome, and I loved seeing them defeat their fears and open up to each other. Their struggles were genuine and gave depth to their characters.
This was an entertaining book with lots of fun and wit. After reading it, I plan to go can and read the first book in the series. I hope to see some of Jordan’s teammates, especially Daniel, in future books.
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book. I am such a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope. Also, I loved that Miriam is a super smart, no-nonsense, sassy character. Jordan’s unrequited pining for Miriam was so sweet. 5/5 stars.

Jordan and Miriam were such fun to read. Their chemistry was great, the banter was fun and seeing their relationship grow was great. I liked that they had such supportive friends (found family). If you are looking for a friends to lovers story with great banter and well rounded characters, this one is a good one.

Overview | Two smart, screamingly hot people try to fight free of the Friendzone.
7.5/10 ⭐️
Genre | Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance
Tropes | Friends-to-Lovers, Athlete Hero
Heat Level | 🌶🌶, open door, on-page

Summary: Miriam is a brilliant, funny, relationship-shy graphic novelist. Jordan is a tattooed and pierced Viking hunk of an NBA superstar. The two have one mind-melting hookup and somehow manage to Friendzone each other. Can Miriam and Jordan get over their emotional stumbling blocks before their raging case of horniness unmakes the universe?
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Ravaged hits all the buttons for a sweet, funny, sexy sports romance.

Miriam makes you want to find her real-life equivalent and BFF her up. Her dialogue was regularly laugh out loud caliber or nod your head in agreement relatable. She’s a modern woman, with modern problems, and doesn’t always get it right…but lord, she’s trying.

Jordan is a secret cinnamon roll sweetheart hiding out in the body of a man I wish was in the NBA. I would suddenly never miss a game again. He’s smart, sexy, and above all else, kind. When Jordan screws up it’s never malicious. Once he begins to work through his penchant for self-flagellation we get to cheer for him to go get the girl of his dreams.

The effort it took to keep these fated mates apart is a bit of “romance reasons,” but honestly, if any characters sat down and had adult conversations with actual feelings up front, contemporary romance wouldn’t exist. Sure, I wanted to sit Miriam down and have a talk about not judging a man by his job, but it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the book overall.

Zora and Cyrus are characters from Burned, Inc. #1 and they do appear in this book. I liked them enough I’ll go back to their book. There wasn’t much about the Burned business, outside of the first scene, here. I think readers can treat this as a standalone without losing any enjoyment.

This is my first Naima Simone read. This morning she turned up on the podcast I was listening to, which seems a sign I need more of her books in my future!

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Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication November 15, 2022.

A good story with memorable characters, but it is probably better to read the first book in the series before you embark on this journey with Miriam and Jordan- you will understand better where the characters are coming from and their personal issues.
Friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes, especially if there's great chemistry, attraction, and lots of secret mutual pining for each other, but the characters need to work through things that are holding them back. Add complex family dynamics and you've got me!

The perfect second story in this series. The character development of Miriam and Jordan, both together and apart, was fantastic. The spice was perfect. This was a friends to lovers romance and it did not disappoint.

This book by N. Simone, published by Montlake is the second novel in the Burned Inc. Series.
Miriam is happily single. Too often she's seen the fall out of failed relationships. She's a professional break-up-er. For the rich and famous she does their break-ups for them.
Jordan is on top of his world. The sports star has everything he ever ould dream off. The only thing missing is a real partner.
This is an unputdownable, read in one sitting book. The characters are great, the story intriguing, well written, 4,5 stars.

Not really enjoying this one unfortunately. Nothing about it has grabbed me or made me excited to turn the page