3.75stars-PLAYED by Naima Simone is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, POC, erotic, hockey / firefighter romance focusing on thirty year old professional hockey player and single dad Solomon Young, and firefighter Adina Wright’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Adina and Solomon) PLAYED follows the building but reluctant romance and relationship between our story couple. Solomon Young has loved and lost, and struggles to move forward especially when he is has become co-dependant upon his in-laws for support in the wake of his wife’s death but his father is the team owner, and Solomon is about to cross a line as far as his former in-laws are concerned, a line that involves our story line heroine. Adina Wright is a firefighter, as are most of her family and siblings but Adina has also loved and lost knowing the pain of which Solomon continues to hide. A perceived act of betrayal threatens any hope of friendships, pushing Adina to the side, until a young boy discovers there is more to life than waiting on the sidelines for his father to come home. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between our story line couple, and the potential fall-out as emotions get the best of everyone including our story line hero.

The world building follows several paths. Adina is struggling with harassment at work: Solomon is battling his own guilt ; someone else is targeting our story line couple, and the fall-out is affecting Solomon’s play and his private life.

The relationship between Solomon and Adina begins acrimoniously as Solomon accuses Adina of a horrible betrayal. Not only does Adina feel threatened and abused but vengeance will come in many forms, threatening our heroine’s personal and work life. As Solomon and Adina begin to build the relationship, someone else give Solomon reason not to trust the woman with whom he is falling in love. The $ex scenes are provocative and impassioned.

The secondary and supporting characters include Solomon’s teammates, his son Khalil, as well as his in-laws Nate and Caroline; Adina’s siblings Malik, Malcolm, her mother professor Viviane Wright, her father Captain Nolan Wright; as well as her best friend Noni Crawford, and several other members of the Providence Firefighters squad including Matt and Jared. I hope the author has plans for several more stories.

PLAYED is a story of power and control, grief and guilt, family and friendships, relationships and love. The thought provoking premise is captivating and engaging; the romance is seductive but struggles with issues of trust and guilt; the characters are dynamic, determined and animated.



THE READING CAFÉ: https://www.thereadingcafe.com/played-by-naima-simone-review/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6798392498


BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2227399008

Adina Wright is a firefighter who finds a journal while on the job and, against her better judgement, takes it home. The journal belongs to star hockey player Solomon Young, who is still grieving his wife Kendra, who died 2 years prior. Adina is moved by his vulnerability as she recently lost her fiancé and finds his grief validating and relatable. She returns the journal to Solomon, but instead of gratitude, she gets ATTITUDE. 😬👀

This is my first time reading a Naima Simone book, and it was funny, sexy, infuriating, and moving. This book is so layered but also had me stressed emotionally. I appreciated how it handled loss and grief with the two main characters in different stages. This book hits on sexual harassment, existing while black, grief, setting boundaries, and standing up for yourself. Being a black woman myself, I found this book so validating and relatable as Adina is the only black woman working at her station and I am the only black paralegal at my law firm in a niche field. 🖤🫶

The romance in this story is scarce as the main characters agree to a situationship but the sweet and tender moments had me kicking my feet and the spice…🥵 I will be thinking of their first time together for the rest of my days…Solomon was a straight asshole for a good half of this book, but I melted for him seeing how he was with his little boy. There really is something about single dads. And the Lord of the Rings references sprinkled throughout made me smile so wide. I look forward to reading more of Naima’s books. ♥️

Whoa, baby!

PLAYED by Naima Simone is a gloriously consuming romance between firefighter Adina Wright and hockey player Solomon Young. While the two of them actually have quite a bit in common, there have hardly been two people more reluctant to even consider a relationship than these. Each is mourning the death of a beloved partner, and each knows the challenge and sometimes isolation in being a trailblazer, Dina as not only a woman but a Black woman in firefighting and Solomon as a Black man in hockey.

Naima Simone truly brings her storytelling and artistry to Played, as she reveals Dina and Solomon’s heartbreak and agonizing turmoil, their staggering chemistry, their quieter, slowly growing understanding and emotional connection despite their best efforts. I loved their families and friends, and their heartfelt and fierce and sometimes mouthy interactions. And my man Solomon has a truly remarkable way with words when they are intimate—he’s clearly a man of many skills.

Played is a fantastic romance and a beautiful story of what two people’s path to healing and happiness can look like. A keeper.

In “Played” the author manage pass from heavy moments of loss and grief to ones of lightness and hope maintaining a good balance between them. During the read all the main characters shine with strength, grown and mutual redemption an respect. Also the dialogue’s , the pain and the tension seems so real that made the characters and they relationship both real an believable. So I say that is a solid 4🌟 read!

<b>Oh my god the spice in Played is unbelievable! Like you would need to change and get hydrated and need the temperature of your room down kind of hot. Solomon and Adina are pure fire together. And then Naima Simone brought the heartache and angst to sweeten the deal. It was an unputdownable read for me.</b>

🏒 enemies to lovers
🏒 firefighter heroine and NHL Star hero
🏒 single father
🏒 both dealing with grief of losing a significant one about 2 years back
🏒 angst/ slow burn
🏒 Black FMC & MMC

Adina found the journal of Providence Pirates' star player Solomon Young when her team went to put down fire in the stadium. She felt an immediate connection the way he expressed his grief about his wife because she has lost her coworker and fiance too. Solomon took it as invasion of privacy. But he couldn't deny that Adina set something on fire inside his dead soul after a long time. They are complicated. He isn't ready for something real and has to think about his son and his career. Adina doesn't know if she can handle it. It became a whole mess before they got their heads straight on their shoulder.

<b>Adina and Solomon's chemistry was pure firework from the first touch. But their hearts needed a lot of healing. Solomon has put his heart in a cage because he cannot shake off the guilt of falling in love with another woman. The external pressures didn't help either..specially his in laws and the media. But this man is beyond perfection. He can be a grumpy brooding ah0le a lot of times but he loves fiercely. And his dirty mouth..it's good that Adina knows how to handle fire. She is full of sass and attitude. And I love how fierce and stubborn she is. Girl crash alert! But she has a vulnerable side too. The loss of love has left her scared to open her heart .and that too a man who is emotionally damaged and unavailable. But she was exactly what Solomon needed to heal. To get his pieces together and be brave again to put his heart on line. Khalil is so adorable and I love how he was one of the major factors in making Adina forgive Solomon. He messed up but he grovelled too. It was filthy hot. It was heartaching. It was healing.</b>

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

Thank you so much to Naima Simone and the publisher for my ARC. I thought this was really well written. It's been some time since I've read a Naima Simone book, but this story dealt with grief, loss, love, communication, understanding, and healing in a beautiful manner. The story is so emotionally packed in that I did find myself needing to pause for a second to tamper down the knot in my throat. Would recommend to all of my friends! AND ALSO, it's so rare to actually see anyone write about men of color in HOCKEY! So hell yeah to that 1000000%

I LOVED this book! I devoured this book. It has all of the feels. Couldn’t get enough.
I loved Simone’s writing. It was captivating.

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.