This book follows firefighter Adina after she finds a journal in the locker room of a hockey practice facility that she has ended up in for a fire call. The journal belongs to Solomon Young, hockey superstar, and widower and single dad. The way he writes about his grief in the journal has Adina seeing her grief over the loss of her fiancé mirrored back to her in the words Solomon poured out onto the pages. When she returns the journal they get off to a rocky start (even if the sexual chemistry between the two is immediately off the charts), and the book follows them as they continually get thrown together, like a matched pair of magnets who cannot seem to stay apart.

I wanted to love this (a hockey player and a firefighter? come on!) but I think there was just too much going on. The mutual grief of loss of loved ones/dealing with the realities of moving on as a single dad, PLUS firehouse sexual harassment, photo/video scandals, etc. just all felt like a lot was going on and I would have rather spent more time with their unfolding relationship. I think there was too much focus on how their bodies reacted to each other than to the emotions behind them, which given they connected originally on an emotional level (via Solomon's journal), it would have made more sense.

Overall, I do think this is a good addition to the hockey romance pool, especially as it deals with the whiteness of the NHL and how it is often not a space that is friendly to Black players. Another huge positive is that the spice was *DELICIOUS* and well written.

Good for folks who love hockey romances that are light on hockey, firefighter romances (and badass female firefighters), stories with strong family bonds, single dad romances, and stories about widows and widowers moving on

Thank you NetGalley, Montlake and Naima Simone for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Played is about a black female firefighter and a black male professional hockey player, both experienced tragic grief and their journey to overcome it.

Sports/hockey has VERY little to do with the storyline or the narrative (other than claiming that black hockey fans are not common), so the title and cover are very misleading.

I was very frustrated with the stereotypes and sexism that was prevalent in the book. The FMC often acknowledged them but almost immediately defended them right after.

I love smut but this was not it for me. It was aggressive and felt very objective and derogatory. Fully support hookups and asking for what they want but this felt icky. I didn’t feel a connection between these two - just lust.

The writing style was an interesting choice and unfortunately I did not enjoy it. I found it distracting. I understand the intention of writing as the main characters spoke (expressions, accents and slang words) but the mispronunciation, misspelling and grammatically incorrect (and confusing) sentences were beyond annoying. Totally understand the intention, just didn’t like the result.

I’m also frustrated we didn’t get resolution about the video and when Solomon learns about the connection with that (vague to avoid spoilers).

I kind of forget just how amazing an author Naima Simone is (sorry for taking you for granted). Stories flowing, people so authentic and relatable, sweet scenes really sweet, funny scenes laugh out loud, and sexy scenes (stops to catch breath) are really (really, really) sexy. Always absolutely fantastic, satisfying reads.

It must have been longer than I realized since I read a Naima Simone book (or a new one at least, lots of re-reads here) because I immediately fell into an all-embracing comfort zone of good words, good people, good feels and remembered how nice that was. PLAYED has all of that - and more. I cried, sobbed really, through Chapter 1. And by the end of Chapter 1, I was totally immersed in these characters and this story.

Actually, there was a lot of crying going on the first half dozen chapters; laughter to tears and back again. That journal . . . . Both Adina and Solomon’s inability to move beyond the past and start living again. Such good people, with good support systems and a lot to give, but just stuck, stuck, stuck. A wife lost, a fiancé lost, a child to raise.

Adina is a firefighter in Providence, Rhode Island. Solomon is a player on the Providence Pirates professional hockey team. Adina’s family is a football family and couldn’t care less about hockey. But there’s been a fire in the team’s facility and in the aftermath of that fire Adina finds a journal. A very personal, private, heart-wrenching journal (hence the non-stop tears in Chapter 1). She doesn’t want to pry, but opening it is the only way to find out who it belongs to; surely they wouldn’t want their journal just left in the after-fire mess for anyone to pick up. Once she starts reading, though, she can’t stop. Because this is the first time since her fiancé Keshaun’s death that she feels a link to a person who understands how it is now, who gets her, who sees her.

The right thing to do is return the journal, so she goes to the team and asks for Solomon. But he doesn’t see it as a good deed. His first glimpse of her caused a rush of heat he hasn’t felt in a long time, and it fueled his rude, dismissive, suspicious behavior. He lets his anger out and accuses her of wanting to blackmail him. Taken aback, she tells him again what her motives were, lets him know what an ill-mannered idiot he is – and gives him a website address. Which turns out to be to her own private online journal.

Don’t let this intense beginning fool you into thinking this is a depressing doom and gloom tale. It’s Naima Simone, remember? This girl can write. Yes, these are two sad, broken people but they can be fiery and get themselves into some pretty funny situations. And the attraction between them is quick and strong and doesn’t look like it will end soon. You can just picture Solomon dragging his feet, refusing to give in to that overwhelming lust he feels. That would be the ultimate disloyalty to his wife Kendra, wouldn’t it? So I guess that means he intends to be a monk for the rest of his life, or at least until his son Khalil is grown. Adina misses Keshaun so much but has little niggling doubts if their relationship was as perfect and wonderful as she wants to remember it. That’s pretty disloyal, too, and brings on a big heap of guilt.

PLAYED is funny, moving, sweet, steamy and often very silly, alongside a lot of tough situations and emotions to deal with. And a lot of tough decisions to make. You know they aren’t going to be able to stay away from each other, especially when Khalil immediately falls in love with Adina, and watching the push-pull and hilarious attempts to control their emotions makes for such a satisfying story. The plot is smooth and just rolls along, the references to books, television, music, current events, and famous people are fun, and the dialogue . . . Simone writes it so realistically I thought I was eavesdropping, not reading.

Thanks to the author for making me a part of her ARC team and providing an advance copy of PLAYED. It was amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m sure it will be another favorite on my re-read list, and now I’m off to catch up on whatever else I’ve missed. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

Played was super cute story! I loved that Adina and Solomon found each other after everything they had each been through. And the spice was SPICY!

I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, and that made it difficult to get through.

This was my first book by this author, and I would definitely like to read more by her.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is so good - the meet cute between Solomon and Adina gives them the chance for a real connection. Both are grieving loving partners they’ve lost quite recently so they have shared experience and this gives depth to their attraction. Solomon is a hockey player, embedded in his team and community and bringing up his young son - with help from his in-laws. Adina is a firefighter, next generation in her family. As Black people, they both deal with casual racism and this is backgrounded in the plot.

At 40% my sense of foreboding kicks in big time - no spoilers - but Naima is a writer who knows what she’s doing. Tiny breadcrumbs build a sense of unease even as Sol and Adina get closer. For a range of reasons they keep meeting up, and I could feel their growing connection. Time also passes, there could be weeks or more between meetups and this solidifies the idea that they are building something - it’s a mix of them opening up to a new love, and exploring this person they are feeling lust for. It’s incredibly subtle, nothing is underlined or overstated.

Stuff happens though and they both have to deal with unresolved issues in their worlds, and learn to be there for each other. It’s rocky but I was so invested in them getting it together. This is just wonderful, the writing is tight and I was swept along in the most satisfying way.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Naima Simone for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Adina and Solomon are both grieving the loss of a loved one in this story. The author does a great job of portraying how this affects each character individually. It also provides the foundation for their relationship because they have so much in common. Unfortunately, their connection seemed to be more physical than emotional.

I enjoyed the diversity of the characters and the concept of the story, but it fell flat for me in other areas. This was a fast-paced book that felt rushed at times and left some plot points unresolved, which resulted in this feeling like a HFN rather than a HEA.

Unfortunately this one didn't work for me but I think it has an audience! There was not enough sports or romance in this sports romance for me. There was too much religious reference for me (this should be disclosed I feel!!) The couple had a physical connection but I felt zero emotional connection between them, Overall not for me!

4.5 🌟
Single Dad
Black Hockey Player
Black female firefire
New chance at love

Naima Simone's Hockey Romance is an emotional journey of second chances, love , forgiveness, setting boundaries, trust. Adina and Solomon were opposites with a common experience. Coming together was tricky but needed for both. Sometimes crossing paths with someone you least expect is the very key to healing. This was a sweet, heartfelt experience. 🩷

I really enjoyed this read. It was refreshing to see two Black and successful characters finding each other through lost and past heartbreak. I loved that Adina was a Firefighter, you don’t see too many books that feature female firefighter We also don’t see many Hockey romances that center a black or biracial hero.

Great read!

Sexy with really complicated emotions around grief and how it can really shut you down.
I appreciated the conversation around being a black Roman in a male dominated field and working in the same industry your male relatives work in.

DNF @ 40%

I really wanted to like this book but it did not hit the mark for me. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and the MMC gave me the biggest ick. I had a hard time finding the romance in the book. It was more lust/objectifying Adina than anything. It had so much potential and I may try to give it another read sometime in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've tried to come back tot his several times to have more of a connection with the characters but the writing/plot just wasn't my cup of tea. It was hard for me to connect with any of the characters for me their personalities were just too much.
It's labeled as a sports romance but the only thing sports related is stating the MMC is a professional athlete. In fact it was hard for me to find even the romance in this one. I read dark romances as well as bully ones, so I feel like I am good at finding the romance in a book but for me this one was lacking big time. I'd say maybe the last 10% of the book had some romance but it was lackluster at best.

****SPOILER & TRIGGER WARNING****

Was there even a point in the revenge porn?! It happened then that particular storyline went nowhere. It was a weird thing to throw in there then not really do anything with it.

Quick read. Not sure I was feeling the chemistry or romance between the Adina and Solomon. I think maybe if the book was a little longer the author could have built on that relationship more in the way that would get me really invested. 2.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was really hoping I would love this book but I just didn’t. Unfortunately it was a DNF for me. I understand wanting to show a strong attraction when the main characters meet but this was a bit much. Sometimes when the male characters are so forward in their thoughts from the jump it gives me the ick. This is 100% a me thing. I do appreciate the opportunity to read this book and I might try to pick it up again another time.

Adina and Solomon’s story is a beautiful slow burn, both having known heartbreaking loss—Solomon losing his wife, Kendra, and raising his son Khalil with his in-laws’ help, and Adina grieving her fiancé, KeShaun. Their journey toward healing and finding love again, sparked by Solomon’s journal, is touching, though not without its challenges from inside and outside forces. While I understood Dina’s hesitation with Matt, I didn’t like that she kept it from her family and best friend, Noni, who was clearly her ride-or-die. And Minnie? She needs serious help—revenge porn, really? Despite a few frustrations, I enjoyed this single-dad, second-chance, hockey sports, and firefighter romance. Solomon even managed to make me chuckle at times.

“One thing you not gon’ do is lie to me. Just tell me you don’t feel like talking about it, and then we can talk about it.”

Thank you, Naima Simone, NetGalley, and Montlake Publishing for the advance review copy. Four stars!

𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 via NetGalley. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑖𝑤 𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛. 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘.

It wasn’t giving sports romance at all but we love a book with black MCs so I wouldn’t say it was bad just not my favorite honestly just needed more and I love the sports aspect of sports romance books which is why it’s not it for me

4.25 ⭐️
This was the first book I have read by Naima Simone, and it won't be the last. She wrote a smart, sexy, story that really touched me. I felt like I could relate to both main characters who were dealing with the after effects of losses so big, they had encompassed their worlds. It was the one thing they had in common that not only brought them together, but also lay at the center of their primary conflict. Great, emotional storytelling! 💖

Here's what I liked about this book: Naima Simone didn't shy away from creating actual conflict between the hero and heroine. Adina and Solomon meet over, essentially, her violating his privacy, and they sort of go from there. Both Dina and Solomon have somewhat recently lost partners and are still grieving, and as a result have their walls up and are quite prickly towards one another for a decent portion of the book. Solomon also has his young son to consider and doesn't want to jump into anything serious because he believes his late wife was the sole love of his life. Which is rough for Adina especially when she starts to fall for him, even if they're EXTREMELY blunt about their initial intentions towards one another.

Regarding the secondary plots, there is a workplace sexual harassment in this book; Dina is one of the few Black, female firefighters in the area and not only deals with racism and sexism, but she also feels like she cannot go to her superiors without blowback on her, despite her family being in the business for generations.

Solomon is also one of the few Black men in his profession, hockey, and he's in this weird place where his (white) boss is also his late wife's father, who constantly questions his parenting choices and it does get to the point where he tacitly threatens Solomon's career. Again, rough to read, but I appreciate the nuance with which Naima wrote this situation. That being said, it started to feel like they were going in circles and rehashing the same issues over and over without much changing until the tail end.

There was also a revenge porn situation that felt extremely last minute did not tie in with the rest of the plot, especially considering the culprit.

The sex:

UBER HOT, as is standard for this author. The dirty talk is super explicit, and the body worship is THERE because if there's one thing Naima Simone does better than probably any other romance author I've read, it's eroticizing bodies of all shapes, skin tones, and sizes; Adina is tall, curvy, and Solomon is obsessed. Highlights for me are probably Solomon's tendency towards hand necklaces, his admittance that this is the first time he's looking a woman in the eye while he's inside her because Dead Wife Feelings and whatnot, and the quite frankly excellent command, "fuck it like you own it".

Overall:

I love Naima Simone's writing style and the chemistry in her romances are always super hot, and though this book is no exception, I felt the plot was not as tight as it could have been. However, if you're a fan of hockey romances or single dads, this might be your jam.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3.75/5
Heat Level: 3.75/5
Pub Date: September 3rd

A little disappointed with this book. I love hockey romances, and a female firefighter sounded very badass, but it felt like the whole book was extremely focused on the sex and nothing more. Just wished they focused a bit more on their connection and had some more meaning full conversations. Also the nickname for her was very cringey.

I was expecting a lot more sports since it was supposed to be a sports romance, but there barely was any. The book just was about their loss of their partners and than being sexually attracted to each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The characters were well-developed, storyline was believable, dialogue and banter between the characters were both engaging. This was a beautiful story of life, love, and letting go. I enjoyed the glimpses into the hockey world. Author did a great job providing the perfect balance of game/sport detail without drowning us in unnecessary terminology.

One of the things that jump out at me about the book was the banter. I LOVE good banter between characters, especially the hero and heroine. This banter was great. I laughed at these too. The heroine gave as good as she took. I also like that the characters were from two different world and each were willing the navigate the others.

If you’re looking for an entertaining read, I would highly recommend this one.