Oh no…this was not what I expected it to be. I appreciate the representation and think it’s important but besides all that, this was not my cup of tea at all.

I really enjoyed this book. It was good to have a hockey romance with a slightly different twist. The FMC is a firefighter so it's always nice to have a strong woman with a career. Bonus points for the mmc being from Nova Scotia (my home)

Played by Naira Simone
Rating: 3.5/5

Played follows the story of Solomon and Adina, a firewoman and NHL player, both of colour.

This book fell a bit flat for me, it started off well enough, but after their first meeting, it just went down hill. Which is sad, of course, as it had a lot of potential to me. Their connection felt more physical than anything else and I would have loved to have seen more of their connection as their relationship grew.

The book, however, was written well, and it did flow. There was also a decent amount of spice to this romance. It was also nice to see the representation of woman in a normally very male-dominated career path.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Montlake Books for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

sadly this was not one of my favorite hockey romances. maybe they’re all blending together at this point, but I just feel like this one didn’t have anything new in it.

Let me start by saying that I have read and enjoyed books by Naima Simone before which makes it even more difficult to say that this book really didn’t work for me at all. I love a story with some emotional heft and this someone really sounded like it would deliver on that front with the added bonus of hockey. Sadly I got very little of either. I could have overlooked that if the romance hit in my feelings but there was very little chemistry between two not very pleasant characters. will stop here and just say that I will still read more by the author but this is very much not a title of hers I would recommend..

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book and was so excited for it! I love hockey and the romance between a woman firefighter and hockey player was intriguing!

However, it fell short for me. My biggest hang up on the book was that it was written the way the characters spoke and that paired with the inner dialogue honestly made the book difficult to read and follow at times. I understand the reasoning, but I felt it made the flow of the book difficult.

A few other hang up’s were the characters -
Minnie, the sister of the FMC’s best friend, was always out to get Adina and actually comes back later in the story and shares an intimate video of Adina and Solomon (our MCs) to the world - turns out she’s just jealous but it came out of nowhere in my opinion. Also, there was no follow up or consequence for her and I found that annoying.

Matt, a fellow firefighter who was a misogynistic baby, who could have caused Adina to die in a fire and harassed at every opportunity - we also didn’t see anything happen to him for his wrongdoings.

I also hate a third act breakup. Unfortunately, this just wasn’t a favorite for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

I thought I would give Played a shot but it did not work for me at all. It just fell completely flat. I did not enjoy the writing, it felt rushed and I did not like the characters. Unfortunately I had to DNF.

A Black Firewoman x Black NHL player

Our main characters Solomon and Adina were drowning in grief over loved ones when they met. During this time they come together realizing they have a lot in common, and felt seen. This takes us on a rocky journey from beginning to the end.

I was so excited for this story after reading its description. It unfortunately fell flat in some areas for me.

The dialogue/inner thoughts from the characters felt off to me. From the sayings to the speech, I found myself pausing like what does this say? One minute Solomon is speaking roughly like a biker then a few sentences later he’s calling Adina Ma and Li’l mama. It continued to volley back and forth throughout the pages. Almost like a caricature.

I received an ARC from Netgalley. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you, NetGalley, Publishers, and the author, for giving me the opportunity to read this arc. 

Overall, I thought "Played", was a fairly straight forward hockey romance. I liked Adina. However, I personally did not like Solomon's personality and attitude throughout the book. While I don't expect all the MMC to be perfect, Sometimes his pov/interaction towards Adina wasn't it, imo.  My favourite moments were when Khalil was mentioned <3

This was an amazing book. I enjoy Naima Simone and her books. I found this book to be an easy read that was a nice afternoon read. I would recommend to others.

Naima Simone crafts a tale that intertwines the worlds of firefighting and professional hockey. Here, Adina, a resilient firefighter, and Solomon, a widowed NHL player and devoted single father, find themselves drawn together by fate and fueled by unexpected attraction. While the sports aspect may take a backseat at times, the characters' journey from loss to love is heartfelt and engaging. Simone's storytelling prowess shines as she navigates the complexities of grief, healing, and romance

Could not get on with this book at all. The writing was very sloppy and most of the wording and phrases didn’t make sense. It was like a young teenager had written it.
Had to DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for a copy of this book.

This was a 3.5 star book for me. I honestly couldn’t connect with the characters. I could feel their heartache but everything else seemed to forced. The MMC didn’t really have any good qualities. He was rude and very childlike for someone who has gone through grief. And the FMC felt like she was nothing but a doormat.

I wanted to like this book because I love sports romances but this one fell short to me. Maybe someone else would connect better to the characters.

3.5 Stars
I first want to say thank you to Naima Simone, NetGalley, and Montlake Publishing for allowing me to read and review an early copy of Played!! I am truly thankful for the opportunity.

Played had such a fun premise, I mean a badass firewoman and a famous hockey player/single dad? SIGN ME UP!!! I absolutely loved the beginning of the book where our main characters first meet, it was so fun to see them navigate miscommunications and unexpected feelings. I am truly a sucker for any sort of letter writing/emailing/and/or journaling so that was just an added bonus. I could feel the absolute devastation that both Adina and Soloman faced after losing people they loved, and I was excited to see that emotional connection play out through the book.

Unfortunately, after their first meeting, I felt like that emotional connection took a hard backseat. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate and understand their physical connection, but it felt overwhelming at times. I would have loved to see more of that soul-deep connection, that understanding that only they shared, especially as their relationship progressed into more. I felt as though they were extremely focused on the sexual aspect through most of the book, which again, I understand those moments, but I missed that initial aspect that I fell for.

This book flowed super well, and I found myself feeling so much for the characters as they dealt with things in their lives. I rooted for Dina as she fought to put herself first, to earn the respect she deserved, and to find her footing after a devastating loss. I was so angry at her situation, but I'm happy with how everything played out.

Speaking of making my blood boil...Soloman's in-laws...oooo that man had more patience than I would have lol! Soloman took a while for me to warm up to, but again, I'm happy with how it turned out, but still. I WAS SO ANGRY.

I freaking loved seeing Khalil, Noni, and Dina's family in scenes!! They were such a bright spot in the book and made me laugh so much. Noni is such a great support for Dina, and I loved that Adina came to realize the true love and unwavering support from those in her life.

I really wish this book was a bit longer to really flesh out some things, but overall, I thought this book was really good! I recommend picking it up on September 2, 2024! :)

Two grief stricken souls find one another through a journal found at a fire scene. There is attraction from the start between the two. The push and pull eventually leads to them giving in and falling for one another. This was an enjoyable read and it was nice seeing a Black hockey player for once in a story. Also, the issues faced by Dina at the firehouse was accurate for a lot of women in this field and I loved seeing someone write about it.

Have you ever started a book and as soon as you get into Chapter 1, you know that you are going to have to pace yourself because you know how good the book is about to be?!?!? That's exactly what happened here.

THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING! LOVED IT!!!!

The dynamic between Adina and Solomon was steamy & intriguing from their first interaction. This masterpiece had several story points that will keep you engaged. What Adina had to deal with being a firefighter, the be seen for who she really was. How Solomon had to navigate being a single father and deal with family challenges.

Watching Adina and Solomon fall for each other was a wonderful ride.

I enjoyed this book so much. Highly recommend.

Single Daddy with a dash of Fake Dating? My favourite tropes.

I’m a sucker for sports romance books and whilst I don’t want to read a book full of sports, sometimes it is needed to help the book make sense on the characters behalf and break up scenes. So it’s definitely lacking more sport scenes.

The topics brought up are very deep and it deal with situations well. They had me feeling for the MC’s hard. However, some of the reactions from Solomon had me disliking him for a small portion of the book with him redeeming himself towards the end … kinda?? I like a man who treats his girl right and boy did he TREASURE Dina. I loved my strong independent Adina (except when it came to Solomon obviously because I would be the exact same). Together, they would open up with each other and the fact that they spoke about the trauma they’ve both been through makes realise that they trust each other and that they are so strong both individually and together.

I personally love all of the little random references to media. Mention Lord of the Rings? I’m hooked! I loved the little Lord of the Rings metaphors used.

The nicknames, going from LIL MAMA and promoting to sweetheart had my own heart fluttering 🩷

Overall, I really enjoyed how easy it was to read this book and there is a nice mixture of romance and spice that has me falling in love with the pairing. I would recommend to others for sure.

Strong, engrossing romance - if you love Kristen Ashley's occasionally-monosyllabic, alpha-but-devoted heroes, then you'll absolutely adore Solomon; and if you want the same kind of high-emotion, high-drama plots, then you'll love this book. Adina is a fantastic heroine, strong and independent but struggling to deal with the aftermath of the loss of her fiance and the ways in which her own independence and strength make it difficult for her to diagnose when she needs to reach out for help (particularly as she faces a harassing colleague) and when she should handle things on her own. Solomon is a wonderful hero, hemmed in by the massive grief he experienced when he lost his wife (and his son's mother). When the two of them meet, they recognize loss in each other, as well as a powerful attraction they both find frightening. If they move on, are they forgetting the people they promised to love forever? Are they even capable of it?

Both Solomon and Adina have complex, realistic support networks of friends and family, whose love can both help and hamper them in various ways; the plot moves swiftly and takes a realistic look at the pros and cons of Solomon's celebrity. The sexual attraction is well done. There is, for those who care about such things, very little hockey; but the depiction of Providence is great.

I don’t know how, but this story which could have been sad and depressing, was full of hope and healing, as both our characters get a second chance at love! The path to their healing isn’t the same, their reactions to feelings aren’t the same, but the understanding of some things, and the absolute fear of others, they do have that in common. Their lives didn’t stop for them as they worked this all out, and they still had all the things to deal with, adding all that extra pressure. But together, these two have chemistry, heat, and they get lost in each other; They are truly a thing of beauty when they just let go and be. Miscommunications happen, fear creeps in, and mistakes are made, but with the pull these two have, you know they can’t possibly stay apart <3

thankyou netgalley for the arc.

this book and the plot had so much potential but it definitely fell flat for me.
i didn’t particularly enjoy the writing - it was very fast paced but felt rushed and certain things and plot points felt unfinished. there were small mistakes - words missing from sentences, the wrong words used, etc. and it just kept taking me out of the story which ruined my enjoyment. the constant lord of the rings references felt so unnecessary and they added literally nothing to the story.
there was a slight mention of the fake dating trope but it went nowhere and honestly felt like a cop out and a quick way to add in a well liked trope just to have it go nowhere.

I also didn’t particularly like the characters. the only one i actually kinda liked was khalil and he was five. adina was fine but i didnt love her and solomon just seemed to keep fucking up and then not having to grovel at all.
i didn’t feel the connection between solomon and adina. were they in love? or did they just want to fuck? there was obviously a sexual connection but that was pretty much all you see - you see them hating each other, lusting after each other and then giving into their lust in detail but only have mentions of the fact that they’re spending time together. i did not feel their connection like at all. i don’t even know if they actually like each other as people.

each subplot felt like it was added just to cause tension but did not feel fleshed out whatsoever. out of three, only one is resolved and even then you don’t see it resolved in detail you’re just told it happens. and the other two are very predictable, including what i think is supposed to be a plot twist at the end.

overall, this book is okay but i didn’t enjoy it or particularly like it but i can see why others might enjoy it.