I thought Zephirin & Sophia were hot, but trust me - they ain't got nutten, nada, zilch on Dom & Tenny.

Tennyson Clark has been in love with Dominic Anderson, her best friend, for-freaking-ever, it seems, but he's firmly friend-zoned her. Realising she's facing a certain future of excruciating pain if she stays too close, Tenny decides to cut her losses and move out of his life so that hers can finally get started. Only... the quarterback has decided he's not giving up on changing the mind of the person who gave him some of the best years of his life. But, since Tenny doesn't just want Dom's friendship, he needs to find a way to hold onto her, or it just might spell the end of everything he's ever held dear.

There's no disguising or sugar-coating the pain Tenny feels as always placing second best in Dom's life, knowing there's a chance he would never see her the way she sees him. Yet, she's strong and eventually finds the courage to tell him exactly how she feels.

"I love you, Tenny. How could you ever doubt that?"

"I know you do. Just not the way I need you to."

It's one of the reasons she stole my heart from the start. That, and her quirky love for big words. Dom is a sexy alpha, though he was a bit of a doofus, not seeing what was right in front of him for so long. The way those two struck off of each other was like dry kindling - whew!

Their story isn't just about two friends suddenly falling for one another. They've been through a lot together, rearranging their lives around one another for so long. The author shows how closely connected Dom & Tenny are, so that the reader understands how a change - even minute - in the bond they share would completely restructure and change the face of their relationship. Friends-to-lovers is by far my favourite trope, and I totally loved the passion that Naima managed to create between the childhood friends.

I am so excited for Book 3!!! I cannot wait, really! I wholeheartedly recommend this series! I really hope the rest of the crew gets their own story.

I liked this book but didn't love it. I understand with the characters past why they had the hangs up they did, but I was screaming at him in my head to stop being so dumb. You want to fall in love with your best friend. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Dom had been her protector for fourteen years. He sheltered her as a child and provided everything she ever needed as an adult. During all that time she harbored a secret. She loved him with everything she had. Tired of living in the shadows she takes a stand and asserts her independence to achieve her dreams. Will he realize he loves her before it’s too late? An absolute great story of realizing the one who has been there all along could possibly be so much more.

This friends to lovers story is an absolute winner! Dom and Tennyson are great characters and you can just feel how much they care about each other.

Tennyson has been in love with Dom most of her life but he's always kept her squarely in the friend zone. Dom is a no relationship guy and Tenny knows she needs more though so if it can't be with Dom then she needs to find someone else. Finally Tenny has decided it's time for her to move on and find a life of her own. This throws Dom's world off it's axis and he fears losing Tenny forever. How much is he willing to risk to keep Tenny in his life?

Highly recommended read.

4.5 stars

Wow! I absolutely LOVED this book!

Tennyson and Dominic met while they were both in foster care. Dom immediately recognized the devastation that lived in Tenny’s eyes and he vowed then and there to always protect her and prevent anything from wreaking havoc on her emotions in such a way again. Fourteen years later and she has spent years working as his PA but the time has come for her to walk away.

Being in love with Dom and knowing she will never have his romantic love in return is more than Tennyson can endure. To watch his one night stands leave is slowly breaking her heart because she is not the type of woman that Dom would ever desire. Giving him a one month notice, she prepares to step away from her best friend and the love of her life.

Dom lives for football. And it’s not just love of the game that keeps him striving to be the best. When Tenny declares she’s leaving he scrambles to find a way to stop her. And suddenly he’s looking at her with new eyes. Eyes that are hungry and desperate. However, despite any physical relationship they share, he must remain free from emotional entanglements so he can continue to concentrate on his whole purpose in life, the game.

I really loved these characters! Tennyson had an unusual and horrible background but found strength in Dom. She slowly finds her own strength and courage and it was a beautiful tale. Dom was just so clueless and yet what could have been simply not seeing what was in front of him and leaving it at that, this story took it a step further and shows us the true character growth within him.

This is a fast paced read with incredible secondary characters and plenty of steam. I haven’t read anything by this author before and I will definitely be digging into her backlist.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Entangled. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dual POV
Safety – H does sleep with other women after meeting h (they were 11 and 13 yrs old); No ow/om drama after they are together
Possible Triggers - child abuse

I love the Brazen line of books and this was a good second book in the WAGS books. Tennyson has led a difficult life as she was moved from foster home to foster home. She finally found one that was tolerable but became better when she met Dominic. Dominic took care of Tennyson, making sure his job could support both of them. Tennyson now works for Dominic and has been in love with him for ages. Realizing, she can't do this anymore, she gives her notice. Suddenly, Dominic has to picture his life without Tennyson and he really starts to SEE her. Very well written. A smooth read with believeable characters. I love books that keep my attention, making it hard for me to stop to eat.

Scoring off the Field is a sweet and spicy friends to lovers story. Dom is a star quarterback who is devoted to the game and will let no woman in. He’s been there, done that and not doing that again. Dom’s assistant and best friend Tennyson Clark has loved him for years. She is tired of watching his one night stands traipse past her while she gets relegated to the friend zone. Not that being his BFF is a bad thing but she wants so much more. It is time for her to move on. It’s a case of you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. What will Dom do to keep Tenny in his life?
I loved Dom and Tenny’s back story. This is romance at its finest.

High 3 1/2 Stars


This is a friends-to- lovers romance. Tennyson and Dominic were actually in the same foster home for a few years, and became fast friends, looking out for one another, Years later and that bond is still strong. Now Dom is an NFL quarterback while Tennyson is his personal assistant. However, Tennyson is finally ready to move on and have her own life, follow her own passion – and, okay, she’s tired of watching his hook-ups leaving the house early in the morning. Especially because she doesn’t see him as just a friend. Too bad that’s all he sees her as. Or does he.

Before I forget: Tennyson is a heroine of color, black, and she’s also described as being curvy – breasts and ass and, quoting her, about 15 pounds too many.


My first time with Simone was book 1 in this series, which I just talked about in January. So when I saw this one pop up on Netgalley, I was definitely curious to see if I would enjoy it as well. And I have to say, I did. I have one big complaint, which I’ll get to, but for the most part this was a quick, enjoyable and sexy read.



You know what, let’s start with the part I had a problem with. Let me just read you the quote directly, because it pretty much speaks for itself.


But in this moment, with her eyes gleaming and her breath breaking on her lips every time she swept her fingers over his inked skin, he felt…beautiful. Worthy of the appreciation lighting her dark eyes. And fuck, didn’t that sound like he’d grown a vagina in the last five point two seconds?



No. No. No. No. NOOOO.

You know what this is saying? That showing emotions and having feelings is something that’s only connected to vaginas – and that’s not a good thing.

To which my response is, you guessed it: fuck that and fuck you, Dom.


Now outside of that line, I didn’t really have anything else to complain about with this book. I liked it. It’s fun at times, such as:


“I take it back.” She scowled. “You’re not an asshole. You’re an ass-a-hole.” His crack of laughter bounced off the walls of his pristine kitchen. “Is that a new vocab word?” “Yes,” she shot back over her shoulder, marching past the gleaming pots and pans hanging from the iron rack. You can’t bash him over the head with a frying pan, she reminded herself. At least not until he saw reason. Then she might swing for the fences. “It’s a noun. Definition. When someone is so much of an asshole, they need another syllable.”




And there were some great lines, towards the end, when Tennyson steps forward and takes control of her life and stops putting everyone else first:


"At some point, God, I’m not even sure when, I realized I’m worth love. I deserve it. The kind of love that lights up a man’s face when I walk into the room. The kind that movies are written about. The kind that consumes a man so his first thought in the morning is me, and his last word at night is my name. That’s the love I want and am worthy of. And for the first time in my life, I’m not going to wait for someone else to make me a priority. I’m going to make myself one. For me."




Listen, everyone needs to learn that very important lesson. Hell, I’m working on it myself. But it’s so very important to know you are worth so much more than what you allow people to get away with. Trust me.



And finally, let’s go over the sex. Because Simone sure as hell knows how to bring the heat. Now, they don’t hook up until later in the book, but then we get this from them:


With another of those greedy sounds, she tore her mouth from his and nipped a stinging path down his chin, jaw, and neck. With movements that spoke of impatience and need, she attacked the buttons on his shirt. Good. He didn’t help her; he loved this side of her—hot, hungry, forceful. It let him know he wasn’t the only one caught up in this crazy, disorienting lust. Her soft, wicked tongue licked at his collarbone, tracing it, and he tilted his head back, granting her more access to him. Jesus, her touch. It seared him. Tomorrow, he wouldn’t be surprised if he found scorch marks on his skin. Not when every caress and small bite branded pleasure into him. Her teeth lightly scored his chest, grazed his nipple. He lifted his head, the urge to watch a fevered compulsion. “Harder, sweetheart,” he muttered. “Mark me.” He wanted to glance down his body tomorrow and see the proof that she’d had him."




During one scene, he uses a mirror, to show her how beautiful she is, and how she comes apart for him – and to watch them together. I don’t even need to tell you how fucking hot that was, do I? But I will share the end of that scene with you, because it’s got one of my favorite sexytime moves:



“I’m not coming without you, “he growled, curving a hand around the base of her neck and drawing her back and against his chest. The fingers remained, circling her throat. He didn’t exert pressure, but the weight of the caress, the possessive grip, it sizzled through her like a high-voltage current. And when he slipped the fingers of his other hand between her spread thighs and pressed her clit, the current exploded in a burst of light, heat, and fire.




Trust me, their other scenes together were just as explosive. I told you: Simone does chemistry and sex WELL.



Overall, Scoring off the Field by Naima Simone was a good friends-to-lovers romance with a good deal of heat, and only one big problem – the hero believing showing emotions makes him a weak pussy. I’m not going to let that shit pass in my book, but, for me at least, there were enough good things going for this book to make it a good read regardless. I’m looking forward to the next book.

I really enjoyed this book! I will admit that it took me a couple chapters to really get invested in Tennyson and Dominic, but when I did I couldn’t read fast enough. This author’s writing is very good and story was interesting. It seems at first like this could be the same as most other “in love with my best friend” trope. At face value, it is. But there is something in this author’s storyline and writing that sets it apart from anything similar. And whatever that something is makes it well worth the read. I will definitely be looking for books from this author in the future!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Scoring off the Field (WAGS #2)
by Naima Simone
Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥❣

Tennyson Clark and Dominic Anderson are close. In fact, they are so close Tenny personally sees to Dominic's every need. He hires her as his Personal Assistant.

Tennyson has two degrees, is smart and beautiful but she needs a life. She has been living in the shadow of her BFF for too long. It's time to break the cord.

Dominic is an all American boy. He's a star quarterback, loves the easy loving ladies and doesn't do relationships. He's alpha strong with determination. The day Tennyson quits is the first time in years he hasn't been able to control everything. He doesn't want her to leave his side.

Tennyson is in love with her best friend but he doesn't feel the same way. She was friend zoned years ago and now her heart can't take anymore. She has so much potential for a better job and she is definitely girlfriend material. She gives Dominic one months notice.

Now the clock is ticking and Dominic needs to get over his relationship issues and get his head out of his ass before he loses the best thing he ever had. To him, football comes first but maybe it's time to think of the bigger picture.

This is a fiery best friend to lovers romance. It's heated, sexy and adorable. It's comical, heartwarming and addictive. The basic storyline has been told many times before and you are getting exactly what you would expect.

4.5 stars out of 5. Fun read.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


Kindle Edition £3.95 , $5.47 Paperback $14.99, 186 pages
Expected publication: March 12th 2018 by Entangled Publishing

What a great read!! I love friends to lovers stories. Scoring Off The Feild Is a heartful story with some sexy scenes. This is my first book by Naima Simone but won't be my last. She kept me wanting more and more. It was externally hard to stop reading late a night, I just wanted to keep reading. I would recommend this book.

Tenny has been in love with Dom since they met in foster care, but Dom has never seen her as anything more than his best friend. Tenny’s life revolves around Dom till she decides that she needs to move on and get a life.
Dom doesn’t do relationships, his passion is football and has one constant in life, his best friend Tenny. Till she decides to quit her job as his assistant and shakes up his life, and he starts to finally see her as more than his best friend.
I love reading friends to lovers story and this was no exception. It’s a story that kept me engaged from start to end. I loved the bond between Dom and Tenny. Naima Simone is a relatively new author for me and I would love to read more from her.

Great read, I was needing something new and fun and this was it. Dom and Tenny are childhood friends that grew up within foster care and have always been there for each other. Dom a professional football player has been determined to take care of Tenny in every way imaginable except sexual. He see's her as a great friend but nothing more. Tenny has always treasured Dom's friendship but her feeling for him have grown over the years and she is done hiding them. She knows if she crosses that bridge it could damage what they have, so she has to make changes in her life to take care of herself in life. Will Dom and Tenny realize what they have before they lose everything. Honest review in exchange for ARC.

After a week of what felt like dying! (Sinusitis is no joke) on top of being unwell anyway .. this book was exactly what I needed.

I love a good friends to lovers romance! Especially when they are written with a great history. Dom and Tenny's story is one that'll have your overies singing. Two kids who met through the shittiest circumstances but stuck through it together. They became eachothers rock, their home. So what happens when your best friend starts feeling more than friendly feelings?. Well in Tenny's case she confessed that during one drunk night years ago and only to be given the friend zone talk the next morning. So she hid her feelings better than most for years until it all became to much.

Dom, typical cocksure alpha with a side of sweet.
Tenny, sweet heroine with a fiesty backbone.

I loved how the story progressed! I found myself waiting, hanging on the end of my seat for it all to come to a head. It felt like a lifetime waiting for something to happen and colour me surprised at how it did!. I really liked the pace and how nothing was rushed. Both characters had their own personalities and it was a pleasure getting to know them separately then together. The chemistry between them was just out of this world! So hot I was like how has this not happened before and why are you being so stupid to not realise your ment to be now!. They had their own fears which I totally understood and related to. They also had moments of sweet and moments of hot. I loved how the story unfolds and that ending ... perfection!.

I kindly received this ARC from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

The characterisation and background to their romance were strong. Tenny and Dom were great characters and so likeable. I thought the story of their connection was great, it pulled at my heart and made me feel warm.

However, I found the pace just too slow and at points a bit turgid. For me some of the sex scenes were a bit superfluous and boring, bit like sex by numbers.

But I know that’s a style thing and everyone reads differently so others may love the style.

In “Scoring off the Field” by Naima Simone we are pulled into the world of Tennyson Clark, PA and best friend to star quarterback Dominic Anderson. We were introduced to both of them in “Scoring with the Wrong Twin”. Tennyson has loved Dominic since he took her under his wing when she was 11 and they were both in the foster care system. But her love was rejected once before by Dom so she is unwilling to risk that hurt again – the only solution is to move on with her life – both personnel and love. But when she tells Dom this everything changes.

Can Dom see what has been under his nose all this time before it is too late or will their friendship suffer from the friend zone he has put them in?

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Tennyson is #goals, and this cover is damn fine.

I have to say that I haven’t been this excited about discovering a new author in a while, but Naima Simone has become a one-click author for me. I read and loved the first book in the WAGS series, so picking up Scoring off the Field was automatic for me. I loved this one.

Tennyson Clark has been in love with her best friend for years, but she has been firmly planted in the friend zone. It’s time for a change. First step? Not to be the man's personal assistant. But her employer slash best friend slash sexy football quarterback, Dominic Anderson, isn’t quite ready to let her go…or to start seeing Tennyson as something more.

Instant. Love.

I adored Tennyson. She has this engaging persona that leaps right off the page, and you can’t help but want this woman as your best friend. She has always kinda let her superstar football player/best friend, Dom, take care of her, and she has reached a point where she wants more than Dom can give her.

No one puts Tenny in a corner, ya’ll!

The humor was on point and rip-roaringly funny, and you could feel the crackle of chemistry in the air. Even with them being friends you know the inevitable pull is coming and will be downright explosive. I will say that Dom hella frustrated me, but he is also so incredibly sweet and protective where Tennyson is concerned.

I love when a big man falls, and all I can say is…tiimmmbeeerrr.

Naima’s writing style is so engaging and down-to-earth, and I just connected with these two, with this situation. This is friends-to-lovers at its best, and if you’re looking for the chemistry to come right off the page and punch you in the face, I guarantee you’ll enjoy every scintillating moment of it!

5 stars!

5 - "You're my world..." Stars!

I love me some Naima Simone, and the second book in her WAGs series delivered everything I expect from this authors contemporary erotic romance writing. Scoring off the Field was a winner from start to finish for me.

"I need to get a life outside of organizing yours… Find my own way. Stand on my own."

It was made pretty obvious in the previous book that Tennyson Clark, had more than just best-friendly feelings for Dom Anderson, so her deciding to step away from her unrequited crush and try to get on with her life doesn’t come as much of a surprise to me in regards to their storyline, what did though was the depth of background the author gave them as characters.

No commitment.
No relationship.
No changes.
Just sex.

It highlighted just how much their connection meant to Dom, and why once he realized he could potentially lose Tenny entirely he was reluctant to do anything but upgrade friendship, to friends-with-benefits, instead of a relationship. Because this is a woman that although he doesn’t even realize it himself at the start, owns him heart and soul.

Other women had preceded her… With her wild passion and innate sensuality, she rendered them forgettable…

Loved this couple together, the steam even when they weren’t getting it on was sauna levels. The author took sass and snark, from them both and layered it with insecurity, past demons and a depth of emotional connection that you fall in love with the idea of them falling love before they do, and even though you know they will eventually get to the finish line in realizing just how good they can be together the author takes you on an un-putdownable ride in the interim.

"Why does getting your own life mean leaving mine..?!

I’m loving this series, I’m dying to know who the author is lining up to give a story to next. Whoever it is, I will be at the front of the queue when it comes to reading it!

Nothing would ever be the same between them… Nothing.

This is the second book I have reviewed by Ms. Simone and I have to say, I like this book much better than the prior one. Holy scorcher, this book is definitely a touchdown! ( And that is definitely the end of my football analogies since I am not a football fan. However, this book is hilarious and sexy at the same time and that balance can be hard to achieve. A heartfelt brava to Ms. Simone!

Scoring Off the Field, by Naima Simone is a passionate contemporary romance story.

Tennyson Clark has been in love with Dominic Anderson for years. However, he only treats her like a little sister and frequently dates other women. In order to reestablish her own life separate from Dominic, Tennyson has decided to quit her job as Dominic's assistant and apply for a job in another state.

Despite their best friend status, Tennyson is ready to move on and try to overcome her unrequited love. Yet, Dominic isn't willing to lose her. They have been best friends since their years together in a foster home. Due to previous experiences, Dominic doesn't believe that love and football can work out, since he has to be fully focused on his job a the star quarterback for the Washington Warriors. However, Dominic is willing to try acting on lust, instead of love, with Tennyson.

Even though it's the second book in the WAGS series, it may be read as a standalone. However, it's recommended to start with the first book, Scoring with the Wrong Twin.

Scoring Off the Field is geared towards those who prefer amorous contemporary romance books.


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.