This book has to be read in one sitting - there is no way I was going to put this book down once I started as I was so invested in the characters and the story. This novel was a real win for me, I enjoyed every single minute of it. I will certainly be looking out for more novels from this author in the future. I highly recommend this novel to those who love their romance stories.

An average read from Naima Simone. While there are intriguing story elements – for example, both of Miriam’s jobs are really interesting – the plot lacks conflict. This is unfortunately one of those romances where it feels like the couple could have gotten together on page one.

Really enjoyed this book. The only downside for me is I was a little lost during the first few chapters. This is the second book in the series and I would have got more out of it and felt less confused if I read them in order.

With thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC - below is my honest review.

This book was a good time and made my heart so happy.

In Ravaged you can find:
*a beautiful friendship
*so much mutual pining
*messy, loving, complicated familial relationships

This book showcases one of my most favorite things: two passionate dorks who adore one another completely. I liked both Jordan and Miriam so much and just wanted them to get out of their own heads. The way they loved and supported each other was *chef's kiss* - I mean, Jordan had a knock it out of the park grand gesture.

While this is the second book in the series, I don't think it's necessary to read the first book in order to understand this particular story. However I would recommend it because we got to meet Miriam and Jordan in it and their first impressions made me LOL.

I can't wait to see what comes next.

This is a super steamy, friends to lovers, slow burn. The characters and the plot is one I haven’t really read before but enjoyed it.

Cute love story. I loved the banter between the main characters. I also appreciated the twist of the guy pining after the girl.

A Five-star read that will burn you. This is number two in the Burned series, they could be read as stand-alone but are best read in order, as I fear you may not fully understand Miriam if you haven’t already gotten to know her a little in the first book Heated, as she can be a lot to take in when you are trying to settle into the world. When you get to know Miriam, she will be one of those characters that you wont ever forget, she has that extra something and once you know how she ticks she will tick in your heart always. I do have to be honest, and this did grate me at times, but I love the story as a whole, if you are just loose yourself to the story then you won’t notice the small grimaces. Jordan was good, and his love for his friends was just a little much for me, I know you would do anything to help, but really!! I just hope that in the next one Daniel gets his happily ever after with a certain other bestie.

I really enjoyed Ravaged - Miriam and Jordan were such vivid characters with great voices. Watching them gradually identify and overcome their own personal issues over time. I love that each character has got parental issues but they are each so different. I really enjoyed that they dealt with the problems themselves but took inspiration from each other.

I loved how Miriam and Jordan went from a one night stand to best friends to lovers - the level of mutual pining through the first part of this book was incredible, and the steam when they finally get it together was insanely good.

This book had everything - laughter, steam, angst and a lot of heart.

I had finished “Heated” the first book in this series so I just went ahead and read the second book. This one is about Miriam the youngest daughter who likes her best friend Jordan who is in love with her but she is scared and does not want to commit to any type of relationship with Jordan than being friends. Though when she begins dating someone he gives her space and she is upset, he, of course, is giving her what she wants because other than that he wants to be with her always. Again like the first book, there are other stories going on inside this one, you find out what continues to happen with Zora and Cyrus, Jordan is dealing with his past which was handled nicely. He is also dealing with an injury and being a professional athlete and not playing is frustrating. Miriam is working at finding herself and the way she does is good as well. A very good story with a really good ending. Again really liked the characters.

I loved this book. But, I have to tell you, the angst starts right from the beginning, and I was on the edge of my seat, cursing and hoping. I wanted to shake these two so hard. But, they needed their journey to the happiest of ever afters, which was completely wonderful!

I picked this book up on NetGalley in hopes of expanding my horizons on Kindle Unlimited reads and I am obsessed! I wasn't aware this was part of a series at first and I haven't read the first book, that said, I didn't feel like I was missing anything by reading this as a standalone. The setting and plot for this book are rather original in the sense that one of the main characters, Miriam and her family operate a break-up service, mainly for NBA players and professional athletes - this is something I've never heard of before that piqued my interest.

Ravaged is a super steamy, slow burn, friends to lovers romance with a unique plot and set of characters. Jordan and Miriam had fantastic chemistry for this being such a short story. Friends to lovers isn't my favourite trope, but I thoroughly enjoy when the attraction between the two friends is so obvious and palpable to everyone but them and this book had that - in spades. I loved how real and relatable the struggles both Miriam and Jordan faced were written so candidly and that we get to see them both grow through their difficulties. Both Jordan and Miriam were vulnerable with one another and that really assisted in making their story so believable and enjoyable.

I had a great time reading Ravaged, it's a fun, witty, strong and spicy romance that is a quick and perfect read for those who love a good, hot, romance!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC and to the Author, Naima Simone for this fantastic read!

Such a great book. Sexy, smart and sarcastic. A real depth of friendship is explored between Miriam and Jordan, as well as the bonds of siblings and the impact parents and their mariages have on people. The ending is predictable, but that just doesn’t matter as the journey is surprising, active and quite beautiful.

I wanted to like this book, but I really didn't care for the heroine, and the supposed connection between the hero and the heroine was annoyingly tense. I think I'm just done with heroines who jump in the sack with the hero and then run like scared rabbits because of FEELINGS.

Truly enjoyed this book...full stop! Miriam and Jordan’s love engulfed you from the beginning. The plot was ingenious and at times I wanted to hurry the unfolding of the moment when they moved out their own way and recognized their love for each other.

These two just had a lot, a lot, of emotions to work through, and they drug me along as they did it! Friends to lovers, or really, lovers to friends, the depth of the feelings between these two is stark and real. They miss it, completely, but everyone around them is waiting on the sidelines for them to figure it out. They don’t easily, they are pretty messy about it, and they take the scenic route, along with lots of detours and roadblocks. Even when it seems like they can get there, they hit another snag. But when they bring it all together, that had me with the biggest smile on my face, because it was all kinds of perfection <3

Don't mind me, literally dropping everything I was doing the moment I knew this book was available in NetGalley! Not sorry at all! After reading Heated just a couple of weeks ago, my heart craved so hard for more of the Nelson siblings and especially for a Jordan and Miriam story!

So, get ready for a delicious cocktail:

- Interracial couple (BWWM)
- Friends to lovers.
- The sweetest, hottest mutual pining.
- Hot, tattoed, most selfless and romantic basketball player hero.
- Badass AF, witty, smart (like Einstein smart) and take-shit-from-no-one Black Queen heroine.
- A beautiful, most satisfying slow burn.

I am so in love with this story. It checked all the boxes for me. It made me swoon, blush and it made me laugh so hard in the least expected moments. Jordan and Miriam were the most perfect couple. Their chemistry as friends was as intense and explosive as it was when they became lovers. It wasn't an easy transition, though. They had to fight their demons and confront their past, make mistakes and put their hearts on the line. I loved the fact that both of them had the same amount of insecurities and fears and even though it took them a little bit to figure it out, they learned and grew together. The growth they experienced as a couple and as individuals was written so beautifully and in the most inspiring way.

"No one has seen me the way you have. Truly seen me. And accepted me. But you did. You do. In your eyes, I'm bold when I want nothing more than to hide. I'm brave when I'm scared shitless. I'm brighter than the sun when I feel invisible."


The themes Naima is touching in this series are so real. Their family dynamics have been a little bit frustrating at times because they are so relatable and relevant, especially now that this generation of women is fighting so hard to break generational curses. Naima did an amazing job at showing how these cycle in Miriam's (and also Jordan's) life were stopping them from finding their true selves and true happiness, not just with one another but also in with themselves. They were finding their way to each other and at the same time their way to leave their pasts and other people's expectations behind. They saw each other for who they truly were, believed in each other's dreams and loved the hell out of each other because of the same reasons and it was the most romantic thing in the world.

Did I mention it was a slow burn to die for? Good Lord, I have to fan myself just thinking about it. That pining these two had going on was hotter than July. The build up was the sweetest chef's kiss in the world. It was steamy, emotional and full of promises. Worth every single second of the wait.

Can't wait for November to re-read it in paperback!

A million thanks to Naima Simone and Montlake for gifting me this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I am so, so, so, soooooo happy right now.

I only made it through part of this book. The writing in my opinion was not sophisticated and the plot was lacking

**Received a copy for review.*.
Jordan is a sexy, sexy man. He’s not afraid to embrace his nerdy side. His childhood was rough but he’s finally in a place that he loves.
Miriam is a genius who no one takes seriously. She hides parts of herself because she doesn’t trust people. Her childhood was also rough, but in a very different way.
I love how the siblings are getting to know one another better. I love how Naima gives us two people with very different difficult childhoods Jordan’s dad split abd his mom worked too much to get him the things he needed and she had terrible taste in me.
Miriam’s parents are still married but they hate each other and fight constantly.
I love the friendship they have built even with the constantly simmering sexual tension. The way he manhandled her is so sexy.
I really enjoyed these two and am desperately hoping Daniel will get a book too. After Levi or with Levi?!

DNF @ 23%. First, I didn’t realize when I started that this series revolves around their breakup service company (not a fan of someone who would use that to skirt the responsibility of honest communication), and that many of the hero’s friends are clients. Second, there just wasn’t enough of a reason for the hero and heroine to not be together. The heroine says she doesn’t want to date athletes (essentially she knows them as some of her clients), but then she gets involved with the hero’s teammate (an athlete) instead of the hero whom she’s already slept with and still likes romantically, plus she’s friends with him so she should trust him more than a stranger, right? And third, just stuff like this: “He’s a man. And an athlete. It’s in his DNA and job description to check out the opposite sex.”

This is the second book that I’ve started from Naima Simone. The first book in this series didn’t do it for me, and I did not finish it or give a review. I wanted to give this author a second chance and start Ravaged. I’ll start by saying what I did like. I liked Jordan; I liked how good of a friend he was to Miriam and to his Colleagues- other players in the NBA. I also liked the secondary characters in this book, and I wonder if Renae and Daniel will have a spin-off within this series. I also like that this book is multicultural, and I love the friends-to-lover trope.

Where it fell short for me was the length of time it took for the two main characters to decide that they wanted to be together finally. 78% of the book was inter-dialog about how Miriam doesn’t want to be with an athlete due to an athlete that hurt her in the past. For Jordan’s part, he was pining over Miriam but didn’t act on it. If what happened in Miriam’s past was so horrendous, it deserves a flashback chapter own on its own. Don’t tell me how some this “thing” that (no spoilers) hurt you. Show me through the character’s eye.
The steamier scenes also fell short for me, and I felt a little letdown. If I’m going to wait for almost 80% of the book for the friends to lovers to finally get romantic, there better be fireworks.
Overall, I’m giving it three stars, it wasn’t terrible, and I like the sibling dynamic between Miriam and her brother and sister. I also liked Jordan’s love for his mother; as I already stated, he was a good friend to her and the other characters in the book.

I just reviewed Ravaged by Naimi Simone.
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