I like that the runaway bride trope was mixed in with the preacher’s daughter one. It shakes things up a little bit. Plus, the nanny one too creates an entertaining plot point. Aaliyah is such a sweet girl, yet I love how she isn’t afraid to go up to bat for the people she loves. She has her religion and I respect the way that she follows it but isn’t too rigid with it. Von is a great father and it’s clear how much he cares about Gia. However, I didn’t love his dialogue. It felt like he was either an older guy trying to be cool by using the slang he heard his teenage nephew use or that he was a teenage boy talking to a girl. I also didn’t really feel that spark between Aaliyah and Von, even though I like them both separately as characters. Finally, the plot felt a little slow.

This review will be posted sometime after the book is released.

This book was about Aaliyah a preachers daughter and. In Howard a single dad who was a grump lol
I liked how Aaliyah’s character was built up to becoming an independent woman away from her family. This was definitely an insta love. Would recommend

Aaliyah Montgomery never expected when she ran away from a wedding she did not want, to find not only her true self, but in addition love. Aaliyah had plans for school but not to encounter the sexy tattoo artist Von Howard. The attraction is apparent and Von is leery of hiring Aaliyah as his nanny. He has been through a bitter divorce and still having to deal with his ex because they share custody, adding the beautiful nanny into the equation makes for an interesting and explosive journey.

I enjoyed Church Girl my Ms. Simone and it was a well-crafted story. Ms. Simone crafted the characters where readers see how Aaliyah has been raised to stifle her true self and just agree to go along with everything her parents said do. Once she finally gets the courage to flee, she chooses her wedding date to make the statement. As she learns more about herself while living with her cousin in Chicago, the real Aaliyah takes flight. When pushed she comes out swinging but in a reserved manner. Adding Von to the equation with his rugged and no-filter responses, Von helps Aaliyah to overcome her fears and stand up for herself. Von’s little girl Gia, and the Malcolm, Chelle and Tamara are great secondary characters and add flavor to the story. Overall a good read and I can’t wait for Tamara’s story.

Star Rating: 4/5
Spicy Factor: 3.5/5

Aliyah Montgomery has reached her breaking point. She is minutes from walking down the aisle when she decides that she can no longer be the dutiful preacher’s daughter. She leaves town with her cousin, Tamera, without telling anyone to live her own life and pursue her dreams. Shortly after arriving in Chicago, she interviews for a nanny job with Von Howard, a very attractive, successful tattoo artist. He is in desperate need of a nanny for his daughter. The spark and attraction is almost immediate.

Initally, I found Von very condescending. I wanted Aliyah to find her voice and it seemed like she was moving from a controlling father to a controlling Von. I appreciated when we were able to see a more vulnerable side of him. I loved the chemistry between them.

🌟ARC REVIEW🌟

Tattooed single dad? say less🫦

Aaliyah Montgomery is your typical good church going girl. After finding herself practically shoved up the aisle and seeing her freedom slipping away she does what feels right and runs away.

Von Howard is so fineee. He's a single father whose looking for a full time nanny. He's picky, he's grumpy and he owns a tattoo shop.

Aaliyah is ready to reinvent herself and not conform to small town minds of what she can or can't do. Von desperately needs a nanny so even if he's instantly attracted to Aaliyah he hires her and pushes any feelings he could develop for her away. However it becomes difficult when he sees how much Aaliyah truly cares for his daughter.

I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. Aaliyah's character growth was my favorite part of the book. Moving in with her cousin shows her how truly sheltered and limited she was. I also loved how the kinship between Aaliyah and her cousin-whom she was warned against- grew into a sisterhood. Von was such a rock to her when she needed him to be. He put her feelings first when her own parents never did. The sexual tension between them was hawt. The ending however felt a bit clumsy for me. There was a lot going on lol. Other than that I truly enjoyed this book.

🌞tropes🌞
⛅ Single dad x nanny
⛅ grumpy x sunshine
⛅ age gap
⛅ miscommunication...
⛅runaway bride


Thank you, Netgalley, and Harlequin for the eBook in exchange for my honest review

Who doesn't love a run-away bride story! I loved the chemistry between the two MC'S and the dynamic conversations this book subtly has about religious trauma, coming into adulthood, and unconventional love is amazing! I love the gorgeous cover art and I am excited for more romance books from Naima Simone!
Final Rating
3.75

I love reading black romance stories. I start out reading books expecting to enjoy the story. However, there are times that I have been disappointed. Not with this book; I absolutely loved it. This was book of characters, especially Aaliyah, that I can relate to. The family issues & relations was that which I was able to identify with; this identification caused me to recall past situations and relations with family. I look forward to readings books by this author.

Absolutely amazing. Finished it in one day!
This book was so good. Like I can’t even explain or describe the way I’m feeling about Church Girl.
This was a perfect paced storyline. It is short but long enough. I wish it was an epilogue to know more about Aaliyah and Von story. Of course Gia too. She was too adorable. I love the strong black father that Von portray in this book! I love the cousin Tamera, she had me cracking up in the beginning. Can’t wait for her story (2026)

* runaway bride
* Preachers daughter
* Grumpy MMC
* Southern Sunshine MFC
* Tattoo shop( my weakness)
* Second chance at love ❤️
* Down to earth cousin (can’t wait for her story)
* Chicago based
* Spicy scenes 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Thank you NetGalley for the arc for my honest opinion.!

Admittedly, the cover of Church Girl drew me in, and the story held my interest. Aaliyah is a runaway bride who left her small Alabama hometown to get out from under the thumb of her bishop father. She convinces her cousin to take her back to Chicago, where she's planning to reinvent herself without the overbearing pressure she's always subject to. Von, however, is basically Aaliyah's polar opposite. He's a well-known tattoo artist with a booming business, but is in the midst of a contentious divorce battle with the mother of his young daughter. Their paths cross when Aaliyah interviews to be nanny to Von's daughter, and they're at odds almost from the start.

Unsurprisingly, Aaliyah grew up very sheltered and has toed the line of expectation her entire life. She's never been independent and Von immediately picks on her naivete and inexperience. She doesn't exactly inspire confidence as a nanny, but when Von is forced to give her a chance, they're both struggling with the antagonistic interactions. They very much fit into the grumpy/sunshine trope, and give off dom/sub vibes, too. Their sexual tension is near immediate, despite the issues they have in working together.

Much of Church Girl is really a story about Aaliyah finding herself without outside influence. Her choice to go from a small town to big city life forces her to figure things out quick, and she dives in feet first. Despite this growth, though, it's harder to believe that she'd jilt a fiance and run away from home, yet be unable to actually stand up against her family. For his part, Von is jaded by the demise of his marriage, frustrated by ongoing coparenting issues, and the trauma he holds on to that is readily seen in how he interacts with Aaliyah. He's largely a one-dimensional character throughout the book, even when he allows himself to be minimally vulnerable. Much of his growth feels internal and not something other characters benefit from consistently.

For a book of sustantial length, I didn't feel that Aaliyah and Von had the character development expected in a book of this length. I also didn't appreciate is how the book handled the sensitive topic of near-abuse Aaliyah experienced as a child. It felt very glossed over, given the seriousness of what occurred and its impact on her over time. The resolution of the book unfortunately felt rushed and unrealistic in how it played out. It felt very neatly wrapped up for a sitaution that was anything but.

Despite wanting more depth for the main characters and more careful handling of sensitive topics, I enjoyed Church Girl overall. It's high drama, high tension, and an easy read to get absorbed in. This was my first book by Naima Simone, and I'll likely check out more in her catalog on the strength of this.

Thank you Harlequin Romance for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Church girl was amazing! The story follows Aaliyah, a runaway bride from a strict Christian background who longs for freedom. Von a single father that has the tattoo game on lock while being a little rough around the edges.

Von decides to judge a book by its cover when he first meets Aaliyah but he is proven wrong and is a witness to the saying there’s more that meets the eye. In addition, the revelation made by Von was NOT at all what I expected. My favorite part of the book would have to be seeing Aaliyah discover who she is and step into her new life.

My only caveat is the story did have some jumps in time that seemed a little disjointed. In all honesty I really wish the book was longer so some gaps can be filled.

This is probably closer to a 3.5, but I believe in rounding up!

this book was a quick little read, i finished it within a couple hours. The characters, Aaliyah and Von, were captivating both instantly captivating.

as someone who grew up in church, this book felt like coming home. I’m not a PK, but I was at the church anytime the doors were open, and I could FEEL the turmoil that Aaliyah was going through by “letting her parents down”. It was refreshing to see religious trauma (let’s call it what it is) be handled in a way that was respectful but approachable.

one thing i wished was for more fleshing out of the backstories for both the FMC & the MMC. By the time we saw Gregory again, I had forgotten who he was (lmao). I love a flashback, fill me in on ALL the details baby.

This was my first Naima Simon book, but I’m certain it won’t be my last!

Overall: 4
Spicy: 3

You never know when you’ll meet the person that’s supposed to be your soulmate. FMC is naive and sheltered by overbearing parents. MMC hurt by his ex and just needs a nanny. Both have smart mouths and try to deny their feels. This was a feel good book with just enough spice to keep it entertaining.

A quick fun read with loads of character development. Aaliyah’s story was relatable in so many ways. I loved how she got from under her family’s state and was able to become a strong independent woman! Von was a great father but an asshole. I appreciate how he owned up to his mistakes and loved our girl wholeheartedly. I look forward to more work from this author and maybe reading about these characters again 😊

This was a nice book! Not a favorite but it was enjoyable. Towards the beginning I wasn’t in love with our MMC, but once we hit half way I was liking him a lot more

The cover is beautiful and I was super excited to read this.
I struggled a bit to read this. It was an okay book with a great premise, but I believe the execution was lacking. I feel like it dragged along and the writing seemed especially internal and the external dialog seemed a bit cringy. I understand and appreciate the inclusion of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) as in that sense it seemed more realistic and relatable, but the dialog writing didn't hit right for me.

This story was okay. At times it felt elementary to me due to some of dialogue between the characters and inner dialogue from the characters own point of view. It’s the choice of the words used that I wasn’t really a fan of. Some of the things I liked were the depth and complexities to the characters, the realizations the characters had when it came to their traumas, and who wouldn’t love little Gia. Overall it wasn’t a bad story, just lacked the depth and word play I was looking for.

3.25

This was a quick, spicy, heartfelt read! I inhaled this book granted it is on the shorter side but I still ate it up.

Von was addictive. I totally understand why Aaliyah folded so fast. The second he called me lil mama, I’d be GONE.

This book had some heavier topics that I wasn’t expecting! I think on the surface they were done well but I think the author could have really dug deeper into those topics and added more to the character development.

I wish we could have gotten more out of this book. I would have liked it to be longer honestly. I wanted more development between Von and Aaliyah. I feel like when they did talk about those bigs things it was during spicy scenes. I think there was a lot more the unpack with her religious trauma that felt rushed. An epilogue would have been amazing to see what happens for them, since the relationship was very insta love.

Very solid book! I enjoyed it! I love a good opposites attract, single dad romance.

Both Aaliyah and Von have their own issues and things to work through but they bond over the love of his daughter. Only reason I didn’t give it a 5 is because at points, I felt like the relationship was very surface and would’ve liked to see more deep dives into their thoughts and feelings. I feel like those deep dives only happened during the sexy scenes.

This is a cute, emotional, and slightly spicy book that delves into deeper topics like religious trauma and co-parenting after divorce. The writing is a little rushed and I wish there was an epilogue but it's still really enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This could have been a five-star read if it had been longer. I really wanted to see more of their relationship develop, and an epilogue would have been great. But overall, I loved the book. It’s wild that his ex-wife was trying to get back together after everything that went down!