CHURCH GIRL by Naim Simone was the first book I’ve read by the author and really enjoyed it. Literally finished it in one sitting.The writing was beautiful and felt like I could connect with both characters Aaliyah and Von. I loved seeing their vulnerable sides and the growth throughout the read. They had beautiful chemistry together and I liked how they changed each other. And the passion between the was incredible!! They honestly make a beautiful complete

The discussion of heavy topics was impactful as well as thought provoking, however I wish it was discussed further in the story if felt brushed off at the end and not properly with all parties involved in the situations.

I also do wish the book was longer where the ending felt rushed to me. I wish there was more time to see Aaliyah and Von’s relationship progress on a deeper level, the “I love you’s” came to early for me

Overall, this was such a good read. I’m excited for Tamera story next she was an intriguing character is this book, I can’t wait to see what’s to come with her story.

Oof! I knew based on the reviews that the spice would be spicy in this one but I wasn’t prepared for just how raw and filthy it would be. And I’d be a liar if I said that I didn’t love it. Aside from the spice though, I loved the story as a whole, a new spin on the preacher’s daughter and nanny tropes. I’d highly highly recommend this one!

Church girl

The idea of this book is a good one. The runaway bride, small town vibes an extra churchy family, second chances at love and what they’re calling grumpy sunshine, however Von did absolutely the most and he was nowhere near grumpy sunshine. He was much more of an aggravating asshole with the AMEX lol. he did the absolute most every chance he got. in my love I don’t need all riffraff BUT by the end I enjoyed his realness and rawness even though is mouth was raggedy. It worked out well with Aaliyah’s dainty coy nature. Most relationships have a lil heaven and a lil hell.

This book was oozing with lust and sexual tension. I was like whoaaaaa this is so sexually charged even tho there was only 2 spice scenes. That’s very mindful. Very demure lol.

I did want a little more from the ending. I wanted to see what family life for this messy lil group will look like. An epilogue would have been nice. I’m also looking forward to Tamera’s book. She really held Aaliyah down, and I know she has so much more to give us.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for this ARC. Such a great romance story

An updated twist in the Runaway Bride trope which I loved. A good church girl who falls for the bad boy is going to be good every single time. This was a great read, and the steam was NICE. Naima Simone never disappoints.

Church Girl by Naima Simone had an intriguing premise that piqued my curiosity, but the execution didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The story of Aaliyah, a preacher’s daughter turned runaway bride, promised a lot of tension and growth, especially with her stepping into a world so different from her own. However, the plot felt too predictable and the characters, particularly Von, came across as a bit one-dimensional.

The dynamic between Aaliyah and Von had potential, but it often leaned too heavily on clichés. Aaliyah’s journey of self-discovery was fascinating, but how it unfolded felt rushed and lacked the depth needed to make it truly compelling. While steamy, the romance between her and Von overshadowed the more exciting aspects of her character development.

Overall, the story felt like it could have been more than it was. The idea was solid, but the execution left me wanting something with more substance and less reliance on familiar tropes.

I LOVED this book. Naima is a one click author for me so I was thrilled to get this ARC from Harlequin Afterglow. It’s so good, I’m mad it’s over lol

First and foremost, this is everything I love most: runaway bride, single dad, cute kid that acts her age, small town girl in a big city, combatting purity culture brainwashing that makes you feel like you’re not “pure enough”. Naima took all these beloved tropes and topics and made such a heartfelt (and hot!) story between two total opposites. I was delighted.

Von is gruff and a straight shooter but he goes out of his way to lift Aaliyah up and encourage her, even when he’s trying to stay far far away from her “Disney princess attitude” lol it doesn’t last long because he’s entranced by her. And he’s such a sweetheart with Gia, his baby girl. Their relationship was so precious. I adored Von, even in his more butthead moments. The stubborn ones fall the hardest I swear.

But Aaliyah is the star of the show for me. A preacher’s kid running away from the expectations and man they expected her to just go along with. Combatting years of purity culture down her throat and parents that cared more about the image than protecting their daughter. I cried because Naima perfectly encapsulated that fear and self loathing that’s instilled in us who grew up in purity culture so young. And Von is so FIERCE on her behalf. I mean, the man is just like “nah, you’re not the responsible party here. Your parents should have put YOU first”. So as much as this is a love story, it’s also Aaliyah coming into her own and finding out what she wants and who she wants to be. And I loved it. Every second.

Do I wish there had been an epilogue of some kind? Sure! But I don’t have any doubts that Von, Aaliyah, and Gia are living their best lives with each other and hanging out at Auntie Tamara’s condo. And that makes my heart happy.

CW: mentions of attempted childhood SA by a family member (historic, briefly discussed, non-graphic), purity culture, sex work shaming by side character

It's Naima Simone, so of course the writing is beautiful and the steam is HOT (though there could have been more). I do think the ending was a bit rushed, especially with the "breakup" and then the ex-wife's about-face. I wouldn't have been mad about an epilogue. But I'm so glad that Tamara is getting a book, because I LOVED her.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.

Church Girl is everything I hoped it would be and more. It’s spicy, dirty-hot, and steamy enough to leave a thick trail of fog in its wake. I love that Simone doesn’t pull any punches with this book. She goes right in, and she takes the reader along with her. Von and Aaliyah are both incredible characters. They are charismatic, intelligent, and just truly good people. They also challenge each other to be better versions of themselves and to truly see themselves as well as they see each other.

If you love a good girl/bad boy trope with a twist, a grumpy/sunshine, and a dirty-hot age gap romance, Church Girl by Naima Simone is a not-to-miss read.

I LOVED this book. Coming from a background of being mixed PK it was really nice seeing myself represented in such a beautiful story and it had a lot of heart immediate 5 star book for me. The characters made me love them and root for them and I loved the interactions and just the story as a whole.

Church Girl was a good romance read that gave us Aaliyah and Von's story. Aaliyah is the daughter of Bishop Timothy Montgomery and although her father wants her to live her life in service of the church after marriage, Aaliyah has other desires. Those desires don't fall in line with her father, mother or fiancé, so she runs before it's too late leaving them disappointed, and her feeling free for the first time. Tamara knows what it's like to live her life being judged by her family so when her cousin shows up at her door asking for help, she doesn't hesitate. I absolutely enjoyed Aaliyah and Tamara's relationship, and the support Tamara gives her cousin even though there weren't close before Aaliyah came asking for her help. Their antics had me laughing out loud more than once. Von's dealing with a bitter ex-wife but he must put up with her for their daughter Gia. Gia is his world but he's in desperate need of a nanny. In comes Aaliyah, she's nothing Von expected and everything he desires. When their employer/employee relationship cross the lines, there's no going back. I loved them together, but I wish there were deeper moments between them. The connection was there but I needed more. There was jealousy, drama, laugh out loud moments, steamy scenes, secrets were revealed, revelations were made and a HEA. I thought there were some things that wrapped up too nicely after all the drama with certain people, especially Sheree. Her being a "better" mature woman and mother in the end just didn't feel right after everything she did, it was just too soon. Overall, it was a good story, and I enjoyed a lot of laughs along the way so I think it's a story worth reading that romance readers will enjoy.

I loved this book! And the cover was so pretty! And I really loved the romance in this book. The main characters were really lovely!

This was such a fun time. I love the grumpy x sunshine trope and the author did a great job here.

I really loved both of the characters. I could sympathize with both. Aaliyah is trying to find herself and her job as a live-in nanny for Von was certainly an experience. A lot of her experiences were endearing and funny. I liked her character a lot. Von is grumpy but with good reason. He's had it rough. It takes a little warming up to Von but I did like him by the end. I thought these two were cute and I liked their romance.

There is some heat here which was nice since the characters had great chemistry.

Would definitely recommend for opposites attract romance lovers.

Whoever designed this book cover deserves a raise!! Let me first start by saying that there's something about a bride escaping on her wedding that I find so messily delicious. Aaliyah was kind of all over the place but I loved her. She was genuine and sweet to the people she cared about. I felt the chemistry between Aaliyah and the other MC and love interest, Von. However, I didn't like him he was so condescending to me and I felt like Aaliyah could do better, honestly. This book does have spice and explicit language so if you're sensitive to that kind of thing this book won't be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

This is a steamy single-dad/nanny romance with Black main characters - and great representation, this was! I appreciated that unlike a lot of other Black romance books out there, the book was written with slang. It didn't feel like we just took a romance book about white people and then plopped in diversity and some food - it felt like this was written by a Black author who took two characters from very different cultures (Southern/religious) and big city (Chicago) and found a way to write a super hot and steamy book, without falling into any tropes that were one dimensional. If you love a good steamy single dad/age-gap novel, this one's for you.

Harlequin - Romance | Afterglow Books by Harlequin and NetGalley provided an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

I saw the cute cover,bread the blurb, and thought that I’d probably like this book since I’m a Black romance super fan and I enjoy single parent stories. I was wrong; I LOVED it! Church Girl delivered heart, humor, heat, and a perfectly paced plot. I cannot wait to reread this with my bookish besties when it gets released.

Some of my favorite things:
✅ Grumpy MMC with a hidden heart of gold
✅ Sunshiny MMC with backbone
✅ An age gap that *doesn’t* make me cringe
✅ Spicy scenes that don’t disappoint


My not so favorite things?
➖ I would have loved an epilogue so I could spend a tiny bit more time with this story.

Overall, this was a fantastic read.


#ChurchGirl
#NetGalley

These two have problems with impulse control! Especially around each other, because as much as they think no, no, no, they continue on with yes, yes, yes. I loved them both for it though, as they weren’t so much push and pull, as a consistent descent into falling for each other. It was inevitable, as the heat between them was absolutely electric and constantly sparking. Add in one very sweet, cute, and adorable little girl, and this HEA was going to happen, no matter what!

I picked this up on a whim and was not sure if I would like it, but I was pleasantly surprised. I might even read a few more books by Naima Simone.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Harlequin finally changed up from their regular books and it worked for them! This book was modern, fun and relatable. Aaliyah is a last pastors daughter who always does as her parents ask her. Even if its agreeing to marry a man she doesnt love. The story jumps rkghr in with Aaliyah running on her wedding day and being on the doorstep of her, black sheep, cousin Tamara. Eventually she convinces Tamara to bring her back to Chicago with her and leave the small.towm in Alabama behind. She starts college for art there as it was another thing she wasn't allowed to do at home but quickly realizes that it's more expensive to live there and applies for a nanny job at a tattoo parlor because the 'dad' owns it. She gets the job and while there is definitely immediate attraction and interest both fight it because of the little girl Gia and because of each other's baggage. Von had been through a messy helpful divorce and Aaliyah with the overbearing parents anz wanting to have freedom she's never had before. After some time the attraction gets the best of them (maybe drinking at a strip club together not the best idea if trying to remain friends lol) anyways they end up having to dighr for each other but in a 3rd act heartbreak Von let's Aaliyah down. Will they get back together? Read to find out lol anyways the only thing I didn't enjoy about this book was actually something that REALLY aggravated me, it was the US's of the word Nut during sexy time. It was almost comical it wasn't sexy at all and the word was over used for sure. Besides sexy time scenes needing more and better terminology the book was a great change of pace for Harlequin

This was a fun read and I can definitely see it being a success once published. Von was… a lot. And sometimes that lot felt like too much but he was surely smitten for Aaliyah. It was kind of cute to watch Aaliyah do his head in like she did. I’m glad she found her voice and herself. It was long overdue.