My First Love Event with Naima Simone

Naima Simone is the author of sizzling contemporary romance and romantic suspense featuring hot alpha men and kick-ass heroines who experience the first bites of desire, the dizzying heights of passion, and the tender, healing heat of love.

She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

A Naughty New Year Event with Naima Simone

Naima Simone is the author of sizzling contemporary romance and romantic suspense featuring hot alpha men and kick-ass heroines who experience the first bites of desire, the dizzying heights of passion, and the tender, healing heat of love.

She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

Indulge Yourself Event with Naima Simone

Naima Simone is the author of sizzling contemporary romance and romantic suspense featuring hot alpha men and kick-ass heroines who experience the first bites of desire, the dizzying heights of passion, and the tender, healing heat of love.

She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

A Naughty New Year Event with Naima Simone

Naima Simone is the author of sizzling contemporary romance and romantic suspense featuring hot alpha men and kick-ass heroines who experience the first bites of desire, the dizzying heights of passion, and the tender, healing heat of love.

She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

ARC Review: Only For Your Touch by Naima Simone

Only For Your Touch is the second installment in the Licks series. This is a stand-alone novel, you can start reading the series right here. This installment is the story of Corrine and Sasha. Sasha runs a sex club along with his two business partners. Sasha and Corrine meet at the club (although, Corrine is in the part that is just a regular club and is only aware of the sex club part by rumor).

Sasha managed to escape a life of crime in which he was somehow connected to the Irish mob. His goal in life, that he carefully manages, is to remain on the legal up and up and run his club and peace. Sasha has a Viking Warrior look, a need for control and an ultra alpha male exterior. In other words, he is kind of my perfect guy. Sasha had a difficult time leaving the criminal element of his past. He still yearns for the excitement of that life. So the last thing he needs is to tempt himself by going anywhere near his past deeds.

Corrine has had her whole world turned upside down. She thought she was the daughter of an upstanding businessman who had a very proper upbringing. Corinne did not realize that her father was the head of a mafia family and that her entire family are mobsters. She has recently been outed in the press and her father is in jail. Corrine's whole world has been turned upside down. After living her whole life repressing all of her sexual needs, she meets Sasha at a time when she is both looking for domination and to be dominated.

This story is exciting from the first page because Sasha immediately realizes who Corrine is. He knows the last thing he needs is to have Corrine bring mob attention to his club. The second to last thing he needs is a mob princess in his bed. Sasha wasn't prepared for Corrine to be everything he didn't know he was missing. The relationship between these two start out as pure sexual chemistry and exploration. It is very smoking hot but it is not supposed to go beyond a good time. Both quickly learn that their addiction to the other is more than just physical. I always love a heroine who can unlock a hero's damaged soul. I also loved that Sasha taught Corrine that it was okay to be herself in the light of day.  Did I mention there is smoking hot sex?

This book is a super short, very fast paced read. It's not going to change your life but it will titillate and entertain you for a few hours.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N | iTunes |

ARC Review: Beauty and the Bachelor by Naima Simone

Thank the Lord for Beauty and the Bachelor because I was on a bad book trip that I desperately needed off of. B&B delivered several of things that I live for in a book: HAWT sex, a love-hate-super steam romance, and all the revenge and intrigue my heart could handle. I was like yesss Ms. Simone, give it to us.

The actual story is about Lucas and Sydney. Lucas is a pretty straight forward guy, he doesn’t need a whole lot out of life, he just wants to decimate his father’s former best friend. So we learn that revenge isn’t just a bish, revenge can be an ice cold alpha male with a large chip on his shoulder and an even bigger…well, you see where this is headed. Of course Sydney, our heroine, happens to be the daughter of said former best friend and therefore the most logical inroad to exacting Lucas’ revenge. And this is where it gets really good, call me crazy (not to my face) but I love a marriage under duress storyline. So when Sydney marries Lucas because he coerces her into believing she has no choice, I started doing my happy dance (sorry Sydney but it worked for the book). Of course, Sydney and Lucas are intensely attracted to one another which adds a layer of tension to the story that will literally keep you on the edge of your seat and gripping your e-reader.

I absolutely loved the relationship between Sydney and Lucas. The two get sucked into this crazy vortex of deceit, blackmail, lies and other crazy ish. The question is whether they’re going to find their way through the madness together or if Lucas is going to stick to his original plan. The conflict is warm chocolate fudge delicious, the sexual attraction is white hot and lines are sufficiently blurred to make this a completely entertaining read.

This book has excellent character development and relationship building. You will feel like you really know Sydney and Lucas, you will understand their motivations and you will really want to see them together. This is one of those thin line books that constantly keeps you on the edge of love and hate and hate and passion. You read this book in one sitting because you have to know what happens next. If you need something good to break you out of a book funk, pick this up, thank me later.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N | iTunes |

Surf, Sand & Books Event with Naima Simone

Naima Simone's love of romance was first stirred by Johanna Lindsey and Linda Howard many years ago. Though her first attempt at writing a romance novel at age 11 never saw the light of day, her love of romance and writing has endured. Now, she spends her time creating stories of unique men and women who experience the dizzying heights of passion and the tender heat of love.

She is wife to Superman—or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent—and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

ARC Review: Witness to Passion by Naima Simone

This is my first book by this author and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Witness to Passion is Shane and Fallon's story and it is one HAWT story.

Fallon is the best friend of Shane's younger sister who has wanted Shane for as long as she can remember. Shane is the stoic army veteran who lost one of his best friends during the war and is haunted by the predictable demons that accompany that sort of tragedy. Add to that the fact that Shane's perception of Fallon is skewed by his own experiences and there was a fair amount of angst in the story. Shane thinks Fallon is flighty and unpredictable and Fallon knows he sees her that way. Fallon thinks Shane isn't interested in her and won't change his mind about her personaliy. Of course Shane and Fallon are both wrong.

Shane owns a private security company and Fallon finds herself in desperate need of security after witnessing a murder.

What I really like about this book is the layering of the characters. Neither is as straightforward as they might seem at first glance. Fallon is kind of impulsive and talkative but it turns out she's also strong, fiercely independent and has endured more than most women. Shane is closed off but he's also fiercely protective as the result of having a childhood of being left unprotected. As Shane and Fallon slowly reveal themselves to one another we get to know them as well in a very natural way.

I felt as drawn to the characters in this book as they felt towards one another. Their feelings for each other and their reactions to the tragedies in their own lives come across as genuine and compelling. Although Shane tries to deny his physical attraction to Fallon, he was pretty ineffective. When the barrier finally breaks down, it BREAKS down to the tune of hair pulling, dirty talking delicious goodness. This was some seriously hot sex and I loved every minute of it. Of course the sex was supposed to be "no strings attached" meaning gigantic ropes immediately attached to the whole situation.

The only thing I did not like about this book is the amount of introspection. Character introspection has become one of my pet peeves, especially the way it was done in this book. There were just too many pages of redundant internal character dialogue. The result of that is always the same...skimming pages. I can forgive an author for torturing us with introspection when the plot is fast paced, the characters are well developed, the romance is sweet and the sex is HOT. So all in all, I definitely recommend this book and I know for a fact I will be back for more from this author.

**ARC by provided Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo |

Guest Post with Naima Simone and Giveaway

Meet Naima Simone, author of Secrets and Sins: Chayot.

Naima Simone Naima Simone’s love of romance was first stirred by Johanna Lindsey and Linda Howard many years ago. Though her first attempt at writing a romance novel at age 11 never saw the light of day, her love of romance and writing has endured. Now, she spends her time creating stories of unique men and women who experience the dizzying heights of passion and the tender heat of love.

She is wife to Superman—or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent—and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.

Places to find Naima:

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

ARC Review: Secrets and Sins: Chayot by Naima Simone

Chayot is the fourth book in Naima Simone’s Secrets and Sins series. Oh man talk about tortured souls one has had time to simmer and the other is still trying to get over the initial trauma. Chayot, sigh, I can’t pen a phase and make a flowery sentence using all the descriptive words to describe him because that wouldn’t be anything like him he is straight forward, so a simple list works. He’s crude, course, tall, gorgeous, devoted, tormented, lickable. Aslyn is a talented, beautiful and kind with a trauma of her own with the early deaths of her parents. This was a very good stand-alone book, I can only imagine if I had read the other books. It is perfectly balanced between suspense and romance.

Chayot has dealt with his childhood trauma for the last twenty years, thank goodness for best friends the kind that helps you bury the body. In his mind Chayot is too damaged to ever find the happiness that his friends have all found. Aslyn is a magnificent concert pianist with loads of fans and she has suffered at the hands of a stocker for over a year when he suddenly escalated. He snuck into her dressing room killed her assistant and tried to kidnap her. The attempt was foiled but not before he managed to stab her. Now with a permanent reminder of that night Aslyn has retreated to Boston to heal and get over her mental block preventing her from playing the piano.

Their first meeting could have been better; it’s never a good thing when the first words are, “You need to call 911” when Chayot spots a peeping tom outside Aslyn’s house. Aslyn instantly is attracted to Chayot and vise versa. Chayot is a fan of Aslyn and wants to act on it but thinks she is too innocent for him; he doesn’t want to corrupt her. Chayot is determined to stay away until Aslyn hires his security firm to guard her from the new stocker she has, a stocker who is escalating at an alarming pace. Chayot has taken her safety on himself and Aslyn finally succeeds in seducing him.

I loved reading this book the romance between Chayot and Aslyn was hot, and sexy, and a little dirty just how I like it. It had just enough action and suspense to keep me from getting bored with the romance. As to the suspense storyline all I have to say is, I hate it when I’m right.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N |

ARC Review: Secrets and Sins: Raphael by Naima Simone

RAPHAEL is the third book in Naima Simone’s Secrets and Sins romantic suspense quartet. Whilst it’s not necessary to read the first two (which tell the stories of two of the four blood brothers, Gabriel Devlin and Malachim Jerrod), readers will derive much more enjoyment from reading the books in order, since each character’s personality and the dynamics of their relationship is skillfully built upon in each book [there are also spoilers for the big suspense plot in the first novel]. But these books are so good that you should be reading all of them anyway! In fact, I’d somehow missed book #2, MALACHIM (thank you graduate school) and immediately went back and devoured it after finishing this one. Ms. Simone excels at writing emotionally complex characters that are incredibly realistic and relatable and layering in a gripping suspense plot, and she proves that she is in top form with Greer Addison and Raphael Marcel’s page-turning road to a HEA.

We first meet wealthy Boston socialite Greer Addison tossing back drinks in a dive bar after having caught her fiancé—with whom she had a ho-hum relationship at best—in bed with another woman (one of her friends!) a week before their wedding. Greer really worked for me as a character throughout. Diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, she’s been a lifelong useless embarrassment to her wanker of a banker father who saw her engagement to the heir apparent of New England’s biggest real estate mogul as her only achievement. She’s spent her life being a good girl to try to earn her father’s approval, so the way she decided to assert herself and finally rebel by taking a walk on the wild side felt genuine and relatable—had my upbringing resembled Greer’s, I can absolutely see myself doing the same thing. Greer’s night of rebellion sees her having mindblowing sex in the back of an SUV parked in the middle of the street with bad-boy security specialist and near-stranger Raphael (Rafe) Marcel, becoming the #1 suspect in her ex-fiancé’s murder when he’s found stabbed in her flat (more shame brought on the family!), suffering from retrograde amnesia, ending up pregnant and alone, and being harassed by a deranged stalker that forces her to go to (unwitting) baby daddy Rafe for help. No doing things half-measure for Greer! She’s a delightful mix of strength and vulnerability as she tries to deal with everything life has thrown at her whilst trying to stand on her own two feet and be the person she wants to be for the first time in her life. Having watched her mother spend a lifetime mutely standing in her abrasive husband’s shadow, Greer has sworn to never be emotionally out of control in relationships, so watching Rafe strip away her defences and make her believe in true love was incredibly heartwarming.

As with Gabe and Mal in previous novels, Rafe has the wounded-hero-who’s-sworn-never-to-love-again thing going on, along with a giant chip on his shoulder about his lower middle-class upbringing and connections to a crime family. He’s equal parts irreverent and protective alpha, and quite the tosser when Greer first informs him of his impending fatherhood—he clearly still wants her body but refuses to consider anything beyond that or embrace the pregnancy. It’s not until we learn of the deep betrayal by a girlfriend in a shockingly similar situation several years ago that he becomes a sympathetic character and goes from seemingly heartless wanker to vulnerable man afraid to believe what he wants most in the world is truly within his reach. His journey of learning to let go of all the hurt and just trust is incredibly poignant. Aside from the scorching opening one-night stand, Greer and Rafe’s relationship is a fairly slow build, which makes it believable given the boatload of emotional issues both bring to the table and makes the HEA that much more satisfying. The relatively slow-building romance also provides the perfect counterbalance to the fast-moving, adrenaline-packed suspense plot that will keep you guessing (and second-guessing) until the big reveal.

In addition to a great hero and heroine, Ms. Simone again delivers a fantastic cast of secondary characters. Greer’s parents are deliciously vile without edging over into implausible and will leave no one indifferent. The bond between Mal, Gabe, Rafe, and Chay is reaffirmed and deepened further, and the setting—the gorgeous, vibrant city of Boston (which is near and dear to my heart)—truly comes to life through the writing, which is again superb and mixes in some great one-liners that lighten the overwhelming tension and emotion (case in point: Rafe’s “You being pregnant is somewhere between a Beatles reunion tour and Mariah Carey winning an Oscar for Glitter” response to Greer’s unexpected announcement after four months of post-one-night-stand radio silence). If you like your romantic suspense heavy on the emotion and with a touch of darkness, definitely give this series a try! I can’t wait for the final entry, CHAYOT, and Chay’s story!

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N | Kobo |

Interview with Author Naima Simone and Giveaway

Please welcome back to RFTC Naima Simone, author of Secrets and Sins: Malachim.

Naima Simone is a multi-published author in contemporary and erotic romance. She’s a member of RWA’s Southern Magic chapter, mother of the Dynamic Duo, lover of everything Vin Diesel and wife to the fabulous husband who tolerates this affair.

Places to find Naima:

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

Guest Post with Author Naima Simone and Giveaway

Welcome author Naima Simone to RFTC. Naima is here to chat and share about her newest book, Secrets and Sins: Gabriel.

Naima Simone is a multi-published author in contemporary and erotic romance. She’s a member of RWA’s Southern Magic chapter, mother of the Dynamic Duo, lover of everything Vin Diesel and wife to the fabulous husband who tolerates this affair.

Places to find Naima:

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

ARC Review: Secrets & Sins: Gabriel by Naima Simone

With GABRIEL, the first book in the Secrets and Sins romantic suspense series, Naima Simone delivers a well-crafted, deeply emotional story with the perfect balance of suspense, romance, and depravity that is the hallmark of top-notch dark romantic suspense. The hero’s deep emotional wounds, the heroine’s lifelong unrequited love, and a gripping, tautly-paced plot seamlessly combine into a page-turner that will keep you guessing until the end and unable to put it down until you discover the full truth.

I must confess that I’m not always the biggest fan of the tortured, wounded hero. In less capable hands, the emotional wounds and reticence to open up again can easily slip into an overblown melodrama that has me wanting to strangle the hero so he’ll get over himself. Not so with Ms. Simone’s Gabriel Devlin. Gabriel suffered a terrible personal loss two years ago and still carries the guilt and heartbreak like an albatross around his neck, compounded by the newfound desire he feels for his lifelong friend Leah Bannon. He spends most of the novel fighting with himself and trying to keep her at arm’s length because he doesn’t believe he has it in him to love and lose again and survive. But Ms. Simone writes him so skillfully and realistically that instead of wanting to strangle him for blowing hot and cold, I felt every devastating emotion and wanted to give him a really big hug instead. That scene where he’s at his absolute lowest is heartbreaking—in a good way!—and it makes watching him overcome his struggles and achieve his HEA that much more satisfying.

Leah is an equally complex character: a kickass former cop turned private investigator whose lifelong dream was shattered by a career-ending injury in the line of duty who’s been in love with—and willing to do anything for—Gabriel since she was a teenager. Unrequited love is tough: she’s watched the man she’s loved forever marry another woman, start a family, and nearly perish from grief and has put her own life on hold to stand by him and see him through to the other side without burdening him with her feelings. It’s that combination of toughness and vulnerability that makes her so compelling and relatable as a character. With all the anguish and indecision on both sides, the relationship between Gabriel and Leah develops slowly: they don’t come together until fairly late in the novel, but when they do it’s both desperately passionate and lovingly sweet—and we get to experience each emotion with surprising intensity.

Leah’s investigation into the disappearance of her beloved surrogate father twenty years ago provides a taut suspense plot with twists you won’t see coming. [I did guess the villain before the big reveal… but I read a LOT of suspense!]. As is typical in dark romantic suspense, the novel delves into the depths of human depravity so, whilst not overly violent or heavy on the murders, it’s not for the squeamish. The writing is superb, and the cast of secondary characters—especially Gabriel’s and Leah’s three lifelong friends and blood brothers—is incredibly well developed. And having spent considerable time in Boston, I loved being able to visualize the setting!

Overall, GABRIEL is a fantastic start to a promising new romantic suspense series from a new-to-me author. Highly recommended if you like your romantic suspense heavy on the emotion and a bit on the dark side (think Christy Reece’s phenomenal Last Chance Rescue series). I can’t wait for the stories of Gabriel’s three friends. And let’s hope their covers are equally hot :-).

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |