Really a lot going on with this story. This is the first book in the series and you are introduced to the main characters, which really are Zora, Levi, and younger sister Mariam. The three siblings have opened a business where they will break up for you with your significate other instead of you doing it over a text or something else. Not a bad idea. The first story has Zora who usually does not do the break-up going to the home of one Cyrus and reading the letter of his girlfriend breaking up with him. Later Cyrus will track her down and talk her into being a fake for him during his company retreat by then though they have fallen for each other though neither admits it and their time blows up. Now how will he get her back if that is what he wants? A very good story with many different little stories inside their parents always arguing for one is really part of this and that is just one little part. Many good characters and a book I really liked.

This is an amazing book. I really enjoyed Naima Simone’s work. I really enjoyed these characters. It definitely was heated.

This one was a lovely read. I really enjoyed reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
4 stars read for me

It took me a little bit to get into this story but by the end I really enjoyed it. Although I find the concept of a company that does the "breaking up for you" a bit of a stretch I really enjoyed the charters. I loved Zora's sassy attitude and independent woman vibes. Cyrus is a down to hearth man on a mission who just needs the love of a good woman. Although he looses sight of that at one point.

This was a very sweet and funny romance.

I loved the idea of a company that will do the breaking up for you! So this story was unique and definitely entertaining, BUT it kinda packed a bit for me. I didn't really truly believe in Zora and Cyrus's chemistry. Could have just gone a bit deeper with them.

The tropes:
forbidden romance, hidden identity, fake dating

Zora and her two siblings created Burned, Inc. A company that specialises in helping people break up peacefully. Their parents always eat each other throats and often put kids in the middle of their arguments. Zora was always the peacekeeper. She tried to calm the waters but that kind of role took a lot out of her.

Due to being short-staffed, she is out to deliver the latest break-up news. What she doesn't expect is to fall for a guy she is supposed to bring the bad news to. He is breathtakingly gorgeous and there is this insane chemistry between them. But she really shouldn't.

Cyrus had a thought childhood, so he ensured that his life would follow the plan. When a gorgeous girl shows up on his doorstep to deliver the breakup letter, part of his plan goes up in flames. But for some reason, he can't stop thinking of that girl and her curves.

It's an intense romance, there is steam but also depth.

I was taken by the book and couldn't put it down till the end.

Naima Simone is an author whose books I have wanted to read for sometime now. When the opportunity came to review her latest release, Heated, I took the leap. This is the first book in her Burned Inc series and it delivered a passionate, funny, engaging opposites attract and fake relationship romance. The couple featured in Heated met under unique circumstances. A romance between them would be a conflict of interest on the heroine's part, but the heart wants what it wants. Soon she finds herself in a tricky situation, which will without a doubt blow up in her face.

I like the idea of a business that provides breakup services for their clients. Saves one from the messiness that comes with a breakup. Burned (Breaking Up, Reversing Nuptials & Evading Disasters) Inc operated by the heroine in partnership with her siblings provides this type of service. The idea for this business came about from growing up with parents who were in a toxic relationship. Of the three siblings, Zora is the peacemaker, which makes her perfect for carrying out her client’s needs.

Her latest assignment has her doing a breakup with the most gorgeous man she has ever seen. The situation became more complicated when he asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend for a work retreat. She should say no, he being her client’s ex, but her attraction to Cyrus had her going against her better judgement and soon she is caught up in a messy web of deceit.

Despite the differences in their social status, Cyrus and Zora they shared similarities in relation to vulnerabilities, insecurities and the need for acceptance. They were both strong and driven individuals who strove for excellence. The story portrayed Zora as a strong black woman comfortable with her size, but there were time when her insecurities regarding same would pop up.  This usually happens during her interactions with Cyrus.

I loved how the story was delivered from the alternate POVs as I got to see the perspectives of the main characters. Also, their humorous and risqué internal dialogue enhanced my enjoyment of the story.

Phoenix McKay and Jeremy York narrated, and they delivered solid characters. I have listened to both narrators before, but this is the first time listening to them together. They complimented each other perfectly.

Overall, I had a good time with Heated, which delivered a smart, entertaining, and sexy story and a great start to this series. This is my first time reading Naima Simone’s work and I wouldn’t hesitate to read her again.

Oh yeah! I really liked Zora and Cyrus! The angst in here was high cause you knew they were headed for a blow up when Zora's secret came to light. But it was soooo worth it! Zora was fantastic and definitely someone I would be friends with :)

Entertaining story! The concept of a breakup service was unique and made for some humorous situations. Cyrus and Zora are both strong, successful people with their own vulnerabilities in their personal/family life. I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next in the series to find out what happens between her sister Miriam and Cyrus's friend Jordan.

Entertaining story! The concept of a breakup service was unique and made for some humorous situations. Cyrus and Zora are both strong, successful people with their own vulnerabilities in their personal/family life. I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next in the series to find out what happens between her sister Miriam and Cyrus's friend Jordan.

If you've read books by Naima Simone (for example her erotic romance series Lick or Sweetest Taboo), you know she can bring the heat. So Heated, her new release and the first book in her Burned Inc. series, definitely lives up to its forebears. The story idea is unique, contains some classic romance tropes (fake relationship, opposites attract), and while it's not going to be her most memorable work for me (and the start had a few tics that grated) it was overall a pleasant afternoon read.

Zora Nelson and her siblings Levi and Miriam run a company called Burned – Breaking Up, Reversing Nuptials &Evading Disaster. Essentially it's a company that will break up with someone for you, for a fee, by text, video, dinner or whatever the client wants. Having grown up in a dysfunctional family with parents who would have been better off divorced but instead are still married and subject their children to ongoing feuding, Zora hopes to head off that disaster for other couples.

When Burned is contracted by socialite Val Summers to break up her dating relationship with lawyer Cyrus Hart, Zora ends up taking the case personally. Which means she's the one who reads a 'Dear John' breakup letter to Cyrus on his doorstep and sees the shock and devastation in his eyes.

She's also the one who who has to endure a sit down dinner with another client's soon-to-be ex, one that is turning nasty until Cyrus, who happens to be dining in the same restaurant, comes to her rescue. Cyrus mistakenly thinks that Zora happens to be a kind friend who has taken on the job of helping her own friends break up their relationships, and Zora doesn't correct him and tell him about her company. She knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of disdain for her business and can't bring herself to see that same look in Cyrus's eyes. So she plays along.

Cyrus has his future all mapped out – perfect wife, perfect job, etc. And being dumped by Val has definitely put a kink in those plans, including his ambitions to become a partner at his law firm. The ones in charge have a criteria for admission into their upper echelons and being single doesn't fit as well for them as being in a relationship. So when Cyrus is put on the spot needing a date to a weekend work sponsored retreat, his mind goes to the stunning and unforgettable woman even though she's partly responsible for his current problem. When another chance meeting puts them in contact with each other again, Cyrus offers her a proposition, to pretend to be his girlfriend as a chance to assuage some of her guilt for her part in the end of his relationship with Val. Even though Zora knows she should refuse (never date a client's ex!), her attraction to Cyrus gets the better of her and she agrees. Spending time together starts out fake but soon begins to feel all too real. But when Cyrus finds out the truth of what Zora's business does, will he be the deliverer of the worst breakup news of all?

Though I've read some romances about divorce handlers, a breakup company is a new story idea for me and Zora, Miriam and Levi each have their own roles in the company and making it a success. I enjoyed all three of these characters, their unique personalities and of course Zora, as the heroine here, take center stage. She's strong, confident (most of the time), and proud of the work she does even though she knows society as a whole isn't impressed with the concept of their work. Their parents of course, disdain the whole idea (not seeming to realize that it's because of them that their children are in this line of work) so each child has their own fractured relationship with their parents but it makes Zora all the more determined to succeed.

The relationship between Zora and Cyrus is one of mutual lust, leading to several steamy scenes. Since Cyrus didn't have any deep feelings for Val (she was more a means to an end, though when he finds out she had been cheating on him he realizes he dodged a bullet), his heart is free to move on to new territory. Zora and Val are clearly opposites in body type (Zora is Black and curvy while Val is white and thin) and character, but for Cyrus that's definitely part of the attraction. Zora is like no woman he has ever dated and that makes her stand out in a crowd.

The bits I had trouble with were a writing style issue (which maybe the author has used previously and I was able to ignore then, but I just found somewhat irritating here) – she has a tendency to describe things in over descriptive language or purple prose. For example when Val shows Zora a picture of Cyrus in their initial meeting to discuss details of the breakup, there are two pages describing Cyrus's Greek God appearance with phrases like

'I stare.. at a face that once upon a time would've been carved into marble and worshipped in a temple. Or pressed into a bronze coin. Or extolled in a tale that would be passed down from generation to generation to become myth.'

or describing his eyes:

'They're not your run-of-the-mill blue. His eyes are the deepest, hottest heart of a flame. The brilliant blaze of a sky when the sun is at its highest. Those eyes are dazzling in their intensity, damn near blinding, and difficult to look at.'

Even simple sentences get this treatment:

“Again, no verbal 'I told your ass so' but the room rings with it like the Ebenezer First Baptist Church's choir on Easter Sunday.'

It just gets a bit tedious. There's less of this in the latter parts of the story, and the insta-lust does evolve into insta-love to give our two main characters a happy ending. There are some secondary character introductions that I'm very curious to see if they become part of a future story, so I'm bound to keep reading the series to see what Miriam and Levi get up to. I just hope that a little editing nips the over embellishments I found distracting here.

This review will be posted at All About Romance and feedback updated with the link.

I go into romances with a lot of leeway for suspending disbelief, after all it's the ultimate escapist reading, but there's a tipping point were instead of escaping into a romantic fantasy, you are distracted by how unrealistic and implausible the story is. Starting with the business to break up for other people, which just feels wrong, to the fact that a breakup would harm your prospects at a law firm, it was just a foundation that I couldn't get past to enjoy the story.

I DNFed this at around the 60% point. It was kinda boring, the whole story was also dependent on a lie/omission. And the spice wasn't spicing. It just wasn't gripping enough for me to continue reading it. There is nothing worse than being bored as a reader, therefore I'd rather cut my losses.
I will say that I was also disappointed because I'd just read another Naima Simone novella before starting "Heated" and the novella was a LOT better.

1.8 stars.

5Ann Mihailovic
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about 10 hours ago
Heated by Naima Simone
Heated (Burned Inc., #1)
by Naima Simone (Goodreads Author)
Read
Heated is the first book in the Burned Inc series by Naima Simone and also happens to be the first book that I've read by this author. This is a fake relationship, slow burn contemporary romance that can be read as a standalone.
In this story the main characters are Zora and Cyrus. Zora runs Burned Inc with her siblings. Burned Inc is a company that offers a professional break up service for a fee. Meaning if a client wishes to break up with their partner but can't do it in person, they hire out Burned Inc to do their bidding. A break up on behalf of a client leads Zora to Cyrus. While Zora feels bad for breaking the man's heart, she can't deny the attraction or chemistry she feels for him.
Cyrus Hart is on track to become partner at his law firm. He thought he had it all until his girlfriend breaks up with him and he finds that the partners want someone grounded and committed. That's when the idea of a fake relationship comes into play. He demands Zora play the part of devoted girlfriend but the more time these two spend together, the more fake becomes real. Cyrus doesn't know about her company or job. What happens when he finds out?
This was a good interracial fake dating romance.

Absolutely phenomenal. Loved every moment. Naima has done it again (even though I am not surprised). The fact that it wasn't a trope you see every day was spectacular. The push and pull between them. STELLAR. 5 stars,

Heated starts Naima Simone’s Burned series off on a high note. I don’t even know how to classify this book; forbidden romance – check, fake relationship – check, opposites attract – check. This couple meets in a very unusual way and there’s a reason they shouldn’t be together, but the heat between them, as a reader you just know where this one is going to go and while the big blow-up between them was predictable, I enjoyed watching them fall for each other so much that I just let that go. Funny, sexy, and completely engaging, I loved Heated.

What really grabbed by attention with this book was the writing style written in alternate points of view the internal dialog of these characters is often funny, sometimes outrageous, and often a bit racy, but that just added to my enjoyment of their story.

Zora and her siblings own a business that helps others by breaking up for them when a relationship goes bad so they don’t have to. This stems from growing up with parents who fought constantly and are still together and used their children as pawns for their arguments. Zora is a people pleaser, the peacemaker in her family and she takes that “job” seriously. So when she has to fill in and do a “break-up” with one of the most beautiful men she’s ever seen seeing how it affect him bothers her, and running into Cyrus again while “breaking-up” with another man and having him help her make her feel even worse. When he asks her to be his pretend significant other for a work retreat, she knows she should say no, but there’s something about Cyrus that has her agreeing despite her better judgment. Let me just say it here and now, I wasn’t a fan of the fact that Zora hid her business and the fact that she broke up with him because she was paid to do so. That being said, Cyrus set the parameters of their relationship and she did at one point try to tell him but he ummm, distracted her. <wink>

Losing his parents early in his life left a huge hole in Cyrus’ life and his heart. His recent break-up did not come at a good time and she was a means to getting the partnership at his law firm and they had an arrangement that worked for them both until it didn’t so when he sees an opportunity to spend more time with Zora who broke up with him by proxy, he takes it. He knows it’s not really right but he can’t seem to find a reason to care. I liked Cyrus and felt for the little boy who lost his parents and then had to scratch and claw his way to make his way in life. Yes he succeeded but he has issues that prevent him from allowing people to get close.

There was great representation in this book with Zora being a self made black business owner (along with her siblings) and also owning her size even though she does at times let self doubt creep in. There is no doubt she is proud of who she is and what she has accomplished but she is also vulnerable. I loved that Cyrus loved everything about her and was happy to tell her and eventually show her he was a man of his word. This was a slow burn romance because of their arrangement and it worked to build the tension between them. My biggest complaint about this book was the rush to the “I Love You” stage when they really didn’t know each other all that well and I truly wanted to see them peel back those layers of each other, answer all those questions they voiced (in their heads) when they were together but never asked because of their don’t ask don’t tell policy.

Zora’s siblings and Cyrus’ best friend were fantastic side characters and I can’t wait to see what happens with them as this series progresses. They often added comic relief and well placed advice when needed.

I have much love for this book, these characters and this author. Heated was a smart, fun, and sexy story and a great start to this series.

Zora and Cyrus meet when she breaks up with him - on behalf of her client. Now he wants her help and soon it leads to more, but what will happen when he finds out her real role in his break up.
A great read, and I liked how it is from both points of view. Hoping that Zora's siblings get their own books next.

Listen...sometimes you just need a Naima Simone book to get you out of a reading slump. Heated delivered all the things I love about Simone's writing - the steam, the tension, the anticipation. Sure, this book wasn't anything to write home about - we have some great tropes such as forbidden romance, fake dating and opposites attract but it's nothing revolutionary in the execution - but that's okay!
I still had a great time reading this and it made me reminiscent for Simone's backlist that was always filled with taboo romances. So, if you're a fan of the author or just need a palate cleanser, then this one's the book for you!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆
This is the first book in a new series, by a new-to-me author. It had a lot to commend it, although in places there was too much visual scene setting, and I am not a huge fan of overly descriptive writing. Both Zora and Cyrus were complex characters, and their layers were built up over the story in a way which by the end made a lot of sense.

The underlying plot of Zora and her siblings running a business which specialises in ending relationships for people was imaginative and engaging. It showed the serious side of helping people out of abusive relationships, as well as inconvenient ones. And provided a very original meet-cute for the leads. I am curious as to how Miriam and Levi will get their chances in future installments, as they are very different individuals!

I found it difficult to believe that Cyrus and Zora had much chemistry, and so that added to the stiltedness of their early encounters, but their understanding of each other's needs did develop, and they grew as people too. A clever turn around for two pretty jaded individuals!

A BBW who needs a man to pamper, encourage and love her all idiosyncrasies. This story is very relatable. Zora’s thoughts and actions are very realistic when it comes to dating outside her race, body image and her relationship with her parents. Her parents are a piece of work and the stamp they left if their kids is plain to see.
Cyrus has his own baggage. He had to pull himself up by his bootstrap to become successful. His upbringing causes his priorities to be a bit skewed.
Their fake dating brings them together and gives both a bit of what they didn’t know they needed.
A little funny, sexy and real. The characters are great. The siblings Miriam and Levi are a blast.