Heir to His Heart

by Tatum James

After seeing the man she’s been dating post an engagement announcement, Jahnae Greer is devastated. With the advice from her friends, she goes out and has a drunken one-night stand with a handsome stranger. Months later when she finds out her ex-boyfriend isn’t the father of her child, she has no idea how to get in touch with the man from her one night stand. She vows to raise her daughter alone until two years later when she sees him on a news report that he’s been arrested.

Football player Azriel Nichols has never had the best image. Now that he’s losing endorsements and facing a possible trade, he has to do something. When his PR rep comes up with the plan of cleaning up his image by being seen with a good girl, he’s reluctant to take her advice… Even when he finds out it’s her, the one-night stand that he can’t get off his mind.

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Audiobook, Fake Dating, African American, Ebooks, Sports

198 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 16, 2024

About the author

Tatum James is a passionate author of romance, urban fiction, and women’s fiction. Since publishing her debut novella Identical Sins in 2018, she has written more than 30 titles—each one known for its unique storylines, unpredictable twists, and vivid characters. A true storyteller at heart, Tatum loves painting pictures with words, weaving emotion, tension, and passion into every page.

A South Georgia native from the small town of Abbeville, Tatum grew up surrounded by the quiet of the rural South—a place where imagination had room to run wild. That early creativity now fuels her writing, often infused with her love of storytelling and music. These twin passions frequently shape the themes and rhythm of her books.

Outside of writing, Tatum has worked as a dedicated nurse for over a decade. Her compassion and life experience shine through in the depth of her characters and the realism of her stories.

Reviews

[Kristal Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heir to his heart

This book gave me fake dating and secret baby all in one. I liked Azriel and Jahnae together and add in the cuteness of their daughter Katelyn and I found myself smiling several times throughout this story. Az may not have been around for his baby girls birth or knew of her existence for her first couple years of life, but once he found out about her and the way he loved on her and their moments together were definitely swoon worthy. I liked that Az and Jahnae were able to build a friendship while they were fake dating that turned real.

I enjoyed this story from beginning to end but I felt the ending was a bit rushed and left out some needed conversation on page especially with this second act breakup. Jahnae was rightfully upset about the situation with Az breaking his promise to keep their arrangement between just them so it would have been nice to see them have a conversation about it before his proposal at an after game interview and her acceptance of his proposal, but all in all this was an enjoyable read. 3.5/5 stars.

[JustB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tatum James is ALWAYS in their bag when they write I swear!!!! This book had me laughing so much!!! It was a quick read and I enjoyed every bit of it!!!

[Jerricka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good hood love

[NiNi (NiNisReadingFrenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok the audiobook was so cute and good. The only thing that irked me about was that Az voice didn’t match that handsome man on the cover to me lol. My brain just couldn’t let that go for some reason.

[Nikita · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Q. Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down...

Ms. James, I am a die-hard fan of yours. When you put pen to the paper, a masterpiece always comes from it. I do not know what it is about the sports romance you write but to me you be in your bag. I thoroughly enjoyed First Down and Love: A Forbidden Romance just as much as I did Azriel and Jah. Azriel was a hot head and did not allow any unnecessary stress to come his way. He surely did not mind taking care of matters in his way. However, when you insert Katelyn and Jah in the picture, his life did an one eighty. All of a sudden, his image mattered because he was a father to a precious twenty month old. Katelyn instantly clung to her father. They were twinning in every way possible even with the way they slept.

This novel, hands down, is one of the best that Ms. James has ever written. The way Azriel came back into Jah and Katelyn's life, he proved that he was meant to be a father and husband. Azriel became the "man" for all the important women in his life. He added to his load, but it was light work for the precious gifts he obtained.

If you are into sports romance, then this is the book for you. Or if you just like to read, then this book is for you as well. In other words, I highly recommend this work of art. You will be glad that you purchased it.

[The Urban Fiction Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine going out with your sister and best friend to get over your B.A. ex, have a one night stand and leave it at that. Only to find out a baby was made. Now mind you, you were drunk af so you barely recall even possibly knowing the man you slept with name. You tell your ex he’s the father, have a DNA test done and find out he’s not. WHEW!!!! The embarrassment.

Fast forward almost 2 years and Jahnae is raising her baby girl and going on about life. Jahnae’s dad is fussing at the tv one day and she looks up and sees the man she had the one night stand with. Shocked to learn he’s a nfl football player, Jahnae reaches out and boy does things go down afterwards. Jahnae stood on business with making it clear she only wanted Az to be apart of Katie’s life they didn’t need his money. Except Az didn’t wanna hear that. He wanted to be there in all aspects and I loved that for them.

Just know Jahnae wasn’t ready for Az to step as hard as he stepped behind Katie nor herself because he surely switched things up on Jahnae and decided he wanted his baby mama and nothing was gonna stop him. Miss James you did not disappoint and I loved this story. It gives all the feels.

Stamped,
The Urban Fiction Librarian

[Betweenpaperbackworlds · Rating 2 out of 5]

2-2.5✨nonsense

[Keeping.Volumes.Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story! It has the classic one-night stand trope, which is always fun. The banter was absolutely hilarious!

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 i’m fearing??? there are some things he said to her in the beginning that were unforgivable #ToMe. and the way he proposed was just??? he just didn’t show a lot of growth i think

[Ieshia P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

great story

I love that this story was well written and it flowed. I love how Jahnae and Azriels relationship continued to progress. I just ain’t like how he had loose lips when he told her not to tell anybody

[Shades N Pages · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow! I really don’t know what to believe—that the author published this or that I finished it. This book is bad, really bad and it shows in the lacked of development, storyline and fleshed out scenes. Pretty embarrassing read.

[Lake · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm mad I didn't notice the cover is AI generated before reading it

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars! Jahnae’s world is rocked when she finds out her ex-boyfriend is engaged. Her friends drag her out to have some fun, and she ends up having a one-night fling with Azriel, never expecting to see him again.

Fast forward two years, and Jahnae has a daughter she thought was her ex’s—until she finds out Azriel is actually the father. With no idea how to reach him, she finally tracks him down and lets him know he has a child. From there, their story unfolds as they navigate co-parenting and explore if there might be something more.

If you’re into friends-to-lovers with a “secret baby” twist, banter, and spice, give this a read!

[Vernell Renee Howard Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming

Ms. James, this was an insightful and thought-provoking read. The nuanced portrayal of fatherhood was a welcome change from the often one-dimensional depictions seen elsewhere. The well-rounded character effectively captured the complex emotions and perspectives that many men navigate in their relationships their children. Additionally, the respectful representation of the mother figure was commendable. Loved it from beginning to end. ReneeG

[Shalana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

Azriel really asked Jahnae to move in with him and when she hesitated he just moved in with her and their daughter. I love a man who takes initiative.

I absolutely adore watching a man be a devoted dad and Azriel was running for father of the year the minute he found out Katie was his.

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ — I enjoyed this story and thought everything flowed well up until the end. The “third-act break-up” was thrown in too late and made the ending feel a bit rushed. I listened to this as an audiobook and was not too fond of either narrator, but the male narrator especially almost ruined the MMC POV for me 😬

This was my second read by Tatum James and I look forward to reading more by her!

[Kimyatta Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heir to His Heart

Fake dating AND a secret baby? SIGN ME UP! I gotta admit I saw some things coming…but because these are tropes I enjoy…it had to happen! I’m enjoying getting to know Tatum James’ work.

['The Book Queen' · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read

[Precious Coppadge · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!
This book was really good. Her one night stand ended up being her baby daddy. They ended up in a long term relationship. They also had another baby .

[Tazja Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Az was so rude to Jah when he first learned about his daughter. I’m glad he got himself together and I love how they easily got into integrating him into his daughter’s life.

[Runda Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

This was my first read. I loved the story line. AZ was determined to get his family! New fan reader!

[Cheryl Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awww!

Bad boy trying to be good! Who doesn’t love a bad boy? Especially if he is fine and rich! Lol. Cute story that was fun to read.

[Teya Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read 👏🏽👏🏽

Loved this book kept me locked in I couldn't put it down by until I completed the whole book 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[Shanoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

I really did love this book and am actually sad that it's over. I think we all need to know what happened with Vonnie and Mario though. *wink* lol 5 stars Ms. James! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[T K Vaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strangers to Lovers

This was such a great read from the beginning to the end!!…
There is nothing like a stranger to lovers relationship that actually works out!!!…
I love that Azriel had no hang ups about apologizing when he knew he messed up!!!…
I love how he stepped up when he found out he had a daughter and included his mother in it for her strength and she showed that she was strong enough to stay clean!!!…

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

One decision

This was a great read. Who would've thought that a one nightstand would lead to a love affair. What she thought was a heartbreaking end to a lie turned into her biggest blessing. A love they both never knew they needed or was missing

[Whit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't believe I began reading this book while I was in the middle of another one. This story was just too good!!!

AZ and Jahnae are laugh out loud together. And Katelyn, their baby girl was the icing on the cake! I refuse to even mention Jahnae's sleazy ex-boyfriend. He doesn't deserve my time or words. However, KARMA is a *****!!!!!!!

I KNEW AZ would step up and do the right thing. After all he had been taking care of his mother and younger sister most of his life!

[Tiaquandra Addison · Rating 2 out of 5]

could have been better

This book started off ok . The one thing I liked was the fact that they got to know each other however it seemed as if they weren’t into each other as far as getting into a relationship. They just seemed like two ppl trying to raise a daughter then all of a sudden they become intimate and now he’s falling for her ,let me remind you that it was no indication that he was interested in her beyond his daughter. While reading I was wondering when that connection would happen I just didn’t think they had chemistry.Nothing happened to keep my attention. I wouldn’t recommend this for anyone I know. It wasn’t a bad book it’s just not for me

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t expecting a fake relationship trope. I love me a good fake relationship storyline so I was sat…for more than half the book.

I really liked Jahnae’s relationship with her sister and Vonnie. Vonnie had me cracking up. And I really liked Jahnae’s parents. Actually, I really liked everything about Jahnae and anyone associated with her (outside of Azriel and her ex). She came off as a well-rounded character and knew how to handle business. Jahnae did irk my nerves a little towards the end lol but I still liked her.

Azriel was…cool. Lol. I don’t think he’s a book boyfriend or anything, but I liked how he didn’t back down from his responsibilities when it came to Katie.

*ENTERING SPOILERS*

In the beginning, I was really with Azriel and Jahnae’s story. I did start to look at Azriel a *little* sideways when Jahnae contacted him about Katelyn, but I was still rocking with them. I just didn’t like how Azriel was accusing Jahnae of keeping Katelyn from him before the DNA test. Like 🥷🏾 she explained the situation. You know she didn’t do it on purpose.

But like I said, I was still rocking with Azriel and Jahnae; however, once the I Love You’s came about, I was like “what?” Because I didn’t understand why they loved one another. All that was really established up until that point was they were attracted to one another and shared a daughter. By this time Azriel and Jahnae had also hung out a few times (which felt platonic as hell) and had sex but feelings for one another wasn’t really talked about. Azriel did mention he might be in love with Jahnae a little before then but this 🥷🏾 was knee deep in the puss at the time so there’s that.

I also feel like once Azriel and Jahnae confessed feelings, everything about their relationship/story was rushed, and not in a “I can’t live without you” type of way. It felt rushed in a “damn I only have X-amount of pages left and still need to end this story” type of way.

The make up to them falling out/taking a break/whatever was dumb as hell. You mean to tell me that y’all went WEEKS without seeing each other and barely talking to Azriel proposing and Jahnae saying yes😑 Y’all not gon have a conversation about communication or anything? All is just forgotten when a proposal happens huh?😒