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The Unseen: She was one bad day away from a felony. Today is that day.
Olivia Daniels is desperate - desperate enough to kidnap her brother’s ridiculously handsome, yet undeniably dangerous boss and lock him in her basement. Austin Black is a criminal, a man with a reputation for being ruthless, and the reason her brother can’t leave The Unseen. Olivia has a plan: keep Austin hostage just long enough to negotiate her brother’s freedom. Simple, right?
Wrong.
Because Austin Black is not the man she expected. Instead of a cold, terrifying crime boss, she gets a charming smartass who is more than happy to take long naps, tease her relentlessly about her kidnapping skills, and somehow manages to be annoyingly irresistible, all whilst being chained to the heating pipe.
But there’s something else Olivia didn’t expect - Austin left his father’s criminal empire two years ago. He’s been working to become a better man, a man worthy of a different life… maybe even a life with her. Because Austin knows exactly who Olivia is - he’s been watching her and waiting for the right moment to prove he’s not the villain she thinks he is.
Now, trapped together in the most bizarre hostage situation ever, Olivia has to decide: is Austin still the dangerous man she fears? Or is he exactly what she needs to shake up her carefully controlled world?
One thing’s for sure—she may have locked him up, but he’s the one making her feel like a prisoner to something far more dangerous… her own heart.
A romantic comedy full of unexpected twists, sizzling chemistry, and laugh-out-loud moments. With a delicious mix of romance, danger, humor, and slow-burn tension, this story proves that sometimes the "wrong man" might just be the right kind of trouble.
Perfect for fans of romance with a comedic twist, forced proximity, and enemies-to-lovers dynamics.
Wrong.
Because Austin Black is not the man she expected. Instead of a cold, terrifying crime boss, she gets a charming smartass who is more than happy to take long naps, tease her relentlessly about her kidnapping skills, and somehow manages to be annoyingly irresistible, all whilst being chained to the heating pipe.
But there’s something else Olivia didn’t expect - Austin left his father’s criminal empire two years ago. He’s been working to become a better man, a man worthy of a different life… maybe even a life with her. Because Austin knows exactly who Olivia is - he’s been watching her and waiting for the right moment to prove he’s not the villain she thinks he is.
Now, trapped together in the most bizarre hostage situation ever, Olivia has to decide: is Austin still the dangerous man she fears? Or is he exactly what she needs to shake up her carefully controlled world?
One thing’s for sure—she may have locked him up, but he’s the one making her feel like a prisoner to something far more dangerous… her own heart.
A romantic comedy full of unexpected twists, sizzling chemistry, and laugh-out-loud moments. With a delicious mix of romance, danger, humor, and slow-burn tension, this story proves that sometimes the "wrong man" might just be the right kind of trouble.
Perfect for fans of romance with a comedic twist, forced proximity, and enemies-to-lovers dynamics.
348 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2025
1163 people are currently reading
2664 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
July 14, 2025
He falls first. And he falls hard. And then she kidnaps him. And he is like, “yes I love this for me.”
December 3, 2025
The Unseen aka Tersine Kaçırma komikli dediler geldim.
Olivia (24) ailesi öldükten sonra erkek kardeşini kendi çabalarıyla büyütmüş spor influenceri, aa bi bakıyor erkek kardeşi mafyaya karışmış, bunu nası geri çevirebilir?! Düşünüp bulduğu sonuç mafya babasını kaçırıp zorla erkek kardeşini mafyadan çıkarmasını sağlamak. Ama mafya babası olarak tanıdığı adam da 2 senedir onu çoktan gözüne kestirmiştir ve Olivia' nın onu kaçırmasına gönüllü razıdır 🥰🥰🥰
Yazarın ilk kitabı olmasını da göz önünde bulundurarak ben güzel buldum. Olivia ile Austin arasndaki ilişki, atışmalar falan iyiydi ama sonunun aceleye getirildiğini düşünüyorum. Sırada Austin' in psikiyatristi ile asistanının hikayesi var onu da okurum. O ikisinin sahneleri de çok güzeldi.
Tersine kaçırma çok görmüyoruz🤸♂🤸♂🤸♂
Olivia (24) ailesi öldükten sonra erkek kardeşini kendi çabalarıyla büyütmüş spor influenceri, aa bi bakıyor erkek kardeşi mafyaya karışmış, bunu nası geri çevirebilir?! Düşünüp bulduğu sonuç mafya babasını kaçırıp zorla erkek kardeşini mafyadan çıkarmasını sağlamak. Ama mafya babası olarak tanıdığı adam da 2 senedir onu çoktan gözüne kestirmiştir ve Olivia' nın onu kaçırmasına gönüllü razıdır 🥰🥰🥰
Yazarın ilk kitabı olmasını da göz önünde bulundurarak ben güzel buldum. Olivia ile Austin arasndaki ilişki, atışmalar falan iyiydi ama sonunun aceleye getirildiğini düşünüyorum. Sırada Austin' in psikiyatristi ile asistanının hikayesi var onu da okurum. O ikisinin sahneleri de çok güzeldi.
Tersine kaçırma çok görmüyoruz🤸♂🤸♂🤸♂
July 25, 2025
DNF @ 30%
Booktok got me, again. I really should know better, but this one sounded so promising. A slightly unhinged mafia enforcer MMC who willingly lets the FMC he's been stalking kidnap him? You would think this would be a "count me in" scenario. It was not.
My favorite character interactions were between the MMC and his therapist. The MMC seemed almost nerfed as an enforcer. He was mostly cinnamon roll and didn't seem to have any lingering habits/reactions from his previous life. The FMC, was so back and forth I couldn't stand her. The therapist is my favorite character.
On top of that, I didn't like the writing. It was very: I did [insert action here.] and then a paragraph explaining the action and all of the thoughts related to the action. It took so many pages to describe the MMC walking the FMC to her car, I forgot what we were doing. There were also a few places where sentences didn't make sense. Overall, the writing liked to meander and not move the plot in any way.
Interesting idea. Poor execution.
Booktok got me, again. I really should know better, but this one sounded so promising. A slightly unhinged mafia enforcer MMC who willingly lets the FMC he's been stalking kidnap him? You would think this would be a "count me in" scenario. It was not.
My favorite character interactions were between the MMC and his therapist. The MMC seemed almost nerfed as an enforcer. He was mostly cinnamon roll and didn't seem to have any lingering habits/reactions from his previous life. The FMC, was so back and forth I couldn't stand her. The therapist is my favorite character.
On top of that, I didn't like the writing. It was very: I did [insert action here.] and then a paragraph explaining the action and all of the thoughts related to the action. It took so many pages to describe the MMC walking the FMC to her car, I forgot what we were doing. There were also a few places where sentences didn't make sense. Overall, the writing liked to meander and not move the plot in any way.
Interesting idea. Poor execution.
November 13, 2025
I came across the author's reel that says, “She kidnaps her brother’s dangerous boss, and he makes fun of her kidnapping skills.” I begged her in the comment section to tell me he’s not younger than her.
Also noted, 'he is older, there is an age gap'. So I started reading right away.
And I love it!
Oh boy, Austin! I love when MMCs can be vulnerable and funny at the same time. Also adorably ridiculous.
💦Like before kidnapped by Olivia, he was very well into her from the moment he saw her on a coffee shop. For two fucking years. So we can say he was way too willing to be captivated- which he already is, in the matter of heart.
💦Like even though he could manage to get rid of the chains or the lock on the door, he did not.
💦Like he was very, very, very excited about this situation.
💦Like he really did come back to the basement after he had done his work outside. Or despite everything she has done to tempt him to change his path- like her bedroom lol
💦Like sits and reads romantic erotica, or does yoga.
💦Like the one goes to therapy.
I like that he waited for her to gain her trust before even going out or telling her his 'real job'. So yeah he didn't use his dick to make her fall in love with him- which is all he has ever wanted to do for a very long time 🤭 (Also very surprising for the romance books world)
This year is the worst for me reading romances, no book got my attention so, I'm glad that for a debut book this turned out great. Just, Roberts needs to balance inner thoughts; sometimes they were long and repetitive.
The drama was OK, do we need it? No. I know you authors love to create tension before ending the book, yet still, the story would really, really be great without it. I’ve even preferred it this way for a long time. At least no misunderstandings or misdirected fights between the couples; them against the bad guys works better.
u heard me? he is going to therapy...
;;;
deamorski
Also noted, 'he is older, there is an age gap'. So I started reading right away.
And I love it!
Oh boy, Austin! I love when MMCs can be vulnerable and funny at the same time. Also adorably ridiculous.
💦Like before kidnapped by Olivia, he was very well into her from the moment he saw her on a coffee shop. For two fucking years. So we can say he was way too willing to be captivated- which he already is, in the matter of heart.
💦Like even though he could manage to get rid of the chains or the lock on the door, he did not.
💦Like he was very, very, very excited about this situation.
💦Like he really did come back to the basement after he had done his work outside. Or despite everything she has done to tempt him to change his path- like her bedroom lol
💦Like sits and reads romantic erotica, or does yoga.
💦Like the one goes to therapy.
I like that he waited for her to gain her trust before even going out or telling her his 'real job'. So yeah he didn't use his dick to make her fall in love with him- which is all he has ever wanted to do for a very long time 🤭 (Also very surprising for the romance books world)
“I’ll taser your dick and balls unless you do what I say. So lie back and hold it to your mouth . . .”
“We could maybe go for dinner first. You know, before we get into the kinky stuff.”
━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━
Olivia Daniels, angel on earth, has a bad streak. Fuck me, she couldn’t be any more perfect.
━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━
“And you still don’t take me seriously. Maybe I really will torture you. Then you’ll know how serious I am.”
“Sounds like foreplay to me.”
━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━
“You’re mine, Olivia. Fucking mine. You took me, and now I belong to you. You have me whenever you want me.”
━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━
If we stay here long enough, we'll become one big fused blob, and nothing would make me happier. I feel . . . cozy, calm, fucking peaceful. Sure, it might be because I’ve just had the best sex of my life with the girl I’ve been fantasizing about for two years, but in my heart, I know it’s more than that. She’s more than that. It’s how I knew, when she told me to chloroform myself, that this was going to work out okay.
(this is so fucking funny loool)
━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━
He pinches my nipple hard, and then his hand snakes up to my throat. “Do you trust me, Killer?”
━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━
This year is the worst for me reading romances, no book got my attention so, I'm glad that for a debut book this turned out great. Just, Roberts needs to balance inner thoughts; sometimes they were long and repetitive.
The drama was OK, do we need it? No. I know you authors love to create tension before ending the book, yet still, the story would really, really be great without it. I’ve even preferred it this way for a long time. At least no misunderstandings or misdirected fights between the couples; them against the bad guys works better.
u heard me? he is going to therapy...
;;;
deamorski
June 26, 2025
Rom-Com at it's finest
If you loved Lights Out, then this NEEDS to be on your TBR. Admittedly a bit less kinky, but I don't think that took away from the impeccable vibes. I laughed, grinned, kicked my feet, and rooted for both the MMC and FMC throughout. Well done, and I can't wait for more stories about other characters within!
If you loved Lights Out, then this NEEDS to be on your TBR. Admittedly a bit less kinky, but I don't think that took away from the impeccable vibes. I laughed, grinned, kicked my feet, and rooted for both the MMC and FMC throughout. Well done, and I can't wait for more stories about other characters within!
August 17, 2025
the brothers name was DANIEL DANIELS.
September 9, 2025
2 ⭐️ dollar store mafia romance
— —
Imagine reading a book for the plot just for it to all be thrown out in the last few chapters for shock value. What a waste of time *eye roll*
‼️Spoilers ahead‼️
So he’s “in the mafia” but he actually owns a company that grows shit in Seattle. The whole book is set in Seattle and then he moves to Austin, Texas cause she lived there three weeks and decided this is “home”. And this all happens in the epilogue so no real expansion or explanation on how we got here.
This was also the worst mafia book ever cause it wasn’t the mafia but just a corrupt rich father?? The backstories made no sense.
Honestly nothing in this book really made sense. The character development was shit.
Olivia was a bland ass character whose personality was “fitness influencer”. Literally! That’s it! She has no hobbies, no friends, doesn’t even really have a family.
Austin was supposed to be a dark, scary mafia enforcer but was a temu golden retriever. He had no character consistency and we kept getting the whole “he went to therapy” narrative shoved down our throats. As if therapy makes you a “good guy” *eye roll… again”
This book wanted to be a dark spicy romance so bad but missed all the marks. The spice was horrible and the “dark romance” part was so badly developed it should have just been left out.
And what the fuck happened to Luca??
Finally a note to the author: get an editor! The amount of grammar and spelling mistakes in this book were driving me insane. Also, learn proper spacing for ellipsises!
— —
— —
Imagine reading a book for the plot just for it to all be thrown out in the last few chapters for shock value. What a waste of time *eye roll*
‼️Spoilers ahead‼️
So he’s “in the mafia” but he actually owns a company that grows shit in Seattle. The whole book is set in Seattle and then he moves to Austin, Texas cause she lived there three weeks and decided this is “home”. And this all happens in the epilogue so no real expansion or explanation on how we got here.
This was also the worst mafia book ever cause it wasn’t the mafia but just a corrupt rich father?? The backstories made no sense.
Honestly nothing in this book really made sense. The character development was shit.
Olivia was a bland ass character whose personality was “fitness influencer”. Literally! That’s it! She has no hobbies, no friends, doesn’t even really have a family.
Austin was supposed to be a dark, scary mafia enforcer but was a temu golden retriever. He had no character consistency and we kept getting the whole “he went to therapy” narrative shoved down our throats. As if therapy makes you a “good guy” *eye roll… again”
This book wanted to be a dark spicy romance so bad but missed all the marks. The spice was horrible and the “dark romance” part was so badly developed it should have just been left out.
And what the fuck happened to Luca??
Finally a note to the author: get an editor! The amount of grammar and spelling mistakes in this book were driving me insane. Also, learn proper spacing for ellipsises!
— —
June 29, 2025
great!
This book was really good! I’m pretty good at figuring out twists in books but I did not see this one coming!! This is a great first book from this author and I can’t wait to see what else she writes!
This book was really good! I’m pretty good at figuring out twists in books but I did not see this one coming!! This is a great first book from this author and I can’t wait to see what else she writes!
June 25, 2025
What a page turner!! Definitely a must read for romance lovers - the reverse trope added an extra layer to the plot. Fingers crossed for some spin offs!
September 13, 2025
Yeah, no… I don’t like to DNF books, but this one tested every ounce of my patience. The first 30% felt like watching paint dry and the FMC especially had me rolling my eyes into another dimension. She is constantly telling herself she’s this dangerous, tough queen… Girl, you wouldn't intimidate a houseplant even if your life depended on it.
After crawling past 30%, the story kind of started moving but only after arriving at the last 20%, was I finally moderately invested… emphasis on moderately.
And listen, the concept? A big scary mafia dude getting kidnapped by a sweet little fitness girly? Iconic. Comedy gold. My brain screamed “YES.” But the execution? Let's just say it was severely lacking—kinda like my self-control around cookies.
Should I have DNF’d? Absolutely. But what can I say—mommy didn’t raise a quitter… just a reader who could've done literally anything else instead of reading this.
After crawling past 30%, the story kind of started moving but only after arriving at the last 20%, was I finally moderately invested… emphasis on moderately.
And listen, the concept? A big scary mafia dude getting kidnapped by a sweet little fitness girly? Iconic. Comedy gold. My brain screamed “YES.” But the execution? Let's just say it was severely lacking—kinda like my self-control around cookies.
Should I have DNF’d? Absolutely. But what can I say—mommy didn’t raise a quitter… just a reader who could've done literally anything else instead of reading this.
July 4, 2025
Starts of really fun, you can tell the author was inspired by Josh from Lights Out, there were a couple moments that felt a bit pulled from the source but for the most part they're different enough.
Flet like the plot kind of ran out by about 50% and we were just waiting around for the final conflict for the next while so I kind of lost interest by the end.
Flet like the plot kind of ran out by about 50% and we were just waiting around for the final conflict for the next while so I kind of lost interest by the end.
August 21, 2025
“But I’m not a stalker. I’m . . . an admirer.”
From the beginning of this book, I was hooked. I was so entertained from start to finish and I can’t wait for Ali Robert’s to write more books. Austin and Olivia had me laughing so many times through out this book, I kept telling my husband little parts and both of us cracking up. How are more people not talking about this book!!!
Austin Black is trying to heal his past to become a better person than the ex-enforcer to his father’s secret organization and starts his own company with The Unseen. Olivia wants her brother out of The Unseen bc she believes he’s doing all these illegal things that will get him hurt or even unalived. What better way to get her brother out than demanding it from the man who runs The Unseen itself by you know…kidnapping him.
When I tell you, Austin was GIDDY to be taken by his dream woman, this man was downright like this will work in my favor, just give me a week of being kidnapped, it will all work out. I was laughing so hard at how happy he was. This man is so unhinged for Olivia, and I was here for every part of it. There’s also a more sensitive part of Austin that we really get to see when he’s with Olivia that I loved bc this man does not believe he deserves to be happy in the least bit for his past.
Olivia has been raising her brother since he was 14 due to her parents dying and has never really had anything to herself besides her fitness vlog, a vlog not a blog. That is until Austin start to take care of her and she really starts to blossom. I love when the MC’s in a book heal each other that really no one else can. I also loved reading how at war she was with herself on even liking Austin. Her love language was feeding people, and same girl, same. Austin really takes care of Olivia, which no one really has since her parents dying.
The side characters were a blast and I can’t wait to see what comes of them. Mila and Dr. Alfie are going to be a blast. Can’t wait to see what becomes of Nicole and Josh. There were also ones I was surprised by.
This is kind of like a slow burn but once you get to the smut, Ali Roberts really leans into it and it was chef’s kiss. This mans innuendos were one thing throughout but as soon as it came down to it, he did not hold back with his dirty talk. And our girl Olivia loved every part of it, really digging into her darker side. Also, the masks, 100% yes.
Ali, girl, I can’t wait to see what else you write!
Tropes:
💜Reverse k!dnapping
💜Obsessed MMC
💜Reformed crimin@l
💜Masked
From the beginning of this book, I was hooked. I was so entertained from start to finish and I can’t wait for Ali Robert’s to write more books. Austin and Olivia had me laughing so many times through out this book, I kept telling my husband little parts and both of us cracking up. How are more people not talking about this book!!!
Austin Black is trying to heal his past to become a better person than the ex-enforcer to his father’s secret organization and starts his own company with The Unseen. Olivia wants her brother out of The Unseen bc she believes he’s doing all these illegal things that will get him hurt or even unalived. What better way to get her brother out than demanding it from the man who runs The Unseen itself by you know…kidnapping him.
When I tell you, Austin was GIDDY to be taken by his dream woman, this man was downright like this will work in my favor, just give me a week of being kidnapped, it will all work out. I was laughing so hard at how happy he was. This man is so unhinged for Olivia, and I was here for every part of it. There’s also a more sensitive part of Austin that we really get to see when he’s with Olivia that I loved bc this man does not believe he deserves to be happy in the least bit for his past.
Olivia has been raising her brother since he was 14 due to her parents dying and has never really had anything to herself besides her fitness vlog, a vlog not a blog. That is until Austin start to take care of her and she really starts to blossom. I love when the MC’s in a book heal each other that really no one else can. I also loved reading how at war she was with herself on even liking Austin. Her love language was feeding people, and same girl, same. Austin really takes care of Olivia, which no one really has since her parents dying.
The side characters were a blast and I can’t wait to see what comes of them. Mila and Dr. Alfie are going to be a blast. Can’t wait to see what becomes of Nicole and Josh. There were also ones I was surprised by.
This is kind of like a slow burn but once you get to the smut, Ali Roberts really leans into it and it was chef’s kiss. This mans innuendos were one thing throughout but as soon as it came down to it, he did not hold back with his dirty talk. And our girl Olivia loved every part of it, really digging into her darker side. Also, the masks, 100% yes.
Ali, girl, I can’t wait to see what else you write!
Tropes:
💜Reverse k!dnapping
💜Obsessed MMC
💜Reformed crimin@l
💜Masked
January 7, 2026
Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK
This was pretty interesting and the characters kept me intrigued. I wouldn't call it a mafia book at all, not even just mafia-lite but that didn't bother me much. I do think the characters could have been fleshed out a little much and their ending could have been expanded to make it feel less rushed. Overall though, I enjoyed the story.
A little pet peeve that didn't change my rating at all but I feel like mentioning: Can authors please for the love of all that is holy stop putting a books tag line in the title on Amazon. "The Unseen: She was one bad day away from a felony. Today is that day." is not the title! It almost had me not even reading this book because just seeing that on an Amazon search makes me think the book will be the most wattpad-y, unrefined book I could find.
Amazon US * Amazon UK
This was pretty interesting and the characters kept me intrigued. I wouldn't call it a mafia book at all, not even just mafia-lite but that didn't bother me much. I do think the characters could have been fleshed out a little much and their ending could have been expanded to make it feel less rushed. Overall though, I enjoyed the story.
A little pet peeve that didn't change my rating at all but I feel like mentioning: Can authors please for the love of all that is holy stop putting a books tag line in the title on Amazon. "The Unseen: She was one bad day away from a felony. Today is that day." is not the title! It almost had me not even reading this book because just seeing that on an Amazon search makes me think the book will be the most wattpad-y, unrefined book I could find.
December 24, 2025
I thought this had a cute premise, MMC is kidnapped by the FMC who he’s been obsessed with for two years so he allows himself to be kidnapped to get to know her 😂 During the last two years (prior to the kidnapping) this green flag of a man goes to therapy and makes real changes in his life to be a better person partly inspired by her even though he has no expectations of even talking to the FMC. His inner monologues are also pretty funny.
Where this book lost me is at the 3rd act breakup 🙄 in which she blames him for something he wasn’t at fault for and she says some pretty cruel things to him. Then she’s surprised that he’s giving her space after all of that. She does do some groveling to get him back so at least there’s some accountability, but this breakup was unnecessary and set back the MMC’s progress in therapy.
Where this book lost me is at the 3rd act breakup 🙄 in which she blames him for something he wasn’t at fault for and she says some pretty cruel things to him. Then she’s surprised that he’s giving her space after all of that. She does do some groveling to get him back so at least there’s some accountability, but this breakup was unnecessary and set back the MMC’s progress in therapy.
August 30, 2025
I have never laughed so much during a book, Austin is unserious and unhinged!
I have never loved a book so quickly as this one!
All the characters are “chef’s kiss”, Austin and Olivia went through stuff in their lives that led them to each other.
This man is so down bad for her, he fell first and harder and he just waited for her to catch up!
I have never loved a book so quickly as this one!
All the characters are “chef’s kiss”, Austin and Olivia went through stuff in their lives that led them to each other.
This man is so down bad for her, he fell first and harder and he just waited for her to catch up!
September 8, 2025
Austin and Olivia's story was such a good read! This is a book where you shouldn't judge it by it's cover (sorry I didn't like the cover much). This story has drama, a bit of violence, stalking, kidnapping, spice and humor. Pretty much everything. Each of these two characters start out being one way and as you read they transform into being something else. It was all well done and actually fun to read. The spice is there and picks up about halfway through the story and then they do not seem stop.
Austin and Olivia "meet" and he ends up stalking her, lightly, for 2 whole years. There is a reason. Olivia kidnaps Austin because of her brother. Yes, there's more to it which is why you need to read the book. So many twists and turns in this story that are so good and most of it funny but none of it got tangled up and confusing. All of the side characters are also well done. There is closure in this book on the main "topics" which I loved and I loved the outcome of all of it!
I really recommend this book. It wasn't what I thought it would be, it was better!
Austin and Olivia "meet" and he ends up stalking her, lightly, for 2 whole years. There is a reason. Olivia kidnaps Austin because of her brother. Yes, there's more to it which is why you need to read the book. So many twists and turns in this story that are so good and most of it funny but none of it got tangled up and confusing. All of the side characters are also well done. There is closure in this book on the main "topics" which I loved and I loved the outcome of all of it!
I really recommend this book. It wasn't what I thought it would be, it was better!
June 26, 2025
YES! Loved this book!
Loved this book. It has a bit of everything romance, comedy, mafia men, masks, forced proximity and redemption. It was an absolutely perfect blend of everything. I need more pretty please.
Loved this book. It has a bit of everything romance, comedy, mafia men, masks, forced proximity and redemption. It was an absolutely perfect blend of everything. I need more pretty please.
July 12, 2025
My biggest surprise of 2025!!!
I saw the author promoting this on TikTok and I thought it sounded good. But, this book was amazing!!!!!
Olivia is the FMC and she is a fitness influencer taking care of her younger brother after the death of their parents. When she worries he’s gotten in with a bad crowd, she decides to take radical steps to get him out of that life by kidnapping his boss to bargain for her brother’s release from what she believe is an organised crime operation.
The boss is Austin, the MMC. He is trying to go legit after leaving his abusive father’s crime syndicate. He wonders if he’s worthy of love and happiness so is trying to “balance the ledger”. When Olivia, his dream girl, kidnaps him, he sees an opportunity to get to know her rather than any danger. So he helps by chloroforming himself at her request.
This all happens at the start and the rest of the story is them getting to know each other and trying to build a future where Austin’s father remains a threat.
I had so many LOL moments at Austin’s internal dialogue. I can highly recommend this book if you like darker rom-coms. And I look forward to reading more from Ali Roberts in future. It’s hard to believe this was a debut novel!
I saw the author promoting this on TikTok and I thought it sounded good. But, this book was amazing!!!!!
Olivia is the FMC and she is a fitness influencer taking care of her younger brother after the death of their parents. When she worries he’s gotten in with a bad crowd, she decides to take radical steps to get him out of that life by kidnapping his boss to bargain for her brother’s release from what she believe is an organised crime operation.
The boss is Austin, the MMC. He is trying to go legit after leaving his abusive father’s crime syndicate. He wonders if he’s worthy of love and happiness so is trying to “balance the ledger”. When Olivia, his dream girl, kidnaps him, he sees an opportunity to get to know her rather than any danger. So he helps by chloroforming himself at her request.
This all happens at the start and the rest of the story is them getting to know each other and trying to build a future where Austin’s father remains a threat.
I had so many LOL moments at Austin’s internal dialogue. I can highly recommend this book if you like darker rom-coms. And I look forward to reading more from Ali Roberts in future. It’s hard to believe this was a debut novel!
August 19, 2025
A brilliant dark romance, a gripping read with complex characters, steamy scenes and plot twists. What more could you want?!
I read it with my book club, we all loved it!
I read it with my book club, we all loved it!
June 22, 2025
Loved it! Read it in one sitting, loved the reversed kidnapping trope and I’m so excited to see what other spin offs come!!!
December 1, 2025
The Unseen wasn’t bad per se. It was just obvious ,painfully at times, that Roberts is an amateur and this is her debut work. First, teasing one future book in one scene one time is fun, or even kinda cute. But teasing two future books in every possible scene with either prospective couple is overkill. Especially since this is literally your first book ever. Secondly, the relationship aspect was fun and cutesy but the organized crime-adjacent storytelling and the eventual double cross were not well-handled at all. Your attempts to make the hero a lovable sunshine-y goofball end up making him unbelievable as a former OC enforcer. His dad is supposed to be this ominous shadow looming ever large over the life the MCs are wanting to build, but the first time we meet him he’s pants down (not intimidating) and he slowly (but ultimately far too quickly) loses his grasp over his people and his sons. Twelve deaths is all it took for a crime boss to be left vulnerable? Ok sure. Then to top it all off, all of this so an old man can continue to sell weed illegally in a legal state rather than let his son strike out as a hippie dippie farmer. That’s literally what all this boils down to. Third, the MCs exist in such a specific bubble where everybody else begins to feel like set dressing and characters pop up and disappear at will. Ok Luca was a backstabber despite no tangible prior allusions to it and suddenly Danny (the new guy and a teenager) and Callum (who is he? No literally who the hell is he cuz that’s never explained) we’re alllllways distrustful of him suddenly and out of nowhere. Fourth, it becomes gradually more apparent that the concept for this book came from TikTok before you even need to get to the acknowledgements. The “she was a bad day away from a felony” tagline? Random and unnecessary Taylor Swift appearance? ✅Organized crime story even though we can tell your heart’s not in it? ✅ Allusions to literal TikTok audios?✅ over explanations of the heroine’s fitness channel in a way that very much detracts from the story? Writing a romance for romance readers rather than to just write a book?✅ The clues are literally all there.
Maybe Roberts should perhaps stick to very small-scale romances with minimal characters this early on because the scale very quickly becomes out of her control
Maybe Roberts should perhaps stick to very small-scale romances with minimal characters this early on because the scale very quickly becomes out of her control
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2025
Second read through and just love getting all the little details again. Funny throughout and built with tension. 😍
July 17, 2025
This was a great book from a debut author! MMC was morally gray and wonderfully charming, a la Lights Out. Actually strangely similar to Caught Up, given that the MMC, Austin, has been traumatized by his mobster father his whole life and is trying to leave behind his life of crime. This is what I wanted Caught Up to be and proves that Navessa Allen could have again pulled off a similar vibe to Lights Out. But back to this author, she says in her acknowledgments that she was inspired by a reverse kidnapping trope request, saw the lack thereof, and followed through. The FMC, who the MMC has been low-key stalking and obsessed with since his run in with her two years ago, kidnaps the MMC, who she believes is the leader of a crime organization employing her younger brother. She kidnaps him and keeps him in her basement so she can eventually convince him to release her brother from his employment. Except the MMC goes willingly, to the point where when she asks him to chloroform himself and he does! He’s like, okay cool, let’s see where this leads us, lol. Austin is SO witty and charming. And he flirts his ass off in her basement while “stuck” in chains. This was really creative and I loved it. She also sets up like three other couples that I would LOVE to read about! Alfie? Yeasss. And Nicole? Yaaas. Even Danny, the younger brother! I’m into it if Ali Robert’s wants to turn this into a series or a universe of stand alones with different tropes. I hope this author continues writing and if so, I’m looking forward to her output!
January 21, 2026
The very first line told me all I needed to know about this book. 1. My sides were gonna hurt from laughing so hard. 2. I’m gonna fall in love with this book. 3. I’m gonna be sad when it’s over. All of this was true and so much more. I want my own Austin… shhh don’t tell my husband. The banter in this book was top tier and made it one of the best Dark RomComs I’ve read. Olivia loves her brother so much that she kidnapped one of the most ruthless men in the city, little did she know he was really just a puppy dog. Granted a puppy dog with a filthy mouth in the most delicious way. I mean how can you not love this plot. Austin broke my heart at times throughout the book, not by actions but his feelings. The man needed a damn hug and I wanted to volunteer. This book truly had me from page 1 line 1 and there is so much more to it. The best blend of a little dark, a little mafia and a whole lot of comedy. My hat is off to Ali Roberts. Well done! Keep it up! And I can’t wait to read about Dr. Alfie!
July 14, 2025
I had a great time reading this. The fact that Olivia just so politely asks Austin to chloroform himself (and, of course, he does!) sets the tone for the whole book. The emotions she was trying to process from having abducted someone while he was having a great time and living his best life made me giggle. It was a fun read with a little darkness sprinkled in. Dr Alfie was my favourite side character for sure. I'm not the hugest fan of the third act breakup thing, but it was sort of understandable to an extent.
November 23, 2025
Austin is an enforcer for his fathers mob but he’s always struggled with the effects his job had on his mental health. When he stumbles upon Olivia at a coffee shop one day he is instantly captivated by her beauty and her charm. From there on he decides a sabbatical is needed and spends two years semi-stlaking her. To his amusement, she doesn’t seem to keen with him and so he keeps his distance. Well that’s until she decides to kidnap him and then he’s really intrigued where this is all headed.
Olivia had one goal in mind once she realized that Austin was her brother’s boss- save her brother. Well things dont really turn out as she has expected, especially when her captive is giving her tips to help her be a better kidnapper. The forced proximity offers a space of vulnerability for them both and in a span of a week the dynamic of their “relationship” changes. They go from “strangers” to what some would consider friends- though if you ask Olivia she’d say Austin is suffering from Stockholm syndrome. This was such a fun and entertaining read and I enjoyed the patience Austin exerts in allowing her to reach the same conclusion he has on her own terms.
Olivia had one goal in mind once she realized that Austin was her brother’s boss- save her brother. Well things dont really turn out as she has expected, especially when her captive is giving her tips to help her be a better kidnapper. The forced proximity offers a space of vulnerability for them both and in a span of a week the dynamic of their “relationship” changes. They go from “strangers” to what some would consider friends- though if you ask Olivia she’d say Austin is suffering from Stockholm syndrome. This was such a fun and entertaining read and I enjoyed the patience Austin exerts in allowing her to reach the same conclusion he has on her own terms.
November 28, 2025
*3.5
I liked the story as fucked up as it was. However, the MMC kinda grossed me out at times, especially given his fixation on her breasts. It felt so unnecessary as he was such a sweetheart otherwise.
I liked the story as fucked up as it was. However, the MMC kinda grossed me out at times, especially given his fixation on her breasts. It felt so unnecessary as he was such a sweetheart otherwise.
October 7, 2025
OHMYGODDDDD AUSTINOLIVIA MY BABIES STOP I ADORED THIS BOOK SM 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️ ONE OF MY FAV READS THIS YEAR AAAAHHHHHHHH LOVELOVELOVE
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January 22, 2026DNF at 52%. I just lost all interest in the story and the characters 🤷🏻♀️
January 28, 2026
love the playfullness between the characters, i read the book within 2 days. just couldnt put it down
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