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Into Darkness #2
Caught Up
Book Two in the instant USA TODAY bestselling trilogy!
From the viral TikTok author of the stalker romcom, LIGHTS OUT, comes Navessa Allen’s second book in bestselling The Into Darkness Trilogy, upping the ante with voyeurism and play club kink.
“I wanted this woman, and I was a man who always got what he wanted.”
Nico “Junior” Trocci knows Lauren Marchetti is off limits. She is sweetness and laughter, whereas Junior exists in a world of violence and depravity. Men like him don’t get to have women like her. It’s why he pushed her away back in high school and kept his distance ever since.
But when Junior looks Lauren up online, he discovers the shy, bookish girl he remembers is gone. In her place is a strikingly beautiful woman whose social media is filled with scantily clad pictures of herself and a connection to a nearby play club. Junior’s innocent curiosity quickly turns into a dark obsession. Watching Lauren from a distance isn’t enough; he needs to make her his.
“He’s ruthless; a walking red flag. Good thing red is my favorite color.”
Lauren is intrigued by the mystery man who keeps showing up at her club, who tempts her white-hot desires. But as their flirty online messages stir up a deeper form of connection, Lauren worries she’s developing real feelings for this brooding stranger. As their combined desire ratchets up to a breaking point, who will seduce who?
From the viral TikTok author of the stalker romcom, LIGHTS OUT, comes Navessa Allen’s second book in bestselling The Into Darkness Trilogy, upping the ante with voyeurism and play club kink.
“I wanted this woman, and I was a man who always got what he wanted.”
Nico “Junior” Trocci knows Lauren Marchetti is off limits. She is sweetness and laughter, whereas Junior exists in a world of violence and depravity. Men like him don’t get to have women like her. It’s why he pushed her away back in high school and kept his distance ever since.
But when Junior looks Lauren up online, he discovers the shy, bookish girl he remembers is gone. In her place is a strikingly beautiful woman whose social media is filled with scantily clad pictures of herself and a connection to a nearby play club. Junior’s innocent curiosity quickly turns into a dark obsession. Watching Lauren from a distance isn’t enough; he needs to make her his.
“He’s ruthless; a walking red flag. Good thing red is my favorite color.”
Lauren is intrigued by the mystery man who keeps showing up at her club, who tempts her white-hot desires. But as their flirty online messages stir up a deeper form of connection, Lauren worries she’s developing real feelings for this brooding stranger. As their combined desire ratchets up to a breaking point, who will seduce who?
Audible Audio
First published June 10, 2025
About the author
Navessa Allen
25 books26.4k followersNavessa Allen lives on a 200-year-old farm in rural New England with her husband, their cats, and an assorted collection of farm animals.
To keep up with her latest projects, check out her Patreon Page or subscribe to her website.
To keep up with her latest projects, check out her Patreon Page or subscribe to her website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34,454 reviews
December 3, 2025
Update: retroactively bumping this one up to 2 stars cause the next one was so much worse that I couldn't give them both 1 star
0% in - Let's effing gooooooooooo.
0.5% in - Junior? We're going with JUNIOR??? Are we solid on the name or can we workshop it a bit...?
100% in - That was certainly...a book. And we really should have workshopped the whole Junior thing. That was a rough patch that didn't improve with time.
The biggest impression I had upon closing this book was... that was a lot. Not of plot or character development. Just a lot of sex and I feel numb.
Look, I like a spicy scene here and there but when nearly the whole book is a montage of sex (and rather explicit, kinky and...unusual scenes), I noticed that my brain actually started disassociating from the book.
Objectively, it was an interesting phenomenon because I've read hundreds of audiobooks but I've never had to work so hard at keeping my attention focused on the book.
But there was such an overwhelming number of explicit scenes that it ceased being fun or spicy, but something I had to slog through to get to the next plot point (which felt few and far between).
The whole Junior/Lauren relationship felt bland to me despitethe frequency of their... scenes.
Basically, he was her top subscriber, she was a top-earner on the OnlyFans equivalent of this world. But there wasn't much depth to their relationship.
He's stalked her for years and she finds it charming. He's obsessed and willing to pay, she's a sex-positive online content creator who happily took all the money he offered.
Something I did find interesting, is that junior says over and over that he is fine with her job and while we do see Lauren "at her job" quite frequently, she's never really shown sexting or filming specific videos for other clients.
It's mentioned that she does and will continue to do that, but the author only focuses on her custom work for junior. So there's this weird dynamic where realistically, junior feels like he's getting this unique experience but he really isn't but the author chooses to only highlight relationship building moments from sexting and whatnot between the two MCs.
Anyway, what's wild is that the first book (Lights Out) had a somewhat similar premise (obsession and being charmed) and yet that one worked so well for me. I thought the banter between the characters was hilarious, the scenes were spicy but exciting, and I liked the push-pull of the relationship.
But Junior and Lauren felt like shadows compared to Josh and Ali.
Honestly, the most interesting thing was Lauren's best friend getting a request to cover herself in food and when the friend was like, "hey, is this weird?" And Lauren's like, "oh he's a cannibal, just ignore it. " and I'm like, "What? WHAT!?" but nothing ever comes of that plot point! I'm not saying one of the characters should've been eaten but why throw that tidbit in there if you aren't going to use it?
With book 1 being so good, and book 2 being rock bottom...I wonder where book 3 will land?
P.s. I don't believe for a second that Junior actually has money. At the rate he was throwing it at Lauren - couple of hundred to thousands a week? Yeah right. He couldn't save up to save his life.
I think the author had an "ohsht" moment where she realized she was making Junior poor cause he spent so much on custom photos and videos and retroactively wrote in that he was uber rich to compensate.
That's my headcanon and you won't ever convince me otherwise.
0% in - Let's effing gooooooooooo.
0.5% in - Junior? We're going with JUNIOR??? Are we solid on the name or can we workshop it a bit...?
100% in - That was certainly...a book. And we really should have workshopped the whole Junior thing. That was a rough patch that didn't improve with time.
The biggest impression I had upon closing this book was... that was a lot. Not of plot or character development. Just a lot of sex and I feel numb.
Look, I like a spicy scene here and there but when nearly the whole book is a montage of sex (and rather explicit, kinky and...unusual scenes), I noticed that my brain actually started disassociating from the book.
Objectively, it was an interesting phenomenon because I've read hundreds of audiobooks but I've never had to work so hard at keeping my attention focused on the book.
But there was such an overwhelming number of explicit scenes that it ceased being fun or spicy, but something I had to slog through to get to the next plot point (which felt few and far between).
The whole Junior/Lauren relationship felt bland to me despitethe frequency of their... scenes.
Basically, he was her top subscriber, she was a top-earner on the OnlyFans equivalent of this world. But there wasn't much depth to their relationship.
He's stalked her for years and she finds it charming. He's obsessed and willing to pay, she's a sex-positive online content creator who happily took all the money he offered.
Something I did find interesting, is that junior says over and over that he is fine with her job and while we do see Lauren "at her job" quite frequently, she's never really shown sexting or filming specific videos for other clients.
It's mentioned that she does and will continue to do that, but the author only focuses on her custom work for junior. So there's this weird dynamic where realistically, junior feels like he's getting this unique experience but he really isn't but the author chooses to only highlight relationship building moments from sexting and whatnot between the two MCs.
Anyway, what's wild is that the first book (Lights Out) had a somewhat similar premise (obsession and being charmed) and yet that one worked so well for me. I thought the banter between the characters was hilarious, the scenes were spicy but exciting, and I liked the push-pull of the relationship.
But Junior and Lauren felt like shadows compared to Josh and Ali.
Honestly, the most interesting thing was Lauren's best friend getting a request to cover herself in food and when the friend was like, "hey, is this weird?" And Lauren's like, "oh he's a cannibal, just ignore it. " and I'm like, "What? WHAT!?" but nothing ever comes of that plot point! I'm not saying one of the characters should've been eaten but why throw that tidbit in there if you aren't going to use it?
With book 1 being so good, and book 2 being rock bottom...I wonder where book 3 will land?
P.s. I don't believe for a second that Junior actually has money. At the rate he was throwing it at Lauren - couple of hundred to thousands a week? Yeah right. He couldn't save up to save his life.
I think the author had an "ohsht" moment where she realized she was making Junior poor cause he spent so much on custom photos and videos and retroactively wrote in that he was uber rich to compensate.
That's my headcanon and you won't ever convince me otherwise.
October 2, 2024
Put me in, coach. I'm READY 🖤
Navessa Allen once again proved she does not come to play. 🔥
Let’s get one thing straight: I was ready, and this book still managed to knock me off my feet. Junior? Sir. Mouthwatering doesn’t even begin to cover it. The man could read a grocery list, and I’d still be fanning myself. He walked onto the page and immediately raised my blood pressure. He’s got emotional depth, actual communication skills, and the kind of chemistry with Lauren that had me pausing the audiobook just to scream into a pillow. And Lauren? Queen behavior. She knew what she wanted, didn’t play games, and PLOT TWIST, she actually communicated. Revolutionary! The way she handled everything with grace and actual logic? Bless her. No wild accusations, no unnecessary drama - just a woman handling her business and her emotions like a pro. We don’t do messy misunderstandings here, babes.
The angst? Delicious. The spice? Plenty. (HELLO PHOTOBOOTH & CONFESSIONAL 🥵🔥) Enough to fog up your sunglasses, but not so much that it drowns out the emotional beats or character growth. It's the perfect ratio of steam and story. Like a well-balanced cocktail, you want to savor and then order again.
Oh, and the audiobook? Top tier. I hit play, and suddenly, I was in a scandalous trance with no escape. The narrators understood the assignment and then some. Now, please excuse me while I go stare longingly into space and pretend I'm in a photobooth with my fictional soulmate. Just kidding... kinda.
Navessa Allen once again proved she does not come to play. 🔥
Let’s get one thing straight: I was ready, and this book still managed to knock me off my feet. Junior? Sir. Mouthwatering doesn’t even begin to cover it. The man could read a grocery list, and I’d still be fanning myself. He walked onto the page and immediately raised my blood pressure. He’s got emotional depth, actual communication skills, and the kind of chemistry with Lauren that had me pausing the audiobook just to scream into a pillow. And Lauren? Queen behavior. She knew what she wanted, didn’t play games, and PLOT TWIST, she actually communicated. Revolutionary! The way she handled everything with grace and actual logic? Bless her. No wild accusations, no unnecessary drama - just a woman handling her business and her emotions like a pro. We don’t do messy misunderstandings here, babes.
The angst? Delicious. The spice? Plenty. (HELLO PHOTOBOOTH & CONFESSIONAL 🥵🔥) Enough to fog up your sunglasses, but not so much that it drowns out the emotional beats or character growth. It's the perfect ratio of steam and story. Like a well-balanced cocktail, you want to savor and then order again.
Oh, and the audiobook? Top tier. I hit play, and suddenly, I was in a scandalous trance with no escape. The narrators understood the assignment and then some. Now, please excuse me while I go stare longingly into space and pretend I'm in a photobooth with my fictional soulmate. Just kidding... kinda.
June 12, 2025
If you’re into social justice warriors this is your book. This book reads more like a political statement than anything else.
story line is barely held together. Mmc just happens to own a bike he uses to transport himself. Really that all there is with the bike. And he occasionally reminds us he works for the mob. Not that we see that side because the focus is on fmc’s fight for rights and her being offended by fairly reasonable questions.
Her sister, who we’re told is a bitch, is pregnant and mentions hey - your line of work as a sex worker isn’t suitable for kids to be around. Fmc loses her shit at this. Seems reasonable to me to not want kids to be running around a sex club but hey what do I know.
Don’t bother. Go reread lights out and pretend that’s where it ends.
story line is barely held together. Mmc just happens to own a bike he uses to transport himself. Really that all there is with the bike. And he occasionally reminds us he works for the mob. Not that we see that side because the focus is on fmc’s fight for rights and her being offended by fairly reasonable questions.
Her sister, who we’re told is a bitch, is pregnant and mentions hey - your line of work as a sex worker isn’t suitable for kids to be around. Fmc loses her shit at this. Seems reasonable to me to not want kids to be running around a sex club but hey what do I know.
Don’t bother. Go reread lights out and pretend that’s where it ends.
June 10, 2025
What a let down. I was expecting this book to be hilarious, witty and full of chemistry like Lights Out, but it wasn’t. It’s like Navessa suddenly decided to be ‘woke’ after Lights Out, and spent half the book trying to prove it. The only saving grace was Teddy Hamilton, otherwise I’d have DNF almost immediately.
1/5⭐️
Let’s hope Tyler resurrects this series in book 3.
1/5⭐️
Let’s hope Tyler resurrects this series in book 3.
June 11, 2025
DNF. I don't need political nonsense in my mafia romance. Thanks 🙃
June 16, 2025
the best part was josh and aly
November 4, 2025
Caught Up with how bad this was.
June 10, 2025
So this is what true disappointment feels like😪
Sadly this did not live up to my expectations and my expectations were not even that high. I wanted to laugh and giggle and just have a good time. Alas, a good time was not had by me😭
I said I didn't care about a deep plot, but at least have a plot. There was barely anything going on here and it was just boring. I usually speed through audiobooks but this took me several days to finish because I just did not care about the book😭 TRUST ME I AM SO SAD TO SAY THIS I WANTED TO LOVE THIS BOOK😭😭😭😭
This book lacked the spark Lights Out had. Lights Out was funny and the characters really shined, but here everything was just blah. Lauren and Nico did nothing for me, their spice was hot yeah but that's about it. The second chance did not "second chance" enough for me. They had barely dated for like 2 weeks when they were younger and Nico just maintained his obsession for 10+ years later? Why? You barely knew each other smh. If the author had built upon their past a bit more, maybe some cute flashbacks to make their romance more believable, it would have been SO MUCH BETTER. (at least for me)
Also, WHERE WAS THE BIKE CONTENT?? WHY DIDN'T SHE PANDER TO OUR DELUSIONAL BIKER FANTASIES😭😭😭😭????????
Teddy Hamilton thank you for blessing my ears but where was the accent????
Pre-read:
I'm expecting lots of laughs and pure entertainment. I don't want a deep plot, I JUST WANT TO VIBE WITH TEDDY HAMILTON IN MY EARS🥵
Sadly this did not live up to my expectations and my expectations were not even that high. I wanted to laugh and giggle and just have a good time. Alas, a good time was not had by me😭
I said I didn't care about a deep plot, but at least have a plot. There was barely anything going on here and it was just boring. I usually speed through audiobooks but this took me several days to finish because I just did not care about the book😭 TRUST ME I AM SO SAD TO SAY THIS I WANTED TO LOVE THIS BOOK😭😭😭😭
This book lacked the spark Lights Out had. Lights Out was funny and the characters really shined, but here everything was just blah. Lauren and Nico did nothing for me, their spice was hot yeah but that's about it. The second chance did not "second chance" enough for me. They had barely dated for like 2 weeks when they were younger and Nico just maintained his obsession for 10+ years later? Why? You barely knew each other smh. If the author had built upon their past a bit more, maybe some cute flashbacks to make their romance more believable, it would have been SO MUCH BETTER. (at least for me)
Also, WHERE WAS THE BIKE CONTENT?? WHY DIDN'T SHE PANDER TO OUR DELUSIONAL BIKER FANTASIES😭😭😭😭????????
Teddy Hamilton thank you for blessing my ears but where was the accent????
Pre-read:
I'm expecting lots of laughs and pure entertainment. I don't want a deep plot, I JUST WANT TO VIBE WITH TEDDY HAMILTON IN MY EARS🥵
June 10, 2025
The they/them is nauseating to put that into writing.
Second annoyance is the amount of time the FMC says sex worker.
This book is just pushing agenda so obnoxiously that it takes away from the authors unique plot and writing style
Second annoyance is the amount of time the FMC says sex worker.
This book is just pushing agenda so obnoxiously that it takes away from the authors unique plot and writing style
June 10, 2025
Oh, I loved this, almost as much as I did Lights Out!!
Junior was a walking red flag, good thing I was colour blind.. My standards are clearly too low, because he went above and beyond for Lauren.
I devoured this book and had so much fun!! I was giggling and kicking my feet..
The club scenes.. amazing
The confessional booth.. no words
Everything.. absolutely delightful
Highly recommend listening to the audiobook while reading, thank me later!!
But beyond that, this book was real and raw and full of vulnerability. I loved how sex work was approached, with such positivity and exploration. Lauren and her roommates (including Walter) were such amazing characters, my love for them immense. Nonna was hilarious!
I didn't always enjoy second chance romances, but I'm really taking a turn lately.
Also, loved seeing Aly and Josh again. I missed them so much and I'm so happy Fred got a friend.
That bit at the end, does it mean we're getting their book next?? My interest is peaked.
Junior was a walking red flag, good thing I was colour blind.. My standards are clearly too low, because he went above and beyond for Lauren.
I devoured this book and had so much fun!! I was giggling and kicking my feet..
The club scenes.. amazing
The confessional booth.. no words
Everything.. absolutely delightful
Highly recommend listening to the audiobook while reading, thank me later!!
But beyond that, this book was real and raw and full of vulnerability. I loved how sex work was approached, with such positivity and exploration. Lauren and her roommates (including Walter) were such amazing characters, my love for them immense. Nonna was hilarious!
I didn't always enjoy second chance romances, but I'm really taking a turn lately.
Also, loved seeing Aly and Josh again. I missed them so much and I'm so happy Fred got a friend.
That bit at the end, does it mean we're getting their book next?? My interest is peaked.
March 9, 2025
One of my most anticipated releases of the year turned into the biggest disappointment of the year🫡
I know we dont read for the plot anymore. But like it'd be nice if we could at least try to put one in there. And if you want to convince me that we need to be worried about this big tough mafia man who wants out of said mafia, give me something more than "my dad is a meanie and I have a dream". *cue Rapunzel song and dance number*
I just really missed the banter and chaos of Lights Out. You know everyone's complaints where Lights Out kind of fell off in the last 1/3? yeah that is this whole book. The smut only girlies will eat this up though.
I dont even think HRH Teddy Hamilton could save this. And like I stg I could be so much meaner about this book. The will power I am using to keep myself in check… a little bit. Be proud everyone.
And because GR is annoying and can’t give us half stars but can police this. Yes I received an earc for this in exchange for my honest opinion. How else would I get it early….
I know we dont read for the plot anymore. But like it'd be nice if we could at least try to put one in there. And if you want to convince me that we need to be worried about this big tough mafia man who wants out of said mafia, give me something more than "my dad is a meanie and I have a dream". *cue Rapunzel song and dance number*
I just really missed the banter and chaos of Lights Out. You know everyone's complaints where Lights Out kind of fell off in the last 1/3? yeah that is this whole book. The smut only girlies will eat this up though.
I dont even think HRH Teddy Hamilton could save this. And like I stg I could be so much meaner about this book. The will power I am using to keep myself in check… a little bit. Be proud everyone.
And because GR is annoying and can’t give us half stars but can police this. Yes I received an earc for this in exchange for my honest opinion. How else would I get it early….
Want to Read
October 29, 2024I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL JUNE 2025???????
Want to Read
September 25, 2024heyyyyy bikertok
June 11, 2025
A Crimson Waltz of Power, Pain, and Passion!
Mafia romances used to thrill me. It’s been a while since I let a mafia dark romance crawl under my skin —less a love story, more a dissertation on inherited violence and the quiet, terrible cost of wanting to be good in a world that never taught you how.
So Caught Up is a dark, erotic, and deeply contemporary romance that interrogates the intersections of trauma, power, and healing. Navessa Allen uses the conventions of the mafia romance and the sex work romcom to subvert expectations, centering consent, agency, and the messy work of forgiveness. The novel is unflinching in its portrayal of violence—both physical and emotional—but refuses to glamorize it, instead showing the cost of generational harm and the courage required to break free. At its heart, the story is about reclaiming narrative: Lauren reclaims her sexuality and her story from shame, while Junior reclaims his future from the grip of his father. Their love is not a panacea but a partnership, built on honesty, mutual respect, and the willingness to do the hard work of healing. The found family at Velvet, the celebration of kink and sex-positivity, and the ultimate triumph over cycles of abuse make Caught Up a powerful meditation on what it means to choose love, again and again, in a world determined to deny it.
🩸 The Premise
What happens when the man you loved kills your father—and then becomes your most loyal subscriber?
Nico “Junior” Trocci was born with a bullet between his teeth and guilt in his bloodstream. The heir to a mafia empire, Junior has done terrible things, but none worse than what he did to Lauren Marchetti. Years later, he worships her anonymously through a camgirl screen, a ghost in her inbox, craving penance through pixels.
Lauren—saint, sinner, survivor—is not the same girl who fell for a boy with a gun. She owns her sexuality now. She sells it. But on her terms. With her girls. With her queerness. With her fire.
They’re not just two people with history. They are an open wound with no stitches.
And when they see each other again? It’s not a love story. It’s a slow-motion trainwreck dressed like a second chance.
🔖Junior Trocci (aka: Mafia Malfunction in Designer Shoes)
Eldest son. Haunted heir. Certified emotional disaster. Has enemies in five countries and eyes only for you. PS:I have a thing for Hot Italian Mafia's!!
Was raised to be a killer, fell in love with a girl who charges by the minute.
Violent? Yes. Vulnerable? Unfortunately, also yes.
Obsessed with Lauren in a way that's half Romeo, half "I’d burn down the city if you asked nicely."
Redemption arc incoming, but not before he threatens a few dozen people and breaks your heart.
Therapist recommendation: URGENTLY.
💄Lauren Marchetti(aka: Saint Camgirl of Don’t-Mess-With-Me)
Sex work advocate with eyeliner sharper than her trust issues.
Has been betrayed by everyone—including her own last name—but refuses to stay down.. A woman who has been slut-shamed, exiled, fetishized, and filmed—but who builds a family out of the ashes.
Built an empire in fishnets and fury.
Witty, wounded, and 100% done with your judgment.
When Junior shows up with mafia daddy issues and sad eyes? She considers forgiving him… then makes him grovel (as she should).
Boundaries? Set. Power? Reclaimed.
Will stab you with consent and style.
🏷️Storyline recap:
Mafia heir Nico “Junior” Trocci gets a dead body for his birthday. Classic. It's just another night of blood, rain, and guilt—until he realizes the man he helped kill was the father of the girl he’s been obsessing over since high school: Lauren Marchetti.
Lauren? She’s not the same girl he left behind. She’s a camgirl now, loud about sex work rights, unashamed, and on fire. She’s got scars, rules, and a one-strike policy. And guess what? Her number-one sub online—the only one who really sees her? Yeah. It’s him.
What follows is a head-on collision of past betrayals, mafia mess, kinky club nights, and way too much tracking (both emotional and literal). Junior wants a second chance. Lauren wants answers. But between groveling, stalking, church confrontations, mafia dinners, and literal blood on the floor… nothing’s clean here.
This isn’t some soft redemption arc. It’s messy, feral, and laced with hurt. But maybe—just maybe—love can crawl out of all that darkness.
In a world of mob violence, sex work stigma, and chosen family, Caught Up Into the Darkness asks: Can love survive when it was born from lies and built in blood?
╰┈➤ Now let’s give love to the side character goldmine:
📌Moira Trocci
Italian mob mom with eyeliner sharp enough to kill
Junior’s mama. Was probably born in heels and holding a switchblade. Quiet strength, ancient secrets, terrifying maternal energy. Has been through hell but still gets dinner on the table. Will smile sweetly as she slaps the patriarchy out of her husband. Matriarchal rebrand: activated.She’s got secrets. She’s got strategy. She’s got a knife in her purse and a prayer on her lips. Wears Chanel No. 5 while dismantling patriarchy from the inside. She sees everything, says little, and moves like a queen in a game full of pawns. And when she finally does speak? Everyone listens.
📌Taylor (aka: Bad B*tch with a Weapon and a Dildo)
She’s Barbie if Barbie had anger issues and a switchblade in her bra.
Will defend Lauren to the death (or until someone bleeds—same thing).
Loud. Loyal. Lethal in heels.
Would absolutely post bail for you, but will also roast you the entire way home.
Her motto? “Slut-shaming is cancelled and so are YOU.”
The human equivalent of glitter on a crime scene. Will throw hands, wigs, and insults in the same breath. Swears like it’s punctuation. Has a secret soft side for her friends, but only when the cameras are off. Will absolutely bring a flamethrower to a knife fight—and bedazzle it.. She fights with stilettos and dildos and I would trust her with my life (and my passwords).
📌 RYAN (nonbinary brilliance, here to save your life and your Wi-Fi)
Emotionally intelligent. Gender-fluid excellence. Codes like a god and cries during Pixar movies. A literal unicorn in a house full of feral chaos gremlins. Brings peace, boundaries, and spreadsheets to the table. May be quiet, but you cross Ryan and your router will mysteriously combust.Could erase your digital footprint in 3 seconds—would only do it if you said please.
📌 Nico Trocci Sr. (aka: Toxic King No One Asked For)
Walking manifestation of generational trauma and expensive cologne.
Thinks love = control and parenting = trauma bonding.
Wants Junior to be a clone of him.
Secretly soft inside? Maybe. Probably not. Who cares.
We're just waiting for him to catch a poetic and painful downfall.
Also: Your daddy issues should NOT look like this.
📌 Aly (aka: Mafia Nurse, Soft But Deadly)
Sweet? Yes. Soft? No. She’s kind, but don’t test her. Aly’s the kind of girl who knows how to bandage a bullet wound and deliver a brutal truth in the same breath. Could’ve gone no-contact with the Troccis, but chose to fight instead. Icon behavior.
📌 JOSH (the “hacker with a heart” trope perfected)
Gives “I accidentally got caught up in a mafia scandal but I’m having fun now” energy.
Madly in love with Aly and will absolutely risk prison to help her cousin’s mafia drama. Snarky. Scruffy. Lowkey brilliant. Has seen too much but still believes in love and snacks. Will blow up your firewall, then offer you soup.
📌 GREG, ALEC, STEFAN (aka: the bloodline of dysfunction)
Greg: Will 100% die on the “loyal to the family” hill. Unwell, unhinged, unloved.
Alec: Has read Nietzsche once and won’t shut up about it.
Stefan: The type to casually stab someone and then ask “you okay?” like it’s small talk.
Each one’s more emotionally suppressed than the last. Together, they are a therapy group waiting to happen.
📌 TYLER (finance bro with a felony past)
Bookie. Manipulator. Probably knows your credit score. Wears designer suits and moral ambiguity. You’ll never know if he’s helping you or plotting your downfall. Smiles like a villain in a cologne ad. Too charming to trust, too useful to kill. Junior’s necessary evil. We stan (but also fear) the ambition. e
╰┈➤ Plot Devices-
-Dual POV: Mafia prince & camgirl—two worlds, one collision.
-Secrets: Lies unravel, past haunts, trust shatters.
-Intimacy: Power, healing, truths...
Found Family: Loyalty is earned, not inherited.
-Violence & Redemption: Break the cycle or bleed trying.
🧨TROPES EXPLODING EVERYWHERE:
-Mafia x Sex Worker
-Childhood lovers turned strangers turned camgirl x stalker sub
-Secret identity (yes, he’s that sub)
-Stalker -Catholic guilt, but make it kinky
-Found family > blood family
-Groveling. On. His. Knees.
-Photo booth nostalgia
-Daddy issues in olive oil form
-Enemies at Sunday Mass energy
-“I bought your club” but make it ✨low-key threatening✨
-Slut-shaming revenge arc but she's the one winning now
-He cuts off a finger for her. That’s love. Right??
-“He killed her father” (and he’s obsessed with her now, obviously)
-Voyeur kink. Camera. Red light. He watches. She knows. We combust.
-Grovel so good it hurts. Like “I’m kneeling with my hands bleeding, begging you to ruin me back.”
-“My body belongs to me but I’d still let you worship it” energy
-Good girl gone powerful. (And he’s feral for her dominance)
-Catholic guilt + mafia trauma +
Camgirl rage = elite spicy angst cuisine
-Holy metaphors during unholy acts (IYKYK)
-He’s her #1 OnlyFans subscriber. She doesn't know. Until she does. Then we all die.
-Trauma bonding done RIGHT.
-Found family is Queer & Chaotic. Protect them at all costs.
✍️Highlights
-Catholic guilt as foreplay? Check.
-Mafia dinners that feel like Greek tragedies? Check.
-The velvet club voyeur room scene? Should not be legal.
-Found family vibes from the roommates? Give Ryan and Taylor their own book.
Junior’s groveling? I wept...
‼️Lowlights -‼️“They say love survives time. I say: not when you ghost each other for years and reunite like horny strangers.”
So… this was supposed to be second chance romance, right? A reunion filled with years of buried history, aching regret, slow-burning fury, and tender what-ifs?
Instead, I got Second Chance: Who Are You Again? featuring two characters who acted like trauma bonding was foreplay and five minutes of reuniting erased five years of silence.
It’s giving:
🩸 “You left me bleeding in the dark.”
💋 “Cool, let’s make out in chapter two.”
Excuse me???
But here's the thing:
The execution fumbled. Instead of burning, it boiled over.
No slow sizzle. Just... insta-rage + insta-sex + insta-love = wait, what just happened? But Ohk! I get it, but it could have been better!
~Trigger warnings include: murder, stalking, Catholic guilt, kink negotiation, exhibitionism, mafia dinners, finger-severing, and the occasional wholesome aftercare.
✨ He sins for her. She heals for him. Together? They rewrite the rules.
💀 Love never looked this illegal.
🎥 And this time, it’s going live.
Bonus:☝🏻Mafia Love Language:
-Acts of service = taking a bullet for you
-Words of affirmation = “You’re mine. Forever.”
-Quality time = hiding bodies at midnight together
-Gift-giving = a villa in Sicily and your enemy’s severed pinky
-Physical touch = walls may be harmed in the making of this romance
🧾 Final Line Vibe Check
“She was the girl with the leak. He was the boy with the gun. They met again in a church, not to pray—but to resurrect.”
-FINAL RULING FROM THE DON akame:
📚 Book Rating: ★★★☆☆¾ (2.75/5)
Sharp premise, but execution stumbles. The drama hits hard, but not always where it should.
🌶️ Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️½ (3.5/5)
A slow burn packed with heavy tension, possessiveness, and intense scenes that leave a mark—but not always evenly paced.
This book? A vendetta wrapped in velvet.It’s dark. It's devotional. It's deadly.It’s one of those books that’s easy to admire but hard to fully enjoy. Solid three stars. I read this in one go.It’s the kind of book that feels profound while you're reading it, but exhausting in some..Expect chaos. Expect ache. Expect obsession dressed in violence and velvet..
Mafia romances used to thrill me. It’s been a while since I let a mafia dark romance crawl under my skin —less a love story, more a dissertation on inherited violence and the quiet, terrible cost of wanting to be good in a world that never taught you how.
So Caught Up is a dark, erotic, and deeply contemporary romance that interrogates the intersections of trauma, power, and healing. Navessa Allen uses the conventions of the mafia romance and the sex work romcom to subvert expectations, centering consent, agency, and the messy work of forgiveness. The novel is unflinching in its portrayal of violence—both physical and emotional—but refuses to glamorize it, instead showing the cost of generational harm and the courage required to break free. At its heart, the story is about reclaiming narrative: Lauren reclaims her sexuality and her story from shame, while Junior reclaims his future from the grip of his father. Their love is not a panacea but a partnership, built on honesty, mutual respect, and the willingness to do the hard work of healing. The found family at Velvet, the celebration of kink and sex-positivity, and the ultimate triumph over cycles of abuse make Caught Up a powerful meditation on what it means to choose love, again and again, in a world determined to deny it.
🩸 The Premise
What happens when the man you loved kills your father—and then becomes your most loyal subscriber?
Nico “Junior” Trocci was born with a bullet between his teeth and guilt in his bloodstream. The heir to a mafia empire, Junior has done terrible things, but none worse than what he did to Lauren Marchetti. Years later, he worships her anonymously through a camgirl screen, a ghost in her inbox, craving penance through pixels.
Lauren—saint, sinner, survivor—is not the same girl who fell for a boy with a gun. She owns her sexuality now. She sells it. But on her terms. With her girls. With her queerness. With her fire.
They’re not just two people with history. They are an open wound with no stitches.
And when they see each other again? It’s not a love story. It’s a slow-motion trainwreck dressed like a second chance.
🔖Junior Trocci (aka: Mafia Malfunction in Designer Shoes)
Eldest son. Haunted heir. Certified emotional disaster. Has enemies in five countries and eyes only for you. PS:I have a thing for Hot Italian Mafia's!!
Was raised to be a killer, fell in love with a girl who charges by the minute.
Violent? Yes. Vulnerable? Unfortunately, also yes.
Obsessed with Lauren in a way that's half Romeo, half "I’d burn down the city if you asked nicely."
Redemption arc incoming, but not before he threatens a few dozen people and breaks your heart.
Therapist recommendation: URGENTLY.
“He's ruthless; a walking red flag. Good thing red is my favorite color.”
💄Lauren Marchetti(aka: Saint Camgirl of Don’t-Mess-With-Me)
Sex work advocate with eyeliner sharper than her trust issues.
Has been betrayed by everyone—including her own last name—but refuses to stay down.. A woman who has been slut-shamed, exiled, fetishized, and filmed—but who builds a family out of the ashes.
Built an empire in fishnets and fury.
Witty, wounded, and 100% done with your judgment.
When Junior shows up with mafia daddy issues and sad eyes? She considers forgiving him… then makes him grovel (as she should).
Boundaries? Set. Power? Reclaimed.
Will stab you with consent and style.
This was the problem with us. He could stalk me, interfere with my life, and put up more red flags than an entire circus, and I would still look at him and remember the boy I’d grown up with.
"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” It had become my mantra because I had learned the hard way that if you give people second chances, they’ll only use them to hurt you more.”
🏷️Storyline recap:
Mafia heir Nico “Junior” Trocci gets a dead body for his birthday. Classic. It's just another night of blood, rain, and guilt—until he realizes the man he helped kill was the father of the girl he’s been obsessing over since high school: Lauren Marchetti.
Lauren? She’s not the same girl he left behind. She’s a camgirl now, loud about sex work rights, unashamed, and on fire. She’s got scars, rules, and a one-strike policy. And guess what? Her number-one sub online—the only one who really sees her? Yeah. It’s him.
What follows is a head-on collision of past betrayals, mafia mess, kinky club nights, and way too much tracking (both emotional and literal). Junior wants a second chance. Lauren wants answers. But between groveling, stalking, church confrontations, mafia dinners, and literal blood on the floor… nothing’s clean here.
This isn’t some soft redemption arc. It’s messy, feral, and laced with hurt. But maybe—just maybe—love can crawl out of all that darkness.
In a world of mob violence, sex work stigma, and chosen family, Caught Up Into the Darkness asks: Can love survive when it was born from lies and built in blood?
╰┈➤ Now let’s give love to the side character goldmine:
📌Moira Trocci
Italian mob mom with eyeliner sharp enough to kill
Junior’s mama. Was probably born in heels and holding a switchblade. Quiet strength, ancient secrets, terrifying maternal energy. Has been through hell but still gets dinner on the table. Will smile sweetly as she slaps the patriarchy out of her husband. Matriarchal rebrand: activated.She’s got secrets. She’s got strategy. She’s got a knife in her purse and a prayer on her lips. Wears Chanel No. 5 while dismantling patriarchy from the inside. She sees everything, says little, and moves like a queen in a game full of pawns. And when she finally does speak? Everyone listens.
📌Taylor (aka: Bad B*tch with a Weapon and a Dildo)
She’s Barbie if Barbie had anger issues and a switchblade in her bra.
Will defend Lauren to the death (or until someone bleeds—same thing).
Loud. Loyal. Lethal in heels.
Would absolutely post bail for you, but will also roast you the entire way home.
Her motto? “Slut-shaming is cancelled and so are YOU.”
The human equivalent of glitter on a crime scene. Will throw hands, wigs, and insults in the same breath. Swears like it’s punctuation. Has a secret soft side for her friends, but only when the cameras are off. Will absolutely bring a flamethrower to a knife fight—and bedazzle it.. She fights with stilettos and dildos and I would trust her with my life (and my passwords).
📌 RYAN (nonbinary brilliance, here to save your life and your Wi-Fi)
Emotionally intelligent. Gender-fluid excellence. Codes like a god and cries during Pixar movies. A literal unicorn in a house full of feral chaos gremlins. Brings peace, boundaries, and spreadsheets to the table. May be quiet, but you cross Ryan and your router will mysteriously combust.Could erase your digital footprint in 3 seconds—would only do it if you said please.
📌 Nico Trocci Sr. (aka: Toxic King No One Asked For)
Walking manifestation of generational trauma and expensive cologne.
Thinks love = control and parenting = trauma bonding.
Wants Junior to be a clone of him.
Secretly soft inside? Maybe. Probably not. Who cares.
We're just waiting for him to catch a poetic and painful downfall.
Also: Your daddy issues should NOT look like this.
📌 Aly (aka: Mafia Nurse, Soft But Deadly)
Sweet? Yes. Soft? No. She’s kind, but don’t test her. Aly’s the kind of girl who knows how to bandage a bullet wound and deliver a brutal truth in the same breath. Could’ve gone no-contact with the Troccis, but chose to fight instead. Icon behavior.
📌 JOSH (the “hacker with a heart” trope perfected)
Gives “I accidentally got caught up in a mafia scandal but I’m having fun now” energy.
Madly in love with Aly and will absolutely risk prison to help her cousin’s mafia drama. Snarky. Scruffy. Lowkey brilliant. Has seen too much but still believes in love and snacks. Will blow up your firewall, then offer you soup.
📌 GREG, ALEC, STEFAN (aka: the bloodline of dysfunction)
Greg: Will 100% die on the “loyal to the family” hill. Unwell, unhinged, unloved.
Alec: Has read Nietzsche once and won’t shut up about it.
Stefan: The type to casually stab someone and then ask “you okay?” like it’s small talk.
Each one’s more emotionally suppressed than the last. Together, they are a therapy group waiting to happen.
📌 TYLER (finance bro with a felony past)
Bookie. Manipulator. Probably knows your credit score. Wears designer suits and moral ambiguity. You’ll never know if he’s helping you or plotting your downfall. Smiles like a villain in a cologne ad. Too charming to trust, too useful to kill. Junior’s necessary evil. We stan (but also fear) the ambition. e
╰┈➤ Plot Devices-
-Dual POV: Mafia prince & camgirl—two worlds, one collision.
-Secrets: Lies unravel, past haunts, trust shatters.
-Intimacy: Power, healing, truths...
Found Family: Loyalty is earned, not inherited.
-Violence & Redemption: Break the cycle or bleed trying.
🧨TROPES EXPLODING EVERYWHERE:
-Mafia x Sex Worker
-Childhood lovers turned strangers turned camgirl x stalker sub
-Secret identity (yes, he’s that sub)
-Stalker -Catholic guilt, but make it kinky
-Found family > blood family
-Groveling. On. His. Knees.
-Photo booth nostalgia
-Daddy issues in olive oil form
-Enemies at Sunday Mass energy
-“I bought your club” but make it ✨low-key threatening✨
-Slut-shaming revenge arc but she's the one winning now
-He cuts off a finger for her. That’s love. Right??
-“He killed her father” (and he’s obsessed with her now, obviously)
-Voyeur kink. Camera. Red light. He watches. She knows. We combust.
-Grovel so good it hurts. Like “I’m kneeling with my hands bleeding, begging you to ruin me back.”
-“My body belongs to me but I’d still let you worship it” energy
-Good girl gone powerful. (And he’s feral for her dominance)
-Catholic guilt + mafia trauma +
Camgirl rage = elite spicy angst cuisine
-Holy metaphors during unholy acts (IYKYK)
-He’s her #1 OnlyFans subscriber. She doesn't know. Until she does. Then we all die.
-Trauma bonding done RIGHT.
-Found family is Queer & Chaotic. Protect them at all costs.
✍️Highlights
-Catholic guilt as foreplay? Check.
-Mafia dinners that feel like Greek tragedies? Check.
-The velvet club voyeur room scene? Should not be legal.
-Found family vibes from the roommates? Give Ryan and Taylor their own book.
Junior’s groveling? I wept...
‼️Lowlights -‼️“They say love survives time. I say: not when you ghost each other for years and reunite like horny strangers.”
So… this was supposed to be second chance romance, right? A reunion filled with years of buried history, aching regret, slow-burning fury, and tender what-ifs?
Instead, I got Second Chance: Who Are You Again? featuring two characters who acted like trauma bonding was foreplay and five minutes of reuniting erased five years of silence.
It’s giving:
🩸 “You left me bleeding in the dark.”
💋 “Cool, let’s make out in chapter two.”
Excuse me???
But here's the thing:
The execution fumbled. Instead of burning, it boiled over.
No slow sizzle. Just... insta-rage + insta-sex + insta-love = wait, what just happened? But Ohk! I get it, but it could have been better!
~Trigger warnings include: murder, stalking, Catholic guilt, kink negotiation, exhibitionism, mafia dinners, finger-severing, and the occasional wholesome aftercare.
✨ He sins for her. She heals for him. Together? They rewrite the rules.
💀 Love never looked this illegal.
🎥 And this time, it’s going live.
Bonus:☝🏻Mafia Love Language:
-Acts of service = taking a bullet for you
-Words of affirmation = “You’re mine. Forever.”
-Quality time = hiding bodies at midnight together
-Gift-giving = a villa in Sicily and your enemy’s severed pinky
-Physical touch = walls may be harmed in the making of this romance
🧾 Final Line Vibe Check
“She was the girl with the leak. He was the boy with the gun. They met again in a church, not to pray—but to resurrect.”
-FINAL RULING FROM THE DON aka
📚 Book Rating: ★★★☆☆¾ (2.75/5)
Sharp premise, but execution stumbles. The drama hits hard, but not always where it should.
🌶️ Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️½ (3.5/5)
A slow burn packed with heavy tension, possessiveness, and intense scenes that leave a mark—but not always evenly paced.
This book? A vendetta wrapped in velvet.It’s dark. It's devotional. It's deadly.It’s one of those books that’s easy to admire but hard to fully enjoy. Solid three stars. I read this in one go.It’s the kind of book that feels profound while you're reading it, but exhausting in some..Expect chaos. Expect ache. Expect obsession dressed in violence and velvet..
July 4, 2025
The writer's fantasies need updating! Junior should learn something fromJosh.
June 10, 2025
I was… wildly disappointed 🥲 I’m a bit regretful to have even used my audible credit on this. I pre ordered and immediately started once i woke up… only plus side was Teddy Hamilton narrating.
This was nOOOTHING like lights out- and not in the good way. I missed the way Josh made the book laughable but also cute/sexy. I missed the actual connection- I missed the cats lol
This just- it did not hit. How disappointing 😔 I wanted this so bad I’ve been impatiently waiting and this books smut did not do it for me- it actually felt a bit cringy. I feel like Navessa tried too hard here because of how lights out took off. Idk… no plot which can sometimes be good, but there was nothing that brought me in.
1.5 rounded to 2 stars.
This was nOOOTHING like lights out- and not in the good way. I missed the way Josh made the book laughable but also cute/sexy. I missed the actual connection- I missed the cats lol
This just- it did not hit. How disappointing 😔 I wanted this so bad I’ve been impatiently waiting and this books smut did not do it for me- it actually felt a bit cringy. I feel like Navessa tried too hard here because of how lights out took off. Idk… no plot which can sometimes be good, but there was nothing that brought me in.
1.5 rounded to 2 stars.
June 11, 2025
Had to DNF it at 65% just wasn’t for me and gave me the ick in a lot of different ways.
April 28, 2025
This made me so sad……
June 15, 2025
CAUGHT UP by Navessa Allen — A Dark, Dirty, Fun AF Time 💋🖤
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️💥 (3.5/5)
Mafia Men + Camgirls + Found Family Chaos = YES.
OKAY LISTEN UP.
This book? It didn’t just hit, it body-checked me into the kink club wall and whispered “you’re gonna love this.” AND I DID. If Lights Out was the flirty, chaotic bestie, Caught Up is her dark, broody cousin who shows up late, looks dangerous, and leaves you emotionally wrecked but weirdly grateful. 💀
THE VIBES?
🖤 Dark, yes. But not grim.
🥀 Spicy, but not just for the sake of spice.
🖤 Feral, but with FEELINGS.
🥀 Mafia men being emotionally constipated? ☑️
🖤 Camgirls with confidence and boundaries? ☑️
JUNIOR aka Nico Trocci
Walking red flag. Violent softie. Mafia heir with a stalking problem.
He’s been watching Lauren for years (👀yes, it’s creepy, we’re rolling with it)
AND GUESS WHAT?? He’s her top subscriber. She doesn’t know. Until she does.
And THEN we combust.
He's intense, haunted, obsessed—but also??? So vulnerable it hurts. He simps in a "I bought your sex club so I could protect you" way. You’ll be like “sir, therapy?” and also “sir… hello 👀”
LAUREN
Camgirl. Kink club queen.
Unapologetically hot and confident. She owns her sexuality like a weapon and never once wants saving. She’s the kind of heroine who heals without erasing her fire. She’s real, she’s funny, and she makes Junior beg. As she should.
THE SPICE?
WE LOVE AN UNHOLY CONFESSIONAL SCENE.
There’s tension for days, hot voyeur moments, subtle dominance, and actual emotional intimacy. Honestly, it’s the kind of book where the build-up is almost better than the act. Almost.
THINGS I LOVED:
🖤 Found family chaos (Taylor & Ryan?? I need a spinoff immediately)
🥀 Junior & Josh bromance? HAD ME GRINNING.
🖤 Healthy kink rep + sex positivity
🥀 Mafia dinners straight out of a Shakespeare tragedy
🖤 Genuinely hilarious side moments (pet drama, roommate shenanigans)
🥀 “He killed her dad but he's in love with her now” energy that somehow… works?
BUT OKAY…
This book wasn’t perfect. The second chance arc felt a lil rushed. Like dude, you ghosted her for 10 years and we’re cool again in chapter 3?? 😬 I wanted a bit more grovel. More ache. MORE DRAMA.
Also: not as laugh-out-loud funny as Lights Out. This one’s hotter, darker, more obsessive, but if you’re coming in expecting Josh-level chaos? Lower that bar, bestie.
AUDIO NOTE:
Teddy Hamilton + Kaci Hollowell?
Elite combo. Chemistry was CHEMISTRY-ing. I binged the audiobook like I was possessed.
🖤 Mafia Romance
🥀 Stalker Romance
🖤 Camgirl Romance
🥀 Morally Gray Hero
🖤 Second Chance Romance
🥀 Found Family
🖤 Kink/BDSM
🥀 Protective, Possessive & Obsessive MMC
🖤 Opposites Attract
FINAL THOUGHTS 🖤
Caught Up gave me mafia mess, found family love, kinky chaos, and a morally gray simp king who said “I’m yours” with his whole chest. It’s not cute. It’s not clean.
It’s dirty, intense, feral—and I couldn’t look away.
Was it better than Lights Out? For me… yes.
Different vibe, but it ate.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️💥 (3.5/5)
Mafia Men + Camgirls + Found Family Chaos = YES.
OKAY LISTEN UP.
This book? It didn’t just hit, it body-checked me into the kink club wall and whispered “you’re gonna love this.” AND I DID. If Lights Out was the flirty, chaotic bestie, Caught Up is her dark, broody cousin who shows up late, looks dangerous, and leaves you emotionally wrecked but weirdly grateful. 💀
THE VIBES?
🖤 Dark, yes. But not grim.
🥀 Spicy, but not just for the sake of spice.
🖤 Feral, but with FEELINGS.
🥀 Mafia men being emotionally constipated? ☑️
🖤 Camgirls with confidence and boundaries? ☑️
JUNIOR aka Nico Trocci
Walking red flag. Violent softie. Mafia heir with a stalking problem.
He’s been watching Lauren for years (👀yes, it’s creepy, we’re rolling with it)
AND GUESS WHAT?? He’s her top subscriber. She doesn’t know. Until she does.
And THEN we combust.
He's intense, haunted, obsessed—but also??? So vulnerable it hurts. He simps in a "I bought your sex club so I could protect you" way. You’ll be like “sir, therapy?” and also “sir… hello 👀”
LAUREN
Camgirl. Kink club queen.
Unapologetically hot and confident. She owns her sexuality like a weapon and never once wants saving. She’s the kind of heroine who heals without erasing her fire. She’s real, she’s funny, and she makes Junior beg. As she should.
THE SPICE?
WE LOVE AN UNHOLY CONFESSIONAL SCENE.
There’s tension for days, hot voyeur moments, subtle dominance, and actual emotional intimacy. Honestly, it’s the kind of book where the build-up is almost better than the act. Almost.
THINGS I LOVED:
🖤 Found family chaos (Taylor & Ryan?? I need a spinoff immediately)
🥀 Junior & Josh bromance? HAD ME GRINNING.
🖤 Healthy kink rep + sex positivity
🥀 Mafia dinners straight out of a Shakespeare tragedy
🖤 Genuinely hilarious side moments (pet drama, roommate shenanigans)
🥀 “He killed her dad but he's in love with her now” energy that somehow… works?
BUT OKAY…
This book wasn’t perfect. The second chance arc felt a lil rushed. Like dude, you ghosted her for 10 years and we’re cool again in chapter 3?? 😬 I wanted a bit more grovel. More ache. MORE DRAMA.
Also: not as laugh-out-loud funny as Lights Out. This one’s hotter, darker, more obsessive, but if you’re coming in expecting Josh-level chaos? Lower that bar, bestie.
AUDIO NOTE:
Teddy Hamilton + Kaci Hollowell?
Elite combo. Chemistry was CHEMISTRY-ing. I binged the audiobook like I was possessed.
🖤 Mafia Romance
🥀 Stalker Romance
🖤 Camgirl Romance
🥀 Morally Gray Hero
🖤 Second Chance Romance
🥀 Found Family
🖤 Kink/BDSM
🥀 Protective, Possessive & Obsessive MMC
🖤 Opposites Attract
FINAL THOUGHTS 🖤
Caught Up gave me mafia mess, found family love, kinky chaos, and a morally gray simp king who said “I’m yours” with his whole chest. It’s not cute. It’s not clean.
It’s dirty, intense, feral—and I couldn’t look away.
Was it better than Lights Out? For me… yes.
Different vibe, but it ate.
August 4, 2025
“He’s ruthless; a walking red flag. Good thing red is my favorite color.”
So listen. I went into Caught Up expecting to have my emotional stability destroyed, just like Lights Out. Instead, I got the literary equivalent of a “you up?” text, hot enough to make me consider it, messy enough to regret it, and just unsatisfying enough to pretend I didn’t reply.
Don’t get me wrong, the trademark sass, steam, and “I don’t need a man but watch me ruin him” energy was alive and well. The dialogue? Snappy. The chemistry? Scorching. The plot? Somewhere, I think. Possibly stuck in traffic. It showed up eventually, looking a little dazed but still cute.
Despite all of this, do I still endorse? Absolutely. Even if it didn’t hit quite as hard as Lights Out, it still had most of the things I loved last time. Bold characters, sharp dialogue, and just the right amount of slow burn chaos.
I Recommend.
So listen. I went into Caught Up expecting to have my emotional stability destroyed, just like Lights Out. Instead, I got the literary equivalent of a “you up?” text, hot enough to make me consider it, messy enough to regret it, and just unsatisfying enough to pretend I didn’t reply.
Don’t get me wrong, the trademark sass, steam, and “I don’t need a man but watch me ruin him” energy was alive and well. The dialogue? Snappy. The chemistry? Scorching. The plot? Somewhere, I think. Possibly stuck in traffic. It showed up eventually, looking a little dazed but still cute.
Despite all of this, do I still endorse? Absolutely. Even if it didn’t hit quite as hard as Lights Out, it still had most of the things I loved last time. Bold characters, sharp dialogue, and just the right amount of slow burn chaos.
I Recommend.
June 10, 2025
Damn dude. I was promised (maybe just by the cover) a motorcycle boy and got a piss-poor mafia boy instead. It gave a mix of Neon Gods and try-hard, lands-short mafia romance. Lauren is a moron. Nico is just not charming at all. Where's the bike stuff outside of just saying he looks hot in gear? Why even put a helmet on the cover? Teddy Hamilton also did a pretty sub-par read- an accent is mentioned a couple of times by the FMC but one was not provided at all.
None of the kinks do it for me but that is not factored into my rating. Not here to yuck yums but it was a part of why there wasn't very much connection. It's a major let down for me. But certainly has to be someone's fave. Boo.
None of the kinks do it for me but that is not factored into my rating. Not here to yuck yums but it was a part of why there wasn't very much connection. It's a major let down for me. But certainly has to be someone's fave. Boo.
November 30, 2024
3.5 stars.
First things first, obviously it was not Jacob Morgan, alas. 😂 Teddy Hamilton is a solid choice of narrator though, and Kasi Hollowell also does a great job as Lauren, along with Jason June as Lauren's non-binary roommate, Ryan. Also, not gonna lie, I did hold out hope that maybe Jacob and Elena would guest as Josh and Aly, but I guess that kind of arrangement is difficult to sort out? It would have been great though, haha.
Caught Up is a solid enough sequel to Lights Out, but I wish the plot had been stronger. The mafia/mob side of the story wasn't as high stakes as I would have liked, and the plot mostly consisted of Lauren and Junior having a lot of sex. Which is fun and all, but I wanted a bit more tension and drama. And more funny parts, but Junior was a fairly serious character (compared to Josh in Lights Out, heh), so his chapters weren't as fun. I loved Lauren's advocacy for sex workers though and how her job as a spicy content creator meant she introduced Junior to a lot of things (hellooo, play club and voyeurism kink 😏). Also Lauren, Ryan and Taylor had the best roommate situation going on! So fun. 😄
Caught Up doesn't have as much reread potential for me as Lights Out, but I probably will reread before book three. I'm very intrigued to see how Navessa Allen handles that particular character's story!
———
What if... Jacob Morgan is brought back as a narrator again but does an Italian accent this time (à la Dante Russo) 👀👀👀
First things first, obviously it was not Jacob Morgan, alas. 😂 Teddy Hamilton is a solid choice of narrator though, and Kasi Hollowell also does a great job as Lauren, along with Jason June as Lauren's non-binary roommate, Ryan. Also, not gonna lie, I did hold out hope that maybe Jacob and Elena would guest as Josh and Aly, but I guess that kind of arrangement is difficult to sort out? It would have been great though, haha.
Caught Up is a solid enough sequel to Lights Out, but I wish the plot had been stronger. The mafia/mob side of the story wasn't as high stakes as I would have liked, and the plot mostly consisted of Lauren and Junior having a lot of sex. Which is fun and all, but I wanted a bit more tension and drama. And more funny parts, but Junior was a fairly serious character (compared to Josh in Lights Out, heh), so his chapters weren't as fun. I loved Lauren's advocacy for sex workers though and how her job as a spicy content creator meant she introduced Junior to a lot of things (hellooo, play club and voyeurism kink 😏). Also Lauren, Ryan and Taylor had the best roommate situation going on! So fun. 😄
Caught Up doesn't have as much reread potential for me as Lights Out, but I probably will reread before book three. I'm very intrigued to see how Navessa Allen handles that particular character's story!
———
What if... Jacob Morgan is brought back as a narrator again but does an Italian accent this time (à la Dante Russo) 👀👀👀
June 27, 2025
No. Nope. Absolutely not!
I tried—I really did—but this relationship dynamic just didn’t work for me at all! Junior was downright insufferable, and honestly, I couldn’t stand him. He’s arrogant, emotionally volatile, and so far from the kind of dark romance hero I can root for. After being swept away by the spicy yet unexpectedly sweet chemistry between Aly and Josh in the first book, I had high hopes for this sequel. Unfortunately, Nico (a.k.a. Junior) and Laureen’s relationship was nothing short of toxic and exhausting. Their connection wasn’t even hot—it just felt chaotic, immature, and frankly, a little uncomfortable.
Like some other readers, I’ll admit the only reason I’m giving this more than one star is because of the cameos from Josh and Aly, who remain the shining lights of this series. Their presence brought some much-needed charm and balance to an otherwise frustrating read.
It pains me to give this just two stars, especially since the first book had such promise, and this one even landed on the New York Times Best Seller list! I really wanted to love it—but the characters, the dynamics, and the overwhelming toxicity just didn’t do it for me.
Here’s hoping the final book in the trilogy brings back that spark—with less psychological warfare and more of the emotionally complex, steamy love story that hooked me in the beginning.
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I tried—I really did—but this relationship dynamic just didn’t work for me at all! Junior was downright insufferable, and honestly, I couldn’t stand him. He’s arrogant, emotionally volatile, and so far from the kind of dark romance hero I can root for. After being swept away by the spicy yet unexpectedly sweet chemistry between Aly and Josh in the first book, I had high hopes for this sequel. Unfortunately, Nico (a.k.a. Junior) and Laureen’s relationship was nothing short of toxic and exhausting. Their connection wasn’t even hot—it just felt chaotic, immature, and frankly, a little uncomfortable.
Like some other readers, I’ll admit the only reason I’m giving this more than one star is because of the cameos from Josh and Aly, who remain the shining lights of this series. Their presence brought some much-needed charm and balance to an otherwise frustrating read.
It pains me to give this just two stars, especially since the first book had such promise, and this one even landed on the New York Times Best Seller list! I really wanted to love it—but the characters, the dynamics, and the overwhelming toxicity just didn’t do it for me.
Here’s hoping the final book in the trilogy brings back that spark—with less psychological warfare and more of the emotionally complex, steamy love story that hooked me in the beginning.
medium.com
June 10, 2025
This book was definitely darker, steamier and way more serious than Lights Out. Same universe, same intense obsession vibes but completely different execution. It wasn’t funny or playful like the first one, which really surprised me. I didn’t laugh once. Lights out had me side eye smiling and laughing, but this one felt heavier. The emotional weight was there, but it lacked the unhinged charm that made book one such a fun ride.
Junior’s obsession with Lauren spans over a decade, but it felt more like a very dedicated google calendar reminder than a full blown psychotic fixation. In Lights Out, the stalking was so over the top it almost felt satirical. Here, it’s slower, quieter, and more calculated and that took away some of the intensity for me. I still liked watching his internal struggle, though. He’s a walking red flag with a messed up moral compass, but there’s something compelling about how he justifies it all to himself.
Lauren was an interesting character confident, bold, and in control of her sexuality in a way that didn’t feel forced. I liked her a lot, but I didn’t always feel the connection between them. Their chemistry was there, but it leaned more physical than emotional for most of the book. Also… the play club scenes and voyeurism? Not my cup of tea the orgies were a lot.
Overall though, the writing was solid and the pacing kept me hooked. If you’re looking for a darker, kink-heavy romance with obsessive undertones and no comic relief, this delivers. It just wasn’t the chaotic, borderline satirical stalker romance that Lights Out was. still worth the read just go in knowing it’s a mood shift.
Buddy read with Brooke make sure to go check out her review as well! <3
Junior’s obsession with Lauren spans over a decade, but it felt more like a very dedicated google calendar reminder than a full blown psychotic fixation. In Lights Out, the stalking was so over the top it almost felt satirical. Here, it’s slower, quieter, and more calculated and that took away some of the intensity for me. I still liked watching his internal struggle, though. He’s a walking red flag with a messed up moral compass, but there’s something compelling about how he justifies it all to himself.
Lauren was an interesting character confident, bold, and in control of her sexuality in a way that didn’t feel forced. I liked her a lot, but I didn’t always feel the connection between them. Their chemistry was there, but it leaned more physical than emotional for most of the book. Also… the play club scenes and voyeurism? Not my cup of tea the orgies were a lot.
Overall though, the writing was solid and the pacing kept me hooked. If you’re looking for a darker, kink-heavy romance with obsessive undertones and no comic relief, this delivers. It just wasn’t the chaotic, borderline satirical stalker romance that Lights Out was. still worth the read just go in knowing it’s a mood shift.
Buddy read with Brooke make sure to go check out her review as well! <3
March 1, 2025
2 words… F*CK YES
I offered up my own body parts to get this arc.. 100% worth it. I might perish as a result, but I will die happy knowing I at least got to read this before I expired.
I offered up my own body parts to get this arc.. 100% worth it. I might perish as a result, but I will die happy knowing I at least got to read this before I expired.
January 25, 2026
3.5 ⭐️ I didn’t love this the way I loved Lights Out, but I still had a good time with it.
🖤 The Premise
Nico “Junior” Trocci is a mob heir who wants out—of his father, the life, and most of all the damage he did to Lauren Marchetti, the girl whose heart he shattered ten years ago.
Lauren is no longer the shy, bookish girl Junior walked away from. She’s a confident camgirl, sex-work advocate, part-owner of a local play club, and a woman with firm boundaries and zero tolerance for men who can’t handle her.
What she doesn’t know?
Her most devoted subscriber—the one who’s adored her through a screen for years and spent thousands—is Junior himself.
🐾 My Thoughts
This book is much heavier than the first. The dark-comedy chaos is mostly gone, replaced by guilt, fixation, and intensity.
Junior’s obsession with Lauren is quiet and slow-burning. His stalking isn’t flashy or feral—it’s controlled and deliberate.
Even though I wanted more chaos, Junior’s emotional security made up for it. He supports Lauren without hesitation and never tries to dim her shine. Kneeling? On his knees? Yes.
Lauren is bold and fully in control of her sexuality. I loved the sex-positive rep, her confidence, and the way she takes the lead in introducing Junior to new kinks.
That said, their history does a lot of the emotional heavy lifting.
They had a brief teenage relationship that ended badly, followed by years of Junior watching from afar. While I enjoyed the devotion and protectiveness, I wasn’t always convinced by their connection in the present. The attraction was strong, but I wanted more grovel—and more payoff—to make their bond feel fully earned.
For a mafia romance, the stakes were surprisingly low. The mob element stays mostly in the background, and whenever things could’ve gone darker or messier, the story played it safe.
The found family moments were a highlight—Walter included. Nonna was hilarious, and seeing Aly, Josh, and Fred again made my heart happy. I also really liked the Trocci brothers, especially Alec.
🥀 Final Take
A kink-heavy, obsessive second-chance romance with intense vibes and very little humor.
It didn’t give me kick-my-feet excitement, but I still enjoyed the ride. The duet narration by Teddy Hamilton and Kasi Hollowell helped a lot, and I’m definitely excited for Tyler’s story.
Tropes / What to Expect
💌Second Chance
♠️Mafia Romance
🔒Obsessive / Protective MMC
🩶Morally Gray MMC
🎥Camgirl FMC
🏡Found Family
🌶️ Voyeurism, Exhibitionism, Spanking,
Public Sex, Breath Play, Fear Play,
Primal Play, Bondage
Into Darkness Series
1. Lights Out — 4.5 ⭐️ My review
2. Caught Up — 3.5 ⭐️
3. Game On — TBR
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
✧･ﾟ Pre-Read ･ﾟ✧
starting book two
we’ll see how this goes 🫣
🖤 The Premise
Nico “Junior” Trocci is a mob heir who wants out—of his father, the life, and most of all the damage he did to Lauren Marchetti, the girl whose heart he shattered ten years ago.
Lauren is no longer the shy, bookish girl Junior walked away from. She’s a confident camgirl, sex-work advocate, part-owner of a local play club, and a woman with firm boundaries and zero tolerance for men who can’t handle her.
What she doesn’t know?
Her most devoted subscriber—the one who’s adored her through a screen for years and spent thousands—is Junior himself.
🐾 My Thoughts
“I cared about her so much that I'd broken both our hearts to keep her safe.”
This book is much heavier than the first. The dark-comedy chaos is mostly gone, replaced by guilt, fixation, and intensity.
Junior’s obsession with Lauren is quiet and slow-burning. His stalking isn’t flashy or feral—it’s controlled and deliberate.
“I don't want to clip your wings, Lo. I want to see you fly.”
Even though I wanted more chaos, Junior’s emotional security made up for it. He supports Lauren without hesitation and never tries to dim her shine. Kneeling? On his knees? Yes.
“Don't boss me around or I'll come.”
Lauren is bold and fully in control of her sexuality. I loved the sex-positive rep, her confidence, and the way she takes the lead in introducing Junior to new kinks.
That said, their history does a lot of the emotional heavy lifting.
They had a brief teenage relationship that ended badly, followed by years of Junior watching from afar. While I enjoyed the devotion and protectiveness, I wasn’t always convinced by their connection in the present. The attraction was strong, but I wanted more grovel—and more payoff—to make their bond feel fully earned.
For a mafia romance, the stakes were surprisingly low. The mob element stays mostly in the background, and whenever things could’ve gone darker or messier, the story played it safe.
The found family moments were a highlight—Walter included. Nonna was hilarious, and seeing Aly, Josh, and Fred again made my heart happy. I also really liked the Trocci brothers, especially Alec.
🥀 Final Take
“She was my match, my queen, and I would spend the rest of my life worshipping her like one if she let me.”
A kink-heavy, obsessive second-chance romance with intense vibes and very little humor.
It didn’t give me kick-my-feet excitement, but I still enjoyed the ride. The duet narration by Teddy Hamilton and Kasi Hollowell helped a lot, and I’m definitely excited for Tyler’s story.
Tropes / What to Expect
💌Second Chance
♠️Mafia Romance
🔒Obsessive / Protective MMC
🩶Morally Gray MMC
🎥Camgirl FMC
🏡Found Family
🌶️ Voyeurism, Exhibitionism, Spanking,
Public Sex, Breath Play, Fear Play,
Primal Play, Bondage
Into Darkness Series
1. Lights Out — 4.5 ⭐️ My review
2. Caught Up — 3.5 ⭐️
3. Game On — TBR
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
✧･ﾟ Pre-Read ･ﾟ✧
starting book two
we’ll see how this goes 🫣
June 10, 2025
—— 𝟑.𝟓 ☆ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬. 🏍️
❝𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒏, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕.❞
🎧┆𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐔𝐩 𝐛𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧
🏷️┆𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕜 ℝ𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖
📆┆𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝟞/𝟙𝟙/𝟚𝟝
⤷ buddy read with my girl ashlyn ♡ check out her review!
📋┆𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
「 “Nico 'Junior' Trocci knows Lauren Marchetti is off limits. She is sweetness and laughter, whereas Junior exists in a world of violence and depravity. Men like him don't get to have women like her. But when Junior looks Lauren up online, he discovers the shy, bookish girl he remembers is gone. In her place is a strikingly beautiful woman whose social media is filled with scantily clad pictures of herself and a connection to a nearby play club. Junior's innocent curiosity quickly turns into a dark obsession. But watching Lauren from a distance isn't enough; he needs to make her his.” 」
❝𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, 𝑳𝒐. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒍𝒚.❞
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
❝𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒑𝒔, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝑰𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒆𝒏, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒕.❞
ᴍʏ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ★★★½
ɢᴏᴏᴅʀᴇᴀᴅꜱ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: 𝟺.𝟷𝟸 ☆ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ
ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
ᴘᴀɪʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ: ᴀɴ ɪᴛᴀʟɪᴀɴ ꜱᴜʙ 🥖
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: 📻 ᴜɴʜᴏʟʏ ♪ ꜱᴀᴍ ꜱᴍɪᴛʜ & ᴋɪᴍ ᴘᴇᴛʀᴀꜱ
ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ?: ꜱᴋɪᴘ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴏɴᴇ
ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
🏍️ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀꜰɪᴀ
📹 ʙɪᴋᴇʀ ʜᴇʟᴍᴇᴛꜱ
🏍️ ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇ ᴘᴏᴠꜱ
📹 ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ʜᴇʀ & ᴅɪᴇ
🏍️ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʜᴏᴏᴅ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ
📹 ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
⚠️TW: sexually explicit discussion/scenes, murder, stalking, violence, gore (brief), light BDSM, public sex, voyeurism, exhibitionism, fear play, primal pray, bondage, sex work.
❝𝑰 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍. 𝑰𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒈𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆.
𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒏𝒖𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖.” 𝑰 𝒎𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅. 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚.
𝑱𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒓’𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅.
“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒆, 𝑳𝒐?” ❞
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
💬┆𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
• I really thought I was going to love this one more because of how much I loved Lights Out, but the vibes just weren’t there. 😕 It wasn’t a bad book. I still had a good time with it, especially hearing Teddy Hamilton’s sexy voice on the audiobook. But it didn’t give me that giddy, feet kicking feeling that Lights Out did. It was lacking something.
• Junior & Lauren were so dull. No personalities other than sex & the mafia. Their relationship had no humor. No laughter. No chemistry. It was too serious & I felt like it all came down to lust. I did appreciate Junior supporting Lauren with her sex work/club. That’s secure king behavior right there.
• Growing up Catholic & being part Italian, I understood & related to their lives/backgrounds; going to Sunday Mass, the “Catholic Guilt”, the nosy Italian family. Am I an awful Catholic for loving the confessional booth scene? 🥵 Going straight to hell.
• My favorite parts of this book weren’t the scenes with the main couple, but instead all of the scenes where Josh & Aly made an appearance. My Shaylas 🥺
• Yeah so Voyeurism & orgies.. not my journey! But I will never yuck someone’s yum. That last chapter did absolutely nothing for me except make me cringe a little.
• Will I read the next book in the series? Yes.
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
❝”𝑫𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕, 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕?"
"𝑩𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆."
"𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆."❞
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
🔪 𝙻𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝙾𝚞𝚝 (#𝟷) 𝟺.𝟽𝟻★
🏍️ 𝙲𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚄𝚙 (#𝟸) 𝟹.𝟻★
July 2, 2025
welcome to another episode of "is it true love or could it just be lust?" idk bc I skimmed lmao 🤡🌚
February 11, 2026
1 STAR😑
I don’t even know where to begin with this because WHAT. WAS. THIS. 😭 I went into this expecting a dark romance, and not even a mild one—I was fully ready for obsession, chaos, morally grey choices, all of it. I can handle toxic men. I can even love toxic men. But this? This wasn’t dark romance in the addictive, messy, “I can’t look away” kind of way. This was exhausting, uncomfortable, and somehow… painfully boring. And that is honestly the worst crime of all. 🫠
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ The Premise (aka the biggest betrayal) ✧
On paper, this book had EVERYTHING going for it. A morally grey man. An off-limits obsession. A second chance dynamic. Dark, dangerous vibes. It should have been irresistible. It should have been intense. It should have had me hooked from page one.
Instead, it felt like nothing ever truly landed. There was no emotional weight, no buildup, no depth to make any of it matter. It just floated there—scene after scene—with no real impact. I kept waiting for something to click, for the story to finally become what it promised. But it never did. 😭
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ Nico “Junior” — I CANNOT ✧
I have defended some truly unhinged fictional men in my time. I have read characters who are objectively terrible and still found something compelling in them. Junior, however, tested my patience like nothing else.
He wasn’t layered or complex—he was just frustrating. Arrogant in a way that wasn’t charismatic. Emotionally volatile without any real depth behind it. And the constant repetition of his trauma, especially the “my father” excuse, became so exhausting to read that it started to feel like a loop rather than character development.
There’s a difference between a broken man who grows on you and a character who just stays stagnant and irritating. Junior never crossed that line for me. He didn’t intrigue me, didn’t make me feel anything—except annoyance. 😭
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ Lauren — girl… please ✧
I wanted to connect with Lauren. I really did. But she felt so underdeveloped that it was hard to latch onto anything about her. She didn’t feel like a fully formed character with her own emotional depth—she just existed within the story without leaving any real impact.
Because of that, the relationship also suffered. I couldn’t understand her pull toward Junior, couldn’t feel her emotions, couldn’t root for her decisions. Everything between them felt surface-level, and without a strong emotional anchor from her side, the story just fell flat. 🫠
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ The Romance (if we can call it that) ✧
This is where the book completely lost me. Because I genuinely struggled to see the romance.
There was obsession, yes. There was attraction, yes. But there was no emotional intimacy, no meaningful connection, no foundation strong enough to support a second chance love story. Their past didn’t feel significant enough, and their present interactions didn’t build anything new.
It felt chaotic and immature rather than intense. Instead of tension, there was just noise. Instead of longing, there was confusion. And instead of chemistry, there was… nothing. 😭
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ The Writing & Plot ✧
I kept waiting for the story to deepen—for more backstory, more emotional exploration, more insight into why these characters are the way they are. But everything stayed frustratingly shallow.
Some parts dragged endlessly, while others rushed through moments that could have actually mattered. And despite being labeled as a dark romance, the plot somehow managed to feel… dull. Which is honestly shocking, because this genre should be anything but boring.
But here, it was. Over and over again. 🫠
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ The Only Saving Grace ✧
Josh and Aly. That’s it.😭😭😭😭😭
Every time they appeared, it felt like a breath of fresh air—like suddenly the story remembered how to have charm, chemistry, and actual emotional connection. Their presence reminded me of what this series could have been, and honestly, they carried whatever small enjoyment I got from this book. 😭
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ Final Thoughts ✧
This book had so much potential. The tropes, the premise, the setup—it could have been something intense and unforgettable. But instead, it ended up feeling hollow, repetitive, and emotionally disconnected.
And worst of all… it was boring. Not even chaotic enough to be entertaining—just draining to get through.
This wasn’t the kind of dark romance that makes you question your morals in a thrilling way. It was the kind that makes you question why you’re still reading. 🫠
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ Rating ✧
1 ⭐
(This is only for Josh & Aly because they deserved better than being stuck in this mess 😭)
At the end of the day, this book didn’t leave me heartbroken or obsessed…
just tired. 🖤
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
⋆⭒˚.⋆ pre-read ⋆⭒˚.⋆
Just here for a good laugh and pure entertainment😂🙂↕️🤸🏻♀️
I don’t even know where to begin with this because WHAT. WAS. THIS. 😭 I went into this expecting a dark romance, and not even a mild one—I was fully ready for obsession, chaos, morally grey choices, all of it. I can handle toxic men. I can even love toxic men. But this? This wasn’t dark romance in the addictive, messy, “I can’t look away” kind of way. This was exhausting, uncomfortable, and somehow… painfully boring. And that is honestly the worst crime of all. 🫠
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ The Premise (aka the biggest betrayal) ✧
On paper, this book had EVERYTHING going for it. A morally grey man. An off-limits obsession. A second chance dynamic. Dark, dangerous vibes. It should have been irresistible. It should have been intense. It should have had me hooked from page one.
Instead, it felt like nothing ever truly landed. There was no emotional weight, no buildup, no depth to make any of it matter. It just floated there—scene after scene—with no real impact. I kept waiting for something to click, for the story to finally become what it promised. But it never did. 😭
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ Nico “Junior” — I CANNOT ✧
I have defended some truly unhinged fictional men in my time. I have read characters who are objectively terrible and still found something compelling in them. Junior, however, tested my patience like nothing else.
He wasn’t layered or complex—he was just frustrating. Arrogant in a way that wasn’t charismatic. Emotionally volatile without any real depth behind it. And the constant repetition of his trauma, especially the “my father” excuse, became so exhausting to read that it started to feel like a loop rather than character development.
There’s a difference between a broken man who grows on you and a character who just stays stagnant and irritating. Junior never crossed that line for me. He didn’t intrigue me, didn’t make me feel anything—except annoyance. 😭
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ Lauren — girl… please ✧
I wanted to connect with Lauren. I really did. But she felt so underdeveloped that it was hard to latch onto anything about her. She didn’t feel like a fully formed character with her own emotional depth—she just existed within the story without leaving any real impact.
Because of that, the relationship also suffered. I couldn’t understand her pull toward Junior, couldn’t feel her emotions, couldn’t root for her decisions. Everything between them felt surface-level, and without a strong emotional anchor from her side, the story just fell flat. 🫠
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ The Romance (if we can call it that) ✧
This is where the book completely lost me. Because I genuinely struggled to see the romance.
There was obsession, yes. There was attraction, yes. But there was no emotional intimacy, no meaningful connection, no foundation strong enough to support a second chance love story. Their past didn’t feel significant enough, and their present interactions didn’t build anything new.
It felt chaotic and immature rather than intense. Instead of tension, there was just noise. Instead of longing, there was confusion. And instead of chemistry, there was… nothing. 😭
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ The Writing & Plot ✧
I kept waiting for the story to deepen—for more backstory, more emotional exploration, more insight into why these characters are the way they are. But everything stayed frustratingly shallow.
Some parts dragged endlessly, while others rushed through moments that could have actually mattered. And despite being labeled as a dark romance, the plot somehow managed to feel… dull. Which is honestly shocking, because this genre should be anything but boring.
But here, it was. Over and over again. 🫠
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ The Only Saving Grace ✧
Josh and Aly. That’s it.😭😭😭😭😭
Every time they appeared, it felt like a breath of fresh air—like suddenly the story remembered how to have charm, chemistry, and actual emotional connection. Their presence reminded me of what this series could have been, and honestly, they carried whatever small enjoyment I got from this book. 😭
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ Final Thoughts ✧
This book had so much potential. The tropes, the premise, the setup—it could have been something intense and unforgettable. But instead, it ended up feeling hollow, repetitive, and emotionally disconnected.
And worst of all… it was boring. Not even chaotic enough to be entertaining—just draining to get through.
This wasn’t the kind of dark romance that makes you question your morals in a thrilling way. It was the kind that makes you question why you’re still reading. 🫠
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
✧ Rating ✧
1 ⭐
(This is only for Josh & Aly because they deserved better than being stuck in this mess 😭)
At the end of the day, this book didn’t leave me heartbroken or obsessed…
just tired. 🖤
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
⋆⭒˚.⋆ pre-read ⋆⭒˚.⋆
Just here for a good laugh and pure entertainment😂🙂↕️🤸🏻♀️
June 25, 2025
Never before had i wanted a 2x + option for an audio- until now.
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