This was a pulse racing follow up to one of my all time favorite books, Lights Out. I hope you are hydrated before reading this because it is SPICY. Navessa Allen never disappoints & I am biting my nails with anticipation for her next book.

I really loved this book! Lauren and Junior were perfect for each other and I loved getting to know Junior more after meeting him in Lights Out. There was a great balance between plot and spice and the spices scenes were on point!

Rating ⭐️: 4/5
Spice 🌶️: 3/5
Dual POV

🖤 Dark romance
🖤 Dark romance-com
🖤 Second chance
🖤 Mask kink
🖤 Touch her & 💀
🖤 St@lker
🖤 Morally grey MMC

Thank you to Navessa Allen, Slowburn, Zando, and NetGalley for the arc.

Navessa Allen does it again! The queen of comedic dark romance delivers another addictive, drama-filled ride packed with tension, fast-paced action, and all the SPICE. While this installment feels a little different from the first, it’s still wildly entertaining and impossible to put down. Give me a DARK morally gray second chance romance any day! Thank you Zando for the advanced earc!

I enjoy Navessa Allen’s writing so much - she can write some spice.

I truly loved *Lights Out* which was one of the first dark romance books I’ve read. It’s not a genre I’ve read much of but I’ll definitely read anything Allen writes. *Caught Up* was just as fun, intense, and sexy as the first. I loved learning more about the sex work industry and the conversation around making it more safe and understood. And, of course, the dark underbelly of the Mafia that Junior is in was fun to glimpse.

I didn’t connect as much to these characters. I found many of the decisions both of them made confusing and infuriating and didn’t really feel like it progressed in a way that made sense to me. However, that’s not to say that the characters (and their relationship) were unlikable. I still enjoyed the roller coaster they took me on.

I can’t wait to see what is next in this series.

I loved Lights Out so much and loved the cameos of those characters in this book. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the main characters like I was in the last book but I still loved it and them and loved the character development!

If you’ve been following The Into Darkness Trilogy by Navessa Allen, then you already know—this series is not for the faint of heart. And Caught Up, book two, takes everything you loved about Lights Out and cranks the intensity all the way up. This is a second-chance, stalker romance that blends kink, raw vulnerability, and found family into a story you won’t be able to put down.

Lauren Marchetti is one of my favorite kinds of romance heroines—strong, unapologetic, and living life on her own terms. She’s a sex worker who isn’t here for anyone’s judgment. She uses her voice and her position to protect others in the industry, while keeping toxic family drama firmly at arm’s length.

But Lauren’s carefully built walls get tested when Nico “Junior” Trocci walks back into her life.

Junior isn’t just an alpha, morally-grey hero—he’s the man obsessed with Lauren. Years ago, he broke her heart, convinced his violent, mafia-tinged world should never mix with her light. But now? He’s older, more dangerous, and more determined than ever. He’s trying to cut himself free from his father’s control, but his obsession with Lauren burns hotter with every chapter. And the way he protects her, even from the shadows? Perfection.

The chemistry between Lauren and Junior is combustible, but what really elevates Caught Up is the depth. There’s an incredible supporting cast that makes the world feel full and real—friends who become family, people who challenge and support both main characters, and dynamics that make you root for more than just the romance.

And I have to talk about the audiobook. Teddy Hamilton, Kasi Hollowell, and Jason June deliver a performance so immersive, you feel every heartbeat, every sharp inhale, every whispered threat. Teddy’s growly, possessive Junior is perfection, and Kasi brings Lauren’s strength and sensuality to life with absolute finesse.

This is a romance that’s voyeuristic, kink-friendly, and unapologetically steamy—but it’s also layered with emotional beats, redemption arcs, and a genuine love story. If you’re here for stalker romance, “he falls first” obsession, and the delicious touch her and die energy, Caught Up will leave you just as hooked as Junior is on Lauren.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me and I DNF'd it. I didn't love the set up of the book and didn't feel any connection between the main characters.

4.25 ⭐️ I read this book in February, and I still think about the confessional booth scene. 😏🤭

While Lights Out was funnier and lighter, Caught Up was much more emotional and had more depth because of the second chance romance. Now, the spicy scenes... Prepare yourself, because wow! I WAS EATING IT UP!

I already can't wait to re-read this on audio!

- dark romance
- "i remember everything about you"
- mmc has mafia ties
- fmc has an "onlyfans"
- possessive mmc
- second chance
- stalker romance

I went into Caught Up hoping for the same chaotic, sharp-edged fun that made Lights Out such a blast—parodying dark romance tropes, delivering snark, and giving us main characters who could hold their own. Instead, this felt like it took every single thing Lights Out made fun of… and played it straight.

Lauren and Nico (or Junior, depending on the POV) just didn’t have the spark. The “second chance” premise doesn’t land when their first go-round was barely a two-week fling over a decade ago. Why has he been obsessed with her for ten years? Flashbacks, shared history, something to make it believable would’ve gone a long way. Instead, we just get insta-rekindled lust and a whole lot of sex scenes—many of which felt wedged in for the sake of spice rather than story. The heat was there, sure, but without emotional weight it got repetitive fast.

The humor that carried Lights Out is mostly MIA here. The comedic relief comes entirely from side characters (Aly and Josh’s cameo was the highlight, which tells you something) while the leads stay painfully unfunny. Lauren is anti-violence in a dark romance, which makes her reactions to basic genre beats awkward at best (“Why are you mad he stopped a drunk creep from attacking someone?!”). Nico wants to go legit and open a shop, which is fine, but it strips away the tension of the mafia setup. Even the biker aesthetic teased in the premise? Barely there. My delusional biker fantasy remains un-pandered to.

The plot does technically exist—a mystery around Lauren’s attacker and Nico’s brothers—but it’s basic, predictable, and takes a backseat to the endless hookup scenes. The awkward slang, contradictions in character behavior, and the general absence of charm made this a slog. I kept waiting for the book to wink at me the way Lights Out did, but it never did.

One extra star solely for the side characters, because they at least reminded me why I liked this series in the first place. Otherwise, this was all revved up with nowhere to go.

When the book was announced and the MMC was junior I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, mainly because I wanted Tyler (and I’m so glad he’s going to get his moment!) but also because he had zero sex appeal to me in book 1, but booooy was I wrong and I am happy to apologize to Navessa for ever doubting her!!! This book had so much spice, it was delicious. It also was very sex positive and had amazing queer representation. And of course since I love Tyler I cannot wait for book 3

Junior is a sweet precious baby and I will hear NO CRITICISM of him. He has spent years trying to make up for his mistakes when it comes to Lauren and he finally believes he has the chance to be with her for real. Lauren is an absolutely badass Sex positive QUEEN and is also not here for Junior’s bullshit. She has been hurt and is not here to let this man hurt her again. I adored their dynamic and seeing Junior not only get out from under his father’s thumb, but also discover the things he wants thanks to Lauren’s guidance. I loved getting to see little snippets of Josh and Aly as well as all the new side characters like Lauren’s roommates. I loved how this was a slower burn than book 1 in some ways and the tension between Junior and Lauren was off the charts. I cannot wait to read Tyler’s book!

This was the kind of book that makes you forget about everything else. The characters feel real and their connection is so believable it hurts a little in the best way. The dialogue is sharp, the tension builds naturally, and the emotional moments hit hard without being overdone. I wasn’t ready for it to end and can’t wait for more in the series.

Thank you so much to Zando Publishing for this gifted eARC! 🖤

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

🖤Caught Up
🔥by Navessa Allen
🖤out NOW!

I loved Lights Out so much and could not wait to get my hands on Caught Up! I was so beyond excited when I was graciously sent the eARC for this one and I didn’t have to wait to read it hehe!

Navessa Allen is the queen of comedic dark romance and combining a great mix of elements into her stories! While this one is different than the first installment, it was still so entertaining! Junior and Lauren have an interesting history, think second chance romance but make it dark! (iykyk) 🤭 who doesn’t love a morally gray MMC?

Filled with drama, tension, fast paced action and all the SPICE, this book will have you deeply invested from the first page!!! I loved reading this one and can’t wait to pick up what Navessa releases yet!!

Are you looking for a super 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ read! I have the book for you. This book is fire and it had me spinning!

Yes, I went down to my garden just to get a few peppers so I could make this post and these peppers (banana peppers) aren’t nearly as spicy as this gem!

😘Thank you @zandoprojects and @slowburn.reads for this delicious book!

Refer to my IG post
https://www.instagram.com/p/DML98-aAtC-/?igsh=NWF6ZXJhbWdlMmg4

I enjoyed this one! I loved lights out so much and was excited to read caught up! I didn’t know what to expect going into it but I really enjoyed the story! This book was definitely more emotional than lights out which I think fit well for the characters and overall story. They both had past trauma and it was nice seeing them work through that together. There were definitely fun and spicy moments too which I loved! But I think overall the tone of this book was heavier than lights out and it worked well for the characters! Thank you so much Navessa, Zando, and Slowburn Reads for an ARC! ♥️

The narration was fantastic! Duet style narration from Teddy Hamilton, Kasi Hollowell, and Jason June. I always love Teddy’s narration and he was so perfect for Junior! Loved Kasi and Jason’s narration too!

What to expect in Caught Up:
🔪 Dark RomCom
♥️ Second Chance
🔪 Masked Stalker
♥️ He Falls First
🔪 Morally Grey MMC
♥️ Found Family
🔪 Touch Her and D!e
♥️ Cam Girl FMC
🔪 Obsessed & Possessive MMC
♥️ K!nk Friendly
🔪 Emotional
♥️ Groveling
🔪 Online to IRL
♥️ Play Club K!nk
🔪 Dual POV
♥️ Duet Narration
✨ Check content warnings if you have any triggers

Did I like it? Sure. I just didn't love it.

Lights Out was a top favorite of mine and I tried to manage my expectations for this book. I didn't want to compare it to the first one and allow it to stand on its own. Which it did. I liked the story. I liked the characters. But it was also missing that special sauce that book one seemed to bring. I can't quite put my finger on what it was exactly, but it just didn't pull me in like the first book.

I enjoyed Lauren. I always love a sex positive FMC and I loved her sass and the way she made Junior work to get back into her good graces. I liked Junior too, but it wasn't the intense obsession I had with Josh. Maybe I'm just a bit over the TikTok reference? We had masktok in book one and bikertok in this one. It's cute, sure, but also couldn't help feeling like the story just relied on that schtick too much. It worked for book one, but I suppose this one just felt like it needed more.

The humor was there and so was the steam, but again it just didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped.

I do love a good second chance romance so the dynamic between Lauren and Junior was fun. I almost wish we got to see them a bit more in the past rather than seeing that unfold off the pages.

If you're looking for a fun and steamy read, this one will fit the bill. And while I didn't love it, I did still enjoy it and can't wait for the next one.

Navessa brings the heat again with Caught Up!

Lauren is an absolute queen in every sense of the word. She’s fierce, independent, and completely in tune with who she is. Especially when it comes to her sexuality. Honestly, I aspire to her level of confidence and self-awareness! Despite her sharp wit and hilarious nature, Lauren is also deeply grounded. She’s Nico’s anchor through his struggles with the mob and his complicated relationship with his father. A woman who can keep her man steady deserves to be worshipped and let’s just say Nico definitely gets that memo (wink wink). However, Nico fell flat for me and didn’t give me the good ol’ ✨razzle dazzle✨ that Josh gave us. I understand they are two completely different characters, but Nico lacked emotional depth and that signature humor we all know and love.

I was, however, thrilled to see cameos from Josh and Aly! I miss them constantly, so catching up with them felt like a breath of fresh air and brought a ton of happy giggles too. The supporting characters in this story are nothing short of hilarious. Every single one (main or side) adds something special, and in my opinion overshadows Nico’s bland demeanor.

A HUGE thanks to Navessa, the amazing team at Zando/Slowburn, and the NG crew for giving me early access to Caught Up.

🅲🅰🆄🅶🅷🆃 🆄🅿

I gobbled and swallowed this one up 🔥 Let's get right to it.

Junior- “Instead of spending my birthday out on the town, like I'd planned, I spent it down at the dock creating more nightmares for myself.”

Lauren- “I have learned the hard way that if you give people second chances, they'll only use them to hurt you more.”

Junior about Lauren - “She found her footing and made something of herself, grown into someone who didn't take shit from anyone. Her attempting to knee me in the balls and then threatening to face-tase my brother proved that.”

📹 Cam girl 
✝️ Church sex
📹 Mob MMC
✝️ Sex club 
📹 Second chance romance 
✝️ Hidden identity 
📹 Stalker 
✝️ “Run" 
📹 Masked man 
✝️ Banter
📹 Wealth
✝️ Praise
📹 Voyeurism 
✝️ Exhibitionism
📹 Tortured MMC

“Run, Lauren. Make it good for both of us." 

🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵

I never thought book two could be better than book one but OMG was I ever surprised!! This author continues to blow me away and ill eat up anything she puts out

This book was AMAZING! I thought there was so way to top the first one but I loved everything about it. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read!