This book went from “good girl” to “good boy” and I ate it up!!!!! I need to read everything Allie Oleander writes.

This book starts off with a bang, we immediately meet Claire who is preparing to leave for a month to spend some time with Shane Underwood a lawyer who offered to pay her 30k for 30 days and all she has to do is run around the woods and be hunted by him. Shane also happens to be her ex husbands boss. Things start to get really intense between Claire and Shane and the time is ticking since they only have 30 days and emotions are unraveling.

Willing prey is so much more than what you think it is it’s dark, emotional, action packed and there is exploration of kink and by the time the story ends you really care about both characters. I loved that both Shane and Claire were way older. We see Shane really open up to Claire and Claire becoming more confident and not afraid to start over after leaving her husband.

Thank you Berkeley for the e-arc

Is it hot in here or just me? Phew. Kind of makes me want to take up running again. IYKYK. Run, run as fast as you can...you may catch me if that's your plan.

Willing Prey
Allie Oleander
Pub: 10/7

Thank you @berkleyromance for the free book! #BerkleyPartner #Berkley BerkleyBookstagram

Divorced and buried in student loan debt, Claire Collins eagerly enters a spicy business agreement with an acquaintance who wants to explore his primal desires. The deal is simple: thirty days as his sexual prey, $30,000 in her bank account. All she has to do is give Shane Underwood the hunt of his life.

Claire’s a physical education teacher and perfectly happy to spend her summer having wild, kinky sex instead of working her usual serving job. But once they cross the tree line, she realizes how little she knows about the corporate lawyer paying her to be his prey.

Shane is different in the woods. Brutal. Devastating. Feral.

That’s okay with Claire—she is, too. And she’s sinking her teeth a little deeper into Shane’s heart every time he catches her.

My Thoughts:
I devoured this one! This was my first adventure into primal play so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Shane and Claire’s story was fast-paced, spicy, and totally addicting. Oleander dives into their backstories giving an added layer of depth that I wasn’t expecting and ended up loving. I’m in awe this was a debut and look forward to more from Oleander!

What I enjoyed;
🦌 Primal Play
🦌 Dual POV
🦌 Ex-Husband’s Boss
🦌 Flirty Banter
🦌 He Falls First
🦌 Spicy

If you’re looking for something a little dark and kinky and all things bingy, look no further.

This book! It had me like yelling at the pages! I could find Claire so relatable at times. This book was spooky and sort of romantic in the best way. It really dives into psychological aspects, physical boundaries, and our definition of self. If you want a crazy fun ride, read this!

The original Willing Prey novella was my first introduction to primal romance. But, being a novella, it seemed too short of a time to spend with Claire and Shane. So of course I had to jump at the chance to advance read the full length novel version!

I really like how you get a more fleshed out romance now that it's a full length novel. Though the added length and details make me desperate to know more about some of the side characters.

If you like dark leaning romance, kink and a mature women reclaiming her life and sexuality post-divorce and strong/silent heroes, give Willing Prey a try!

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to advance read this story!

I don't really remember requesting this book on Netgalley (the approval came in very late, only a month prior to publication). If I'm not approved/denied on a request within a week, it completely slips my mind. But I thought, why not, and now happy I gave it a chance. Although the base premise is way, way out of my interest and comfort zone, I liked this book, largely for the emotional story underneath the kinky action.

Willing Prey comes with a trigger warning list about a mile long, appropriately so. It starts right off with Claire and Shane about to begin a very unorthodox agreement, but one that works for them both. I fully support consenting adults doing consenting adult activities. It was an interesting dynamic. The way it functioned as almost trauma therapy for Claire was bold, and seeing her regain confidence, post-divorce, was enjoyable. I could have done without the predicable third act misunderstanding to drive the couple apart (if only we communicated clearly instead of assuming...), but that's typical in the genre. I can overlook that, as I liked enough else going on, and felt the characters grew together towards positive emotional health. This book is also highly sexual and graphic. Solidly in the edgy/dark romance vein.

The author dropped a lot of not so subtle hints for another book with Shane's brother Caine, and Shane's assistant Margot. I would read from this author again in the future.

ARC received from Berkley Publishing Group via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5, maybe a bit more

Feelings turning the last page: this was simultaneously incredibly endearing and incredibly hot? <also I need a book for [redacted] and [redacted] like I need air>

Review: Well this book was just the most spectacularly fun time. Claire’s wit made me LOL on more than one occasion (“sir, this is not a Costco” sent me💀) and while she is fierce and sassy, reading about her insecurities just brought her to another level. Truly want to be her BFF. And Shane, MY GUY. Oh my goodness he is so sweet. Like a truly adorable MMC. While he may be Claire’s hunter, he is so much more. I felt him on so many levels - communicating emotions is hard, and also PowerPoints are helpful tools😂. And the two of them together??? LOVED. The way they developed and got to know and understand each other and the way the other thinks was incredible. Like “oh she’s probably thinking *this*, let me try to explain (or listen) better”. Fantastic.

Our side characters are extremely lovable (except Keith, byeeeeee) and I am not so secretly hoping we will get more books‼️

I absolutely adored this book. The chase scenes were top tier - I was holding my breath half the time 😂. The spice was off the charts. 🔥🔥🔥 Thank you Allie, for giving us a full length book of this!!!!!!

And thank you to Berkley as well for the chance to read prior to release on 10/1!!!

Willing Prey is a jaunt into kink that acts as a great vessel for those wishing to dip their toes into the dark romance world. I tend to like my dark romance with a bit more camp, but this novel is exactly what it says it is. The MMC falls first and falls hard, he’s definitely a fool for her. The sex scenes are solid, but fairly light in terms of both kink and “dark” romance which is not a bad thing depending on what you’re looking for.

I would have personally enjoyed more exploration of the characters and relationship dynamic itself, but I also realize that was not the point of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I had never heard of "primal play" until now. Shane is a lawyer and he really wants his coworker's ex-wife but he is awkward in relationships but knows contracts. He finds out she has student loan debt and also dabbles in being hunted for sex. He propositions her to be his prey for 30 days for $30,000. Shane is very attractive so why not? We get Claire's POV and Shane's POV which I liked. Claire starts falling for him as he slowly lets her into his life. He has already fallen and just doesn't know how to have a conversation with her about their relationship. I smiled and laughed so much at the beginning of their relationship. Obviously this book is HOT. I read almost half out it in one day. I loved Claire and Shane and this book also opens a door for Shane's brother to have a book. I would read that one in a heartbeat.

-"I don't know how you like your friends, but a qualifier for mine is not f***ing me over."

-"Stop trying to put out fires that aren't burning yet."

Obviously, the best solution to student loan debt is agreeing to be hunted (sexually) by your ex-husband's hot boss for $30K. Who amongst us etc. Shane has a strict primal play contract for Claire and then they're off to the woods on his property. This was such a good debut erotic romance! The depiction of primal play was hot and I absolutely loved that <spoiler>she ends up hunting him too.</spoiler> Their intimacy works in reverse and that made their first kiss even more satisfying.

This was originally a novella and I'm guessing the Evil Ex-husband subplot wasn't a part of it. That was the only misstep for me. <spoiler>I couldn't understand why she didn't block Keith's number once the harassment began. They're divorced, they don't have kids. There's no reason they ever need to be in contact again. It takes her until 71% and it made no sense in this day and age. Then Keith drives the low moment: he somehow manages to swipe Shane's phone AND text Claire from it so she heads off to meet him alone, thinking she's about to get it on with Shane. Completely contrived. Even worse, Keith briefly sexually assaults her before she can get away and Shane and friends find them and prevent anything worse from happening.</spoiler> I didn't feel like these choices were handled thoughtfully and they felt like an unnecessary stumbling block given Shane and Claire's respective emotional arcs.

Because it must be said: things could have gone terribly wrong for Claire and Shane based on his contract and inexperience. Shane's contract specifically states he won't offer aftercare. Claire agrees to it but she also thinks Shane has a lot of experience with kink, when it turns out <spoiler>he'd never heard of primal play until her ex-husband bragged about his exploits with Claire. He hired a couple of sex workers to try it out and learn but that's the extent of his experience.</spoiler> Primal play is intense by nature, which means it could be dangerous in the wrong hands. Shane eventually realizes he was wrong to withhold aftercare, studies up on it, and then includes it. He's not great at communicating about his needs or why he does anything (I wondered if he might be neurodiverse at times) and I could see this not landing well with people. Especially because Claire is a people pleaser who needs the money and is told that Shane could let her go ahead of the 30 days. She's motivated to do whatever it takes for him to keep her around because she needs the full $30k. That said, those scenes never read as coercive to me. She's genuinely into what they're doing and if she goes above and beyond at times, it also read as genuine to her personality and physical abilities. Plus, we learn early on Shane set this contract up specifically for Claire because he's too chicken to just ask her out. He was never going to cut the contract short!

I am crossing my fingers this publication heralds the return of the Big 5 publishing erotic romance again. At the very least, we need Oleander to write Margot and Caine's book next!


<i>Characters:</i> Claire is a 35 year old tall white PE teacher. Shane is a 40 year old white lawyer. This is set in Newbound, ME.

<i>Content notes:</i> brief sexual assault by FMC's ex-husband, MMC stalked FMC, past emotional and physical abuse by MMC's father, anxiety (secondary character), Evil Ex trope, physical assault, locker room talk at MMC's work (he eventually shuts it down), recent divorce (FMC's ex-husband cheated and was emotionally abusive), tick removal, bloody nose, body insecurity, past toxic masculinity (MMC's father), sex work (FMC agrees to primal play contract with MMC in exchange for money; MMC hired sex workers while first exploring primal play), past deer hunting, student loan debt, past brief employee-employer relationship (MMC engaged in primal play at his personal assistant's request but she safeworded out before sex), past death of MMC's mother, past death of secondary character's husbands, past injuries from being hit by a car (FMC had a spiral compound fracture in her femur at age 12), past vasectomy, FMC doesn't want to have kids, unsafe sex practices (no aftercare per the contract; while MMC provides FMC with his STI panel, we're not told whether she provided hers or if she's on birth control and they do not use condoms), on page sex, primal play, CNC, tough sex, choking, biting, praise kink, fluid exchange, impact play, edging, orgasm control and denial, masturbation, alcohol, inebriation, incest joke, bestiality joke, gendered pejoratives, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC!

Willing Prey follows Claire, recently divorced and burdened with student loan debt, who enters an agreement with her ex-husband's boss - 30 days as his prey being hunted in the woods, and $30,000 in her bank account. What Claire doesn't know is that Shane is already obsessed with her... but she's not going to give in easily - if he wants to hunt her, he better be ready for a challenge.

The premise had me looking forward to this book and to say I'm obsessed would be an understatement. Everything is executed so well - the plot, the spice, the characters - I could happily reread this book again and again (it has immediately been added to my TBR as we speak)

Claire is such a joy, I loved her sarcasm and banter with Shane but her resourcefulness really shined. I was cheering from the sidelines as she outwitted Shane during the hunts and used everything to her advantage (but ultimately we loved the catch, otherwise why else would we be here?) My favourite aspect was how much she enjoyed herself - she might be prey but she was every part as equal to Shane in their encounters.

"It's brutal.
Degrading.
Obscene.
I fucking love it."

Shane Underwood, the man that you are. I wasn't sure what to expect from him as darker romances tend to lean into the alpha-types but I was SO pleasantly surprised with Shane's character. He is the perfect mix of feral, sexy, thoughtful and obsessed. It was refreshing, and together both characters have a great dynamic. I love that the story wasn't just heavy on the spice but also focused on Claire and Shane's personal journeys, there is a lot of growth in their characters.

"Unspoken words hang heavy in the air. I want to grab them and give them a voice, make some kind of bold hint, or even come right out and ask, Do you like me as more than prey?"

Tropes:
Dual POV
MCs aged 35+
Predator / Prey
Primal play
Kink awakening
CNC
Light stalking
Transactional relationship
He falls first
Forced proximity

3.5 stars - I didn't quite know what to expect with this one but it was a lot of fun to read. More plot than I anticipated, with Shane being sweeter and dorkier than I'd imagined but it was fun and weirdly adorable even though the content is anything but. Would recommend but read the trigger warnings and know what you're getting in to.

Thank you to Berkley Romance for the eARC - all opinions are my own!

4.5⭐️

First off, thank you to NetGalley, Berkley and Allie Oleander for the ARC.

I DEVOURED this book. Going into this book, I did not think I would rate a book this spicy so high.

I could not find many (if any) flaws with this book.

For being a spicy book, the plot was super interesting and it was hard to put down. I loved Claire and Shane’s chemistry and watching their relationship grow. The spicy scenes were mind-blowing and this book definitely lives up to its name.

The FMC was amazing and relatable. She was funny, clever and self-assured; she knew what she deserved in a relationship. The MMC was sexy af, thoughtful and endearing when he realized what Claire needed. Plus the side characters were interesting and I’m excited to see if their stories are expanded in the next book.

It was refreshing to see 35+ main characters and a child-free HEA.

This book is a great start for beginner “dark” kinky romance readers (but check your trigger warnings first!). I’m hoping the author continues writing and I’m excited to see what she comes up with!

look, I’m a slut for the fast burn smut but the slow burn kissing… hits every time 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↔️ (and criminally underused, so thank you for this treat Allie Oleander).

This states right on the cover that this a primal play romance, so if you know that is immediately not your thing, definitely would stray away, and if you're a bit uncertain there is a whole list of kinks and a whole list of content warnings that should help you come to a decision. (However I am wondering to begin whether we're going a bit too far with these content warnings, "Tick discovery and removal"? idk maybe I am just not woke enough ).

One of the big things that stuck out for me from the beginning is that Claire is not some naïve vanilla girl who is being taken advantage of because she’s in a financial crisis… she has been a partaker in primal prey with her ex (which is actually how Shane found out about it) and actively enjoys being the prey, and that shows through their interactions.

We also get Shane’s POV which I really enjoyed. We very quickly realize that he is generally just too work focused and doesn’t know how to do relationships and figures the best way to potentially express interest in Claire is to proposition her with a sex contract featuring a kink her ex had discussed with him and other colleagues at the work Christmas party! Who doesn’t love a big horny feral himbo.

I knew this was obviously going to be smutty, but I actually was impressed and pleased with the plot and character development that rounded out the smut. It was exactly what I needed after a disappointing romantasy.

Willing Prey releases October 6th, if you want some smut with a solid plot and characters, and don’t mind the content warnings, I would definitely recommend it!

Have you been hunting for the perfect fall read? Well search no farther than Willing Prey. This read will have you on the edge of your seat page after page. Ask yourself how fast would run to get away; from your cheating ex, your huge student debt, another summer with a horrid temp job? Claire has the chance to chase new opportunities when she is offered enough money to pay off her debt while ensuring she is never short on cardio. Willing Prey will have you wanting to hide from our your responsibilities to find out if 7 minutes really is a enough of a head start to get away this time, unless the point the time was to get caught.

This book was fast, hot, and non-stop. What a delight to find a book that's sexy AND well-written AND has likeable characters building a romance you can root for.

Non stop page turner and an absolute delight to read! So many funny and relatable moments, you can’t help but fall in love with the MCs as they each confront their own insecurities and pasts.

Truly one of my favorite reads this year and even though it was longer than the novella it originated from, I still couldn’t get enough!

If you are a fan of IICYIFY, you need to read this book because it is primal to the core and I could NOT get enough. Five spicy stars for this one. I knew within the first couple chapters that I was going to love it. If you've ever wanted a man to chase you in the woods, this one is for you because the WHOLE story centers around that dynamic. I ate it up. I also found it surprisingly funny at times as well. The plot is character driven and full of spice with moments that just made you laugh.
Shane Underwood. Grumpy, quiet lawyer by day- man obsessed with chasing women through the woods(one woman really) by night. I found Shane endearing and it's clear from the beginning that he's obsessed with Claire even if he doesn't know how to properly express that at first. Shane is willing to learn, adapt, and grow to be exactly what she needs.
Claire- Recently divorced, people pleasing, phys ed teacher who uses a good run/romp through the woods to express/let loose all the emotions she's used to holding inside. She's learning who she and who she is becoming after 11 years of marriage. I loved watching her embrace her new life while also learning to overcome her insecurities.

Tropes/Things
*IICYIFY
*Primal Play
*Characters over 30
*Divorced FMC
*Ex-husbands Boss
* I said SIT, not hover

Thank you Berkley Publishing for this ARC of Willing Prey! This is my honest review.

For the way this book is described, it was way more wholesome than I was expecting. I loved it! Shane and Claire are so cute and their banter had me laughing out loud multiple times (and if a book makes me laugh out loud I automatically love it). Clair is such a badass and Shane is a softy and I fear I'll never get over them. I hope the author continues writing in this world because I would love to see Caine as a main character at some point!

This was literally unlike anything I’ve ever read!!!! Like genuinely woah!!! But I ate it up!!! I honestly really enjoyed these characters inside and outside of the steamy scenes. I feel like there was enough lightheartedness to counteract the heavier parts of this.

Definitely definitely do not take the trigger/content warnings lightly though!