This book was fun to read. I don’t usually go for this kind of thing, but it was too intriguing to pass up. I’m glad I took a chance because it was much more entertaining than I thought it would be. I wished at time this would have been longer, and that certain parts or relationships were explained better, but I still enjoyed it all. Overall, I just wish things were a little more in-depth & personal. Despite this, I would recommend a read! Shane & Claire were an odd-ish pairing, but fit very well together.

5 ⭐️

This book taught me I need to pick up running... 😮‍💨
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Claire Collins is a recently divorced teacher that is beyond drowning in debt. Until she gets the offer - $30000 for 30 days of being hunted to fulfill someone's primal desires. Zero strings. The hunter just so happens to be her ex-husband's boss, Shane Underwood. At the start, this contract is held to the letter, but things get emotionally messy when Shane gets protective and they both start to catch feelings for each other.

Shane is the epitome of "if he wanted to he would". This man met Claire at a holiday party and has been wanting her ever since (ok he's a touch obsessed, but not in a total creepy way). I practically inhaled this book. This felt on the same level of "dark erotica/romance" as Lights Out and Butcher and Blackbird (but with less murder).

The spice was perfect - definitely a huge aspect of the book, but I loved the emotions between the characters and how they start to get into a full routine with their lives. The banter between Shane and Claire was what sold it for me. They are strong characters on their own, but the competition between them truly makes me love them even more.

Caine is a hoot and I better see a book for him soon.... (with Margot?! Please???)

The evil ex trope is wonderful and it's always so fucking fun to see them get what's coming to them.

🔥 Primal Kink
🔥 Funny, hot & STEAMY
🔥 Dark Romance/Erotica
🔥 Recently divorced FMC
🔥 He falls first HARD
🔥 Childfree HEA

<b>🖤 Willing Prey is out October 7th and is available for preorder. 🖤</b>

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Romance for sending this book (eARC) for honest review.

Wow, this book has it all. Mature main characters, kink explorations, very spicy hunt scenes, healing from a betrayal that almost destroyed her self-esteem and an emotionally abusive childhood (lightly mentioned) that stunted him. Shane is obsessed with Claire after meeting her at his firms Christmas party. He dislikes her husband and is happy when Claire divorces him after catching him cheating. He is so sure she won't agree to date him that he offers her a contract; $1,000/day for 30 days if she allows him to hunt her. She needs the money and loves to be prey so readily agrees. Feelings start to form in between the intense hunts, she forms friendships with his other staff, and the ex gets his. Ridiculously hot but also tender moments.

A dark, steamy romance that blends emotional tension with unconventional desire. Centered on a high-stakes arrangement between two adults with hidden depths, the story explores boundaries, trust, and power in surprising ways. With sharp writing and a compelling dynamic between the leads, this novel is both provocative and unexpectedly tender. Perfect for readers looking for something bold and emotionally charged.

Consider me WOWED! Allie brings the heat with her hunts and now I’m constantly dreaming about Shane whispering “little deer” in my ear. This is a must-read!

As soon as I heard that this was a book about primal play I was all in. Not that I knew much about it or had read about this kink before but man did Allie hook me right in and I finished it in one sitting!
Right from the start Allie kicked off a great story that has fantastic writing, intriguing characters, and interesting kink to explore that she moved along expertly.

Claire is a recent divorcee who is stuck with loan debt. Rather than waitress the summer between teaching gigs, she accepts Shane’s offer to pay her $30,000 for the summer to move in and become his willing prey at his beck and call.

This was such an interesting set up but what I loved most about this story and the characters is that Allie did not make Claire this weak, innocent heroine who reluctantly had to accept Shane’s offer. Nor was she this doe-eyed (pun-intended) virgin who was new to this form of kink because I feel like that version of Claire would have diminished my enjoyment of this story.

Instead, Allie made Claire this mature, strong heroine who is the one who came into this arrangement knowing, experiencing and loving this kink. She was ALL IN, especially on that first hunt which was AMAZING and that made me love her and this story even more.

Of course the hunts themselves where hot, steamy and so much fun to read and after the first one I was left thinking… “oh this is going to be so good.” This could have easily been just a book of hunt after hunt, but there was so much more to the story.

Shane was such a surprise. He is a total alpha on the hunts and I loved that about him, and yet underneath the alpha exterior is a man who I’d almost describe as a cinnamon roll in the way that he was such a newbie to kink and his obsession with Claire.

There isn’t a ton of backstory to either main character but just enough to understand who they are.
While this story is filled with edging, mild choking, Dom/sub interaction and switching to make it a really hot read, I just loved how Shane and Claire came to find their better half.

If you’re looking for a fun (and steamy!) book about primal play, then this is the book for you!

*Thank you to Berkley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was intense from the start. Claire just wants to pay off her loans and if I had an offer from a man like Shane? Well, let's just say I dont blame her for running straight into the opportunity. I loved Shane.

Very sexy premise. Would recommend to people who like dark romance and dubious consent. This is a romance with kink, so take the content notes seriously, and enjoy.

Coming into Willing Prey, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this was more. And in a good way. I enjoy when my spice has a plot, and Oleander delivered with a good amount of depth to her characters. As always, their inability to communicate with each other is frustrating, maybe more so since the characters are in their thirties. However, I love that I was reading something written for an audience my age.

5 ⭐ 5 🌶️

Willing Prey is the perfect blend of keenk and comedy. I laughed so hard, so many times, and yet this story is like 90% absolutely filthy spice. Shane and Claire were adorable, so much fun and incredibly hot, and I could not get enough. I just one more chaptered my way well past my bedtime; as I hit the three quarters mark, I needed to see how it ended and I regret nothing.

Can you have a slow burn where they're spicing it up from the beginning? Because while these two are doing the dirty in the woods from the get go, their actual relationship is the sweetest build up. Watching Shane navigate his feelings and attempt to subtly woo Claire was my favorite part of this book. He was a little awkward and had no clue what he was doing half the time, but it was so endearing and perfect. I loved him, and her, so dang much.

The third act was amazing, I love watching a villain fall flat on their face. That's all I gotta say about that.

I fell hard and fast for Caine and Margot. I'm crossing my fingers and toes we get their book soon. Allie writes incredibly strong women and I know Margot is going to be a fantastic addition to that list. I really loved watching her and Claire's relationship bloom and I'm looking forward to more of their shenanigans. Maybe we can even get a bonus scene of them doing self defense class *wink wink nudge nudge* whatever's next, I'm absolutely here for it.

I am so thrilled to have gotten approved for this title, the premise really caught my attention and WOAH did it deliver!!

This one is definitely spicy as promised and so much fun. I love a good chase with a great payoff when caught. The story jumped right into the action and there was a lot of it but it was nice to see that it didn't feel like it got repetitive at all. I raced through this book and enjoyed every second of it.

Firstly, thank you Berkley Pub + NetGalley for the arc, I AM OBSESSED.

Willing Prey is for all the girly pops (gender neutral, btw) who dream of being chased through the woods and ravaged by the big bad wolf, this one’s for you.

Holy cannoli Batman! This was hot af🥵

What to expect:
- recently divorced teacher + lawyer
- he’s her ex-husband’s boss
- kink awakening
- MCs in their 30s/40s
- primal play, duh
- he falls first
- CNC
- light breath play and choking
- praise + degradation + begging
- light stalking
- transactional sex
- childfree HEA

This was a tough read for me. I loved the premise, but the execution just didn't hit the mark for me - maybe my expectations were out of alignment with what this book was. I wanted more from the woods/creepy angle, and less from the graphic sexual situations angle. I fully acknowledge - dark romance is probably just not my thing, but this one just did not live up to the blurb for me. That being said, I know some patrons who do like dark romance, and I'll happily recommend it to them.

4.5 stars rounded to 5

Claire is recently divorced. During the course of her marriage, she helped her husband pay off his school debt with the understanding he would then help pay off hers. Of course, things don't work out that way. Claire is contacted by Shane, her exe's boss, to stay one month and play "little deer" in exchange for $30,000. She's a P.E. teacher and would love the challenge of a hunt that results in a summer of kinky sex rather than her usual summer job as a server.

I loved this book. Claire is being given the opportunity to take the summer and really heal from her past relationship. Shane fell for her the first time he saw her at the company Christmas party in a holiday sweater. I love how he bided his time for the opportunity to be with her. It was so interesting that she was the one who was experienced with the primal kink and he was the novice who was learning it specifically for her. I really hope that Shane's brother, Caine, and Margot end up getting their own book. I loved their teasing and snarky dynamic.

Read this if you love: primal, he falls first, exe's boss, mature characters, CNC, praise, kink awakening, primal role reversal, transactional relationship, begging, child free

Thank you to NetGalley, Allie Oleander, and Berkley for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
#netgalley #allieoleander #berkleypublishing #willingprey

I'm excited to handsell this title to readers who are looking for an entry-point to dark erotica and who loved LIGHTS OUT! The spice and kink was high and the focus of the story, while the romance between the two characters was sweet--I think this will be perfect for readers who are too scared of HAUNTING ADELINE but are interested in the dark romance genre.

More than amazing! I read this book when it was indie, and I fell in love. Now, as it has been rewritten and expanded, I can't say enough amazing things about this book! If you love that heart-pounding, super steamy, primal chase, and you want to read it over and over again, this is the book for you! This will melt your underclothing off. Read it, you won't regret it! It will make you want to purchase a Ted Kazinski cabin in the woods with 200 acres of wilderness and find a growly Daddy to hunt you down, push your face in the dirt, and make you smell the roses. And then you'll ask for more , please, daddy!

I adored this! This story follows Claire, a recently divorced teacher who leaves her ex-husband when she finds out he cheated and Shane, a hot, rich lawyer who works with Claire's ex-husband. In exchange for 30k to help her with the debts left over from her divorce, Claire signs a kinky contract to become Shane's prey for 30 days. Unbeknownst to her, Shane has been obsessed with her for ages (we love a man head over heels for his girl) and has just been waiting for his chance to sink his teeth into her (LITERALLY). With a little light stalking and careful listening, he found out about her financial issues and was more than happy to fix them.

I read the novella version of this book when it was independently published and loved that as well but this full novel sized version of the story is even better! The main characters feel so much more fleshed out and the side characters had me swooning (*couch* Caine and Margot *cough). I loved Claire's character development as she processed her feeling for her ex-husband and moved past them to become a stronger, more confident version of herself. It was so nice to see Shane growing too. The emotional work he did to heal from his trauma and become a better partner for Clare was so beautifully written. While this novel was just as sexy and fun as the novella was, it is also impactful, emotional, and and thoroughly satisfying read.

I was LIVING for the little tidbits that hinted at a book 2 following Shane's brother, Caine. Every tiny piece of information we were given about that man had be salivating for more. A southern drawl? a sense of humor? a penchant for violence? gimme 14 of them rn!!! The will they/won't they thing going on between Caine and Shane's assistant, Margot, is right up my alley. Also Margot seems like a badass in the very best way. I'm not sure which one of those two would get the other on their ass but I'd love to find out.

Ahh this was so sexy! Even though primal play isn’t my favorite, I really enjoyed how it was written here. Definitely worth reading!!

With her divorce final, Claire is buried in student loan debt. When Shane Underwood offers Claire $30,000 in 30 days to allow Shane to fulfill his primal desires, Claire can't refuse. All Claire has to do is play his "little deer" and give Shane the hunt of his life. Each hunt brings them closer together until Claire finds that she doesn't want to move on after their 30 days. Can Claire hunt her way to Shane's heart?

This book was a complete surprise for me. I loved it so much that I finished it in one sitting. Claire and Shane's characters are perfect for this book. Not only do their characters make for some spicy scenes, but their banter and chemistry make for a fun romance. I also loved the secondary characters, especially Shane's brother, Caine. This book opens the possibility of Caine having his own story with Margot, and I would buy it immediately.

If you are looking for a steamy romance with a primal kink and mature main characters, I would highly recommend this book.

Willing Prey is out October 7th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to review Willing Prey. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I saw Primal, I knew I had to jump on this one, and I was not disappointed. I love that we got dual POV because it's so fun to see the "chase" and miscommunication from both MCs. Claire thinks she is going to have the time of her life with a no-strings-attached 30 days of fun, kinky shenanigans and end up $30,000 richer. What she doesn't expect is to grow attached and not want to end things, which is honestly understandable. This had a lot more humor than I expected, and I love a good combo of spice and humor, so I enjoyed the combo. Their chemistry was top tier, and they both let all their pent up struggles emotionally manifest themselves in the sheets. Truly enjoyed this one!

Honestly pretty mid- this is not usually my thing, but the story looked interesting and I like a guy who pines after a lady. I liked the dual POV and the protagonist was appealing, but the whole plot hinges on these two people not communicating when they spend a ton of time together and like each other. I liked the evil ex trope here, it worked, but I guess I just wasn't blown away.