
Member Reviews

The cover of this book intrigued and the title! It was such a fun read and wow the smut😮💨 the way they grew to trust each other and fall even deeper in love so everything. I was waiting for the big moment to come and did it ever, by the end of it, I didn’t want it to end!

A steamy and sexy erotic romance, Willing Prey follows Claire and Shane, who enter into an agreement where he is the hunter and she is the hunted. Raw, exciting, primal, their story is like Fifty Shades of Grey meets The Most Dangerous Game, but in the best possible way.
Shane is the nicest stalker, predator, hunter I’ve ever read about. Smart, successful, and so in love with Claire from the start, he has the broody and sexy businessman vibes that I couldn’t get enough of. He's also super awkward when trying to express himself, and he has a dirty (and sexy) mouth. And Claire is fantastic! She gives as good as she gets, and I love that she challenges Shane. I also like that both characters are a little older than the typical romance protagonists. She’s in her mid-thirties, and he’s early forties. Still reeling from a recent, painful divorce, Claire is in debt and needs a summer job while the school where she teaches is on break. Shane is a partner at a law firm and has major workaholic tendencies. Both of their stories are realistic and relatable.
The relationship between Claire and Shane is STEAMY and riddled with sexual chemistry and tension. The aspect of their agreement and the hunts only add to that sexual tension. Whew, the hunts! They were so intense and sexy and dirty (literally and figuratively lol). Both characters love the chase and the exhilaration of their hunting games and primal play. Interestingly, Shane was the one exploring his sexual kinks. Often, I read books with the opposite - a more innocent FMC exploring new sexual experiences, but in this story, Claire has more experience. Shane's a pretty fast learner, and he's much different when he hunts. Gone is the tame and professional man. In the woods, he is feral and rough and so much more than Claire ever expected.
I really enjoyed this story. I knew going in that it would be super spicy, and I definitely wasn't disappointed on that front! lol But the story also had a good plot, some interesting side characters that I'm hoping will be the main characters in the next book, and many moments with a lot of emotional depth. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Berkeley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Claire and Shane have an unlikely yet similar interest. Claire's motives are driven by her recent divorce and need for some cash, and Shane is driven by an insatiable need to hunt, but he can't seem to find the right prey, until he meets Claire. Can they find common ground or will his need for more win out?

Thank you to Allie Oleander and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and give my opinion.
Preface: if you are not a fan of the primal play kink this book is not for you.
Now that that’s over with - I loved it. Reading this book was like a spicy hide and seek fever dream. Things said by the characters and their inner thoughts had me cracking up. I loved Shane and his character growth. I loved that the characters were older (cries in I just turned 36). I also loved the twist that she also enjoys hunting him (in all the other primal books I’ve read the MMC is always the one chasing the FMC). I also enjoyed the teacher references (former teacher here and they were all spot on in my own experience). I’m hoping for another book in this world - maybe for a certain brother and personal assistant?
Overall, it was a kinky funny spicy good time. I definitely recommend it. (I definitely recommended it x 1000 if you loved the epilogue of Lights Out).

I will preface this review by saying that I am in no way a dark romance (or just "darker" romance) gal. I'm a softboy enthusiast who loves sweet and kind-hearted mmcs...
That said, this was a blast to read!! I absolutely recommend reading the content warnings before diving in if romance with somewhat darker sexual content is not something you normally gravitate to. This book explores primal play, and boy.. it gets pretty intense. This isn't just a frolic in the woods with the end goal of sex. It's hunting and it's violent at times. Like this man full body tackles her to the ground...
Shane hires Claire to be his live-in prey. He offers her 30K to be at his beck and call for 30 days. When he says run, she has to run and fight like her life depends on it, all while he hunts her down.
What made this book work for me was how funny is was! The romance focuses in on their unconventional sex life, but we also get to see Shane and Claire slowly open up to each other outside of those trysts and that balances out the story so well. Shane is pretty sweet once he allows himself to get closer to Claire.
The book is in huge part spice, but what we got in addition to that was really fun and engaging as well. If the content warnings don't scare you away, you'll be in for a sexy and intense romp!

This has a lot to draw a reader in - it's high heat and propulsive, and it kept me at the edge of my seat until the end. By the end, though, there were some things that the main characters didn't address that felt pretty crucial to me to buy into their HEA, so I felt dissatisfied.

Love seeing romance books with characters in theirs 30s / 40s. This book was such a fun time. Your immediately through right into the story. I loved all the primal play scenes but they didn’t over power the romantic plot

Im screaming youre screaming....
Im obsessed with this story. I read the first shorter version and immediately needed more.
The chase the spice 🫠🫠🫠🫠
I am honestly jealous of an FMC which happens often, but not this jealous.

Willing Prey is my newest obsession that I will never stop talking about. If you’re in the mood for a steamy, primal play romance, this one’s for you!!!
I loved all of the characters and felt like I could really connect to them. I loved that both characters had POVs so we got to see what both Claire and Shane were thinking. It only made me enjoy their relationship more! The smut between them was well written and very hot. I loved everything about this book and would read more books by this author!

“Willing Prey” by Allie Oleander
4⭐️/5⭐️
4🌶/5🌶
“I hope he enjoyed today. He’ll never catch me this easily again.”
I love a good primal play scene in a romance book, so to read a book where this specific kink is the focus? Sign me up!
Claire always thought she was more on the vanilla side until her ex-husband convinced her to try erotic chasing in the woods. From there, a kink discovery occurred, and Claire realized she loved being chased and fighting back. After her divorce, and in desperate need of money, she agrees to be the willing prey of Shane, a co-worker of her ex-husband. Shane overheard Claire’s ex talk about their kink exploration and realized that’s exactly what he wanted. The only catch? He only wants to chase Claire, no one else will do. He creates a contract, she agrees to thirty days of chasing and fucking in the woods surrounding his house. But along the way the two realize they enjoy more than what the contract covers. They enjoy each other’s company, and don’t want the thirty days to end their relationship.
For such a kink-centered book, I’m pleasantly surprised by the balance of Claire and Shane exploring the kink vs. their time together outside of it. I thought it was extremely well written in that regard, there were clear parameters outlined for the characters, which helped show their predicament: what do they do if they fall in love in the process?
The pacing is a bit fast, which is to expect with the whole ‘thirty day contract’ aspect. But the story goes beyond that, for which I’m grateful. I think it would have been a huge letdown if the book only covered the contract, so I’m glad it goes into Claire and Shane post-contract.
Overall, a really fun and quick read that I would totally recommend if you enjoy reading primal play scenes.

When I heard that Claire, the main female character, was willing to be chased and hunted by her ex-husband boss, I was more than ready to read this spicy romance book immediately. I literally rushed to NetGalley to begin reading it immediately. It definitely lived up to my expectation and more.
Before you start reading my review, please check out the trigger warning for this book. It may not be for you. Willing Prey is a spicy dark romance read, so it has pretty heavy smut scenes. Just keep it in mind.
Back to what I was talking about, I knew from the beginning that this book was going to be so freaking good. I didn't stop reading it until I reached the last page. It was so freaking good. I just loved from the beginning that Shane knew he was gone for her even though he never admitted it at first. I always love reading about a grumpy male interest falling more and more for the female character. It's so much sweeter. And I even love more Claire growing confidence in herself, especially with switching roles whenever they both play their primal games.

This book completely took me by surprise — and I loved every wild, wicked minute of it!
If you’re in the mood for something steamy, a little dangerous, and packed to the brim with electric banter and boundary-pushing heat, Willing Prey absolutely delivers. It’s bold, it’s passionate, and it doesn’t hold back — the chemistry crackles off the page, and the tension? WowWeee! 😘
What really stood out to me, though, is that while it dives into a whole range of kinks and triggers (so definitely check those ahead of time!), there’s a kind of playful, almost approachable feel to it. It’s dark romance with a bit of a wink — making it a fantastic entry point for readers who are curious but not quite ready to go full throttle into the deepest ends of the genre.
I’ll be recommending this to every dark romance lover I know — especially those who like their stories twisted but with just enough light to keep things fun.
Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and Allie Oleander for the ARC. What a Ride!

So much fun! I wasn't sure I would enjoy the hunting kink but boy was I surprised. I loved Shane's dominant and predatory ways but I enjoyed Claire's savviness more. I appreciated the emotional growth in both, Shane's ability to voice his emotions and Claire's confidence in herself.

A spicy and steamy book - this is a dark romance with incredible chemistry between the main characters!

Willing Prey is a dark romance about a divorcee trying to pay off her student loan. An acquaintance offers a spicy business agreement that she can't refuse. The book drives straight into the action and hooks you from the beginning. The characters were funny and had great chemistry. I love that the characters are a little bit older (30s and 40s). The spice was good and dirty, and a new kind for me. There is also a plot outside of the spice, which is always great. I had trouble putting this book down!

This book completely took me by surprise in the best possible way. Admittedly, it was the gorgeous cover and intriguing title that first captured my attention but it was the current reviews that had me clicking the request button to get a chance at reading this book. I went in expecting a spicy little novella with a fun storyline but what I got was so much more. The characters are all so lovable and you connect with them the second they are introduced. Allie Oleander did an amazing job at bringing these characters and the setting to life. The duel POV was absolute perfection! Being able to get into the mind of Shane made this book go in a completely different direction than I originally had thought it would go. I went into this thinking it would be a dark romance but instead we get this sweet, oversized, sexy yet kind of nerdy, teddy bear of an MMC. His and Claire’s interactions were so sweet and I just adore them. I also love how the author took a female character that would usually be intended to make the reader jealous but instead made a loyal friend to Claire. It was refreshing to see a female bond where usually an author would use them to fuel insecurity within the FMC.
This book was so fun, there was equal parts, banter, suspense, spice, romance and strong friendships. The pacing was good up until the last three chapters. It felt like the author just started cramming a ton of smut in the very end for word count and by that point I just skimmed until the last page. I *think there will be a second book with Margot and her story and if so I will most definitely be reading it.
The ONLY reason this is not a five star read was because it started to drag on towards the end. Also, Shane started to sound like a man written by a woman in that last scene on the bed expressing his feelings. Other than that, I absolutely LOOOOOVED this book. It was a fast, super fun and spicy little read that can easily be read in one sitting.

Well now… Umm, that certainly was not what I expected! Or rather I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the plot focus as much as I did. I rarely say this but check the extensive trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. To be frank, I’m used to independently published dark romance with this level of kink and spice but not from mainstream publishers and certainly not from one of the big 5. So while very surprised, I was happy that Berkley Publishing took this on.
While the book is chock full of kink and spice, it has heart at the center of it. I enjoyed watching the various emotions grow over the course of the book which was fast paced and well balanced. What I loved best was that the writing felt so natural. While it was definitely an atypical situation being presented, the warm and interaction between the characters was genuine. This book is my 300th of 2025 and sadly, that genuine quality in the prose isn’t as easy as you would think to come by.
This book won’t be for everyone due to the kink and spice )which actually is pretty tame and well written) but for those that are ok with it, I think you’ll enjoy this one!
I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from Berkley through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.
My general rating system is below. Since I primarily read ARC books I rate according to how I think like minded readers will receive the book. I will round up or down depending on many factors and try not to let my personal wants affect a books ratings.
⭐️ Hated It but pushed through as so don’t DNF ARCs I have received.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, content issues, poorly edited.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but it had something that stopped me from rounding up. Usually the book may have much more potential than what was given. I recommend it but with reservations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I Really enjoyed it or think others will. These are solid reads that I definitely would recommend for a variety of reasons.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! These are books that remain rent free in my head for well after unfinished the book. It can be for a variety of reasons from being very well written or just the vibes that captured my mind. These books are also ones I would probably read again.

Willing Prey, formerly a novella and now a full length novel, is a spicy good time! Based around primal play this book has our FMC, Claire, who is recently divorced being hunted by her ex-husbands boss for 30 days…whenever he wants. The reason? She has a ton of student loan debt. Shane is a cooperate law attorney and is all about the business. I loved his character and I loved the dynamic between both him and Claire! While this book does contain the miscommunication trope I did end up devouring it and loving it.
Now I do love that we just jump straight into it in the book. We know from the beginning about the contract and the terms of what is going on. We know why Claire needs this and then we get some back story. I found that I really loved the set up instead of getting the proposition laid out in front of us and seeing what happened and going through that and having more pages added on to the book we dove right in! I loved that even though we did have a lot of spicy times and the hunts were fun the thoughts in their heads at times were the comedic relief and when they weren’t the side characters were!
Now I really do hope in the future we get more books and this becomes a series because there are multiple side characters I would love to see books for…or even side characters together…I’m looking at you Allie…you are the one who put it in our heads!
I would say for Willing Prey being her debut novella and then turning it into a full length novel it was fantastic. I really can’t wait to see what else Allie Oleander brings to the table.
Thank you to Berkeley for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This was a vibe. I thought the story was non existent but still this book was rated on vibes not plot.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!!
First off I wanna say that I was just expecting a smutty time but I was pleasantly surprised to see that YES there was a lot of smut but there was also the perfect amount of plot, witty back and forth banter and fun side characters!!
The romance and character growth was perfection.
We get Shane who starts off wanting to hunt our FMC, Claire, in the woods for some sexy times with no strings attached but then begins to realize that it’s way more than that for him and i ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! It didn’t only focus on their relationship growth but also a side plot that kept me invested!!
Definitely worth the read!!