I am absolutely obsessed with this! It was such a fun and sexy read. Shane and Claire are perfect for each other and Shane really helped Claire find who she really was after her ex-husband made her into something she wasn’t. It really loved the hunting scenes because they were so fun and a little suspenseful! I also loved all the side characters! I want more from them!! I read this in 2 days because I could not put it down!

Claire is living the divorcée rebound dream. being paid $30k (think legally binding contract) to star in kinky primal play games in the woods with her ex-husband’s hot, dominant lawyer boss is already a major win for womankind, but what would you say if i tell you the delicious beefcake is also thoughtful and charming too 🤪

Willing Prey is a silly goofy good time y’all!!! lmao. It’s funny, sexy, and while I myself could never enjoy running as much as Claire or Shane, I love their odd little love story hahaha.

I will in fact be waiting for Caine’s book next though Allie!

thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the eARC.

I’m not exactly sure what I think of this book??? I REALLY liked it at times but then it felt soooo long (I understand this was a novella turned into a full length novel.. maybe it should’ve stayed a novella?).

Loved how down bad our MMC was and how much of a badass the FMC was. Two things I adore in any book I read. I really just think the story went on way too long for really no reason.

If you want to read a story for the vibes, this is the one for you!! And for all the spicy spice and a kink I’ve never read before!

Read if you like:
🌶️ hot spice (4/5 - a very unique kink, but nothing over the top in terms of what actually happens during the act)
🥵 a down bad MMC
😤 touch her and d!e
🫂 “I want everything as long as it’s with you” vibes
📑 a sex contract
👀 forced proximity

This quickly became one of my favourite reads this year. I love it! What a fantastic debut.

Exciting, dark, and downright primal.

I could not put this book down. Dual POV between the two MCs. Claire, a recent divorsee who agrrees to a sex contract with her ex husbands boss, and Shane, the boss who hires her to be prey whilst he hunts her in the forest. Not to worry though it's not that kind of hunt. No one is getting shot with bow and arrows. It is purely a sexual game for those with a primal kink.

Deliciously spicy with Primal play, blood play, and knife play. This isn't all spice though, there is character development, and an ex husband who has way too much audacity. The intense chemistry between the main characters was perfection. What is it about two sexy people chasing each other through the woods?!

I loved the side characters and want to know more about Caine and Margot. I am keeping my fingers crossed that there will be a book for those characters. The flirty banter, and chemistry was off the charts.

Thank you so much for the advanced copy of this book. I truely loved it!

This was such a fun, wild romp! It was spicy and funny. I really liked the two main characters. I loved Claire’s growth post divorce. I liked the side characters too and am hoping for an interconnected sequel 👀 This was originally a novella but is now being published as a full length novel and it works so well. It feels fleshed out and well paced. Definitely recommend this one and will be checking out more from Allie Oleander.

💗🦌Willing Prey by Allie Oleander 💗🦌

🦌This one is about Claire, who is recently divorced and a little bit short on cash (she put her ex through school and then when it was time to pay her student loans he bailed). She takes up a lucrative offer from one of her ex’s colleagues: let him hunt her in the woods for one month and he’ll pay her handsomely. Yes, it is absolutely a s€x thing. And you’d better believe that she is into it. 💗

🦌A friend informed me about this book being available as a Read Now on Netgalley by sending me a few of the triggers/kinks. From there it was on like Donkey Kong. I gobbled this up. It was hot, it was kinky. It had revenge. The FMC is 35 which is refreshing. She’s also six feet tall and a solid woman. Yum. I loved how the MMC was a soft for only her kind of guy. I will recommend this book to absolutely anyone who can handle the kinks. 💗

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

🫖 I paired this book with Monoomin apple pie tea from David’s Tea x Tea Horse. This tea is made with manoomin (which means wild rice in Ojibwe) and apple, and is made in partnership with an indigenous woman-owned company. I wanted to pair it with a tea that had traditionally foraged ingredients since a big portion of this book takes place in the woods!


Instagram post will go up on release week!

Willing Prey was so fun!!! I really love this new genre of dark rom-coms and think this is a great introduction into the genre. It’s a much lighter and lower stakes read than Lights Out and Butcher and Blackbird but I think Allie Oleander captures the humor that will attract fans of both books.

I found the characters to be perfectly imperfect and really liked the character development of Shane. Though he definitely could use some therapy to help him understand other people.

Really enjoyable read and recommend it to anyone curious about spicier books 🫣

There are so many things I loved about this in the beginning; sexy concept, older protagonist, divorcee glow up, sex worker positive, etc. But after a certain point Claire was so hyper focused on sex that the plot began to suffer. I found myself skimming the spicy scenes after about 70% just to get to the end of their story.

Thank you to the publisher and author for this arc!

This books saved me from a reading slump and had me in an chokehold the entire time.
Fast paced, gloriously SPICY & surprisingly sweet I wish I could inject the feeling of reading this straight into my veins.
It had EVERYTHING I could want in a dark romance. Although I wouldn’t consider it super dark- more greyish.
I’ll take 100 more books from this author please and thanks. Can you tell I’m obsessed?

Ooooh this was a spicy little nugget! I believe it was originally a novella that’s been expanded to a longer book, but still has the quick pace and easy reading of a novella.

It’s a primal kink themed story about a woman who is hired to be the sexual prey to a man who wants to hunt her - and while the bulk of the story is very spicy, and frankly very horny, it also manages to fully develop these characters and even have some growth and depth.

I really enjoyed it! Very spicy, very entertaining.

I think Allie Oleander wrote this book specifically for me??? I loved it. This has everything I want in a smutty romance - mature main characters, NO SURPRISE PREGNANCY, goofy inner thoughts, and hot hot hot scenes. The author had me alternately snickering and gnawing at the bars of my enclosure. Hoping to see a certain pair of side characters in a sequel!

I loved this! It was fast paced and so very spicy. This was my first experience with a dark romance all about primal play and I loved it. Claire and Shane’s relationship development was just the right amount of sweet and spicy. Thanks for letting me read! I can’t wait to recommend to my dark romance girlies :)

This book was really good. There were plenty of funny moments but the relationship between the FMC and MMC is really what shines here. The FMC takes no shit and its wonderful to watch the MMC be in complete awe of our girl.

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD OMG. Thank you Allie Oleander and NetGalley for the ARC.

First things first: when do we get a book with Caine and Margot's story? Please and thank you.

Now, where do I start? This book made me smile, laugh, and say "OMG" out loud more times than I can count. It was so HOT I couldn't put it down.

Shane is the perfect MMC, growing throughout his idea of a 30-day contract to a relationship that means more. Claire is intelligent (something I need from a FMC) and mature, funny and yes, maybe a bit blind due to her past shitty relationship.

This book is a 5-star read and no less. I want more from Allie!

Tropes to look for:

🦌Primal play
🦌Power play
🦌Transactional relationship
🦌He falls first
🦌Light stalking
🦌MCs in their 30's/40's

5 🌶️ !

4.5

THIS WAS A VERY FUN BOOK.

The premise was what first drew me to this book. $30,000 to pay off student loans? RELATABLE. I'd do the deal in a heartbeat. As a fellow educator, I died at this quote;

"If there's another way for a teacher to make $30,000 in thirty days that doesn't involve drug smuggling or auctioning off an organ, I haven't heard of it."

Claire was funny and relatable, two things I look for when I want something fun and comfortable to read. Shane was so cute with his crush on Claire. I loved reading about how they both interpreted their first interaction together.

I appreciate the older age of the characters. I feel like a lot of romance is full of college age and mid-20's characters, and as I get older I like reading about characters that are closer in age to me. I think it's also extremely relatable that neither Claire nor Shane were the best at communicating their feelings to each other. I think we always think that older characters should be super mature and know everything, but that's honestly not real life. We're a product of our experiences, and sometimes that leads to people not being fully developed in some social/relationship skills. The most important part is that Shane and Claire realized what was needed between them (communication) because if they didn't have any, they would both leave the arrangement thinking the other didn't want them. They showed growth.

I am SUPER excited about the next couple Allie Oleander plans to write. I like this exploration of unique kinks and hope she continues it. I don't think I'd ever be able to do a prey kink though just because ticks??? In Maine???

Oh my. This book will give you a rollercoaster of emotions. The relationship builds and builds. I was captured in this book right away. I love their different tastes. It was fun to see the main characters grow with each other and separately. I found myself wishing I could see more of them because I was enjoying the story so much. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This book jumps right into the action and I appreciate that. I devoured this book in one sitting. Things do get explained as you go, but no time is wasted with a drawn out lead in to the contract. She's there and ready to go. The FMC is a well rounded character with insecurities, but also has a confident, competitive streak. I really liked her and the characters she befriends in the house.

The MMC is not what I expected from a book like this. Without giving any spoilers, I am used to a MMC with different experiences being the kind of guy that hires a woman for a sex contract. I really enjoyed learning about him and how this whole situation came to be. It was a very new and fun perspective compared to a lot of books that use this trope.

The overall drama was mostly from the miscommunications between the two MCs. Some reviews were saying this book was dark, but aside from being about a specific kink, I didn't find anything dark about it. Everything was very consensual. The FMCs ex-husband was a huge asshole, but it's not the focus. Of course check the CWs if you have concerns.

Fingers crossed for a second book about Margot and Caine, because I really want to know what is going on with them.

Full disclosure - this is not a book I would normally pick up. Kink plus super spicy just isn't my typical thing. But I am so glad I did because this book was tons of fun! Yes, it is SPICY, but it's also fast paced and very emotionally engaging. I was hooked! It was also unexpectedly hilarious at times thanks to Claire's inner thoughts. Looking forward to seeing what Allie Oleander comes out with next!

I believe this novel has all the makings of the next dark romance hit of the year. The writing is engaging, with well-developed characters and an excellent balance of spice and plot. I especially appreciated the inclusion of characters 35+, the strong sense of found family, and the clever use of humor—particularly the puns, which were an absolute highlight for me. While I wasn’t personally a fan of the pet names used between the main characters, it didn’t diminish my overall enjoyment. This book easily stands out as one of my favorite reads of the year, and I highly recommend it to fans of series like The Ruinous Love tribology and Lights Out.

Rating: 5 stars / Spice: 4.5/5 peppers

I absolutely ate this book up! It was funny, fast-paced, sweet AND spicy. The characters had so much chemistry and I loved seeing their growth throughout the story - both as a couple and individually.

What to expect: - 30 Day Contract - Primal Play - Roommates - Grumpy x Sunshine - MCs over 35 - Toxic Ex - Charming Side Characters