I had a lot of fun with this! This one definitely takes a darker, more emotional tone than Lights Out. Whilst the humour is still there, it shines through in quiet moments of banter rather than the main character’s inner monologues. We follow estranged childhood friends/lovers, Junior and Lauren.

Lauren is a sex cam girl who fights for sex worker rights and is so damn empowering. She is so confident and girlboss when it comes to her job, and seeing the positive light on an area that isn’t in a lot of books was really great to read about.

This book was also super kinky! We delve into way more experimental kinks, including—and at the heart—voyeurism. Junior, aka Nick, was our classic tormented bad boy, stuck under his father and the mafia. and all I need to say is he dropped to his KNEES for Lauren within the first 100 pages to beg for forgiveness 👏

Overall, this was enjoyable and a great and entertaining dark romance. I especially loved the cameos from Josh and Ally throughout!!

This is the second book in the Into Darkness series. Can probably be read as a standalone but the secondary character action was an absolute highlight for me, so read Lights Out first! The MMC is completely obsessed with the FMC and always has been. There’s tension because of the expectations of his Mafia family around work and a future partner. But Nic’s heart wants a second chance with Lauren, who struggles with trust after their first chance was a huge public fail. I appreciated the positive representation of the business end of sex work & content production. Some seriously steamy scenes here, lots of grovel, tenderness & humour and hope. Enjoyably readable.

Thank you to Quercus and NetGalley for the review copy.

Brooooo…Lauren and Junior and the plot was so goooodddd…

Them being high school loves was so cute and the way they went back to each other…I love them.

I LOVED the inclusivity of this book (Ryan being They/Them; YASSSS) and viewing s*x workers in a positive light!! So refreshing. Definitely will be reading Nevessa Allen’s third book in the trilogy and highly recommend this book for people who love dark romance !!

5/5 <3

Oh my lord Jesus Christ. I need to go to church after this one. And I might need to check out a confessional booth (iykyk) 😉.

All I can describe this book as is HOT HOT HOT. Literally smoking it was so bloody brilliant I honestly couldn’t not put it down. When I wasn’t reading it I was certainly thinking about it!

This was quite possibly the smuttiest book I’ve ever read and I’m not mad at that. I love Lauren and think she is such a badass and Nic was a great male lead.

Of course none of what happens in any sort of dark romance is something I would ever consider acceptable in real life. Especially in this book. Stalking, violence, murder, and more. But in the context of the dark romance it’s so easy to justify that he’s just trying to protect her! He loves her! 😅😅.

I loved getting to see Aly and Josh pop up too and Josh being his classic hilarious self too. All in all this was such a fun and addictive read.

I really wanted to love this book, especially after loving the first book so much — and with a mafia romance in the mix, I thought it would be an instant hit. Sadly, it just wasn't for me. Don't get me wrong - it was still an enjoyable read, it just didn't hit the same as Lights Out.

Nico "Junior" Trocci had all the ingredients of a magnetic anti-hero, and Lauren’s shift from quiet and reserved to confident and fiery showed real promise.

The first chunk of the book totally pulled me in. The setup was strong, and I was excited to see where it would go. But as the story went on, that initial excitement started to fizzle. I found myself wanting more grit, more danger — something to raise the stakes a bit.

Junior and Lauren definitely had chemistry, but it didn’t fully grab me the way I’d hoped. The story was good, the characters were fine, but it lacked the emotional punch or tension I was hoping for.

Thank you so much for the ARC of Caught Up

I ate this up, I read 80% of this is one day. It’s was sooooooo good.

This is a second chance romance that follows Junior as he rekindles his relationship with his high school fling, Lauren.

This comes out tomorrow and I’ve already preordered the book

4.5 stars, 3.5 spice

Yep, I loved it. It had the chemistry, the banter, the spice. I didn't devour it in one sitting, only reason for the 4.5 and not 5 stars. I liked it more than Lights Out, dare I say? Not often we like a sequel more than the original.

Junior and Lo, ugh. Junior, hot mafia guy who rides a motorbike and Lo, hot, confident, badass, smex worker who brings a man to his knees? Is there a better duo?

Special mention to the room-mate, Taylor. She may be one of my fav side characters. Her banter was top-notch.

Loved the Josh and Ali mentions as well, ties it all in.

If you liked Lights Out, you'll love Caught Up.

Thank you, Hachette Aus and Netgalley, for the early copy!

ARC REVIEW

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC xo

I really enjoyed this book, idk what Navessa put in it but I read it in one sitting.

Excited to see where the next book goes....

For sure will recommend!!

If Lights out, Eyes in me and any othe r mafia romance had a baby-this would be their child 😍

🎤Spoilers incoming 🎤



I am OBESSED! I have a realized I'm a huge fan of the kink club scenes and Caught Up has some amazing scenes that play out. The last one would have to be my favourite. Who would have thought out staunch mob MMC would fuck his girl in front of a crowd 😏 HAWT.


Navessa nailed the book. The one liners had me absolutely rolling and being able to see Josh and Aly just completed the story!


Thanks so much a the ARC copy ❤️

I went into this book not having read Lights Out (book 1) so I had no idea of the vibes or overall writing style but please know that I am now immediately adding Lights Out to my list because I am converted. This book was a hilarious and titillating journey. It’s labelled as “dark romance” but honestly, it was so strangely wholesome and unforgettable while still providing all of the spice (confessional scene…. just you wait).
My one and only criticism I have is that there was not a big confrontation/conflict in the second act. I know it’s not always necessary, especially in a quicker romance, but it felt like through the whole book, we were gearing up for something big, something that would require our MMC running to save our FMC from danger. But it didn’t, it was quite a quick and simple resolution actually and then our happy ending. And I'm not mad about that, I just thought we were being teased with something big.
This book was still a GREAT read even not having read Lights Out. The MCs from Lights Out make an appearance, and while we do hear things that happened in the first book, it reads like an interconnected standalone, so it doesn't overly matter which is read first.
Very keen to see what Navessa Allen does next!

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Aus&NZ for a digital ARC for review.

Not quite as good as book 1 but still a great book. I think Navessa Allen writes really well. There isn’t any unnecessary fluff which I appreciate.
I didn’t think this book had the humour of the first and I didn’t feel as invested in Junior and Lauren and I did with Aly and Josh, I’m so glad those two were in this book as well. It was great to see them again.

Lights Out ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Caught up ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an eArc. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Straight off the bat, don’t go into this expecting Lights Out!! Lights out had humour and levity to oppose the darkness. Caught Up leans into the darkness and brings a real emotional level that was in the previous book.

Nico “Junior” is tired of living the life he has been forced into. Family loyalty and unspeakable truths have held him down for the last 10 years and he can’t keep going. Deciding to find a way out, he turns to the only person who has truly seen him, Lauren his high school love. Lauren has carved out a name for herself in the online s** work forum and is living freely and confidently in her life. Until the one person who broke her heart shows up wanting another chance.

You don’t fully see it until the story develops but Nic and Lauren really are ying and yang. The dark vs the light, the free vs the trapped. They have a huge push pull dynamic which in the end does balance out once they are honest with each their.

I really felt for Nic. He seems to still be a scared boy deep down but he really found his own strength in Lauren. He is also all of the red flags we want - obsessive, possessive, stalker tendencies. You know all the fun stuff!

Lauren was so confident in who she was and what she presented to the world, even when the world didn’t show her the same grace back. She helped Nic grow but also her own world view changed to see the shades of grey in the black and white.

Now the spice. THE SPICE!!!! I don’t want to ruin anything but you get superb spice…just amazing. You don’t get the full show until late in the book but damn even without that, your panties will be on fire.

🏍️
⚜️ Book Title - Caught Up
⚜️ Author - Navessa Allen
⚜️ Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚜️ Some Genre/Themes/Tropes: Adult Fiction, Romance and humor

I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This is my honest review.

Caught Up was a fun read! Did it have the same spark as Lights Out? Not exactly, but it was still enjoyable.

Lo and Nico made a great duo, with interesting backstories and professions.

This one felt a little lighter on plot and heavier on spice - though that could be due to the themes explored in this book. It also had injections of light comedic humour amongst the darker themes.

I would recommend this book to others with caveats. I will look for other books written by this author.

I want to say thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Note (How I rate): One is DNF. Two is got there but struggled. Three stars is a good, enjoyable read. Four is an excellent read and five is a comfort read that lingers with me for life (very difficult to get but not impossible).

freaking loved this book! Nico is hot as hell and I definitely lost all of my feminism when he was around, but Lauren was equally as hot and was not about to let anyone boss her around. Plus she definitely knew her way around a taser.

This one felt a bit darker than the first one because there wasn't as much of a comedic twist, but let's face it there is only one Josh Hammond and he is hilarious. This book was just as good as the first one though because Navessa writes such awesome characters and don't worry there is still alot of laughs in this one!

Spice wise this was a four out of five
🌶 🌶🌶🌶 THE SPICE WAS SPICING!! The confessional booth!! 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵

This series is a blast and so easy to fly through, the characters are great and the plot is twisty. I just love it so much.

This book was so good! I enjoyed Lights Out but this follow up really hooked me in and I flew through the book in less than 24 hours. Junior and Lauren's story was really fleshed out and built great tension.

It starts out with Junior, Aly's cousin who appears towards the end of Light's Out, and introduces his dark world as a part of the Italian mob. Junior is struggling under his father's thumb and is tiring of mob life. Then we meet Lauren, a camgirl who lives with her two roommates and lives a life completely separate to Junior's darkness. They have a messy back story and watching Junior finally win Lauren over makes for a great read.

This story doesn't seem as dark as Lights Out but also doesn't have the humour Josh and Aly brought to the page. The backstory between them also made the relationship a little more believable.

This is a 4.25 star read for me and I'm looking forward to more writing from Navessa Allen.
Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette/Quercus for the early copy.

Caught Up
Navessa Allen

"It's just because you come in a pretty package. Too bad it's empty inside."

The mafia romance girlies rejoice with Caught Up, the follow up to the widely popular Lights Out. From making eyes in Church to their secret online personas, this was not like Josh and Aly’s story but entirely Junior and Lauren’s.

Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t as invested in Junior and Lauren’s story. I loved the anticipation and chase with Lights Out and even the mystery of the masked man’s identity.

"I'm considering joining the priesthood."
She grinned. "Does that mean I'll get to call you
Daddy?"
I nearly choked. "Isn't it Father?"

Junior we were introduced to in Lights Out and his and Lauren’s second chance romance just didn’t have me captivated like I hoped. I enjoyed the interconnected series and the pop ins from Josh and Aly. Josh chasing cats was really a highlight.

After going into this *almost* blind, having read Lights Out and knowing I would read anything else Navessa Allen wrote, I didn't even worry about reading the blurb, and wow... welcome to this totally sweet second chance romance set in a world of sex work and kink, with a side of mafia brutality!

Thank you to Hachette and Netgalley for the ARC <3 (I'm going to need the next one ASAP)

I absolutely loved Lights Out, so I’ve been dying to get my hands on this on, and it did not disappoint. I had so much fun reading it! It’s seriously hot and spicy, with some great sex-positive vibes throughout. I’d say this leans more toward a mafia romance (which I personally love) than a biker romance. There aren’t really any spicy scenes involving the biker aspect, but the story makes up for it with some seriously intriguing family dynamics around the male main character. Nico is protective, borderline stalker-ish (with a touch of cyberstalking thrown in), but it’s all in the name of making sure she’s safe and gets everything she deserves. And yes… he grovels. Hot. Nico was so incredibly attractive, I don’t think I’ll stop thinking about him anytime soon.
I’m really trying not to compare it too much to Lights Out, because this book definitely has its own darker tone and unique dynamic. My only small critique is that the ending felt a little rushed, some parts didn’t feel completely tied up. But overall, I devoured this and loved the ride!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette Australia and New Zealand for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of Caught Up.
I have been excited to read this and so happy I was given the opportunity to read it early.
I really enjoyed the connection between the main character. It was both electric and the emotional history between them was palpable. Following their journey through unresolved grief, trust and vulnerability made the characters more engaging to me.
I did feel that Lauren dissected every interaction with her housemates a bit too much – especially after the reader had just read the scene, but that is my one and only criticism.
Also psyched that Aly and Josh (and cats) were in this book. I hope this series keeps going (please do a book for every one of Nico’s brothers!)

OH MY GOSH. I CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS BOOK.

I was lucky enough to get an eARC of Caught Up by Navessa Allen and I’m still not okay—in the BEST way possible. If you read Lights Out and loved it, you're absolutely going to devour this one. If you haven’t read that yet, go back and read it first. Trust me.

This book follows Lauren and Nico, and the tension between them is next-level. They have history. Complicated, messy, explosive history. And seeing them thrown back together? ICONIC. You get emotional flashbacks, forbidden feelings, and SO MUCH HEAT (yes, definitely upper YA/new adult). But it’s not just about romance—there’s pain, healing, friendship, and a strong found family vibe too.

Navessa Allen writes characters that feel real. They’re raw, flawed, and sometimes make terrible choices, but you’re rooting for them anyway. I loved how Lauren wasn’t just a love interest—she had a full story, strength, and depth.

Also: the writing? Addictive. Sharp. Funny when it needs to be. And emotional when you least expect it.

This book gave me all the feels and I need more people to talk about it with!! Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC 🖤