While Caught Up is a solid follow-up in Navessa Allen’s world, for me, it didn’t quite hit the emotional highs that Lights Out delivered. The bones of the story are strong, with depth, intrigue, and the potential for darker, richer threads, but something felt a little muted this time around. I especially missed the momentum and tension that the Mafia elements brought to the first book. Nico's arc was intriguing but felt like it could have gone further to deliver more grit, darkness, and emotional punch.

That said, the parts of the story involving Lauren and Velvet stood out in the best way. Their connection added weight and warmth that helped carry the narrative when my attention started to drift. I’ll be honest, I found myself skimming sections in the middle, eager to get to the next gripping moment.

Now, the kink club storyline was an absolute highlight. It was sexy without being gratuitous, handled with care, and clearly the result of thoughtful research. It added a unique, smutty yet sincere dimension to the novel that was both refreshing and compelling. There’s an authenticity to how Navessa approached it that made it feel more intimate than indulgent, welcoming rather than performative.

Overall, Caught Up is a good read that just didn’t quite meet my expectations. Still, I admire Allen’s ability to explore complex themes and subcultures with nuance, and I’m looking forward to seeing where she takes us next.

OOOH yes! This was much darker than the first book! It still had a bit of humor, but this is a dark, mafia romance !

A fantastic sequel to Lights Out. I loved this second chance romance novel, the depth, the darkness and the tension were all oh so fun to read.
I felt lights out was a little disjointed, so I was a bit nervous going into caught up, but within a few pages I was thoroughly impressed with the story and flow of this novel.
Caught up was hot, tense and dark. A fabulous sequel and has absolutely left me wanting more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3.5/5
Tropes:
🎥 Secret Identity
🎥 Found Family
🎥 Second chance

Lauren and Nico ‘Junior’ have history and now Lauren is a cam girl and Junior is her secret #1 subscriber. Lauren hates Junior and he’s been secretly keeping track of her and helping her with her political endeavours of taking away some of the stigma of sex work.

Overall I liked this book and I think if you think of it as being in the “lights out” world rather than a continuation, you will like this book a lot more. This has a completely different vibe to “lights out” and it’s not overly “goofy” which makes sense for these characters and their situations.

My only issue was the second chance aspect wasn’t drawn out enough and there was a ✨ insta forgiveness✨ that I didn’t love. Junior could’ve grovelled more and Lauren could’ve taken more time to process their past and their present. I would also encourage checking the trigger warnings as they work through a lot of past traumas and there is an exploration of kinks within the sex club Lauren has part ownership in.

Thank you to NetGalley & Hachette Australia & New Zealand | Quercus for the e-arc.

Caught Up is vastly different to Lights Out. While Lights out was a dark rom-com, Caught Up is more of a light mafia romance with a lot of spice. Navessa is such an incredible writer and one thing I love is how daring and bold she is with her writing. Caught Up is not only a fun easy read, but its also so progressive. The tones and messages within the book are so important and rarely highlighted in literature.
Thought this wasn't as good as Lights Out for me, I still had an amazing job following the story of Lauren and Nico. Lauren was definitely the main character as the story mostly revolved around her. Her and her friends were so funny and I loved their banter! Though I found Nico's character a bit bland, I loved that he was so accepting of her and her sex work and that this wasn't the cause of any conflict in the book.
Overall I thought the book ended really well and it was interesting to see the whole family dynamics unravel as we progressed. I definitely look foreword to reading all of Navessa's future work if they're as fresh and bold like Caught Up was!

If you thought Lights Out was addictive, Caught Up will consume you. This one follows Junior and Lauren, childhood crushes turned grown-up obsession, tangled in a gritty, chaotic mess of second chances, sizzling tension, and mafia drama.

Junior is morally grey (okay, almost black), red flag central, and somehow still so swoony. Lauren? A smart, independent queen who's not here to play games. Their chemistry? Off. The. Charts.

I do wish l'd listened to this one on audio like I did with Lights Out. The narration in that was laugh-out-loud funny and brought so much to the story. Still, this was a spicy, dark, bingeable read with heart, heat, and just the right amount of chaos.

🔥Morally grey mafia man incoming

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read Caught Up by Navessa Allen.

This book was a wild ride! Junior is the ultimate morally grey bad boy- dangerous, obsessive, and utterly irresistible: I mean what more do I lowkey want?

Lauren knows he’s trouble, but their chemistry is off the charts- we’re actively avoiding the red flags I see 👀 Girl, me too. This book is a steamy, dark romance that had me hooked from the first page. 4 stars!

I liked Caught Up way more than I probably should have and I mean that in the best, most unhinged way possible. This book is messy, chaotic, and absolutely brimming with drama, and somehow, that worked for me. The characters are flawed in a way that made them feel real, even when they were making wildly questionable choices. The writing pulled me in, I couldn’t stop reading. It’s not perfect, but it’s bold, and I respect that. If you’re into rollercoasters with a little (okay, a lot) of chaos and of course the best sexual tension, you'll devour this one up!! I love when the mafia is mafiaing but not too graphic lol.

*Thanks to Hachette and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this early, all opinions are my own*

Significantly darker than her previous release, Lights Out. Caught Up follows MMC, Nico (or Junior), who is forced into a Mafia lifestyle and wants out, and FMC, Lauren, an adult content creator, who is avid campaigner for rights of sex workers.

What worked well:
• Exploring adult content creating and kinks positively.
• Representation of gender-inclusitivity continues throughout the book with side character, Ryan.
• Minor miscommunication between lead MCs, then next level grovelling.
• Cameos from Aly and Josh reminded me how good the banter and chemistry were between these two.
• Considerable growth and development of both MCs and great redemption arcs for both characters.
• Nonna Bianchi

What i felt missed the mark:
• A second chance romance when first romance was short term
• More flashbacks to the first romance would have made Nico's 10 year obsession more realistic.
• Given the darker nature of this book, there were some funny moments, but not to the anticipated level.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next book in the 'Into Darkness' series.

Caught Up has truly blown my expectations out of the water!! The chemistry 🔥 The grovelling 🔥 The spice 🔥 The banter 🔥 THE CONFESSIONAL SCENE 🔥 Junior was way too hot, I WAS UNPREPARED!! He truly knocked me off of my feet (and onto my knees??🫦)

I feel like Caught Up definitely had a darker tone than Lights Out which I loved! It was grittier, sexier and also touched on more serious topics such as the rights of sex workers and family violence. We also got to see Josh and Aly (AND FRED!!) which had me so hyped.

This book was so good, Junior and Lauren were so hot together and this had everything I didn't know I needed in my life. I am also really hoping to see more of the brothers in future books, I am sat for those men!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Aus and NZ for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.

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.