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 🖤

Morally grey male leads, check. Strong, independent female, check. Lots of good banter and sexy times, double check.

Caught up is the next book in the Into the Darkness series, and it is just as good as the first one. Junior Trocci has a thing for Lo Marchetti - has had one for years, but has stayed away for her safety. Did he let her know this is why he broke her heart when they were in school, of course not, but he has still kept an eye on her over the years. Finally he has had enough and lets her know just exactly how close he has kept her, and how much he wants her.

I can’t stress enough how funny the banter in this book is - the ‘cannibal’ conversation had me laughing so much and rereading it to my coworkers. It is just a fun dark romance with enough humour to balance it all out.

Just pick up the book and read it when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for an ARC for this.

if you liked lights out by Navessa Allen you will absolutely love caught up, this book 100% tops lights out for me. it’s a protective mafia man x second chance romance. i was hooked from the beginning this story follows laura and nico second chance romance where he is determined to win his girl. its funny, spicy and just a good time

I have so many words pouring through my brain at the moment and no clear way for them to come out to here goes:

- side characters for the win!
- confessional booth...I am on fire
- Josh, Aly and kitties
- club scenes...also freaking hot
- I need more from Stefan
- loved, loved, loved the epilogue
- ah, I see who you've set up for the next book

This is darker than Lights Out which is to be expected with the mafia vibes but still has its funny moments.

Thank you Hachette and Netgalley for the eARC and because I am also watching Taskmaster while typing, I have left an honest review