I'm a sucker for a good stalker book, which is what I thought I was getting into based off the description of this book. I feel like it was more contemporary romance than dark romance, though it did have elements. To me, dark romance needs morally gray characters, and neither protagonist was that. Sure, they did murder someone and cover it up, but both were good people despite that. I thought this would lean heavily into the stalker aspect, and that's where it seemed to go for the first half. And then the rapist serial killer popped up and I stopped enjoying the book as much. I wish that part had been cut and replaced with something else. There was plenty of potential for other conflict, but those moments weren't a focal point and were tied up nicely within a chapter or two.

That said, I did still enjoy this book and would read another title by Navessa Allen if it seemed like something I'd like.

Let me just say that I had no idea what this book was about when I got the email asking if I wanted an ARC copy to read. I am so glad I said yes because I LOVED this book! It was everything my Butcher & Blackbird loving heart needed. I will say that after I read the first couple chapters and say that there would be an audio version, I immediately switched to the audiobook. I am so glad I did because the duet narrators were perfect!

I love a good stalker romance but I love that Josh is more of a golden retriever stalker. Scary sexy yet sweet at the same time. I am here for it! The spice was really good and I there were a couple times I laughed out loud! Definitely not a dark stalker romance like the title and cover would imply. Overall it was a fun and entertaining read. Oh! And I am gonna love any book that has a Gilmore Girls reference in it.


Thanks to NetGalley, Zando Slowburn and Navessa Allen for the ARC!

This book made stalking cute!!

This was such a fun time I couldn’t put it down and couldn’t stop smiling

Full review on my TT/ IG

Story: 3.5 ⭐ Rounded up
Spice: 4 🌶 (This was hard for me, I usually do my spice rating base on spice to plot ratio, but there was a lot more kink in there, so I raised it.)

I really enjoyed the first part of the book. You have Aly who is an ER nurse and then Josh who is a tech guy. Aly is obsessed with mask men on TikTok especially this certain creator and when she gets up close and personal, she's not sure to run or devour him. I was really into this part of the story.

You have a masked stalker, breaking and entering, spice and all the fun stuff. Then it takes a turn and it kind of lost me. It moves to more of a thriller but there is a disconnect. At least for me, almost like 2 books put into one. I have been extremely moody lately with reading and it may be me, but this my current opinion.

The MMC is the cutest cinnamon roll (but definitely has a switch) and the FMC is pretty bad ass.

For the smut you have a lot of fantasies that come true. Mask play, knife play, breaking and entering, restraints, primal play, anal play, and I'm sure a lot more... haha

This is everything you want in a guilty pleasure read. It delivers on everything it claims to be and I totally understand the hype it's getting. It's dark, spicy, morally grey, and escapist. I love the new cover. If it sounds intriguing to you, it's definitely worth the read.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC. I absolutely loved the audio version of this book and the book as a whole., it’s nice one of my favorite dark Roman e reads and I cannot wait to read more from this author! I loved the characters and the plot of the story!! I rated it over five stars and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great dark romance !!

Loved the kindle copy I received so much that I had to buy the physical book for my shelf! No regrets with this one!!!!

I seen this all over my TT FYP and as soon as it showed up on NetGalley I knew I had to request it.
Based on the videos I seen, I thought that I knew what I was gettin myself into but I thought wrong hahah. Even though I didn’t know what to expect, this book was EVERYTHINGGG.
I love both Josh and Aly! Josh is such an insane but protective masked stalker MMC. The plot and spice were top tier.

3⭐️ i wanted to love this so badly and really wanted it to give me the same vibes as butcher & blackbird as it’s promoted as dark romcom vibes. However, i just don’t think this one was for me. There were some really fun aspects where i can see how some people would really love this one! But it just fell a little flat to me. The pacing felt off to me. The plot was a bit all over the place and the mafia plot felt forced. The spice and the banter between the two main characters were the best part of this book.

I loved the romance! they understood each and could be themselves together. The chemistry between them was amazing! I also loved the slow-burn and the sexual tension between the main characters. There were several scenes that made me blush and smile so much. The writing is beautiful and descriptive. I honestly felt like I was living in the world with the characters. I felt so many emotions while reading this book, I cried, I laughed and I smiled. This book will stay in my heart for a long time.

I DEVOURED this book. It was funny, but with like a dark, thriller rom-com vibe. And it was f*cking HOT!

If the banter from the Ruinous Love Series had a baby with the sta/king from Haunting Adeline, it would be Lights Out!

It had some really hot scenes, in detail! It had some thriller-will they/won’t they get caught. It made me laugh multiple times. It had a little bit of everything!

The MMC is a golden retriever, but also an accidental unaliver 😂. The FMC is closer to a black cat, especially when it comes to standing up for her man to her family!

I thoroughly enjoyed this right from the start. Add to your TBR if you like:

-Masked Men
-Golden Retriever MMC
-Sta/ker Romance
-He Falls First
-Morally Grey
- Primal and pointy object Play
- Hacker Skills
-Bada$s Trauma Nurse
- Dual POV

“The couple who slays together, stays together“

Slam dunk on the narration. Duet narration was perfect for this style book and automatically made me love it even more.

This book is perfect for fans of Leather & Lark. It's a good combo of dark romance, dark comedy, and a small mob subplot. It was like if L&L and Haunting Adeline had a baby. The dark stalker masked man vibes were so hot. My favorite spicy scenes I've read in a long time. Excuse me maam - did not need to add knife handle to my list of "well mayyyybe".

Idk what it is about masked men and hackers/stalkers but I freaking love that in a book. Josh nailed it. He can break into my house any day.

I'm not a huge fan generally of back door action but it was very well executed. There's a little bit of everything in this book. Level 4 spice for sure.

A little bit lacking in the plot department at some spots because I couldn't figure out really what the conflict was but I was having such a good time that I didn't even really care.

2x speed was perfect for both narrators. It flowed seamlessly. Highly recomend the audio and I will for sure be snagging more. books by this author.

Thank you to Dreamscape for the audio and Zando/Slowburn for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

“If I’m the cat, what does that make you? The Mouse?”
“I’m s mother {bleeping} wolf”

This was a wild ride of a story and I loved every second of it! So many laugh-out-loud moments that made the more serious events humorous and light-hearted and just so fun to read.

Amy is such a badass FMC and I loved her outspokenness and vibes right from the get-go. As a trauma nurse, she’s seen some crazy stuff in her life and uses MaskTok as her escapism, commenting and watching her favourite page: The Faceless Man. One drunken night she sends a text that turns her fantasy into a reality.

Josh is an Uber-talented hacker with a dark past. As the son of a notorious serial killer, he’s used to living a reclusive life and lives out his fantasies and societal interactions via his MaskTok account. When he learns of Aly’s obsession, he decides to see just how serious her comments are.

Lights Out is a fast-paced dark romance with stalker vibes and un-aliving. It is very humourous (if you like dark humour) and an easy read. highly recommend.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: August 06, 2024
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

I had the book AS WELL as the audiobook for this one and let me tell you that the experience was elevated with the narration. This book was a like if Butcher and Blackbird and Haunting Adeline had a spooky little baby. This book will have you hooked by the first page and take you through a fast paced ride until the very end. I loved our two great main characters : Aly and Josh. Aly is a trauma nurse and Josh is a hacker && the man who is going to bring Aly’s fantasy alive and she doesn’t even know it yet (ahem and neither does his roommate (her ex haha). The banter and chemistry in this book is uncharted, stalkers hiring stalkers to stalk themselves was a HOOT and the sp!cy of this book was certainly smokin’. I just have to say that I think even though I love our two main characters here, I absolutely adore FRED the cat. This ending is going to have you reeling for MORE! There are a lot of TW’s that I think you should of course as usual investigate before jumping into this read.

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Primal, Secret Identity, Bratty Heroine, Slow Burn, Rom Com, Ex’s Roommate, Masked Men, Dark Romance, Stalker, Cat Parent, Possessive, Morally Grey Cinna-Roll, Kn!fe Play etc…

5⭐️ | 4🌶

What to expect:
~ Stalker romance
~ Mask and kn*fe play
~ Morally grey MMC x Feisty FMC
~ He falls first and hard
~ Top tier banter and spice
~ Cat parents
~ Un*living as a couple

Review:
Let’s just start by saying that I am absolutely stunned (and a little worried) seeing how much I enjoyed this book!

This is the first dark stalker romance that left giggling and laughing out loud! I got approved for both the ARC and ALC on NetGalley. Even though dark romance isn't usually my thing, this blend of fluffy, dark, funny, and witty elements made it irresistible.

The story features two very loveable characters- Josh and Aly, who share a quirky interest in ‘masked men" thirst traps. Josh creates them, and Aly drools over them. Their chemistry and banter are off the charts, making this possibly the best romcom, stalker romance, and thriller of the year.

This story is packed with plot twists, tough topics, and dark themes, but the humor and heartwarming moments overshadow the darker elements. Despite the occasional intensity, it remains an enjoyable and hilarious ride.

If you’re a fan of ‘Butcher and Blackbird’, you’ll love ‘Lights Out’. The stalker romance trope is turned on its head in the most delightful way! The spice, banter, and unique love story make this a standout listen.

Okay I loved this so much but not in the way I was expecting to love it!!

A dark-ish romance where the love interest is a sexy masked man from the internet and also… her ex’s best friend. SIGN ME UP.

Fast paced & fun - this book took me on a ride that I wasn’t expecting and I had the best time.

I really wanted to like this book. The story had so much potential but it just was not executed. I wanted more fear, more chase, more sinister masked man vibes and really what we got was a sexy man in a mask that was sweet and a golden retriever. There was no great transition through the plot points. And Aly went from holy crap I’m being stalked to just like “oh hey masked man what are we doing today.”

This book was so much fun. Excellent for fans of the Ruinous Love series by Brynn Weaver (Butcher & Blackbird, Leather & Lark). The banter between the MMC and FMC was genuinely laugh out loud. I wasn't just gently amused, I was kicking my feet and laughing. Josh, the MMC, had a traumatic childhood with a serial killer father, and he's become a bit of a recluse after a Netflix documentary, with the exception of his posts on his #masktok account. He's also deliciously tortured and always afraid he's going to turn out like his father.

Aly, an ER nurse who also has a bit of trauma in her past, falls down his thirst trap rabbit hole. Through an unknown (to Aly) personal connection, Josh and Aly begin a game of cat and mouse with some light st*lking. I love how smart, strong, and funny Aly was. She was so self aware in a way you just don't seen in ~dark~ romance books. Again, I really hesitate to call this dark romance though, because although there is primal play and a masked man, the overall tone is light and downright adorable. Watching Aly and Josh fall equally in love with each other was a blast and I really want to read more from this author. Also -- spice was spicing!

Did someone say... masked stalker? 👀
I don't know why I didn't pick this up sooner, because honestly? I loved every second of it 👏🏻
Aly is an ER nurse, who spends her free time scrolling through the infamous "masktok". One masked man in particular holds her attention though. Who knew he'd share any interest in her?
Josh, the masked man in question, is determined to see if Aly's interest is real, and spends some time stalking around 😈
My favorite thing about this book though?
The fact that Josh is a golden retriever boyfriend who's slightly unethical in his methods. He is obsessed with Aly but he's so sweet to her.
The spice was on point too 😉
if you have a mask smink, this book is a must.
"I didn't want him morally grey. I wanted someone with a soul as black as night. Someone who would burn the world down for me and not lose a single minute of sleep over it."

She's an ER trauma nurse with a special interest in guys in masks and he's the son of a killer who is the very same guy she's obsessed with... who just happens to be obsessed with her too. Aly has seen it all, blood, guts, and gore and sometimes she just needs to take a break... and by break she means scrolling through her FYP filled with shirtless men wearing ghosts-masks, especially the ones who are heavily tattooed, wiedling knives, and covered in blood. There's just something about them that really does it for her... so when she drunk texts the guy she's been hooking up with to ask him to play out a scene for her... she gets more than she bargained for when the very same guy she's obsessed with online plays out her fantasies in real life. Josh is the son of a famous serial killer and has had a hard time separating himself from his father, especially since his face is a carbon copy of his dad's. He works from home, is an introvert, and has found that the only way to get a bit of release is through making masked guy thirst traps online.... until he meets his roommates hookup, Aly... and ever since then he's been obsessed with her. So when his roommate/best friend shows him the drunken text from Aly with his own photo saying she's into masked guys... Josh is all too happy to make Aly's fantasies a reality... that is if he doesn't scare her off first. So begins a game of cat and mouse as Josh makes all of Aly's dreams come true and Aly embraces her fantasies. This was a fun dark romance and definitely sweeter than I thought it was going to be. Josh and Aly just so perfectly fit one another and are made for each other. They so perfectly know what the other wants and needs, and their romance was really cute. I had so much fun reading this and will definitely be reading more from this author!

Release Date: August 6,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Zando | Slowburn for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*