4.5⭐️

really enjoyed this book!!! I have never read a stalker romance before and boy am I glad I dipped my toes in with this book!

I loved the mixture of dark romance, banter and murder that was featured in this book, it all really kicked in after the first 20% and left me to absolutely binge read it over the course of three days. Aly and Josh are such a hot power couple, the chemistry they have... wow... All I can say is that they definitely match each other freak. That epilogue was 🔥🔥🔥🔥

For some reason I thought this was a serial killer romance à la B&B and had forgotten it was also a stalker romance so that was a bit of an adjustment but I really enjoyed the book overall and will definitely be picking up more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and Zando Slowburn for providing me with an eARC in return for an honest review.

Emergency room nurse Aly has been secretly watching the Faceless Man thirst trap TikToks for months. Little does she know, the Faceless Man is actually someone in her orbit. When he learns that she’s been watching him, he decides to watch her back. With or without her consent.

This new dark romance from Navessa Allen and Zando books was honestly so much fun! It did remind me a bit of Butcher & Blackbird in that it deftly mixed comedy with really dark romance and content but it definitely had a unique tone all of its own.

Josh was such a surprising softie that I couldn’t help but fall for him. The way he was so obsessed with Aly was so cute, even when he did things I would absolutely consider major red flags irl. His relationship with Aly’s cat was one of my favorite parts of the book.

This one is quite dark and does have a long, long list of triggering topics at the front. Please do read and be mindful of this if you pick this one up!

it was entertaining but :
- the tone in the first chapters made me expect something really dark when it really wasn't
- the mmc doesn't fit the dark romance genre in my opinion
- the mix of serious and unserious plot points was a bit confusing

the author saw the thirst traps of masked men on tiktok and took that as inspiration, but i think the fantasy is about masked men and the mysterious/dangerous side of them and not about a man who takes videos of himself in his room. The mmc also was way too gentle to fit what dark romance readers expect of this trope (in my opinion).

OH MY GOSH!! This book was everything I didn’t know I needed in my life🤭 absolutely a top read of the year for me.

If you loved Butcher & Blackbird, you NEED to read this!

The banter, the spice, the plot *chefs kiss*🤌🏼💋 already planning my reread when I get my hands on the physical!

-stalker romance
-morally grey MMC
-masked stalker
-he falls first
-black cat x golden retriever
-kink friendly

5/5⭐️ | 3.5-4/5 🌶️

Thank you Zando & Slowburn for an early copy.

Truth be told, this is not my first time reading this masterpiece. Was it just as good as the first time I read it? Abso-freaking-lutely!!!!!

This book has the best of everything. Romance, comedy, spice, adventure, trauma and healing for the characters, friendships and even Mafia!

Somehow Navessa has managed to craft a story that holds such incredibly heart felt serious moments and so many spit-out-your-tea laughing moments too. I will never tire of reading this story.

There are zero faults for me in this book. It is the most unique book I've ever read and I'm so freaking thankful I've had this book in my life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

What a wild ride this read was! I’ve read some dark romance, but this was my first ✨dark✨ romance and it was so fun. I immediately fell in love with the characters and was giggling throughout the story because of their banter & humor, and I really enjoyed the plot. A great mixture of toxicity (😂), suspense and spice! I also learned some….. interesting things while reading the book as well 🫣 I’m excited to see what the rest of the trilogy will be about!

Thank you @zandoprojects #partner for the free copy of this ebook!

Wowza this one was so wild and a hella spicy! This one gave me Butcher and Blackbird-ish vibes with even more spice! It’s definitely not the same but fell in that realm for me. I definitely had to suspend belief because the policeman daughter in me was screaming “oh hell no” the entire time when it came to the FMC safety and the decisions she made. No one…and I mean no one, is making those decisions! 👀 All that aside, the humor and banter between the characters was a lot of fun! I caught myself chuckling a few times out loud which I love! This book was extremely entertaining if you like dark romance and a bit of playing hard to get. My favorite part of the story was the relationship that came to be with the FMC and MMC. I liked how the trauma of the MMC brought them together in the end. Speaking of the end, it was very intense and felt a bit like it was part of another storyline but I do think it came together and ultimately tied the loose ends up. Make sure to check the TW in this one as there definitely were some…and to those that aren’t sensitive, buckle up buttercup because this one is crazy!

Dark Romantic Comedy🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This was really entertaining read I loved Aly and Josh and Fred!! The characters were so good Aly was strong and confident and Josh was a mix of red & green flags in the best possible way. Overall a very fun and high energy read with an unexpected twists and turns in the second half of the book. Would definitely recommend.

I actually really enjoyed this book.
The witty banter between the two main characters set the story up for some great comical moments! Aly takes nothing from anyone, and Josh uses humor to deal with his childhood trauma and these two together were perfect!

Aly is a strong FMC I love to see and she puts a lot of male characters in their place in the best way! She’s confident and falters for almost no one, except Josh…

Josh’s family history and trauma really lends itself to his comedic relief but also explains so much about his characters personality and I loved seeing his character come out of his she’ll because of Aly.

I love how you aren’t kept in the dark about Josh’s identity for very long and you know almost right away but Aly is left wondering for much longer!

I did feel like the beginning was a little slow but about 1/2 way through the pace really picked up!

Definitely check your trigger warnings as this is very clearly dark a lot of times so if dark humor is your thing, you’ll love this one!

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Lights Out by Navessa Allen was just what I needed when it popped up in my inbox. I devoured the first half in one day and then happily took my time with the rest over the next two days.

Something that I really enjoyed were the characters. Both POVs. After reading some fantastically developed characters in sci-fi and fantasy, I often struggle with the believability of relationships and feelings in romance books because they’re often too short and feel too rushed to me to make sense. While I wouldn’t exactly call the fMC here unhinged, I do think both of the characters’ hyperfixative qualities and their passions make them a good fit together in a way that’s more believable than when the fMC seems “more normal” than the “unhinged” mMC. The mMC did feel uncharacteristically full of himself on 2 or 3 occasions in a shallow way that just didn’t feel right for his character development up until then but other than that, I really liked both of them. The fMC was really tough but also vulnerable in a way that made sense due to her life experience and I loved the obsessive, sexy, and somehow also golden retriever type personality of the mMC.

I think one of the biggest issues for this book was managing expectations. The first third felt very much like a vibes book in the way that the blurb promised. I enjoyed the intro to the characters, how they started interacting, and so on. But eventually it does switch to something very different. And while I didn’t dislike the plot that eventually took over and wasn’t hinted at in the description at all, it just wasn’t what I was expecting at all. The focus shifted a lot from mostly vibes to mostly plot. While that plot did feel a bit stereotypical mafia romancy, I still really enjoyed the dynamic between the characters and how they handled various situations.

While I understand why people would call this a Dark Romance, especially after seeing the content warnings, I personally hesitate to call it that because of the overall dynamic of the relationship that defines the vibes of this book a majority of the time. The fear factor between them added a level of excitement that was really fun but the consenting, joking, lovable characteristics that remind me a lot of Butcher and Blackbird just didn’t make this feel as dark as what I’m used to from this subgenre. It did have a couple of moments that definitely had that feel but that was more psychologically so rather than due to graphic details or the like and probably had a lot to do with my own experience affecting those scenes as well.

I personally thought the spicy scenes were really fun. Were they super original? Probably not. But at this point it’s getting hard to find completely new scenarios in that sense anyways with so many romance novels coming out every year. I enjoyed their dynamic and if you want the fun of masks, knives, and dominance without the dubcon, then definitely give this a try.

I saw this called a tiktoker’s fantasy in a negative way and while I don’t dispute the literal meaning of that — it really does feel a lot like it’s written to a specific audience in that sense — I don’t see that as a bad thing. Why not give the masses what they want? I had a really good time with this and while it did have some flaws here and there, I’d much rather recommend this book over most of the other popular Dark Romances I’ve read so far that felt rushed, forced, and shallow. While at times tropey and a little stereotypical, overall this felt really fun and exciting and I’m happy to try more books by this author.

“Couples that slay together stay together.”

i wasn't sure how much i was gonna enjoy this in the beginning but once i got into it, i was pleasantly surprised!

josh is the perfect embodiment of christian harper (twisted lies) and devon blackstone (pump two). he's a bit of a stalker, yeah sure, but he was so caring and thoughtful, i could excuse the multiple occurrences of breaking and entering (among other crimes). besides the fact that he uses the law as a suggetion, he's just a big ol' tatted softie and i love him so very much.

aly is such a badass. she knows herself and doesn't need anyone to protect her. plus she didn't allow a small case of hidden identity to send her running for the hills but instead, sat and allowed someone to explain the reason behind the secret. third-act conflicts are one thing, but unnecessary third-act conflicts are another and i'm so, so grateful this didn't have that.

this was unserious and fun! it does touch on some heavy topics though so be sure to check the trigger warnings. yes, the romance is fast paced but its still quite the entertaining ride.

if you like butcher & blackbird, masked men with questionable morals, and characters that have a joke for every situation (serious or not), then i definitely recommend this!

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review!

4.9 / 5.0

This is the best dark romance I have ever read. It is about a trauma nurse with a mask kink and the man she thirsts after, but it is grounded in reality in the most sensitive ways.

The triggers on this are intense, so read them thoroughly before proceeding. Unlike other book in this sub-genre, this one doesn’t use background emotional/physical trauma as plot devices. These characters are self-aware and proactive in their own healing. They purposefully interact in their lives and react to things that happen to them in feasible ways. Let’s just say, you really don’t have to suspend your disbelief too much (until the end and it gets conveniently goofy) to enjoy

I read this before it was picked up by a publisher and am so happy to see it getting the mass market push. It is an incredible story and the start of even better things to come. I recommend this to anyone that likes dark romance, murder & mayhem, and good spice because I cannot forget to mention that the spice in this is epic.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and of course the author for access to this ARC. I cannot wait to own another copy of this book.

Until Next Time,
MC

I wasn't expecting something so fun and light, but I liked it all the more. The writing style won me over immediately, and I loved the characters' internal dialogue about what they were doing and feeling. We're inside the heads of characters who have a lot of humor, second-degree, and objectivity about what's happening to them and the choices they make, which makes it easy to identify with them.

Of course, the dark and passionate side is present, and Aly sees every one of her fantasies come true thanks to a particularly attentive Josh (someone might use the word 'obsessed').

The two characters are a perfect match, and I loved the evolution of their relationship from the moment of their second (masked) encounter to the very end.

Great epilogue, by the way. This was my 1st book by this author, but I'll be reading her other works with pleasure!

10/10! This was amazing! Easily one of my top reads of 2024! Dark but lighthearted, hilarious and sweet 🥰 loved every second. Highly recommend

I loved this book so much, the humor and sarcasm mixed with action and a tiny bit of tense moments, it was amazing.

when I first started this book, I thought the majority would be smut and little plot, and while there are copious amounts of smut, the plot is top tier, from who Josh's father is, to the stuff he and Aly pulled was amazing, at least to me, I loved every second of it and I also loved that Josh's dark past gave me chills like a Criminal Minds episode would give me.

sure the turn was kinda unexpected but I loved it very much. everything was just a perfect mix of humor, spice, hotness, sarcasm, and crime and it was amazing.

How was this dark romance with such questionable situations so much fun? Why am I so confused right now? Why did I love this so much? It was amazing! They had so much fun together. The witty banter was perfection. Aly is such a strong woman and is ready to let go in some eyebrow-raising ways. Josh has just the right amount of vulnerability to even out his psychosis. They were such great characters on their own and even better together. I absolutely freaking loved this so much.

Loved the "touch her and die vibes". People compared this to Butcher and Blackbird that I lovvvvvved!
Wasn't quite comparable however, still good and definitely gave similar vibes. Would recommend to anyone in their dark romance era.

DNF at 51% and I believe I stuck around for 20% longer than I should have. The warnings list for this book doesn’t bother me. I enjoy dark romance.

The writing was too poor for me. I understand that arcs can still go through edits, but I can’t believe this was edited at all by a professional. Since the book is approximately 400 pages, I read around 200 pages, and it felt like 500 pages.

In a bad way. The story dragged on. I don’t think I needed a lot of plot, but this gave me nothing so I’m going to move on.

Thank you Xando & NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest (and free) review!

Update 7/20
Read it again after receiving an ARC from the lovely publisher. I STILL LOVE IT. And still can’t wait for the audio. It’s my sort cute meet. Masked man breaks into your house after you chat online 🖤 I love Josh and Aly is fantastic.

I lucked out and got this before it was picked up by a publisher. I LOVED THIS BOOK. I can’t wait for audio. The banter and humor were great. I 🖤 Josh. So much. A masked man, murder, anonymous (kind of) sex. Yes, please and thank you 😘