This book was an absolute roller coater to listen to and couldn’t ask for anything better! And thank you Jacob Morgan for existing.

This story was perfect I started, and I didn't want to put it down. The quote "the couple who slays together stays together" made me think maybe I was getting something like butcher and blackbird, but it wasn't I wasn't disappointed in that I would say it is a dark Romcom. The story does touch on very dark topics so check you trigger warnings. Josh is morally grey with some morals He is very protective of the ones he is close to. Josh boy he made me swoon!! Josh and Aly the banter was top tier I got an audio copy from netgalley for my honest opinion The performance made the experience even better it is in duet narration 10/10 would recommend.


posted on amazon as well just waiting for it to be approved
also posted on Kobo

I read this book earlier this year and was eager to listen to the audiobook.
Since I knew the story already, I knew the characters had great chemistry, there was good (and funny) banter, the sex scenes were great, and it was a little unpredictable. The writing style was light and conversational with a lot of internal dialogue, which made it an easy and fun read.

Listening to the audiobook to this story to another level – it was SO entertaining. The narrators were amazing, and I adored the duet style of the narration. The narration was equivalent to that of a "full cast" audiobook without the music/other sounds present.
Elena Wolfe and Jacob Morgan's voices fit the characters well, and they both did an excellent job of narrating different characters' voices while making them distinct. Jacob Morgan did not mess about, and I think he eclipsed this audiobook for me because he brought Josh's personality to life. He was funny and I found myself laughing along.

Honestly, this audiobook brought the original 4/5 stars I had for the book up to a 5/5 because it really pulled out the personalities and humour within the story.
I highly recommend this audiobook for anyone who likes funny, lighthearted "dark" romance; like Butcher & Blackbird. But FYI it is definitely NSFW unless you have a great set of headphones and a good poker face.

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.

The audiobook was so so good! It's a duet and the two narrators really bring out the 'fun' in this story!

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

5 ⭐ 3.5 🌶 5 🎧

It's possible that I am as obsessed with this book as Josh and Aly are with each other. That was SO. FREAKING. GOOD. I was so worried about this book living up to the hype, but Josh and Aly have forever stolen my goofy red flag loving heart.

First off, I couldn't stop laughing. From start to finish these two had me cracking up despite the dark themes. Josh's instalove was so perfectly done and his love for Fred as well as Aly had my heart pitter pattering into a puddle. It's so easy to ignore the red flags when the book boyfriend is as adorable as Josh.

Then the audio was as close to perfection as one could hope for. Not only is it a duet narration, but Jacob Morgan is possibly my favorite narrator ever and he was amazing as Josh. Add in the wonderful Elena Wolfe as Aly and this was a book I'll be listening to time and time again.

I could go on and on about how much I loved this story, but I'll keep it short so you can run to read it faster. Meanwhile I'll be over here reading on repeat until book two makes it's way into my life.

The narrators made this book like a movie

I absolutely adore this book and Josh/ally’s relationship.

While unconventional beginning their relationship grew so quick and the mask has me in a chokehold

Lights Out features Aly, an on-the-verge-of-burnout trauma nurse and Josh, a hacker slash TikTok thirst trap maker. Aly LOVES watching the anonymous masked TikToks that Josh makes and, crazily enough, they happen to live in the same city, so of course Josh is practically obligated to start stalking Aly. They dance around each other for a bit while Josh does all the red flag things and Aly pretends to not absolutely love them.

Listen, it shocked me how much I enjoyed this story with almost no plot. The beginning was paced really well and the beats of the dark romance were really well done. An attempt at more of a plot and an enemy in the second half of the book didn’t go as well for me, and I wish it was just a little shorter with most of the mob family edited out. The spice was good, better in the first half than the second. I really enjoyed Josh’s golden retriever energy mixed with his darker energy.

Overall, so enjoyable. A little instalove-y but still really great. And I 100% looked up the TikTok.

I was lucky enough to get this as an ALC and the audio… wow. The duet narration is SO good. I started the audio first thing in the morning and literally didn’t hit pause.

Audiobook Review:

Narrated By:
Jacobs Morgan and Elena Wolfe

I loved this dark stalker “rom com”, full of epic humor, sarcasm and bat sh*t crazy inner monologue. I started this book while driving alone in the dark and after listening to the content warnings, I decided there was no way I was starting it then. So, I started the next morning and damn was it good, and no need to be afraid! Jacob Morgan and Elena Wolfe were absolutely incredible narrating this in duet with their dry humor and voicing the thoughts of Josh and Aly, between the inner chats they had to themselves, the panic, the turn ons, the lust, the protectiveness and the damn right feral feelings they had for each other, Jacob and Elena made me feel every emotion Josh and Aly were experiencing throughout this book. Josh a masked man wearing the ghost face mask with an online social media presence and Aly a trauma nurse whose algorithm is all about the masked man, the two of them came together in his comment section, with a little help from his kink-less roommate. So when Aly’s masked fantasies become a reality she was in for a wild ride and Josh is right there beside her, whether she knows it or not… *wink wink*
kink unlocked. I laughed so hard at this book, it was comical even during serious moments or moments that shouldn’t warrant a laugh but the way these two expressed themselves just had me living for what was going to come out of their mouths next. There are definitely dark aspects of this story but the way Navessa wrote it and the way Jacob & Elena narrated you couldn’t help but feel safe and comfortable with where this book was taking you. If you love a masked man with stalker vibes, hilarious one liners to ease the pain, spicy needs that lead to spicier results, a bit of suspense during a deadly encounter, funny as hell cat mom and dad moments, and love chasing that HEA (literally running for it) than listen to LIGHTS OUT TODAY!

Thank You NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review.

1.5 speed
Listened on NetGalley
Duet
Spice and dirty talk was great 🌶️ 🌶️.5 but didn’t over power the story.

OH MY GOD I loved this book! The audio version is so good!

A nursed with a masked kink I think yes!

I highly recommend this book but the audio version! I’ve never loved listening to books until this one

First lets say the Audiobook is Perfection! Seriously can’t get any better than this one! Both Narrators was AMAZING!
If Haunting Adeline and Butcher & Blackbird had a baby this is what they would have!
I loved the MC dark but also golden retriever vibes! And the Spicy Parts did not disappoint! 🥵🥵🥵

Masked Men ✔️
Spicy Scenes that would make your grandmother blush ✔️
Touch her & die vibes ✔️
Dark Humor ✔️
Mafia ✔️
Golden Retriever Vibes ✔️
If you have to pick one dark romance this year please let it be this one!
🚨 Check Triggers theres tons! 🚨
Thank you to @NetGalley & @nevessaallen for allowing me to ARC for the Audiobook of LIGHTS OUT.

Completely delectable dark romcom.
The narration is top tier, hotter than the sun duet narration.

Aly is a trauma nurse in the ER, in her free time she enjoys watching masked men thirst traps on the web. Unbeknownst to her, the faceless masked man is Josh, the roommate of her ex-hookup. Josh is secrecy obsessed with Aly after finding all of her comments on his videos and decides to act on his feelings, but not tell Aly who he is. A bit of cat and mouse stalker, but Josh really cares about her and wants to keep her safe from the actual bad things.

I loved this book so much, so much! Ive read it twice this year. It was funny and sexy, a darker romance that feels like a romcom.

The audiobook for this is perfection I loved both narrators! I truly enjoyed this. It had mafia, stalkers, knife play, mask men, unliving, and just a lot of spice!!! I 10000000% recommend it for my dark romance people!!!

Josh and Aly have weird relationship. It starts off with him being a mystery to her but he knows who she is, what she does, where she lives and everything else about her. The inner monologue from bith characters is comical. This dark humor, stalker, story is odd and so different than any stalker story I have read. I can't describe it, it's kinky, with both characters obsessed with each other in some sort of way. I enjoyed it.

If ”Haunting Adeleine” and ”Butcher & Blackbird” had a love child it would be this book.

Aly loves watching thirst traps of hot men in masks, and when she leaves a comment on one of her favorite creator’s videos, she has no idea what she is about to get herself into.

I’m honestly surprised at how much I actually loved this book. I figured I’d like it sure, but not the point of laughing out loud multiple times. This actually might be my favorite dark romance I’ve ever read!

While this is a stalker romance, much like “Haunting Adeline”, It’s not as dark, and has a lot of humor added. That’s not to say that this isn’t a dark romance, and you should definitely read trigger warnings before reading this book.

If you were to read one dark romance this year, let it be this one. Highly recommended to lovers of the genre and especially to those who enjoyed ”Haunting Adeleine” and ”Butcher & Blackbird”.

Big thanks to Netgalley, Dreamscape Select and the author Navessa Allen for allowing me to listen to an audio-arc of this novel.

This was a rapid fire listen. This was an easy read to devour in one day. I had worried I was walking into a Butcher and Blackbird rip off with the tag line of "The couple that slays together stays together." but I was so happily surprised. This was a surprising read that was dark and fun and totally different than anything I had read before. I loved both the narrators and how well they captured the personalities of both the MMC and FMC, some amazing narration on their ends! If you are looking for a dark, quirky read after you've finished Butcher and Blackbird, and Leather and Lark, look no further!

So glad Brianne convinced me to request this one on NetGalley and that I received a copy of this audiobook!

MaskTok this one is for you!
I LOVE Jacob Morgan!

Publisher's summary
The viral TikTok stalker dark romance, burning with high heat, hilarious banter, and a love story like you’ve never seen before. Can you handle the ride?
I want 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.
Trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci doesn’t need any more kinks. She likes the one she’s landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. Unless one of those men was shirtless, heavily tattooed, and waiting for her in her bedroom. She dreams about being hunted by one in particular, of him chasing her down and doing deliciously dark things to her willing body. She never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become her new reality.
I want things most people don’t, craving darkness and depravity instead of light and love.
Josh Hammond has spent his life avoiding the limelight, but his online persona is another story. At night, he posts masked thirst traps for his millions of fans to drool over, but one follower has caught his eye: Aly. After reading a comment begging him to break into her house wearing a mask, he decides to take her up on her offer.
Together, Aly and Josh live out their darkest fantasies, unaware that Aly has captured the attention of someone else. Someone with far more sinister intentions than a little light stalking. As Josh turns from predator to protector and the stakes heighten, he must ask himself how far he’s willing to go for the woman he’s obsessed with.

Thanks to NetGalley & Slowburn for the ALC of this book!

Lights Out
An Into Darkness Novel
By: Navessa Allen
Narrated by: Elena Wolfe, Jacob Morgan
Series: Into Darkness, Book 1
Publisher: Slowburn
Release date: 08-06-24

DARK and SPICY. Definitely listen to trigger warnings but if you keep going, wow. This is rated highly for a reason. As for the audio- the MMC voice was perfection. No notes. Unfortunately the FMC was really robotic sounding most of the time. But the duet narration is lovely.

ALC REVIEW
.
.
.
LIGHTS OUT by NAVESSA ALLEN

SERIES: Standalone

FORMAT: Audiobook (Duet narration)
Jacob Morgan
Elena Wolfe

STAR RATING: 5/5 ⭐️

SPICE RATING: 5/5 🔥

NARRATION RATING: 5/5 🎙️

GENRE: Dark Romance

TROPES: Stalker, Fast Paced, Morally Grey MMC, ER Nurse FMC, Mask Kink, Check CWs

BLURB: ➡️ Slide 2

I was so pleasantly surprised by this audiobook! This was a word-of-mouth rec from an audiobook bestie and this is the prefect example of being willing to give a book or new author a chance based on the narrators! I’ve never DNFed an audiobook with Jacob & Elena - I have to assume they have natural “off-mic” chemistry because they play off of each other so well! It just adds another layer to the characters’ existing chemistry. On top of that, the way they interpret and deliver character banter and dry humor is ELITE. For a dark romance, this book was full of funny banter and one-liners delivered with perfect timing from this duo!

Our FMC Aly uses a MaskTok account to satisfy her kinky fantasies and as an escape to her very real life and all the harrowing things she witnesses day in and day out as an ER Trauma Nurse. Our morally grey MMC, Josh, is by, all accounts, a recluse aside from his online mask persona that regularly drops thirst traps on a weekly basis. Their chemistry is electric and they have more in common than they could ever begin to imagine! I loved Aly’s badass, strong persona! She’s not afraid to go after what she wants! I loved that Josh was as protective as he was threatening - almost a Jekyll/Hyde situation, but in a good way - a golden retriever wrapped in a morally grey exterior.

Although this book is categorized as a dark stalker romance and does contain legitimate triggers, I would encourage readers to give it a shot, especially if your triggers are soft instead of hard. The way this story unfolds and develops is unexpected and MAY not bother readers as one might assume. Additionally, if you’ve never read a dark romance, but are interested or curious this is the PERFECT one to get your feet wet with! As always, this is my opinion and recommend always checking content warnings and protecting your mental health.

Lights Out is a standalone novel and will be available in all formats on August 6.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Navessa Allen for the ALC opportunity!!!

UPDATE AUDIOBOOK:

Narrated in “DUET STYLE” by Elena Wolfe; Jacob Morgan was so good! I highly recommend this version. They even add the voice changer too.

This was pretty much a straight through read. Aly works a hectic job as a nurse and one day falls on a thirst trap video of a ghost masked man which has sparked one of her fantasies. Josh as ghost mask man (who is also Aly’s ex boyfriend’s roommate) has two lives & with a dark past in which they become entwined and tries to see where things could go with Aly. I think it was clever how Navessa brought their worlds together. They fit each other well. I really enjoyed it and that it took me out of a reading slump. I can’t wait for the audiobook on this one too.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Im always wary of reading a dark romance, this one has dark themes but the writing was lighthearted and there was humor in the story, a dark comedy. Definitely read the trigger warnings. It was a fun read, I enjoyed reading.