Lights Out by Navessa Allen messed with my brain in the best way. ~ Under the Covers

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Ever fallen for a thirst trap so hard you wanted to be stalked? Same. In Lights Out by Navessa Allen, dark fantasies get real fast… masked men, morally grey hero, and heat that could set your house on fire. If you’re into kink, killer banter, and a twisted stalker romance that dares to be funny, this one’s for you.

What is Lights Out by Navessa Allen all about?

Aly Cappellucci dreams of being hunted, by a very specific masked thirst trap. When she drunkenly invites him to break in and live out her fantasy, Josh Hammond does just that. But their game turns deadly when someone else starts watching. Lights Out by Navessa Allen is a twisted, high-heat thrill ride of stalker romance, sharp banter, and unhinged obsession.

Lights Out by Navessa Allen Book Review

Dark romance fans, this one’s wild, in a “why am I okay with this and maybe even enjoying it?” kind of way. Lights Out by Navessa Allen messed with my brain in the best way, starting with a home invasion fantasy that, yeah, should be a red flag… but somehow isn’t. And that’s exactly the line this book walks, kinked up, morally grey, and somehow still hilarious.

Josh Hammond? Instant fave. We’re in his head a lot, and if you’ve ever wished YOU’s Joe Goldberg gave us more actual romance, this guy delivers. He’s obsessive, confident, a little feral, and oh, he adopts the heroine’s cat almost immediately. So yes, certified cat daddy. The vibes? Chef’s kiss.

The first half flies. It’s sexy, chaotic, and so much fun. Aly’s fantasies get acted out in ways that are both bonkers and bizarrely sweet. And even when murder and masked thirst traps are involved, the banter keeps it light. Honestly, it had me grinning through scenes I probably shouldn’t have been grinning through.

If I have one gripe, it’s that the second half loses a bit of that adrenaline high. Once we dip into her mafia family drama, the energy shifts. Still good, just not as snappy or sharp as the beginning. But even then, the Josh-and-Aly dynamic holds strong.

Would I hand this to someone new to dark romance? 100% yes. It’s spicy, funny, and not nearly as scary as it sounds. There’s edge, but never actual danger. You can feel the safe, subconsciously consensual undertones humming under it all. I always felt like if they heroine said stop, it would all end. So if you want to dip your toe into the dark, this is the one.

Final Thoughts

So yeah, Lights Out by Navessa Allen might not be for the faint of heart, but if you’re craving something wild, weird, and wickedly hot, it just might scratch that itch. Between the knife play and the unexpectedly hilarious stalker vibes, this book knows exactly what it is and leans in hard.

Ready for the next one in the series? Check out my review of Caught Up by Navessa Allen, the second book in the Into Darkness series.

Have you read this one? What did you think? Or let me know if you are adding it to your TBR. Also, what would you recommend as the perfect starter book to dark romance? And don’t forget, you can check out even more dark romance books here on the blog.

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