If you’re wondering whether Caught Up by Navessa Allen lives up to the hype of Lights Out, you’re not alone. This second book in the Into Darkness Trilogy brings mafia romance, kink club settings, and found family, but it might surprise you with how light it really reads.
Prefer to watch? Check out my review on Youtube
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Caught Up by Navessa Allen
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Into Darkness #2
June 10, 2025
Read this if you want:
- Mafia romance
- Second chances
- Childhood crush
- Touch her and die
- He falls first
- Sex worker / sex positive
- Kink
Okay, let’s talk about Caught Up by Navessa Allen. This is book two in Navessa Allen’s Into Darkness trilogy, the sequel to the viral dark-ish romcom Lights Out. And listen, I went in expecting a to be blown away with a dark romance full of steam and humor. Something messy, a little unhinged, a little dangerous. What I got instead? A solid little palate cleanser. Which can be good, we all need that. But not what I was expecting.
Related: Check out my review of Lights Out by Navessa Allen
What is Caught Up by Navessa Allen about?
So here’s the setup: Junior (Nico Trocci) is the mafia guy with a morally grey heart of gold who ghosted Lauren back in high school to “protect her.” Fast forward years later, she’s thriving, a sex worker, kink club co-owner, confident and independent. She’s pretty badass. He’s been stalking her online (not in a creepy, bad way), subscribes to her spicy content (without her knowing it’s him, of course), and now slowly starts inserting himself back into her life.
Now on paper, this has all the ingredients to be a messy, hot, emotionally charged stalker romance. But in practice? It never really goes there.
Did Caught Up by Navessa Allen live up to Lights Out?
The stalker angle is pretty tame, really non-existent for me. Junior’s obsessed, sure, but there’s never any actual threat, not from him and not from the outside world either. Unlike Lights Out, where there was danger circling, Caught Up plays it safe. There’s no tension, no real stakes, and even the mafia subplot is mostly vibes.
And the second chance thing? It’s fine. Not super angsty. Not super emotional. They just… click. Definitely was a bit insta-love and insta-lust. Which is nice, but doesn’t necessarily add weight to the romance. The highlight for me, though? The found family. Lauren’s roommates, her adorable dog, and especially her grandma, who absolutely steals the show when she’s on page.
Now let’s talk kink. The kink club setting had so much potential to be a fun, steamy playground. And while I appreciated how open-minded Junior was about exploring that world, it felt more like a tour than an immersive experience. Most of the scenes were performances, where I would’ve wanted to see more kink scenes. It flirted with the idea of going full spicy-funny, but never committed in my opinion. And honestly, I think leaning harder into kink and humor would’ve made this book stand out more.
Final Thoughts:
Caught Up by Navessa Allen is cute, low-stakes, and easy to read in one sitting. But if you’re going in expecting the intensity, humor, or danger of Lights Out, this one might feel like it’s missing the mark. The vibes are there, but everything’s a little too dialed down. So if you’re in the mood for a second chance romance that is sex-positive, and mafia light but not dark romance or gritty, this’ll hit the spot.
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