Lights Out by Navessa Allen is a dark stalker romance with morally grey characters, knife play, and dark humor. Perfect for fans of high-heat, intense romances.

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Dark romance fans, this one’s for you. In Lights Out, trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci has a bit of a stalker kink, and she’s all about masked thirst traps posted by a certain someone online. Enter Josh Hammond, the man behind the mask. Aly sends one drunken, daring text to her casual hookup inviting him to act out one of her darkest fantasies shown in a video. And that hookup just happens to be Josh’s roommate. So he decides to take her up on the offer. What starts as a wild and fun ride between predator and willing prey quickly turns into a dangerous game, as Aly picks up an actual stalker to add to the mix.

This book? Lights Out by Navessa Allen will have you entangled in a world of obsession, knife play, and some seriously twisted (but oh-so-satisfying) power dynamics. Dark, wild, and a little bit twisted in all the right ways. It’s got that stalker romance vibe with a morally grey male lead who walks the line between predator and protector. He’s just a sweet marshmallow on the inside and loved that! And the heroine doesn’t stay too far behind, she’s plenty morally grey and a bit jaded herself. They definitely make a great couple.

But there’s also this unexpected humor that makes it feel lighter than you’d think. Think Joe Goldberg from YOU but with less creepy monologues and more banter.

The dynamic between Aly and Josh was seriously addictive. There’s knife play, murder, and a lot of morally questionable choices, but the connection between them is what kept me hooked. The writing was sharp, fast-paced, and full of “wait, did that just happen?” and “am I really ok and enjoying what’s happening right now?” moments. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart, but if you’re down for something intense with a side of dark humor, Lights Out is a total ride—it’ll have you questioning your sanity in the best way.

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