Lights Out: An Into Darkness Novel (Into Darkness Series) Paperback – August 6, 2024

📖 ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ 📖"Lɪɢʜᴛs Oᴜᴛ" ʙʏ Nᴀᴠᴇssᴀ Aʟʟᴇɴsᴛᴏʀʏ: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐sᴘɪᴄᴇ: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️I have to start with this was my first read from this author and I went in blind. I knew it was a masked/stalker romance and, being a 𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊 girlie, I was definitely down to give it a shot and dove right in...and I'm glad I finally did! I went in with absolutely no expectations...turns out, there was some delicious spice and hilarious banter from the black cat x chaotic hilarious golden retriever in this story and I'm so here for it!Overall, this was a really fun, fast-paced read with a twisty storyline that kept me entertained while laughing out loud. Not even 10% in and I was laughing out loud at both main characters’ inner (and outer) dialog! 🤣 Aly is a trauma ER nurse with a secret mask kink, social media stalking various online masked man accounts to blow off steam from her constant work schedule. Her favorite is the Faceless Man, who posts online thirst traps religiously three times a week for thousands of feral, fellow masked man fans. Then she drunk texts her on again/off again friend with benefits a screenshot of the Faceless Man asking for some masked fun…getting an instant denial (bummer). Little does she know, her FWB shows his roommate, Josh…not realizing his roommate IS the Faceless Man who is all too willing to give Aly what she wants! Talk about a lucky girl 😂 Insert instalust, online stalking, breaking and entering, delightfully funny, filthy, dominant unhinged shenanigans and you have yourself a fun little stalker romcom. I'm a new Navessa Allen fan! 😏😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻It’s worth mentioning some of the reviews posted about the second half of the story surrounding Aly's estranged cousins/uncle where the plot seems to go on a little tangent. Personally, I didn't really have any issue with it as it actually made sense in the context of the story in my opinion. It introduces several more characters and (I'm guessing) sets up potential subsequent books in the series while tying up this plot in a neat little bow. Is it 💯% factual, no of course not, but that’s the beauty of fiction: it doesn’t have to be! I followed along just fine, enjoyed the plot twists, and laugh out loud moments 🤣 so I didn't have any problem with it and just went along for the ride!Was this book as dark as I expect my 𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖘 to be? Absolutely not. Are there dark themes and descriptions of dark acts? Yep. Did it have spicy, spicy scenes involving a masked, hot, tattooed, morally gray, filthy dominant man taking control and giving us all what we want? 💯%! Did I enjoy it? 𝒀𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒓, 𝑰 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕! And the fantastically hilarious banter and fun development of the main characters was worth the read in my opinion (I really love them!)This book is the "lite" edition of dark romance, a dark romcom if that’s such a thing, with a delightfully funny, chaotically sexy, unhinged and morally gray 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭𝓮𝓷 𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 MMC crossed with 𝖇𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐 𝖈𝖆𝖙, boss lady FMC energy. If you're a hardcore dark romance girl and all the details that entails? You might not like this book. However, if you like funny, rom-coms with a dark theme, light BDSM with questionable toys, filthy talking, hot masked men with random plot twists and a strong FMC? You definitely want to read this one! I loved it and I'll definitely be back for book #2, whenever that one comes out 😊 I haven't read B&BB but I'm told this is similar FYI.Bottomline: It's a spicy, fun read that will have you simultaneously laughing out loud and falling in love with the main characters and their fur baby, Fred the cat. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟. 🔪😉 Let that marinate for a minute... Read it, you're welcome lol! 😜OH! And PS the audio version of this book is 𝓹𝓱𝓮𝓷𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓵! I don't usually listen to audio books BUT the male narrator deserves a medal and an award! Literally the BEST!ᴛʀᴏᴘᴇs:💙sᴛᴀʟᴋᴇʀ/ᴍᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴍᴀɴ ᴘʟᴀʏ☠️ᴅᴀʀᴋ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ("ʟɪᴛᴇ" ᴇᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ)🖤ᴅᴀʀᴋ ʀᴏᴍᴄᴏᴍ💙ʜᴇ ꜰᴀʟʟs ꜰɪʀsᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀʀᴅ☠️sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴛʏ🖤sᴏꜰᴛ ᴅᴏᴍ/BDSM sᴄᴇɴᴇs💙ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʜᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀ ᴅᴇsᴄʀɪʙᴇᴅ☠️ʀᴇᴅ ꜰʟᴀɢs 🚩🖤ᴍᴀꜰɪᴀ ᴛɪᴇs💙ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʟ ᴘʟᴀʏ☠️ᴅᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴏᴠ🖤ᴍᴏʀᴀʟʟʏ ɢʀᴀʏ ᴍᴍᴄ💙 🔪 ᴘʟᴀʏ (ɪʏᴋʏᴋ)☠️ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴄᴀᴛ x ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ ʀᴇᴛʀɪᴇᴠᴇʀ

★★★★✩ 4.0This one surprised me. I originally gave it 3 stars because it didn’t hit quite the way I expected while reading it, but the more time passed, the more I realized how much it stuck with me. That slow-burn aftertaste of a book that worms into your head and refuses to leave? Yeah, Lights Out had that.It’s a weird little hybrid, dark romance meets romcom, but somehow it works. There’s violence and edge and characters who have done genuinely messed up things, but it’s also funny in this dry, often unhinged way. The banter feels real and sharp, and the chemistry has this low-level hum of danger under every interaction. And then just when you think it’s all chaos, it’ll sneak up and gut-punch you with something tender.The main relationship was a mix of push-pull, survival-mode softness, and “I’ll burn the world down for you” vibes. It doesn’t try to redeem everyone or explain away the darker stuff, which I liked. It just lets the characters be broken and weirdly perfect for each other.Definitely not your typical romance, but if you like a little grit with your giggles and don’t mind characters who are more morally ambiguous than morally sound, this one is worth it. Glad I sat with it, 4 stars feels much more right.

Lights Out by Navessa Allen is a dark romance novel that intertwines elements of psychological intrigue, steamy encounters, and emotional depth. The story follows Aly, an overworked trauma nurse who becomes captivated by a masked man posting provocative content online. This fascination leads her into a complex relationship with Josh, the enigmatic figure behind the mask.⸻🔥 Genre & Themes• Genre: Dark Romance, Contemporary Romance, Dark Romcom• Tropes: Masked Stranger, Stalker Romance, Primal Play, Knife Play, Morally Grey Characters• Content Warnings: The novel contains themes and scenes that may be disturbing to some readers. It’s recommended to review the trigger warnings provided at the beginning of the book.📖 Plot OverviewAly’s monotonous routine as a trauma nurse is disrupted when she becomes intrigued by a masked man on social media. Her online interactions with him blur the lines between fantasy and reality, leading to a real-life encounter that challenges her perceptions and desires. As their relationship develops, both characters confront their past traumas and navigate the complexities of their unconventional bond.📚 ConclusionLights Out offers a provocative take on dark romance, combining elements of suspense, psychological depth, and steamy encounters. While it has garnered acclaim for its unique premise and character dynamics, some readers have noted areas where the narrative could delve deeper. If you’re intrigued by stories that challenge traditional romantic tropes and explore the complexities of desire and trauma, this novel might be a compelling addition to your reading list.