Lights Out: An Into Darkness Novel: 1 (Into Darkness Series)

I ABSOLUTELY love this book. I am midly dyslexic so I suck at reading, but I found this book easy to read, and I found myself reading several chapters a day, listening to the audiobook, too, and excited for every new chapter comping, and the book is very pretty. The characters are interesting, have personality, funny, and I found not always too unrealistic. I found myself smiling, gasping, and laughing throughout the whole book and as much as there are ‘intense’ themes, there are also some nicer moments too and focus on the overall plot and not just ‘action’. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark romance, romance-coms, and are very interested in the different POVS of characters. I like that you get to see both characters POV and it felt like a movie I could imagine. Only downfall I would say is for some who enjoy lots of detail on what is going on outside of the characters, this book is more focused on the thoughts feelings and actions of the main characters, but you also do get good glimpse of the world around them too. I will be reading again and am onto the second one🩷

I really enjoyed this book! The duet narration audiobook was so good to listen to this dark stalker rom com. I loved both main characters and they definitely complimented each other throughout the story. The FMC Aly is extremely hard working, feisty, stubborn, sassy, quick-witted, honest and brave. The MMC Josh is an extremely good computer whizz and hacker who is funny, flirty, sexy, observant, smart and carries a level of dominance to make your knees quiver. I really liked the plot as it was entertaining and gripping. The balance of the plot and smut is great and I loved the humour throughout. I think it's well written, funny and exciting. It is steady to fast-paced in parts, which is great for the storyline and delivers a great amount of emotions throughout. I love the games they play with each other, stimulating their adrenaline and desire for each other. In my opinion, this is a great start if you want to dip your toe into darker romance books. I would HIGHLY recommend it! I am really glad that I have discovered this author. I look forward to reading the next book within this series.

📖Book Review📖 Lights out Omg. Incredible. Amazing. Josh Hammond 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵 I’m not a dark romance girlie, I like to read them sometimes but not often I’m more of a fluffy but spicy romance girlie. But when I tell you this SLAPPED, it was so good I was hooked from the start and it was so hot. Aly and Josh were just so good together and the banter was on point, they were so funny and cute I couldn’t stop laughing and smiling whilst reading. I know sometimes (most if not all of the time ) the things Josh did were psychotic but I honestly loved it. That man was OBSESSED and I don’t blame him, I also loved how protective he was over Aly even if it was OTT. 🎶They say he’s morally grey what can I say greys my favourite colour🎶 mine is actually pink but u get the picture 😂 I want a man to be that obsessed with me The spice was UNHINGED but in the best way and there was a good amount of plot as well. The writing was smooth and very addictive and It’s one of those books you can’t stop thinking about. I genuinely didn’t wanna put this down and I didn’t want it to end, I’m so excited for book 2 that’s coming in the summer. I can’t believe I waited so long to read this. The only thing annoying me slightly is how long it’s taking for him to reveal himself. This book will forever be on my mind, it’s my favourite read for 2025 so far. There are trigger warnings at the start of the book please read those before you read the book, your Mental Health matters 🩷 Tropes 🔪Stalker, dark rom-com romance 🤔Morally grey MMC 💞He falls first 😱Mask kink 🌶️Spicy 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Jumping on the bandwagon of masked men on TikTok, this book is literally that but has some great bits. I actually really understood the characters and why they were the way the were, they're both a little messed up and are messed up together, I liked the backstories. I actually enjoyed how it went from a stalker romance to a semi mafia romance in the second half, and the banter was great, spice was pretty good but sometimes repetitive. Also there was a cat so 10/10 for that. MMC was hilarious, he broke into her house then ordered cameras because he was disappointed? Brilliant. However the last scene completely ruined the book for me. Mud in your nether regions? No ta. Would say 3.5 overall, quick read.

This book is absolute perfection! The banter, the kinkiness, the humour, the plot! An easy 5 stars!! 💀💀💀 The premise: Trauma nurse and secret masktok fan, Aly, attracts the attention of her favourite masked thirst trapper, Josh! And his obsession with Aly, has him testing out just how well her desires match his! All the while he’s hiding dark secrets, and Aly attracts the attention of a real predator! 💀💀💀 I dare any dark romance girlie to read this book and not fall in love! What I loved: 🔪 Josh! If you like your golden retriever boyfriends slightly rabid, Josh is for you! He is the perfect blend of dominant Daddy and loveable joker! 🔪The banter! The dynamic between Aly and Josh is just hilarious. I was absolutely cackling at points! Even their own inner monologues killed me! 🔪 The compatibility. Honestly I put these two in my ‘non-fantasy book but fated’ category! They just match so well, and are both as strong and crazy as each other. I like to think fate brought them together but also like the idea that Tyler was plotting 😅 🐈‍⬛ Fred! Every interaction between Josh and Fred either had me laughing or falling in love! I love their little co-parenting of the furball! And also that Fred helped Josh see himself as a good person 🥰 🔪 The kinkiness! Masks ✔️ Stalking ✔️ knife play ✔️ Praise kinks ✔️ A whole primal play chase scene ✔️✔️✔️ This book was HOT! 🔪 The plot! I love that there was more going on alongside Josh’s stalking. And the way Brad was introduced and the interaction with him had me seething with anger! Navessa does a great job on making you feel how the characters are feeling! All in all, I adored this! It’s definitely one of those times that BookSta steered me right! Tempted to buy a physical copy and will 100% be reading more of Navessa’s books!

I admit to not being a fan of many tropes in dark romantasy. Stalker fantasies leave me cold, and lack of consent I find repulsive and depressing. But given this genre's popularity I've been trying more and coming up unimpressed each time. But not with this book. Don't get me wrong, there was plenty here I didn't like. It starts with a stalker fantasy for one, the plot was stretching the limits of my belief to begin with and just went into fully overboard unbelievable in the middle (why is everyone in dark fiction connected to the Mafia/is a super hacker?) so there was plenty I was sighing at, but what I would say is that the main characters save this book and make it special. The romance between the main characters is wonderful, after a rocky start it's a perfect blend of pain and pleasure, demonstrating that sex and relationships dont need to be conventional or always gentle to work, reminding me of The Secretary, which remains one of my favourite films. The main characters themselves are self-aware, traumatized people who find comfort and redemption in their kinks and relationship and once it all became fully consentual (not far into the book, actually, which was reassuring) I was onboard. Both main characters are strong, interesting people with flaws and a dark sense of humour, and I was so relieved by Aly, the woman, because she was not (as I have read in other books) some terrified, pathetic, conventional damsel in distress flailing about uselessly, but a woman of courage, conviction and with layers to her personality. This book has a lot of dark humour, which is fine but I didn't really find it lol funny, and there's certainly some areas pressing on the morally dubious. But my biggest issue with dark romantasy is always consent, and although there's some pretty murky moments with this at the beginning, this issue is resolved fast. To me, at least, consenting adults getting up to whatever they want is fine, but remove the consent and you're into territory which I don't find dark, novel and exciting but rather conventional, historic and depressing. For thousands of years women had very few rights over consent, being given away in marriage or otherwise with no reference to their wishes, so dark romantasy harking back to that is just dull and depressing, imho. The trouble is some people seem to think it's novel, new and exciting, which depresses me even more. So this book was a shining star to me in this trip I've made into dark romantasy, and I recommend it highly. A truly interesting tale, great main characters, and I'll be looking for more from this author who seems to understand the nuances of a relationship which pushes boundaries, explores bdsm, and travels to dark places certainly, but is respectful and loving at the same time, and never ends in abuse. Good work!

⭐ 5/5 stars 🌶️ 4/5 on the spice scale Review for Lights Out This isn’t your typical dark romance. Lights Out is what happens when a golden retriever puts on a wolf mask and decides he’s going to pamper you into submission. Josh is absolutely hilarious and obsessive in equal measure — spying on her at work one second, then leaving sweet treats for her at home the next. He’s not a stalker so much as a lovesick puppy with fangs, and I couldn’t get enough of him. The banter between Josh and Ally had me laughing out loud. It honestly reads more like a rom-com with dark edges rather than a straight-up dark romance, which makes it the perfect entry point for anyone nervous about diving into the genre. It’s got the themes — obsession, power dynamics, kink exploration — but all wrapped in humor, charm, and yes, even fluff. And don’t even get me started on Fred the cat. He might just be my favorite side character ever. There are a lot of triggers in this book, so make sure you’re comfortable before you go in. But the writing handles those darker notes in a surprisingly comical, non-threatening way that makes it easier to digest than most books in this space. Spice-wise, it’s a solid 4 out of 5. Some scenes weren’t entirely my thing — but honestly, that didn’t stop me from devouring every page. Because sometimes it’s fun to learn, explore, and laugh while doing it. If you’ve never read dark romance before? Start here. If you already love dark romance? You’ll still adore Josh. Either way, Lights Out delivers — funny, spicy, and utterly addictive.

I added this to my TBR from a book group recommendation ages ago and had completely forgotten everything about it so went in blind. To be honest, I was a little put off by the ‘TikTok’s favourite’ because the last time I read a ‘TikTok’s favourite’ it was absolute trash! At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it as the MMC is so different to your normal dark romance, brooding bad boy. Turned out that’s what makes this book so good! It’s the lightest of dark romances really, it gets a little dark but it’s all done with full consent, respect, friendship and humour. It’s like the author read a bunch of dark romances and thought ‘what would a relationship like this be like in real life? If you could have the kink but safely with someone who wasn’t a walking red flag?!’ It’s still spicy and hot but also funny, realistic and a (mostly) healthy relationship. It’s really well written, no typos or mistakes (that I noticed), a good plot outside of the relationship that complements the romance rather than detracting from it. Lots of humour without being silly. Really likeable and well developed characters whilst managing to avoid the usual stereotypes and cliches. I really loved this book and can’t wait to read everything else the author has ever written!

4.5 OMG. This book is the perfect mix of Haunting Adeline and Butcher & Blackbird. And if you know me, you know that Butcher & Blackbird is one of my all-time favorite books . The dark side of the story is balanced out with so much humor that I was literally laughing out loud. To sum it up: Aly is a trauma nurse who's a huge fan of The Faceless Man, a guy who posts thirst trap videos of himself wearing a mask so no one knows who he is. Josh is a bit of an introverted hacker because of personal stuff, but he’s got this golden retriever vibe (yeah, hard to picture, I know). And guess what else he does? Yep, he posts videos of himself wearing a mask on the internet. You see where this is going, right? Anyway, I LOVED this book (even though I thought it was a bit long at times, with lots of monologues or scenes that weren’t really needed). I also have the audiobook, and I think listening to it will be even better and way funnier with Josh’s reactions and all the voice changes!

It checks every box of dark romance and the comedy was the cherry on top. I was hooked! Hooked from the first few pages. The twist was sooooo good, I did not see it coming and I usually do. It was that well written. The smut was 5/5, 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 A book with great banter, quirky humour and such a good build up is so rare to find. This book was everything and more. The comedy was 🤌🤌 This story delivered everything it promised. And the best part? A FMC with brains that she actually uses!!! My favourite book of the year. Yes, it's only March but this one is going to be my favourite. Give this a read.

Ich habe selten so gelacht, mitgefiebert und gleichzeitig einen Cool Down gebraucht wie bei Lights Out von Vanessa Allen. Dieses Buch ist eine perfekte Mischung aus Spannung, Humor und unerwarteten Momenten, die einfach für sich sprechen. Es handelt sich um eine Dark Romance, doch was die Autorin hier schafft, ist bemerkenswert – trotz der düsteren Themen und intensiven Emotionen fühlt sich die Beziehung unglaublich natürlich und harmlos an. Die Charaktere entwickeln sich auf eine Weise, die nicht nur fesselt, sondern auch jede Menge Lacher und unvergessliche Szenen hervorruft. Der Humor ist dabei so clever und situativ, dass man ständig zwischen Schock, Lachen und Nervenkitzel schwankt. Die Situationen mögen in ihrer Intensität surreal wirken, doch Vanessa Allen schafft es, diese mit einer Leichtigkeit zu erzählen, die die Geschichte fast schon zu einem Liebesabenteuer macht, das man so schnell nicht vergessen wird. Der spice in diesem Buch ist nicht zu übersehen, und er gibt der Geschichte die nötige Würze, um den Leser immer wieder in den Bann zu ziehen. Es ist ein richtig gelungenes Buch, es hat mich rundum begeistert! Normalerweise brauche ich bei meinen regulären Fantasy-Reihen 2-3 Bände, bis mich einer der Hauptcharaktere wirklich komplett fesselt (anhimmle, sabbere, verliebt bin). Dark Romance war ich noch nie so hin und weg, doch bei Josh war es liebe auf den ersten Blick, OMG, wie gerne würde ich ihn in der realen Welt haben! 😍 Es gibt diese Charaktere, die einfach etwas ganz Besonderes sind, und Josh ist definitiv einer von ihnen. Seine Persönlichkeit, sein Humor, und seine unerwarteten Seiten haben mich von der ersten Seite an überzeugt. Es ist fast schade, dass es solche liebenswerte, lustige, kümmernde Stalker nicht im echten Leben gibt! 😅 Hoffe es kommt bald auf Deutsch raus, aber eine absolute Empfehlung wenn du auch englische Bücher liest.

Il libro mi è piaciuto molto, interessante, accattivante, originale. Mi sono innamorata anche io di Josh! Non credo sia indicato a un pubblico adolescente, per via dei contenuti e della scene esplicite. Tuttavia, da adulta, l'ho decisamente apprezzato e non vedo l'ora di leggere gli altri due libri.

Loved it. The spice level 10/10. The storyline is fantastic. Read it in my kindle then I listener to the audio version on Spotify. Kept me in my toes the entire time