Lights Out Book Review: Dark Romance by Navessa Allen
I don’t really read a lot of dark romance novels. In general, I find them pretty cheesy. But when my friend Jenn texted me about this book I knew I needed to check it out. She’s a friend who has very good taste in books and she said it was a good mix of humor and spice. It took me a couple of weeks to finish the audiobook (I have a lot on my plate right now) but I’m finally done. So today I’ll be sharing my full Lights Out book review.
One thing Jenn mentioned to me is that she almost didn’t want to read this because of the trigger warnings. And after listening to the very long list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the audiobook, I pretty much felt the same. But I’m glad I pushed on because this wound up being a completely different story than I thought it would be.
So keep reading if you dare! I’m going to be sharing my honest Lights Out book review. And if you’re feeling a little spicy you just might want to check this dark romance novel out.
What is the book Lights Out About?
I want someone with a soul as black as night. Someone who would burn the world down for me and not lose a single minute of sleep over it.
Trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci doesn’t need any more kinks. She likes the one she’s landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. Unless one of those men was shirtless, heavily tattooed, and waiting for her in her bedroom. She dreams about being hunted by one in particular, of him chasing her down and doing deliciously dark things to her willing body. She never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become her new reality.
I want things most people don’t, craving darkness and depravity instead of light and love.
Josh Hammond has spent his life avoiding the limelight, but his online persona is another story. At night, he posts masked thirst traps for his millions of fans to drool over, but one follower has caught his eye: Aly. After reading a comment begging him to break into her house wearing a mask, he decides to take her up on her offer.
Together, Aly and Josh live out their darkest fantasies, unaware that Aly has captured the attention of someone else. Someone with far more sinister intentions than a little light stalking. As Josh turns from predator to protector and the stakes heighten, he must ask himself how far he’s willing to go for the woman he’s obsessed with.
Lights Out is a fast-paced dark romance with a morally gray male lead. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the TWs at the beginning of the book. (from Amazon.com)
What are the trigger warnings for Lights Out?
There are quite a few. They are mentioned in the beginning of the book and at the beginning of the audiobook. But for a written list you can visit the author’s website.
My Initial Reaction
My initial reaction was fear. I listened to the audiobook (it’s included in Spotify premium) and the list of trigger warnings at the beginning freaked me out a little bit. But I decided to keep listening. My friend promised that the story was actually pretty funny. And that’s true. The story is told in dual pov, sometimes from Aly’s perspective and other times from Josh’s. And the production quality of the audiobook is so good. They do an entertaining job of having each character’s narrator speak their own dialogue.
This book sucked me in right away. Not only was I curious about Aly’s job as a trauma nurse but I was also curious about her masked man. Who was he? Why did he enjoy taunting women in the way that he did? Was there a chance that Aly and her faceless man could meet up?
Like I said, I don’t read a lot of dark romances. So this was a new kind of book for me. Sometimes it was almost too much to take, but I did enjoy this story in the end.
Lights Out by Navessa Allen is Kinky
But if you read the description of this book, you already knew that. Aly Capellucci works long hours as a trauma nurse in the ER. She takes her work very seriously and sometimes her personal life can take backseat because of that. When she gets home from a long shift, she takes care of Fred (her cat) and then heads for bed.
So when her faceless man from online starts stalking her, she’s fearful. But also intrigued. She has so many desires and she wants him to be the one to make them come true. You’ll just have to read the book to find out everything they are into.
I had a Soft Spot for Josh
It’s weird. He’s a stalker who does not know boundaries, and yet I found him a little endearing. So bizarre. Me? Feeling endeared toward a man who wears a ghost mask and is into knife play? Nah. Can’t be me.
He was more than a little inappropriate when he was stalking Aly. And when he messed with the power grid in order to spend time with her… That was a little scary. But he also had his nice moments. Like when he cooked her breakfast meats, even though he was vegan. See? It’s thoughtful!
This Book Featured Social Media
A big feature in this story is social media. Aly spends tons of time scrolling her favorite social media app, and although the name is never mentioned it’s obviously tiktok. I like it when books adapt to the times and the current social media trends, so that was cool. I had a hard time imagining what Josh was doing in his videos though. In my brain it was just like, him in a mask dancing with knives or whatever. Lol.
At one point I think it mentions him covering himself in fake blood and like… yeah. That’s one of those moments where I’m like, “This book is too dark for me”.
In Conclusion
I didn’t know what my feelings were going to be at the start of the book, but at the end I feel… conflicted. I liked the main characters for the most part and Josh was a surprisingly funny character. The first chapters really caught my attention and made me want to keep reading.
This story is definitely not representative of real life. I would be scared if someone got away with as many things as Josh did. But if you’re looking for a new book to read and enjoy dark romances, you might find this one intriguing. The first part of the book is better than the second, but overall it was an eye opening story that was completely unlike anything I’ve read before.
I guess read at your own risk. I mainly read this because a bunch of friends in my reading group recommended it. And will I read the second book when it comes out? Probably. Haha. It would feel wrong to not continue on with the series.
