Book Review: Caught Up by Navessa Allen

After reading the first book in the Into Darkness series, Lights Out, I couldn't wait to dive into the second book, Caught Up. I loved Junior and Lauren, their intensity, and the history of their relationship. There was a fantastic build to them coming together, I was hooked!

Caught Up (Into Darkness #2) by Navessa Allen

I wanted this woman, and I was a man who always got what he wanted.

Nico “Junior” Trocci knows Lauren Marchetti is off limits. She is sweetness and laughter, whereas Junior exists in a world of violence and depravity. Men like him don’t get to have women like her. It’s why he pushed her away back in high school and kept his distance ever since.

But when Junior looks Lauren up online, he discovers the shy, bookish girl he remembers is gone. In her place is a strikingly beautiful woman whose social media is filled with scantily clad pictures of herself and a connection to a nearby play club. Junior’s innocent curiosity quickly turns into a dark obsession. Watching Lauren from a distance isn’t enough; he needs to make her his.

He’s ruthless; a walking red flag. Good thing red is my favorite color.

Lauren is intrigued by the mystery man who keeps showing up at her club, who tempts her white-hot desires. But as their flirty online messages stir up a deeper form of connection, Lauren worries she’s developing real feelings for this brooding stranger. As their combined desire ratchets up to a breaking point, who will seduce who?

4 out of 5 stars

I had a great time reading Caught Up! I loved Lauren and Junior from the start. I liked learning about them with their complicated histories and lives, and seeing their chemistry reignite as adults. I loved the dry humor, drama, and tension, and the build as it all played out.

Junior had a wry wit and humor I could appreciate, and I liked discovering the details about how he watched over Lauren for so long. His stalker vibes were strong in a caring, crazy way. Lauren was a breath of fresh air! She totally owned who she was with no apologies. I liked learning about her life as a cam girl and how her connection to a play club was worked into the story, helping to create mild conflict. I couldn't wait to understand what happened in their pasts and why they were apart. I loved Junior and Lauren’s chemistry, it created a lot of smoking hot times. I also thought there was a great build to them truly accepting each other and creating a future together.

I liked Lauren’s friend group and how supportive they were. I felt for Junior with his challenging family and stern father, all the drama surrounding them, and everything he was doing to create a new life. I liked getting more of Tyler, Josh’s roommate from book one, and how he played into things. I am looking forward to his story next. I loved seeing Josh and Aly again as well. Josh cracked me up!

I try hard not to compare books in a series, but it’s hard not to when the first two books have completely different feels to them. Lights Out had a fun, entertaining vibe, and this one was more somber and intense. It was entertaining in its own way, just not the laugh-out-loud kind of fun I was expecting. With Juniors' sardonic humor and the building tension between him and Lauren, and all the sexy times, it totally worked for me, though. I thought it was an awesome addition to the Into Darkness series!