Caught Up (Into Darkness, #2) by Navessa Allen Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Lights Out on my blog, now!

In the interconnected sequel to Lights Out, Navessa Allen returns to deliver a mob stalker romcom in this story following Nick "Junior" Trocci and Lauren Marchetti as they reconnect and explore the possibility of second chances. I had mixed feelings after finishing Lights Out, more so with the fact that it was not to the "dark romance" level that I was expecting - going into Caught Up, my expectations were set accordingly and I had a lot of fun reading this book. Nick was an enjoyable mobster that wanted out of that lifestyle, and Lauren is an online sex worker and club member advocating for sex worker rights. With their past hindering a relationship, Nick began following her online to be as close to her as possible.

The plot was a touch all over the place, to be quite honest. Nick was on this internal journey to leave the mob life that his father was insistent he continue, and Lauren was figuring out if she could ever trust Nick again. It felt as though Nick's journey was much more prominent in this book, and while Lauren's own journey was not as intriguing. With Nick's perspective chapters, we see his conflicted feelings as he continues his mobster ways while actively works to remove himself from that activity. He was very focused on bettering himself and getting Lauren to trust him again without blowing up their relationship/friendship like all those years ago.

Lauren's journey with her two roommates was more lighthearted in the sense that I was never truly worried about her safety - in the sense that this is marketed as a stalker romcom, but I would not even consider Nick to be a stalker. There were definite romcom elements to this book, but I still would have loved for this to lean more heavily on the stalker aspect - yes, they knew each other when they were younger, but I felt as though once she found out about Nick, she was not even that fazed by the discovery. Lauren's moral compass is pretty solid and she is a great advocate - her character was easy to like, and she was enjoyable to follow as the story went on, I just wished I was as intrigued by her story as I was with Nick's story.

The side characters definitely made Lauren's journey feel more stable, as well as the presence of Nick's brothers making his own journey have a solid foundation. Honestly, the side characters were the true comedic relief in this installment, and while Lauren and Nick certainly had their moments, it seemed to fall on these secondary characters to lighten the mood. The smut in this book was actually unreal at points, and I will say that Allen has that aspect of her books locked and loaded - no notes from me. My jaw dropped several times, and she wasted no time at all diving right into the smut and romance of this book. Given the fact that Lauren makes online videos as a sex worker, the smut did play a more important role in this book compared to the role it played in Lights Out.

This interconnected series is a fun time that keeps the reader entertained, and yet I seems to always yearn for something more in these stories. It often feels as though conflict is resolved relatively quickly and that there seems to be no true consequences to those that have either wronged the main characters, or if they do reap their punishment, it is not to the extent that I would have expected. If you are looking for a quick, steamy read, the Into Darkness series my very well be your next journey in dark romcoms.

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Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Andrew and Thomas return to school with secrets from one another, a daunting fairytale turned into a haunting reality, and the disappearance of the creative spark that lived within Thomas and his artwork. When they arrive back at Wickwood Academy, everything is out of order - Andrew's twin sister, Dove, is all but warm to him, while Thomas arrives in questionable fashion with a torrid secret. As readers dive deeper in Andrew's perspective, they are exposed to more than they could have imagined. With the forest luring Andrew and Thomas into dangerous territory as they protect themselves and those around them.

Jumping around from high fantasy to romance, I knew I was in desperate need to get back into dark academia - Don't Let the Forest In has been on my TBR shelf for nearly a year as I anticipated its release, and I finally found the time to sit down with it. I have to say, I basically loved everything about this book - we are immediately introduced to Wickwood Academy and the aura is prickly, intense, and full of a deep sense of dread. With Andrew somehow on the outs with both his sister and Thomas, he fights to find out why they are pushing him to the side.

As we see Thomas recount a traumatizing experience while actively working to put an end to the torment that has followed him back to school, we begin to learn more about the horrors that have been haunting him. Without the help of Andrew, I am sure that Thomas would have been left to his own devices to constantly be looking over his shoulder for years to come. Drews was able to create such a sense of being watched throughout this book - I felt as paranoid as Thomas and Andrew as I read their story. Every corner they turned, it was as though they were confronted with the reality of high school bullying or the fantastical horrors of fairytales come to life.

Andrew's personal journey was intriguing and pulled at my heartstrings - you could feel his pain come off the page and his internal struggle as he came to terms with himself felt so raw. His characterization was well-developed and readers are truly able to feel his fears and hesitation to explore the unknown. Both Thomas and Andrew had a lot of feelings to explore throughout the book, and because they are so interconnected with one another, their lives bleed into one another so much you feel as though they are one being sewn together.

For those who loved The Wicker King by K. Ancrum, readers will be thrown into dark academia encompassed by fantasy and the desire for characters to uncover the truth about themselves and what the future has in store.

You can add Don't Let the Forest In on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

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Icebreaker (Maple Hills, #1) by Hannah Grace Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I finally caved... after waiting weeks for this to become available on Libby, Icebreaker landed on my shelf and I began the journey to see what has everyone up in arms about on TikTok. Why on Earth does this book take place in California?? It feels as thought it should take place in a colder state, like Colorado. Nevertheless, I continued to read on and ignore that fact. The storyline of this book felt a little stagnant - you would think that the plot would move forward, but then more spicy scenes would get thrown in the middle since the characters wanted to have some stress release. I wish there would have been more development of the story - sure, Anastasia was going through some stuff and she did have some more memorable moments, but my overall feeling after finishing the book felt as though it did not leave a memorable impression.

Nates perspective chapters were honestly the highlight of this book for me - he was funny and made Anastasia realize a lot of things about herself. He was able to help her do some self-reflecting and also come out of her shell. His plot line was basically "I want to sleep with her, now I want to be with her, now I want her to do some self-reflecting." I will say, it did not feel as though he had an actual arc throughout this book, but was more of a supporting character to help Anastasia do the most of the character development.

The smut in this book went from PG-13 to whacky in about three chapters, and all I have to say is that if I was the Uber driver during that scene, I would have charged them through the roof. I genuinely could not believe my eyes, and I have read nearly everything under the sun. It just felt unrealistic, and to be quite honest, not comfortable at all. This book definitely depended a lot on the chemistry between the characters, which felt somewhat conflicting since Anastasia does not want a relationship and is perfectly content with just having a friends with benefits situation with Nathan.

Aaron is such an annoying character, I was so agitated every single time that he showed up. He was horrible to Anastasia, and constantly was digging deeper holes and making situations so much worse with every word that came out of his mouth. His is conceded, self-absorbed, and does not understand that there are consequences to his actions. Aaron's presence throughout this book is solely to make readers want to pull their hair out, while simultaneously making Anastasia realize that he is not the skating partner she thought he was.

The hockey team was present as a surface-level group of side characters, and it would have been great if they were more involved. There were a select few that had a few shining moments, but I would have loved to see them truly form bonds with Anastasia rather than just interact with Nate and do some of his bidding. If you are looking for a quick read that is more for vibes than for plot, then Icebreaker could be for you. I may choose to continue on with this standalone series, but to be quite honest, the writing and development does not show promises of improvement.

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Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire, #1) by Jay Kristoff ARC Review

This is a spoiler-free review! The version I am reading is an ARC -- any changes made for the final publication are not reflected in this review. Empire of the Vampire is now available to purchase.

I received an advanced copy of Empire of the Vampire so long ago - most likely in 2020 - and have finally gotten around to tackle this beast of a book. To be honest, I have tried to read it twice before, and I always found myself putting it down. I needed to be in the right mood, and after I finally tackled another monster of a book at the end of May, I knew I had to keep the ball rolling and lighten my TBR pile. This book is certainly intimidating and the size of the book had me putting it off for awhile - coming from someone who would finish A Song of Ice and Fire books in a couple of days, that says a lot.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. There was a good momentum going on for a while, and the world-building as it was recounted definitely held my attention - for a while. The concept of this book being told as a story was really intriguing, but I do wish it only took that format for the first half of the book instead of its entirety. While there were moments where we were taken back to present day, it still was short and sparse. Gabriel de León tells the tale as he is imprisoned by vampires, and I will say the banter when we are brought back to present day was a light compared to the constant agony the characters seemed to endure.

The misogyny in the book is actually insane - it felt as though every page turn was giving me a new reason to hate men. Sure, some may say it is for "accuracy" but this is a book about fictional vampires - it was not necessary for it to be so heavily present. It felt exhausting to read, and not complimentary to the quite exquisite writing Kristoff is able to put to the page. After reading A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon only a few weeks before diving into Empire of the Vampire, it was a stark reminder why I am often disappointed by high fantasy written by men - we can never escape the misogyny. After hearing nothing but praises for this book, I was surprised at how much male characters were degrading women.

At the halfway mark I realized this book was losing me at a rapid pace, and if it did not turn itself around in the next one hundred pages, it was going to become a battle to finish this book. I read this book in two sittings, essentially tackling the first half in one continuous read and the second half with just one lunch break before diving back in to cross the finish line. The vampires seemed to love underage girls and there was nothing short of excessive mentioning on how they needed young girls as their little blood bags and sacrifices. It is such a shame because the world truly was intriguing, but I found myself exhausting by the torment specific characters underwent for the sake of either shock value or Kristoff attempting to add more brutalization to the plot.

Timelines were a little all over the place, and with us switching between Gabriel being a teenager to him being thirty-two, I personally felt the transitions were lacking in fluidity and were too harsh to keep the story moving at a smooth pace. You begin to forget about the other timeline entirely until suddenly you are thrown back into it and you sit there confused because you have not revisited it in many chapters. There were times where I nearly fell asleep reading this book, but I was determined to see it through.

The illustrations were stunning - with the copy I was reading there were a few missing since it was an advanced copy, but I can only imagine what the final product looked like and I would not be disappointed. High fantasy is often overwhelming to readers, and with illustrations as details as the ones included in this book, it truly elevated the story being told and immersed the reader. 

At the end of the day, Empire of the Vampire attempts to bring to life a complex story while failing to deliver a character that you want to root for. With how much Gabriel began to annoy me, I was starting to root for the vampires. I would recommend finding a high fantasy series written by a female author if you want to avoid the blatant shock factor brutalization of women or ill-written humor at the sake of vulnerable characters.

You can add Empire of the Vampire on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter (X), and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!