⭐ 4.25/5

🌶 4.5/5

This was such a good read! Although it’s technically the second in the series, you don’t need to have read Lights Out beforehand. Josh, Aly, and Tyler make appearances, but their story plays a minor role here, so jumping straight into this one works just fine.

This falls into the dark romance category, though I’d call it more of a “grey” romance than full dark. The darkness comes from the mafia plotline and a dose of stalking, but most of the intensity is rooted in kink rather than anything truly sinister.

Junior and Lauren’s dynamic was messy, complicated, and addictive. Their relationship starts off with unresolved history (cue overbearing mafia families and high school drama) and builds quickly into obsession-level territory for not just Junior but Lauren as well. They face major communication issues throughout the book and tend to leap to conclusions, which creates plenty of tension.

I was fully invested. And Junior’s declaration about Lauren in Chapter 31? Absolute swoon. I actually paused to rewind and listen to it again—it was that good!