lindsaymck 's review for:

Caught Up by Navessa Allen
3.0
adventurous dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
Nico “Junior” Trocci is a mafia heir and walking red flag with a stalking problem, the object of his obsession being a high school flame he hasn’t seen - but has been keeping tabs on and intervening on her behalf - for a decade, Lauren Marchetti. Lauren is a ‘kink club queen’ and CamGirl who doesn’t realize her top subscriber since day 1 is the man who broke her heart and ruined her reputation in high school. Tired of being controlled by his mob-boss dad and staying in the shadows to take vengeance on those who wronged Lauren, Nic is determined to finally get what he wants and Lauren’s ready to reignite the flame he lit that nobody’s been able to match since. 

Spoilers to come… 
Lauren and Junior/Nic had plenty of angst and I love a second chance romance, but they just didn’t have the *spark* that Josh and Aly did in Lights Out. There was plenty of obsession and spice, but there was no… unhinged charm. They felt fairly dull in comparison because their connection was mainly about lust and lacked humor and chemistry. Lauren’s friends and dog were the comic relief and their scenes brought moments of levity to a heavy-feeling plot. Lauren was all about her sex work and Nic was all about (getting out of) the mob and supporting her sex work. It’s awesome Lauren found someone who supported her career/kinks and even better that she was able to awaken some new kinks for Nic, BUT, I wanted more silly scenes where she made him laugh and they bonded emotionally instead of purely physical. 

Will I still listen to the next book in the series, which I assume will be about Tyler and Stella? Yeah. 
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