![\"Navessa](\"https:\/\/www.underthecoversbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/navessa-allen-books-featured-768x1024.webp\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nI started reading Navessa Allen books in 2024. Yeah, the Lights Out craze got me. And honestly, you should start there. No question. But she\u2019s not the dark romance author Booktok says she is, and that\u2019s mostly good news. She\u2019s written 2 series and a handful of standalones, but they\u2019re not all created equal. Let\u2019s get into what her catalog is, how spicy is it, and who is it for (or not).<\/p>\n
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Is Navessa Allen worth reading?<\/h2>\n\n- Read her if you want<\/strong> the stalker dynamic, the humor, the banter and dark themes handled lightly enough that you can enjoy them. Just know that\u2019s not ALL her books.<\/li>\n
- Skip her if you need <\/strong>actual intense situations, a mafia thread that really commits to that theme or the intensity of true dark romance.<\/li>\n
- The book that decides if she\u2019s for you?<\/strong> Lights Out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Where to start reading Navessa Allen books?<\/h2>\n
Personally, I think her best work is the best place to start and that is Lights Out<\/strong>. It\u2019s the start of the Into Darkness series, yes, but more importantly it gives you a taste of the light-hearted dark romance she\u2019s truly known for. I think the other books never quite hit that tone again.<\/p>\nBut if you actually already read the Into Darkness series and you\u2019re wondering\u2026 now what? The answer is Valentine\u2019s Slay<\/strong>. I wouldn\u2019t steer you to the backlist titles, which are getting beautiful reissues via Forever, only because the tone and voice of those is giving you something different. Valentine\u2019s Slay is a short story, yes, but it does hold the dark humor that we know and love from her series. <\/p>\nMy thoughts after reading Navessa Allen<\/h2>\n
I think Navessa Allen uses humor as a great delivery mechanism for dark material really well. We see this especially in Lights Out when there\u2019s funny and adorable moments of Josh with the cat as he\u2019s literally breaking into Aly\u2019s house and stalking her. They break up the tension and soften things when it matters. You even see that before you start the book from the trigger warnings, and if you\u2019re listening to the audiobook that sets the mood for the book.<\/p>\n
But not every single book delivers on that. The mafia thread in the Into Darkness series never fully commits for me, but the dark romance tone also softens even more as you go along. So the series keeps promising an edge but never fully delivering it. Then you dive into the backlist and realize that also feels different.<\/p>\n
I picked up Lights Out in 2024 on audio, which is a must listen experience, expecting Mindf*ck series. And honestly I got something else. But I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was one of my first true stalker romance<\/a><\/strong> reads and yes, it felt a bit unsettling. At the same time, I could see the appeal and I wanted more.<\/p>\nThese days I think of Navessa Allen as a great gateway author. If you\u2019re looking to start reading any of the tropes or genres that she writes, if you start with her books you\u2019ll know if the theme is for you. Never too deep or over the top into them. Want to start reading dark romance? Try Lights Out. Never read a paranormal romance? Try The Lunatics. <\/p>\n
Want to know what you\u2019re getting into by reading Lights Out? I would say think of the humor of Butcher and Blackbird mixed with a sprinkle of darker elements (and knife play). A touch of Mindf*ck, specifically in Josh who I think is similar to the heroine of that series. And Joe Goldberg\u2019s internal monologue (from You by Caroline Kepnes and TV Show) because Josh\u2019s stream of consciousness carries his particular brand of funny.<\/p>\n
Navessa Allen Books in Order<\/h2>\n
You are here, most likely, because you\u2019ve seen the Into Darkness series somewhere on Booktok (or the popular tables at B&N) and want to know where to start or what to read next. Like I said before, start with Lights Out. So lets get into that series first.<\/p>\n
How to read the Into Darkness series<\/h3>\n
Lights Out does kick off the Into Darkness series that currently has 3 books out. No announcements yet for another one, although there are characters we\u2019d love to see in future books. But each of these stand alone. You don\u2019t have to read them all, and you don\u2019t have to read them in order either. The heroes of books 2 & 3 are introduced in book 1, and the previous couples make cameo appearances.<\/p>\n
Click on these for my individual book reviews<\/p>\n
\n- Lights Out<\/a><\/strong> (2024)
My absolute favorite one of the bunch where you get a cat daddy stalker who gets mad if someone else is stalking her.<\/li>\n- Caught Up<\/a><\/strong> (2025)
This is the more mafia romance meets 2010s erotic romance at a kink club. It\u2019s a good time, but it\u2019s a shift from Lights Out.<\/li>\n- Game On<\/a><\/strong> (2026)
A little closer in tone to Lights Out, but still not true dark romance. More light romantic thriller with a revenge and fake dating plot.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nGrab the Into Darkness series on Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nNavessa Allen\u2019s Backlist: New Books or One\u2019s You\u2019ve Already Read?<\/h3>\n
Forever recently acquired all of Navessa Allen\u2019s backlist. This is excited because they are reissuing her indie backlist titles through 2026. The new covers are gorgeous, the indie ebooks are going down, but nothing on this list is a new book. I\u2019ve got a table with the release dates so you can check if you\u2019ve already read them.<\/p>\n\n
Where to start reading Navessa Allen books?<\/h2>\n
Personally, I think her best work is the best place to start and that is Lights Out<\/strong>. It\u2019s the start of the Into Darkness series, yes, but more importantly it gives you a taste of the light-hearted dark romance she\u2019s truly known for. I think the other books never quite hit that tone again.<\/p>\n But if you actually already read the Into Darkness series and you\u2019re wondering\u2026 now what? The answer is Valentine\u2019s Slay<\/strong>. I wouldn\u2019t steer you to the backlist titles, which are getting beautiful reissues via Forever, only because the tone and voice of those is giving you something different. Valentine\u2019s Slay is a short story, yes, but it does hold the dark humor that we know and love from her series. <\/p>\n I think Navessa Allen uses humor as a great delivery mechanism for dark material really well. We see this especially in Lights Out when there\u2019s funny and adorable moments of Josh with the cat as he\u2019s literally breaking into Aly\u2019s house and stalking her. They break up the tension and soften things when it matters. You even see that before you start the book from the trigger warnings, and if you\u2019re listening to the audiobook that sets the mood for the book.<\/p>\n But not every single book delivers on that. The mafia thread in the Into Darkness series never fully commits for me, but the dark romance tone also softens even more as you go along. So the series keeps promising an edge but never fully delivering it. Then you dive into the backlist and realize that also feels different.<\/p>\n I picked up Lights Out in 2024 on audio, which is a must listen experience, expecting Mindf*ck series. And honestly I got something else. But I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was one of my first true stalker romance<\/a><\/strong> reads and yes, it felt a bit unsettling. At the same time, I could see the appeal and I wanted more.<\/p>\n These days I think of Navessa Allen as a great gateway author. If you\u2019re looking to start reading any of the tropes or genres that she writes, if you start with her books you\u2019ll know if the theme is for you. Never too deep or over the top into them. Want to start reading dark romance? Try Lights Out. Never read a paranormal romance? Try The Lunatics. <\/p>\n Want to know what you\u2019re getting into by reading Lights Out? I would say think of the humor of Butcher and Blackbird mixed with a sprinkle of darker elements (and knife play). A touch of Mindf*ck, specifically in Josh who I think is similar to the heroine of that series. And Joe Goldberg\u2019s internal monologue (from You by Caroline Kepnes and TV Show) because Josh\u2019s stream of consciousness carries his particular brand of funny.<\/p>\n You are here, most likely, because you\u2019ve seen the Into Darkness series somewhere on Booktok (or the popular tables at B&N) and want to know where to start or what to read next. Like I said before, start with Lights Out. So lets get into that series first.<\/p>\n Lights Out does kick off the Into Darkness series that currently has 3 books out. No announcements yet for another one, although there are characters we\u2019d love to see in future books. But each of these stand alone. You don\u2019t have to read them all, and you don\u2019t have to read them in order either. The heroes of books 2 & 3 are introduced in book 1, and the previous couples make cameo appearances.<\/p>\n Click on these for my individual book reviews<\/p>\n Grab the Into Darkness series on Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Forever recently acquired all of Navessa Allen\u2019s backlist. This is excited because they are reissuing her indie backlist titles through 2026. The new covers are gorgeous, the indie ebooks are going down, but nothing on this list is a new book. I\u2019ve got a table with the release dates so you can check if you\u2019ve already read them.<\/p>\nMy thoughts after reading Navessa Allen<\/h2>\n
Navessa Allen Books in Order<\/h2>\n
How to read the Into Darkness series<\/h3>\n
\n
My absolute favorite one of the bunch where you get a cat daddy stalker who gets mad if someone else is stalking her.<\/li>\n
This is the more mafia romance meets 2010s erotic romance at a kink club. It\u2019s a good time, but it\u2019s a shift from Lights Out.<\/li>\n
A little closer in tone to Lights Out, but still not true dark romance. More light romantic thriller with a revenge and fake dating plot.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nNavessa Allen\u2019s Backlist: New Books or One\u2019s You\u2019ve Already Read?<\/h3>\n
![\"valentine's](\"https:\/\/www.underthecoversbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/valentines-slay-navessa-allen.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"is](\"https:\/\/www.underthecoversbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/is-navessa-allen-actually-dark-romance-pin-navessa-allen-books-683x1024.webp\")
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