Caught Up

After reading Lights Out, I had pretty high expectations for Caught Up. Josh had already claimed the title of my very first Book Boyfriend, and Navessa had apparently discovered my preferred flavor of dark romance: morally questionable men, strong women who aren’t afraid to put them in their place, and enough sarcasm and chaos to keep me thoroughly entertained. So Junior had a bit of a problem before I even started reading. His name was Josh. Fortunately, Caught Up wasn’t trying to give us another Josh, and I appreciated that Navessa gave Junior and Lauren a story of their own.

Nico “Junior” Trocci comes from an organized-crime family, where violence and intimidation are practically family traditions. He’s dangerous, controlling, and determined to escape the future his father has planned for him, although walking away from that kind of life is anything but simple. Lauren Marchetti, meanwhile, is an independent adult-content creator who’s worked hard to build a career on her own terms. What makes things even more interesting is that these two have a complicated history neither has completely moved on from. When Junior comes back into Lauren’s life, old feelings and unresolved resentment quickly resurface, making their reunion anything but a happy one. The attraction between them is still very much there, but considering how things ended the first time around, Lauren isn’t exactly eager to welcome him back with open arms.

Junior is an entirely different breed of fictional red flag. Seriously, this man has enough red flags to open his own store. Maybe even a chain of stores. He’s obsessive, possessive, emotionally guarded, and far too comfortable using intimidation to solve his problems. What I liked, though, was that Navessa didn’t try to make him seem harmless or excuse everything he does because he has a difficult past. Junior is genuinely dangerous, and growing up surrounded by organized crime has shaped the way he handles relationships, conflict, and vulnerability. But underneath all that questionable behavior is a man who recognizes that he doesn’t want to become his father. I enjoyed watching him struggle with what that actually means, because wanting a different life and making the choices necessary to have one are two very different things.

Lauren was just as important to making this relationship work for me. She’s independent, outspoken, and comfortable with her sexuality, but there’s more to her than the confident personality she presents to the world. She has her own insecurities and painful memories, particularly when it comes to Junior, and I appreciated that she doesn’t simply forget their history because he’s attractive and persistent. She challenges him, questions his behavior, and makes it clear that being interested in someone doesn’t mean giving up her boundaries. I especially liked that she wasn’t written as someone who needed Junior to rescue her from her career or change who she was to deserve his love. She has her own goals, friendships, and identity outside their relationship, and I think that made their connection much more believable.

Their chemistry was fantastic, but the banter was easily one of my favorite parts of the book. Junior has such a dry, sarcastic sense of humor that Lauren sometimes has a hard time figuring out whether he’s joking or genuinely threatening someone. Considering who we’re dealing with, I think that’s a perfectly reasonable concern. Lauren gives him just as much attitude in return, and their conversations had me laughing more than once. I particularly enjoyed that their humor never felt out of place, even when the story took a darker turn. Navessa has a way of making these morally questionable characters entertaining without pretending they’re suddenly model citizens.

The supporting characters were another highlight. Ryan and Taylor bring plenty of humor and personality to the story, but I also appreciated how supportive they are of Lauren. Their friendship feels genuine, and they give her a life outside her complicated relationship with Junior. I also loved seeing familiar faces from Lights Out, including Josh, Aly, and, most importantly, Fred. That cat continues to behave like he owns the entire series, and honestly, I’m beginning to think he does. The returning characters help connect the books without taking attention away from Junior and Lauren, and I enjoyed the sense of found family that develops beneath all the chaos. It’s a nice reminder that even people living rather unconventional lives can have relationships built on genuine friendship, loyalty, and support.

Another thing I appreciated was that the story didn’t rely entirely on the romance to keep things moving. Junior’s involvement with his criminal family creates real problems, and his desire to leave that world behind comes with consequences. Lauren’s career also plays an important role, particularly when it comes to her independence and the way other people judge her. I liked that Navessa treated her work as a legitimate part of her life rather than something she needed to be ashamed of or rescued from. The combination of family conflict, complicated history, and their very different approaches to relationships gave the story enough substance that I remained interested in what was happening outside the bedroom.

And speaking of the bedroom… good grief! Navessa certainly didn’t hold back with this one. Caught Up is explicit, adventurous, and completely unapologetic about it. But what I appreciated was that the intimate scenes weren’t simply thrown in for shock value. They also gave Junior and Lauren opportunities to explore their attraction, build trust, and become more comfortable being vulnerable with each other. Their physical chemistry is obvious, but I liked that the emotional connection still needed work. Attraction alone doesn’t erase years of hurt, and their relationship becomes more meaningful because they have to address the problems between them rather than pretending those problems don’t exist.

The pacing worked well for me overall. There are several things happening alongside the romance, but I never felt like the story lost track of Junior and Lauren’s relationship. I enjoyed how Navessa balanced the darker moments with humor, particularly when things became emotionally heavy. Both characters have baggage that affects how they handle trust and intimacy, and their growth comes from recognizing those issues and learning to deal with them. I also appreciated that Junior’s development didn’t require him to suddenly become a completely different person. He’s still possessive, dangerous, and morally questionable, but he begins to understand that loving Lauren means respecting her independence rather than trying to control everything around her.

If I had one criticism, it’s that I would have liked a little more time spent developing some of the emotional moments before moving on to the next conflict or intimate scene. There are times when Junior and Lauren are dealing with issues that deserve a little more attention, and I think allowing those conversations to breathe would have made their growth even stronger. It wasn’t enough to take away from my enjoyment, but it was one of the things that kept this from being a full five-star read for me. With how much I liked these two characters, I wanted to spend just a little more time with the vulnerable sides of their relationship.

One thing I especially enjoyed was that Caught Up didn’t feel like a repeat of Lights Out. Junior and Josh are very different men, and their relationships come with different challenges. Navessa kept the darkness, humor, spice, and emotional connection I loved about the first book while giving Junior and Lauren their own personalities and problems to work through. That’s exactly what I want from a series. I don’t need every book to give me the same characters wearing different names. I want something familiar enough to remind me why I loved the first story, but different enough to make me fall in love with the new one.

Now, did Junior knock Josh off his throne? Absolutely not. Sorry, Junior. You never stood a chance. Josh was my first Book Boyfriend, which means he’s automatically my favorite. There are rules. I don’t know who wrote them, but I’m pretty sure they’re legally binding.

WOULD I RECOMMEND CAUGHT UP?

Absolutely! I’d recommend Caught Up to readers who enjoy dark romance, morally questionable and possessive love interests, strong independent heroines, second-chance romance, witty banter, and found-family relationships. If you like your fictional men dangerous, your heroines capable of putting them in their place, and your romance filled with both emotional tension and plenty of spice, this one is definitely worth adding to your TBR. Just keep in mind that Junior is involved in organized crime, the relationship includes obsessive and controlling behavior, and the sexual content is very explicit. This isn’t a lighthearted contemporary romance, even if the humor occasionally makes you forget just how questionable these characters can be.

MY FINAL VERDICT:

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Caught Up. It was dark, filthy, funny, and surprisingly emotional, with fantastic chemistry, entertaining characters, and meaningful character development. I loved Junior’s dry humor, Lauren’s refusal to be pushed around, and the way their relationship developed beyond their physical attraction. The supporting characters and familiar faces from Lights Out made the experience even better, and I appreciated that Navessa gave this couple their own story rather than recycling Josh and Aly’s. I would have liked a little more attention given to certain emotional moments, but that didn’t stop me from having a great time reading it. Junior may not have stolen Josh’s place in my heart, but he certainly earned his own spot among my favorite fictional red flags.

Apparently, morally questionable men, stubborn women, ridiculous banter, and a whole lot of chaos are my genre now. Who knew?

Final Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5) | Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (5/5)

As for the spice, this one earns all five peppers without question! There are plenty of explicit, on-page intimate scenes involving adventurous sexual exploration, power dynamics, and kink. Navessa certainly doesn’t shy away from the details, but I appreciated that the intimacy also contributed to Junior and Lauren’s developing trust and emotional connection. The heat is definitely turned all the way up in this one, so consider yourself warned!

CONTENT & TRIGGER WARNINGS

I strongly recommend reading the author’s content and trigger warnings before diving into Caught Up. This is a dark romance that includes stalking, obsessive and controlling behavior, organized crime, blackmail, coercion, violence, brief gore, and references to past child abuse and domestic abuse. The book also contains explicit sexual content involving BDSM, breath play, primal and fear play, voyeurism, exhibitionism, and multiple partners. These themes and activities may be uncomfortable or triggering for some readers, so please review the author’s complete warning list before reading.

NOTE: This review reflects the digital eBook version of Caught Up as read on July 20, 2026, and may not reflect any revisions, corrections, or updates made to subsequent editions.