My first time listening to an audiobook is done! (13 hours and 38 minutes ✔️) I'm definitely picking up more audiobooks in the future. 😗 Why did no one tell me how fun this is!?   

I saw a clip from this audiobook online, and I was instantly taken. I was aware that this was a stalker romance and all that (which isn't a problem; dark romance is my old friend), but the humor... that's what got me hooked at first. I just had to look it up, and suddenly I was 9 hours into the book, unable to stop. Also, let's be real, the male narrator, Jacob Morgan... The man you are.
 

Aly Cappellucci might be a trauma nurse who drowns herself in work, but the woman has her priorities straight: cuddle her fur baby and watch masked men thirst traps online. Now, some drinks and bold decisions later, she has made her fantasies very, very real. On the other side, Josh Hammond keeps his "normal" life pretty low-key, but his online persona is everything other than that. I suppose being faceless helps. The two get involved with each other, and the narrative follows their escalating relationship, which is driven by their dark fantasies and intense chemistry. That is, until a third party gets involved who throws the story (only a little bit) off track and turns Josh from a stalker to a saviour with many following consequences that keep the reader/listener on edge. The plot gets steered from edgy romance into straight up dangerous territory (let's pretend it wasn't dangerous from the beginning).

The relationship between Aly and Josh was perfect in a "they can match each other's freak" kind of way. The banter and their energy was great to experience, I was amused almost the entire time. It made the book really fun to get through, as is evident by the fact that I haven't gotten through a book this fast in a while. The story developed pretty fast, so sometimes it felt a tad bit weird or I got a little second-hand embarrassment, but otherwise it wasn't a major problem. We won't discuss the sexual parts, but I'll say that it was... extensive. 😳 I guess on an emotional note, we got to see the couple grow and heal together, both of them trying to deal with past traumas that still carry their influence. And in many ways, the things they did and experienced together bonded them in a way that is hard to forget.

Also, props to the narrators, Elena Wolf & Jacob Morgan, for making the characters feel so alive, they did an excellent job! The writing made it very easy to connect with Aly and Josh, plus it was a dual POV duet narration. If we're getting technical, then this book could be summed up as a dark rom-com erotica, but somehow the author made it all seem lighter compared to some other stories. At least this one felt easy to digest and not overwhelmingly tropey.