Game On by Navessa Allen is a dark romantic comedy, the third book in the Into the Darkness series. They’re interconnected standalones, each following a different couple, all of whom are unhinged in their own special ways. Game On is an enemies-to-lovers, fake dating story that’s as hot as it is intriguing.
Tyler Neumann has a chip on his shoulder. He grew up hungry, hates the rich, and Stella McCormick represents the generational wealth that he can’t stand. He’s looking for revenge and plans to ruin the rich father who abandoned him, and he’s going to use Stella to do it.
At one of his famous poker nights, where he serves as the bookie to the elite, he targets Stella’s little brother, and when he finds himself in debt, Tyler knows that Stella will take it on. Stella has a past she wants to leave behind, and she would do anything to protect her brother.
But Tyler doesn’t want the money; he wants access to the McCormicks’ business partner, his father. So to clear her brother’s debt, Stella agrees to fake a relationship with Tyler and introduce him to their world.
Despite the blackmail, it’s a relatively simple plan, and Tyler is confident it will all go off without a hitch. Until the pesky, electric attraction between him and Stella becomes too much to be ignored, and threatens everything he’s worked for.
Tyler and Stella’s dynamic is absolute fire. You don’t often see the male partner as the brat in heterosexual relationships in the romance space, even with Dommes, and I adore it. More authors should explore this, although it will be tough to beat Navessa Allen’s exploration of the subject.
“Oh, no,” she said, tone mocking. “What’s wrong? You don’t like it when someone is mean to you? Does it hurt your feelings? Make you angry?” “No. It makes me hard,” I snapped.
Game On promises heat and kink from the very start, and it evolves into incredible, impeccable spice. Their character dynamics are intrinsically linked to their sexuality as a couple, and the chemistry jumps off the page. There is a particular threesome scene that is simply to die for.
This book is so hot that I kept wanting to fan myself like a fancy Regency lady. I’m talking full swoons. It hits the perfect note in every scene, and Tyler is up there in the rankings for all-time favorite book boyfriends.
Several mysterious questions and breadcrumbs are introduced in the first two chapters to hook the reader, and I remained hooked throughout. The chapters are on the longer side for a romantic comedy, but it didn’t make the story feel slow at all.
Game On is darkly funny, with clever writing that truly embodies the dark rom-com genre. It gives off a delightful vibe, even as it explores privilege and class issues with intelligence and nuance. Folks who don’t regularly read romance might be surprised that there is a whole treatise on privilege in a story that also contains brat kinks and threesomes, but that’s their loss, I suppose.
It solidified my belief that billionaires were food, not friends.
Undoubtedly, Game On is one of my favorite books of 2026 so far. It’s sweet, spicy, and hilarious, with a perfect balance between the three. I will read anything Navessa Allen writes, and I look forward to seeing what her incredible mind conjures up next.
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