ARC Review: He Knows When You're Awake (Naughty or Nice #2) by Alta Hensley

 

This deluxe paperback edition features special sprayed edges with digital artwork and glow-in-the-dark cover effects!

This Christmas, it’s all about getting what you really want in this dark billionaire stalker romance sequel to He Sees You When You’re Sleeping.

Stalking in a winter wonderland...

Jewelry designer Sloane dreams of launching her own custom line—but she needs a Christmas miracle to pull it off. With traditional banks turning her down left and right, she can’t resist when a mysterious stranger offers her a lifeline.

I see what she creates in those stolen moments when she thinks no one’s watching. I see everything. There's a darkness at her core and I will unravel her until I find it.

Reclusive billionaire Cole Asher offers to fly Sloane out to an ultra-luxurious Swiss resort for a meeting. Reluctantly, she agrees—only to realize she’s met him once before in a New York bar.

She is crucial to my plans, and I need her close. She insists that we keep things professional, and I comply. But soon she will realize that every line is blurred when it comes to her and me. 

Cole offers to back her company—but there’s a cost. To secure his investment, Sloane must move into his Manhattan penthouse, where she’ll complete her first round of designs for him to review before Christmas.

Sloane throws herself into her work, yet soon the attraction between her and Cole becomes undeniable. As the city sparkles with Christmas splendor from her penthouse view, Sloane wonders if she has stepped into a fairy tale—until Cole's powerful enemies close in. They will stop at nothing to destroy him, including going after the woman he loves. 

I will burn down the world to get her back...and it will be in time for Christmas. 

TROPES

Billionaire Romance

Stalker romance

Christmas romance

Morally grey MMC

Forced proximity

Opposites attract

Kink friendly

He Knows When You're Awake is a dark romance with a morally grey male lead. Some themes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the content warnings at the beginning of the book.

Title: He Knows When You're Awake (Naughty or Nice #2)

Author: Alta Hensley

Publisher: HarperAudio Adult/Avon

Expected Publication Date: November 4, 2025

Review:

Thank you HarperAudio Adult and NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy of this book to listen to and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Who knew dark stalker romance would be my thing? When I read the first book in this series, I totally got Lights Out by Navessa Allen vibes. I wasn't sure if I would move on to the next book but I'm glad I did. 

I think I would have enjoyed this book more in print or with different narrators. This audio was dual narration/dual POV, which I appreciate. I like to hear different voices in a dark romance. Both these narrators are new to me and I always like to give new narrators a chance. They just did not do it for me. Jillian Macie's voice was ok, but it grated a little. And I didn't like how she did the male voices at all. She tried to make them deep and they just came out husky but didn't sound right. Rock Engle reminds me of another narrator I've listened to and didn't particularly love. I think this distracted me in a way. Though I liked his voice much better than the FMC's voice. Still, they were fairly good with keeping the pacing going. I needed a bit more emotion from both and I didn't get that.

There's something about morally grey characters that I just love. You want to dislike them but you just cannot. There is something about them that endears them to you and you need to know their stories. Often times, their background has made them how they are, and this justifies things in a way. But I didn't get that vibe from Cole Asher. Yes, he has some background stuff, but it's so surface and I really would have liked more to see why he is the way he is. I needed a bit more development on him from this angle. Sloan, on the other hand, isn't morally grey, but she does have background information that shows who she is. We get a glimpse of her family and what they are like, how she has been shaped into what she is. 

The idea of Cole being this stalker type guy was intriguing. Sloan doesn't seem to particularly mind it, which I found a little frustrating. When she finds out all the stuff he knows about her, she's not as angry as I thought she might be. I almost needed that third act break-up and him groveling, even though third act break ups tend to drive me bonkers because they are often about miscommunication. But that did not happen.

I also expected a bit more of the Christmas vibe in this story. It's there but it's not what I really would have wanted seeing as it's themed that way. All that is mentioned is the timeline. Yes, there are some references to decorating and gifts, but not much else. I would have at least liked some background from the characters as to how they spent their Christmases as a child, but we don't get much of that.

I liked this one better than the first but still didn't love it as much as I would have liked. I will say, given the chance to do audio again if there is a third book, I will pass. I see these narrators were also used in the first book and I just don't think I could stand to listen to them again.

Author:

Alta Hensley is a USA Today bestselling author of dark romance where the villain always gets the happily ever after.

Twisted, clever, and occasionally unhinged, her books deliver morally gray anti-heroes, sharp-tongued heroines, and happily ever afters that taste even sweeter after a little ruin. With a signature blend of grit, wit, and heat, Alta’s stories prove one thing: Villains deserve love too.

Alta lives on the foggy coast of Oregon with her husband, two daughters, and a pair of dogs who think they’re in charge. When she’s not writing redemption for the irredeemable, she’s walking the coastline or sipping craft beer in eccentric little bars that feel like they belong in her books.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltaHensleyA...
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Alta-Hensley/e...
Website: www.altahensley.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/altahensley
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alta-...
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@altahensley
Join her mailing list: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...