ARC Review: Prey For Me by Allie Oleander

 

A thrilling and sexy wager between friends turns deadly when they discover they aren’t the only ones who are preying.…

No deity has ever compelled Caine Underwood to drop to his knees in worship like Margot Walker does. Ever since the Halloween when she played Red Riding Hood to his Big Bad Wolf, he’s been chasing her attention—and betting that he can build a haunt so terrifying she won’t make it through. Now, Margot’s single and Caine’s pulling out all the stops to win their annual wager, and he wants her for his prize.

Margot understands fear. Six years ago, she unveiled her televangelist ex-husband’s sins, and the situation turned bloody. Now, being hunted and devoured by Caine isn’t terrifying, it’s arousing...but the haunted house director isn’t the only one trying to scare her.

Taunting threats commanding her to confess, repent, and atone for her sins start arriving, and when Caine discovers a zealot from Margot’s past is stalking her every move, his anger is lethal.

There’s only one man allowed to haunt Margot...

Title: Prey For Me 

Author: Allie Oleander

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

Expected Publication Date: September 22, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. I love me some dark romance. And add in a little stalker behavior and I'm sold! I was excited to see in this series. This one was similar but not quite the same. There's definitely some chasing and catching but the theme is a little darker than the first one. This one can be read as a stand alone if you wish, though I think reading the first book gives you a bit of a deeper appreciation of the themes in the book.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Margot and Caine is so great. I loved the reverse grumpy/sunshine thing they had going on. Caine is absolutely a golden retriever but with a dark sexy side while Margot has a ton of baggage from her previous marriage she's been trying to shed. And Caine has it down bad for Margot. He's studied her for so long, longed for her for so long, he's just happy to have the chance to be with her. But she keeps herself closed off while he is willing to put all of himself out there. They work so well together. I love how Caine gets Margot to open up and tell him things so he can better understand her. It's so hard for her because of her past that has really caused so much emotional damage and scarring. They share so many moments where they create a deeper connection with one another.

The suspenseful aspect of the story was a nice twist. I was definitely on the edge of my seat during many of the scenes. I had my suspicions about one of the characters and while it didn't pan out as I thought it would but the character still played a roll in it all. I loved how much Caine supported Margot through it all.

The haunted house added to the spooky atmosphere making this book great for the fall/Halloween season.

You do get some cameos from the characters from book 1, which was fun. And there is definitely some alluding to them during the story. But overall this story is definitely focused on Caine and Margot.

This romance has the perfect mix of spice, intensity, suspense, and creepiness to it. Add in some banter and it was a great read. I cannot wait to see what Oleander comes up with next.

Author:

Allie writes romance with kink exploration and characters ages thirty-five and up. When she's not writing, she's in the woods, trying to arrange a meet-cute with Bigfoot.