He Knows When You’re Awake (Naughty or Nice, Bk. 2)
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Overview
The instant New York Times and USA Today bestselling dark billionaire stalker romance is back — and this Christmas, obsession has never looked so dangerous.
Sloane is a jewelry designer with a dream and a problem: she needs serious funding to launch her own custom line, and every traditional bank has slammed the door in her face. When a mysterious stranger offers her a lifeline, she knows better than to trust it — but desperation has a way of quieting good sense.
The offer comes with a first-class ticket to an ultra-luxurious Swiss resort and a meeting with reclusive billionaire Cole Asher. Reluctantly, Sloane agrees. It's only when she arrives that she realizes she's seen him before — once, briefly, in a New York bar.
Cole is watching her. He has been for a while. He sees the stolen moments when she works, the darkness she keeps buried, and he intends to unravel every last piece of it.
His offer is straightforward: he'll back her company. The cost, however, is anything but. To secure his investment, Sloane must move into his Manhattan penthouse and complete her first round of designs before Christmas.
Sloane throws herself into the work. Cole insists he'll keep things professional. Neither of them quite manages it.
As the city glitters below a penthouse window and the chemistry between them becomes impossible to ignore, Sloane starts to wonder if she's stumbled into something that looks dangerously like a fairy tale.
But Cole is a powerful man, and powerful men collect powerful enemies. Those enemies are closing in — and they're not above using Sloane to get to him.
What began as a business arrangement is about to become something far more consuming, far more perilous, and far harder to walk away from.
"HE KNOWS WHEN YOU'RE AWAKE is a USA Today bestseller!" - USA Today
Series Information
Series Name: Naughty or Nice
Series Reading Order
This series is best read in publication order.
Book 1 - He Sees You When You're Sleeping: A Naughty or Nice Novel
Book 2 - He Knows When You're Awake: A Naughty or Nice Novel
Book 3 - They Know If You've Been Bad or Good
Reviews and Author Praise
"Instant New York Times Bestseller!"
— New York Times
"HE KNOWS WHEN YOU'RE AWAKE is a USA Today bestseller!"
— USA Today
Topics and Key Themes
Narrative Tropes
Forced Proximity
Slow Burn
He Falls First
Dark Romance
Cat and Mouse Romance
Key Themes
Obsession dressed as opportunity — a billionaire's investment comes with dangerous strings attached.
Ambition versus self-preservation — chasing her dream forces Sloane into a stranger's controlled world.
Surveillance as intimacy — being truly seen by someone feels thrilling until it feels like a trap.
Holiday danger beneath the glamour — Christmas glitter masks closing enemies and mounting peril.
Power imbalance and desire — wealth and control complicate every moment of undeniable chemistry.
Who is this book for?
Primary Genre: Dark Billionaire Stalker Romance
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5: Very Spicy
Turning up the heat! Multiple steamy scenes with clear, descriptive detail and strong chemistry. Romance and spice share the spotlight here.
Fans of Penelope Douglas and dark obsessive romance will enjoy the brooding billionaire stalker dynamic, slow-burn tension, and high-heat holiday backdrop of this suspense-laced love story.
About the Author
Alta Hensley is a New York Times 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.
Similar Authors
Penelope Douglas, Ker Dukey, Sadie Kincaid
Reader FAQs
It sits on the darker end of the spectrum. The romance is built around obsession, surveillance, and a significant power imbalance rather than a conventional courtship. Readers comfortable with morally complex heroes and possessive dynamics will find it fits squarely within dark romance.
Both authors work with brooding, controlling heroes and tension-heavy slow burns, but Hensley leans more heavily into the stalker and surveillance dynamic. The tone here is darker and more suspense-laced than most of Douglas's catalogue, with a thriller undercurrent running through the romance.
The book carries a spice level of four out of five and contains mature themes including obsession, power imbalance, and explicit content. It is intended for adult readers and is not appropriate for readers under 18.
The story contains stalking behaviour presented romantically, surveillance, a pronounced power imbalance between a billionaire and a financially vulnerable woman, and threat of physical danger from external antagonists. Readers sensitive to these themes should consider that before purchasing.
The pacing is measured rather than fast. The slow-burn romantic tension dominates, with the suspense strand building steadily in the background. The external threat does not overtake the central dynamic but adds pressure that sharpens the emotional stakes between the two leads.
Info
ISBN: 9780063462854
Published Date: November 4, 2025
Publisher: Avon Books
Language: English
Page Count: 304
Size: 8.00" l x 5.25" w x 0.75" h
Category
Fiction