Tag: LGBTGIA contemporary dark romance

Review:  Barbarian (Jericho’s Boys Book 3) by Onley James

 

Rating: 4.75🌈

I honestly don’t know any authors who do this trope and type of character and dark psychotic romance as well as Onley James.  Each one has its own unique take on the dark side of these characters , insights into their damaged psyches, horrifying backgrounds, and whatever maybe their stabilizing influences. Or who.

Having been through Jericho and Atticus’ aka Freckles fantastic romance (and don’t think this won’t be sending me back to reread their story, because it will), I have absolutely loved these novels about Jericho’s found family of lost boys. 

Each story flows from the last, a narrative smooth transition as all the boys, now young adults, live together or in close proximity. They’ve also become part of the larger Mulvaney family when Jericho married Atticus. 

The Mulvaney family, its many members make multiple appearances here, but Jericho’s boys remain the main story. Here it’s Nico Michaels, his years under mother’s negligence and abuse as child, which have left him scarred emotionally and physically for relationships. It’s also Malachi Mizrahi, gender fluid, neurodivergent, and psychotic. Older brother to Shiloh, and someone who has been a constant companion to Nico since they met. 

These two are among my favorites. How they slowly redefine their relationship. One discovering that he’s not been aware of the reality of that relationship, the other letting the layers of the emotional connections they share adjust in their own recognizable patterns. It’s wonderful writing. It’s realistic, tough, funny, dark, and raw. Between two young men who have been through monstrous events and had heinous experiences.

The crimes and mystery is fascinating. It brings a whole new element and energy into this universe with the Chinese Triad community. As with the Mulvaney family, the Chinese Triad organization has as a diverse group of characters, just as intriguing. I hope they will continue to pop up in future stories. 

There’s a kinky sexual aspect to their relationship, one that’s more developed towards the end. This element is slowly built up into their story and makes sense. And will continue forward as part of the next book as they grow and help another one of their own journey into their own relationship. 

I adore this book and couple. The series has me wanting to reread the original books and start this over again. 

If dark fiction and romantic love along these lines are your thing, then these books aren’t to be missed. Highly recommended.

The seven dark fantastic books of the Necessary Evils series are the foundation which then leads here to Jericho’s Boys. They aren’t to be missed. 

Jericho’s Boys :

Paladin #1 (Arsen and Ever)

Rogue #2 (Levi and Shiloh)

Barbarian #3 (Nico and Mal)

Ranger #4 – March 2026

Buy link 

        Barbarian (Jericho’s Boys Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Nico Michaels pretends to be carefree, avoiding anything serious, especially relationships; his chaotic past has taught him that love only complicates things. He’s content with one-night stands and his close-knit group of friends, including his roommate, Malachi Mizrahi.

Neurodivergent and gender-fluid, Malachi wakes up each morning with a whole new personality, but one thing remains constant: his love for Nico. They clicked perfectly from day one, sharing a love of everything from anime to nature documentaries. They even share a bed. Platonically, of course.

One night, the lines blur when they share a kiss, but before things can go further, a desperate call from one of Mal’s dance students throws them into a missing person’s case that leaves them with more questions than answers. To complicate matters, Mal reveals he’s been quietly orchestrating Nico’s whole life without him even noticing. Nico is shaken to his core, his perception of their relationship shattered.

As they navigate the perilous world of a vicious Chinese triad, their bond deepens, and Nico begins to see that Malachi is not only the perfect friend, but the perfect man to fulfill all his needs. Together, they must face their past and survive their present if they want any chance of a happy ending in their future.

Barbarian is a friends-to-lovers, dark romance with an HEA and no cliffhangers. It features a masochistic vigilante with ADHD and a video game addiction and his sadistic and controlling best friend who worships the ground he walks on. As with any Onley book, you’ll find dark humor, steamy sexy times, and gratuitous violence, but only against people who totally deserve it. This is book 3 in the Jericho’s Boys series. Each book follows a different couple. 

  • Publication date: January 21, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 459 pages

Review: Moonstruck (Necessary Evil #3) by Onley James

Rating: 5🌈

Moonstruck, the third in Olney James’ extraordinary series about a family of adopted psychopathic children turned into retributive killers under the guidance of the man who raised them, albeit as a loving research project.

“…that psychopaths weren’t a plague on society but a gift, an evolutionary tool that could be harnessed to cull the monsters of their society, he’d change the world.”

— Moonstruck (Necessary Evils Book 3) by Onley James

That’s their father, billionaire Dr. Thomas Mulvaney talking about his theory and reasoning behind his adoption of the 7 special children now his sons.

Atticus Mulvaney was the first to be adopted. Each boy’s history as Thomas Mulvaney finds them is the prologue to their novel. He’s a mimic and a void. Mirroring the behavior of others in front of him flawlessly, only to subside into almost an emotionless state when no one is around. He’s tasked with helping those children that come after him, a tough job when that task is misinterpreted and the children are small psychopaths, each coming from situations even adults aren’t equipped to deal with.

A serious small child, he’s become a serious, over achieving adult. A world renown Dr (medical and researcher) , he’s happiest in his lab, conducting his tests and writing grants, not as a participant in the family’s other most important hidden business. That of killing society’s worst predators.

We slowly get a real understanding that Atticus truly isn’t like all the others. We have had small snippets of him in the other stories but now he’s beginning to come alive and the picture is startling.

It helps that it’s another person that will start to shake up everyone’s perception of Atticus, including his own.

That’s Jericho Navarro, mechanic, guardian of his neighborhood, and vigilante who’s been protecting the endangered youth by offering them sanctuary and then training. As killers themselves to protect themselves and those around them.

Their meetup is so memorable! Both hilarious, awful, sexy, and funny again. And it starts us and Atticus off on a journey of self discovery, acceptance, and romance. Yes, Atticus is very different. He needs to be taken care of and has just found the perfect person .

Moonstruck is again totally different as Atticus is so unlike his brothers who’s storylines preceded his. The villain and plot also is complicated enough to keep us involved, outside of this highly complex relationship and evolving dynamics Atticus and Jericho have going.

I can see these two are going to be a favorite couple along side August and Lucas.

Moonstruck (Necessary Evil #3) by Onley James is another favorite! Highly recommended!

Necessary Evils series:

🔹Unhinged #1

🔹Psycho #2

🔹Moonstruck #3

🔹Headcase #4

🔹Mad Man #5

🔹Lunatic #6

Note: Again, this is all dark fiction, along with humor and sexy scenes so very hot! There’s gore, murders, gritty investigations, and , some aspects that , depending on each novel, will have the potential to act as a trigger. Mentions of child abuse, rape, suicide ideation, and non con sexual kink. So each book has its own warning. If any of these are subjects you would be uncomfortable with, pls take note.

https://www.goodreads.com › showMoonstruck (Necessary Evils, #3) by Onley James – Goodreads

Atticus Mulvaney is the eldest son of eccentric billionaire, Thomas Mulvaney—a role he takes very seriously. Atticus takes everything seriously. Like his brothers, Atticus is a psychopath, raised to right the wrongs of a broken justice system. Unlike his brothers, he’s not very good at it.

Jericho Navarro is no psychopath, but he is a vicious killer. Like Atticus, he also has a secret life. To most, he’s just a mechanic. But to a ragtag group of social misfits, he’s Peter Pan, teaching them to eliminate those who prey on the weak with extreme prejudice.

When Atticus and Jericho come face to face over a shared enemy, their accidental meeting ends in an explosively hot hookup neither can forget. But they have nothing in common. Atticus is a buttoned-up closeted scientist and Jericho is a man on a mission, determined to find and punish those responsible for the death of his sister. Still, Jericho can’t stay away. And, truthfully, Atticus doesn’t want him to.

As Jericho’s mission begins to bleed into Atticus’s life, two separate but equally brutal families will need to learn how to fight together to take out a common enemy. But no amount of brute force can show Jericho how to scale the walls of a psychopath’s heart. Can Jericho convince Atticus that, sometimes, the couple who kills together stays together?

Moonstruck is a high heat, intense psychopath romance with an HEA and no cliffhangers. It features a fumbling, sexually confused maniac and the dominating, unapologetic gang leader who can’t stop tormenting him. As always, there’s gratuitous violence, very dark humor, more killers than you can count, and enough explosive chemistry to level a city block. This is book three in the Necessary Evils series. Each book follows a different couple.

Review: Psycho (Necessary Evil #2) by Onley James

Rating:5🌈

I wondered who the author would choose as the murderous sibling to go next in the series and was thrilled to see it was August Mulvaney.

August was a standout in Adam’s story. His love of the “wet work” side of killing, his knives, adult Harry Potter like features, and an IQ on par with Stephen Hawking, August was a compelling character.

Psycho introduces us to August’s adolescence history, the one that helped him become the psychopath he’s now. It’s sad and fascinating. And equally full of “what ifs” . It’s these built in questions that a reader’s mind automatically wanders to with each new “subject child “ we meet at the beginning of the novel.

August is such a unique, deep character. The more he becomes involved with Lucas Blackwell, the layers start to peel back , helping us and Lucas towards a greater sense of understanding and acceptance of this extraordinary genius who’s also a brilliant killer. Autistic polyglot, with an eidetic memory , that’s just the beginning, so the man he will obsess over will need to be equally as fascinating and strong in certain elements.

And James insures that Lucas Blackwell is. A FBI agent until he reveals his gift as a clairvoyant when he “sees” the murders a fellow agent is committing. Blackwell’s career is ruined when his accusations can’t be proved and the murderer goes after him.

James develops this aspect of Lucas’s character and the storyline in a terrifying manner. That Lucas is able to feel and see everything the victim’s are subjected to in excruciating detail is beyond anything endurable. The reader is part of his experiences, his unimaginable horror and pain.

That August, everything that makes August the person he is, decides that Lucas is his, and that exploration into what it means to become someone capable of loving August is a complex, outstandingly thoughtful journey of mind, murders, mystery, and belief.

The villain (s) and reason for the murders is as horrifyingly believable as all the other storylines James has created for these novels. The dark web is that for a reason.

This superb series and novels carry trigger warnings. They should be heeded. This is dark fiction. While most of the elements fir the warnings happen or happened off page, there’s enough descriptions and discussions that are disturbing and raw.

The writing is excellent, including humor to offset the grim realness of the killings, a squabbling feeling of family to balance the idea of a science experiment in progress. Plus the elements of hope and love when there’s the probability of neither.

Psycho (Necessary Evil #2) by Onley James was outstanding. Can’t wait to see what the next brother’s story brings.

Highly recommended!

Necessary Evils series:

🔹Unhinged #1

🔹Psycho #2

🔹Moonstruck #3

🔹Headcase #4

🔹Mad Man #5

🔹Lunatic #6

https://www.goodreads.com › showPsycho (Necessary Evils, #2) by Onley James – Goodreads

Synopsis:

August Mulvaney has always been exceptional. As the genius son of an eccentric billionaire, his off-putting behavior is often blamed on his high IQ. They say there’s a thin line between genius and madness. August is both—a brilliant professor loved by his students and a ruthless, obsessive killer tasked with righting the wrongs of a failing justice system. And he’s just found his latest obsession: Lucas Blackwell.

Lucas Blackwell was once the golden child of the FBI, using his secret talent as a clairvoyant to help put away society’s worst. Until, with a touch, he discovers his co-worker is a killer and his life falls apart. Now, the world thinks he’s crazy and that co-worker wants him dead. He seeks refuge at a small college, hoping to rebuild his life and his reputation. But then he runs into August Mulvaney. Literally.

August is immediately intrigued with Lucas and his backstory. He doesn’t believe in psychics, but there’s no missing the terror in his eyes when they collide in the hallway. Now, August has a problem. Lucas knows his secret, and August knows he wants Lucas. And August always gets what he wants.

Can he convince Lucas that not all killers are created equal and that having a psychopath in his corner—and in his life—might be just what he needs?

Psycho is a fast-paced, thrill ride of a romance with an HEA and no cliffhangers. It features a psychopath hell-bent on romance and a disgraced FBI agent attempting to redeem himself. As always, there’s gratuitous violence, very dark humor, and scenes so hot it will melt your kindle. This is book two in the Necessary Evils series. Each book follows a different couple.