What do you think?
Rate this book
Necessary Evils #1
Unhinged
Adam Mulvaney lives a double life. By day, he’s the spoiled youngest son of an eccentric billionaire. By night, he’s an unrepentant killer, one of seven psychopaths raised to right the wrongs of a justice system that keeps failing.
Noah Holt has spent years dreaming of vengeance for the death of his father, but when faced with his killer, he learns a daunting truth he can’t escape. His father was a monster.
Unable to ignore his own surfacing memories, Noah embarks on a quest to find the truth about his childhood with the help of an unlikely ally: the very person who murdered his father. Since their confrontation, Adam is obsessed with Noah, and he wants to help him uncover the answers he seeks, however dark they may be.
The two share a mutual attraction, but deep down, Noah knows Adam’s not like other boys. Adam can’t love. He wasn’t born that way. But he refuses to let Noah go, and Noah’s not sure he wants him to.
Can Adam prove to Noah that passion, power, and protection are just as good as love?
Noah Holt has spent years dreaming of vengeance for the death of his father, but when faced with his killer, he learns a daunting truth he can’t escape. His father was a monster.
Unable to ignore his own surfacing memories, Noah embarks on a quest to find the truth about his childhood with the help of an unlikely ally: the very person who murdered his father. Since their confrontation, Adam is obsessed with Noah, and he wants to help him uncover the answers he seeks, however dark they may be.
The two share a mutual attraction, but deep down, Noah knows Adam’s not like other boys. Adam can’t love. He wasn’t born that way. But he refuses to let Noah go, and Noah’s not sure he wants him to.
Can Adam prove to Noah that passion, power, and protection are just as good as love?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published June 28, 2021
1,363 people are currently reading
15.4k people want to read
About the author
Onley James
34 books3,448 followersOnley James lives in North Carolina with her daughter, her daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and a menagerie of animals, both good and evil. James splits her time between writing m/m romance and mainlining dangerous levels of caffeine and attempting to maintain her ever-slipping sanity.
When not at her desk you can find her whining about how much writing she has to do while avoiding said writing by binge-watching unhealthy amounts of television and doom scrolling on social media. She loves true crime documentaries, anti-heroes, and writing kinky, snarky books about morally gray men who fall in love with other men.
Stay up to date: www.onleyjames.com/newsletter
Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Onley...
Want more: linktr.ee/OnleyJames
When not at her desk you can find her whining about how much writing she has to do while avoiding said writing by binge-watching unhealthy amounts of television and doom scrolling on social media. She loves true crime documentaries, anti-heroes, and writing kinky, snarky books about morally gray men who fall in love with other men.
Stay up to date: www.onleyjames.com/newsletter
Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Onley...
Want more: linktr.ee/OnleyJames
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,673 reviews
July 29, 2021
⭐ 3.7 “Why is this fictional psychopath a better partner than all my exes combined?” stard ⭐
I actually read this several weeks ago, but since my reviewing slump is still at a mild stage at the very least... I just finished editing this one now. You can call me Miss Productivity 😌
Overall impressions, now that I have mustered the motivation to spill the beans?
I may have rated this 3.7 stars, but my boy Adam and hisderanged family get a solid six.
**********************
Onto the actual take now, I have to admit that my biggest takeaway from this is that I should never let so much time pass before I complete a review. While I was originally going to give this a complimentary four, with the luster of the afterglow gone and a more logical mindset in place... my issues became more pronounced as the days went by.
And more jarring too, even if this is still what I would consider a very enjoyable read. So rest in peace to those former four stars ✌ They shall be buried right alongside my morals —Which may or may not have been compromised when I started lusting after this family of psychopaths, but I digress.
For the sake of not prolonging this introduction any further, let’s...
Since if I don’t start listing my points right this second, I might as well turn this into a grocery list with how lengthy it would get.
First of all…
THE POSITIVES
— The lovable MC Noah.
What can I say, this fella was adorable as hell —and resourceful, which I love to experience after encountering a string of rather useless protagonists in other stories. Despite his archetype not exactly straying from the usual Onley James formula (smaller frail guy, full of trauma, angst, and enough trust issues to rival me asking for a Fil-O-Fish at McDonald's,‘cause that stuff is nasty), it was still refreshing to see that he wasn't exactly a gentleman in distress.
Noah faced terrifying abuse and hardships as a child, yet even with the weight of painful flashbacks from his past, he valiantly managed to retain his fire and agency. Yes, he cried. Yes, he broke down multiple times. He was still a baddie though.
Noah pulling through after his fourth emotional meltdown of the day. Relatable king.
He had an agreement with hiscute but psycho boyfriend, where Adam was in charge of the bedroom, but Noah was in charge of what happened outside of it, and I thought it was an efficient way to balance any power disparity.
Truthfully, their dynamic was a breath of fresh air. I’m rather tired of people equating a more submissive sexual role to a weakness or flaw of character, so to behold Noah becoming more confident and Adam acting as the supportive boyfriend one would not expect a psychopath to be?
Loved to see it. Loved to experience it.
Plus, Noah’s reactions to Adam’s dubious declarations ofobsession love were honestly everything.
As exemplified below:
The personification of the 🥺 emoji, if you were to ask me.
In conclusion, Adam could quite literally say the most messed-up shit, and Noah would go...
To which I say… VALID.
I keep being warned about ax murderers on tinder, but why can’t I find the one handsome psychopath billionaire. The universe truly has favorites 🤕
But happily skipping to our next point, and my ultimate highlight from the book...
— An Obsessive Caring Psycho (and the peculiar way his “love” manifested)
👇 How I reckon Adam would describe himself 👇
Dreamy, right?
This man was the psychopath of my dreams —at least until the next book in the series comes along, that is. He was a delightful POV to read, filled with such bewilderment when it came to Noah’s emotions, learning to recognize them and grappling with the realization that while he couldn’t relate, he could still try and understand the younger guy.
His love wasn’t exactly healthy, and it probably qualified as more of a fixation than the type of infatuation we are all accustomed to discover in romances. He reminded me of an article I read a while back, in which a woman diagnosed with antisocial disorder (the clinical term for psychopathy) was asked about her feelings regarding her husband and children. For her, love —or her version of it— was comparable to perceiving her family as possessions, people that ultimately belonged to her. This meant, therefore, that if they were harmed or succeeded, she would still feel a sense of either loss or accomplishment, even if not in the more traditional sense. While to some this might sound cold and uncaring, for me it’s an interesting way to understand how others experience attachments in varying and unique ways.
The reason why I’m mentioning that anecdote, which has stayed with me for some time now, is because I would qualify it as an accurate description of Adam’s adoration.
Another much more simplistic way to interpret his possessive ways too. Growly indeed.
He sees Noah as “his”, plain and simple, and will go to any extent to keep him unharmed and protected. Adam is selfish, a little manipulative, and even narcissistic in the way he wants to monopolize all of Noah’s attention, yet at the same time, there is nothing he wouldn’t do to support his other half. Because he might see his boyfriend as a possession of sorts, but he was the sort of person to take great care of his things 😌
So to sums things up...
Adam if anyone asks him about that pesky thing called “love”:
Adam as soon as Noah pays him an ounce of attention:
The duality this man has and exhibits.
— A Unique Take on the Found Family Trope.
I love each and every one of them, of course.
The protagonists were great, but I won’t lie and say I wasn’t considerably excited and slightly distracted by the peeks we got of the rest of thescooby criminal gang.
🔪 You have Thomas to start things off, the man who decided that raising psychopathic children and turning them into vigilantes was a great idea —he was questionable, I will admit as much, but the daddy vibes were impeccable so I’m letting it slide.
🔪 Then August, who bops to classical music while daydreaming about gutting people like fishes (my favorite, in case it wasn’t obvious 😍). The Hannibal resemblance was truly exquisite.
🔪 Followed by Asa and Avi, the twins that were described as regularly frequenting kink clubs —I don’t read much MMM but y’all, this is an opportunity (Breathless is shaking in its boots).
🔪 Subsequently, there’s the prim and proper Atticus too, who freaks out about getting blood on his button-up shirt but won’t hesitate to shoot poison straight into your veins in a millisecond.
🔪 After that, estranged prodigal son Aiden , who still shows up for themass murders family gatherings —and I’m expecting him to be paired off with Thomas, don’t ask me why because this is just pure speculation with a dash of wish fulfillment.
🔪 And lastly, Archer, aka the alcoholic (that was the only thing we were told so I can’t really say much more).
All in all, the possibilities are endless. Add to that the fact that the author already confirmed the series will have seven books and...
I need those sequels asap. Good thing August’s book is released in October!
And now switching tone…
THE NEGATIVES
— The Pacing And Dreaded Telling Rather Than Showing.
I was thoroughly engaged and entertained by the first half and last stretch of the book, but the pages in between? They DRAGGED.
As in making a snail look like Flash Gordon racing to pick up his morning coffee. It took me about two days to get through that part alone, and considering how quickly I devoured the rest of the book, it was hard to ignore the dissonance.
I’m not saying I was tempted to fall asleep when it happened (the rest of the book was definitely appealing), but y’all catch my drift.
Besides, the fact that ninety percent of the murders or gruesome actions weren’t shown on-page didn't exactly help either. Then there’s that one sex scene at a crowded cinema that was glossed over and just referenced.
Which obviously irritated me, since HOW are you going to imply and not even bother describing the most interesting smut scene in the entire book?
@ Onley James...
This is just a joke, but also *slides crumpled two dollar bill* give me the exhibitionism kink special, please and thanks.
Lastly….
— Glossed Over Resolution.
For what was advertised —a revenge story where evil men get their comeuppance and the victims obtain justice—, this one felt to me like a bit of misleading advertisement by the time I was done.
We get teased with the violent end that will befall the Big Bad Guy (who isn't even the Big Bad Guy, by the way, considering the actual evil puppeteer gets offed… off-page again, of course), but ultimately the story failed to deliver on it. Which is to say I needed the bastard to suffer a lot more.
To give a shitty analogy (the only ones I can offer), this was the equivalent of asking for fries at a fast food place and being given a salad instead. Sure, it's still food. But it's not what you were promised, your disappointment is immeasurable, and your day is ruined.
So to finish this point off...
Expectations for the final showdown:
What actually happened:
Definitely Probably won't bother others as much. I still expected more of a fitting retribution, though.
**********************
And now, after my several points, the time has come for the Final Thoughts:
This was thoroughly enjoyable, yet as the days went on, I mostly found myself focusing on the side characters instead of the actual main couple —Although Adam is still Best Boy, don’t get it twisted.
This does not mean it’s a story I wouldn’t recommend, however. It was hella entertaining, and a solid hurt/comfort read with a side of fluffy psychopathy.
Sure, I had some issues with it, but other than that? It was still worthy of a...
‘Cause covid.
I actually read this several weeks ago, but since my reviewing slump is still at a mild stage at the very least... I just finished editing this one now. You can call me Miss Productivity 😌
Overall impressions, now that I have mustered the motivation to spill the beans?
I may have rated this 3.7 stars, but my boy Adam and his
**********************
Onto the actual take now, I have to admit that my biggest takeaway from this is that I should never let so much time pass before I complete a review. While I was originally going to give this a complimentary four, with the luster of the afterglow gone and a more logical mindset in place... my issues became more pronounced as the days went by.
And more jarring too, even if this is still what I would consider a very enjoyable read. So rest in peace to those former four stars ✌ They shall be buried right alongside my morals —Which may or may not have been compromised when I started lusting after this family of psychopaths, but I digress.
For the sake of not prolonging this introduction any further, let’s...
Since if I don’t start listing my points right this second, I might as well turn this into a grocery list with how lengthy it would get.
First of all…
THE POSITIVES
— The lovable MC Noah.
What can I say, this fella was adorable as hell —and resourceful, which I love to experience after encountering a string of rather useless protagonists in other stories. Despite his archetype not exactly straying from the usual Onley James formula (smaller frail guy, full of trauma, angst, and enough trust issues to rival me asking for a Fil-O-Fish at McDonald's,
Noah faced terrifying abuse and hardships as a child, yet even with the weight of painful flashbacks from his past, he valiantly managed to retain his fire and agency. Yes, he cried. Yes, he broke down multiple times. He was still a baddie though.
Noah pulling through after his fourth emotional meltdown of the day. Relatable king.
He had an agreement with his
Truthfully, their dynamic was a breath of fresh air. I’m rather tired of people equating a more submissive sexual role to a weakness or flaw of character, so to behold Noah becoming more confident and Adam acting as the supportive boyfriend one would not expect a psychopath to be?
Loved to see it. Loved to experience it.
Plus, Noah’s reactions to Adam’s dubious declarations of
As exemplified below:
“If I said half the things I think when I look at you, you’d run screaming into the night.”
Noah’s pulse hammered in his throat. “Like what?”
Adam searched his face like he was truly uncertain whether what he said next would send Noah running. “Like I want to stitch my body to yours. Like I want to live inside your skin. Like I would handcuff you to the radiator if you tried to leave me.”
Noah smiled despite himself. “You don’t have a radiator.”
The personification of the 🥺 emoji, if you were to ask me.
In conclusion, Adam could quite literally say the most messed-up shit, and Noah would go...
To which I say… VALID.
I keep being warned about ax murderers on tinder, but why can’t I find the one handsome psychopath billionaire. The universe truly has favorites 🤕
But happily skipping to our next point, and my ultimate highlight from the book...
— A
👇 How I reckon Adam would describe himself 👇
Dreamy, right?
This man was the psychopath of my dreams —at least until the next book in the series comes along, that is. He was a delightful POV to read, filled with such bewilderment when it came to Noah’s emotions, learning to recognize them and grappling with the realization that while he couldn’t relate, he could still try and understand the younger guy.
His love wasn’t exactly healthy, and it probably qualified as more of a fixation than the type of infatuation we are all accustomed to discover in romances. He reminded me of an article I read a while back, in which a woman diagnosed with antisocial disorder (the clinical term for psychopathy) was asked about her feelings regarding her husband and children. For her, love —or her version of it— was comparable to perceiving her family as possessions, people that ultimately belonged to her. This meant, therefore, that if they were harmed or succeeded, she would still feel a sense of either loss or accomplishment, even if not in the more traditional sense. While to some this might sound cold and uncaring, for me it’s an interesting way to understand how others experience attachments in varying and unique ways.
The reason why I’m mentioning that anecdote, which has stayed with me for some time now, is because I would qualify it as an accurate description of Adam’s adoration.
Another much more simplistic way to interpret his possessive ways too. Growly indeed.
He sees Noah as “his”, plain and simple, and will go to any extent to keep him unharmed and protected. Adam is selfish, a little manipulative, and even narcissistic in the way he wants to monopolize all of Noah’s attention, yet at the same time, there is nothing he wouldn’t do to support his other half. Because he might see his boyfriend as a possession of sorts, but he was the sort of person to take great care of his things 😌
So to sums things up...
Adam if anyone asks him about that pesky thing called “love”:
Adam as soon as Noah pays him an ounce of attention:
The duality this man has and exhibits.
— A Unique Take on the Found Family Trope.
I love each and every one of them, of course.
The protagonists were great, but I won’t lie and say I wasn’t considerably excited and slightly distracted by the peeks we got of the rest of the
🔪 You have Thomas to start things off, the man who decided that raising psychopathic children and turning them into vigilantes was a great idea —he was questionable, I will admit as much, but the daddy vibes were impeccable so I’m letting it slide.
🔪 Then August, who bops to classical music while daydreaming about gutting people like fishes (my favorite, in case it wasn’t obvious 😍). The Hannibal resemblance was truly exquisite.
🔪 Followed by Asa and Avi, the twins that were described as regularly frequenting kink clubs —I don’t read much MMM but y’all, this is an opportunity (Breathless is shaking in its boots).
🔪 Subsequently, there’s the prim and proper Atticus too, who freaks out about getting blood on his button-up shirt but won’t hesitate to shoot poison straight into your veins in a millisecond.
🔪 After that, estranged prodigal son Aiden , who still shows up for the
🔪 And lastly, Archer, aka the alcoholic (that was the only thing we were told so I can’t really say much more).
All in all, the possibilities are endless. Add to that the fact that the author already confirmed the series will have seven books and...
I need those sequels asap. Good thing August’s book is released in October!
And now switching tone…
THE NEGATIVES
— The Pacing And Dreaded Telling Rather Than Showing.
I was thoroughly engaged and entertained by the first half and last stretch of the book, but the pages in between? They DRAGGED.
As in making a snail look like Flash Gordon racing to pick up his morning coffee. It took me about two days to get through that part alone, and considering how quickly I devoured the rest of the book, it was hard to ignore the dissonance.
I’m not saying I was tempted to fall asleep when it happened (the rest of the book was definitely appealing), but y’all catch my drift.
Besides, the fact that ninety percent of the murders or gruesome actions weren’t shown on-page didn't exactly help either. Then there’s that one sex scene at a crowded cinema that was glossed over and just referenced.
Which obviously irritated me, since HOW are you going to imply and not even bother describing the most interesting smut scene in the entire book?
@ Onley James...
This is just a joke, but also *slides crumpled two dollar bill* give me the exhibitionism kink special, please and thanks.
Lastly….
— Glossed Over Resolution.
For what was advertised —a revenge story where evil men get their comeuppance and the victims obtain justice—, this one felt to me like a bit of misleading advertisement by the time I was done.
We get teased with the violent end that will befall the Big Bad Guy (who isn't even the Big Bad Guy, by the way, considering the actual evil puppeteer gets offed… off-page again, of course), but ultimately the story failed to deliver on it. Which is to say I needed the bastard to suffer a lot more.
To give a shitty analogy (the only ones I can offer), this was the equivalent of asking for fries at a fast food place and being given a salad instead. Sure, it's still food. But it's not what you were promised, your disappointment is immeasurable, and your day is ruined.
So to finish this point off...
Expectations for the final showdown:
What actually happened:
**********************
And now, after my several points, the time has come for the Final Thoughts:
This was thoroughly enjoyable, yet as the days went on, I mostly found myself focusing on the side characters instead of the actual main couple —Although Adam is still Best Boy, don’t get it twisted.
This does not mean it’s a story I wouldn’t recommend, however. It was hella entertaining, and a solid hurt/comfort read with a side of fluffy psychopathy.
Sure, I had some issues with it, but other than that? It was still worthy of a...
‘Cause covid.
March 2, 2023
5 “I would never let anybody hurt you” stars
“I know you’re mine. I know it. Deep down, in that part of my brain that doesn’t care what is right or how society dictates how people choose a mate. I chose you. I want you. Just you. My brain has picked you, and now, I can’t undo it. You’re trapped. With me. For life.”
There are trigger warnings in the book (which I love and i’m greatful for) but I just want to emphasize that this book talks a lot about children sexual abuse, mostly the one done to one of the main characters. And there is lots of violence in this book. Also this book is about a psychopath who kills people for a living, please don’t expect a super romantic love story, it’s full of obsession and possessiveness.
Me to this book:
Just to show how excited I was for this book. I’m in the middle of reading two books right now. And I had a very carefully planed reading schedule for the weekend. But as soon as the ARC for this book showed up on my kindle I just had to read it now, I couldn’t wait a second longer.
It feels like this book and this entire series was made for me. I had no role in the creation of this book but if I did, I would have made it exactly this way. This book has everything I love in a book.
I don’t think I have ever been as excited for a book series as I was when Onley James announced that her new series was about seven psychopath brothers. That sounds like everything I have ever wanted in a book series.
I love psychopaths in books. I love them so much. I love all kind of psychopaths and I hope we get to see different types of psychopaths in the later books in this series. I love seeing them try to blend in with everyone else but it not really working. I love seeing them be so confused at how people act because they do not understand it. I love seeing them murder people and not grasping how it’s wrong. I love seeing them become obsessed with their love interest even if they can’t feel love. I knew Onley James would pull of this type of book, this is my favourite type of books she does. Captivating is still one of my favourite Onley James book, and that one is about a sociopath, so me liking this was a guarantee, what I didn’t expect was how much I adored every second I spent reading this book.
Look, I love everything Onley James, I have read all of her books but two and i’m currently in the middle of reading one of the last one i’m missing, I just put it on hold to read this one first. I know that her typical formula works for me, so I was expecting to love this book. This is a typical Onley James book, it’s over the top, it’s ridiculous, it’s full of possessive characters, and it’s very insta love. But this formula works for me, so well.
The premise of this series is so wild and i’m here for it. Dr Thomas Mulvaney, a psychiatrist found seven children when they were young, all children who show signs of being a psychopath. He took them in his care and forged them in killers that kill the assholes of society.
Brief summary
Adam is 27 years supermodel, who also happens to be a psychopath and a murderer. Noah is 21 years old. They meet when Noah pulls a gun on Adam. Adam murdered Noah’s dad, who was a sexual predator and Noah wants revenge. After that, Adam becomes obsessed with Noah and stalks him everywhere. They settle into a relationship fufilled by that obsession.
First, I absolutely adored the banter between these two characters. This book was full of snarky and dark humour, which is exactly my style of humour. Everything about the humour in this book worked for me.
Second, one of my favourite thing in this book was how Noah's trauma was shown. The way Noah’s trauma after the sexual abuse he endured as a kid was shown was just so realistic and I loved everything about how it was done. I really enjoyed how Noah was sexually abused when he was a child and he repressed it and had forgotten about it until he was faced with the facts. I loved how it kept coming in waves and Noah could not stop it. I also adored how he didn’t remember everything that happened, how some of it was still blocked in this mind and he only remembered it when triggering events happenned. Thats exactly how trauma can work in children, that was so realistic. Also, Noah doesn’t go to therapy in the book, but he aknowledges that he will need to and that being with Adam doesn’t fix everything. Which is more than enough for me because Noah experienced a lot of trauma and he was in a kind of trauma overload, which meant he wasn’t ready to process most of it and that was realistic, I really enjoyed that part.
Third, Adam is a psychopath. So he has some feeling, limited ones, he can feel happiness, anger and all of the basic emotions, it’s the deeper ones like empathy and guilt that he cannot feel. But he doesn’t understand other humans. He has no clue how regular human interactions work. He can’t fall in love and form attachments. But he can obsess over something and he’s super possessive of the things that are his. Adam didn’t worry about much but he was so worried that Noah would leave him. He was super obsessive and he never wanted Noah to leave him. I also loved how every time Noah was upset, since Adam doesn’t understand feeling, he thought Noah was going to leave him, even if thats not what Noah was upset about at all. Also, I loved how Adam just was like, we’re doing this and didn’t understand why things could see weird and how Noah could question them, he just did what he wanted to do and didn’t question it, because he couldn’t understand how some people might question those things. I loved how Noah just went with it, like there was nothing strange happening. Adam tried his hardest to fit in with everyone else but with Noah, he didn’t do that, because he didn't want to, he felt like he didn't need to hide with Noah. And I loved how he kept saying things that seems so strange to any of us that understands the concept of boundaries, but that seemed perfectly ok to Adam because he doesn’t understand those concepts.
“Maybe I didn’t want to see you. Did that even occur to you?” [...] “No, it didn’t. Why wouldn’t you want to see me?” “Um, it's, like, four in the morning? I was sleeping?
Side note, I was a big fan of how Adam had no clue how human emotions work. But he understood when Noah was upset and he asked help from people in his life as to how he should take care of Noah when he was upset. I loved that Adam did everything in his power to take care of Noah, even when he doesn’t feel those kind of emotions.
Fourth, I love dark books when they are shown as such. I liked how the book wasn’t showing their relationship as all sweet and romantic. I loved that it showed their relationship as possessive and obsessive but working for the both of them. I liked that Noah was aware that being with a psychopath would be hard and probably not his best idea.
Fourth, this book is super insta love, but it made sense in this context and really did not bother me. Adam met Noah and he already was obsessed with him and knew he had to have him. Which makes perfect sense because he is a psychopath. Adam is obsessed with Noah and he’s super possessive and he wants Noah to be his forever. Which yes seems ridiculously fast when they have known each other for 3 days, but Adam is a psychopath and is prone to obsess over things, so it felt totally normal.
Fifth, I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two main character. Being possessive and obsessive of things is part of Adam’s personality, because he is a psychopath. I loved how Noah appreciated it because he never had anyone care for me, Noah was so happy to have some obsess over him. I enjoyed how their relationship dynamic worked for both of them. I loved these two together. I loved Adam, as expressed before and I loved how strong and fierce Noah is. I love how he tries to understand Adam and be there for him. I love how he knew how to make Adam calm down when he was angry. These two were a very good support system for each other. Also, Noah is touch starved because he has always been alone and I loved seeing how he enjoyed the smallest touch from Adam.
Noah could never leave him. Never. He belonged to Adam. No matter how wrong it was. Or crazy. Or possessive. Noah was his.
Sixth, The sex scenes in this book were ridiculously hot. Onley James is always good at sex scenes and the ones in this book were perfect. They fit with the characters and their dynamic so well.
Seventh, I love the concept of found families in books. Noah was all alone. But he found a family of pyschopaths and the psychiatrist who build them into killers and they accepted him as their own and it was quite sweet and lovely to see.
Eight, I love hurt/comfort in my books. I love being shattered by traumatic scenes and then being wrapped by comforting scene. The hurt/comfort in this book was exceptional, I loved it so much. This entire book is just the “avenge your partner and make everyone who hurt him pay” trope and I absolutely loved it.
Ninth, the side plot in this book is them trying to take down a child abuse scheme that abused one of the main character for years. It was so painful to read about and I cried, a lot.
Tenth, I loved how everything didn’t magically fix itself so they story could be wraped into a nice little bow. I like there was still issues in their lives and thing to overcome.
If I had a complaint, it would be that I wanted some more descriptive murders. Most of the murders happened off page and I understand how that’s appealing to most readers, but I would have loved to see the murders happening. But I know thats probably just a me thing because I love everything horror.
Also, can we just talk about the cover of this book for a second? It’s so pretty, I absolutely adore it.
I can't even explain how excited I am for the next books in this series. I am so excited to read about any of the characters in this family. They each were built up a little in this book and it made me ridiculously excited to read about all of them.
I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest review.
“I know you’re mine. I know it. Deep down, in that part of my brain that doesn’t care what is right or how society dictates how people choose a mate. I chose you. I want you. Just you. My brain has picked you, and now, I can’t undo it. You’re trapped. With me. For life.”
There are trigger warnings in the book (which I love and i’m greatful for) but I just want to emphasize that this book talks a lot about children sexual abuse, mostly the one done to one of the main characters. And there is lots of violence in this book. Also this book is about a psychopath who kills people for a living, please don’t expect a super romantic love story, it’s full of obsession and possessiveness.
Me to this book:
Just to show how excited I was for this book. I’m in the middle of reading two books right now. And I had a very carefully planed reading schedule for the weekend. But as soon as the ARC for this book showed up on my kindle I just had to read it now, I couldn’t wait a second longer.
It feels like this book and this entire series was made for me. I had no role in the creation of this book but if I did, I would have made it exactly this way. This book has everything I love in a book.
I don’t think I have ever been as excited for a book series as I was when Onley James announced that her new series was about seven psychopath brothers. That sounds like everything I have ever wanted in a book series.
I love psychopaths in books. I love them so much. I love all kind of psychopaths and I hope we get to see different types of psychopaths in the later books in this series. I love seeing them try to blend in with everyone else but it not really working. I love seeing them be so confused at how people act because they do not understand it. I love seeing them murder people and not grasping how it’s wrong. I love seeing them become obsessed with their love interest even if they can’t feel love. I knew Onley James would pull of this type of book, this is my favourite type of books she does. Captivating is still one of my favourite Onley James book, and that one is about a sociopath, so me liking this was a guarantee, what I didn’t expect was how much I adored every second I spent reading this book.
Look, I love everything Onley James, I have read all of her books but two and i’m currently in the middle of reading one of the last one i’m missing, I just put it on hold to read this one first. I know that her typical formula works for me, so I was expecting to love this book. This is a typical Onley James book, it’s over the top, it’s ridiculous, it’s full of possessive characters, and it’s very insta love. But this formula works for me, so well.
The premise of this series is so wild and i’m here for it. Dr Thomas Mulvaney, a psychiatrist found seven children when they were young, all children who show signs of being a psychopath. He took them in his care and forged them in killers that kill the assholes of society.
Brief summary
Adam is 27 years supermodel, who also happens to be a psychopath and a murderer. Noah is 21 years old. They meet when Noah pulls a gun on Adam. Adam murdered Noah’s dad, who was a sexual predator and Noah wants revenge. After that, Adam becomes obsessed with Noah and stalks him everywhere. They settle into a relationship fufilled by that obsession.
First, I absolutely adored the banter between these two characters. This book was full of snarky and dark humour, which is exactly my style of humour. Everything about the humour in this book worked for me.
Second, one of my favourite thing in this book was how Noah's trauma was shown. The way Noah’s trauma after the sexual abuse he endured as a kid was shown was just so realistic and I loved everything about how it was done. I really enjoyed how Noah was sexually abused when he was a child and he repressed it and had forgotten about it until he was faced with the facts. I loved how it kept coming in waves and Noah could not stop it. I also adored how he didn’t remember everything that happened, how some of it was still blocked in this mind and he only remembered it when triggering events happenned. Thats exactly how trauma can work in children, that was so realistic. Also, Noah doesn’t go to therapy in the book, but he aknowledges that he will need to and that being with Adam doesn’t fix everything. Which is more than enough for me because Noah experienced a lot of trauma and he was in a kind of trauma overload, which meant he wasn’t ready to process most of it and that was realistic, I really enjoyed that part.
Third, Adam is a psychopath. So he has some feeling, limited ones, he can feel happiness, anger and all of the basic emotions, it’s the deeper ones like empathy and guilt that he cannot feel. But he doesn’t understand other humans. He has no clue how regular human interactions work. He can’t fall in love and form attachments. But he can obsess over something and he’s super possessive of the things that are his. Adam didn’t worry about much but he was so worried that Noah would leave him. He was super obsessive and he never wanted Noah to leave him. I also loved how every time Noah was upset, since Adam doesn’t understand feeling, he thought Noah was going to leave him, even if thats not what Noah was upset about at all. Also, I loved how Adam just was like, we’re doing this and didn’t understand why things could see weird and how Noah could question them, he just did what he wanted to do and didn’t question it, because he couldn’t understand how some people might question those things. I loved how Noah just went with it, like there was nothing strange happening. Adam tried his hardest to fit in with everyone else but with Noah, he didn’t do that, because he didn't want to, he felt like he didn't need to hide with Noah. And I loved how he kept saying things that seems so strange to any of us that understands the concept of boundaries, but that seemed perfectly ok to Adam because he doesn’t understand those concepts.
“Maybe I didn’t want to see you. Did that even occur to you?” [...] “No, it didn’t. Why wouldn’t you want to see me?” “Um, it's, like, four in the morning? I was sleeping?
Side note, I was a big fan of how Adam had no clue how human emotions work. But he understood when Noah was upset and he asked help from people in his life as to how he should take care of Noah when he was upset. I loved that Adam did everything in his power to take care of Noah, even when he doesn’t feel those kind of emotions.
Fourth, I love dark books when they are shown as such. I liked how the book wasn’t showing their relationship as all sweet and romantic. I loved that it showed their relationship as possessive and obsessive but working for the both of them. I liked that Noah was aware that being with a psychopath would be hard and probably not his best idea.
Fourth, this book is super insta love, but it made sense in this context and really did not bother me. Adam met Noah and he already was obsessed with him and knew he had to have him. Which makes perfect sense because he is a psychopath. Adam is obsessed with Noah and he’s super possessive and he wants Noah to be his forever. Which yes seems ridiculously fast when they have known each other for 3 days, but Adam is a psychopath and is prone to obsess over things, so it felt totally normal.
Fifth, I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two main character. Being possessive and obsessive of things is part of Adam’s personality, because he is a psychopath. I loved how Noah appreciated it because he never had anyone care for me, Noah was so happy to have some obsess over him. I enjoyed how their relationship dynamic worked for both of them. I loved these two together. I loved Adam, as expressed before and I loved how strong and fierce Noah is. I love how he tries to understand Adam and be there for him. I love how he knew how to make Adam calm down when he was angry. These two were a very good support system for each other. Also, Noah is touch starved because he has always been alone and I loved seeing how he enjoyed the smallest touch from Adam.
Noah could never leave him. Never. He belonged to Adam. No matter how wrong it was. Or crazy. Or possessive. Noah was his.
Sixth, The sex scenes in this book were ridiculously hot. Onley James is always good at sex scenes and the ones in this book were perfect. They fit with the characters and their dynamic so well.
Seventh, I love the concept of found families in books. Noah was all alone. But he found a family of pyschopaths and the psychiatrist who build them into killers and they accepted him as their own and it was quite sweet and lovely to see.
Eight, I love hurt/comfort in my books. I love being shattered by traumatic scenes and then being wrapped by comforting scene. The hurt/comfort in this book was exceptional, I loved it so much. This entire book is just the “avenge your partner and make everyone who hurt him pay” trope and I absolutely loved it.
Ninth, the side plot in this book is them trying to take down a child abuse scheme that abused one of the main character for years. It was so painful to read about and I cried, a lot.
Tenth, I loved how everything didn’t magically fix itself so they story could be wraped into a nice little bow. I like there was still issues in their lives and thing to overcome.
If I had a complaint, it would be that I wanted some more descriptive murders. Most of the murders happened off page and I understand how that’s appealing to most readers, but I would have loved to see the murders happening. But I know thats probably just a me thing because I love everything horror.
Also, can we just talk about the cover of this book for a second? It’s so pretty, I absolutely adore it.
I can't even explain how excited I am for the next books in this series. I am so excited to read about any of the characters in this family. They each were built up a little in this book and it made me ridiculously excited to read about all of them.
I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest review.
July 21, 2021
~4.25 I maybe love you stars~
This is an Onley James novel, so it should go without saying that the plot isn't entirely believable, but I'm gonna go ahead and say it anyway: The plot isn't believable.
Raise your hand if you care (and don't read this book if you do).
For the rest of you (myself included), put on your fiction shades and GO because Unhinged is a filthy sex bomb of a book featuring a psychopathic MC and a dark plot involving pedophilia, child trafficking, and gruesome (but sweet) revenge.
Adam is a killer, a trained soldier, and a psychopath who hides in plain sight. All his brothers, adopted sons of Dr. Thomas Mulvaney, are. Mulvaney groomed them to be murderers, but they murder only those who deserve it. And, yes, this is definitely a story where you cheer on the murderers.
Noah is the son of a man killed by Adam when Adam was 16 and Noah was 10. The memories Noah has repressed make him believe Adam killing his father destroyed his childhood, but he comes to realize that Adam saved him.
The story is filled with sex and dark humor (which is sometimes the best kind). I laughed at the way the brothers bantered, but my heart ached for Noah's pain and suffering.
Adam knows he's a psychopath and incapable of truly feeling human emotions, like regret and love. He can only protect Noah and spoil him and give him lots of pancakes and orgasms.
I don't know about you, but that sure sounds like love to me.
Noah accepts that Adam wants him, NEEDS him, but how can he trust someone he barely knows?
My one complaint is that the pacing felt a little off at the end, almost like someone hit the fast forward button. I think maybe we needed just one additional chapter prior to the epilogue to let things gel. This isn't a huge deal though. I'm already dying to read book 2!
This is an Onley James novel, so it should go without saying that the plot isn't entirely believable, but I'm gonna go ahead and say it anyway: The plot isn't believable.
Raise your hand if you care (and don't read this book if you do).
For the rest of you (myself included), put on your fiction shades and GO because Unhinged is a filthy sex bomb of a book featuring a psychopathic MC and a dark plot involving pedophilia, child trafficking, and gruesome (but sweet) revenge.
Adam is a killer, a trained soldier, and a psychopath who hides in plain sight. All his brothers, adopted sons of Dr. Thomas Mulvaney, are. Mulvaney groomed them to be murderers, but they murder only those who deserve it. And, yes, this is definitely a story where you cheer on the murderers.
Noah is the son of a man killed by Adam when Adam was 16 and Noah was 10. The memories Noah has repressed make him believe Adam killing his father destroyed his childhood, but he comes to realize that Adam saved him.
The story is filled with sex and dark humor (which is sometimes the best kind). I laughed at the way the brothers bantered, but my heart ached for Noah's pain and suffering.
Adam knows he's a psychopath and incapable of truly feeling human emotions, like regret and love. He can only protect Noah and spoil him and give him lots of pancakes and orgasms.
I don't know about you, but that sure sounds like love to me.
Noah accepts that Adam wants him, NEEDS him, but how can he trust someone he barely knows?
"Instinctively, what do you think you should do?"
"Run fast and far way from you," Noah said without thinking. . . .
"Then ... you should do the opposite. And stay. With me."
"This is crazy"
"All the best things are."
My one complaint is that the pacing felt a little off at the end, almost like someone hit the fast forward button. I think maybe we needed just one additional chapter prior to the epilogue to let things gel. This isn't a huge deal though. I'm already dying to read book 2!
January 24, 2022
How can a book be so dark but have the absolute sweetest romance? Noah and Adam are just so perfect for each other and I am obsessed with their romance. It was so so adorable, but they were tracking down pedophiles and planning on killing them for the entirety of this book. Know that this book is dark going in. Adam is a psychopath and was raised to kill evil people to quench his need to kill. He killed Noah's dad years ago and Noah has finally confronted him about it. The two have an undeniable connection and it was so sweet watching them fall in love. I loved how Noah and Adam just fit and it was so fun watching Noah slowly meet all of Adam's family. I am so excited to read all of their books now because they were all so unique and fun and just interesting. This book had enough action and suspense to keep my interest, but I never felt like it overshadowed the romance. I'm just obsessed with these romance and characters and I'm so happy I finally read it!
September 18, 2023
***4.5 rating***
“I know you’re mine. I know it. Deep down, in that part of my brain that doesn’t care what is right or how society dictates how people choose a mate. I chose you. I want you. Just you. My brain has picked you, and now, I can’t undo it. You’re trapped. With me. For life.”
I seem to be a woman of few words these days, not in the mood to write reviews but still want to write my thoughts I suppose.
I first read this book back in 2021 in my early days of reading MM romance, and I enjoyed it a lot the first time.
I loved reading about Noah and Adam. This book is one of the few examples where I don't mind insta love. With these two it just worked.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I really want to know about Aidan, he is very intriguing.
_________________________________
An intriguing dark romance that is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
“I know you’re mine. I know it. Deep down, in that part of my brain that doesn’t care what is right or how society dictates how people choose a mate. I chose you. I want you. Just you. My brain has picked you, and now, I can’t undo it. You’re trapped. With me. For life.”
I seem to be a woman of few words these days, not in the mood to write reviews but still want to write my thoughts I suppose.
I first read this book back in 2021 in my early days of reading MM romance, and I enjoyed it a lot the first time.
I loved reading about Noah and Adam. This book is one of the few examples where I don't mind insta love. With these two it just worked.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I really want to know about Aidan, he is very intriguing.
_________________________________
An intriguing dark romance that is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
September 24, 2021
serial killer m/m romance!
the romance was a little too insta love for me but i really liked the plot, very intense!
excited to continue with this series
the romance was a little too insta love for me but i really liked the plot, very intense!
excited to continue with this series
December 20, 2021
i love insta love, i love psycho love interests, i love the mulvaney family
3.5 stars
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/3hwdrN2dfIg
3.5 stars
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/3hwdrN2dfIg
![Profile Image for moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus].](/https/www.goodreads.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fv17.ery.cc%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645500038i%2F37448930._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
March 27, 2022
4.75 stars ☆
"What does that word even mean? Lots of people throw the word love around without actually treating the people they supposedly love like they are loved. I don't have the same signals firing in my brain that you do. I have to rely on instinct. My instincts tell me you're the one. What do yours tell you?"
fictional psychopaths are my kryptonite. the reason i love anti-hero characters is bc of my love for psychology so i'm always curious about the human mind and why people are the way they are so when i heard this series was going to be about psychopathic brothers, i had to read it and loved this sm. ♡
yk a book is going to be good when it hooks you from the prologue alone. i loved how we had an introduction to Thomas and little Adam and his convo with Dr. Arbor gave me chills — LITTLE ADAM GAVE ME CHILLS. plot-wise, my heart hurt for Noah bc of what he went through as a child but i absolutely loved how he (and the Mulvaney brothers) was able to avenge his little self, but also the other kids who were victims, in the end. i liked the whole whodunit mystery and seeing them gather the possible suspects on who was involved. the scene when , loved that moment.
honestly, the only reason i didn't give this five stars was because of the insta love/lust. i personally love slow burn and emotional connection > physical so when they already kissed 10% into the book, it threw me off BUT THEY WERE SO CUTE THAT IT LEFT ME CONFLICTED. Adam being a psychopath and having an obsession with Noah did make it easier for me to get used to the insta love part as i kept reading bc Adam was all you're mine, no one else gets to have you and i was over here eating that shit up. 😭 so yes, their cute moments was mainly why it didn't take away my enjoyment of the romance. it's ironic how Adam is supposed to be this killer who isn't able to "love" anyone but he was so swoony? i know they were trained to have this certain charm in order to blend in but i just loved it whenever he was being sweet to Noah. i also love how, even tho he has a fake persona in the public eye, he's his real self around Noah. 🥺
OKAY, THE MULVANEY FAMILY. found family is one of my favorite tropes. ever. reading about a group of friends or people who aren't blood-related have this close bond always warms my heart so, despite this family being a group of killers, i still felt the bond they have in their interactions. i'm intrigued with each of the brothers and looking forward to all their stories but especially Aiden (i love quiet but deadly characters 😩) and August!! ngl, i'm even curious about Thomas' story. this convo he had with Noah?
Thomas's intense gaze pinned him in place. "Can I tell you a secret? One not even my sons know?"
Noah nodded, chest tight.
"Nobody's ever loved me either."
excuse me, that literally screams i have a story yet to be told and you're gonna read it. yessir, i'm over here like
special mention to Calliope bc she was the mvp and i loved her! she gave me Wade (from Kim Possible) vibes. also, is it just me who wanted Adam's POV during the scene when Noah texted him i love you for the first time? can't believe we were robbed from that. 😤
"What does that word even mean? Lots of people throw the word love around without actually treating the people they supposedly love like they are loved. I don't have the same signals firing in my brain that you do. I have to rely on instinct. My instincts tell me you're the one. What do yours tell you?"
fictional psychopaths are my kryptonite. the reason i love anti-hero characters is bc of my love for psychology so i'm always curious about the human mind and why people are the way they are so when i heard this series was going to be about psychopathic brothers, i had to read it and loved this sm. ♡
yk a book is going to be good when it hooks you from the prologue alone. i loved how we had an introduction to Thomas and little Adam and his convo with Dr. Arbor gave me chills — LITTLE ADAM GAVE ME CHILLS. plot-wise, my heart hurt for Noah bc of what he went through as a child but i absolutely loved how he (and the Mulvaney brothers) was able to avenge his little self, but also the other kids who were victims, in the end. i liked the whole whodunit mystery and seeing them gather the possible suspects on who was involved. the scene when , loved that moment.
honestly, the only reason i didn't give this five stars was because of the insta love/lust. i personally love slow burn and emotional connection > physical so when they already kissed 10% into the book, it threw me off BUT THEY WERE SO CUTE THAT IT LEFT ME CONFLICTED. Adam being a psychopath and having an obsession with Noah did make it easier for me to get used to the insta love part as i kept reading bc Adam was all you're mine, no one else gets to have you and i was over here eating that shit up. 😭 so yes, their cute moments was mainly why it didn't take away my enjoyment of the romance. it's ironic how Adam is supposed to be this killer who isn't able to "love" anyone but he was so swoony? i know they were trained to have this certain charm in order to blend in but i just loved it whenever he was being sweet to Noah. i also love how, even tho he has a fake persona in the public eye, he's his real self around Noah. 🥺
OKAY, THE MULVANEY FAMILY. found family is one of my favorite tropes. ever. reading about a group of friends or people who aren't blood-related have this close bond always warms my heart so, despite this family being a group of killers, i still felt the bond they have in their interactions. i'm intrigued with each of the brothers and looking forward to all their stories but especially Aiden (i love quiet but deadly characters 😩) and August!! ngl, i'm even curious about Thomas' story. this convo he had with Noah?
Thomas's intense gaze pinned him in place. "Can I tell you a secret? One not even my sons know?"
Noah nodded, chest tight.
"Nobody's ever loved me either."
excuse me, that literally screams i have a story yet to be told and you're gonna read it. yessir, i'm over here like
special mention to Calliope bc she was the mvp and i loved her! she gave me Wade (from Kim Possible) vibes. also, is it just me who wanted Adam's POV during the scene when Noah texted him i love you for the first time? can't believe we were robbed from that. 😤
August 9, 2021
3.8 “Maybe I love you” stars ⭐
“I will disembowel anybody who so much as messes up your hair.”
Noah pretended to swoon. “Who says romance is dead?”
Psychopath serial killer + damaged sweet guy? Do I even need to say more? Gosh, the setting of this book was ah-mazing ✨
“You’re not going to lecture me on drinking my problems away?” Noah asked.
“No. If this is what you need to cope, then I’ll keep you safe while you do it.”
↑ this quote right here made me fall in love with Adam, like that is hands down the sweetest thing ever!! 🥺💕
Even though some parts of this book were a little iffy for me, I still enjoyed this read very much, and the romance was sooo cute 🙈 I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this author!
P. S. Does anyone else find this(↓) hot, or is it just me?
His jaw clenched and relaxed, clenched and relaxed, his whole body flushed with…something…at the thought of Noah leaving him. Noah could never leave him. Never. He belonged to Adam. No matter how wrong it was. Or crazy. Or possessive. Noah was his.
“I will disembowel anybody who so much as messes up your hair.”
Noah pretended to swoon. “Who says romance is dead?”
Psychopath serial killer + damaged sweet guy? Do I even need to say more? Gosh, the setting of this book was ah-mazing ✨
“You’re not going to lecture me on drinking my problems away?” Noah asked.
“No. If this is what you need to cope, then I’ll keep you safe while you do it.”
↑ this quote right here made me fall in love with Adam, like that is hands down the sweetest thing ever!! 🥺💕
Even though some parts of this book were a little iffy for me, I still enjoyed this read very much, and the romance was sooo cute 🙈 I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this author!
P. S. Does anyone else find this(↓) hot, or is it just me?
His jaw clenched and relaxed, clenched and relaxed, his whole body flushed with…something…at the thought of Noah leaving him. Noah could never leave him. Never. He belonged to Adam. No matter how wrong it was. Or crazy. Or possessive. Noah was his.
Read
December 22, 2021DNF @ 30% and then skimmed to the end.
No rating.
Frankly, this book made me feel... icky.
Reasons:
- Using Child Sexual Abuse as a device to progress the plot and not really drive it.
- Shallow characters, which I've discovered is the norm with this author.
----> Based on the prologue, I would have expected Adam to be MUCH MORE layered.
This was not the case.
- This was frankly fluff masquerading as "dark" romance. I will concede he setting was grey, the characters were grey... but that's it. As a result, Adam was too fluffy, too sweet, too good with Noah.
- The way Noah explained his "love Of Pain" was just very abrupt, insensitive and robotic. Like oh, my dad sexually abused me and now I like pain.... Ummm what?
- The speed in which they fell in bed was so fast. One killed the other's father, the other JUST found that he was molested by his father. and bam! Let's have sex.
all this happened in TWO DAYS. Sigh.
No plot progression, No character development, No logical pacing based on the subject matter.
No rating.
Frankly, this book made me feel... icky.
Reasons:
- Using Child Sexual Abuse as a device to progress the plot and not really drive it.
- Shallow characters, which I've discovered is the norm with this author.
----> Based on the prologue, I would have expected Adam to be MUCH MORE layered.
This was not the case.
- This was frankly fluff masquerading as "dark" romance. I will concede he setting was grey, the characters were grey... but that's it. As a result, Adam was too fluffy, too sweet, too good with Noah.
- The way Noah explained his "love Of Pain" was just very abrupt, insensitive and robotic. Like oh, my dad sexually abused me and now I like pain.... Ummm what?
- The speed in which they fell in bed was so fast. One killed the other's father, the other JUST found that he was molested by his father. and bam! Let's have sex.
all this happened in TWO DAYS. Sigh.
No plot progression, No character development, No logical pacing based on the subject matter.
August 21, 2021
"If he didn't stop saying things like that, Noah was going to do something stupid like fall in love with a murderer".
OMG Onley James has done it again! I loved this SO much! And seriously, how did she make me love a psychopath?! Crazy writing skills😳.
Unhinged is the first in a series focusing on a family of assassins. Each book follows a different brother/couple and this book is Adam and Noah's story.
Adam is the youngest of the seven Mulvaney 'brothers', all of them psychopaths, saved from a life on the streets by billionaire Thomas Mulvaney and trained to kill, to counter the many injustices that fall through the cracks in the system. He lives a double life as a spoilt ex-catwalk-model-turned-playboy by day, and assassin by night.
Adam was just 16 when he killed Noah's father and now Noah has horrific memories of an abusive childhood resurfacing. He tracks Adam down to confront him, and to confront his past, a past that is returning to haunt him. Being a psychopath, Adam doesn't have feelings and he can't love. But he wants Noah and once he has him in his sights is refusing to let him go. Not that Noah wants him to...
Be prepared to fall in love with Adam (despite the killing) and Noah (so broken but so perfect)💜💗.
Be prepared for a shed-load of steam 🔥🔥🔥.
Be prepared for some triggers.
And whilst this has a HEA for Adam and Noah, be prepared to be hanging out for August's story in book number two 😍.
✨ All ✨ the ✨ stars ✨
OMG Onley James has done it again! I loved this SO much! And seriously, how did she make me love a psychopath?! Crazy writing skills😳.
Unhinged is the first in a series focusing on a family of assassins. Each book follows a different brother/couple and this book is Adam and Noah's story.
Adam is the youngest of the seven Mulvaney 'brothers', all of them psychopaths, saved from a life on the streets by billionaire Thomas Mulvaney and trained to kill, to counter the many injustices that fall through the cracks in the system. He lives a double life as a spoilt ex-catwalk-model-turned-playboy by day, and assassin by night.
Adam was just 16 when he killed Noah's father and now Noah has horrific memories of an abusive childhood resurfacing. He tracks Adam down to confront him, and to confront his past, a past that is returning to haunt him. Being a psychopath, Adam doesn't have feelings and he can't love. But he wants Noah and once he has him in his sights is refusing to let him go. Not that Noah wants him to...
Be prepared to fall in love with Adam (despite the killing) and Noah (so broken but so perfect)💜💗.
Be prepared for a shed-load of steam 🔥🔥🔥.
Be prepared for some triggers.
And whilst this has a HEA for Adam and Noah, be prepared to be hanging out for August's story in book number two 😍.
✨ All ✨ the ✨ stars ✨
July 8, 2021
I enjoyed this! I gave myself a stern talking to and said don’t think too hard about how unrealistic this is! That thinking certainly made for a better reading experience. I love found family stories and the kicker here is that this was quite literally a found family story. The patriarch of the family assembled a team of psychopaths and sociopaths and harnessed their unique abilities. They were trained to be able to fit into society and to not stand out. Then they could do their jobs or what the family likes to call community service. The brothers take out the worst the world has to offer with ease. They are essentially vigilantes. They only kill people who have caused immense harm and they are forbidden to break that rule.
“He adopted all of you to turn you into weapons?” Noah asked, sounding more curious than concerned.
“Look like the flower but be the serpent underneath,” Adam quoted.
I loved both of the main characters immediately. I think the moment I really fell in love with them was when Adam mused about the stars that were drawn on Noah’s cheeks, being connected by his freckles. It was such a tender moment. I really adore MCs who worship their love interest, the kind that would kill and die for them without a second thought. I got this in Adam. Adam in all his possessiveness and reverence regarding Noah was a character that I was thrilled to read about. He was so unique, dynamic and interesting. So different than maybe any character I’ve read about in a long time. He got to turn off the persona he must portray in order to assimilate in society and he got to just be himself around Noah.
You know I’d fucking tear the world down for you, don’t you?”
Noah smiled sweetly, crooning, “I know, baby.”
And as for Noah...he didn’t take shit from anyone. He stood up for himself and faced his fears time and time again. He repeatedly confronted his trauma while on the hunt for justice against those who abused him. He was a badass through and through.
I particularly enjoyed the moments in which Adam asked Noah how he was supposed to act or had him clarify what Noah meant.
Noah’s chest ached. Adam had called two people to find out what humans did when other humans were hurting. Was that romantic? What the fuck did Noah know? It felt sweet.
As much as I adored this book, the sex scenes fell really flat for me… They were disappointing and a tad repetitive! 🤷♀️ The pacing also felt a bit off. But other than that, this was a great book!
I don't think I'll love any of the brothers as much as I loved Adam but I'm so excited for August's book next! 😌
“He adopted all of you to turn you into weapons?” Noah asked, sounding more curious than concerned.
“Look like the flower but be the serpent underneath,” Adam quoted.
I loved both of the main characters immediately. I think the moment I really fell in love with them was when Adam mused about the stars that were drawn on Noah’s cheeks, being connected by his freckles. It was such a tender moment. I really adore MCs who worship their love interest, the kind that would kill and die for them without a second thought. I got this in Adam. Adam in all his possessiveness and reverence regarding Noah was a character that I was thrilled to read about. He was so unique, dynamic and interesting. So different than maybe any character I’ve read about in a long time. He got to turn off the persona he must portray in order to assimilate in society and he got to just be himself around Noah.
You know I’d fucking tear the world down for you, don’t you?”
Noah smiled sweetly, crooning, “I know, baby.”
And as for Noah...he didn’t take shit from anyone. He stood up for himself and faced his fears time and time again. He repeatedly confronted his trauma while on the hunt for justice against those who abused him. He was a badass through and through.
I particularly enjoyed the moments in which Adam asked Noah how he was supposed to act or had him clarify what Noah meant.
Noah’s chest ached. Adam had called two people to find out what humans did when other humans were hurting. Was that romantic? What the fuck did Noah know? It felt sweet.
As much as I adored this book, the sex scenes fell really flat for me… They were disappointing and a tad repetitive! 🤷♀️ The pacing also felt a bit off. But other than that, this was a great book!
I don't think I'll love any of the brothers as much as I loved Adam but I'm so excited for August's book next! 😌
August 5, 2021
4.2 stars ✨
If @Candy gave the book 4 stars, using the words possessive psychopath ,you can bet your ass I’m going to read it. And I did. And I loved it.
You know the best thing about a psycho hero? You will never have petty bs or drama in the book. It will be nothing but brutal honesty and dry humor and I. Am. Here. For. That. Shit.
This book was excellent. Absolutely amazing, I loved every minute of it from the characters to the plot to the violence.
Noah was a very well written character in my opinion. He was different from most of the characters I’ve read about, who has had a traumatic past. He was incredibly smart and determined which was demonstrated in the meet-cute Noah and Adam had : Noah tried to kill him.
“You can never love me,” he blurted.
Oh. That. Adam reached out and took Noah’s hand. “I don’t know what love feels like. I don’t know what empathy or guilt feel like. But I know this: I want to fuck you and fight with you and fight for you and make up with you and make out with you and eat Greek food naked with you. Is that enough?”
Adam on the other hand was a well developed character. His personality as a psychopath was done in such a way that we weren’t given a guy who said “don’t fall for me, i won’t ever feel for you” but instead we got someone so protective and obsessive in a way was borderline psychotic.
“Like I want to stitch my body to yours. Like I want to live inside your skin. Like I would handcuff you to the radiator if you tried to leave me.”
He’s a killer who’s been trained to kill of the evil in the world with the help of his brothers. (I know. So cool)
“Yeah. We can be happy, sad, jealous, angry, surprised. Psychopathy doesn’t mean we feel nothing. It just means we don’t form attachments in the same way others do.”
I was so interested in this plot. We basically follow Noah and Adam as they try to find the men who sexual abused Noah when he was only a kid. The plot thickens when they find out there are many more than they expected, not only assault but murders and sex trafficking. I was very invested in every clue and puzzle they found.
It did, however, get very draggy at times. Not much that it made me skip, but enough that it felt like an information dump. Luckily, I expected as much going into this thanks to Candy’s review. And I did wish we got a more detailed scene of Noah meeting his mom. Maybe even just one chapter. It would’ve been nice to see their interaction.
I love love loveeeddd the family dynamic. It was so dysfunctional and cold. We have August, Asa and Avis (twins), Aiden, Atticus, Archer and finally the dad Thomas. All different level psychopaths in the spectrum. They were hilarious and It was beautiful watching them accept Noah into the fold.
“That would have been, like, three kills each,” Atticus chimed in.
“Two for one of us,” August corrected.
“I hate math,” Aiden muttered.
“And twenty separate crime scenes to clean up,” Noah reminded them.
“I’m just saying, killing three guys in one night would have been cool,” Avi pouted.
“But, instead, you get to kill twenty guys during the day, with your brothers, as a family,” August said.
“Other families just have barbeques,” Archer said, tone dripping with sarcasm.
Overall. I enjoyed this so much. I’m definitely going to continue on with this series with unfortunately high expectations. And this might just be me: but I very much want to read a book about Thomas, especially after him telling Noah “Nobody’s ever loved me either.”
If @Candy gave the book 4 stars, using the words possessive psychopath ,you can bet your ass I’m going to read it. And I did. And I loved it.
You know the best thing about a psycho hero? You will never have petty bs or drama in the book. It will be nothing but brutal honesty and dry humor and I. Am. Here. For. That. Shit.
This book was excellent. Absolutely amazing, I loved every minute of it from the characters to the plot to the violence.
Noah was a very well written character in my opinion. He was different from most of the characters I’ve read about, who has had a traumatic past. He was incredibly smart and determined which was demonstrated in the meet-cute Noah and Adam had : Noah tried to kill him.
“You can never love me,” he blurted.
Oh. That. Adam reached out and took Noah’s hand. “I don’t know what love feels like. I don’t know what empathy or guilt feel like. But I know this: I want to fuck you and fight with you and fight for you and make up with you and make out with you and eat Greek food naked with you. Is that enough?”
Adam on the other hand was a well developed character. His personality as a psychopath was done in such a way that we weren’t given a guy who said “don’t fall for me, i won’t ever feel for you” but instead we got someone so protective and obsessive in a way was borderline psychotic.
“Like I want to stitch my body to yours. Like I want to live inside your skin. Like I would handcuff you to the radiator if you tried to leave me.”
He’s a killer who’s been trained to kill of the evil in the world with the help of his brothers. (I know. So cool)
“Yeah. We can be happy, sad, jealous, angry, surprised. Psychopathy doesn’t mean we feel nothing. It just means we don’t form attachments in the same way others do.”
I was so interested in this plot. We basically follow Noah and Adam as they try to find the men who sexual abused Noah when he was only a kid. The plot thickens when they find out there are many more than they expected, not only assault but murders and sex trafficking. I was very invested in every clue and puzzle they found.
It did, however, get very draggy at times. Not much that it made me skip, but enough that it felt like an information dump. Luckily, I expected as much going into this thanks to Candy’s review. And I did wish we got a more detailed scene of Noah meeting his mom. Maybe even just one chapter. It would’ve been nice to see their interaction.
I love love loveeeddd the family dynamic. It was so dysfunctional and cold. We have August, Asa and Avis (twins), Aiden, Atticus, Archer and finally the dad Thomas. All different level psychopaths in the spectrum. They were hilarious and It was beautiful watching them accept Noah into the fold.
“That would have been, like, three kills each,” Atticus chimed in.
“Two for one of us,” August corrected.
“I hate math,” Aiden muttered.
“And twenty separate crime scenes to clean up,” Noah reminded them.
“I’m just saying, killing three guys in one night would have been cool,” Avi pouted.
“But, instead, you get to kill twenty guys during the day, with your brothers, as a family,” August said.
“Other families just have barbeques,” Archer said, tone dripping with sarcasm.
Overall. I enjoyed this so much. I’m definitely going to continue on with this series with unfortunately high expectations. And this might just be me: but I very much want to read a book about Thomas, especially after him telling Noah “Nobody’s ever loved me either.”
March 29, 2024
I'm soooooo sick, I think my brain has cooked from a fever for the last 2 days.
So my brain capacity is sitting at about 1% as to my usual... 7% 😂😂 so bare with me.
But in short, I loved it.
It's lowkey funny that if someone tried to say "mine" to me in real life, my soul would leave my body and i'd pass away from laughter. But in a book...
Adam and Noah are cute damaged hotties who wanna kiss, who meet under pretty fucked circumstances. This book ain't perfect for sure, but i don't care?
When Adam tries his best to work around the fact he "can't feel" emotions properly to comfort Noah going through a difficult time, MADE ME FERAL. omg, he's too cute.
And the fact there's soooooo many more books in this series!?
UGH. I'm so sick, I go sleep for 2 more days now. I can't even think another word, happy Easter darling humans 🐰💖
So my brain capacity is sitting at about 1% as to my usual... 7% 😂😂 so bare with me.
But in short, I loved it.
It's lowkey funny that if someone tried to say "mine" to me in real life, my soul would leave my body and i'd pass away from laughter. But in a book...
Adam and Noah are cute damaged hotties who wanna kiss, who meet under pretty fucked circumstances. This book ain't perfect for sure, but i don't care?
When Adam tries his best to work around the fact he "can't feel" emotions properly to comfort Noah going through a difficult time, MADE ME FERAL. omg, he's too cute.
And the fact there's soooooo many more books in this series!?
UGH. I'm so sick, I go sleep for 2 more days now. I can't even think another word, happy Easter darling humans 🐰💖
April 22, 2024
4.5 Stars
Is this book perfect? No but I don't give a fuck it's still a 4.5 star read for me. This shit was like a drug. I literally couldn't put it down and this is what I looked like when I finally did put it down to sleep.
(I think there's something wrong with my acc you can only see my memes if you're using a laptop)
I know some people have a problem with this book coz Adam got obsessed with Noah the moment he met him so it was kinda insta lust. But that wasn't a problem for me so if you think that will be a problem for you then don't pick this up.
Here are my favourite details (MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!)
1:) Adam's obsession with sugar 😭😭
2:) Adam trying to chain Noah to the non existent radiator 🫠
"Like I want to live inside your skin. Like I would handcuff you to the radiator if you tried to leave me.”
3:) Noah babbling every time they had sex 🥵
4:) Adam choosing Noah over his family
“He’s mine. I won’t give him up. Don’t push me on this or I swear to fucking God, I’ll burn it all down. Do you hear me? If you make me choose, I’ll choose him.” 🫠
5:) The sex 🔥
“I said you could be in charge in the bedroom, right?”
"Yeah"
“We’re in your bedroom. What are you waiting for?”
6:) “I don’t know how Adam feels. I know he can’t love me, like you said. But I don’t even know what love is. Is it wanting to be in each other’s company all the time? Wanting to protect each other? Take care of each other? Comfort each other? The thing about Adam and I...we tell each other exactly what we need from one another. We have to because neither of us have the instincts necessary to navigate it any other way. Like, how is that different than love?"
1. Unhinged - 4.5 Stars
2. Psycho - 3.5 Stars
3. Moonstruck - 4.5 Stars
3.5 Damaged - 2.5 Stars
4. Headcase - TBR
5. Mad Man - TBR
6. Lunatic - TBR
7. Maniac - TBR
Is this book perfect? No but I don't give a fuck it's still a 4.5 star read for me. This shit was like a drug. I literally couldn't put it down and this is what I looked like when I finally did put it down to sleep.
(I think there's something wrong with my acc you can only see my memes if you're using a laptop)
I know some people have a problem with this book coz Adam got obsessed with Noah the moment he met him so it was kinda insta lust. But that wasn't a problem for me so if you think that will be a problem for you then don't pick this up.
Here are my favourite details (MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!)
1:) Adam's obsession with sugar 😭😭
2:) Adam trying to chain Noah to the non existent radiator 🫠
"Like I want to live inside your skin. Like I would handcuff you to the radiator if you tried to leave me.”
3:) Noah babbling every time they had sex 🥵
4:) Adam choosing Noah over his family
“He’s mine. I won’t give him up. Don’t push me on this or I swear to fucking God, I’ll burn it all down. Do you hear me? If you make me choose, I’ll choose him.” 🫠
5:) The sex 🔥
“I said you could be in charge in the bedroom, right?”
"Yeah"
“We’re in your bedroom. What are you waiting for?”
6:) “I don’t know how Adam feels. I know he can’t love me, like you said. But I don’t even know what love is. Is it wanting to be in each other’s company all the time? Wanting to protect each other? Take care of each other? Comfort each other? The thing about Adam and I...we tell each other exactly what we need from one another. We have to because neither of us have the instincts necessary to navigate it any other way. Like, how is that different than love?"
1. Unhinged - 4.5 Stars
2. Psycho - 3.5 Stars
3. Moonstruck - 4.5 Stars
3.5 Damaged - 2.5 Stars
4. Headcase - TBR
5. Mad Man - TBR
6. Lunatic - TBR
7. Maniac - TBR
August 9, 2022
Audio - 1.25 barely tolerable star and I'm about to get mean here...oh well....
The narrator's IG page says he has a voice for the bedroom (his description of his own voice!). And I would agree only if the meaning is "it will put you to sleep", because there is nothing sexy about his voice.
Story - 2.5 Stars
I can't tell if the narrator ruined my level of enjoyment or if the characters were truly immature for a bunch of supposedly emotionless psychopaths.
The narrator's IG page says he has a voice for the bedroom (his description of his own voice!). And I would agree only if the meaning is "it will put you to sleep", because there is nothing sexy about his voice.
Story - 2.5 Stars
I can't tell if the narrator ruined my level of enjoyment or if the characters were truly immature for a bunch of supposedly emotionless psychopaths.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
August 18, 2021Before I started this book, I kept telling myself Don't take this book seriously Mariam. Don't take it seriously. PLEASEEEEEE Don't take it seriously.
And all I can say to that is, I really should've listened to my myself. Or rather, I should've said that a few more times so my brain can actually stick it.
Because this book... Sigh. What a dissapointment.
DNF @ 52%
I guess after reading slow burns back to back to back, the pacing or lack of pacing thereof completely threw me off guard, and well let's just say it didn't get any better there.
I think my biggest dissapointment was Adam.
Chapter 1 or the prologue of this book was SO DAMN GOOD I was so pumped for his character.
I was so ready for the fight, the sinister and raw beauty Adam would have, the frightening death smile he would hold and the amount of manipulation his character could behold.
And in reality, he was just... a softie.
Or rather, he was too soft for my taste.
I wanted Darker. I wanted Him to be Sinister, Deadlier, or hell the more cruel, the better!
And he was just too... flowery for my taste.
So I was thinking of pushing through this book because the one thing I DID LIKE was the A Family.
The family of psychos is nothing but musika to my ears and watching their interactions was well entertaining and the best part of this book in my opinion. I wanted to learn about them more but at this point, I think we've all learnt a lesson that when Mariam wants to dnf a book, she really SHOULD.
And okay, to be fair, Adam and Noah were Cute but... There was just something missing between them, another were I just failed to care about them, so by the middle point, I was muchhhh more interested in the brothers rather than them or the plot of this book.
And all I can say to that is, I really should've listened to my myself. Or rather, I should've said that a few more times so my brain can actually stick it.
Because this book... Sigh. What a dissapointment.
DNF @ 52%
I guess after reading slow burns back to back to back, the pacing or lack of pacing thereof completely threw me off guard, and well let's just say it didn't get any better there.
I think my biggest dissapointment was Adam.
Chapter 1 or the prologue of this book was SO DAMN GOOD I was so pumped for his character.
He sighed. “Diagnoses?”
Dr. Arbor folded her arms across her chest. “Officially? Oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, attachment disorder, post traumatic stress disorder.”
“Unofficially?”
She cut her gaze to him before quickly returning it to the boy, like she was afraid to take her eyes off him for too long. It was probably a good instinct to have.
“He shows increasing signs of psychopathy. He lies seamlessly, he’s charming when he wants something, funny, calculating. His inappropriate touching of adults indicates prolonged abuse. He doesn’t actively attempt to harm himself or others, but he shows no compassion for others’ suffering.
I was so ready for the fight, the sinister and raw beauty Adam would have, the frightening death smile he would hold and the amount of manipulation his character could behold.
And in reality, he was just... a softie.
Or rather, he was too soft for my taste.
“Whatever. Can we please get this done? It’s hot as fuck in here and it smells like rotting meat and shit.”
“You’re such a baby,” Atticus muttered.
“You’re such a baby,” Adam mimicked. “Fine. Next time, call Archer. Or Asa and Avi"
I wanted Darker. I wanted Him to be Sinister, Deadlier, or hell the more cruel, the better!
And he was just too... flowery for my taste.
So I was thinking of pushing through this book because the one thing I DID LIKE was the A Family.
The family of psychos is nothing but musika to my ears and watching their interactions was well entertaining and the best part of this book in my opinion. I wanted to learn about them more but at this point, I think we've all learnt a lesson that when Mariam wants to dnf a book, she really SHOULD.
Once more, her gaze dragged to Adam, still blinking at the blank wall. “How many boys do you have?”
“Including Adam? Seven.”
“How do you raise a house full of psychopaths, Dr. Mulvaney?” she asked, looking back through the glass at the small boy.
“Very carefully, Dr. Arbor. Very carefully.”
And okay, to be fair, Adam and Noah were Cute but... There was just something missing between them, another were I just failed to care about them, so by the middle point, I was muchhhh more interested in the brothers rather than them or the plot of this book.
“You sound fucking crazy, you know.”
Adam’s face contorted into a look of disbelief. “I am crazy. I kill people. Remember?”
“Community service, remember?” Noah countered with a shake of his head.
Adam grinned
July 4, 2021
Well, I wasn’t expecting all this to go on. I mean this in a good way. Onley James has been under my radar for some time. So happy I started with Unhinged. Unhinged is a Dark MM Romance. On my dark scale, it's medium Gray to Gray. Read the trigger warnings to some; this book may be black.
What do you do to children who have been abused and have psychopath tendencies? Well, you adopted them and trained them to kill monsters who slipped through the justice system, of course. Meet Adam, adopted at six years of age, and one of seven brothers, all of them trained killers and how to act in today's society so no suspects anything. Noah is one of Adam’s past kills son. Noah, after revenge, stalks Adam and eventually sees and remembers the truth of his father. What he doesn't expect is the spark between the two. Adam knows Noah is for him and can be himself around him. Their story doesn't end there; that is just the beginning. It's Noah’s remembering of his childhood that reopens his father case.
Have I ever told you I love psychopaths in books? There charming, calculating, and lethal. This book and series are made for me. So much angst and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My heart bleeds for Noah, and I couldn’t help but love Adam. How protective and possessive of Adam. Psychopaths can’t feel empathy, so when Noah has a situation, Adam called people on what to do to help Noah. That is deep. The sex scenes are spicy and hot. These two line up and give each other what they want and are not afraid to tell each other.
If you like Dark MM romance, Unhinged is for you. It’s a fantastic book, and I highly recommend it. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I see a binge reading of the author's books in my future.
What do you do to children who have been abused and have psychopath tendencies? Well, you adopted them and trained them to kill monsters who slipped through the justice system, of course. Meet Adam, adopted at six years of age, and one of seven brothers, all of them trained killers and how to act in today's society so no suspects anything. Noah is one of Adam’s past kills son. Noah, after revenge, stalks Adam and eventually sees and remembers the truth of his father. What he doesn't expect is the spark between the two. Adam knows Noah is for him and can be himself around him. Their story doesn't end there; that is just the beginning. It's Noah’s remembering of his childhood that reopens his father case.
Have I ever told you I love psychopaths in books? There charming, calculating, and lethal. This book and series are made for me. So much angst and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My heart bleeds for Noah, and I couldn’t help but love Adam. How protective and possessive of Adam. Psychopaths can’t feel empathy, so when Noah has a situation, Adam called people on what to do to help Noah. That is deep. The sex scenes are spicy and hot. These two line up and give each other what they want and are not afraid to tell each other.
If you like Dark MM romance, Unhinged is for you. It’s a fantastic book, and I highly recommend it. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I see a binge reading of the author's books in my future.
![Profile Image for ♡Gabi♡ [life & work is chaotic hiatus].](/https/www.goodreads.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fv17.ery.cc%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1735831525i%2F137459201._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
July 26, 2023
4.5 ✰
Didn’t have obsessing over psychopathic-vigilante-killer-adopted-brothers in my 2023 bingo card, but here we are. 🫣🤪
book 1 in the Necessary Evils series follows Adam and Noah and I ate their entire insta-lust to love story UP!!!
Adam and Noah were perfect for each other as Noah balances out Adam’s psychopathic and unhinged tendencies, just really understands and gets him, and brings out this soft and sweet side of Adam that Adam didn’t even know he possessed.
Adam tries his best to show Noah how much he cares for him, embodies the love language acts of service like no other(😫), and will never ever EVER let Noah go. Even though Adam can’t feel or relate to a lot of emotions, he can emulate them very well, but with Noah he gets as close to “feeling” as a psychopath can get and Noah knows deep down Adam loves him in all his own unique ways. 🥹🫶🏼
“I maybe love you.”
A wide grin spread across Adam’s face.
“I maybe love you, too.”
like are u kidding me ^ 🤭
Adam is so OTT possessive over Noah, and even more so in the BEDROOM… 🥵😮💨 I was truly swooning and giggling over their entire dynamic and relationship! They are just so perfect together and I loved reading them fall in love with each other.
Noah’s backstory was really heavy and made me so emotional, but Adam being his support and lifeline through it all, especially when Noah had to relive a lot of his childhood trauma; it was so heartwarming to see how Adam would pull him from that pain and heartache and be and do whatever Noah needed at the moment. The way Adam was ready to burn the world for Noah…ugh he’s just everything!!!
def be mindful of TW!!!
Didn’t have obsessing over psychopathic-vigilante-killer-adopted-brothers in my 2023 bingo card, but here we are. 🫣🤪
book 1 in the Necessary Evils series follows Adam and Noah and I ate their entire insta-lust to love story UP!!!
Adam and Noah were perfect for each other as Noah balances out Adam’s psychopathic and unhinged tendencies, just really understands and gets him, and brings out this soft and sweet side of Adam that Adam didn’t even know he possessed.
Adam tries his best to show Noah how much he cares for him, embodies the love language acts of service like no other(😫), and will never ever EVER let Noah go. Even though Adam can’t feel or relate to a lot of emotions, he can emulate them very well, but with Noah he gets as close to “feeling” as a psychopath can get and Noah knows deep down Adam loves him in all his own unique ways. 🥹🫶🏼
“I maybe love you.”
A wide grin spread across Adam’s face.
“I maybe love you, too.”
like are u kidding me ^ 🤭
Adam is so OTT possessive over Noah, and even more so in the BEDROOM… 🥵😮💨 I was truly swooning and giggling over their entire dynamic and relationship! They are just so perfect together and I loved reading them fall in love with each other.
Noah’s backstory was really heavy and made me so emotional, but Adam being his support and lifeline through it all, especially when Noah had to relive a lot of his childhood trauma; it was so heartwarming to see how Adam would pull him from that pain and heartache and be and do whatever Noah needed at the moment. The way Adam was ready to burn the world for Noah…ugh he’s just everything!!!
def be mindful of TW!!!
June 22, 2024
|| 2.5 stars ||
Considering this is a story about a psychopathic serial killer and a deeply traumatized rape victim, I did not expect this book to be as bland as it was.
That honestly seems like some sort of crime on itself. But, yet, here we are...
When it comes to the romance, this is 100% a case of complete 'insta-love'.
There isn't even a pretence of a build-up, as it's actually frequently mentioned by the other characters how ridiculous it is to be speaking of a "forever" with someone you've met mere days ago.
There was no tension, no angst, no 'getting to know each other'. Nope. It was just BAMM: immediately in love for eternity.
And that's another thing.. I really don't understand the premise of Adam being a psychopath when he is so clearly capable of feeling love and emotions.
If it weren't for the fact that I was constantly told that he was a psychopath, I would honestly just say that Adam was a slightly emotionally stunted alpha-male with a secret heart of gold. Which is, quite clearly, not the description of a real life psychopath.
And now don't get me wrong; it made Adam a very endearing and surprisingly sweet character.. buttt it just really didn't make any kind of sense psychologically speaking.
Nonetheless, I especially loved how possessive Adam was over Noah. He truly wanted to take care of him, be there for him; have him forever. It's hella cute, but it was definitely also too soon.
If these feelings had grown over time and if they had been based on actual facts these two knew about each other, then omg, their relationship would have been swoon-worthy and adorable to the max.
Unfortunately, this quite simply just wasn't the case, and the relationship therefore lost a lot of its potential emotional punch. Instead, it had more of a shallow and superficial undertone.
By the way, I want to mention that the sex scenes here were very hot.
It was a very frequent occurrence, and there could have definitely been room for a little more talking and actual plot, but it’s not like I was complaining perse.
After all, they were genuinely good sex scenes; really, they were.
Now, when it comes to the actual plot: I truly liked it. It was interesting and intriguing.
Therefore, I wish there was more of it: More depth. More detail.
I mostly liked the mystery, the trauma, the family of psychopaths, the revenge: these aspects were great.
I actually might even read the second book; hopefully that one will have more of a build-up! I'm definitely willing to give it a chance.
'Necessary Evils' series:
1. Unhinged - 2.5 stars
2. Psycho - dnf
5. Mad Man - 3.5 stars
7. Maniac - 2.0 stars
Novella:
3.5. Damaged - 2.5 stars
Considering this is a story about a psychopathic serial killer and a deeply traumatized rape victim, I did not expect this book to be as bland as it was.
That honestly seems like some sort of crime on itself. But, yet, here we are...
When it comes to the romance, this is 100% a case of complete 'insta-love'.
There isn't even a pretence of a build-up, as it's actually frequently mentioned by the other characters how ridiculous it is to be speaking of a "forever" with someone you've met mere days ago.
There was no tension, no angst, no 'getting to know each other'. Nope. It was just BAMM: immediately in love for eternity.
And that's another thing.. I really don't understand the premise of Adam being a psychopath when he is so clearly capable of feeling love and emotions.
If it weren't for the fact that I was constantly told that he was a psychopath, I would honestly just say that Adam was a slightly emotionally stunted alpha-male with a secret heart of gold. Which is, quite clearly, not the description of a real life psychopath.
And now don't get me wrong; it made Adam a very endearing and surprisingly sweet character.. buttt it just really didn't make any kind of sense psychologically speaking.
Nonetheless, I especially loved how possessive Adam was over Noah. He truly wanted to take care of him, be there for him; have him forever. It's hella cute, but it was definitely also too soon.
If these feelings had grown over time and if they had been based on actual facts these two knew about each other, then omg, their relationship would have been swoon-worthy and adorable to the max.
Unfortunately, this quite simply just wasn't the case, and the relationship therefore lost a lot of its potential emotional punch. Instead, it had more of a shallow and superficial undertone.
By the way, I want to mention that the sex scenes here were very hot.
It was a very frequent occurrence, and there could have definitely been room for a little more talking and actual plot, but it’s not like I was complaining perse.
After all, they were genuinely good sex scenes; really, they were.
Now, when it comes to the actual plot: I truly liked it. It was interesting and intriguing.
Therefore, I wish there was more of it: More depth. More detail.
I mostly liked the mystery, the trauma, the family of psychopaths, the revenge: these aspects were great.
I actually might even read the second book; hopefully that one will have more of a build-up! I'm definitely willing to give it a chance.
'Necessary Evils' series:
1. Unhinged - 2.5 stars
2. Psycho - dnf
5. Mad Man - 3.5 stars
7. Maniac - 2.0 stars
Novella:
3.5. Damaged - 2.5 stars
March 13, 2023
Re-read audio style 3/5-3/9/23
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
🎧🎧🎧
I feel kinda bad when I do a re-read and the rating goes down. But honestly, after reading the entire series, Adam and Noah don’t hold a candle to some of the pairings. It just feels kinda blah and maybe that’s due to the narrator.
I thought I loved Liam Discosimo but after this I’m not so sure. He was kinda bland and when he threw in the other voices they were kinda grating.
I suppose it is what it is but now I’m questioning my original plan to listen to the whole series.
Original Review 1/11-1/13/22
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m loving this, it’s all of my favorite things. My only drawback is that if Adam is a psychopath, I believe he would be obsessed with Noah, perhaps possessive. But he wouldn’t care about his well-being. Maybe there will be an explanation later but it makes little sense at this point.
Ok, I’m gonna look past the whole empathy thing because I honestly don’t care. Because they are the cutest thing. The whole murderous family is kinda adorable. And how protective they all become of Noah tugs just right at my heart strings.
Holy fucking smokes, I do believe this is the hottest MM book I’ve yet to read. Adam and Noah sure know how to burn up the sheets. The chemistry between them is out of this world both in and out of the bed.
August and Aiden … I’m looking forward to their stories the most. Atticus and Archer I could take or leave. And is anyone else interested in Calliope? I mean I know this is all mm but still. Also Thomas, what’s a girl got to do to get a hot age-gap scenario?
Ok, I have a soft spot for the twins as well.
Even though I came for the hot steamy loving, I was living for the rollercoaster that was this plot. I was utterly riveted every step of the way.
I’m so glad I finally popped my Onley James cherry because I was living for this book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
🎧🎧🎧
I feel kinda bad when I do a re-read and the rating goes down. But honestly, after reading the entire series, Adam and Noah don’t hold a candle to some of the pairings. It just feels kinda blah and maybe that’s due to the narrator.
I thought I loved Liam Discosimo but after this I’m not so sure. He was kinda bland and when he threw in the other voices they were kinda grating.
I suppose it is what it is but now I’m questioning my original plan to listen to the whole series.
Original Review 1/11-1/13/22
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m loving this, it’s all of my favorite things. My only drawback is that if Adam is a psychopath, I believe he would be obsessed with Noah, perhaps possessive. But he wouldn’t care about his well-being. Maybe there will be an explanation later but it makes little sense at this point.
Ok, I’m gonna look past the whole empathy thing because I honestly don’t care. Because they are the cutest thing. The whole murderous family is kinda adorable. And how protective they all become of Noah tugs just right at my heart strings.
Holy fucking smokes, I do believe this is the hottest MM book I’ve yet to read. Adam and Noah sure know how to burn up the sheets. The chemistry between them is out of this world both in and out of the bed.
August and Aiden … I’m looking forward to their stories the most. Atticus and Archer I could take or leave. And is anyone else interested in Calliope? I mean I know this is all mm but still. Also Thomas, what’s a girl got to do to get a hot age-gap scenario?
Ok, I have a soft spot for the twins as well.
Even though I came for the hot steamy loving, I was living for the rollercoaster that was this plot. I was utterly riveted every step of the way.
I’m so glad I finally popped my Onley James cherry because I was living for this book!
July 12, 2021
a man named thomas mulvaney adopted seven psychopath children and shaped them into professional assassins. one of those kids was adam. possibly the most adorable psychopath ever.
this plot definitely caught my attention. this whole book deals with a lot of dark themes that are absolutely disgusting to even think about. but overall, i did really enjoy reading this book and the whole revenge aspect of it.
adam and noah were really cute together. their interactions were truly so fucking adorable at times. some of the things adam said were pure comedy. he also might be the most supportive, sweetest psychopath i’ve ever encountered in a book. he was also super possessive and protective.
“i will disembowel anybody who so much as messes up your hair.”
noah pretended to swoon. “who says romance is dead?” 🥰
adam truly did everything in his power to be good to noah, even if he lacks a lot of normal human emotions. they also communicated surprisingly well with each other.
i quite liked the way adam just decided that noah is now his person and hung on to him with everything he had. even if it was after only two days of officially knowing each other.💀
“i know you’re mine. i know it. deep down, in that part of my brain that doesn’t care what is right or how society dictates how people choose a mate. i chose you. i want you. just you. my brain has picked you, and now, i can’t undo it. you’re trapped. with me. for life.”
i usually don’t like when characters instantly become so attached to each other or anything too insta-lovey, but since technically adam isn’t even capable of love, this weirdly worked for me.
sure, i could pick on how unrealistic this whole book was at times but… WHO CARES. it was enjoyable as hell regardless. if i can read a book and not care about such things as realism you know it’s gotta be good.
i am super excited for the other books in the series. all the brothers we met in this book & also the adoptive father thomas were fascinating characters. can’t wait to find out more about them all! ♥️
this plot definitely caught my attention. this whole book deals with a lot of dark themes that are absolutely disgusting to even think about. but overall, i did really enjoy reading this book and the whole revenge aspect of it.
adam and noah were really cute together. their interactions were truly so fucking adorable at times. some of the things adam said were pure comedy. he also might be the most supportive, sweetest psychopath i’ve ever encountered in a book. he was also super possessive and protective.
“i will disembowel anybody who so much as messes up your hair.”
noah pretended to swoon. “who says romance is dead?” 🥰
adam truly did everything in his power to be good to noah, even if he lacks a lot of normal human emotions. they also communicated surprisingly well with each other.
i quite liked the way adam just decided that noah is now his person and hung on to him with everything he had. even if it was after only two days of officially knowing each other.💀
“i know you’re mine. i know it. deep down, in that part of my brain that doesn’t care what is right or how society dictates how people choose a mate. i chose you. i want you. just you. my brain has picked you, and now, i can’t undo it. you’re trapped. with me. for life.”
i usually don’t like when characters instantly become so attached to each other or anything too insta-lovey, but since technically adam isn’t even capable of love, this weirdly worked for me.
sure, i could pick on how unrealistic this whole book was at times but… WHO CARES. it was enjoyable as hell regardless. if i can read a book and not care about such things as realism you know it’s gotta be good.
i am super excited for the other books in the series. all the brothers we met in this book & also the adoptive father thomas were fascinating characters. can’t wait to find out more about them all! ♥️
May 20, 2023
Original review: April 2022
I haven't been in the mood to write reviews lately, but I couldn't move on to the next book without expressing how amazing I thought this was. I absolutely loved it! 😸💓 I absolutely loved Noah and Adam, both individually and together. Their romance was this wonderful mixture of crazy, sexy, sweet, and adorable. Even though their desire for each other didn't seem to make much sense, they just went with what felt right, and it worked out for them. They were perfect for each other, and I just ate up how devoted Adam was to Noah.
I read along to Liam DiCosimo's narration, and he did an amazing job. 5 stars
Reread May 2023
I loved reading this just as much the second time around. Already knowing the end result of the case Adam and Noah was working on allowed me to focus on their relationship without getting distracted by evil kidnappers and pedophiles. Their relationship ties with Atticus and Jericho's as my favorite from the series. Still 5 stars 😊🥰
I haven't been in the mood to write reviews lately, but I couldn't move on to the next book without expressing how amazing I thought this was. I absolutely loved it! 😸💓 I absolutely loved Noah and Adam, both individually and together. Their romance was this wonderful mixture of crazy, sexy, sweet, and adorable. Even though their desire for each other didn't seem to make much sense, they just went with what felt right, and it worked out for them. They were perfect for each other, and I just ate up how devoted Adam was to Noah.
I read along to Liam DiCosimo's narration, and he did an amazing job. 5 stars
Reread May 2023
I loved reading this just as much the second time around. Already knowing the end result of the case Adam and Noah was working on allowed me to focus on their relationship without getting distracted by evil kidnappers and pedophiles. Their relationship ties with Atticus and Jericho's as my favorite from the series. Still 5 stars 😊🥰
September 1, 2022
Adam’s fucked up brain had taken one look at Noah and decided his equally fucked up brain was what he wanted.This quote kinda sums up the story. I don't care how unrealistic the story was, I loved it! I'm not a big fan of insta love, or insta attraction, but it just worked here.
Don't think realistically when you read this, just go with the flow and the feel of the story and you'll be fine. A family of murderers (but only bad guys) has never made me so happy.
Looking forward to reading about the other brothers.
*Check TW
December 5, 2022
I don't know why I have been waiting so long to start this series?? It's fantastic!
March 6, 2023
Yeah, I'm not sure if the Necessary Evils series is for me...
This is a dark book that needs a HUGE content warning about sexual abuse of children (not on page, but referenced frequently), but that's not the reason I didn't enjoy it. I typically don't go for darker books with grim storylines, but for me, the biggest hurdle I had was going from reading about the sexual abuse of a toddler to a BDSM-y sex scene. Mentally, I couldn't switch back and forth in my mind, and I ended up skimming nearly every sex scene in the story.
I think the concept of psychopaths finding their version of love while murdering people is kind of... neat, but I can't see myself reading all of these books and being super into them. I'm going to give one more book a shot because I enjoyed the writing style, but the content is just icky all the way, IMO.
Can't win them all.
goodreads|instagram|twitter|tiktok
This is a dark book that needs a HUGE content warning about sexual abuse of children (not on page, but referenced frequently), but that's not the reason I didn't enjoy it. I typically don't go for darker books with grim storylines, but for me, the biggest hurdle I had was going from reading about the sexual abuse of a toddler to a BDSM-y sex scene. Mentally, I couldn't switch back and forth in my mind, and I ended up skimming nearly every sex scene in the story.
I think the concept of psychopaths finding their version of love while murdering people is kind of... neat, but I can't see myself reading all of these books and being super into them. I'm going to give one more book a shot because I enjoyed the writing style, but the content is just icky all the way, IMO.
Can't win them all.
goodreads|instagram|twitter|tiktok
January 25, 2025
Reread December 2024
I always want more of these two.
Reread January 2024
Oh how I love this series.
Reread August 2021
Yes, it's only been a month since I read this BUT
No. 1 I loved this book so hard and not much has lived up to it since.
No. 2 Book 2 will be out shortly so, rereading in preparation for its release.
Originally read July 2021
This ⬆️⬆️⬆️ This right here is what I love. I could not put this book down. It's all kind of fucked up.
OTT Crazy Possessive hero ✅
Hot 🔥 ✅
Maybe insta-love ✅ Well, I'd call it that 😆
Anti-Hero ✅
Sweet boy who comes into his potential ✅
There are some rough parts, so heed content warnings for child abuse. But oh man...it was everything I wanted to read right now.
Seriously, what can top that right now?
I always want more of these two.
Reread January 2024
Oh how I love this series.
Reread August 2021
Yes, it's only been a month since I read this BUT
No. 1 I loved this book so hard and not much has lived up to it since.
No. 2 Book 2 will be out shortly so, rereading in preparation for its release.
Originally read July 2021
This ⬆️⬆️⬆️ This right here is what I love. I could not put this book down. It's all kind of fucked up.
OTT Crazy Possessive hero ✅
Hot 🔥 ✅
Maybe insta-love ✅ Well, I'd call it that 😆
Anti-Hero ✅
Sweet boy who comes into his potential ✅
There are some rough parts, so heed content warnings for child abuse. But oh man...it was everything I wanted to read right now.
Seriously, what can top that right now?
July 7, 2021
4 " If he hurts you, I will put him through a meat grinder, Alive" ⭐
Okay, I am super-rich and I want my society to be free of crooks. What shall I do??? Easy peasy, let me adopt 7 children whose early diagnosis says they are going to/ are psychopaths and let's train them to be killers on a spree and for extra fun let's name them all starting with ' A'.🙄🙄
But, thankfully I had already read a few reviews. So, I did my eye-rolling thingy and moved on to banter between psychopaths and hot sizzling sex. 😌😌
The premise-
Adam is a psychopath and he knows it, but sees himself as ' necessary evil' and his work as ' community service'. He was the bad guy who did bad things to bad people for good reasons. He is the youngest of 7 brothers who are glued together by the mutually assured destruction. Then he meets Noah, who is the son of one of his victims, brandishing a gun to him. And, he decided he would never let Noah go, ever.🤭🤭 Yes, no fireworks or music, just his instinct and he claimed Noah, like a prehistoric caveman(it's Noah's words)Thankfully, the sentiment was reciprocated with full willingness.💕
Maybe I love you romance-
Adam and Noah have what we call combustible chemistry. Their time together is sexy and hot and rough. 😍😍And, despite Adam being incapable of feeling emotions and love and being possessive turns out to be one of the best books-boyfriend.
"Noah could never leave him. Never. He belonged to Adam. No matter how wrong it was. Or crazy. Or possessive. Noah was his".
Or
"Like I want to stitch my body to yours. Like I want to live inside your skin. Like I would handcuff you to the radiator if you tried to leave me.”
Isn't he charming????😜😜 Hey, Don't judge me, I am not into asshole heroes but I can't do anything but appreciate Adam who is full of dark humour and kills people who actually deserve to die. Plus, he is so caring, protective and can do anything for his beloved(even though he did not understand the meaning of love).
Niggles-
Ohh!! Yes, I am supposed to have them because we are reading Onley James.😏 So, even though the plot is OTT( did I mention it before???) and I didn't like the rushed ending (hey, I enjoy reading about mass- murders and all😂😂) But, I have nothing to complain about since this is my first successful venture in Onley James's writing. Plus, I have no shame in saying that I am gonna read the future books of Adam's six brothers and their father too.
Okay, I am super-rich and I want my society to be free of crooks. What shall I do??? Easy peasy, let me adopt 7 children whose early diagnosis says they are going to/ are psychopaths and let's train them to be killers on a spree and for extra fun let's name them all starting with ' A'.🙄🙄
But, thankfully I had already read a few reviews. So, I did my eye-rolling thingy and moved on to banter between psychopaths and hot sizzling sex. 😌😌
The premise-
Adam is a psychopath and he knows it, but sees himself as ' necessary evil' and his work as ' community service'. He was the bad guy who did bad things to bad people for good reasons. He is the youngest of 7 brothers who are glued together by the mutually assured destruction. Then he meets Noah, who is the son of one of his victims, brandishing a gun to him. And, he decided he would never let Noah go, ever.🤭🤭 Yes, no fireworks or music, just his instinct and he claimed Noah, like a prehistoric caveman(it's Noah's words)Thankfully, the sentiment was reciprocated with full willingness.💕
Maybe I love you romance-
Adam and Noah have what we call combustible chemistry. Their time together is sexy and hot and rough. 😍😍And, despite Adam being incapable of feeling emotions and love and being possessive turns out to be one of the best books-boyfriend.
"Noah could never leave him. Never. He belonged to Adam. No matter how wrong it was. Or crazy. Or possessive. Noah was his".
Or
"Like I want to stitch my body to yours. Like I want to live inside your skin. Like I would handcuff you to the radiator if you tried to leave me.”
Isn't he charming????😜😜 Hey, Don't judge me, I am not into asshole heroes but I can't do anything but appreciate Adam who is full of dark humour and kills people who actually deserve to die. Plus, he is so caring, protective and can do anything for his beloved(even though he did not understand the meaning of love).
Niggles-
Ohh!! Yes, I am supposed to have them because we are reading Onley James.😏 So, even though the plot is OTT( did I mention it before???) and I didn't like the rushed ending (hey, I enjoy reading about mass- murders and all😂😂) But, I have nothing to complain about since this is my first successful venture in Onley James's writing. Plus, I have no shame in saying that I am gonna read the future books of Adam's six brothers and their father too.
July 28, 2021
I absolutely love Onley James brand of psychopaths who find love. And Adam and his family were all delightful. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books.
This was kind of insta-lovey, but it was done right. These guys form an attachment from the start. And I loved that Noah knew the real Adam and Adam didn’t have to pretend with him.
There was plenty of hurt/comfort in this book. We had some fast paced action and some crazy hot sex scenes.
If I had one complain it would be that sometimes I felt like things were a bit superficial. I wanted the story to slow down a bit so we could really get into things.. But other than that this was really enjoyable.
This was kind of insta-lovey, but it was done right. These guys form an attachment from the start. And I loved that Noah knew the real Adam and Adam didn’t have to pretend with him.
There was plenty of hurt/comfort in this book. We had some fast paced action and some crazy hot sex scenes.
If I had one complain it would be that sometimes I felt like things were a bit superficial. I wanted the story to slow down a bit so we could really get into things.. But other than that this was really enjoyable.
July 10, 2021
3.5 Stars!
Unrealistic (obviously), yet entertaining.
Smoking hot.
I’m definitely intrigued by all of the brothers.
Nice start to a new series, I’m invested so far.
Unrealistic (obviously), yet entertaining.
Smoking hot.
I’m definitely intrigued by all of the brothers.
Nice start to a new series, I’m invested so far.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,673 reviews