It might shock you to know that people really do sometimes meet someone and think, “That one. Yup. That one is mine. I’m going to marry this person one day.” (I did, for the record. It lasted eighteen years). 

However, it probably doesn’t come as a shocker to know that some people can talk themselves into believing all sorts of delusions, including that of course they haven’t been dating their best friend since they first met! They sleep in the same bed because cuddles are nice and it’s easier to stay warm. Yeah. Take that.

As always, when it feels like things might be slowing down just a tad around town, something nasty hits the fan. This time it’s the Chinese Triad making moves around the neighborhoods and doing business in ways the boys (and the Mulvaneys) just can’t condone, like kidnapping children to extort women for goods or services. Since the child the Triad attempted to kidnap is one of Mal’s dance students, the case becomes Nico and Mal’s responsibility. Neither one of them feels ready for the responsibility, but they know what it feels like to have no one care about you, and they won’t let this girl or her mother slip through the cracks. 

Onley James never disappoints. Her books hit every time. I have a conviction inside of me that the Jericho’s Boys books are pointedly different from the Necessary Evils books not only because we were introduced to these characters as Jericho’s “wards” and as minors but because this story is far more focused on the angst, trauma, and emotional development of the main couples than the many major and interconnected plot lines that lasted throughout the NE series. We’re far more invested in these boys finding their HEA than their vigilantism, even though we have fun watching them deal out punishment to the bad guys while falling in love as much as we did with couples like Jericho and Atticus. For all of this and more, Barbarian deserves 5 stars.

🩶 What to Expect 🩶

🍒 Adorable pet names

💣 Gender-fluid dance instructor MC

🍒 Is he an adorable alien or an evil sex demon?

💣 It’s possible to share a bed without having sex, right?

🍒 Looks like an angel but is really a devil

💣 Ass-obsessed

🍒 “He’s going to be my husband someday”

💣 Is it co-dependency or curated dependence?

🍒 Rough sex (like that’s unexpected, lol)

💣 Insightful art criticism

🍒 Unfiltered group chats

💣 Search: What’s the difference between a sadist and a psychopath?

🍒 ADHD rep

💣 Autism rep

🍒 That would be the pain meds talking

💣 Honestly, who doesn’t Thomas know?

🍒 Adoration of breakfast foods

💣 Degradation & praise kink

I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Dark Romance/Found Family/LGBTQ Fiction/LGBTQ Romance/Spice Level 3/Vigilante Justice