Headcase – Onley James

Synopsis

Asa Mulvaney is half of a psychopathic whole. He and his twin brother live together, party together…kill together. In the Mulvaney family, murder is the family business and business is good. When an experiment separates Asa and his brother, Asa is forced to navigate the world on his own for the first time in his life.

Zane Scott is a small-time crime blogger and amateur sleuth, but he dreams of a byline in a major paper someday. When he winds up at a boring fundraiser beside Asa Mulvaney, they share an intensely passionate encounter that leaves Zane with an ache in his chest and a story idea that could make his career dreams a reality.

At a nearby college, a cluster of suicides isn’t what it seems. When Asa’s father asks him to look into it, he sees the perfect opportunity to see his little crime reporter again. And Asa needs to see him again. Zane’s suspicious of Asa’s motives, but he won’t say no to a chance to peek behind the Mulvaney family curtains.

As the two unravel a sinister plot, Asa’s obsession with Zane grows and Zane finds being Asa’s sole focus outweighs almost anything, maybe even his career–which is good for Asa because loving a Mulvaney is a full-time job. Can he convince Zane that he’s worth navigating a family of psychopaths and his pathologically jealous twin, or will Zane learn the hard way that the Mulvaney boys always get what they want? Always.

Headcase is a high heat, intense, lovers-to-frenemies, psychopath romance with an HEA and no cliffhangers. It features an obsessive, calculating psychopath and a wannabe reporter who will stop at nothing to earn himself a major byline. As always, there’s gratuitous violence, very dark humor, enough killers to fill an auditorium, and enough heat to melt your kindle. This is book 4 in the Necessary Evils series. Each book follows a different couple.

TAGS: psychopath romance, Asa is bored, Avi is jealous, Zane is pretty, Adam is still a dick, August is… August, Aiden’s still missing, Lucas is concerned, Atticus plays den mother to a gaggle of murderous young adults, Asa wants Zane but knows he suspects he’s a killer, Zane wants a story but can’t keep from falling into bed with his target, extra dark humor, found family, So. Many. Murderers, mysteries abound, bad boys doing bad things and each other, high non-relationship angst, low relationship angst, shmoop, fluff, smut.

My Thoughts

Zane has dreams of becoming a crime reporter, and he’s spent months following the trail of bodies that seem to surround the Mulvaneys and their partners. When he encounters Asa at an event, he thinks he’s found his in. But Zane is in for way, way more than he bargained for.

When discovering the Mulvaney family secret – they’re the psychopath sons of an eccentric (and apparently very handsome) billionaire who take out the trash that slip through the criminal justice cracks – he doesn’t expect things to hit so close to home. But they do, and Zane has to rely on Asa to get him through.

Zane leans heavily on Asa. Asa keeps him going, keeps him from spiraling. He also keeps him rather blood thirsty. Zane’s brother was the victim of a sick and twisted game run by sick and twisted people (even by Mulvaney standards). And Zane won’t rest until they’re all taken out. And Asa won’t rest until Zane gets his closure.

The start of their relationship is a little rough around the edges, but they soon build a foundation on communication and honesty. Zane communicates his needs, and Asa communicates his desires. They find a balance that works for them. And they make it work. Zane even manages to win over Asa’s twin, Avi, who is more territorial of Asa than anyone else. And considering Avi’s fixation with Jericho’s brother, Felix, whatever lies ahead for the four of them is bound to be intense.

~ by Aubrey Smith on April 14, 2024.