Books like 'Barbarian'
Readers who enjoyed Barbarian by Onley James also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance gay romance friends to lovers mystery bad boys queer caretaking third-person-pov insta-love
-
The King by Tiffany Reisz
Cunning. Sex. Pure nerve. Only this unholy threesome can raise him to his rightful place as a ruler of Manhattan's kink kingdom. Bouncing from bed to bed on the Upper East Side, Kingsley Edge is brilliant, beautiful and utterly debauched. No carnal act or chemical compound can relieve his self-destructive heartache—only Søren, the one person he loves without limit or regret... -
The Keeper of Bees by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEmery Hazard has pretty much everything under control. He and his fiancé, John-Henry Somerset, are more in love than ever, despite the stress of wedding preparations hanging over them. His business as a private investigator is growing. He’s even enjoying time with his growing circle of friends... -
The Rational Faculty by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsThree months have passed since Emery Hazard and John-Henry Somerset faced a madman and lived to tell about it. Three months have passed since Emery Hazard resigned from his job as a detective. Three months can be too long and too short, all at the same time. On Halloween, a professor at the local college is murdered in his apartment, in front of dozens of witnesses. Then the killer disappears... -
Unbroken by Sloane Kennedy
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsEverything was supposed to go back to normal when I was rescued. It hasn't. And I'm starting to think it never will because I don't even know what normal is anymore... It's been two years since Aleks Silva was rescued by his older brother from the dark underworld of sex trafficking and every day since then has been a battle... -
-
Little Demon in the Details by Nordika Night
When an arranged marriage between two powerful families sparks suspicion, Blake Carter doesn’t hesitate to take advantage of the bride’s younger brother for answers... -
Final Orders by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAn embattled author. Fanatical parents. A son who can’t stay out of trouble. It’s the last one that’ll probably kill him.When Emery Hazard gets drawn into a brawl at a monthly school board meeting, he knows he’s in trouble; his husband, John-Henry Somerset, is chief of police, and they’re already under enough scrutiny as they try to finalize their foster son’s permanency plan... -
Transactional Dynamics by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEmery Hazard is ready for Valentine’s Day. He’s made reservations months in advance, he’s ordered flowers, and he’s got a boyfriend he wants to treat right—even if John-Henry Somerset occasionally lets the dishes sit in the sink a little too long. They even have an extra reason to celebrate this year: Somers has received a special commendation for his police work... -
Only for Tonight by Kali Noir
1 fantasy website.1 fantasy request.1 Halloween party.1 night.3 masked men.Will one night be enough?*Only for Tonight is a prequel to start the Dark Desires series. It will be a series of stand-alones. This book will end on a slight cliffhanger. It's an MMMM romance meant for an 18+ audience. Please read content and trigger warnings in the beginning of the book... -
Police Brutality by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFor the first time in a long while, Emery Hazard’s life is good. His new business as a private detective is taking off. Things are good at home. He loves his boyfriend, John-Henry Somerset; he loves their daughter. He might even love the new friends they’ve found. There’s only one problem: Somers has been talking about marriage... -
The Hatter's Game, Part II by Cole McCade
ABOUT THIS EPISODE Malcolm Khalaji is missing. And Seong-Jae Yoon is the only one who can find him. But to do so means walking paths he swore he would never tread again. Descending into the blackest hallways of a twisted and sadistic mind. Breaking down every wall he's ever built around himself, to try to predict what Sila will do next... -
Cash Plays by Cordelia Kingsbridge
Book three in the Seven of Spades series In this game, the stakes are life or death. The Seven of Spades is back with a vengeance — the vigilante serial killer has resumed their murderous crusade, eluding the police at every turn. But a bloodthirsty killer isn’t the only threat facing Sin City... -
The Air That I Breathe by Cara Dee
The Game Series, Book 3.5 “In that moment, I stopped caring about right and wrong.” The only thing that stood between us were the boundaries set by others, by society, by our parents. But together we could knock them down. Together, we could find freedom and live life on our own terms. Screw the rest of the world. He was all that mattered. He was the air that I breathed... -
Backdraft by Cole McCade
ABOUT THIS EPISODE When a 911 call goes wrong and a young man goes missing, it falls to Malcolm and Seong-Jae to investigate the responding officers when Internal Affairs' internal politics leave the case compromised and the officers aren't willing to talk... -
A Fault Against the Dead by Gregory Ashe
Drugs. Sex. Murder. And, if they can squeeze it in, graduation.When Auggie Lopez returns to Wahredua for his senior year of college, he’s excited about the future: he’s growing his brand as an influencer, he’s almost done with school, and he’s building a life with his boyfriend, Theo... -
-
Cult of Personality by Cole McCade
ABOUT THIS EPISODE "He pushed me." Three words turn a suspected suicide into an unsettling murder, pointing to a killer whose methods and motives threaten to expose buried memories of Seong-Jae's past... -
Olive Juice by T.J. Klune
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsIt begins with a message that David cannot ignore:I want to see you.He agrees, and on a cold winter’s night, David and Phillip will come together to sift through the wreckage of the memory of a life no longer lived.David is burdened, carrying with him the heavy guilt of the past six years upon his shoulders.Phillip offers redemption... -
Power Exchange by A.J. Rose
From the moment Detective Gavin DeGrassi steps into the world of BDSM to solve the brutal slaying of Dom George Kaiser, his course is not his own. Mesmerized by the context in which the victim lived and the images of the lifestyle seared into his soul, Gavin must find a way to navigate these unknown waters... -
Triangulation by Gregory Ashe
After a recent case with a treacherous client, North and Shaw are ready to go back to work building Borealis Investigations. They’re also ready to go back to dodging their feelings for each other, with neither man ready to deal with the powerful emotions the Matty Fennmore case stirred up... -
The Same Breath by Gregory Ashe
Teancum Leon, who goes by Tean, is a wildlife veterinarian. His life has settled into a holding pattern: he loves his job, he hates first dates, and he only occasionally has to deal with his neighbor Mrs. Wish’s cat-related disasters.All of that changes, though, when a man appears in his office, asking for help to find his brother...Categorized as:
mystery friends to lovers caretaking neurodivergent third-person-pov dual-pov bad boys queer -
The Golden Ratio by Cole McCade
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe boys are back, and an old face from Seong-Jae’s past plunges BPD Detectives Malcolm Khalaji and Seong-Jae Yoon from a two-month suspension right into the depths of hell — and into one of the most horrific, grisly cases of Malcolm’s life. He's never seen anything like it... -
Paternity Case by Gregory Ashe
It’s almost Christmas, and Emery Hazard finds himself face to face with his own personal nightmare: going on a double date with his partner—and boyhood crush—John-Henry Somerset. Hazard brings his boyfriend; Somers brings his estranged wife. Things aren’t going to end well. When a strange call interrupts dinner, however, Hazard and his partner become witnesses to a shooting... -
A Single Bright Candle's Flame by Cole McCade
ABOUT THIS EPISODE Detective Malcolm Khalaji is at a loss. For the second time in his life, he wasn't there when his lover needed him. And with Seong-Jae Yoon on leave pending an internal investigation, Malcolm doesn't know what to do with a shattered partner and boyfriend who's retreated from him into a dark and broken place. It's Gabrielle all over again.. -
Strays by Garrett Leigh
!! SECOND EDITION WITH EXTENDED CONTENT !!Award winning MM romance. A grumpy hero with the sweetest heart as forced proximity and found family give two damaged men the HEA they deserve.Work, sleep, work, repeat. Nero’s lonely life suits him just fine until his best friend, Cass, asks him to take on a new apprentice—a beautiful young man who’s never set foot in a professional kitchen... -
The Tin Box by Kim Fielding
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWilliam Lyon's past forced him to become someone he isn't. Conflicted and unable to maintain the charade, he separates from his wife and takes a job as caretaker at a former mental hospital. Jelley’s Valley State Insane Asylum was the largest mental hospital in California for well over a century, but it now stands empty... -
-
Devil by Silvia Violet
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsA Dark Mafia Romance Devil is a mobster with a dangerous secret... There's a cop who hates him. A cop he caught and released. A cop he can't get out of his mind after the one forbidden night they shared... -
Save Me by Ariana Nash
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe third and final book in the outstanding mafia/priest MM Forgive Me series. Vitari Angelini knows selling a cache of Battaglia guns to a drug lord is not what Francis would call legal, but he’ll never find out. Besides, it’s for a good cause: Francis’s happy ever after... -
Attraction by Kelly Fox
I run a high-end escort service. And I'm in love with a virgin. It doesn't make any sense, this attraction between us. I'm a violent Mafia Don, and Ford is a nervous, perfectly bow-tied, sexily bespectacled money nerd.But he's had my heart the first night I laid eyes on him, and while he keeps me at arm's length, he's never left my orbit. He's as bound to me as I am to him... -
In These Words, Volume 2 by Kichiku Neko, Guilt Pleasure
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAsano Katsuya realizes the meaning of his nightmare as everything came around full circle. Finally, Katsuya learned who Shinohara Kenji was and the meaning of his presence in his memories. With some answers surfacing, more questions also were pulled up with it. In These Words rewinds and replays the past that begun it all... -
Pain by E.M. Leya, Kellie Dennis Book Cover by Design
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen his daughter is kidnapped, Matt’s life screeches to a halt. He would do anything to get his daughter back, but first he needs to find her. When the police exhaust all possible leads, Matt does the only thing he can do — he uses his hacking skills to infiltrate the dark web... -
Divine Proportion by Cole McCade
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsWhile Captain Anjulie Zarate y Salazar faces a crisis of loyalty at home, Malcolm Khalaji faces another crisis in Los Angeles—one that will test him to his absolute limits.And that crisis is named Yoon Eun-Ji... -
Deep Spiral by Cole McCade
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsABOUT THIS EPISODE A deadly, unstable shooter. A trap Malcolm and Seong-Jae can't escape. And more than one life on the line as they find themselves facing down one of the Golden Ratio Killer's proxies in a high-stakes hostage situation that could ramp up the serial murderer's mathematical body counts exponentially. And if Malcolm and Seong-Jae aren't careful, they'll be among the tally... -
Hard Angle by Cole McCade
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsUnsettled tensions from the last case come to a head as Seong-Jae reveals his secrets — but will it be enough to repair the fractures in his relationship with Malcolm?Especially when their only promising lead on the Golden Ratio Killer's identity falls apart, along with any hope of returning home to Baltimore and to their life together.When their primary suspect turns up dead..... -
It's Witchcraft by Cole McCade
ABOUT THIS EPISODE An eerie ritualistic murder sends Malcolm and Seong-Jae down a bizarre path of the occult to find a killer--but when it comes to witchcraft, the suspect's not the only one casting a spell. With Seong-Jae haunting his dreams, Malcolm is practically bewitched, his trust in Seong-Jae growing deeper and deeper as both men learn to rely on each other... -
The Hatter's Game, Part I by Cole McCade
ABOUT THIS EPISODE Broken trust. Shattered hearts. Secrets exposed--and yet still no closer to the truth. When Malcolm and Seong-Jae's relationship hits a wall, their partnership fragments as well...and they may not be able to withstand the crushing tide when protests over Tomasz Kowalczyk's death turn into deadly riots. Too many familiar faces return, and one will be leaving in a bodybag... -
-
Crescendo by Cole McCade
ABOUT THIS EPISODE "I'm sorry." A stage play turns into high drama when the leading man's mutilated body takes center stage--and the remorseful note pinned to his chest is Malcolm and Seong-Jae's only clue to finding the killer... -
The Man with the Glass Eye by Cole McCade
ABOUT THIS EPISODE Multiple execution-style murders hint at a mob hit, but when Malcolm and Seong-Jae follow the clues the last thing they expect is a host of very familiar--and very dead--faces. They say dead men tell no tales, but if Malcolm and Seong-Jae can't even trust the words of the living, they'll never catch a hit man dead set on burying every trace of an underworld secret.. -
Custody Battles by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSome parents would die for their children. Others will do a whole lot worse.Emery Hazard and his husband, John-Henry Somerset, are settling into their new normal—at home, with the latest addition to their family, and at work, as Somers adapts to his new role and Hazard manages his expanding agency. The only thing Hazard is worried about is getting through dinner with his in-laws... -
In These Words, Volume 3 by Kichiku Neko, Guilt Pleasure
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsShinohara Kenji implemented Asano Katsuya's plan to draw out the serial killer who'd been plagueing the police for years. The net was cast. However, Asano was unexpectedly ensnared in it. For six days, as Shinohara searched for him frantically - the doctor was forced to endure the pain of extreme love and hate for the killer. Then on the seventh day - everything crashed down in a devastating end... -
How Did You Survive Alone? by Ki Brightly, M.D. Gregory
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe Legacy Mobster Fallon Maher is falling for the most unlikely person. Aspen is handsome, but he’s quiet, while Fallon is the opposite and talks enough to irritate everyone. The two men dance around their feelings, but when Fallon is injured while on a job for their boss, Aspen charges into the line of fire to help him... -
Matchstick Men by Adira August
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSometimes it's the cop who needs to hit the floor... Haunted by the worst case of my career, I knew only one way to exorcise the images from my mind, the victim from my soul ... Inside the club, I scanned the room. He was here—Camden Snow—a sex god in the guise of unpretentious youth... -
Collateral Damage by Cole McCade
ABOUT THIS EPISODE Tragedy strikes on the homefront when a husband and father snaps...but if Detectives Malcolm Khalaji and Seong-Jae Yoon can't track down a killer on the run, this crime of passion may take one more victim. Moral boundaries blur, lines cross, and even as a secretive puppetmaster watches from the shadows, both Malcolm and Seong-Jae must make a choice. One path leads to salvation... -
The Interrogation (Hunt&Cam4Ever) by Adira August
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHunter’s most twisted killer. Cam’s most dangerous case.A STAND-ALONE PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERIf you like a master gamesman for a detective and a few twists in your criminal cocktail, you want to read this... -
White Rabbit, Part II by Cole McCade
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe white rabbit crashes storytime with Sila, Malcolm, and Seong-Jae — a little too literally, leaving our intrepid detectives battered but not broken. Yet what they find with the white rabbit's arrival could destroy even the strongest man: a diabolical game with over two dozen lives at stake, turning their final showdown into a macabre stage play with the white rabbit as its star... -
How Much for a Broken Heart? by R.J. Scott
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen the game turns deadly for a SEAL and his Ranger, love becomes the most dangerous mission of all.In a single devastating morning, August's life crumbles. His covert assignment derails disastrously as the family he's meant to safeguard falls prey to the ruthless Cooper River cartel... -
-
Deliverance by Garrett Leigh
Banished gangster Benito Martell is living on the edge. An explosive hook-up in a club gifts him the relief he craves, but nothing about his life is ever so simple. Complications abound, and before long, he’s falling for the only man who can save his family from eviction.Recovering addict Mickey Larwood has worked hard to leave his past behind... -
Hook by Gianni Holmes
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsKITDodging bullets and jumping from two story buildings are things I’d only ever seen in movies.Never would I have expected that this would become my life.I keep deadly secrets for the man I love.I’ll follow him across countries to have his back.Why am I willing to risk everything for him?Because of the look in his eyes when I purr for him.SULLYWorking with Kit is my greatest joy... -
Changing Faces by Cole McCade
ABOUT THIS EPISODE With Malcolm on forced bed rest and off duty, Detective Seong-Jae Yoon faces his first solo case since joining the BPD--and it's one that will challenge his morals, his sense of duty, and his insistence on adhering to the letter of the law, especially when his actions in the Bishop case leave him questioning his own integrity... -
Make Me Soar by K.C. Wells
Collars and Cuffs: Book Six Anyone who frequents Collars & Cuffs knows Dorian Forrester is built for pain, including Dorian himself. But everyone has it wrong. For six years, Dorian’s chased a feeling that remains tantalizingly out of his reach. Unteachable, Dorian can take anything and everything a Dom can throw at him. Still, it’s not enough. Dorian needs… something more... -
Midnight by April Jade
He was a predator… and I loved to watch him stalk his prey. The first time I saw Elijah Kingston was through a computer screen. Night after night, I watched him shed his counterfeit smiles and falsely perfect persona. Gone was the family man everyone thought him to be and in his place was one of the deadliest assassins the mafia has ever seen... -
Lay Your Sleeping Head by Michael Nava
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA completely revised edition of the first Henry Rios mystery, The Little Death, Lay Your Sleeping Head introduces Michael Nava’s singular protagonist, gay, Latino criminal defense lawyer Henry Rios...
Find out more about romance.io.
Get recommendations by genres & tropes
Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences

Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.