James slams us with 20 years of heartache between both men and makes us feel every bit of that pain but never slips into melodrama. This isn’t a second-chance romance, but instead the exceedingly drawn-out journey toward a first chance (alternatively, the ultimate “idiots in love”).

James flips this concept neatly by showing the more dangerous alternative to a psychopath picking their person via the damage and guilt Thomas has carried for decades.Īs we delve into that history and pain, we simultaneously experience the poignant tipping point that occurs between Thomas and Aiden. One element of this series that I have particularly enjoyed is the nontraditional romance arcs of each psychopathic Mulvaney brother picking their person and following the various relationship styles that emerge from that point. Though Aiden and Thomas now carry the baggage of 20 years of history, the present-day mystery very much centers on Thomas and also does a lot to fully explain the “why” behind original experiment that leads to his first six adoptions.

His circumstances answer a lot of questions, but also make Thomas’s reasons for adopting Aiden fairly convoluted despite coming from a place of good intentions. Aiden’s story is just as dark, but in a significantly different manner, since he comes to Thomas almost as a legal adult. Previously, the prologues that covered Thomas’s first meeting with each of his sons as children were fairly heart-wrenching as we learn about their particular traumatic early childhoods. I promise that is not the case, and I was invested in this book from the very first page.īefore we get to the heart of this story, which involves Thomas’ mysterious past, we get Aiden’s completely unexpected origin story. So much about that last bit has been teased from the very beginning that there is a risk of the final reveal not holding up. The final book in this epic and addictive series delivers on multiple unspoken promises: a sprawling cast of characters featuring all of our favorites from previous books, an explanation for the mystery of Thomas’s origin story, and of course, the full story of Thomas and Aiden.

Onley james necessary evils book 7