When The Bough Breaks

by O'Junea Brown

Have you ever felt like you’re being watched?

That, ironically, is the least of my problems.

Stuck in a dead-end relationship with an emotionally unavailable fiancé and little to no support system, I'm just trying to make the best of the hand I've been dealt. But that all changes when my masked stalker shows me just what my would-be spouse has been up to, convincing me that I deserve far more than the contempt and abuse I've been accepting.

It's time that I start living for myself and finally release the rage that's burning straight through my soul.

Genres: Suspense

352 pages, Paperback

Published February 10, 2026

About the author

O'Junea Brown is an emerging author of Romantasy. A Fate of Onyx and Ivory is her first published novel with many more to come. She was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.

She loves her books, comics, video games, sports (go Cubs!), and anything fitness related. O'Junea has a bit too much dark humor and somewhat of a sailor's mouth, but her husband loves her the way that she is and that's all that matters.

Her baby boy Phoenix and dog Khloe are her only babies.

Follow her on Instagram and TikTok at @fit.and.fiction

Reviews

[Kat (BostonKatReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ RTC!

[Amoyisreadingxoxo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once this ride starts… yeah y’all better hang onnn🙂‍↔️

The darkness, the REPRESENTATION?! So many things to praise in this book honestly. Maevis is so sure of where she should go in life, and what she should do. She has this goal to climb the ladders however she can, and she was definitely on her way. In comes her stalker who consumes her entire being. Vane had me eating up everything he was putting down lmao! There was just something so intriguing about the way he handles Maevis. He gave her that rush in life she was searching for🖤✨

[Janine Amundson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Met her at the Nook!!! Omg I could not put this book down. Finished in two days. You know that water slide that is pitch black and you don’t know which way it is going to go, your stomach drops, twists, but you try to hold on…..

[Heather Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this being the first dark romance book for the author, O’Junea nailed it! There was equal parts drama, dark comedy, and romance 🔥

Chapters weren’t too long and the story is multi perspective, which made it easier to stay engaged and to know what each MC is feeling with their POV in the situation. Also, there’s actually a story! You know how some romance books reads as if the “romance scenes” were written first and the author trys to write a story around them? This is definitely not that. When the Bough Breaks was well written with an important story being told.

I loved how the FMC, after some guidance from her stalker, became this fierce independent woman. Also, the MMC treats Maevis like the Duchess all women should be treated, and helps her out of a horrible abusive relationship. There were some side characters that I really hope the author gives their own MC moment in future books!

Overall, if you can’t tell, I really enjoyed When the Bough Breaks. Love the MCs and the story that was told. Can’t wait to read more from this author and see what she comes up with next.

[TwinTLC · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW: When The Bough Breaks
by O'Junea Brown

Thank you Meg Opalescent for the ARC copy!

Welcome to Maevis's ride! We hope you have read the trigger warnings, as it's about to be quite the experience. Please keep all hands and feet tucked safely inside at all times and safely enjoy the ride. Please read responsibly!

3.5 - 4 ⭐️: From page 1, this book had me hooked and running through the chapters real quick. Good thing, the story moves just as quick, as well. Had a great storyline, but I just wished, there was a bit more in depth about her past with Vane. I also found, some gaps with the story lines with Maevis's parents and the background story around that. While Vane had me swooning, Ross most certainly had me cussing. LOL! This book gave me mini Haunting Adeline vibes.....

I really did thoroughly enjoy this story!
Well done O'Junea. Well done!

[Whitney Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book! This helped me get out of my reading slump. The story line was good with some interesting twists. This is considered a darker book. There is some physical abuse but I think there is much more emotional. I personally have read a lot of dark romance and prefer to go in blind. I would consider this book to be on the lighter side but if you have triggers you should definitely check the trigger warning list. I loved the MMC. Overall I enjoyed the FMC but there was something about her that kept rubbing me the wrong way. The FMC is a badass in her own right though! While I am very glad this book does not end on a cliffhanger. I am very curious if any of the side characters are going to be getting their own book. I think the author set it up so this could potentially be a series with connected standalone.

[Krista Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

This book had me questioning a lot during the first half of it not going to lie. I loved Maevis but that girl gave me whiplash with her emotions and her attitudes haha. One minute she was a boss a** b*tch in the best possible way at work dealing with entitled men. Next it felt like she lost her spark but the further I got into the book the more I loved her and understood her actions. I loved seeing how she progressed through the book and how much stronger she became.

Some truly traumatic things happened to Maevis and it took a delicious stalker coming into her life for her eyes to be fully open.

Speaking of her stalker.......VANE CAN GET IT!!!! I loved that man so freaking much!! He was absolutely perfect. Stalked her. Loved her. Made her see her worth. Gave her courage and an outlet. Not to mention he truly was a touch her and die man because loooooooooordy did he. No one messed with his Dutchess.

O'Junea has a special way of making me hate characters and she did that with Ross and his family. If I could have reached into that book and dragged him out by his collar and beat him senseless I would have. There is a special place in the fire pit for him.

I am so ready for the second that follows the best friends because I know it is going to be insane in the best possible way.

I'm not going to lie, I was left with a few questions. One what happened with the secretary and two what happened with the business because I need to know lol

[ms.Violetg Likes To Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

💜“I may have waited far too long to pry my way back into your life, but there was never a moment I wasn’t going to make you mine.”

✨Yall!! To say my heart is in love with these two, please!! I had the absolute pleasure of reading When The Bough Breaks and I loved every single moment of their story!

💜O’Junea Brown continues to captivate my heart with her stories and her debut into dark romance was exactly what I needed! Many big feels and gut wrenching moments for these MC’s, their HEA was so deserved!!

✨These characters had depth, complexity, and incredible growth throughout. Both having endured traumas, heartbreak, and unimaginable betrayals. There were moments I felt absolutely rage!!!

💜When The Bough Breaks felt like a brutal, beautiful, and powerful reclaiming in so many ways. My heart ached for our FMC, and the perfect pairing of our dominant yet tender MMC was everything.

✨And the found family, please!! It was not just our MC’s who I fell in love with in When The Bough Breaks 📖👀

💜Dark Romance

✨Revenge

💜Mafia | Billionaire Vibes

✨Found Family

💜Masked Stlkr

✨Please, add this to your TBR!! When The Bough Break is available NOW and on KU

💜My most sincere and genuine thank you to for their incredible story, these beautiful stickers | bookmark, and for this gorgeous copy to When The Bough Breaks

“I promised myself the next time I made you ….I was going to drink in what you look like while I did it”

“Open for me, Duchess.”

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoyed When The Bough Breaks but Maevis got on my last nerves a lot of the time. She came off weak at critical times. When she did grow a spine, blood always followed. Vane was chef’s kiss, his patience and love for her was amazing to see. They were friends in college, until Maevis 's parents made her switch colleges so she was away from him. The sneaky way, Vane comes back into her life was clever. Ross, Maevis’s fiancé was a sick bastard but I’ll let you figure out why. The secondary characters Anika, Rose (Maevis’s bffs) and Ryratt (Vane bff) added lightheartedness and loyalty to the story. I would love to know the backstory on Rose. There was something dark and intriguing going with her. Anika was just hilarious (“She talks a lot”). Ryratt aka Blondie gave smart, dangerous and protective. He was so loyal to Vane and watched his back excellently.

There some small detail issues:
1. First chapter, person that was helping Mae, Author used they/them so I was thinking the person was non-binary. However, that never came up again.
2. Character names were switched so it made it difficult to know what was happening time. Ex. Coach Smith and Coach River.

3 ⭐️ on spicy scale. Check triggers.

Overall, I would definitely recommend When The Bough Breaks. I received a free ARC copy of When The Bough Breaks for my honest opinion.

[Jan Agaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me by surprise in many ways, and it made me question certain things that get me going LOL. I love a second chance romance, and I love how dark this got in the mafia sense.
I recommend this one to those who loved Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan and Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver. I just adore stories about mutually fucked up people, I love when a woman learns her worth, and I love when mfs get what they deserve. I don't love a specific thing in epilogues, which this had, but overall I had such a fun time meeting these characters, and I'm manifesting a second book following a certain couple please & thank you :)

[Maria Mieling · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard to say you loved a book that was written from the darkest moments of the authors life but it was such an inspiring story of fighting your way out of the dark and learning your true worth. This book definitely is dark and the trigger warning cannot be overlooked. Both of the main characters suffered a dark childhood and continue to live through the trauma and new traumas. It was so good and horrifying and heartbreaking all at the same time. If you have read Rina Kent’s books and enjoyed them then this book is worth reading. Thank you so much to the author for this ARC.

[Nika Toussaint · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this read! It was dark and steamy and the plot twists I was not totally expecting. I feel like we can all find a little of ourselves in Maevis. Moments when you felt less than, where you were gaslit, or had to be what others expected you to be. Our girl is going through it in this book and yet she’s still strong and keeps her humor. The end was so satisfying with certain people getting their karma. I really enjoyed reading this

Stalker? Check!
Girlhood? Check!

[books2loversss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty good first half, but the second was all over the place

This went so over the top so quickly I got whiplash. Yes, it’s a dark stalker romance, but I still need to emotionally connect to the plot and stakes, and that fell off when the conflicts started going zero to soap opera in five seconds. I did enjoy the early stages when Maevis had a hot stalker and a fiancé she needed to ditch and not a whole crowd of psychos doing unhinged things but mostly offscreen.

[BigGirlBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The romance is spicy and the revenge is sweet.

This dark romance checks so many boxes and I couldn't put it down! Doesn't every woman want to be swept off her feet by a masked stalker who will encourage her to burn the world down?

I am so excited to read more dark romance from this author and will happily beg that the next installment be about Rose and Ryatt!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down!!

Maevis is trying to live the best life she can with controlling parents and a distant fiancee. Until a masked stalker starts showing her who she is under all the doubt.

This is a dark story (so check those TWs), but it is about healing each other.

Thank you for taking the emotional journey and writing this story.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book waxed and waned for me. There were strong parts where I was engrossed in the plot. There were other parts that were stiff and felt like there was a lack of fluidity. There was a lot going on!! A lot, with multiple sub plots.
I loved Vane, Maevis, not so much. And Ross, he deserved so much more, and not in a good way!

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy Is The Theme!

This was a good book. A crazy ex-fiance, a crazy stalker, crazy parents a crazy set of friends. To find out your whole life was a lie is enough to make anyone crazy. Well Done Ms. Brown!

[Jenna Herbst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty dark!!!
Death
Blood
Steam
Action
The works!
Very edge of my seat type of story line

[Krystina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, broody, murdery, this was great and the female rage gave me life in this!!

[Caroline Herrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this author so much and this book is a great fun read!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great female lead. I enjoyed her journey to becoming a start badass! I literally finished this in one sitting, I didn't want to put it down.

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! Who is this author?! This book was so-so good. Perfect? No, but damn near. I have questions—because, I'm one of those readers. I'll be back to review ... soon.

[Lmaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Miranda Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, twisty, and spicy. This local author is now on my must read list!

[D.A. Meydan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark but accessible introduction to the genre.

I received a copy of When the Bough Breaks as an ARC reader.

I’ve read and watched a lot of very dark romance through anime and manga, so while this book is dark, I’ve personally experienced darker stories. With that in mind, I think this is a surprisingly sweet entry point into dark romance for readers who are curious about the genre but intimidated by it. The story goes to uncomfortable places, but not so far that you feel emotionally wrecked after finishing.

That said, this book absolutely carries weight. There were moments that hit very close to home for me. Some pages had me closing my ereader because certain lines mirrored things I’ve heard in real life. I cried more than once. The emotional impact is real.

The story follows Maevis, a young woman climbing the ladder in finance and preparing to marry her fiancé. Her life is already in a fragile, transitional place when a mysterious stalker begins circling her. Everything shatters when he forces his way into her home, and from there the story spirals into something tense, spicy, and deeply psychological. That break-in scene in particular is intense.

Representation was another highlight. The book features a Black female main character, a white male lead, and a supporting cast filled with people of color. It’s refreshing to see dark urban romance told through that lens. The kink elements are present but light compared to heavier entries in the genre, making it approachable without losing edge.

If this is a standalone, it wraps up in a satisfying way. Personally, I would love to see the author continue exploring this style of storytelling. The writing feels raw, like it’s pulling from deeply personal places. Whether intentional or not, you can feel lived experience in the emotions. That vulnerability gives the story its power.

Overall, this is a strong debut into dark urban romance. It is emotional, tense, intimate, and human.

Trigger warnings: stalking, home invasion, emotional abuse themes, psychological manipulation, sexual content, power imbalance dynamics, trauma references.

[chill_book_reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

Thank you for a digital arc of this story in exchange for an honest review!

I’ll get straight to the point. I wanted this to be better than what it was. The characters often made decisions that did not quite make sense to me which really prevented me from connecting with any of them. Some elements of the story did not connect and there were quite a few plot holes. I did chuckle a few times because of the dialogue which I really appreciated. Overall, this one just wasn’t for me.

[Chrissy MacLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this, but this just wasn’t for me. The story just seemed so wildly unbelievable, and there were quite a few plot holes. In addition to this, it just felt like such an unsafe depiction of kink, even though it seemed like it was trying to do the opposite at points. The concept was so good in theory, but the delivery just did not hit the mark for me. 2⭐️