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Murder & Mistletoe: A Necessary Evils Anthology
302 pages, Paperback
Published January 19, 2026
84 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Onley James
42 books3,793 followersOnley James lives in North Carolina with her daughter, her daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and a menagerie of animals, both good and evil. James splits her time between writing m/m romance and mainlining dangerous levels of caffeine and attempting to maintain her ever-slipping sanity.
When not at her desk you can find her whining about how much writing she has to do while avoiding said writing by binge-watching unhealthy amounts of television and doom scrolling on social media. She loves true crime documentaries, anti-heroes, and writing kinky, snarky books about morally gray men who fall in love with other men.
Stay up to date: www.onleyjames.com/newsletter
Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Onley...
Want more: linktr.ee/OnleyJames
When not at her desk you can find her whining about how much writing she has to do while avoiding said writing by binge-watching unhealthy amounts of television and doom scrolling on social media. She loves true crime documentaries, anti-heroes, and writing kinky, snarky books about morally gray men who fall in love with other men.
Stay up to date: www.onleyjames.com/newsletter
Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Onley...
Want more: linktr.ee/OnleyJames
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 27, 2026
And I continue to have an issue with the Necessary Evils Anthologies. It wasn't horrible, but, it wasn't anything great. Again I felt like I was missing stuff, that there was stuff from her Patreon that I hadn't gotten, hence that feeling. Maybe it was just me, just my feeling, but there were certain parts, with moments that things were said that I don't recall being referenced in her books. So, this was a bit of an annoyance.
Also, the editing. This was not edited all that well, especially when you've misspelled a character....unless, again, you decided to change the spelling on Patreon and I never saw it, but that one seems a bit farfetched. What am I referencing? Is that adorable boy's name Allister (as was seen in the stories regarding Cricket giving birth) or is it Alastair (as seen in the 2024 Christmas story)?? If these are from Patreon, I can, to a degree, understand the desire to just put them in a book and call it a day. But, in my opinion, the minute you put a price tag on something, the minute you put it on sale, you should be trying your best to put out your best work (Yes, I understand that Patreon is paid for, as well, but, and I may be wrong but I imagine there's a warning about things not being perfected in that format.). While I understand that you'll still find editing problems in books (it's something of a pet peeve of mine but I am trying to be more understanding. It still frustrates but I try to breathe through it.), misspelling a character's name is not something I care for.
Honestly, I can agree with one of the other reviews on here, saying they'd have been good reading Archer and Mac's adventures alone. They had the best story in the book, honestly. Also, why wasn't the second part of The Core Four's 2024 Christmas story in the book? If you put the dirty story with Adam and Noah in the book, not just the part one, you should do the same with the others, as well. That's just unnecessarily rude, making people jump through hoops to get another story, a sequel, the second part! So mean!
If it wasn't for the fact that these are on Kindle Unlimited and I can read them there, I'm not sure I'd be reading these anthologies, especially not after the first one. At this moment, I'm questioning whether or not I'd put down the money to pay for them.
As I said, not bad, but not great.
Also, the editing. This was not edited all that well, especially when you've misspelled a character....unless, again, you decided to change the spelling on Patreon and I never saw it, but that one seems a bit farfetched. What am I referencing? Is that adorable boy's name Allister (as was seen in the stories regarding Cricket giving birth) or is it Alastair (as seen in the 2024 Christmas story)?? If these are from Patreon, I can, to a degree, understand the desire to just put them in a book and call it a day. But, in my opinion, the minute you put a price tag on something, the minute you put it on sale, you should be trying your best to put out your best work (Yes, I understand that Patreon is paid for, as well, but, and I may be wrong but I imagine there's a warning about things not being perfected in that format.). While I understand that you'll still find editing problems in books (it's something of a pet peeve of mine but I am trying to be more understanding. It still frustrates but I try to breathe through it.), misspelling a character's name is not something I care for.
Honestly, I can agree with one of the other reviews on here, saying they'd have been good reading Archer and Mac's adventures alone. They had the best story in the book, honestly. Also, why wasn't the second part of The Core Four's 2024 Christmas story in the book? If you put the dirty story with Adam and Noah in the book, not just the part one, you should do the same with the others, as well. That's just unnecessarily rude, making people jump through hoops to get another story, a sequel, the second part! So mean!
If it wasn't for the fact that these are on Kindle Unlimited and I can read them there, I'm not sure I'd be reading these anthologies, especially not after the first one. At this moment, I'm questioning whether or not I'd put down the money to pay for them.
As I said, not bad, but not great.
January 31, 2026
It may be about to flip into February, but Onley James (one of my true blue auto-buy, most-favorite authors of all time) has bestowed upon us an anthology of stories set in the Necessary Evils universe that center around a Christmas Eve gathering at the Mulvaney mansion that goes off the rails when Cricket brings a party crasher along.
This anthology not only includes what have become my favorite part of these anthologies, which are the stories about the Mulvaney grandchildren and all of their shenanigans (August and Lucas’ twin daughters are always my favorites), but also a spicy Calliope/Lola story, two Dimitri/Arlo stories (which I will always welcome since they didn’t get a whole novel), a Cree/Jordan story (which is a little horny and a lot sweet), and at least one fic for every other Mulvaney couple (yes, even Aiden and Thomas, which is always hot hot hot).
With most of the Mulvaneys moving to Serenity Grove and the growing weirdness happening there, Onley is treating us to some more…otherworldly teases in this anthology, which is so exciting because I’m always wondering what might be coming up next…and what is going to make Noah reach for his emotional support vodka. 4⭐️
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: Anthology/Romance/Rom-Com/Sapphic Romance/LGBTQ Romance/MM Romance/Polyamorous Romance/Sapphic Romance/Spice Level 2/Age Gap/Billionaire/Found Family/Kink Friendly/Vigilantes
This anthology not only includes what have become my favorite part of these anthologies, which are the stories about the Mulvaney grandchildren and all of their shenanigans (August and Lucas’ twin daughters are always my favorites), but also a spicy Calliope/Lola story, two Dimitri/Arlo stories (which I will always welcome since they didn’t get a whole novel), a Cree/Jordan story (which is a little horny and a lot sweet), and at least one fic for every other Mulvaney couple (yes, even Aiden and Thomas, which is always hot hot hot).
With most of the Mulvaneys moving to Serenity Grove and the growing weirdness happening there, Onley is treating us to some more…otherworldly teases in this anthology, which is so exciting because I’m always wondering what might be coming up next…and what is going to make Noah reach for his emotional support vodka. 4⭐️
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: Anthology/Romance/Rom-Com/Sapphic Romance/LGBTQ Romance/MM Romance/Polyamorous Romance/Sapphic Romance/Spice Level 2/Age Gap/Billionaire/Found Family/Kink Friendly/Vigilantes
February 2, 2026
February 2026
Kindle edition
Hm, requires a re-read at another time me thinks. Felt like a long epilogue where everyone either needs to get laid or talk about the next Jericho's boys hook ups. Nice to see everyone doing well. Curious about Allister, the kid is gonna go through a lot. The rest of the kids seem like trouble.
Kindle edition
Hm, requires a re-read at another time me thinks. Felt like a long epilogue where everyone either needs to get laid or talk about the next Jericho's boys hook ups. Nice to see everyone doing well. Curious about Allister, the kid is gonna go through a lot. The rest of the kids seem like trouble.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2026
Cute stories. I love the characters. But this was nothing special.
January 25, 2026
I would've loved to see through Archer and Mac's adventure alone
January 28, 2026
More Christmas fun/murder with "Murder & Mistletoe: A Necessary Evils Anthology." All by fabulous Onley James. The anthology is not published yet, but I've read all of the stories/series Onley shared via her email subscription group the last 12 days.
["Welcome to the most chaotic Mulvaney Christmas yet. The roads are iced over, the mansion is packed with littles, and one very overdue baby has decided that now is their time to shine.
When Cricket’s water breaks in the middle of a snowstorm, she skips the ambulance and drives herself straight to the Mulvaney Mansion where her midwife is supposed to meet her. The problem? The storm has other ideas.
As family members fight the weather to make it home, everything spirals beautifully out of control. Mac and Archer are trapped in a Christmas village nightmare. Adam and Noah are up to their usual questionable-but-consensual shenanigans. Arlo and Dimitri are stranded roadside. Atticus and Jericho are stuck in a car. The core four are enjoying some rare alone time. And the littles are warm, fed, and absolutely thriving under Thomas and Aiden’s supervision.
Then the midwife doesn’t show.
What follows is a full-blown holiday free-for-all: Atticus steps in to deliver the baby, the feelings faction dances Cricket through labor, Archer teaches the kids how to gamble using cookies, and the Mulvaney household does what it does best: closes ranks and handles the chaos together.
Murder & Mistletoe delivers snowbound mayhem, feral found family, soft moments, filthy humor, and love in all its unhinged forms. Cameos abound, couples steal moments wherever they can, and the next generation proves they were absolutely raised in this madness on purpose."]
I loved how these short stories all took place in one evening, in just a few short hours. Most of them were simultaneous. It was clever and cute and totally perfect. It was all also totally Mulvaney. Lots of spice, lots of found family, lots of love. Not nearly as much murder and mayhem as I had anticipated.
I gotta say, I think in this set of stories, I do have a favorite or two. Story. Favorite couple? It still constantly changes. Each new story, each new fact, each new fan art. We get to know them more and more, and unlike a certain author (she-who-must-not-be-named), getting all of this new information makes these character feel more real. We get to watch them grow up and continue to grow together as their families grow and their children grow up.
I definitely missed a few updates, because I'm not up-to-date on the Jericho's Boys series or The Watch series...or the Halloween serial. But the minor and temporary confusion was worth it. Especially after that final section (family, love, safety, a real childhood, breaking generational trauma).
There might be more when this gets officially published, but for now, I'm more than pleased. Merry (Mulvaney...or non-Mulvaney...you do you) Christmas.
Trigger Warnings: A few references but nothing major actually...for once.
#unhinged #psycho #moonstruck #damaged #headcase #madman #lunatic #maniac #necessaryevils #necessaryevilsseries #jerichosboys #jerichosboysseries #thewatch #thewatchseries #familyandfelonies #familyandfeloniesanecessaryevilsanthology #villainsandvigilantes #villainsandvigilantesanecessaryevilsanthology #murderandmistletoe #murderandmistletoeanecessaryevilsanthology #onleyjames #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
["Welcome to the most chaotic Mulvaney Christmas yet. The roads are iced over, the mansion is packed with littles, and one very overdue baby has decided that now is their time to shine.
When Cricket’s water breaks in the middle of a snowstorm, she skips the ambulance and drives herself straight to the Mulvaney Mansion where her midwife is supposed to meet her. The problem? The storm has other ideas.
As family members fight the weather to make it home, everything spirals beautifully out of control. Mac and Archer are trapped in a Christmas village nightmare. Adam and Noah are up to their usual questionable-but-consensual shenanigans. Arlo and Dimitri are stranded roadside. Atticus and Jericho are stuck in a car. The core four are enjoying some rare alone time. And the littles are warm, fed, and absolutely thriving under Thomas and Aiden’s supervision.
Then the midwife doesn’t show.
What follows is a full-blown holiday free-for-all: Atticus steps in to deliver the baby, the feelings faction dances Cricket through labor, Archer teaches the kids how to gamble using cookies, and the Mulvaney household does what it does best: closes ranks and handles the chaos together.
Murder & Mistletoe delivers snowbound mayhem, feral found family, soft moments, filthy humor, and love in all its unhinged forms. Cameos abound, couples steal moments wherever they can, and the next generation proves they were absolutely raised in this madness on purpose."]
I loved how these short stories all took place in one evening, in just a few short hours. Most of them were simultaneous. It was clever and cute and totally perfect. It was all also totally Mulvaney. Lots of spice, lots of found family, lots of love. Not nearly as much murder and mayhem as I had anticipated.
I gotta say, I think in this set of stories, I do have a favorite or two. Story. Favorite couple? It still constantly changes. Each new story, each new fact, each new fan art. We get to know them more and more, and unlike a certain author (she-who-must-not-be-named), getting all of this new information makes these character feel more real. We get to watch them grow up and continue to grow together as their families grow and their children grow up.
I definitely missed a few updates, because I'm not up-to-date on the Jericho's Boys series or The Watch series...or the Halloween serial. But the minor and temporary confusion was worth it. Especially after that final section (family, love, safety, a real childhood, breaking generational trauma).
There might be more when this gets officially published, but for now, I'm more than pleased. Merry (Mulvaney...or non-Mulvaney...you do you) Christmas.
Trigger Warnings: A few references but nothing major actually...for once.
#unhinged #psycho #moonstruck #damaged #headcase #madman #lunatic #maniac #necessaryevils #necessaryevilsseries #jerichosboys #jerichosboysseries #thewatch #thewatchseries #familyandfelonies #familyandfeloniesanecessaryevilsanthology #villainsandvigilantes #villainsandvigilantesanecessaryevilsanthology #murderandmistletoe #murderandmistletoeanecessaryevilsanthology #onleyjames #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
February 4, 2026
Murder & Mistletoe: A Necessary Evils Anthology is a great addition to the Necessary Evils universe. I loved all the stories. It was nice getting a hot and spicy Calliope and Lola story. I also loved getting more Arlo and Dimitri shorts. I love the whole Mulvaney family and love reading the little looks into their world. I also love seeing what the little Mulvaney's are getting in to. This was just a wonderful group of stories. I would definitely recommend this book and anything Mulvaney related.
January 22, 2026
really didn't enjoy this one, which I was gutted about as I have loved the others in the series. The only characters I enjoyed reading about were Adam & Noah (they are still my fav couple) and Archer & Mac. I found myself skipping through most of the others as they bought nothing to the table and some of them actually had me disliking some of the characters.
January 24, 2026
This collection of short stories centered around the holidays is sweet, vicious, tender, sentimental, and delightfully filthy in all the best Mulvaney ways. It was a delight to look behind the curtain at the lives of these characters we’ve come to know so well.
January 26, 2026
❤️❤️❤️
February 4, 2026
enjoyed it over Christmas and I enjoyed the bonus chapter at the end. My favourite author is fi highly recommend.
February 5, 2026
Murder and Mistletoe is a fabulous collection of short stories but it has left me desperately wanting a series about Adam and Noah's "creepy" neighbours, that would be a hoot🤣🤣🤣🤣
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews