10 Best Authors Like Onley James: Page-turning Steamy Gay Romance Novels

Discover our list of the best authors like Onley James. Each one features strong male characters who are looking for love and find it.

Onley James is the pen name of writer Martina McAtee. James is a  North Carolina native, who writes paranormal romance novels for young adults and gay romance novels. In her free time, James can be found drinking copious amounts of caffeine, preferably through Starbucks refreshers. To relieve stress, she loves to binge-watch television or scroll social media without end. In addition to writing, she runs a publishing company, 7 Sisters Publishing, producing diverse fiction works.

James is a fast author who started writing in 2019. Her first book was Intoxicating, the first of the Elite Protection trilogy. James co-authored the Wages of Sin series with Neve Wilder, and she has written the Time Served and Necessary Evils books. Publishing multiple books per year, she continues to add hot new heroes and their romantic interests to the world of romance novels. If you’re a fan of these books, check out these authors like Onley James.

Best Authors Like Onley James Ranked

1. Lily Mayne

Lily Mayne writes romance novels set in dark, dystopian settings. This English writer is responsible for the Monstrous series of seven books, starting with Soul Eater and ending with Lor. Mayne also has a number of short stories that are in that same collection. The Folk Trilogy is her most current project, and it currently has two books, Mortal Skin and Forgotten Vows. Layne only started writing in 2021, publishing Soul Eater, the first Monstrous book, and two of its sequels that year.

“My mind wandered to the queen, and I had a flashback of an old sci-fi horror movie I’d seen once, late at night on TV when momma thought I was asleep, about a parasitic alien species that burst out of people’s chests.”

Lily Mayne, Soul Eater

2. Grae Bryan

Grae Bryan started reading love stories when she was young, long before she should have done so. A lover of all things romance, she tends to write paranormal settings for her characters but plans to try other types of romance books.

The author lives in Arizona and enjoys reading gothic novels in her spare time. Bryan currently writes the Vampire’s Mate series, which started with Roman in 2022. You might be interested in exploring other romance books, check out our list of the best Danielle Steel books.

“I can provide for you. Be your . . . vampire sugar daddy, was it?”

Grae Bryan, Roman

3. Cora Rose

Cora Rose has a vivid imagination, and it shows in her romance novels. The author also reads voraciously, which helps her create compelling stories. Rose is a relatively new author; her first book, Whit, was published in April 2022. It is the first in the Unexpected series. Rose’s books are steamy and feature M/M romance. She also started the Inevitable series in 2022, starting with a college romance called Until Him.

“I’m not interested in anyone but you! I don’t want anyone but you! Get that through your stupid, smart head!”

Cora Rose, Whit

4. Jaclyn Osborn

Author Jaclyn Osborn is always either reading or writing. Her M/M romance novels explore all types of worlds and genres, which keeps her readers engaged. Readers will find historical, contemporary, fantasy, and paranormal romance books with Osborn. Her first book was A Gift of Time, published in 2017. Osborn has also written a few series, including Awakening, Cadbury, Tales of Fate, Blue Harbor, and Sons of the Fallen.

“Sometimes a man needs to be given exactly what he asked for in order for him to realize that what he really needed was what he had all along.”

Jaclyn Osborn, A Gift of Time

5. Neve Wilder

Neve Wilder writes books that contain romance but can’t always be confined to one specific genre. A lover of David Bowie and good literature, she writes everything from adventurous page-turners to slow-burners filled with sexual tension. Many of her books, like the Franklin University and Extracurricular Activities series, are set on college campuses. Her Wages of Sin books were written in collaboration with Onley James, which is part of why she has a spot on this list. Center of Gravity, a standalone novel, is her first book, published in 2018.

“Cracker Jack met all the qualifications of college buff from what I could see of his profile. He was an endless summer kind of golden blond, and lean, a bit of leftover sunburn on his cheeks laying over the warm, cabana boy tan beneath.”

Neve Wilder, Center of Gravity

6. Eden Finley

Amazon bestselling author Eden Finley writes M/M contemporary romance novels. The writer adds plenty of snark to her books even while writing the steamy scenes. Her goal is to create books that allow her readers to escape reality. Finley is from Australia and often has Australian themes in her books. Some of the series in her name include Puckboys, Steele Brothers, Fake Boyfriend, and Famous. One Night with Hemsworth was her first novel, published in 2016. Fake Out is one of her most popular books. Published in 2018, it tells of a man who discovers he is gay when he has to bring a fake boyfriend to his ex-girlfriend’s wedding.

“Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.”

Eden Finley, Fake Out

7. Saxon James

Saxon James is an Australian writer who loves to write swoony love stories, and she co-authored the Puckboys series with Eden Finley. James started her writing career with the short story “Good Times and Tan Lines,” which she published at the end of 2019. The book became the prequel to the Love’s a Gamble series, with Bet on Me as the first book. James also wrote the Never Just Friends, Frat Wars, and Divorced Men’s Club series. In addition to romances, James writes young adult novels under the name SM James.

“Just as he turns away, I snatch his hand. But I don’t know what to say. It’s that panic again, that fear of change, and after a moment of waiting, Liam squeezes my hand and leaves. I hear his footsteps descending the stairs and a moment later the front door opens and closes, then, silence.”

Saxon James, Bet on Me

8. Riley Hart

Riley Hart fell in love with romance at a young age, and that love bleeds into every book and story she writes. Most of her books are M/M romances, and she uses several pen names in addition to publishing under her given name. Her characters drive her stories, and they tend to be human and relatable, with flaws we can all relate to. Hart strives to make the romance feel real and genuine. The writer loves to travel with her family when she’s not writing. In 2019, she was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for her book Of Sunlight and Stardust.

“We’re all made of sunlight and stardust. So maybe, whenever you look at the sky, from morning till nightfall, you’re connecting with them in some small way.”

Riley Hart, Of Sunlight and Stardust

9. Lark Taylor

Lark Taylor is a fan of romance novels and thus writes them herself. A supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and an advocate for mental health awareness, she uses her books to create happily ever afters for characters from these demographics that she wants to support. Taylor often writes M/M fantasy romance books.

Her first series, The Reckless Damned, came to market in 2022. Devil’s Mark was the first book in the series. It explored what would happen if a demon fell in love with a human. In 2023, she started Caffeine Daydreams with the novel White Noise, and she is currently working on Patience, the first book in the new Damned Connections series. If you like reading romance books, you might want to check out our round-up of the best dark romance books.

“The shadows are lurking, but you’re enough to keep them away. So long as I have you at my side, I can live in the light.”

Lark Taylor, Devil’s Mark

10. Andrea Speed

Andrea Speed is an award-winning author who writes M/M romance novels and horror books. A self-proclaimed “super nerd,” she enjoys writing romances with a sci-fi twist. Infected: Freefall, her 2011 novel, received the Rainbow Award. It is book four of the Infected series of 12 books and several short stories. For more, you might be interested in our round-up of authors like Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

“MRI machines sucked. They really, honestly, sucked. You lay motionless inside a cramped metal tube that made you feel like a torpedo waiting for launch, and weird noises went off around you as you fought off claustrophobia you’d never had before for an hour that seemed to last approximately one thousand years.”

Andrea Speed, Infected: Freefall

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