Lying Bastard (Bastards #2) Devon McCormack

Lying BastardRating: 5 Stars

Publisher: Self Published

Genre: Gay Erotica

Tags: College Guys, Dark-Edgy, Sado-Masochistic Erotica Fetish, Psychological, **Trigger Warning – Obsession, Partner Violence

Length: 98 Pages

Reviewer: Kazza K

Purchase At: amazon.com, Are, Nook

**ADULTS ONLY NSFW REVIEW**


Blurb:

This stand-alone novella contains erotic content. This is not for people who are interested in BDSM. This is for people who like it rough.

Take me, Brad. Hurt me. Break me.

Freshman Ian craves something brutal. Something violent. Something dangerous. After an encounter with Brad, his student orientation leader, he believes he’s discovered the guy who can give him exactly what he needs. But when Brad ignores Ian’s attempts to reconnect, Ian knows it’s because he fears what they shared. He’s sure if he can just get close to him, Brad will cave to their powerful chemistry. And he has just the trick to make it impossible for Brad to shake him: pledge with Brad’s fraternity, Alpha Theta Mu. It’s the hottest fraternity on campus. The one every guy’s trying to get into. Fortunately for Ian, the fraternity’s Archon Aaron takes an interest in him. Playing along will help him pledge and keep him close to the object of his desire.

Brad wants Ian, but he fears the darkness within him. He’s hurt people in the past, and he can’t let himself hurt Ian. Brad knows the only reason Ian’s hooking up with Aaron is to get close to him, but messing with the Archon’s boy-toy isn’t an option. But why can’t he keep away from Ian? Why does every moment they’re alone together lead to passionate kisses and sadistic games? And why do his hands keep gravitating to Ian’s throat? 

Review:

Whoa momma! This is my favourite Devon McCormack story so far. It’s darkly twisted and it doesn’t play nice. It pulls at your emotions and it’s nasty. The warning tells the prospective reader not to think BDSM. I’ll add it again – don’t buy Lying Bastard and think it’s safe and sane BDSM, that is not what this novella is about because this is written as a darkly erotic piece of fictional writing. You either like that sort of thing or… bye Felicia.

When he lost control—when he punched me across the face—I saw the guilty expression he made. He knew he’d gone too far. He’d drawn blood, which I eagerly licked to assure him I wasn’t bothered, but aroused. His expression let me know he was freaked out by my reaction. But then it just made him take me even harder. Beat on me like I meant nothing. I enjoyed his abuse more than any of my experiences with BDSM in the past. What we shared wasn’t BDSM. BDSM is controlled. Safe. What Brad and I did was dangerous, which was why it excited me.

Annnd, there you go.

Predominantly set in a fraternity at college, Lying Bastard is a an erotic miasma of obsession, the need for punishment and masochism, as well as aggressive, manipulative sexual overdrive. It also begs the question, who is the lying bastard of the title? Well, you see it’s … No! Not going there, best to read it and come to that conclusion yourself.

There’s a lot of sex in this novella – sex with other people, sex with the main protagonists, sneaking around sex to be with the one you want, even though he’s doing your best friend and you’re doing the big guy in the frat house. But they’re only with other people because Brad wants to keep the beast within leashed and Ian wants to manipulate his way into the frat house to be with Brad. To unleash it. To be sexually mauled by it.

Apart from that, there are some deeply rooted psychological issues for pretty much everyone. However, Ian’s and Brad’s are incredibly understandable, sympathetic even, and made me want to, I don’t know, hold them. Help them. Watch them go at it. Hey, I never said I wasn’t a perv nurturer. I liked the way Devon McCormack painted both Ian and Brad. It’s erotic fiction with a real, passionately emotional connection and that’s a winning combination for me. Others may just see the mind-fuck and purely go with that aspect. That’s the beauty of it all – different strokes for different twisty folks. 

Things I particularly loved –

The sex. It’s wrong but it’s so hot it’s right – not going to be for everyone, ’nuff said. Warning given.

The obsession. Mmm mmm. I have a thing for books with obsessive characters in them. Lying Bastard is added to the favourites list.

The rough sex. I loved the sado-masochistic world of Ian and Brad. Ian wins the coveted Crying Monkey for being the – never-say-never-please-beat-me-fuck-me-harder – stalker of the freaking year. Brad reciprocates with such guilt and crazed possessive passion, he’s up for the win as well. They are an inspired, super hot, twisted pairing by Devon McCormack.

The storyline. From a psychological standpoint it was fabulously, liberatingly, gloriously OTT and actually grounded in solid believability for (erotic) fiction. You know that saying about reality often being crazier than fiction? Well, Devon McCormack tapped into that. I love it when an author takes something they believe in and runs with it. No regrets. No excuses. No apologist lines here and there to placate. If you are going to write fucked-up and twisted-mister erotica, don’t feel guilty and apologetic, grab the bull by the horns. Yeah, a few of those horns were grabbed in this book 🙂

The ending was excellent. No HEA. No HFN but it is open for interpretation (although a certain reader who fell in love with a certain couple refuses to believe it wasn’t a HEA.) If you need a minimum of a HFN, probably best you don’t read this book.

The MCs – I loved, loved, loved them.  L.O.V.E.D Ian and Brad – just in case you weren’t GIF B&W SCOPING IN SHOWER LBsure what I was saying. They are so off-track I jumped on the crazy train and derailed with them. I wanted them together. I don’t care who else they were fucking, or whatever the reasons, I cheered when they found a way to get together, when Brad couldn’t resist Ian’s advances. When he stalked him in the showers.

There’s a bit of a crime/mystery component thrown into the mix. It’s there to add to the drama and the mind-fuckery of the story. Liked that too.

The sex is clearly written by a gay man, which the author is. Not getting into he or she writes gay sex better or understands it better. That’s a BS thing for me. I’m just saying for guys (or gals) who see it as important in erotica, or whatever they read, the sexual use and the physiological aspects of the prostrate in sex is clearly understood here.

Things I didn’t love –

Nothing. Zip. Nada. Zero. Loved it all.

 

So, let the pictures and quotes begin –

 

Lying Bastard Quote 1

 

Being Archon, Alpha Theta Mu’s president, Aaron could make it really easy for me to pledge, and if I’m a pledge, I’ll be close to Brad. It’s a selfish plot. I feel bad about using Aaron like this, but it’s clear that Brad’s going to make this difficult. That he’s trying to deny the thing we share, which is something that only we share. Although, as I consider Jesse being tossed around in Brad’s dorm room, I feel rage swell within me. I’m livid.

Lying Bastard Quote 2

He nibbles on my lip. Then bites. As it smarts, my dick hardens. At least I can get a good fuck tonight. Although, all I can think about is how jealous I am that Jesse gets to feel Brad’s warm flesh against him. How he gets to experience that touch. I wonder if Brad’s fucking him the way he fucked me.
Aaron pulls back and gazes into my eyes, smiling a big, ridiculous smile.

 

GIF-B&W-GUYS-AGAINST-WALL

 

Both Aaron and Brad want Ian. He’s hot. He’s cute. He’s into a lot of pain. Only one of them floats his boat and only one of them has Ian’s mind and body possessed. Brad. But Aaron is the leader of the fraternity and Aaron has Brad’s loyalty, to a degree. It won’t stop him from wanting Ian and thinking of him as his. In the meantime, Aaron grows suspicious that Ian is being fucked by someone else, even though Aaron fucks plenty of other pledges. Ian’s not like the other pledges. He doesn’t fawn all over Aaron. He doesn’t need him. Aaron knows about Ian’s past and that he needs hard sex, rough play, so he gives it to him but it isn’t like Brad. It isn’t enough for Ian. Aaron is just a means to an end. To get to Brad.

Brad tries to keep away but he can’t, he loves what they do and how badly Ian wants what he has inside him. The brutality. Even so, there are moments where you see the dysfunctional love between Ian and Brad.

Lying Bastard Quote 4

 

Lying Bastard Quote 6

The sex is consensual but aggressive between Ian and Brad. Always with a desire to hurt and be hurt.

 

GIF-LYING-BASTARD-2

Overview:

Obsession, thy name is Ian and Brad. What a pair! What a darker piece of hot torture Lying Bastard is. This novella is for edge-loving connoisseurs of quality twisted gay erotica who also want a bit of back story and a definite connection. While the majority of this book is consensual some of it isn’t, so bear that in mind. Again, Lying Bastard is meant to be sadistic/masochistic pain and punishment – of both self and others. This is another breath of fresh air from the author. I want pure unadulterated joy when I read. I want to know the author had fun with the characters, a catharsis of sorts, and you can feel that in every word as you read. I was emotionally invested in Ian and Brad. I can feel that the author was too. I’ll say it again. Loved them. Lying Bastard is a passionate roller coaster and it’s so wrong it’s right. Oh, and let’s not forget it’s smoking hot. Crank up Chase Holfelder’s version of Animal and settle in for some Lying Bastard. 5 ‘Break Me’ Stars!

Tumblr for extra kick



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Cindi
Admin

There are no words for how much I love this review. 🙂 The visuals, obviously, but I love how you laid out the story just enough to suck the reader in without giving everything away.

I can’t wait to be able to shut the world out for a little while to read it. I can’t believe I haven’t already.

Great review, you perv nurturer.

Bahaha!

Devon McCormack
Guest

Everything about this review is inspired, and I just feel so fortunate that it’s about one of my books. I love Ian and Brad. I love how fucked up they are. I love the way they can’t get enough of each other. I love that they’re so wrong for each other and so right for each other at the same time. And I’m thrilled to see that those things resonated with you, Kazza. You’ve always been so honest about my work. Never pulled punches in reviews, so I know from reading this exactly how much you enjoyed the story and… Read more »

Matt
Guest
Matt

I feel revved up and obsessed like Ian and Brad after this review. I gotta own them myself now. lol

Devon McCormack
Guest

Thanks for stopping by, Matt. Hope Ian and Brad excite you as much as they excited me when I was writing about them. 🙂

Jay
Guest

Hey hey. I’ve been away but now I’m back! This has bumped up to the top of the pile. Kazza the review is AAA+ and all pix have me sold especially Tumblr muaha! Matt nailed it I’m totally revved up!! 😉

Devon McCormack
Guest

Kazza definitely nailed it with the pics. Love love love them! Hope you enjoy the read. 🙂