REVIEWED by Jen B.
TITLE: Lie to Me
SERIES: Poison Pleasures
AUTHOR: Samantha Calcott
PUBLISHER: Hot Ink Press
LENGTH: 403 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 7, 2019
BLURB: It started with detention. After all, where else are a Goth, a jock, a nerd, and a loner going to meet, let alone strike up a friendship?
Frankie didn’t mean to get detention. He had no idea his mumbled comments about the teacher’s attitude could be heard by everyone.
Taylor only wanted a quick snog with a boy in a broom closet. He didn’t expect the boy to turn tail and run, leaving him to take the punishment.
Allen pushed Joe into a locker. Joe gave him a kick in the pants. And so they both wound up in trouble.
Four disparate boys. Eight hours of forced camaraderie. And a friendship to last a lifetime. Until, of course, their hearts get involved…
REVIEW: The blurb of this reminded me of a gay Breakfast Club type scenario where a bunch of gay kids from different class groups (i.e. jock, nerd, goth, etc.) are brought together when they all get detention. They learn more about each other, about things they actually have in common and things they may be hiding or how what they show on the outside is totally different than what is on the inside, but what is on the inside is the commonality that they all share. Friendship grows from there, as when the detention is over, that commonality is enough to bridge the social gap, and they all remain friends despite not fitting into each other’s “friend groups.”
There are a number of issues touched on with these guys. Allen, the jock is closeted and not planning to ever come out for fear of not making it into professional sports. Allen is also a bit of a bully to Joe, which is the typical pick on the little guy to cover up your own sexual issues. Frankie and Taylor are opposites as well, one with well-off parents who continually pushes the edge of things being flamboyant and promiscuous. The other, believing he is straight, but quickly learns otherwise, is from a poor family on the wrong side of the tracks.
Opposites definitely attract here, and lines are crossed, but the circumstances are all understandable. I will say that this story takes on a different direction as Frankie and Taylor start playing with BDSM. I have a hard time with teenagers having the maturity and/or knowledge to engage in the level of BDSM that these guys went to, as it just doesn’t seem to fit with the age, but setting that aside, I liked a lot of the other aspects of this story. It was quite emotional at times, and I loved getting to know these guys and seeing them come together from different directions and finding friendships to get them through their more difficult years.
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