Bully Beatdown

by Ki Brightly

The Bully Boss Behaving Badly
Casey Uhlig is a big man with a temper to match, and in the past his rage has cost him boyfriends and respect. The anger is a roadblock, but he has been too busy building his company to get a handle on it. One morning, Casey’s temper explodes when he’s furious with his computer and he terrifies a beautiful boy from the tech department. The boy runs, but his frightened eyes haunt Casey, and he decides it’s time to learn to apologize.

The Scared IT Geek
Angel Gaffin has had a difficult life. He grew up with an abusive father and doesn’t respond well to violence. When his boss, Mr. Uhlig, blows up at him, he heads home to hide. What he doesn’t count on is his boss tracking him down to apologize. Angel is shocked by the feelings one apology stirs up in him.

Power Play to Grow Closer
A date with Casey leads to a relationship that both scares and comforts Angel. Casey is older than Angel and that difference feeds into Angel’s craving to have someone protect him. Angel hands over his trust. Problems arise because while Casey might be trying now to be a good person for Angel, his past coming to light might tear apart the fragile connection they’ve established. Will Casey be able to grow as a person and become the man Angel needs, or will he give in to his anger and pain, and ruin both their lives?

Genres: M M Romance, BDSM, Contemporary, Dark, Romance, LGBT, Abuse

321 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 12, 2021

About the author

I spend most of my days writing, editing, and perfecting the craft of storytelling.

A note to readers: I don't hang out on Goodreads or social media, so if you have any questions about my books, please check out my website, which I host with M.D. Gregory.

Reviews

[♡ cal ♡]

DNF

I’m not feeling it. I barely survived the first 30% and now i’m halfway in, I just can’t. I usually love these kind of stories but this rubbed me off in wrong way. Main character has no backbone at all and also tolerates his father’s abuse. I wish the characters are under in a different circumstance though.

[Megan [At The Cottage]]

MM Romance
No Rating (Under 50% Read)

DNF @ 48%

I’m not feeling this at all and I keep falling asleep trying to read it. It’s not a bad book but I didn’t realize there was going to be a “littles” (middles) aspect to this and that’s just not my jam. Angel is a 19 year old IT virgin who takes care of his abusive dad and works for a man with a really, really bad temper. After blowing up at Angel and scaring him, Casey apologizes and they develop a relationship of sorts. Initially I liked that their relationship wasn’t all about sex but there’s been one cringy hand job and Casey keeps mentioning kinks that are really not for me. I dont know why Angel even likes Casey tbh.

The other reason I’m leaving this behind is because Angel’s dad is an abusive drunk prick who broke his son’s wrist and yet he’s one of the main characters in book 2. I love a good redemption story but this guy has abused his son for 19 years calling him horrific names and the violence inflicted has had lasting consequences to Angel’s self esteem and life in general and I don’t want anything to do with it. I looked at the blurb for the next book because I hoped it would be Casey’s friends and when I realized it was the abusive’s dads book, it just added another reason for me to DNF this and move on. No thank you.

[SheReadsALot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if this 3.5 or 3.75 stars--this one is a little difficult to rate.

What I thought it was going to be (dark romance with daddy kink) vs. what was given (not dark romance (?) with a former rivals plot twist written in a lighter tone.

I must be a sick puppy because this wasn't dark at all to me. The dialogue was bumpy in parts. The romance was kinda quick in a way and also not. The backstory of 19 y.o. Angel is sad. He's abandoned by his mother, has an abusive addict of a father and major anxiety issues. He's shy and socially awkward, and has too much stress on his plate.

His boss, Casey is a big bear of a man with anger issues, that really needs to consider going into anger management for his self. Casey isn't running around blowing up at everything on every other page, but he has control issues that he seems to mostly have a handle on.

As the blurb states, Casey blows up at Angel and it's the start of their relationship. (It really wasn't that big of a blow up but poor, virgin Angel is traumatized from a life of abuse.) They have some sexual chemistry.

This story isn't all sex either. It's not used as a band-aid for real life problems. In fact there are less than 3 penetrative sex scenes total. There is Daddy kink (with a Big Brother/ Little brother name instead of standard Daddy/boy with a middle! Angel is control of that aspect (which I liked). Angel might seem like a pushover but it seemed more with his dad rather than Casey.

I feel like the author did a good enough explaining Angel's character. I understood the choices he made. He's young, 19 is a weird age and if you're used to dealing with parental abuse and carry guilt when dealing with them, Angel is pretty understandable.

I think my bigger concern is with Casey. He should have went to therapy too. The alternating POV offered more insight to Angel than Casey. The writing could have been a little tighter for Casey. He didn't seem to grow as much as Angel did, other than trying not blow up as quickly when thing don't go his way.

Angel's dad is a piece of shit. I hope he rots. Casey's friends are interesting: Merit and Creed (I'm not a fan of their names) but I feel like there's a romance there with maybe a third?

I just wished this was darker and maybe the dialogue was a little different. Wouldn't re-read, but I would try the author again.

[magic_of_darkness_and_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite an interesting and surprisingly good read for me!

So, I accidentally bought the book one day and was, 'oh, okay, guess I'll give it a chance.' I started it but stopped, and months passed by since then. Yesterday I couldn't fall asleep and decided to pick this. I was like, 'whyyy, did you wait so long to read it!?' and stayed till 7 am to read.

Bully Beatdown was very different from what I expected. It was like other books I've read, yet it wasn't. It had unique parts to it, and I loved it.

We have:
✨ age gap
✨ shy/grumpy (more like angry, not grumpy)
✨ kink (one I hadn't seen often and didn't know the name when it came up here. It came as a surprise in the book for me. I have read books with similar kinks but not quite the same.)
✨ mental health
✨ hot smut
✨ interesting plot

I have mixed feelings about some things in the book, but as a whole, I enjoyed it a lot.


✨ A few quotes: ✨
“You’re sure it’s not a problem if I, uh, blow the horn?” His lips twisted into a crooked grin. “You can blow anything I own.

My drawings weren’t that important.” He folded the napkin, pulled out his wallet, and tucked it in the money part before he laid down a few bills. “They weren’t? Or someone told you they weren’t?”

I loved him any way he wanted to be around me, and I hoped all these small changes meant he trusted me to see the real Angel.


P.S. I really hope we will get a book about Casey's friends!

[Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This didn't work all that well for me. I was very invested at the start. Angel is a sympathetic character and I wanted to see him overcome the hand he was dealt. I understand what he got from Casey, but I wasn't convinced by the end of the book that the relationship was all that good for Angel. While Angel is going to therapy to deal with his issues, Casey basically decides that as long as they are "pretending" which is what they call it when they are in big brother/little brother mode, that he has no problem with his anger. Nope. Sorry. This left me with a bad taste. There were also some pacing issues and I sometimes had a problem with the dialogue, not sure what the characters were really saying, and I love dark stories, but this really wasn't a dark story, so just an okay read for me.

Angel is 19 and has been verbally and physically abused by his father all his life. Casey is 20 years older, has an anger problem and he knows it. He has tried therapy in the past but didn't like it. His friends have urged him to work on it and while he really isn't a bad guy, he does have a short fuse. When it comes to Angel, he has a soft spot and wants to take care of him. Angel both trusts and fears Casey and finds that attractive. They jump into a relationship and are soon exploring age-play with Angel as a middle and it quickly becomes 24/7. It felt like they were just stumbling through this, which isn't a problem for me in and of itself, but I just felt like Angel was at a disadvantage here regardless of how Casey spoiled him.

While there were sparks of good in the relationship, I never really felt that I loved these two together. I did like how the big reveal of Casey's past played out, and I am intrigued by the relationship between Casey's besties, I also loved how protective Angel's co-workers were with him, but I can't say that I fell in love with Casey and Angel. I needed more. I wanted to see Angel have somewhat of a life outside of Casey. I wanted Casey really working on his issues. I would be up for a second story about them if one is coming, and I would probably read a Merit and Creed book.

[Nora · Rating 1 out of 5]

FUCK this book. DNF at chapter 7, although I skimmed the end to see if the mother fucker ever admitted what he did—which he didn’t.

This book is about Angel and Casey. I started with book 2, the dads story, and I saw the author saying “yes he’s a bad man but I wanted to write a redemption story...but it turned into a story of him learning he can be loved.” Honestly? Fuck THIS whole book, because Casey? IS JUST AS BAD A PERSON, the only difference is he isn’t hated so it’s okay. This man, Casey, NEVER faces punishment for the fact that he CRIPPLED Angel’s dad. Took a bat and broke his spine in high school. Didn’t tell a soul because he didn’t want to go to jail and it’s okay because “He started it”. THATS how he rationalizes ruining a man’s life.

I thought his friends Creed and Marlow or whatever were cute and I was sad they broke up, now I’m glad for Creed they broke up but not understanding why Creed is still friends with these two men, when he is the only one of the three who cried over what they did and felt bad. Not enough to come forward, but at least felt something and also didn’t lay a hand on the man (unlike his then boyfriend M-whatever who then took the bat and beat Angel’s dad head in so he couldn’t tell what happened).

Do these men face punishment? No, because they are cowards. Casey is no better than Angel’s father, except where Angel’s father was broken (its also revealed later I believe he was raped (or at least dub con) by the leader of the hate group and then tossed aside so he’s suffered a LOT and until his book, always made the wrong choices and hurt people in his pain instead of choosing to heal, lost to bitterness where he kept paying and people his equal (CASEY) never had to lose a thing).

So the author herself, the readers, the characters in the book. Everyone is “HOw AWFUL is Angels dad” and even though people are LITERALLY SCARED of scary-face Casey, HES apparently not a bad man. Never mind that he beat people just as bad. Never mind that the author paired him with the son of the man he CRIPPLED.

And the WORST part? Angel has NO IDEA because Casey is STILL too much of a coward to maybe lose Angel over it. So Angel is inviting the man who crippled him into his body and building a life, and this man was never sorry over it, never felt bad just scared for himself, still can’t own up to it because he’s a COWARD, and has the AUDACITY auto forbid Angel to see his abusive father. YOURE FUCKING THE SON OF THE MAN YOU CRIPPLED CASEY. YOU DONT HAVE A FUCKING LEG TO STAND ON AND YOURE JUST AS BAD. and the SAD thing is I don’t know if Angel would tell Casey “its not your fault he’s abusive” (which is true) but even if he said that he’d be excusing away the fact that this man CRIPPLED HIS FATHER. Yes, his abuser, but also still a man he loves and even still wants a relationship with. Because that IS Casey’s fault. He swung the bat that cracked Angel’s dad spine! The abusive behavior may not be Casey’s fault BUT THE SPINE IS. and I chose not to read a book filled with sex scenes, happiness, and love between Angel and the man who crippled his father who didn’t face punishment or reprucussions for it and can’t even tell the son for the very real (aid slight) possibility Angel would leave him. Angel’s dad? Was crippled, raped/dub-con in an abusive relationship at best, then gets sent to jail. I’d say he has paid enough.

Casey never lost a god damn thing, hurt people just as badly (worse, actually), and never faced ANYTHING. and he gets a whole book about everyone calling the OTHER GUY who keeps paying for living a bad man but never facing the pied piper for HIS fucked up actuons? He gets a happy ending, and one with the son of the man he crippled out of PURE FUCKING HATRED? And he gets to leave the man in the dark about what he did, which isn’t fair to Angel, our OTHER MC???? And THATS okay?!

FUCK. THIS. SHIT. I’m not here for men who are just as bad but get to point the finger and not suffer the consequences for their own, same, actions. GoD FORBID Casey be labeled as a scumbag! Can’t exactly market this as a redemption story when everyone is pretending he’s not a scumbag.

I’d pick a man who abuses his child but has been made to pay for not being a great human with rape, a broken back and jail time over a scumbag who beats people, breaks spine, gets richer, sleeps with his victims son and is still too much of a coward to confess, all the while acting like his victim is the only bad man and then abusively keeping the son away from his father under the guise of “protection” EVERy. DAY. OF THE WEEK.

I understand this is labeled dark fiction or whatever, but the two stories are so unbalanced when you label the better man as bad and fucked up and questionable redeemableness, but act like the worse man is justified and not horrible. This same man who is sleeping with his lover won’t tell his lover he crippled the man’s father AND has the audacity to say “your father is a bad man stay away for your protection” and even command the same to his victims face? FUCK. YOU. you’re not a better man because you can control that anger and only hit a victim when you WANT to. And you shouldn’t be fucking or living with a man you “love” without confessing what you did to his father. Coward.

Set this book on fire. Return it. Rip it up. I’m so tired of people casting stones when they’re just as bad but don’t have to pay for it, when the person they’re casting thrones at does nothing BUT pay.

I don’t have time to waste on a happy ending Casey doesn’t deserve.
At least Angel’s father is starting to be a better man. don’t know why it’s okay that the same can’t be said for Casey.

[Ki Brightly]

Bully Beatdown was an adventure to write. I’ve gotten very used to writing with Meg (sometimes known as M.D. Gregory) and so writing by myself is now a lot harder. I relish a good challenge, however. I decided to delve into some of the darker parts of my personal past and really just go for the pain with this book. There is a reason this book is listed as dark, fair readers. Inside the pages you will find: on-page abuse between an adult child and his father, and you will find a boss behaving wildly inappropriately with his employee. You will also find some light “middle” age play. There is angst. There is hurt. (There is also comfort.) Basically everything you might want from a good bully book.

Bully Beatdown is still set in New Gothenburg, so for those of you who love to look for Easter Eggs in our books, maybe you can figure out who Casey, our “boss behaving badly”, is related to from the book Yes, Sir.

I hope you all enjoy this Bully book. I have a few more planned.

Happy reading, and as always, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me and reading in New Gothenburg.

For those of you who enjoy a playlist while you read: https://music.amazon.com/user-playlis...

[~BookNeeds~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it’d be “darker”, super cute and endearing.

[Phobos · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - dropped at 20%

Characters are caricatures of their two personality traits a piece (rich & asshole; submissive & breedable, the plot is just a bunch of tropes stitched together with writing not skilled enough to make it interesting, and most of all I’ve discovered that I hate millionaire romances where said millionaire says things like “I got it for a steal at only a million dollars” to someone who is clearly broke as fuck.

When we eat the rich, let’s start with that asshole.

[K.R. Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet and different

a sweet, sad and endearing story with "Bully" who's really a sweet bear trying to survive and his boy, a middle finding himself and his happiness. I loved these two, their interactions and chemistry. the middle play was different to what I've read before but it was sweet. I loved sweet Angel and hope we see more of him and Casey Bear in more stories!!

[rinia carla]

something was just off about casey....from the moment he used his ceo status to get his address to apologize...like you couldn't have waited until the morning??

also the reviews told me everything i needed to know

[Kickhy]

DNF!! I have persevered for the first 35% but no more! Completely not feeling this one

[Dreamcatcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

- Possible spoilers -

Dual pov.
Casey’s always had quite a temper, which has cost him several boyfriends and keeps people around him on their toes. When Angel, one of Casey’s employees, offers to help solve computer issues, Casey scares the bejesus out of him. Poor Angel runs straight back home. Some time later, Casey comes by and apologises. From this moment on, the two of them start dating.
Casey’s animosity is even harder to deal with for Angel than it is for others as he grew up with an abusive father. This makes him very anxious when people around him act aggressively.


Things I liked:
- mental issues, trauma
- Angel’s a middle
- despite his anger issues, Casey can be very sweet to Angel
- Angel calling Casey Big brother instead of Daddy, which suits them well. I enjoyed this phrasing.
- Casey’s past relationship with Angel’s father (and no, it’s not what you think)



Things I didn’t like:
- I personally found the age gap to be too big; Angel is 19 years old and Casey is nearing his 40s. However, this is probably because Casey and Angel’s dad are around the same age.
- overuse of ‘Casey Bear’


In short:
Quite an entertaining story.

[Guardian.angel54 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg! So good!

I'm seriously in love with this book. It has enough angst and heartache and drama to keep the reader on their toes, but it's interspersed with such sweet, poignant moments that just melt your heart. Angel and Casey are the sweetest age gap couple and the supporting characters add that much more depth to the story. I'm dying to know what exactly transpired between Mer and Creed and I so want them to get their HEA. Loved Casey's family and Angel's IT cohorts and just everything in this story works. Definitely recommend this book! I can't wait to read more by this wonderful author duo.

[Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m reviewing the audio version. I’m also updating my previous review. The story has Angel being abused and still taking care of his father. His father isn’t a nice person in any way so I have problems with him still looking out for him. Casey is what Angel needed. Even though he is Angel’s boss, Casey is perfect for a personal relationship with Angel. Casey has had relationship problems before but he fits with Angel. There is an age gap with these two but that doesn’t cause any problems matter of fact it probably helps. Casey has had an issue with Angel’s dad previously but again that doesn’t really cause problems between Casey and Angel. While the majority will probably sympathize with Angel, I sort of felt bad for Casey. Yes he really needs to work on his anger problems but even when he tries he is still viewed as the bad guy. Angel I feel is too much a martyr. He looks after his dad when maybe he should try some tough love. I also think Ki Brightly’s writing has evolved quite a bit since writing this. I also feel Chris Boykin’s narration felt a little stiff in spots but maybe that is me.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't really feeling this one and I just read the blurb for the 2nd book. Yeah, hard pass! NO! Won't be moving on in this series..or at least not reading the 2nd book.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read a book about a Middle before, mostly variations of Littles and Daddy Kink and this was really fun! The concept of the Bully Boss and the victim employee really intrigued me and although I wished there was a little more of the bullying (guess I’m sadistic like that) the way it unfolded was excellent.

The characters are exceptionally four dimensional, they’re complex and multifaceted - sure Casey is loud and brash with anger issues, he’s the asshole boss who loses his shit way too easily, but he’s also caring to a fault, indulgent towards Angel and at his heart, a good man. Angel is the perfect contrast - he’s not the stereotypical simpering victim. He’s anxious and damaged but wilful and stubborn, then there’s the other side to him, the playful, nerdy Middle who is in desperate need of someone to look out for him.

I always enjoy Brightly’s novels and this one was no different, I absolutely adored every minute and I can’t wait for what they write next!

[Kat reads romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars
I’m a huge Ki Brightly fan, let me tell you that right away, so most of the time I swoop up a new book after barely reading the blurb. There was a lot to like about this book. The version of age play in this, with a middle, I liked a lot. The book kept my attention overall and I thought the writing was solid.
The problem was that I never connected with the MC with anger issues, Casey. I get that that’s part of what makes the book edgy, but I thought that it would have been super easy to throw in even in the last chapter that he’s chosen to start therapy for it or something—that wouldn’t wreck the plot point during the course of the book, but would make me feel better. Just thought that remained unresolved and it bothered me. Ah well.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angel stole my heart by chapter 3. There were so many volatile emotions all over the place in this story!! Some were warranted and others were pure meanness and selfishness. Pete was beyond redemption and didn't seem to want it. He was happy being miserable and blaming everyone. I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Casey and Angel progress as Angel came out of his shell and founded what he needed and happily took it. I loved the age gap dynamic because it added depth to the story for me. As Casey grew and changed, I appreciated his changes and remorse. Signs of true growth. I voluntarily listened to the audio version of this and loved it. The narrator did a good job bringing the characters and story to life.

[Suzanne Irving · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing mm book

WOW. I love the New Gothenburg series and this book just blew me away. It is a very intense study about how someone could become a bully or what seems like a “bad” person through circumstances that are really out of their hands. Contrasting that is a look at how that person can be rehabilitated. The marvelous way that these two terrific authors have woven the two main threads of this book together just shows how amazing they are as storytellers. I didn’t think I would like this book because of the subject matter but I think it has just become my favorite book of this series. I highly recommend this book.

[Sophie ARGINTARU · Rating 2 out of 5]

J'ai beaucoup de mal avec le sous-genre "daddy/boy" mais ici, le sujet tout comme le début étaient tellement prometteurs que j'ai cru que je pourrai apprécier la lecture. Malheureusement, pas du tout. Même si nous sommes dans une relation big/little brothers, j'ai littéralement détesté la dernière partie du roman, totalement gâchée pour moi par le fait que les abus subis par Angel ne seront jamais surmontés. Le but est de l'amener, l'aider à surmonter sa peur mais ici, il va être protégé et enfermé dans un joli et riche cocon où il restera planqué jouant à l'éternel adolescent... quelle drôle de conception de l'amour !

Ce roman m'a franchement laissé un goût amer.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved some parts, I hated others, it was a very up and down frustrating read. I liked Casey, even though he was a very volatile man one minute and a cuddly teddy bear the next. Then there's Angel, cute, nervous and shy one minute and then exploding, as much as sweet little Angel could explode, and running to hide. The only stable person was Angel's Dad, who was a downright mean and nasty piece of work, all the time. I almost decided to abandon this at around 45%, but I persevered. Rating this is going to be hard.

[MT · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

This book is the perfect mix of twisted and oddly sweet. Some authors can’t find that perfect combo but this author does it every time without fail. Loved seeing the characters develop and am in awe of how smoothly the storyline moved forward despite creating really detailed secondary characters. (One of this author’s talents is creating all the secondary characters so well that the reader wants them all to have a story.)

[Kelli D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok

This book was alright. I exoected the beginning to be more of a scene b/w Casey and Angel. I didn't really feel the fear from Angel, kinda through out the whole book. And I expected Casey's POV in that first scene to give more of a description of Angel's fright. I finished the book but I was expecting it to get better. And sorry but big brother/little brother were just weird names to call each other.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeahh so I had high hopes for this book and everything was going good till I got to the part where they start talking about how they want to define their relationship and when it got to being a big brother play I just wasn't feeling it, it was kind of off putting so I didn't even finish reading it after that. I might go back just to see how it ended but it probably won't be till I'm either super bored or have nothing else to read. I did like the Casey though*insert heart eyes*

[Emeziel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Im giving it two stars for the sex. Otherwise, as someone who had read the prologue of the previous book beforehand, and knowing what had happened to peter was heart breaking sad, i really had no sympathy for Casey character. Angel i could understand but not Casey. He har no guilt no shame and no decency to tell the truth. Also how was he a better person? I was in no way invested in his happy ending

[Brangela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tepid

Rating 3.5* This rating may not be an accurate indicator because I'm basing it on the Author's other New Gothenburg books. I absolutely loved them! This one fell short for me. Not much happened and what did was meh. The story was not really an age gap tale nor a little (middle) kink also not a BDSM story and definitely not a Bully tale. It had bits and pieces of each but nothing sustained. The MCs relationship paled in comparison to the other people of NG.

[RawrRawrDinosaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t realize that I could be triggered by reading about yelling, but apparently I can. I almost didn’t make it past the first couple of chapters because of that. I LOVE this author though so I kept reading and I felt fine for the rest of the book. I loved how it was a daddy/boy book but with a different kind of twist.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want a Casey Bear Too

Oh this book was so good. Poor Angel, he was in dire need of a someone to take care of him. Casey bear was just what he needed. I loved their dynamic of big brother, little brother. It just worked for them. Every book I've read by Ki and M.D. has been awesome whether together or separate. I hope Creed and Merit get their own book.

[BAG of Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 50%
There were a lot of scenes in restaurants for some reason? With a lot of descriptions of the restaurants, the view, the staff, the food, the drinks, the smells (not so much the tastes oddly enough). With not much dialogue compared to the total number of words. Only half way through and I feel like I've been reading FOREVER.