CONFESS.It’s what he said to me across his altar, what he demanded so that I would be pure.In the moment he blessed me with his virtue, I was no longer the woman I’d once been.I was Eve.His light. His salvation. His bridge to Heaven’s gate.I failed him because my faith was not strong enough.He punished me for not giving in.Resisting temptation is never easy.Not when his hands, his teeth, his heat … is never easy.
Not when his hands, his teeth, his heat and hunger were the greatest of my sins.
**DISCLAIMER: This novel discusses sensitive subject matter and is intended for adults, 18+ or older. Readers who are sensitive to triggers are advised to proceed with caution.**
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“…it’s a shame that people have been led astray for so long[.]”
This author has so much to say and say it well she does through her mesmerizing, frankly erotic and insightful story and deeply developed characters. While the first book “Illusions of Evil” was primarily told through the POV of Jacob and Sedra (Eve as she was named by Jericho (Elijah) twin to Jacob. In this book, Jericho, who transformed himself into Elijah, also speaks to us.
The weighty, enlightening and spiritual themes are punctuated with dark eroticism, a suspenseful storyline and searingly brutal violence. There is a carefully presented and well rounded message that arises out of the bloody incomprehensibly violent chaos.
Jacob who has renounced the collar of priesthood is on a quest for truth and revenge. He is burdened by the guilt of his brother’s trickery that Jacob had again cost a woman her life because of the violence of his lovemaking…Especially since he gave into the temptation of this woman his brother had groomed for him specific to his dark desires despite his priestly vow of celibacy. Sedra is however alive and well tormented again by Jericho (Elijah).
We find Jacob living with a friend for a time lost to his appetites for meaningless and dangerous sex. He seems lost to his wicked nature, but is Jacob ” the wicked” one to fear?
It would be simplistic to say this a story of an evil twin versus a good twin. When Jacob finally gets it together to face his past and look for the clues that have turned his brother against him, we find out about “the wicked” that should be feared. There is a reason why Jericho has become “Elijah” and it is wickedness that even Elijah, as twisted his mind is, can now recognize among the more powerful followers of the cult he has established.
Elijah says this about the Sheriff who has drunk the kool-aid he has served:
“Once again I was looking into the face of the truly wicked: the men and women who hid behind the masks of spiritual leaders, teachers and cops, pretending to be helping us when, in truth, they were preying on us for their perverse pleasure. They were the wolves in sheep’s clothing that the world had been warned about.”
After learning truths about the consequences of the constant physical abuse their father visited upon his twin boys for the wickedness he perceived in them, Jacob comes to the following conclusion:
“Because, in the end, it’s the deceivers that are the most horrendous of all, and if good men do really exist in this world slowly slipping into Hell, then those men would be better off opening their eyes to the truth that stands before them, because to see it is to fear the wicked.”
Through it all we have the lovely, devout and yes, pure heart of Sedra. A young woman who was held in the thrall of Elijah, brainwashed to love, serve and desire the punishment of this twisted man. He made her feel that her natural desire and submissive nature was a demon that needed purging from her body through pain. Through it all she did notice the difference between Jericho and Jacob. She felt the kindness of Jacob despite his need for the darker arts in lovemaking. It is this thread of a true love between Jacob and Sedra that the darker romance reader finds solace and dare I say a small delight? A spark of light through this exceedingly violent saga.
But what of Jericho? Do we blame him for his perversions? He says the following about how he felt as he sang in church as a young choirboy:
“There were times I remembered being so engrossed in the spirit that my heart would race and my lungs would work harder to draw in air. My mind would float off with the harmonious voices and I believed in God’s holy light just because my body had been so affected.”
I believe any religious ceremony and/or faith experience can be a balm to the battered heart, uplift the spirit, convince and even transport one to another plane of existence. After all, Elijah used the power of his sermons to transport his congregation and the power of a drugged sexual experience on Sedra to make her believe him to be her god.
Who does it serve for one to be “drunk” on faith or religion? Real faith (not religion) takes the sober daily hard toil of love, forgiveness, loving your enemy and dedicating yourself to the corporal and spiritual good of someone other than yourself. Don’t get me wrong. I think it is critically important to take care of yourself but never at the expense of someone else. Perhaps, this was Jericho’s failing…he did not know how to heal and never tried to heal rather sought relief in becoming the wickedness that corrupted him.
This is book 2 and you must read book 1 of the Illusions Duet before starting this one. It’s a Wicked ride and you most definitely want to buckle up for it!
Picking up right where we left off in Illusions of Evil, we now get to learn of what these boys went through to become who they are today. Not a pretty picture, that’s for sure.
This story had me trying to think am I rooting for the good or am I standing up for the evil? There is plenty of evil here, that’s no doubt!
It’s a book that you must go into with an open mind and let it seep into your head slowly. Taking in each and everything that happens. One that at times I was wanting to put a brown bag to my mouth so that I could breathe better.
#BookBistroBlogApproved
Exemplary work by Lily. A brilliant masterpiece exposing the rotting underbelly of the age old establishments of Faith & Power. She shines the light on nefarious misgivings of these thespians of Cloth, since it’s more dramatic & theatrical than Broadway itself.
I applaud her courage for willing to write about the prevalent predation that’s been a constant scandal in the Catholic world. This abuse, however is not exclusive, or limited to a particular faith or religion. I see it as an exposé of yet another example of an age old adage, which couldn’t be truer , than in this context.
Power corrupts; Absolute Power corrupts Absolutely
A fallen Angel, a boy of merely 9 years, is a tender victim of molestation and then persecution. He is made to believe that it’s his tainted soul that tempts the Devil, and he has to pay for the sins of existence, Because he’s done nothing except be! I’m so infuriated at this point of the story. My pulse high and hands completely helpless cause I wanted to wring their necks !
Jericho had regained his control when he became Elijah, and now I feared him, too.
He grows up seeking Omnipotence & Omniscience , hiding his Satanic black soul in the garb of white. He crackles maniacally every time a naive bible thumper kneels in front of him to seek salvation.
He’s a definite Pied Piper Of Hamlin , leading the blind mice(rats) to the styx river, no doubt . The tune of your failures in life are not your fault works like a charm in every age , religion, country & race. And this is an opening , these swindlers need to whip the population into frenzy. Promising the townspeople , that the magic wand of Faith and complete submission will grant them bounties of good crops and financial windfalls, Elijah manages to step into the role of their Messiah so easily and unopposedly , it’s terrifying
What evil had done is cast fear in the hearts of most Americans, and it was exactly that fear that men like me used to poison the mind with thoughts most average people would never think for themselves. I disguised myself well as a man of God, and as I lurked beneath the mask of a decent man , I was the worst type of demon of all.
Jacob has his own journey back to his own Canaan. His own assignment , to uncover his truth . His return to his parish ,tucked away in the Appalachians , might as well be a forgotten , abandoned shanty town. People are facing penury & destitution and they’ve come to lean heavily on their church to find some sort of relief. His mission is to now fight the Demon and rescue his trapped parishioners.
At this point, the story takes a turn . Some secrets are exposed. I had expected some, some were clearly a shocker. Lily keeps you occupied throughout , she doesn’t let your mind stray away from the train-crash of a story.
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.
So you watch/read as the event unfold , whilst unable to stop them, you hope for some kind of Divine Retribution , cause we’ve all heard about Karma and all !
There is absolute villainy in the characters she has created. Elijah/Jericho will scare your breath away , his sidekick Richard should be bound and boxed and thrown in the deep oceans of hell , never to be seen again. Richard in particular fascinated me, his thirst for blood and gore is beyond belief. Why & how is ignored, though I’d have loved to read more about him, this book solely focuses on Elijah and Jacob Hayle. And its more back-to-the-start kinda story so readers get to understand , which events created and shaped this current monster. Father Timothy plays an important part. Though solemnly Silent , he points Jacob in right direction and urges him to ask right questions in his quest for truth.
Eve’s journey is backwards in this book. She has to revert back to Sedra and in order to do so , she has to come out of her fog and sharpen her senses back. She’s very intelligent and smart , yet hasn’t got much to do , because he’s been benumbed. Joshua is very endearing in his staunch support & Loyalty to his kin.
Even though Elijah was sickeningly depraved, I found myself rooting for him. His why’s & How’s somehow made me want to reach out and smoothen the crinkles of his psyche.why would I think that I could change him ?
cause every man is redeemable. I firmly believe that !
……..except Lily’s characters, they stay true to their form. And that is why she’s my MOST FAVE Dark author . The Queen Of Diabolical Men! She never loses track of her narration, never dilutes the characterisation and always takes the path less travelled . A fearless writer , who could damn near teach all the newbies and wannabes Dark authors -How to write 50 shades of Dark , And do it well !
“With all the bullshit that’s going on in this country right now, the particular weapons you’re looking for are in hot demand. That’s good for us because we suck up the profits, but it just means that people like you have to be patient for the manufacturers to send out more shipments.”
“It’s the people dressing themselves in the shroud of being good men that can commit the most evil. They are given access to the young.”
The topics mentioned in this Duet are very contemporary. The events unfolding around us , presently,are all skillfully touched upon . It could be a story , true in every decade , such is the power of Lily’s writing. There’s Gun-control. My Gun is bigger than yours mentality , There’s our stupidity in electing a moron to the highest office, There’s Church abuse , There’s paedophilia and then there’s Cult mentality . I want to mention here one important detail . if you insert another name instead of Elijah and nefarious terrorist organization acronym with the word- Cult , it could very well be a Political commentary for the present time !
What evil had done is cast fear in the hearts of most Americans, and it was exactly that fear that men like me used to poison the mind with thoughts most average people would never think for themselves. I disguised myself well as a man of God, and as I lurked beneath the mask of a decent man , I was the worst type of demon of all.
Very significant and urgent call for all of us to rise like Jacob’s Army and put an end to this .
It’s no secret that I’m her ardent admirer, I’m in love with her writing style, her bravery in pushing the boundaries and the innate curiosity of going where no writer has gone before, that makes her my Unicorn & must read author , Every book !
Now my peeves – the story didn’t end on the same note , but that’s just MY opinion.
And biggest peeve-when are you gonna format paperbacks Willis!!!!!! . The day she does, I’ll be ordering every word she’s ever written and hold these beauties in my hand !
Lastly a few things I would’ve wanted to read more about .
How’s and why’s of Richard, The formation, background & Rituals of the “Family”.
Hopefully she writes more about this .Here’s to hoping
Get a big glass of wine , say Hail Mary’s and dive in !
Jericho and Jacob were raised in a strict Catholic household. They attended church every Sunday. As they grew into young men there curiosity about the strict rules set by religion was questioned more frequently. There father believed that there curiosity was the worst form of sin. When they began to test those rules and boundaries a heavy hand of punishment was enforced upon them.
Jacob became a priest trying to amend for the sins of his youth. While Jericho became a leader of a family he created. Both were conditioned for darkness.
Fear the Wicked picks up where the Illusions of Evil ended with Elijah reclaiming Eve.
Revenge is Jacobs driving force after learning what Elijah did to Eve.
You never see the evil that lurks within the man that hides behind the protection of his church until it’s too late.
Overall:
There are monsters who are scary and dangerous and then there are monsters who are pure evil. Elijah was sinfully wicked. He was madness wrapped in a blanket of insanity. He was truly a madman. His character was difficult to read as the violent nature of his being was shocking.
If she didn’t fear the wicked I certainly did. I wanted to reach within the pages of this book and shake some sense into Eve. The twists of words jacked up my mind just as easily. Elijah had his handiwork in so many areas. It amazed me how extensive his work became.
Lily wrote a compelling and very convincing story threading in religious beliefs. It’s obvious she did her research on the topic.
Lily masterminded an evil game. I’m not sure I was ready to play this game with her. It’s scary how devious her mind can be. She’s a true master of words. The artistic colorful words she used to describe each scene was so well crafted that I vividly saw each scene clearly in my mind. If you handed me a pencil I’m certain I could draw each scene.
There is an art to her darkness. Lily flirts with the dangerous side of evil by teetering between the good and the bad. She’s bold I’ll give her that much.
The million dollar question: what game are you playing at Lily? I can never seem to figure out which direction you are going. It’s a good thing your the driver and I’m the passenger because this road you have us on is wickedly wild.
The way Lily escalated the characters and the story was enthralling, chilling, and thrilling.
The concept of pulling sin from the body is new to me. I never gave it much thought until I read these books. Let’s just say my mind would shut off with thought provoking thoughts about the type of insanity displayed from within Elijah’s character.
Once again Lily softened my heart for just a little bit providing one moment of humanity. But just as quickly it faded. When she says you should fear the wicked you should heed her warning. If you’ve read the Director you will survive these books. These books are a cake walk in comparison to the Director.
“There was no good in this world, only the wicked”
What can I say… I’m a bit disappointed in book 2. It was not what I had expected, it dragged somewhat. There was a lot of repetition; about their childhood, the actions of their father and the lack of action of their mother. But we also get answers to the questions we were left with in book 1.
Fear the wicked opens right where Illusions of Evil left off.
Feeling distraught by the events in book 1 Jacob Hayle has fled his parish and, very likely, lost his Faith.
But Jacob is digging in their past, wondering and needing to know what happened to his twin. He goes back to his childhood home looking for answers while facing his own demons.
This book reveals more about Jericho, why he became Elijah, a cult leader, reveling in his ability to brainwash people to make them blindly do he wanted and believe everything he says.
I was more deceitful than the Devil himself, more convincing than the holy-roller evangelical preachers who’d become wealthy in their wicked games.
But in spite of everything that he did, I was rooting for him, I wanted a different outcome.
it’s the people dressing themselves in the shroud of being good men that can commit the most evil.
The book is told in several POVs giving the reader different angles into the actions of the MCs.
The re-uniting of the brothers is a very intense and defying moment that I would have liked to have more drawn out. The ending felt rushed but still realistic.
Because, in the end, it’s the deceivers that are the most horrendous of all, and if good men do really exist in this world slowly slipping into Hell, then those men would be better off opening their eyes to the truth that stands before them, because to see it is to fear the wicked.
And notice the contrasting white and black cover! So telling for the story of these twin brothers.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2206476376
The level of depravity and deviance in this duet had me mostly entranced. Somehow I was able to leave my morals at the door, and let Lily White take me down this dark rabbit hole.
Book 2 was just as disturbing as book 1, but unfortunately the story fell flat. Book 1, Illusions of Evil, is something I’ll reread, but I can’t say the same for this book. It was too long. There were definitely parts that could have been edited out. I found myself skimming quite a bit.
Why this didn’t get four stars:
There were high points that had me mesmerized. My eyes were glued to every word of Eve’s POV, and especially when Elijah and Eve were together. The times they were together were few and far between compared to the amount of time Elijah spent with various townsfolk. I would have been happier with more Elijah and Eve scenes. Jacob and Eve scenes were practically nonexistent.
The ending was unsatisfactory. The epilogue came across as lazy or rushed. I wasn’t a fan of the fast-forward in time.
Another will written read from Lily White an epic second book in the Illusions Duet.
The conclusion – Will the veil be removed!
You will know the first part of this story, now lets look back to the past and beyond all the smoke & mirrors, secrets uncovered, betrayal’s and shocks are in store along with brutal scenes when revenge needs to be fast tracked.
Who are the real victims in this story and can anyone walk away a survivor.
~That the truly wicked are the men hiding behind the guise of faith while committing the worst of sin…. ~
This duet is a disconcerting psychological thriller. Lily drives the tension in unpredictable ways all while emphasizing the complex and tortured relationships between her obsessive and pathological characters.
Many abhorrent things have been done in the name of religion. It has been the catalyst for so many nefarious purposes. Lily’s daring willingness to write a book involving such a controversial subject matter is fearless. Such a topic is not always so receptive.
Both sides of the coin are never as shiny as they proclaim. Many cults cloak themselves behind the institution of religion, they twist and test the faith of their followers in order to fulfill their own narcissistic objectives. On the opposite side of the coin, the secular institutions are the breeding grounds for power hungry self righteous persons who conceal or cover up the darkness within the church. In Fear The Wicked you will see these beliefs tested and manipulated, you will see the corruption and wicked acts covered up and buried.
~…..a set of twins standing on opposite sides – one light, one dark. ~
Elijah and Jacob, two brothers, identical twins. Both raised with a religiously heavy hand, but yet turned out differently. Both not unlike the church and the cult. One representative of each. Elijah akin to the ways of the cult, testing and twisting for his own purpose. Jacob and the church alike in their camouflage of the dark and wickedness within.
Toss in an instrumental innocent and angelic accessory and the story jumps to a new level of shameful sinfulness.
As expected, Fear The Wicked delivers dark themes, torture, tragedy and murder! It is socially deviant with generous helpings of seduction, lies, manipulation and control.
Lily White is a favorite author of mine and continues to intrigue and enrapture me with each and every one of her books. Say your hail mary’s and put your FAITH in Lily White!!
CONFESS!!
This is one gripping read. We are taken on a journey into the darkness of what happens and becomes of the young and vulnerable and when a young boy/boys are constantly used and abused in the most abhorrent ways by the poelple who are supposed to protect them no matter what.
Elijah/Jericho and Jacobs story is hard to read. The struggles, redemption, revenge and the path in which they each endured is so different but somehow justified ( not the killings).
Eve/Sedra is the scapegoat within the story. Broken down and used as a means to an end and the punishments in which she had to endure were horrendous.
The story is dark and some of the acts performed were horrendous and disturbed but I was like a deer caught in the headlights and couldn’t look away or stop reading or more to the point I just didn’t want to. Lily pulled me into her dark mind and I pulled up a seat and stayed for the duration. I would describe this book to be a psychological erotic thriller and in true Lily White style a suburb dark of darkest read.
Riveting!
An all engrossing story, combined with brilliant writing!
The darkness in this book heightened all the other senses and emotions in the best possible way as we emerge into the suspenseful plot of these very flawed characters.
This story begins right where book 1 ends so you can’t appreciate book 2 without reading the first book.
Sharp, edgy, raw and gripping. The writing in this story was intense, suspenseful and full of emotion. The plot was complex and rich. A twisted, slow burn, insightful story of repenting, and the final consequences!!
Reading this story felt like I was not only learning more about these very flawed characters, but getting and inside look at a very valuable life lesson.
Told in multiple pov’s, the characters came to life as they explained their story.
For me book 2 was more enjoyable because we learn much needed background information about the dynamics of “why” these characters behaved the way the did, and what their final outcome was.
What made them turn out to become complete opposites despite their identical backgrounds. The characters evolved more and demonstrated their complex and twisted reasons for their actions.
All because of one moment!
Revelations were made, secrets revealed, and explanations rendered.
Confession… does it lead to redemption or revenge?
Can we forgive after the ultimate betrayal?
I received a copy of this book to review for Stephanie’s Book Reports.
Fear the Wicked is the second book in Lily White’s Illusions Duet. You must read Illusions of Evil before reading Fear the Wicked or you are going to be beyond lost.
CONFESS…..it is what he said to me across his altar, what he demanded so that I would be pure. In the moment he blessed me with his virtue, I was no longer the woman I had once been. I was Eve. His light. His salvation. His bridge to Heaven’s gate. I failed him because my faith was not strong enough. He punished me for not giving in. Resisting temptation is never easy. Not when his hands, his teeth, his heat and hunger were the greatest of my sins.
Holy cow you better buckle up and hold on because if you like me you will need something to hold yourself in your seat from all the ducking I did thinking God was going to strike me dead at any minute. I’m not a huge fan of reading something that is so crazily in my opinion said about God. However I did not let that affect the way I reviewed or read this book. There is a lot that goes on in this book to so you need to pay attention.
In Illusions of Evil we were introduced to Elijah/Jericho and Jacob. See I told you you had to pay attention as I found that I got the names confused a few times. Elijah is running a cult but he was also growing up known as Jericho and is Jacob’s twin brother. So poor Eve, bless her heart is not able to tell them apart which leads to where we are no in the book with Jacob thinking he killed her and Elijah fooling him to run him off from his Parish. Elijah/Jericho is determined to get his revenge and in Fear the Wicked you find out exactly why. You just need to be prepared. I have never read another book tackling this subject matter. Abuse should never be tolerated ever and it broke my heart many times during this book. Not only was this person abused but heaped out abuse in spades. This book is dark and if you have triggers you might just want to skip it. However I thought that Lily White wrote a story that sucked me in till the very end and I was really happy with the ending. So if you hang on till the end the reward is well worth the squirming.
This book had a LOT of WTF moments for me, and I seriously only have one HARD LIMIT when it comes to books and this book touched on that subject a few times and I will be honest here I had to skim through a couple of pages to pass it over. That being said I will now go on with my review.
If you like dark books I think you will enjoy this one especially if you enjoy your books more on the taboo side of things. You MUST read the first book in the duet “Illusions of Evil” before you read this story otherwise you will not only miss out on a great read (I enjoyed the first book more than this one) but you will be missing a good chunk of the story line. We pick-up where the first book left off with Jacob leaving and Elijah still the head of the “Family” but now he is setting his sights on the town folk as well.
Eve, my goodness this poor girl is truly at the hands of the devil being with Elijah. Evil knows no bounds when it comes to his evil ways.
Elijah, truths about his past come to light and now that we know his secrets I have an understanding of his cruelty but in no way condone it, he has seriously gone into the deep end with his retaliation.
Jacob, my heart truly went out to him in this book, he finds out the secrets about why his brother left their family home and what happened to him when they were just young children. The love he felt for his brother was never clouded although you would think it would be, he didn’t agree with what Elijah was doing but he loved him and hoped he could help him.
This was a good ending to the duet. This needs to be mentioned and please understand that there are NUMEROUS triggers in this duet. This is a DARK, EROTIC ROMANCE, which includes Non-Con and Dubious Sex, Religious figures that have sex even though they took a vow not to, and a cult leader that will do ANYTHING he wants to ANYONE he wants. If any of these things offend you DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. That being said, if this is your cup of tea I highly recommend this duet.
Lily White is a fairly new author to me, I have only read the two books in this duet plus Her Masters Redemption , but I must say now that I have a true taste of her dark and perverse mind I will go straight to her list of books when I am in the mood for a dark or taboo read.
**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book**