**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Okay, okay. You’ve gotten my attention! Kate Oliver is a new-to-meMy Rating: 4 stars!
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Okay, okay. You’ve gotten my attention! Kate Oliver is a new-to-me author and this book is my introduction to her writing. What can I say? I like it. I like it.
It definitely displays good bones for the rest of the series, that I’m keen to check out the next book (and Savage brother) the follows. It’s promoted as dark, mafia romance— which is exactly my type of romance read, but after having read this one, I would say it leans more towards dark contemporary with light mafia themes. It wasn’t as dark and gritty as I was expecting, but the surprisingly light and playful elements injected still made for a page-turning read.
The backdrop of the Las Vegas strip filled with elite casinos, money, power, and a ton of shady dealings set an intriguing ominous atmosphere surrounding the Savage brothers from the get-go. You can’t help but perk up with interest the second these men and their individual personalities were introduced, and the more the story developed, the more you want to know about these brothers. Their tight-knit, almost ordinarily homey familial relationship is evident, and refreshing to see in a dark, mafia-ish setting. With giggle-inducing banter, their heart-to-hearts, and all their interactions in between, there’s a genuineness to their bond.
Jordyn had me smiling right from the opening scene. She’s a likable heroine and I adored that she had relatable personal insecurities that I think many could resonate with.
It’s steady-paced storytelling, and I like Oliver’s writing style. It’s effortless to follow with interesting characters. But there were a couple of elements that I wasn’t totally sold on, and only because of my reading preferences. If you’re into the “Daddy kink”, this book absolutely needs to be added to your TBR. I’m also not one for any kind of “period play”. I’ve read a couple of dark romance books in the past with this element, and I was unfortunately cringe-ing as much then as I was with this one. Yeah, I could’ve done without.
Although I found this book overall to be on the lighter side of the dark mafia romance sub-genre, it does still contain dark themes that some readers may find triggering. It contains drugging, kidnapping, graphic violence (torture), and death (on and off page). It’s intended for readers 18+ only.
Cash and Jordyn’s romance was insta-love as hell! But with how things developed between them, it didn’t feel all that hasty. There was a sweet little build-up, and sexual tension before anything progressed. The dual POVs certainly helped. I just would’ve loved to have seen in-depth character growth from the MCs, and a little less sexual content, but at the end of the day, I still found it to be an enjoyable read.
As far as storylines go, the main plotlines were fairly predictable and wasn’t as action-packed or suspenseful as I thought it would be. But the minor plot twists and the cast of characters had me choking, and was ultimately what kept me engaged. This book definitely caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected to get teary-eyed in certain parts, but I did.
I think it’s a great start to the Savage Sins series. I’m curious to read the rest of the brothers’ stories, and see who ends up winning each one of their hearts over. I’m left in happy contentment. Looks like Oliver has a new reader out of me!
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Ooh, I love it whenever a book lives up to all the teaser-y hypeMy Rating: 4.5 stars!
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Ooh, I love it whenever a book lives up to all the teaser-y hype the author has build-up ahead of its release. Nikola definitely lived up to his wild gestures, smoking-hot appearance, and all-encompassing character. Phew-wee! ...more