Savage (Sins of the Banna #1)

Received an ARC and this is my honest review.
5*
Fantastic read. I devoured the book. It’s this Goldilocks “just right” balance, where the content is dark, but the romance is bright and the kink is on fire. Trauma bonding and hurt/comfort are major themes. Sav and Micah suffer the effects of abuse / neglect from childhood to adulthood, with violence throughout, and internalized homophobia. Sav struggles with mental illness and Micah struggles to support him. Despite all of this heavy, dark background, Sav and Micah together shine through. They’re loyal to each other, above everything else. I treasured that. The author chooses to emphasize their loyalty first, before the slow burn even begins. It forms this bedrock to the entire show more book and I love it. Even when they’re angry at each other and fighting, it’s about protecting and caring. One particular fight leads to an awkward scene of MF intimacy—which is not my cup of tea—but is handled well and ends up being pivotal to the story development. This is also the first romance I’ve read that addresses ED issues during sex, and it’s done so well I was stunned. Way to turn performance anxiety into a scorching D/S scene. show less