Sins of the Banna Book 1: Savage by Erin Russell

 

Sins of the Banna Book 1

Everyone thinks the mafia is so glamorous. They make books and movies by the hundred and it's all suave guys in suits making deals in smoky backrooms over poker games.

Well, I'm the mafia prince of Oklahoma. There's no glitz or glamor here, and I hate every minute of it. But it's my birthright. Until war breaks out between my family and the Aryan Brotherhood, and I'm forced to go into hiding in a little Missouri town that's even more remote and redneck than my own.

The only upside is that I get to see my long-lost little stepbrother. I devoted my childhood to protecting him from my violent father, and it was the only thing that's every made me feel like a good person. Seeing him again makes me feel like maybe that good version of myself isn't as dead and buried as I thought. Maybe there's a chance to get him back, if I can scrape away all the numbness and callous around my heart that a lifetime of violence has built up.

Not to mention, he's... different. He was always a shy, scared little kid. Now he's still kind of little, but he's ten pounds of confidence in a five pound bag. And he has no problem telling the homophobic killers that I work with where to shove it if they don't like who he's become. I'm inspired, and I wish I could take a little bit of that confidence for myself.

I've spent my entire life rolling over and giving Dad whatever he wanted. Chipping away at my soul, one piece at a time. With Micah's help, maybe I can get it back. Even if his methods are the last thing I was expecting...

Savage is a Dark M/M Mafia Romance. It features explicit sexual content and is only suitable for readers 18+. It contains potentially triggering content, there is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book with details. It is Book 1 in the series Sins of the Banna, with takes place in the same universe as the Possum Hollow series. All books follow a different couple and can be read as standalones, ending with an HEA/HFN, but the series is better when read as a whole because several characters and storylines overlap.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216146757-savage

********

My Review: 3.5/5 Stars

Set in the same world as the Possum Hollow books, Sav and Micah’s story takes place a little after book 2 and overlaps with book 3. We’ve seen both of these characters in that series and now it’s their turn! After an attempt on Sav’s life by a rival gang, his father and leader of the Banna, takes Sav to another base of their gang to protect him and hopefully save his life. Sav is taken to Micah. When they were kids, their parents were together until Micah’s mom left with him in the middle of the night and never returned. Now, twelve years later they are together again. Their feelings for one another just as strong as when they were kids. So there is no way Micah is going to let Sav die on his watch. And if Sav lets him, maybe he can get him away from his toxic father and the Banna for good. Sav has been trying to find a way out of the gang for a long time and just when he thinks he is finding his courage to say something, he is shot. Now he is back with Micah and he can’t regret it. He always hoped to find him again. But there is a lot standing in their way before either of them can find the happy ending together they both crave. It is clear the moment these two are reunited that there is something between them. It just changes the more they get to know their adult selves. They are both willing to do whatever to protect the other from those who want to hurt them and even themselves. It’s a hard journey for both of them but a well earned happy ending by the end.