Savage

by L.A. Fiore

[stacey_is_sassy]

I had to slow it down...

****4.5 Stars****

I absolutely LOVED Savage BUT...I couldn't understand a bloody word he said for the first few chapters. OK, I could understand a few words but that was only after I rewound it and listened to it again. Aaron Shedlock's voice is so bloody deep and his Scottish burr was so well done, that I'm convinced Mr Shedlock is Scottish...or he was possessed by a Scotsman while narrating this story. Turns out, all I needed to do was slow down my speed. This also helped with listening to Tracy Marks narration as well. Funny thing...my last audiobook was narrated by Ms Marks and I didn't enjoy it, this one...SHE'S A STAR!!

Savage is my kind of dark...ish. I'm an absolute sucker for a wounded hero with a prickly outer shell. Brochan's history was brutal and it broke my heart when the one who should have loved him the most, was the one who hurt him the most. This brutal history has turned him away from relationships that make him feel anything. When the only woman who stood up for him at the worst time of his life is dying, he makes a promise at her death bed to be nice to her niece when she comes to visit. Brochan is not convinced he's capable of nice, but he'll give it a try for this niece who he's never even met before.

Lizzie's parents...I mean the sperm donor and breeder, are not nice people and made sure that she knew she was unwanted. Years being bullied and abused in boarding school has left Lizzie with her own version of brutal scars. When Lizzie finds out that her horrible mother had a sister that she never knew of, she's devastated to only learn of her after the aunt passed. A trip to Scotland gives her a chance to find out more about her unknown family. Most of the people she meets are lovely but there's this one man who's captured her attention...and it's rumoured he's a monster.

Savage was thoroughly entertaining. The characters came to life for me and the storyline held my attention from the first word until the last. This is a story about two people who have faced evil and dealt with it in their own ways. Brochan used the darkness inside him to make bad people suffer. Lizzie's darkness comes through in the beautiful art she creates.

There were plenty of steamy scenes and I loved that we experienced Brochan's change from emotionless sex to a connection with Lizzie. Their relationship was fascinating because of their ability to recognise the darkness in each other. It really was dark at times, so dark that a few descriptions of what Brochan is capable of, sent a shiver up my spine. It was pretty gross, actually, but never too much for me to deal with.

If you're looking for a great audio experience and don't mind a visit to the dark side, I highly recommend giving Savage: The Awakening of Lizzie Danton, a go.