Savage Vow

by Ellie Pond

Marrying my ex is the only way to protect myself and take down his father, the man who ripped my family apart. I don’t want Thayer back in my life–this arrangement is temporary. He set me on a path of always choosing the red flag. At least until Anders, Ryder, and Oliver showed up in my life. I don’t want to choose between them. Now I'm caught between a fake pregnancy, deadly secrets, and four men who've made it clear they'll destroy anyone who tries to hurt me again.

Genres: Why Choose, Romance

402 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 17, 2026

About the author

Ellie Pond is an author of Paranormal Romance. Ellie’s had many professions, including costume designer, contract archeologist, organic farmer, fabric store owner, and airline gate agent. She’s happy to be a full-time writer now. She lives in New England with her three teenage sons, husband, and father. It’s a lot of testosterone. To combat all the Axe body spray in the house, Ellie likes to travel. You can follow her on social media for her travel adventures, when we can do that kind of thing again.

Reviews

[Sim-fully Ever After]

2🌟, 3.5🌶️

I was so excited to get into this one because I love a good why choose romance, and the premise sounded like exactly my kind of book.

Emily, Thayer, Ryder, Anders, and Oliver immediately caught my attention, and I could see so much potential in both the characters and the overall story. Unfortunately, I never felt as connected as I wanted to.

For most of the book, I felt like I had joined the story halfway through. There were so many references to past events and established relationships that I struggled to fully understand the characters, especially Thayer. I also wished there was more emotional build up before the romance took off. The chemistry was there, but I found myself wanting more tension, more character development, and a clearer sense of where everything was heading.

Even though this wasn’t the right fit for me, I still liked the ideas behind the story and can understand why others are enjoying it. I think readers who have already read the connected series will probably have a much smoother experience. I may even go back and read those books one day because I do think this world has a lot of promise.

I just needed a little more from this story.

~~~~

Special thanks to Ellie Ponds and Love Notes PR for providing this Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. ✨

[Lauren (lololovesthings)]

DNF @ 24%. I was looking forward to Ellie Pond's "Savage Vow." The synopsis sounded intoxicating and intriguing. Unfortunately, it's an absolute cluster of a story. I stopped at about chapter 3, so I could scoured Goodreads and The Storygraph to see if I missed a book or two's worth of information that I should have read ahead of time??? Turns out, this book might be a spin-off from the author's last series. This is totally fine, but it feels like she just drops us into the middle of this story with a bunch of information we're supposed to know automatically without necessarily having read that entire last series?? She says things confidently as fact, but she hasn't given her readers any of the information integral to what she's saying??? If I had known I needed to read four other books to get context clues for this novel, I likely wouldn't have requested to read it. It doesn't state anywhere that this is a spin-off of the other series, so I might be wrong, but it sure seems like it is. Still, I kept going, hoping it would prove fruitful. There are so many characters and so many situations going on in this book that it was hard to keep everything and everyone straight in my mind: relationships, friendships, people who hate each other, people backstabbing each other, etc. When it comes to love, everything is purely insta-lust. I think it's because we get dropped into the middle of this world with little to no background, little to no character development above anything surface-level, that none of the relationships feel full of yearning or pining or intensity other than s3x, s3x, s3x. No chemistry, no tension, barely even a crumb of friendship between them. Things are all over the place, and while I admit they might come together in the end, it sure doesn't feel like it's going to at about 23% into the book. It feels like sprouts of ideas that never fully come together to create something cohesive. It's not a good thing to be constantly lost! This makes the pacing feel very strange, too. Things happen very quickly at times, but then there are also huge lulls. I, sadly, am DNFing this one. Maybe if I have time down the line, I will read the original series and come back to this one because I see some sparks of intrigue here and there, but not enough to keep me reading now when I keep getting lost in the pacing and lack of tension.

Thank you to Ellie Pond and Love Notes PR for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

[Saartje’s literartea]

This is my very first book by Ellie Pond. Signed up for the arc because the storyline intrigued me and I mean, why choose one hot man when you can have multiple hot men as love interests, right?

While reading the book, I questioned if I accidentally read over some details and had signed up for a spin-off or sequel.

I checked other reviews, and some said it was based on a previous series. I wasn’t aware of that so that might have had an influence on my reading experience.

Without some of that background, the romance felt more like it was instant lust rather than it being built up.

What I loved about the plot was the fake marriage/ second chance trope between Emily and Thayer. 

But was it just me, or did I feel like they interacted little in the book? 

Also, I was wondering if Emily is the only love interest of Thayer. There seems to be history, and maybe it’s also an unsolved history between Thayer and one of Emily’s boyfriends.

Emily and said person even have a conversation about a shared experience they have with Thayer, but that’s it and it doesn't get mentioned, I think further in the book.

Overall, I enjoyed some parts of the book but because I was missing some backstories; I wasn’t able to fully enjoy its content.

The unresolved subplots felt flat instead of it being subtle teasers for a future book.

This is my first arc, so I’m still learning the ropes of writing a review. All opinions are my own!

Thank you Ellie Pond and Love Notes PR for providing me with an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I apologize if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes.

[juls ⋆˙⟡]

ARC REVIEW

thank you to LOVE NOTES PR + Ellie Pond for this opportunity.

i love the vision + the plot. i really wanted to love this story like so much but i felt like i was missing a lot of Thayers POV It was mainly her + the others hooking up + how they operate as a group and figuring out their new journey they created.

when it came to the plot i was expecting more behind the scenes of thayer is thinking + planning on doing. the plans we needed more detail.

but overall i love where this was going + hopefully in the next book we hear more about thayer.

[Bea la_lectora]

I read the book and enjoyed, overall a 3.5⭐️.
But did miss part of the context, which would have made me love it more.
But overall a good book

[Erin]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 - stars
🔥🔥🔥/5 - spice

Overall, this was a good book. But I felt you had to read Ellie Pond's Wrecked series to get the full picture and understanding of the characters in this book.

Not gonna lie, I was a little lost when starting this book. The FMC and MMCs all knew each other already, and they were going back and forth on an incident that's already happened.

With that said, this story is about Emily, Thayer, Oliver, Anders, and Ryder. I felt there was a lot of sexual tension and chemistry between Thayer and Emily, which they felt they shouldn't act on because of their past. Oliver, Anders, Ryder, and Emily all know one another from a past incident and have kept in touch since. Emily has a friendship with each of these men but is attracted to each and every one of them and can't choose. These four men would stand by and protect Emily no matter what.

"She’s a doe-eyed temptress. One who’s capable of dragging me to the ocean floor and drowning me."

ARC provided from the author and Happily Booked PR for an honest review.

[sycokittykat - Stefanie]

Book does not stand on it's own as a book 1

This book is marketed as a book one in a new series but I absolutely felt like I had missed a lot. This kept referencing previous events and characters like we already knew about them. There is a whole lot of history that we are completely missing. From other reviews I guess you really need to read another series first.

All of the relationships seemed to have history which means they all felt like instant lust/love. There was no discussion about them all being with the sane woman it just was. I was unable to find anything believable in this story.

The pacing in this book was also very strange. I got really bored in the middle and was honestly ready for it to be over long before it was.

So I would say thus book does not stand on it's own and without reading a previous series thus book was not super enjoyable.

[Taylor Field]

Thank you Love Notes PR and Ellie Pond for the E-Arc!

Boy does Elli know how to write tension! I was rooting for every one of these characters. I liked Emily a lot! She was a great FMC. The storyline was somewhat confusing to me personally. It kept mentioning things about the characters back story like I should already know it. While I know a lot of books hint at back stories and you find out later on what happened, this felt more like I was missing critical information. I did also feel some scenes could have been written out in more detail. Some scenes I was getting lost on who was speaking and where they were. Overall a good read.

[Deanna Keri]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 Stars)
🌶️🌶️🌶️½ (3–4 Chili Peppers)

Savage Vow by Ellie Pond was definitely outside my normal reading comfort zone, but I was completely hooked! This is a why choose/reverse harem romance featuring four very different men who each bring something unique while fiercely protecting one woman. If you’re a fan of the “touch her and you die” trope, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

I wasn’t sure this trope would be for me, but the character dynamics kept me turning the pages. And that ending… the cliffhanger! Now I need to know what happens next.

Maybe I don’t dislike the why choose trope as much as I thought—I might just be adding another genre to my reading list! 📚🤭

[Amanda]

I held off on posting this because I tried reading it not once but twice and could not get past the 30% mark. I really wanted to like this book but it felt disorganized and slightly confusing. There was not enough background to fully build the world and characters within it. & then there were TOO many characters which made it even more confusing because it wasn't a drip feed it felt like it was all at once.

I feel like with a few more rounds of edits this could be a good book worth finishing.

I received a copy of this book and am giving a review of what I did finish.

[FabledWhimsy]

I received an ARC of Savage Vow in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Love Notes PR and Ellie Pond for sending me an ARC of Savage Vow! I am a firm lover of why choose romances, and this book had no shortage of book boyfriends for us to fall in love with. This is a story of forced proximity, a fake marriage and a fake pregnancy, so if this sounds like a fun time to you, then you will enjoy your time with this book!

⋆˙⟡♡˚ʚ♡ɞ˚⋆˚✿˖°°❀.ೃ࿔*⋆˙⟡♡⋆˙⟡♡˚ʚ♡ɞ˚⋆˚✿˖°°❀.ೃ࿔*⋆˙⟡♡

♡ Savage Vow follows Emily, Thayer, Ryder, Anders and Oliver as they navigate the strange and unusual circumstances they find themselves in. Emily is forced into a fake marriage for her own safety. She refuses to let her boyfriends go, and they will not leave her side until they know she is safe. These are some ride or die boyfriends if I have ever seen them! Emily is thrown into this situation where choices are stripped from her left and right, but the one choice she refuses to give up? Who she loves. Sometimes love doesn’t conform to societal norms, and relationships don’t all look the same. This is why I love why choose romances so much, because why have one book boyfriend, when you can have 4?

♡ Emily was different from the society she grew up around. She is rich through her family, but she has never cared for wealth or designer clothes. She chooses to put her money into her charity organisation and deeply cares for others. There is a wonderful cast of characters in this book and Lilith, Emily’s overzealous best-friend, was one of my favourites. She was so sassy and outspoken it was hard not to like her. She was unapologetically herself, and you can’t help but be drawn to her. We are treated to plenty of time to get to know the MMC’s, which helped make their relationship with Emily believable. The only MMC I wasn’t sold on was Thayer. I think he was left aloof and brooding on purpose. I wanted to know more, and I hope he is explored more as a character in the next book. If you like your green flags with a fun blend of red flags, you will fall for these love interests.

♡ My criticism lies within the pacing of this book. It may just be a personal thing for me, but at times, I was lost in the timeline. I wasn’t sure how fast things were happening, or how slow. We were told more instead of shown the urgency that drove the plot forward, and I think I would have appreciated clearer indication regarding the timeframe we were working with. It felt like the pace was speeding along in some areas, particularly the characters and their relationships, but treading water in other plot lines, especially including Thayer’s father. This may be due to the fact that this is the first book in the series, and we are building to something bigger. On a personal note, with that in mind, I just wanted a bit more to keep me on the edge of my seat.

♡ Savage Vow is perfect for fans of a more insta-love type relationship. The characters themselves have known each other for a while, but they are new to us, and their history is mentioned in enigmatic ways that felt more on the frustrating side instead of intriguing. I absolutely wanted to know more about the boat trip that irrevocably changed them all, but it is only ever mentioned in passing. Again, this may add to the mystery for you, but on a personal level, I just wanted someone to let us in through the walls they had created. Apologies if this was covered in a previous book, I wasn’t aware of any books being connected to this one, so if there is please feel free to ignore me! All in all, I did enjoy my time with Savage Vow. It was steamy, romantic and had high stakes that pulled us forward through the story. If you love dual POV, why choose, forced proximity and fake marriages, I think you would eat this up!

[Katarina Väisänen]

Savage Vow is exactly the kind of dark, forbidden why-choose romance I adore, packed with emotional turmoil, dangerous alliances, and undeniable chemistry. As a fan of reverse harem and complex heroines, this book immediately drew me into its world of family revenge, past heartbreak, and a heroine who needs protecting from almost everyone.

Our FMC is a truly resilient character. The heartbreak from Thayer and the ongoing threat from his father are very real, making her decision to flee and her current reluctance to trust Thayer's plan completely understandable. Her relationships with Ryder and Anders, her loyal best friends, provide a wonderful anchor of safety and found family. Oliver, the handsome prince, adds another intriguing layer of forbidden desire. The author does an excellent job of showcasing why choosing between these four very different, yet equally compelling, men feels utterly impossible for her.

The constant tension between the looming threat to her family, the complexities of her past with Thayer, and her burgeoning feelings for all four men makes for a deeply engaging read. The idea of her surrendering to her circumstances, and to these men, felt like a powerful emotional journey.

My reason for giving it four stars is that, while the chemistry and tension with all MMCs are evident, the emotional depth of the bond with Ryder and Anders, while always present as best friends, felt slightly less explored in terms of romantic progression in this first book, compared to the more immediate romantic conflict presented by Thayer and Oliver. I understand this is a first book in a series, but I was eager for a bit more explicit development of those relationships within the why-choose dynamic.

Regardless, Savage Vow is a powerful and very addictive start to a promising series. If you love your romance messy, forbidden, and packed with obsession, with a heroine who is strong even when confused, this book is a fantastic choice. I'm completely invested in seeing how she navigates this dangerous path and ultimately chooses her own fate.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jennifer Amaral]

Savage Vow by Ellie Pond was the perfect blend of danger, forbidden attraction, emotional chaos, and a heroine caught between loyalty, history, and the possibility of something she never expected. 🖤🔥

From the very beginning, this story pulled me in with its high stakes and complicated relationships. A marriage of convenience with the son of the man trying to destroy her family? Yeah… I was hooked immediately. 👀

Thayer Zambrano is exactly the kind of morally gray hero that makes these stories impossible to put down.

Dangerous.

Protective.

Intense.

The same man who broke her heart years ago is now the one willing to risk everything to keep her safe. I loved the push and pull between them—the anger, the unresolved feelings, and the undeniable chemistry that neither of them could escape.

But this story isn't just about Thayer.

The relationships surrounding the FMC add so much depth and emotion. Ryder, Anders, and Oliver each bring something completely different to her life, creating a complicated web of trust, protection, and feelings that keeps you wondering where everything will lead.

What I loved most was the FMC herself. She isn't waiting for someone to save her. She's strong, guarded, and determined to make her own choices, even when her heart and her circumstances are pulling her in different directions.

The tension throughout the book was EVERYTHING.

The danger.

The secrets.

The forced proximity.

The emotional history.

Every chapter left me wanting to know what would happen next.

✨ If you love:

🖤 Dark romance vibes
💍 Marriage of convenience
🔥 Forbidden attraction
🖤 Morally gray heroes
🌹 Protective MMCs
🔥 Reverse harem / why choose romance
🖤 Childhood history and second chances
⚔️ Family rivalries and danger

Savage Vow is addictive, dramatic, and filled with the kind of messy emotions that make romance so much fun to read. Ellie Pond delivers a story full of tension, temptation, and unforgettable characters that had me completely invested until the very last page. 🖤🔥

[Mandy Britt]

Savage Vow by Ellie Pond is a triumph of tension, delivering a fast-paced, darkly funny, and steamy contemporary reverse harem that kicks off an addictive new serial romance.

This story, told from five different perspectives, is impeccably written, pulling the reader into a web of high stakes, forbidden attraction, and emotional chaos.

The story follows Emily, a fierce and wealthy charity founder who finds herself in a marriage of convenience with Thayer, her high-school ex-boyfriend whose criminal father has now marked her as a target.

The dynamic between them is electric; Thayer is the ultimate morally gray hero—dangerous, intense, and protective—and the push-pull of their shared history makes their scenes impossible to put down.
​
The strength of this book lies in the complexity of the ensemble cast. Ryder, Anders, and Oliver each bring a distinct energy to Emily’s life, creating a complicated, compelling web of trust and longing that enriches the central conflict.

I appreciated how the author slowly revealed the layers of their backstories; it unfolds naturally, providing necessary depth without ever slowing down the narrative’s momentum.

​What truly anchors the story is Emily herself. She is stubborn, guarded, and possesses a backbone of steel. She isn’t a heroine waiting to be saved; she is a woman determined to make her own choices, even when her heart and her circumstances are pulling her in a dozen different directions.

The chemistry between this group is phenomenal—it practically leaps off the page and keeps you completely locked into their dynamic.

It is a tightly written start to a promising new series, blending danger, forbidden romance, and sharp, smart pacing. If you love incredible tension, smart pacing, and a heroine with a real fire in her spirit, you need to pick this up.

[Constance Haske]

Do you like your fictional relationships a little bit messy? Your plotlines a little over the top dramatic? How about 4 men vying for the love of 1 woman while she wrestles with her feelings for them all? What if we throw in a megalomaniacal super villain who wants to destroy her to control his own son and the only decent solution that anyone can come up with to protect her is for her to marry said son (her ex who still has feelings for her) and fake a pregnancy?

If that kind of wild ride seems like your cup of tea, then Ellie Pond's new book is what you need right now. This book is the start of a new series where life and love hang in the balance and depend upon 5 people's ability to maintain the ruse that she's not emotionally attached to the 3 people she IS attached to, and that she's in love and marrying the man who broke her heart, threatened the lives of her loved ones, and has kidnapped her in attempts to keep her safe.

I know, I know, it's a lot. But sometimes the chaos gremlin in me wants a romance that's not so cut and dry. Plus, I love a good why choose for our FMC! Being adored by your best guy friend, a literal genius in hiding, a prince, and your ex... In the words of the iconic Veruca Salt, "Give it to me, now!"

This is book one, so it does end on a cliffhanger and it looks like we're going on quite the ride before we arrive at our HEA. Also, this is a spin-off series to a previously completed series by the author so you can get all the background dirt on how our characters trauma bonded there. Enjoy the yearning, the plot twists, and the emotional journey - now that I've started down the treacherous rabbit hole, I'm definitely sticking around to find out how all the pieces fit together in the end.

[The Smut Guide]

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice rating: 🌶️,5

Savage Vow is the fist book I have read by Ellie Pond -and this was a great first introduction!

I am a very great enjoyer of the Why Choose/Reverse Harem genre, and the 1,5 chili spice rating needs a little context. The book is open door and spicy, but comparatively the book is not one of the most spicy I have read, and especially not for the genre, but the spice is hot and I think as the plot progresses to the next book it will probably get spicier.

The book is multiple POV and that is my personal preference and it really serves the book well since there is a lot of people involved in the relationship, and also we really get to know the guys and some of their secrets that not even our FMC, Emily, knows yet.

The relationship between each of the guys and Emily evolves separately, and there is no MM in this book, but two of the MMCs have 'shared' previously. There is a lot of hot and adorable scenes between Emily and her guys. Especially for one MMC there is a lot of yearning, even if Emily also yearns for him a complicated past puts up a lot of obstacles between them.

This book is meant to be a read without having to read any previous Ellie Pond books, but personally having not read anything before by the author, I got the feeling that while reading Savage Vow on its own is perfectly doable, there is a more depth and backstory to some characters if you start with the series featuring Haley and Ellie's brother, Easton.

The book kept me interested and it ended on a very exciting cliffhanger and I will definitely be picking up the next book, and maybe diving into previous books about some of the side characters until I can get my hands on book number 2 in the Revenge and Surrender series!

[Sara-Catalina]

2/5

So, I read this book. I was excited really when I applied to get an eARC, because I'm starving for a good why choose book almost all the time, but this... was not it. Not really.

And the sad thing was, it had potential. And that made mad and equally sad.

One thing I was confused about was the references and context that came out of nowhere, it was almost like this book was not the first in the series, even though when I applied it did say that it was the first book. I was really out of the loop and it made me question my sanity. Because I kept asking myself "Is my English not englishing enough?" So, there's that.

The pacing was very bipolar, if you know what I mean. Sometimes it was fast and then slow as a snail, and I found it very hard to will myself to go through the entire book. I wanted to DNF it so bad so many times, but I told myself, I just need to see it through for my peace of mind.

And the romance? Well, that could have been worked on, really. The love interests were so alike, so indistinct that they all blurred together into a massive tug-of-war over Emily clusterfuck. I was like, I would have been better off with Den of Vipers (a book that is pretty much the definition of a Wattpad book on steroids) ahem, anyway. At this point the insta-love/fuck thing didn't even bother me because it felt a lot like a maze of let's give Sara a headache. The two stars I gave it was purely because of the smut and that was me being generous.

In the end, this book has potential. I don't hate on the author, this is my opinion on it, but this manuscript has to go through more rounds of editing to get it above water so to speak.

PS: A huge thank you to Love Notes PR and the author for the eARC, I'm very thankful for being able to read these books, truly.

[Tima]

4.25 stars. This story is quintuple POV, well written and edited, and a fast-paced, darkly funny, steamy, enemies-to-allies, contemporary reverse harem tale that begins a serial romance (that I’m hoping is only a duet!). The lead characters are Emily (the wealthy charity founder lead and sister to one of the male leads in the author’s Wrecked series)), Thayer (her high school ex-boyfriend whose super-criminal father just decided she looked like a target), Oliver (the third in line for a throne in a small country, Thayer’s college friend, and was a deckhand in the Wrecked series), Ryder (who was also a deckhand in Wrecked and is hiding a significant secret) and Anders (the second-in-command in Wrecked and who mucked up his chance to be Emily’s sole partner). I enjoyed Emily’s zest for life and her sass when dealing with Thayer. I enjoyed her focus on doing good in the world. I enjoyed Anders’ devotion to Emily and his commitment to her safety. I enjoyed Ryder’s sense of humour and his effort to keep Thayer guessing. I enjoyed Ollie’s commitment to mischief, keeping Emily safe, and ensuring that she’s having a good time. I enjoyed Thayer’s commitment to saving Emily and taking his father down. I appreciate that he’s not shown as a “nice” person but he is being forbearing regarding the other males in Emily’s life. I enjoyed the steamy Emily-focused intimate scenes. I enjoyed the banter. I appreciate that, whilst this story stopped unfinished, it didn’t leave a cliffhanger where I’m stressed about character safety.

I received a complimentary copy from the author and this is my voluntary honest review.

[The Booktrovert Records]

ARC Review
💍 Savage Vow 💛
Book 1 in Revenge and Surrender Series
Written By: @elliepondauthor
Art By: @sirko.jpg

⭐ Overall: 4/5
📖 Plot: 4/5
👥 Character Development: 3.75/5
⏩ Pace: 4/5
🌎 World Building: 4/5
🌶️ Spice: 2.5/5

First—thank you @elliepondauthor and @happilybookedpr for the ARC ahead of its release date! 💛

⚠️: Cliffhanger ending!!

The premise immediately pulled me in. The fake marriage, forced proximity, and mafia setting made for a fun start, but what kept me reading was getting to know each of the MMCs. As more secrets came to light—especially through Thayer's POV—you begin to understand the choices he made and why he pushed Emily away.

I also enjoyed watching the relationships between Emily and the other guys slowly evolve. There's plenty of mystery, hidden identities, and shared history that kept me curious about where this series is headed.

My biggest critique is that I wish the characters had been developed more independently of the previous Wrecked series. Since so much of their shared trauma comes from earlier books, I think readers new to the world may miss some of the emotional impact. I wanted this story to stand on its own a little more.

That said, the ending definitely hooked me, and I'll be picking up Book 2 to see what happens next.

Tropes:
​​💍Why choose
​💛Fake Marriage
💍Found family
​💛Mafia
💍Sassy best friend
​💛Second chance romance
💍Secret identity
​💛Royalty adjacent
💍He fell first
​💛Grumpy/Sunshine

[Ashy Khaira]

The premise of this book immediately caught my attention. Emily is kidnapped by her ex and forced into a marriage of convenience as a way of protecting her from his father, who has become dangerously fixated on her. It created an intriguing setup that made me curious to see how the story would unfold, especially given the complicated history between the two main characters.

What made the situation even more interesting was that the man forcing her into this arrangement was also the ex who had broken her heart years earlier. Rather than simply agreeing to the marriage, Emily lays down one condition of her own: her three other boyfriends must come and live with them as well. That unexpected twist gave the story a unique dynamic and set it apart from what I was expecting.

As the story progressed, however, I found that much of the focus shifted away from the overall plot and onto the physical relationship between the characters. While the premise had plenty of potential, I was left wanting more development surrounding the larger storyline, as many plot points felt underexplored and were left to the reader's imagination.

Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable enough read with an interesting concept, but I finished the book wishing the balance between the romance and the plot had been a little stronger. The cliffhanger ending certainly leaves the door open for the next instalment, but I'm still undecided on whether I'll continue with the series.

[Erena]

I was lucky enough to receive this book as an ARC & I really enjoyed it!
I’m a big fan of a why choose, but I really enjoyed how different this why choose was to other books I’d read with the same premise. Although Emily has four men to choose from (& doesn’t!), each man has to battle with his feelings of jealousy at seeing her with someone else, while also being willing to look past this just to be with her.
Although there is the standard trope of the grumpy bad boy in the quad of men, Emily knows that he’s not good for her & is actively avoiding him & trying to stay away from him due to her being burned by him pretty badly in the past. I enjoyed the fact that throughout the book the author was able to pepper through what he’d done to her & why the other three men were actively against him being with her, I feel this will be expanded further in the later books.
While I’m not ordinarily a fan of the pregnancy trope on books, the fact that this was a fake pregnancy with a fake marriage made it more palatable for me, as it also raised the stakes of the consequences if the villain of the book were to find out the truth.
I love how the book ended on a cliff hanger with the villain turning up at the wedding, so it will be interesting to see if Emily & Thayer will be able to sell the lie to him in person, especially with the constant mention of Emily being a terrible liar ringing in the background for me.

[Mandy BunBun]

First Impressions: Emily, Anders, Thayer, and Oliver find themselves embroiled in rekindled affairs while deadly choices are made in the shadows.

Pacing: The book takes place over several months, so I hope Book 2 has the same consistency to maintain the momentum.

Character development: Our main characters are delightful, but work very hard to heal old wounds and rebuild trust. I'm so glad Emily's girlfriends are actually "girls' girls" and really come through for her. I really can't wait to see where everyone lands in Book 2.

World Building: Whoosh! Despite the "kidnapped for her own good scenario," the reader does get to experience several interesting locations that challenge the reader's senses of safety and vulnerability. I have to award bonus points for the author not using a unmarked white van or black SUV, but rather a stolen catering truck for the kidnapping. It was the perfect dose of levity amidst a very serious situation. 🤌💋 Chef's kiss! No notes.

Romance: Each of our MMCs has a different wooing tactic and love language. It keeps the "why choose" aspect interesting.

Spice: There's a healthy dose of open door spice, but nothing too crazy.

Errors and Consistency: A nice, tidy draft!

Overall experience: Boy oh boy, this was fun! I want to temper my excitement for Book 2, but I do have high expectations. A great balance of spice, danger, and levity. My only criticism is Lil is simply too funny to not be a bigger presence in the boom.

⭐️ 4
🌶 4

[Heather]

I was a huge fan of Ellie Pond’s “Wrecked” series, so I was excited to get a chance to read “Savage Vow”. This book features several of the characters from the previous series, including the MFC, Emily, and three of the four guys she becomes involved with.

First off, I do think it would be better to go into this having read the previous series. It isn’t necessary to enjoy this book, but it gives a lot more meaning to the characters’ relationships with one another. And there are several references that I’m not sure I would have understood had I not read the “Wrecked” series.

Having said that, I really enjoyed the book. I think the characters were all intriguing, the pull Emily felt toward each of the men was genuine, and the story moved at a good pace. There were some slower moments, but I understood the need since this book is setting up for the rest of the series.

The book ends on a cliffhanger, unsurprisingly. And while we know this is a reverse harem and we’ve been introduced to all four men, Thayer, Oliver, Anders and Ryder, their relationships have yet to be fully formed. I’m looking forward to getting to know all the characters better, and to diving more deeply into the danger Thayer’s father represents to Emily. Pond has given readers a compelling start to this new series and I’m eager to read more.

[Li ✨]

First of, thank you to love notes pr and Ellie Pond for an advance reader copy.

I was so excited to read this book as it contains everyone's pov, is my kind of book and I liked the concept of the story.
That being said, I felt like it was poorly done unfortunately.

They kept referring back to a boat incident and talking about other characters like I should know what they're like. Whereas this is marketed as a standalone, start of a new series.

Without spoilers there was lots of hidden secrets from one of the males involved and how much money he had - yet when finally revealed, it felt like a poor explanation.

I liked the characters and felt they had good potential, especially as the three boyfriends got on well. Yet I did feel this needed a conversation about their roles with her, specifically shared intimate time together.

I really enjoyed the chemistry forming between Emily and Thayer. Second chance with their previous connection being clear and still there. I wish we had seen more of this, but I expect the second book to explore this more.

The whole book felt like it was building up to something big but it didn't happen which lead to disappointment for me personally as I would rather it all be in one book than seperate.

Overall, it was an okay read and I'm not sure if I'll continue the series.

[Alex Sedrowski]

Emily, Oliver, Thayer, Ryder, & Anders have so much going on in this book. Emily is forced into a fake marriage for her own safety to Thayer because his father wants her (& her family dead). She refuses to let her other three guys go though-it’s complicated, and they refuse to leave her side until they know she is safe. There is some fun spice with the three guys & Emily and peeks at spice with Thayer. We get some fun side characters like Lilith, Emily’s bestie & Sutton Oliver’s older sister & Queen-to-be in a made up island country. That gives us more peeks into the past with Emily and Thayer & Thayer and Oliver. There is a TON of backstory between Emily & her family and Thayer & his father but with Emily and all the guys too-we just don’t get that. I’m assuming it came from the previous series about Em’s older brother Easton but so much is talked around that it can get confusing to the current plot. We get a fake wedding and a fake pregnancy but the pacing is a bit slow to start and we don’t get into juicy relationship dynamics and fun until we are pretty far in. The set up for book two was great & I want to know what happens but it took me a bit to feel like I understood what was going on. Reading the previous series would probably be helpful for this. All in all I liked it and can’t wait to see Thayer redeem himself and all the other guys & Emily’s dynamics grow though!

[Anitra]

ARC Review: Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Savage Vow delivers an addictive blend of romantic suspense, danger, and emotional tension that kept me turning the pages. From the very beginning, the story pulls you into a world where loyalty, revenge, and unexpected feelings collide. The central premise of a marriage of convenience wrapped in family conflict creates plenty of drama, while multiple protective love interests add another layer of emotional complexity. (Fantastic Fiction)

What stood out most to me was the constant feeling that no one was ever truly safe. The stakes remain high throughout, and the twists kept me invested without ever feeling overwhelming. The chemistry between the characters is undeniable, and I enjoyed watching the relationships evolve as trust was tested.

I also appreciated that each character brought something different to the story. Rather than feeling repetitive, their personalities and dynamics helped create an engaging emotional journey that left me curious about what comes next.

If you enjoy:

* 💍 Marriage of convenience
* 🖤 Romantic suspense
* ⚔️ Family rivalries
* ❤️ Multiple love interests
* 🌍 International settings
* 🔥 High emotional tension

then Savage Vow is definitely worth adding to your TBR.

I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes next.

[Beatriz Freitas]

Thank you to Love Notes PR and Ellie Pond for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the romance and the chemistry between the characters, and the tension throughout the book kept me wanting to know what would happen next. The fake marriage, forced proximity and why-choose-romance elements were definitely the highlights for me.

That said, I did find the story quite confusing at times. It often referred to past events and relationships as though the reader already knew them, which made me feel like I had started in the middle of a series. I wasn't sure if this connected to previous books, but I felt like I was missing important context that would have made the characters and their relationships more meaningful.

The pacing was also a little uneven. Some parts moved very quickly while others felt slow, and with multiple POVs and a large cast of characters, it occasionally became difficult to keep track of who was speaking or what was happening.

Overall, I think this book has plenty of appeal for readers who enjoy why choose romance, fake marriage, forced proximity and plenty of tension. While it didn't completely work for me because of the lack of background and the pacing, I can still see why fans of the genre would enjoy it, and I'm interested to see how the series develops.

[jade’s reading journey]

This is a why-choose romance that follows Emily as she navigates her growing feelings for four very different men—Oliver, Ryder, Anders, and Thayer—while also grappling with the emotional impact of past trauma that makes the idea of a relationship difficult for her. When circumstances force her to accept Thayer's proposal of a fake engagement for her own safety, the arrangement brings all four love interests under one roof, where they must learn to coexist and share.

Each character has a distinct personality, motivations, and struggles, making them feel well flashed out. I especially enjoyed seeing how they work together to support Emily and prioritize her happiness.
I'm especially excited to see more of Thayer in the next book. We've only had glimpses of his softer, romantic side so far, but those moments have already completely won me over.

My only criticism is that the book felt a little longer than necessary, and a few scenes dragged, making the pacing feel slow at times.

tropes:
-why choose romance
-fake engagement
-found family
-forced proximity

Thank you LoveNotes.PR and Ellie Pond for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[erikoreads]

This story spins off the Wrecked series - you might recall I was spiralling after each instalment of Wrecked, because they ended on cliffhangers! 😂

Savage Vow follows Emily’s story, it is another WhyChoose story, after the events of Wrecked. Which I won’t spoil because I think you should experience all that turmoil for yourself 😝

🛳️ Wrecked is about a shipwreck involving the Rockwell family and the crew of the Rock Candy. There’s… ✨things✨ about the shipwreck… and those ✨things✨ lead us to Savage Vow.

So, what is Savage Vow about? The blurb says there’s an arranged / forced marriage, a fake pregnancy, dead secrets, and I already said it’s a WhyChoose 😆 we get to know more about Anders, Ryder and Oliver (who were part of the Rock Candy crew), which I really enjoyed. Also the backstory for Emily and Thayer (Emily’s ex and the unwanted husband. Gross.), as well as Thayer’s people - Esmeralda may be my new fav character!

There’s a lot going on, a lot of characters to keep track of, but I never felt lost or overwhelmed. That’s just how good EP’s stories are.

Thank you for the eARC via Happily Booked PR!

[Monira Shaikh]

Thank you so much for the opportunity to let me read this as an ARC.

The story starts with Emily going to her friend's wedding and there she meets her ex boyfriend. Even though the break up was 15 years ago, they still have hidden feelings for each other. After the wedding incident Thayer's (Emily's ex) father promised his son that he will destroy emily just because they were seen together.

Now after reading this much I got to know there're already other books which explain the half story already in it, so the story gets a bit complicated to understand.

My opinion : There are four male characters, who treat the fml like a sensitive baby and to be honest it was so cringe for me, like the FML is a billionaire but acts like she doesn't like expensive things and she wants to be in a granny clothes because she ain't like other spoiled rich girls- (girl what?) and mind you she is 5'9 but still is fragile and can bounce off the bed JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE SAT BESIDE HER!

No offense but the story could be much better if the other characters weren't baby-ing the FML and if they would've kept their hands to themselves in public while doing an act plan.