Savage Truce

Heart of Crime #1

by Michelle Heard

From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Michelle Heard comes a new STANDALONE, full-length MAFIA ROMANCE novel.

I was born into Bratva royalty, but that never made me a princess. My entire life I’ve been mocked and ignored, and the only place I’ve ever felt like myself was at the theater, with a needle in my hand and beautiful fabrics around me.
That’s where I met him.
A stranger with a missing button, clear blue eyes, and a voice that made the world feel less cruel for one stolen night.
We only exchanged our first names and talked the night away over warm coffees and pastries before my life came crashing down around me.

Years later, my grandfather is dead, the Bratva is at war, and I’m imprisoned because of my family. I’m broken, bruised, and forgotten until the new pakhan comes to inspect his prisoners.
Rodian Volkov.
The man I never forgot. Only now, he isn’t a stranger with gentle hands and friendly eyes.
He’s become savage just like the rest of the men who bend the knee to him.
He’s now the monster I fear.

When he tells the Bratva he’s marrying me to bring peace, I’m too terrified to argue.
Because saying no to the pakhan is never an option.

Genres: Mafia Romance, Dark Romance, Second Chance, Romance, Dark, Found Family, Forced Proximity

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2026

About the author

Michelle Heard is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon #3 Bestselling romance author.

She writes emotional heart-shattering stories with a whole lot of Mafia & Romance that will leave you smiling with satisfaction. Every book has an unexpected twist that will show the strength of the characters.

Before becoming an author, Michelle had a career in banking. She lives in South Africa with her son, Sheldon, who's also her right-hand man when it comes to all things publishing, and her daughter-in-law, Tayla, who's her best friend.

Reading Order on AMAZON


STANDALONE NOVELS:
***Mafia & Bratva Romance (in order)***

THE SAINTS SERIES:
Merciless Saints - Damien Vetrov
Cruel Saints - Lucian Cotroni
Ruthless Saints - Carson Koslov
Tears of Betrayal - Demitri Vetrov
Tears of Salvation - Alexei Koslov

THE SINNERS SERIES:
Taken By A Sinner - Nikolas Stathoulis
Owned By A Sinner - Liam Byrne
Stolen By A Sinner - Gabriel Demir
Chosen By A Sinner - Luca Cotroni
Captured By A Sinner - Viktor Vetrov


THE CORRUPTED ROYALS SERIES:
Destroy Me - Misha Petrov
Control Me - Nikolai Vetrov
Brutalize Me - Armani De Santis
Restrain Me - Maxim Levin
Possess Me - Alek Aslanhov


SERIES (In Order):

ENEMIES TO LOVERS SERIES:
***College & New Adult Romance***

Heartless - Carter & Della
Reckless - Logan & Mia
Careless - Jaxson & Leigh
Ruthless - Marcus & Willow
Shameless - Rhett & Evie

TRINITY ACADEMY SERIES:
***College Romance***

Falcon - Falcon & Layla
Mason - Mason & Kingsley
Lake - Lake & Lee
Julian - Julian & Jamie
The Epilogue

THE HEIRS:
***College & New Adult Romance***

Coldhearted Heir - Hunter & Jade
Arrogant Heir - Jase & Mila
Defiant Heir - Kao & Fallon
Loyal Heir - Forest & Aria
Callous Heir - Noah & Carla
Sinful Heir - Tristan & Hana
Tempted Heir - Christopher & Dash
Forbidden Heir - Ryker & Danny


SOUTHERN HEROES SERIES:
***Suspense Romance***

The Ocean Between Us – Aiden & Emma
The Girl In The Closet – Cole & Birdie
The Lies We Tell Ourselves – Alec & Reece
All The Wasted Time – Wyatt & Scarlett
We Were Lost – Zac & Chloe


OTHER STANDALONE NOVELS:

Not My Hero - Dark YA Romance

Reviews

[Fiona · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 ⭐️

I was manifesting a terrifying Bratva mafia boss with a severe case of wife worship. Savage Truce technically delivered. So imagine my concern when I received exactly what I ordered....and somehow I was still bored.

And considering caretaker mafia heroes are basically one of the easiest ways to bribe me into a higher rating, this feels like an achievement.

What worked for me
(aka: proof I wasn't dead inside)

The tattoo almost got me

Rodian's devotion worked best when it was specifically about Anastasia. The man memorialised their one night together across his chest with thread, sewing needles, theater curtains and HER incorporated into the tattoo. Slightly unwell behaviour. Excellent. No notes.

I also loved him giving her a sewing workshop and encouraging her to return to costume design. Anastasia's creativity was one of the few things that had ever truly belonged to her so Rodian helping her reclaim it felt like devotion with actual thought behind it, not just another expensive gesture.

Found family did what needed to be done

Anastasia spent so much of her life being treated according to how useful she was to other people, so I loved that her ending centred on finally belonging somewhere she was simply wanted.

Her found family became part of that healing and I especially liked seeing her eventually sitting at her sewing table, surrounded by people who cared about her. The destination for her character made complete sense.

I just wish I'd felt more of the journey there.

Where it lost me
(aka: clinically concerning levels of indifference)

One night. Five years. Several business days. Soulmates.

This timeline and I were simply never going to be friends.

Rodian and Anastasia spend a few hours together when they first meet and somehow BOTH leave basically in love. Five years later he finds her bruised, battered and terrified of the man he's become....and it really doesn't take long before she's falling right back in love with him.

That was where the romance lost me.

I understood Anastasia clinging to the memory of the only man who had shown her kindness. I understood Rodian mourning the woman he never found again. What I wanted was to watch 25-year-old Anastasia fall in love with 37-year-old Rodian instead of the book repeatedly relying on what they felt after one night five years earlier.

At one point Anastasia acknowledges that the people they were back then no longer exist and I thought, YES. THERE'S MY BOOK.

Then approximately one hair-brushing, memorial tattoo, sewing workshop and delayed first date later, we were already barreling toward sex and mutual declarations of love.

Ma'am. His probationary period was not over.

The tropes were troping. I just didn't care.

This was probably the biggest problem.

There was worship. There was caretaking. There was possessiveness. There was mafia violence. These are words generally associated with Fiona having an excellent time.

And yet.

The relationship felt surface-level because we hit the romantic milestones before I'd actually connected to Rodian and Anastasia. By around 80%, their relationship felt essentially resolved, leaving the final stretch much more focused on Bratva politics, action and cameos from previous books.

There was more mafia plot here than I remember getting from Michelle Heard's previous series, which could've been fun but I kept wishing some of that page time had gone toward developing the actual romance.

By the time Rodian finally started giving me the savage pakhan energy I had been waiting for, we were around 88%.

Sir. Your scheduled arrival time was several chapters ago.

And somehow Andrei being tortured immediately woke me from my reading coma and made me want HIS book. Turns out I wasn't incapable of caring. I was just waiting for Andrei.

Final thoughts

The strangest thing about Savage Truce is that I can point to plenty of things I liked. The tattoo? Loved it. The sewing workshop? Perfectly Anastasia-specific. Found family? Sweet. Rodian going feral when someone he loved was hurt? FINALLY.

But even stacked together, they couldn't make me care about Rodian and Anastasia the way I should have.

For such a short book, this took me surprisingly long to finish because I kept getting distracted and honestly, that says more about my reading experience than anything else.

I wasn't raging by the end.

I just didn't care enough.

Final verdict

2.25 ⭐️ - Was there devotion? Yes. Was there enough devotion? Unfortunately, this was wife worship in moderation.

I don't believe in moderation.

Tropes and Vibes:
• Forced marriage
• Russian Bratva / mafia romance
• Five-year separation
• Competitive instalove
• Plus-size FMC
• Age gap
• Caretaker pakhan
• Only soft for her
• Found family
• Healing and reclaiming identity
• Mafia politics + action
• Wife worship, insufficient dosage
• One side character stealing the damn book

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Pre-read:

If a terrifying Bratva pakhan was gentle to her ONE time several years ago, are we legally allowed to assume he’ll eventually worship the ground she walks on?

Asking for my rating 👀📝

[probably reading smut - safety reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5. Fantastic mafia book.

TROPES:
-age gap 37H/25h
-mafia
-curvy heroine
-they’re each other’s first love
-meet again after 5 years
-forced marriage (but not really)

Five years ago, Anastasia and Rodian meet one night and fall in love. They talk the night away and agree to meet again the next day for their first date, but she’s taken to Russia by her family. He spends the next several years looking for her, but to no avail.

Five years later, Anastasia is living in hell. Her mother is abusive and she’s treated like a maid. When the underboss of the mafia overthrows her grandfather, his men go rogue and kidnap her and her family. They’re all subjected to torture and rape, but she isn’t sexually abused because the men think she’s “too fat”. Two weeks in, the new pakhan realizes what his men did and comes to see who’s still alive.

The new pakhan is Rodian, and he’s shocked to find the woman he loves in such a dire physical and mental state. He rescues her, nurses her back to being healthy, and they fall in love all over again.

I really enjoyed this one. I liked the PTSD aspect, and the anxiety and panic attack representation. I also liked the way Rodian helped her overcome everything that happened to her. They were really sweet together, and the spice was fantastic!

SAFETY/SPOILERS:
Virgin/celibate: virgin heroine, celibate hero. he’s only been with two other women. he was celibate for 9 years before meeting her, and waited another 5 years for her.
OM/OW: none at all
Kinks: rough sex & dirty talk
Triggers: body shaming, mental & emotional trauma, physical abuse, PTSD, panic attacks/anxiety, torture
HEA?: yes! and an epilogue 25 years later with kids 🖤

[mary ♡⋆ ࣪₊ꫂ᭪݁⋆˙ · Rating 2 out of 5]

big ass sigh


when I read the blurb and saw the teasers for this book, I really thought it might be different, but sadly it was not. It was an absolute flop

this is gonna be a rant review with possible spoilers

- they have known each other for one day before she got kidnapped for 5 years. Keep in mind, I almost missed this because the time skip was so vague and was just clarified through their ages. Neither of them had any inner dialogue expressing how sad they were. Nah, they just kept saying it to each other, and even when he told his parents about it, it was so emotionless

-"Entering the room, there's no sign of Anastasia, but then I notice she's eaten, and it fills me with great satisfaction. I want all her curves back.">/b>

really? this screams lust
So instead of being worried about how she's doing mentally, all you care about are her curves?
She constantly had PTSD and was in and out of the nightmare she lived, and that was the thing he cared about

-"I level my aunt with a glare, not sparing her my anger just because she’s family. “Don’t be stupid. We’ll talk alone in a minute.” She bristles and lowers her head submissively."

wtf? ew icking endlessly

-“One look was all it took to fall head over heels for you, Anastasia. It felt like I was in the presence of the greatest work of art ever created.”

Definitely lust
I understand that the FMC is plus size, but why is that the main focus? Why not the kidnapping, the healing, the mental repercussions, the PTSD, ANYTHING that would actually make their relationship feel deeper? not just physical

-“I just realized you haven’t changed.”

GIRL BE FR YOU KNEW HIM FOR ONE DAY
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??????
and even the days that you spent with him, you were scared shitless of him

- “Blyadʹ,” Rodian snaps when he realizes the same thing as me. “We forgot to pack your medication.”

Because you were too busy looking at her changing her clothes -_-

maybe I'm being way too harsh, maybe not, because I KNOW how Michelle writes, one of my favorite books are by her, I was literally obsessed with 3 generations she made , but now all of the characters feel shallow.

overall this wasn't for me, and now my friend banned me from reading any more books by the author oop 🧍🏻‍♀️
______________
pre read
I'm reading this because my friend told me not to (she should have learned how stubborn I am)

[eve (semi hiatus)]

DNF 49%

Too many inconsistencies, to the point it got exhausting.

Spoiler, I will be nitpicking in this review a lot.

Here, we don’t settle and waste our time on mediocre, bland, inconsistent and poorly written MCs 💁‍♀️

So. My reasons why:

The instalove/instalust in the begging was done perfectly. I was excited for what was coming next, but my excitement quickly died as the story progressed.

And I did get the ick from the MMC… 🫩

FMCs kidnapping and everything she experienced there, felt very bullet-pointy written.
But her trauma afterwards, so far, was written well, you can’t not empathise with her.

The best parts were FMCs relationship with MMCs cousin Artem, who struggles with severe anxiety. Bless his heart.

In their POVs after separation, FMC mentions MMC, but there’s no mention of her in his POVs… Not hot.

”I searched until every lead went cold, eventually forcing myself to accept I would never see her again. I fucking mourned her.

Okaaay, so yearning is incoming? I was excited.

”Do you want me to cancel the dinner with Atanas?”
“Blyadʹ,” I hiss as I check the time on my wristwatch. Seeing I still have three hours, I shake my head. “No.”

So no freaking yearning in the end 🧍‍♀️
He got her back, she’s in horrible state and he’s dipping for a date with his bro…

”Given the circumstances, I’m grateful she was spared that kind of trauma, and her virginity is still intact.” It takes me a second to process what he’s telling me, then the anger is drowned out by pure fucking relief. “Thank fucking God.

The virginity kink some of these authors have is unmatched… There was gruesome ki**ng and ra*ing, but FMC escaped it because she’s plus size? Some Avengers bullshit tbh 🤦‍♀️

The urge to enter the room so I can be close to the woman who I thought was lost to me almost overwhelms me, but instead I say, “Miss Zoya, when you’re done, I need you to prepare dinner. I have a guest coming over at eight.”

Overwhelms him? Stop 🧢 And let me give you a spoiler, that meeting was meaningless AF 😒

Besides falling hopelessly for Anastasia, the fact that she’s a Fedorov has me thinking a marriage between us would be the best thing for the Bratva right now.

How convenient for you. Go ahead and force the traumatised girl into the marriage straight ahead, the day she wakes up from being unconscious. The love he has for her pours from him (not in the slightest)

The attraction and love I felt for her settled down over the years.

Um, what now
Tbh, with how he acts, it seems truthful.

”I have an ace up my sleeve that will make Yegor’s associates calm the fuck down.”
A curious expression settles on his face. “What?” The alliance between us means a lot to me, but the protective streak Anastasia awakens in me makes me hesitate to talk about her.

And then he goes and tells about her, so the protective streak is not existent 🙄

Then I notice she’s eaten, and it fills me with great satisfaction. I want all her curves back.

And every man who really love his woman would want her to be HEALTHY, not get a curves you want because it gets your dick hard…

Anastasia standing with her arms wrapped around herself, just staring off into space. I turn to look at my future bride who’s only wearing a pair of my boxers.

She’s having a traumatic episode and he’s just standing there, staring and ogling her. So swoony.

“You will be loved, Anastasia.”
I latch onto his last sentence like a drowning woman, his words the life vest I so desperately need.
God, I don’t know if I believe him, or if I can trust the man he’s become, but right now, I need someone to keep me from sinking.

I wanted to get MMC away from the FMC so bad 😤

”I never liked the woman, but that’s no way for a Bratva princess to die. You must tell your men to leave the women alone.”
“I’ll decide how my men are handled and what orders they’re given. You don’t interfere in Bratva matters, and you sure as fuck don’t tell me what to do. Are we clear?”

He wants to get rid of the Bratva pakhan so there wouldn’t be trafficking and skin selling, while calling the males who went against orders to kill and rape women - as “his men.”
And whenever the topic of how women are treated by the Bratva comes up, he just brushes it off. Like… how does that make sense?

[Kursed Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a seamstress for a London theatre, Anastasia Donovan is living on borrowed time before she’s sent back to Russia to be married off in a strategic alliance as the Pakhan’s granddaughter. But a fateful night with Rodian Volkov gives her something to hold onto when life takes a very dark turn.

After an unlikely turn of events, the savior Anastasia turns to in her mind’s eye actually finds her—beaten, broken, and nearly dead—five years after the night that changed both of their lives. Never expecting to see one another again, it can only be fate that intervened.
I really enjoyed this trope mashup and the clever way it wove so many beloved mafia romance tropes into one story without feeling like a checklist. Though it takes Anastasia a while to trust, Rodian is patient and kind, even as he steps into a newfound position of power. I loved watching her slowly let her guard down and seeing Rodian prove that he wasn’t going anywhere.
Overall, I’d consider this mafia lite, but there are definitely some heavier moments and triggers worth noting for readers who may have sensitivities. But if you’re looking for a romance with a little fate, a little mafia, and a whole lot of second-chance feels, this one was a good read.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: 📱

🗄️ Genre: Contemporary Romance
🗂️ Subgenre(s): Dark, New Adult

Ending: 💗 {HEA}
Length: 📚📚📚📚📚
POV: 👫🏻 {Dual | Present • Past}
Emotions: 😊😩😭🫠😍
Darkness: 🖤🖤
Burn: 🔥🔥1/2
Pacing: 🏃‍♀️ {Moderate}
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Vibe: Emotional, Gritty

✨ Tropes: Age Gap (37/25), Forced Marriage, Forced Proximity, Heroine in Danger, Hurt/Comfort, Mafia/Bratva/Organized Crime, Meet Cute, Second Chance
 
💫 Microtropes: Anxiety Rep, Boy Obsessed, Caretaker/Protective MMC, Celibate MMC, Cinnamon Roll, Curvy Woman, Pet Name (Moya Krasavitsa), Secret Tattoo, Tattooed MMC, Tragic Past, Virgin FMC

🔆 Character: Bratva Princess, Illegal Enterprises, Seamstress

💋 Kinks: n/a

🤰🏻 Pregnancy: Epilogue

🚩 Red Flags: n/a


⛔️ Safety Squad: Assault (Not by MMC), Drugged (Not by MMC), Rough Handling of FMC (Not by MMC), Torture (Not by MMC), Unaliving, Violence, and other potentially triggering elements. Triggers may appear both on- and off-page, in the past and/or present, and to main and/or side characters. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📍 Setting: Russia 🇷🇺

📣 Type: Savage Truce is the first book in the Heart of Crime series of interconnected standalones.

⚠️ Warning: Dark romance, moderate spice, and just enough questionable behavior to keep your moral compass spinning.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** 3 “Rodian & Anastasia” Stars ***

Desde la madrugada de hoy que terminé este libro (no pregunten, tenía insomnio y estaba sin electricidad) me he quedado pensando mucho en cómo iba a plasmar esta reseña.

De hecho, hasta pensé en sentarme en ese momento a redactarla a esas horas, pero era demasiado tarde y mi mente necesitaba descansar.

Como sea, les voy a ir contando poco a poco algunos detalles que, para mí, y, tómese en cuenta, para mí, este libro tiene.

Vamos con la premisa…

Anastasia tiene toda su vida viviendo en Inglaterra de internados en internados alejada de su familia. Trabaja como costurera para un teatro y toda su felicidad se reduce a hilos, costura, telas y una máquina de coser.

Hija de un padre mafioso irlandés y una madre que es hija del Pakhan ruso. Sabe que al alcanzar los 21 años (en dos semanas) su vida dará un cambio trascendental.

¿Por qué? Porque al alcanzar esa edad debe regresar a Rusia, de donde ha vivido aislada por 20 años a aceptar su rol como ficha de cambio ante su abuelo.

Justo la última noche en su trabajo y después de la presentación en el teatro, aparece un desconocido en su taller de costura tras bastidores buscando ayuda porque se le ha soltado un botón de su saco.

Anastasia no puede creer que un hombre tan guapo con ojos azules y enigmático, le sugiera pasar la noche bajo su compañía en ese taller de costura entre comidas, bebidas, risas y un par de besos.

Se prometen una cita la noche siguiente en la entrada del teatro, ella le promete que estará allí, pero no contaba con que al regresar a su casa después de esa noche de ensueño, la madre de Anastasia la secuestre se la lleve de nuevo a Rusia y luego vienen acontecimientos 5 años después.



La premisa de este libro está muy bien, sabemos quién es el hombre enigmático (Rodian Volkov) y toda la atmósfera del taller donde están nos tejen un romance bonito, pero después, y sólo después, siento que esta trama se fue desinflando.

A ver, yo esperaba más de MH aquí, no sé; un misterio, una traición, un enemigo o villano más entrañable.

Rodian nunca tiene la cita con Anastasia y ni sabe su nombre completo, nos cuenta por encima que cruzó su duelo y la buscó, pero nunca la encontró hasta 5 años después cuando derroca al Pakhan y se entera de que células rebeldes de su organización fueron a por la familia del mismo (una orden que él no dio) y los acabaron a todos menos a la nieta, que resulta ser Anastasia .

Pero después de que la rescata, todo va haciéndose predecible, tedioso…

Rodian decide por la paz y por tener el apoyo de los antiguos socios, que se casará con Anastasia y aunque es casi un matrimonio forzado dice que quedó enamorado de ella desde la única noche que se vieron en Inglaterra.

Anastasia está cruzando traumas (con justa razón) después de mucho tiempo siendo casi una esclava-prisionera recibiendo demasiados maltratos por todos por su peso o apariencia, pero al nuevo Pakhan no se le puede decir que no.

Y es aquí donde hago énfasis, siento que aquí tenemos el toque de Michelle, esa chispa que personalmente a mí me engancha un montón y siempre devoro sus historias.

Pero, al mismo tiempo siento que quizás ella escribió este libro de manera apresurada, suceden demasiadas cosas en apenas 300 páginas y te las tienes que tragar sin anestesia, pero de una forma tan impersonal que me cuesta no ser dura con este libro.



Anastasia es medicada por sus traumas y crisis de ansiedad y acepta después de una cita real e idílica que se casará por las buenas con Rodian.

Pero a ver, amis, no me malinterpreten, después de leerme como 10 libros de esta mujer y en algunos las protas atraviesan traumas horribles, me cuesta manejar que esta chica después de vivir secuestros, insultos, maltratos, golpes, humillaciones está tan tranquila para entregarse a este hombre.

Mínimo que me des un miedo a los hombres producto de ese trauma te pedía, Michelle, algo de eso. Pero no, tú solo me diste el miedo a pelar papas.

En el libro de Augusto y Yuki me retratan eso bien y por eso me gustó.

Ella tuvo toda una vida condicionada por lo que se decidía en la Yakuza por ella y acepta su destino del matrimonio esperando más golpes por parte de su esposo y tiene sus dudas y no es hasta mucho después que el romance avanza entre esos dos que se declaran amor.

En el libro de Enzo y Rosie, es otro más donde me muestran a una protagonista que vive un secuestro horrible, golpes, amenazas y no es hasta mucho después de que muestra su sanación y eso que conoce a Enzo de toda su vida y lo ama.

En fin, no me voy a extender…

Sobre el villano fue lo más vago y todo lo que sucede allí en cuanto a acción. Un antiguo socio que se rebela ya que quiere el control de la organización y a Anastasia como esposa de su hijo porque no reconoce a Rodian como su líder, entonces da un atentado el día de la boda. Rodian toma un avión con su esposa y va a por él y lo elimina; ya, eso es todo

Solo que nos queda el hijo de este villano que en represalias secuestra a la mano derecha de Rodian, Andrei, le dispara, lo mutila, lo tortura y aquí yo esperaba una sorpresa, algo que me dijera “ok, es que Rodian tenía un traidor dentro de la organización o su familia”, pero no, es un villano más y es eliminado de forma rápida.

El epílogo es 25 años después.

De acuerdo, válido, pero soy lenta para captar señales, así que con esta historia noté que Michelle tomó la premisa en sus series de cinco mafiosos (para cinco libros) de organizaciones y nacionalidades distintas que forman una especie de hermandad donde se apoyan, y no soltó este tema más nunca jajaja.

Del libro que sigue, tengo ganas de saber de qué va, veremos que nos depara. Por cierto, me intrigó la historia del libro cuatro de esta serie.

Quiero creer que como se trata del inicio de una serie nueva, por eso lo apresurado de todo y que en la siguiente historia mejorará un poco, tengo mis expectativas, ya el tiempo lo dirá.

No es que quiero decir que esta historia esté mal y no la recomiende, para nada quiero que se entienda así. Pero esperaba más y al final me dejó una lista de expectativas no satisfechas en mí, solo eso.

¡Hasta la próxima reseña!

ACTUALIZACIÓN 07/09/2026
Esto sí que más tarde me sentaré a dejarle mis impresiones de forma decente, de momento y para mí, este libro se lleva 3 estrellas.

ACTUALIZACIÓN 22/06/2026
Este mismo año tendremos este libros, YESSSSSSSSSSS!
Estas sí que son buenas noticias jaja.

[˙⋆☆ Pameee ☆⋆˙ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2'75 ✮⋆˙ || Lo bueno de que no me haya gustando tanto este libro es que no me tengo que esforzar con la reseña jskajs.

A ver, tampoco voy a decir que me decepcionó porque no es así. En realidad sí disfruté leyéndolo, pero no esperaba mucho de la historia. Dió lo que tenía que dar. Mis verdaderas expectativas están puestas en Atanas y Raya, el seguiente libro de la serie.

Como persona que ha leído gran parte del trabajo de MH, puedo asegurar que no es ni lo mejor ni lo peor que ha escrito la autora, es algo intermedio. Fue entretenido y para mí eso ya es gane. Si les llama la atención, leanlo. Y si no, esperen la próxima entrega de la serie y vean que tal.

Creo que Artem y Andrei fueron mis personajes favoritos.

Ahora:

▫️ Full expectativas en Atanas y Raya, ya quiero ver como él la da toda para conquistarla 🤌
▫️ Admito que Constantin no me entusiasmaba hasta que se mencionó que es padre so SINGLE DAD 🗣️
▫️ Un solo diálogo de Ryo Tanaka y me pareció muy hot jsjs (ahora quiero leer el libro de Yuki y Augusto)

[AvidReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟!

Another hit from Michelle Heard. I devoured this!
Over the years she has become one of my go to authors.

This one was fast paced, action packed and emotional book. It’s also Anastasia’s healing and self discovery journey.

We met Rodian in Rosie’s book and he was exceptional in this. Give me a dangerous man in ‘Man Bun’ any day and I’ll take it. I loved how he was there for Anastasia always.
Points for the author for writing a heroine who is plus sized. My heart ached for the things Ana has to go through. I loved that she was kind but also fire to her enemies.

To me highlight of the book was last part. It was emotional and action packed. I loved loved Andrei. I hope we get his story someday.
Epilogue was so cute and wholesome.

-Chance meeting.
-Marriage of convenience.
-He falls first and hard.
-Plus sized heroine.
-Hurt/Comfort.
-Found Family.
-TW, KU and safe, recommended.

I received an advance review copy and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐ Con este libro Michelle inicia una nueva serie de cinco libros protagonizada por cinco mafiosos que forman una alianza. Sí, es la fórmula que utiliza siempre (la única serie que llega a diez es realmente un cinco más cinco). Y tiene su mérito seguir encontrando la forma de sacar historias con el mismo patrón y que sigamos aquí leyendo. Pero terminan siendo un poco parecidas y ya no sorprenden.

Me ha gustado Rodian, esperaba más, pero ha estado bien. Anastasia también ha sido una buena protagonista, sólo me saca un poco de situación cómo se trata su ansiedad, por un lado necesita medicación y por otro parece que sólo le pone nerviosa ver pelar patatas. No se aborda correctamente y para hacerlo así, igual no lo hagas.

El resto de personajes me han gustado, aunque seguramente puedes ver en alguno pinceladas de otro que ya hemos leído. Espero que en su libro pueda darle más personalidad.

Pero al final, resulta que me lo leo en un día porque el estilo de Michelle es tan fácil de leer que empiezo y no paro. Ya no espero con emoción sus libros, pero no dejo de leerlos, tienen algo que me sigue llamando.

[Milica's Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5♥

[Darlene I read WAY to many books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when this author punches you in the feels.

Ana and Rodian meet when she works as a seamstress in the threater. He's drawn to her when she sowed a button and made the quietness peaceful. He wanted to take her out ASAP. But she disappeared. Poor Ana went though hell because of who her family was, since she didn’t fit the picture of what her family wanted they kinda disowned her but made her work for them. 😒😒😒 and it gets worse when Rodian takes over but he doesn't know what happened to Ana until he sees her 5 years later starved, beaten and not looking like his woman.

The relationship takes time to rebuild the trust between them. I love how the family aka artem ❤️ was with her.
My only problem was Rodian pushing her to marry him. I wish they dated or like eased her in since she had truama and didnt trust him.

Low angst, no ow/om drama, no cheating, drama, sexy times, virgin gal no manwhore

Recommend-yes
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat level-🌶


Age gap
20Fmc/32Mmc
Degradation
Violence
Torture
Murder
Truama
Ptsd
Panic attacks
Hea
Epilogue

[Vashti · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
For a mafia romance,this was a lovely ,romantic,if somewhat brutal story.
The epilogue was so fitting 25 years into the future.
Looking forward to book#2.

[HeartOut · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is going on with Michelle Heard?? Is someone forcing her to write books?? I miss the old version of her when she used to write books with actual plots and different stories. Now all the books written by her show a lack of imagination and all she is does is copy paste the same storyline with minor changes like the names of the characters and the Mafia family they belong to. That's it. Otherwise it's the same thing. Abused FMC saved by MMC. INSTA LOVE ALWAYS. God forbid two people learn about each other and then slowly form a connection or liking. I just want to know if the previous books were written by a different person or if she is being compelled to produce the books just for the sake of it. I think I would be happy to wait for some time to read her books rather than them being shoved down my throat every month in the hopes of reading something other than the redundant storyline with zero effort or plot.

[Camii · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ser amado por ti es la experiencia más extraordinaria de mi vida. Porque me elegiste, pude crear tres obras maestras contigo. La mitad de mí y la mitad de ti"

✍🏻No es un libro de Michelle Heard si no te hace sufrir por sus protagonistas para que tengan su final feliz 😭 OMG necesito los siguientes libros (Artem robo mi corazón ♥️)

[Lover of Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨.5

First Impressions
Savage Truce is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. It connects to the previous series while also being a strong introduction to the current series. We get to see all the players involved in the Heart of Crime while also seeing a beautiful second chance romance build. What was most impressive was how the second chance was actually handled within the story. I appreciated that there was some short flashbacks and it happens earlier in the book instead of dragging throughout the story. There is some difficult issues approached, so if you do get triggered, check out the trigger warnings before reading.


The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Rodian Volkov
The Heroine: Anastasia Donovan

What I Loved
Savage Truce is the first book in the newest series called “Heart of Crime” and in his series I have a feeling we will get something fresh and intense but this is connected to the generational series “Kings of Mafia” and this is where we see Rodian’s book. Rodian was such a hero that he impacts you deeply. I loved how in control he was and his commanding presence was truly perfection in just about every way. His alpha moments had such leadership vibes and I just couldn’t get enough of his character. What he is willing to do for his girl was so deep even if it meant doing something that wasn’t going to make him popular. But how protective he is of her and how investive he is in the relationship was so vibrant. The heroine outside of the issues I had “read below” was so wonderful. She has such a inner strength I truly admired. And seeing her heal and learn to blossom again was such a journey that made all the struggle worth it. Seeing how Rodian connects with her and makes her believe in goodness again was poignant in the little moments. And the action in this book was on point. This author really packed such a intense punch within this story. And I can’t wait for more from this series.


What I Struggled With
The one factor that kept this from being a full rated stars was the focus of the heroine being “curvy”. Not saying I am against curvy heroines, although they aren’t my favorite in a fantasy lol but there was such a heavy focus on it and it just felt a bit preachy at times and it got so tiresome and it felt like it was her whole personality. So wasn’t huge on that element but everything else in the book was perfect. If this aspect had been more subtle and not so heavy this would have ended up a 6 star read for me.

Overall View
Savage Truce is a thrilling, emotionally riveting mafia romance that tackles difficult issues but delivers all the heart she is known of delivering and more!


Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Dark Romance
Character Types: Morally Grey, Mafia/Mob, Abused FMC, Curvy Heroine
Themes: Danger/Suspense, Band of Brothers, PTSD
Tropes: Arranged Marriage-Forced Marriage, Second Chance

Book Perspective
Duo POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Both

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Neva Altaj
Gabrielle Sands
Cora Reilly

Song This Book Inspires
About You by The 1975

Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes

Steam/Spice Explanations

Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.

[Sarah♡books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️

Anastasia x Rodian🤍

📚 Age gap (37 l 25)
📚 It's always been you
📚 Virgin h x celibate H (14 years)
📚 Mafia
🚩no cheating or sharing, no OW/OM

[Han · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ★

Safety
•Virgin h, non Virgin H
•No others after meeting
•h: no past experience at all. He was her first everything.
•H:not a manwhore. Had been celibate for years before meeting H. He had only been with his past exes (2 of them I believe when he was in college so a long time ago). He has only ever loved the h though.
•owd: when they first meet a mean actress tries to get with him & he has absolutely no interest and shuts it down.
•omd:no

[Sentranced Jem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m almost positive Michelle Heard puts something addicting in her books, because as always… I devoured this one!  
 
Savage Truce is a true, top tier mafia romance. It’s action-packed, viciously ruthless, swoon worthy, and deeply emotional. Plus, the found family and friendship bonds in this book hit absolute perfection. I’m officially hooked and cannot wait to read more from this new series! 
 
Anastasia stole my heart. This gorgeous woman has been through so much, and watching everything she overcomes made me so proud of her. She is sweet, kind, and wildly resilient. 
 
And Rodian? Total savage! But let’s call him what he really is: a gentleman savage 😉. He is ruthless and strong, yet so unbelievably gentle with Anastasia. The fierce protectiveness he has for the people he loves is everything. 
 
The chemistry between these two is AH-MAZING! The longing, the yearning, the intense tension, and oh my god! the open door scenes are 🔥 HOT 🔥. 
 
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 
🖤 Mafia Romance 
🖤 The man she fell for became the monster she now fears 
🖤 Forced / Arranged Marriage 
🖤 Power Imbalance 
🖤 Forced Proximity 
🖤 Age Gap 
🖤 Curvy Heroine 
🖤 Possessive & Protective Hero 
🖤 "Who did this to you?" 
🖤 Hidden Identity 

[Kellyythoralabatalla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pasó de todo pero se sintió tan simple. No sé si soy yo o es la escritura de la autora que está así.

[Bri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[Rae C · Rating 1 out of 5]

Her books are getting worse

I started off liking most of Michelle Heard’s books. But, they’ve gone downhill significantly. This one was no exception.

The dialogue, insta-love, plot, and obsession over how plus sized the MFC is was just aggravating. I made it 40% through before I couldn’t tolerate anymore.

We get it, the MFC is big. Bigger than your average female, and that’s fine, but once the MMC falls instantly in love with her, let it go. The obsession over her
weight did nothing for the story, which was horrible to begin with.

The MMC was nothing to swoon over. There was nothing scary or brooding or tough about him. It was basically his obsession with her big curves, and her being bigger.

I doubt I’ll read anymore from this author. Her stories are seriously going downhill. I mean that’s fine if the plot isn’t that great, but throw in repetitive, cringy dialogue, and it makes it that much worse to get through.

[♡︎ Kesa Subban ♡︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ꍏꋪꏳ ꋪꏂ꒦ꀤꏂꅐ
𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨 - 𝖱𝗈𝖽𝗂𝖺𝗇
𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞 - 𝖠𝗇𝖺𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗌𝗂𝖺
5 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧

Rodian & Anastasia's book was a perfect start to this series. And in true Michelle fashion it brought all the emotions and tears, and a man who will definitely burn the world down for his woman.

The first few pages of this book were light-hearted, it set the romance and that undeniable chemistry between the leads, and then well everything takes a turn!

Rodian and Anastasia fell for each other in just a few hours, and what could have been the start of a beautiful and one of a kind relationship ended up in separation neither saw coming.

Anastasia, she is a seamstress, she loves her job as it gives her a sense of pride and comfort. She could do without the nasty as hell comments about her weight. But she's confident in her body, and doesn't give a hoot about what anyone thinks.

Rodian 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻
This man you guys♥️

He witnessed what his Pakhan was doing and it didn't sit right with him, and has underboss he had to do things strategically to take him down. Having the Cosa Nostra as an ally is a notch and when the other leaders join in, his confident that he can take the Bratva into a new era.

Rodian never forgot Anastasia, and when he finds her in one of his factories he is shocked to his core. She was hidden in plain sight. And even though they have a lot of hurdles to get through, he will be by her side and he will make her fall for him again.

I loved Anastasia, she was real, vulnerable and she worked hard to overcome what she had been through.

The chemistry between her and Rodian was so beautiful, and the chemistry was just👌🏻...loved how they found their way back to each other.
Her friendship with Artem & Andrei was beautiful. I loved it.

𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

Loved catching up with the Kings Of Mafia characters.

Can't wait for the next one in this series...Atanas book I feel is going to be one for the books! This man is already a goner 🫣😂

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨 🔫♥️🧵❄️🔫
𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞 🧵🪡🧵🪡🧵
𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 🥵🌶️🥵
𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭 📚📚📚📚📚
𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 💧💧

[Elizabeth Litch · Rating 1.25 out of 5]

1.25⭐

Esperaba que con no sé cuántas sagas terminadas esta mujer escribiría mejor, pero me ha sorprendido para mal con una escritura de fanfic hecho por una niña. Le cedo un poco de la culpa a que era traducción mecánica, pero es que igualmente algunas frases o redacciones son condenadamente malas y absurdas.

Casi entro en bloqueo lector porque ni me importaba Anastasia ni me importaba Rodian. Vaya protagonistas más sosos y tontos.
La trama es malísima, el tema de la gordofobia que sufre Anastasia me saca muchísimo de lugar cuando esta en una mafia rusa, siendo una puta princesa de la Bratva.
Rodian me parece un mono que solo piensa en follar, matar y volver a casa para controlar a su esposa como un cavernícola. No hay nada de atractivo en este señor. Encima el "plot twist" del malo de turno es que es horrible.

Las escenas de sexo han sido reguleras, partiendo de la base en que no encuentro química en estos personajes. Han sido un aquí te pillo aquí te mato, sin ningún tipo de preeliminares ni nada que te indique que efectivamente es bonito lo que están teniendo.

Los traumas los han llevado regular también, el tema de solucionar el trauma llevando a una persona que no ha visto violencia más allá de lo que vivió hace un par de semanas no creo que termine de encajar en terapia, pero bueno qué sabré yo.

Anastasia rozando el ser tradwife con el tema de "ah no sé hacer nada solo coser y cocinar.... Ay no me gusta hablar con mujeres son unas chismosas y unas arpias" amiga espabila, sabes dónde estas, adáptate un poco.

También está el tema de la gordofobia. Entiendo que la autora ha exagerado la situación para darle crédito a las inseguridades de la protagonista, pero no lo justifico. Creo que esto lo lee una persona sin la autoestima muy alta respecto a su físico y se la puede terminar de cargar confirmando paranoias que se puede montar en su cabeza. Es ABSURDO el trato que tiene con toda su familia y compañeros por ser gorda, cuando solo por el estatus que tiene ya vale lo suficiente como para no meterla de criada por la cara.

Si acaso me leeré el libro de Andrei porque es el único que me ha llamado la atención, porque el resto me da bastante igual.

[My Pink Fairytales · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐

This was surprisingly soft for a mafia romance. I liked Rodian and Anastasia was okay...

My biggest issue was that I never completely bought their love story. I understood Rodian being attracted to her when he first saw her, but the level of devotion that followed felt disproportionate to the connection we were actually shown. Some of the mafia storyline had the same problem. Like supposedly high-stakes situations were resolved so quickly and easily that they never really felt dangerous.

Not bad, just a little too fast, too convenient and too soft for what I wanted from the premise.

[The Rampant Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and Candi Kane PR for the ARC.

This book was more instalove than I have seen before from the author. I enjoyed seeing the MMC after meeting him in the last book.

Tropes: Bratva, curvy FMC, instalove, yearning, forced marriage.

[Sai · Rating 3 out of 5]

25 años después el epílogo jajajaja yo solo quería saber en los próximos 5 nada mas 🤣🤣

[TheReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

all about her weight

I don’t like stories that make it all about the main female character’s weight. This book was that. Every other paragraph was about her fat a**. Could not finish, so sad because I love her books but this wasn’t it.

[NiCoLeTa E. {Addicted To Books} · Rating 4 out of 5]

***4 "Moya Krasavitsa!!!" stars***



"In two weeks, I'll be his wife, and there's nothing I can do to stop it because, at the end of the day, I don't dare disrespect the pakhan by refusing to marry him."

Throughout the 'Kings of Mafia' series, we've met some very intriguing secondary characters and I am so happy that Michelle decided to make a new series about them all!!!
The first book came and it was time for Rodian to shine!!!
I liked Rodian in 'Saved by a God' and I was very intrigued by him!!!
He had helped Rosie, while he was trying to make changes in Bratva with him becoming the Pakhan!!!
But five years ago, Rodian had met an angel and he lost her before they will even begun...

"Whatever kind of monster I am to rule the Bratva, I will never be around you."

Anastasia was mistreated all of her life because she didn't look like the way the others wanted.... She was the Pakhan's granddaughter, yet... no one treated her right.
Her only happy moments when while she was away sewing for a theatre. There, where she had met a beautiful stranger and he liked her just the way she were...
But then her happiness turned to a living nightmare for the next five years, until her grandfather were overthroned and the new Pakhan decided to visit his prisoners!!!
Now, Anastasia is under the clutches of the only man that she ever felt something for, while he became a new monster in her life!!!

"You and I are going to get married and put an end to the war."
The darkness in his tone tells me its an order I don't dare disobey if I want to stay alive.

I won't tell you more...
Anastasia and Rodian had a beautiful night together that could be the amazing start to something extraordinary, but fate had other plans...
They are meeting again five years later and there are too much savageness, bitterness and rivalty to get back in that beautiful night...
They will be bound together, but they will need too much work to reach this beautiful feeling from that night...

"I have no fucking idea how to help Anastasia get back to the remarkable woman she was before our world destroyed her."

I liked Rodian and Anastasia... I liked their story!!!
Anastasia had suffered greatly and my heart was aching for her...
Rodian was a good man... He wanted to make changes in the organization but he needed time to succeed!!!
These two were great together!!! I liked how protective and caring Rodian was of Anastasia...
And I liked very much Antrei!!! That poor man!!! He had stolen my heart!!!
Can't wait for the next book in the series!!!

"All your demons are dead, moya krasavitsa."

**I received an ARC for the exchange of an honest review**

[Katie Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a start to a brand new mafia series👏🏼

Rodian Volkov made his debut in saved by a god when he assisted Enzo in finding Rosie when she was taken. It was very clear even then that there was more to Rodian that meets the eye and he was oh so much hung up on a woman. But now we have his story and this story begins 5 years ago in London where Rodian lays eyes on Anastasia for the first time.

Anastasia is the estranged granddaughter of the Pakhan and because she is not close to the family she was sent to London until she was called upon to honour the family (it’s a mafia romance you know how it goes, aka marriage). Well Anastasia works as a seamstress in a London theatre and she meets Rodian after a button on his suit comes clean off. Rodian is not shy of women’s attention but the moment he laid eyes on our dear Ana no other woman would ever compare and he knew there and then this woman was his endgame. Only their time was short lived when Ana’s mother came to London to bring her back to Russia.

Ana’s time in Russia was not a pleasant one, she was rejected by her family and had to serve as a maid. I honestly have no words for how they treated her but my poor girl, she’d soon come to find she would receive every bit of love that she never had from Rodian and his family.

Over 5 years have passed since Ana and Rodian last saw each other, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t stopped looking. But tensions are high after Rosie was taken and Rodian is planning to overthrow the current Pakhan, which he succeeds. After the mutiny, a rogue group of Rodians men takes Ana and a few others and this is how he finds her once again and let’s just say this man completely flew off the handle after he found this rogue group.

Now with Ana back in his arms he will not make the same mistake twice and is desperate to make Ana his. While yes you could say he’s in a rush to marry her, he does properly court Ana and take her on the dates that the lost out on over the 5 years they were separated. I honestly just loved how devoted he was to her. He wanted to give her a life where she would thrive and follow her passions and that is exactly what he did.

It was also quite lovely to see his family welcome her with open arms as her fear was that she would be treated as the enemy due to her family ties, but that was not the case. Rodians family were aware of his obsession with a woman he met in London and they were overjoyed for this reunion as all they wanted was their son’s happiness.

Overall this was a great opening to the series and I cannot wait for our other couples. Thank you to Candi Kane PR who provided this e-arc for my honest thoughts 💭

[Joy Westerfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart is full and I’m feeling all kinds of swoony! Which is funny being this is a Mafia story, but Rodian and Anastasia have completely worked their way into my heart! Their story starts out with a bit of a meet-cute, both instantly attracted and wanting to see each other again, but outside forces step in and Rodian searches for Anastasia for years! When they do meet up again, it’s not in the best of circumstances, but Rodian is bound and determined to protect his long-lost love. Anastasia has gone through things no one should ever have to suffer through, yet thru it all, she perseveres and won’t let her past dictate her future. She is strong, resilient, beautiful and I loved her character so much. As for Rodian, now Pakhan, he is oh so dark, delicious and perfect for Anastasia. The lust and love between them never wanes, and that is plainly seen by how their chemistry is smoking hot! Quite a bit goes on in this story that made my heart hurt, made me wince a few times, made me want to throw my Kindle, but also made my heart happy. I devoured Rodian and Anastasia’s story and so will you!