Royal Savage

Savage & Ink #1

by Victoria Ashley

ROYAL SAVAGE

I CAN’T CLOSE MY EYES… I refuse to. Every time I do, all I see is blood, death, and pain. I can feel it - almost taste it, bringing me back to that night.

It doesn't matter that I'm still breathing; I no longer need it, I no longer want it. I despise it along with everything else around me.
The only thing I long for is to fucking fade away. I've given up. Until her at least…

AVALON.

She comes into my world, knocking me on my ass.

It turns me on to have her around me. Makes me want to wrap my hand around her tight little throat and fuck her until she feels my pain, feels the monster in me, but also makes me want to protect her from the very thing that she should be afraid of... me.

Once she sees the damage that I’m capable of; she’ll look at me like everyone else around me does: with fear.

AVALON KNIGHT

HIS EYES... THE DARKNESS IN them draws me to him, making me want to taste him, feel him… and save him. I shouldn't have gotten on the back of his motorcycle that day. I know that now. Colton warned me. I was told it was dangerous. I was told that nothing would be the same. He was right.

ROYAL is dangerous, dark, and seductive; the very thing that keeps me hanging on, willing to give my last breath just to touch him… breathe him in.

He’s savage, inked, and highly captivating. So different from his brother…

He's hazardous to my health, mind, and body, yet the only thing that I crave. I want to free him. I want to change his mind, but I'm afraid that he’s already too faded…

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, Dark, Audiobook, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Erotica

312 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 2022

About the author

New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author

Hey everyone!! I'm the author of the Walk of Shame Series plus many other titles! If you're into reading about sexy, dirty talking alpha males then you're in the right place!!!

Any books listed under my name that aren't Romance do NOT belong to me! They just keep appearing under my name.

Find me on Amazon!
https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Ashle...

Find me on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaAshl...

Reviews

[Coco.V · Rating 5 out of 5]

++5 Royal Stars – Beautifully written story.

I listened to the audio version this time and I do confirm that this book is still one of my all-time favorites! Narrators Samantha Cook and Lorenzo Matthews were awesome.

I’ll start by saying, WOW! This book seriously just blew me away! I was instantly hooked from the prologue and the rest of the story just kept me yearning for more!

This is one of those books that have the unique ability to make you feel everything. A MUST READ!

What starts out as pure physical attraction morphs into something deeper, something totally crazy but something so utterly beautiful I had tears in my eyes.

I adored both characters. Avalon is now one of my favorite heroines ever. She was caring, strong, feisty, sassy, no drama queen, down to earth and loyal to a fault. I absolutely loved Royal. He was a beautiful broken angel and such a good mix of a sexy bad boy with a heart of gold.

I loved their journey and was mesmerized by the sheer intensity of their connection. Their scenes together were sizzling! Everything in this story worked! EVERYTHING!!!

I can’t even describe those last few chapters. It was absolute perfection. I was crying a lot, then smiling, then I was swooning, then I was fanning myself, then I actually got teary because of that end…sigh.

I also loved every single supporting character in this book; Blaine, Madison, Jax and Uncle Mark. I’m so looking forward to read their stories.

Oh my goodness! This book was simply amazing. It was heartbreaking, emotional, beautiful, and unforgettable! I HIGHLY recommend it!

Well done Ms. Ashley and thank you.

[NMmomof4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

Overall Opinion: This is a hard one for me to rate. I liked it, but I had some issues too. I don't think I can fully explain those issues without spoilers, so here are some doozies:

- The H's pregnant fiancé was raped and murdered, and the H murdered the three men that did it to her (but it was deemed self-defense). So needless to say, the H was messed up. I think it's really hard for an author to do the dead partner theme well. I'm not necessarily feeling like this was a total fail, but I wasn't really satisfied. I think it was because I felt like the h was second best. Yes, the H fell in love with her. Yes, he showed that as well as said it to her by the end. But -- I couldn't get rid of that nagging feeling of her being his second choice. I typically like this theme, but I had some issues with that feeling (which I think can be common in these stories). It might've also been that the H and the dead woman's brother said that she reminded them of the dead woman. I think it works better IMO if the h/H is so obviously different from the dead partner but they fell in love anyways (instead of the possibility of having a replica).
- The H takes off in a freak out when the h tells him she loves him. I hate it when the freak out like this, especially when they are supposed to be in love too. I get that he had a traumatic and sad past with the last woman he loved, but to leave for 6 MONTHS?!? Granted a lot of that was because he was thrown in jail for a fight, bit still. For being a tough manly man -- grow some balls and deal with your feelings!
- I'm going to add another spoiler tag because this is a big twist at the end that some might not want to know about... The H was tricked to sign his parental rights away from his daughter when he thought they were just papers for his fiancé and child's death. So the daughter is alive, and living in foster care. The H's uncle is a cop and was a rookie on the H's case, and he was deeply moved by the H's situation. He had been keeping track of the little girl (~2 year old), and making sure she has been safe. He never mentioned it to the H because he thought it would be too painful and that he had chosen to sign away his rights, but he tells the h and she adopts the girl while the H is gone on his freak out. Ok so I'm not totally heartless, and I liked the idea of the girl being alive...but I also had some issues with it. It felt too easy -- like it was thrown in as the solution to "fix" the H and all his fucked-upness. The girl started calling the h "mommy" almost right away, and that kind of bothered me. I just felt like it was yet another reason she was a replica for the dead fiancé. This happened at the end of the book (another reason I felt like it was put in as a "solution"), so when the H came back and the h/H both started to refer to the three of them being a "family" I wasn't convinced. He came back, apologized, cried over his daughter, and then they were a family?!? Way too easy for me...maybe I am heartless ;)


Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Avalon and Royal's story. They meet at a party at Royal's house, but don't have that much of an interaction. They meet again when Royal is visiting his half-brother who happens to be Avalon's boyfriend. She has been having issues with her relationship with her boyfriend and ends up leaving with Royal. Royal is a damaged Hero, and Avalon is intrigued by him. They spend a good bit of time together, and even though they are wildly attracted to eachother they don't cross the line until she talks with her boyfriend. There is some ex drama, some sexy times, some major personal demons to deal with...and then the couple get their HFN ending.

POV: This alternated between Avalon and Royal's POV.

Overall Pace of Story: Good - I didn't skim, and it flowed well.

Instalove: No. Instalust for sure, but love takes a while to develop.

H rating: 3 stars. Royal. I liked him fine, but there were some issues I couldn't get past.

h rating: 4 stars. Avalon. I liked her. She was sassy, and I think what I appreciated the most from her was that she wasn't judgmental with anyone she met.

Sadness level: Moderate/low. I personally didn't need tissues, but it does cover some heavy themes that might make one need them.

Heat level: Moderate. A good amount of scenes. Rough and dirty talking sex.

Descriptive sex: Yes

Safe sex: Yes and no. Condoms were being used, and then they stop without talking about the h being on birth control or STD status.

OW/OM drama: Yes. The h is dating the H's half-brother when they meet. She does break-up with him, but there is some drama with him.

Sex scene with OW or OM: Yes. We experience the H getting a bj from OW.

Cheating: Not technically. The H gets a bj from OW and "drowns himself in whiskey and pussy" (2 different instances) after meeting our h, but this was before they get together (and she's still officially with his half-brother)

Possible Triggers: Violence - murder, mentions of rape

Closure: This had a HFN ending. While the epilogue was sweet, I really wanted more with maybe some big commitments from our couple.

How I got it: I paid the introductory price of $.99 on Amazon.

[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

༺**Complimentary Copy**༺ Provided by the author
"Victoria Ashley" in exchange for an honest review..Thank you!!





TITLE: Royal Savage
AUTHOR: Victoria Ashley
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: December 20th, 2015

MY RATING: 5 SAVAGE STARS



ROYAL: I can't close my eyes. Everytime I do all I see is blood, death and pain.

I never thought I'd meet someone that could make me fucking feel. You do, and it scares the shit out of me.

AVALON: His eyes. The darkness in them draws me to him, making me want to taste him, feel him, and save him.

This man completely consumes me and there's nothing that could make me want to stay away from him..Nothing.

They say if you lick it it's yours so I have licked, drooled over this hot cover like a whore on crack!! And have claimed him as my book-boy-friend..



I may have done some fucked up shit in my life, but fucking my brother's girl is not one of them, and I don't plan to start now.

Royal may be a little rough around the edges, but there's something hiding deep inside.

Just a heads up to all you cover hoes, Royal Savage is as hot in the book as he is on the cover, he's edgy, all alpha, hot as sin, tough as nails, rides a bike, gah he's too perfect for words, this is so different compared to previous works by this author and you guys are going to Loooovvvveeeee it!!

I couldn't turn my eyes away. I wanted her, needed her, and desired her.

This man is undeniably beautiful, and I could spend hours just admiring the art of his body and tattoos and never grow tired.



I can't give her more than one night and the thought of only having her once is not enough.

This book has kept me glued to my ipad all day, I'm still in my pj's, I've not had breakfast, or any lunch or my daily quota of coffee the only time I stopped reading this was when I needed a loo break..Every second, every minute, every hour I was consumed by Royal..



She's my calm after my storm, she's like a poison to my heart, slowly leaking her way inside and killing me in the worst way possible. She's the salvation that I seek but know that I can't keep forever, and that's what scares me.

This book TICKED all my BOXES, the hot cover BONUS, Savage, hot alpha male (double bonus) but then we get to Avalon and she's everything you want your female character to be, she's tough as nails, speaks like a sailer and handles everything Savage throws at her, loved these two!! And yet those ticked boxes kept coming, rough bar, tatooist, biker you name it this book covered EVERYTHING!! Ohhhh the sex, now that was hot!! Another box ticked!!



He's not dangerous, he's not a bad fucking guy. He fights for the ones he loves and does everything in his power to protect them.

So easy to get into and bloody hard to put down!! Cray Cray loved this book, this author has some serious talent!!

[Jennifer Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars



This is my first read by this author and I'm pleasantly surprised. The story is told in dual povs and is in fact a stand alone. Royal and Avalon's love story was bumpy, gritty and pretty enjoyable. I did find that it was slow going at times but overall a good read nonetheless. I liked all the characters (except her bff) that appear to be the heroes of future books.

[Harper Sloan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I made the mistake of starting this book Christmas Eve and spent the vast majority of the following two days pissed that I didn't have more time to read. But that all changed last night, I sucked in every word, page, chapter, until it was nearing 2am and I finished. I can't wait to (hopefully) get more books from the supporting characters. Gah...Royal...there are just no words for how much I loved that hero. *runs off to start a Victoria Ashley marathon now!*

[MELISSA *Mel Reader* · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!
(ARC provided by author)



Avalon Knight is a 22 yr. old woman working at a salon called Stylin', and dating a guy that she's absolutely bored with. She heads out one evening with her best friend Madison, & crosses paths with a dark, sinfully gorgeous, tattooed man named Royal Savage. Royal is mysterious & just screams bad boy. He isn't Avalon's usual type, but she's immediately drawn to this sexy man. He seems dirty & rough and like everything exciting she's been missing in her life. As they spend time together they have a hard time denying they crave one another & finally give in.



-Royal Savage...He's hazardous to my health, mind, and body, yet the only thing I crave.

-She's my calm after the storm. She's like a poison to my heart, slowly leaking her way inside and killing me in the worst way possible. She's the salvation that I seek but know that I can't keep forever, and that's what scares me.



Royal Savage is a troubled man who suffered a tragic loss two years ago. He is still haunted in his dreams & has given up on life. He tries to avoid most people other than his two best friends. He owns a tattoo parlor/bar called Savage & Ink. He keeps busy at his business & planning his revenge on the person he blames for the pain that consumes his life. He doesn't plan on having feelings for Avalon. He hasn't let himself feel in so long, so his feelings for her rock him to the core. Suddenly all he can think of is Avalon & keeping her safe. Royal continues to struggle with his demons, but we get some beautiful moments, & some seriously smoking hot sex scenes. I really enjoyed this book & would love books for Jax, Blaine, & Mark too! :D



-"I've heard shit about men with beards. I know they're orgasm donors and you definitely needed a donation." (Madison to Avalon) Lol, loved that quote! ;))

[Jayme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Royal Savage... it's really his name! That alone is extremely sexy. But with the whole book is exciting and passionate as hell. And along with it comes a great story. This is the very best book of Victoria Ashley that I ever read.

“Royal Savage . . . He's hazardous to my health, mind, and body, yet the only thing that I crave.”

About the plot: Royal is in constant grief. Few years ago he lost close person, and since then his life is one big regret. He tries to be normal, but has never experienced consolation, despite the many dangerous things he did to feel calm. Avalon comes into his life by accident. And intrigued him from the sight. Although he tries to keep her from afar, it seems that only when she is near, he can feel peace. She knows that he hides secrets, and is dangerous, but can not stop herself.

“She’s like a poison to my heart, slowly leaking her way inside and killing me in the worst way possible. ”

Final thoughts: Reading this book is a pleasure. It is so intense and addictive that you can not get away. Exciting is probably the best word which describes it. Absolutely the best hero - Royal. He is dark, incredibly sexy and dangerous. Did I mention exciting? Oh God, my pulse bounce whenever he appeared. Just sex on a stick. No wonder that our heroine has gone mad over him. And Avalon... is sassy and don't eat crap. She stands behind him strong and determined.

“You don’t know the demons that drag me down. They’re darker than you think.”
“Not dark enough to make me want to leave.”

Those two... are simply explosion. Their scenes together were steaming and sizzling. But before you even walk into their scenes together in bed, just foreplay is so loaded with chemistry that you can burn from an intensity. HOT, HOT, HOT.

“You’re going to get my mouth and so much more.” He moans. “I’ve warned you.”

Together with this comes, once again, exciting and highly captivating story. It is very well built, and can surprise. It looks like it will be a series. I would be very pleased if that happened. The heroes of the second plan are very colorful characters. They bring a lot of humor and an extensive scenes. I'd love to know the story of Blaine, Madison and Jax. There is a lot to say and promises to be no less exciting than this part.

So yes, I say this book one big YES.

***Quick Review:***

Series: The first in the Savage and Ink series.
Grade/Tag Tabs: Erotic Romance.
Release Date: December 18th 2015.
Main characters: Royal Savage, runs a bar and a tattoo studio Savage and Ink. Avalon Knight, twenty-two year old, works in a hair salon.
Secondary characters: A group of friends. Blaine, Madison and Jax.
Steamy: Absolutely hot. There is a lot of scenes with intense and rough sexual scenes. Foreplay itself give a lot of excitement.
Sensitive topic: Yes. Violence. Abuse.
Love triangle: Not exactly. The heroine at the beginning has a boyfriend, but it definitely is not love triangle.
Cheating: No.
Cliffhanger: No.
HEA: Yes.
Next in the series? Probably yes.

***


ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Now also on the blog Jaymebooks! Thank you!

[Victoria Ashley]

[Coco.V · Rating 5 out of 5]

💝One of my favorite books is FREE on iBooks today (5/24/2018)!💝


++5 Royal Stars – Beautifully written story.

I’ll start by saying, WOW! This book seriously just blew me away! I was instantly hooked from the prologue and the rest of the story just kept me yearning for more!

This is one of those books that have the unique ability to make you feel everything. A MUST READ!

What starts out as pure physical attraction morphs into something deeper, something totally crazy but something so utterly beautiful I had tears in my eyes.

I adored both characters. Avalon is now one of my favorite heroines ever. She was caring, strong, feisty, sassy, no drama queen, down to earth and loyal to a fault.
I absolutely loved Royal. He was a beautiful broken angel and such a good mix of a sexy bad boy with a heart of gold.

I loved their journey and was mesmerized by the sheer intensity of their connection. Their scenes together were sizzling! Everything in this story worked! EVERYTHING!!!

I can’t even describe those last few chapters. It was absolute perfection. I was crying a lot, then smiling, then I was swooning, then I was fanning myself, then I actually got teary because of that end…sigh.

I also loved every single supporting character in this book; Blaine, Madison, Jax and Uncle Mark. I’m so looking forward to read their stories.

Oh my goodness! This book was simply amazing. It was heartbreaking, emotional, beautiful, and unforgettable! I HIGHLY recommend it!

Well done Ms. Ashley and thank you.

[Jamie Owsley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate doing this but as an avid reader I would want to know the truth...this book was horrible! The writing was absolutely terrible! It felt like I was reading a book that an 18yr old, with not an ounce of writing skills, wrote on her first try.
Reading this book makes me think that even I could write one if I wanted, obviously anyone can.
I'm sorry to be so harsh but I finally finished the book and just couldn't help myself.
The entire book was read with me rolling my eyes at the ridiculousness of it or beyond irritated with the immaturity in the writing of the characters and far fetched story lines.
This book will not be getting recommended by me and I would seriously rethink purchasing it if I were you.
Just helping out my fellow readers...

[Maria... · Rating 5 out of 5]

"5 Royal stars!!!"

She's the salvation that I seek but know that I can't keep forever,
and that's what scares me.

WOW...This book was amazing!I'm still blown away from all the emotions this book made me feel!I didn't expect this book to be so GOOD!I thought it was a dark,dirty and hot story so I didn't put much thought in to it!Well I should have because now that I ended it I still have a huge grin in my face that I can't make go away!

"How do you feel when I'm around?"
"Safe.Warm.Needed.Whole.Sexy.Alive.More alive than I have felt in a long time,Royal.You make me feel a lot of things.Sometimes I feel like it's to much and it's hard to breath,but it's a good feeling."

I LOVED,LOVED,LOVED this book!In the beginning it was fine you know pretty much what I expected but as I kept going it got better and better until it became the BEST!I loved the story line,the surprises toward the end(especially)and I adored almost all the characters in this book(Madison,Blaine,Jax,Mark)they were funny,crazy and good friends...
I have no idea where to start...my feelings are all over the place about the things that happened in this book...

OK I have to start with my favorite one and only ROYAL!!!
He is AMAZING...He was beautifully broken, intense, drown in his own darkness and a crazy son of a bitch!He was one of those characters that doesn't feel much and grow to feel everything in the end!He went though a lot and was ready for some action all the time to let some steam off...(Ohhh and we see a lot of action...)He stopped living and lost himself in booze and p*ssy to make him numb...but in the morning everything came back to him in full force....
He went though HELL until he found his HEAVEN....

"Why the fuck are you so perfect for me?I never thought I'd meet someone that could make me fucking feel.You do,and it scares the shit out of me."

"Yes,you're my fucking girl.I can't share you with anyone and Idon't have any plans to.

And then we have AVALON she was a great heroine...She was crazy,open minded,and very much in love with the fearless Royal.She was the balance that Royal needed to make him move on with his life.She was there for him 100% although he kept a distance from her in the beginning.She gave him time and space when he needed it...although that hurt...like a lot...but she did it anyway!

"I want you,Royal.I want you more than anything in this damn world.Touch me,Now."
"Then I'm fucking yours."

These two together were intense...playing around and flirting until sexual frustration got out of hand...leading to HOT,DIRTY and SWEATY SEX...between the sheets....against the walls...in the shower...

"You're fucking perfection.And you're mine.
No other man gets to be inside you this way.
You make me want to live again."

"You're fucking breathtaking,babe.I want to taste what I do to you.Fuck...I need this."

"I love her.I love her so fucking much,but I'm scared.I don't want to hurt her."

This book was a good surprise to me.I really enjoyed it.In the end something happened that I didn't see that was coming and when Royal learned about it, it broke my heart into little pieces.All the characters were broken and different in their own kind of way but in the end they put all the pieces together and made a great family.

Enjoy!xxx

[Carol (StarAngel's Reviews) Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book – Royal Savage
Author – Victoria Ashley
Publication Date – December 20, 2015
Genre – Contemporary Romance
Type – Stand Alone  
Cliffhanger – No
Rating – 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Complimentary Copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts - Story
And again, Ms. Ashley does it!! She finds a way to enamor the reader from page 1 till the very end.

I love her characters and how utterly broken they are but so full of the ability to love the right person.

She did it…after a long time, Ms. Ashley finally got me to cry.



I apologize but there is no way that I can give away any of the story before you get a chance to read it. Just take into consideration, this book is full of everything! Love, Death, Suspense, Thrills, Alphas, Comic Relief….and so much more. Ms. Ashley jammed so much into this story and it works!

Oh…and did I mention that Ms. Ashley is one of the best writers when it comes to sex scenes?? She takes the cake! *fanning myself*

Re-Cap
Avalon is a good girl trying to do the right thing. She is dating a good but boring guy and trying to live a very uneventful life….until one night she accidently opens the wrong door.

From there, she realizes that she has been missing out on life and the perfect orgasms. Meet Royal – her soulmate, tortured soul who doesn’t think he deserves the love Avalon is ready to give him.



She wants him…he wants her but between his past and his present….things may just not work out.

FYI ---- this is just a portion of the story…read this gem to get the full effect!

OHHHHH....and I would LOVE for more of these guys...!!

Reason for Reading – Author Request
Story Rating – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Steam Rating – 5 out of 5 Stars
Angst Rating – 5 out of 5 Stars
Writing Rating – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Content Flow Rating – 4 out of 5 Stars
HEA? - Yes
Would Read More from Author? ALWAYS
Recommend to – Anyone who loves a story of healing with a bunch of steamy sex.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Royal's life ended on the night he lost his family. Since then he's only been a shell of the man he once was, people say he's dangerous,a murderer, out of control. But Avalon see's the good side of him that's hidden under his tough exterior, and she's not going to give up on trying to made that side come out. People see her as the complete opposite of him, the sweet good girl, but maybe Royal can help her bring out her bad side.



I really liked these characters together, and it was their differences that made the book so intriguing. Avalon may have seemed like the good girl at first, but then her true badass came through and it made me fall for her character. I liked that she still had a softer side, compared to Royal, but that she wasn't scared of his tough life. They truly came together amazingly, and were the perfect fictional couple.

The beginning of the book started out a little slow, and not much was happening, but it started to pick up and I was sucked right into the story. Everything happened around the end of the book, and that's when the suspense really picked up. I would have liked the ending to be a little longer since we got such a shock when we learned something, but I still liked how it was finished.



Overall, I really liked this story and Victoria Ashley has found herself a new fan. I hope all the secondary characters, maybe with the exception of Avalon's BFF who I didn't like, will get a story. Especially Mark! He was yummy lol.

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving right along!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙❤️💚💜
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 😕😊😄😘
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration

The heroine: Avalon Knight - she works long hours at Stylin’ the hair salon she manages, so she isn’t much of a partier in her free time. Though when her best friend Mattie begs her to go to a party at the mansion of a guy named Jax who throws parties once a month, she agrees. Mattie says Avalon needs to forget about her boyfriend Colton and his small package.

The Hero: Royal Savage - after suffering a devastating loss nearly two years ago due to someone dealing drugs in his bar, he wants nothing more than to fade away and die. He owns a tattoo shop and a bar called Savage and Ink. The only two things he has left in this life are feeling the wind on his face as he rides his motorcycle and hooking up with random women, and even that he only does as an escape for a few minutes.

The Story: While at the party, Avalon has to go to the bathroom and can’t take the long lines, so she goes downstairs where she was told not to go. Apparently, Jax told Mattie that his friend had a bad day and doesn’t want to see any partygoers. Avalon walks in on Royal, while he is working out. She sees that he is handsome, tattooed and his eyes are full of darkness and pain.

It turns out that Royal is half brother to the uptight Colton, and Avalon doesn’t formally meet him until the day she is helping Colton with a party for his fancy work clients. Colton is a Real Estate agent who likes to think he is much better than the common folk. When Colton offends both Royal and Avalon, she leave’s his house on the back of Royal’s motorcycle.

The story is good, and I liked the characters, though I definitely think a bit less of Avalon for staying with Colton as long as she did. I mean he wouldn’t even call her by her name, he thought her middle name, Marie sounded more conservative, so he would only call her or introduce her as that no matter how many times, she asserted that wasn’t her name. The dialogue was a bit too simple at times, like they said things that people would never really say, but otherwise I liked the story and there were some surprises that I didn’t expect.

This audiobook was told in dual points of view via dual narration and was narrated by Samantha Cook and Lorenzo Matthews. Both of these narrators are new to me. Samantha has a nice voice and sounds intelligent though you can definitely tell she is reading. Lorenzo Matthews has a deep, gravelly voice, which I really like and is perfect for Royal. He is good at doing different voices for different characters.

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[Linathebookaddict · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw, intense and heart warming.
Victoria Ashley created a very thrilling tale of love, loyalty, danger, loss and passion.
Avalon works at a salon. She has a boyfriend who she thinks loves her. She has no interest for other men...Untill, one night. A party and a glimpse of a man will change her loife forever.
Royal Savage is feared by most. Tales speak of his temper and darkness. His only passion is his tattoo shop and revenge. He lost the one thing that meant everything to him and now he is empty.
When he meets Avalon, something pulls him to her. But he cannot and will not ever love again. His love was stolen and buried.
Avalon sees beyond Royal's tattoos and rugged looks. There is pain in his eyes and she wants to know why and even more, she wants to make it better.
Lust brings them together but is it enough to keep them together?
The book is full of passion, secrets and danger. You will love Royal and Avalon!
The book was well written and my only complaint is that the ending came a bit abruptly while the first 80% of the story developed slowly. There are cheesy moments that despite their cheesiness will have you swooning and melting, and there is a hero that will make it to the top of your book boyfriend list.
Do not miss this.

*****4.5 Stars*****

ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[✿kawehi.reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

☆ I received an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!! ☆

"Fighting is the only thing you can do. Pain is part of who we all are."

A highly gratifying & heartbreaking read. One thing I've come to know about author Victoria Ashley is that she always tries for different. Royal Savage lived up to that expectation and went over and beyond my expectations.

Avalon Knight is the quintessential good girl trying to live up to what is expected of her, while leading a dull and nonexistent life.

That is, until, she meets Royal, her boyfriend's rough around the edges, hot as sin, tatted brother who spells trouble with a capital T.

"Royal Savage..He's hazardous to my health, mind, and body, yet the only thing that I crave."

Avalon and Royal's romance, is definitely not an easy one, as most love stories aren't.

"I'm royally fucked up. My head is fucked up. My past is fucked up. My future is fucked up."

With Royal's world filled with blood, pain, murder, and revenge, how will Avalon fit into his destructive world? And knock down those walls he so carefully constructed to protect himself from ever feeling again. Can she replace the ghosts of his past? Or could she become another tragedy of Royal's life?

Love, LOVED this!! It was as gratifying as it was heart-rendering and painful at times!! Just simply beautiful.

Gah, I can't wait to get my hands on what Victoria comes up with next!!

[Nel · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disappointed with this book. Saw all the 5star reviews so was really looking forward to reading it. I felt like it was written by a kid. The story had no substance, it was very easy to predict what was about to happen. Royal was just nuts, kept punching walls for no apparent reason? Definitely won't be reading anything else by this author.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now Royal Savage was on my audible app for a long ass time. Maybe more than a month? Low-key forgot it was on there until the day I was so bored that I just had to listen to a book. Instead of ya know - not reading one. It also didn't help that people wanted to read it with me either. So yeah, I dove into it expecting something super dark (based off of it having DARK as and MPG) but eh, it was kind of fluffy.

In this book, you will meet Royal and Avalon (which.. wait a minute isn't that a car?). She's a hairdresser and he's the black sheep of the family. Pretty sure he had a day to day job but at the moment I don't remember it. Maybe it wasn't important at the time.

EH, oh well.

Back to Avalon, well she was dating the BIGGEST douche bag ever known to man. It just happens to be Royal's brother. Now we don't know much about them being brother because his family rarely talks about it. If anything, they want abso-fucking-lutely nothing to do with him. Which honestly makes me feel bad for the guy because this whole family is full of shitholes. They don't deserve him and he definitely deserves better.

Little did they know that there was an insta-attraction/spark/whatever you want to call it between Royal and Avalon. I mean.. they sure did make that family dinner interesting. Anyhoo, they were cute and were amazing together. It was dumb to throw in the little drama of a certain someone but it was a super quick book to listen to.

Might dive into the next book of the series. Might not.

[Loz · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a quick read and no shame here, the cover called to me. it's hot. moving on from that important point.. i read a couple of reviews going in and thought it would be something other than it was. it's actually not an MC book, or a dark story like i had thought it was going to be. it has emotional and dark elements but isn't an overly heavy book. i enjoyed it but it wasn't really unique or drama filled. the drama and action that happens, happened very quick which was a bit of a let down because i liked the build up and it kinda fizzled out at times and slowed down. the sex made up for it though, this couple were quite hot in that department.

i liked the heroine, avalon. she was sassy and not judgemental towards the hero, his past or the life he leads. she didn't come off fake and as the perfect girl. the hero, royal. he was okay. there's not much i can say without spoilers for the story and about his past, but basically i thought he was just okay. he is living in a dark place personally after being delt an absolute tragedy. my only issue with him was the 'man pain and man angst'. i am not sure if it's because after a while and a few books, it all reads the same with the drinking and stuff but i sort of got a bit over it. perhaps i am just a heartless bitch, i mean he did have his reasons..

one thing that bugged me was the change of direction at 85%. the baby that royal believed died along with her mother, was actually alive after all and had been living as an orphan. it felt a little cheap after all that mourning. like a nice red bow at the end.

this book was fast paced and so i was interested to see how everything would play out but at the end of the day it isn't something i would re read or probably remember much of in a week or two. it's my first read by victoria ashley and i might read the next in the series as i liked the side characters. more then that though, i kind of hope avalons uncle mark gets a book, he's only 33 and a badass cop who gets his ink done by royal. i know he probably won't but i thought he was hot and intriguing! would like more of him in the next books at least.

[Astrid - The Bookish Sweet Tooth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Ashley has woven a raw and emotional story around a bad boy and a sassy courageous young woman.

Royal Savage is said bad boy. He is a hot mess. He is tough. He's also hardened - inside and out. He kills, never for fun but out of necessity. And he's broken... Along comes Avalon, she has a huge heart and sees right through Royal. She works to slowly break down Royal's walls.

When I hit the 50% mark I was still wondering how Avalon would heal this completely broken man. It all came together in the end.

The plot isn't new and I could put the hints sprinkled throughout the story together which made it predictable but not less enjoyable. One niggle I had at the end was when Royal meets his daughter for the first time he lifts her up and carries her upstairs because he wants to tuck her in. Avalon only says "She'd love that". Mind this 2 years old girl just met her father for the first time, to her he is a complete stranger. I can let it slide that she didn't cry when he just storms at her and lifts her up but that was a little bit unrealistic.

Other than that I really loved those two together. The last chapter is one of the most beautiful I've read so far. Oh and kudos to Victoria Ashley for writing one of the biggest douchebags of ex-boyfriends I had the pleasure of reading about!

***Complimentary copy directly from the author - this does not affect my opinion***

One of the sweetest ideas to hand out ARCs came from Victoria Ashley this year. She asked people following her on facebook to leave their Kindle email addresses, she would randomly send ARCs to them. I was one of them. Thank you so much, Ms. Ashley, I'm so happy and honored.

[⚜️Charlotte⚜️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

I loved the characters in this book,
Royal, he's tatted, sexy, tough, yet oh so broken by tragic events in his life, until Avalon, she's a little spitfire that ignites
Feelings he thought he'd never have again. Avalon is determined to reach the
Royal she knows is buried under layers of anger and hurt. Oh and the chemistry between the these two...Smokin hot SEX
Scenes....
Their story has many twists, turns and
A few surprises...for the most part a very
enjoyable read...except toward the end a couple of things didn't add up and came off a bit to convenient....all in all, still a great read! ;)

[Heather Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg holy book hangover

[Denisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I liked this one more than I thought I will!


Well, it was fun. I liked the characters and I liked the story, even the writing was pretty good.
Can't say more than that, though, might be a 4-star read on a good day, but it's not something new, something impressive.
Still, I'm really curious about some side-characters, maybe we'll get their story at one point!

Nonetheless, it's worth reading!

[1-Click Addict Support Group · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book that will hold your attention and your heart from page one, then this is the book you need to read.

Royal Savage is a biker, businessman, and overall sex-pot with a beard. He is more than he appears to be on looks alone, though. While dealing with his own demons, he strikes up an unusual friendship with Avalon. What he never expected was, she may be the missing key to help him let go of the guilt.

Avalon, I am not even sure how to describe her, other than I want to be her when I grow up. She is headstrong, smart, sassy, and takes shit from no one. Once she finally dumps the loser boyfriend, she decides her sites are better aimed on Royal anyway.

I honesty have to say I was not expecting this type of love to flow from the pages. I am not sure exactly what I thought I would find, but I was very happily surprised to find out this beat every expectation I had and then some. Victoria Ashley has a way of drawing the reader into the story and spitting us back out at the end a completely different version of ourselves, and Royal Savage was no exception.

I can’t wait to read more in this series and find out more about the other boys! ~ Devlynn, 5 stars

~~~

Holy shit! This book blew me away! It was dark and twisted, yet sassy and sexy.

We meet Avalon, a feisty hairstylist, who is currently dating a prick named Colton. Until one night at a party she walks in on an intense man.

“I swear my heart stops. It’s as if I’ve just walked into tattooed, bearded, man-bun heaven, and I’m hoping there isn’t an exit.”

Meeting this dark, silent man changes Avalon.

Royal has lived a fucked-up life. He has anger issues due to his past and doesn’t really feel anymore. He just survives with help of alcohol. But seeing Avalon one night, for only a brief moment, changes it all.

“The last thing I expected was for her to be my brother’s fucking girl. Does it make me want to fuck her any less, no, but it gives me reason not to follow through on my desire to sink between her thighs.”

However, the two can’t seem to stay away from one another and once they finally give in, it is HOT!

“I need you to feel me,” he says tensely. “Every part of me, and none of me is good.”

Avalon is everything Royal needs to feel again; to become the man he once was.

This story had a major OMG moment that I couldn’t believe, but that I LOVED! I really loved this whole story. The entire cast of characters was great! I loved Madison, Avalon’s best friend, as well as Jax and Blaine, Royal’s right hand men. The ending was absolute perfection! This is another amazing read for Ms. Ashley and I can’t wait for more from her! ~ Tiffany, 5 stars

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! That was so good and Victoria Ashley has a new fan, ile be stalking her ass for the next book.

Dark,gritty, gripping, broken Alpha and a strong heroin, angst and twists in the plot I couldn't put this down.

tm frazier fans will love this I did, and can't wait for the next book I loved the other characters and can't wait to read their stories.

Royal is a guy in a world of pain it's heartbreaking was he has been through and his focus is revenge and never letting anyone close again. Until Avalon.

"I was doing so fucking good keeping everyone at a distance, until she walked through that door, knocking me on my fucking ass and making me wan't her"

A moving story of grief and moving on from a dark heart to hope.

"The darkness around me slowly fades and a new fear takes over as I realise that she's my calm after the storm"

Avalon is a strong character a hard woman to scare away and this is Royals attraction to her when he can't understand how she keeps coming back, how can she want someone full of darkness, Avalon sees it but sees past it.

"Royal is like a beautiful broken angel, but utterly impossible to turn away from"

Full of beautiful words heartbreaking ,heartwarming moments,humour and intimate hotness.

I need this man touching me every single inch, before I explode. I want all of him. His darkness included.

recommended read.

favourite lines:

Avalon:
How do you always know the right time to show up you truly amaze me?

He leans in closer, intimately brushing his lips over mine.
"Because it's always the same time I'm needing you" he answers "which is way to fucking much"

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW TO COME

[Tpagirl Loves Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Royal Savage was the first book in the Savage & Ink series by Victoria Ashley.

Royal was a dark and disturbed man. Gorgeous and talented but also moody and temperamental.

Avalon was beautiful, caring, loyal and trying not to let her restless side lead her.

They met by accident but were drawn towards each other. It was an emotional journey filled with tragedy and pain mixed with a spark of hope.

I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. I also enjoyed the supporting cast that will continue the series. They were a loyal bunch that knew how to laugh well but they were also lethal and not afraid to protect their own. I was captivated from the beginning to the end.

Next up is Jax’s story in Beautiful Savage.

[Annie's reading corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro me sacó de una tremenda mala semana sin leer y con 4 libros DNF. Solo por eso se merece mil estrellas.

4.25 estrellas
Este es mi primer libro de Victoria Ashley y sinceramente puedo decir que ansío leer más de ella, y seguro continuaré con los otros de esta serie.
Disfruté mucho este libro. Los personajes me encantaron. Royal, el chico malo, tatuado, torturado fue justo lo que necesitaba para salir de mi mala racha. Me creí su historia, y el por qué de su forma de ser sin que resultara forzado. Avalon me agradó también, siendo un personaje fuerte y equilibrado. Los dos funcionaban muy bien juntos, haciendo creíble su atracción y relación.
Los personajes secundarios tuvieron su aporte sin que se robaran la atención de la trama principal, lo suficiente para que te gustaran y te quedaras con ganas de saber más de ellos.
Mi única queja fue al final, donde las cosas se volvieron un poco rebuscadas para mi gusto, pero por lo demás es super recomendable! Es una muy buena lectura.

[Joëlle]

*99 CENT PRICE IS FOR PRE-ORDER ONLY AND WILL GO UP TO $3.99 AFTER RELEASE*
Delivered on December 20, 2015.

Another great cover but I think I will always see Josh Mario John as Flame from Tillie Cole's Souls Unfractured.

[Danielle (The Blonde Likes Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were things I liked about this book - I did enjoy the overall story, however the writing wasn't the best. An editor would have been beneficial, and there is a word/derogatory term used in the book at least twice that isn't something we'd consider acceptable today, so that was a little jarring to read.

The plot itself was wild, and the rest of my review will contain spoilers, so be warned! I will also be talking about content that could be triggering as well. I'll include trigger warnings first so you can skip the remainder of the review if needed!

Triggers:
- Previous death of MMC's fiancée. The book starts with this and then revisits it again later in the book. Not wildly graphic, but more than just glossed over. This was a main plot point in the book
- Rape of the fiancée that resulted in the death of their unborn baby (on page, but not detailed. Mentioned several times). we find out at the end of the book that the baby didn't actually die but that his stepdad and a cop conspired to make him think she did, and then she ended up in foster care until this came to light, but for the majority of the book Royal is grieving this loss
- On page violence, and a lot of it. The MMC owns a bar where bikers tend to hang out and almost every time they were there some fight broke out that ended in violence that included knives, guns, and fists.
- Attempted SA of FMC's best friend. Not shown on page, we just see the aftermath. Not a huge plot point and isn't a recurring part of the story
- Cheating by FMC's ex, who is the half-brother of the MMC.
- FMC's ex hit her while in a car, and intentionally slammed on the breaks causing her to hit her head on the window resulting in a hospital visit (she was fine)
- Mild mentions of drugs being used by random background characters

The gist of the story is that about 2 years prior to meeting our FMC Avalon, our MMC Royal came home to find his pregnant fiancée being raped and murdered by rivals of his. He murdered the three men who did it, and now drowns himself in alcohol and emotionless sex where he generally treats the women like objects until he meets Avalon, who he starts to develop feelings for.

Things I liked:
- How protective Royal was over Avalon. I love a protective MMC, and this was done in way that didn't feel overbearing. He still let her do her thing but was there to make sure she was safe (ex. she went out to a club to go dancing with a friend and she didn't even know he was there until she needed help. She was able to dance and have fun without him trying to drag her off the dance floor because he's jealous like I've read in other books)
- Avalon. She had a big heart and was quick to stand up for Royal when no one else would, even before she had gotten to know him. It was never a thought for her, she looked beyond his outward appearance and judged him for who he was and not what he looked like
- The instant pull to each other that Avalon and Royal felt
- The friendships Avalon formed with Jax and Blaine
- Uncle Mark! He seemed like a good guy

Things I didn't like:
- The writing was cringy at times. At one point the MMC said "I'm crazy at hell. The devil is in my veins and he's about to come out and play" in a serious way when threatening someone and I couldn't get past that lol
- There were a lot of characters and some side plots and many of them didn't serve a purpose. What was the point of Avalon's boss and the few mentions of her being the worst? The brief mentions of Avalon being sort of wild growing up and having to live with her Uncle who then raised her? Her ex and his new business partner cheating? All of those threads went nowhere and felt either unfinished or unnecessary.
- Another reviewer mentioned it, but I felt like Avalon was the second choice because Royal couldn't have his dead fiancée Olivia. I get that you'll never move on after the death of a loved one, but it felt like he wasn't even remotely ready to move on. He harbored a lot of guilt and was completely motivated by revenge in wanting to track down the fourth man he deemed responsible for her murder - everything else came second.
- MMC hooking up with other women on page (receives a BJ by another woman, talks about previous women)
- The entire plotline with Royal's daughter not actually being dead. That felt wildly unrealistic, especially that he never found out and the person who knew didn't tell him for more than 2 years.
- The 5 month separation. Royal basically ran away after Avalon told him she loved him because he felt like he couldn't give her what she needed. He swore he'd never love anyone but Olivia so having feelings for someone else scared him and he left town but then got arrested and was in some random county jail?? That felt like it came out of nowhere and wasn't explained, and then wasn't even addressed with Avalon when he finally showed back up.
- The lack of true epilogue. We really ended on a HFN but no engagement or talk of the future aside from "I'll never leave you again", so some more closure would have been nice