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Savage Heirs #1
Savage Heir
To know Ilya Volkov is to fear him. To defy him, lethal.
They call him The Wolf—ruthless heir to the most brutal crime family in the world. A tattooed, green-eyed devil. A seductive psychopath who trades in mind-games and leaves a path of destruction in his wake.
Except, I didn’t get that memo. I spit in the dark prince’s face.
Now, he wants to break me.
My plan involves a prestigious university, law school, and a golden future.
Ilya’s involves grinding me under his heel until I bend to his will. The harder I fight him, the deeper his claws sink.
The more I tell myself I hate him, the harder it is to resist him.
There’s a wolf howling at my door; huffing, puffing, and ready to blow my entire world down.
And pretty soon, he might just devour me whole.
This standalone, extra angsty Bratva academy romance is guaranteed to leave your kindle steaming. Step into the viper’s nest of Oxford Hills Academy and meet the Savage Heirs of Bratva kings and oligarchs.
Absolutely no cheating, no cliffhanger, and a happy ever after.
They call him The Wolf—ruthless heir to the most brutal crime family in the world. A tattooed, green-eyed devil. A seductive psychopath who trades in mind-games and leaves a path of destruction in his wake.
Except, I didn’t get that memo. I spit in the dark prince’s face.
Now, he wants to break me.
My plan involves a prestigious university, law school, and a golden future.
Ilya’s involves grinding me under his heel until I bend to his will. The harder I fight him, the deeper his claws sink.
The more I tell myself I hate him, the harder it is to resist him.
There’s a wolf howling at my door; huffing, puffing, and ready to blow my entire world down.
And pretty soon, he might just devour me whole.
This standalone, extra angsty Bratva academy romance is guaranteed to leave your kindle steaming. Step into the viper’s nest of Oxford Hills Academy and meet the Savage Heirs of Bratva kings and oligarchs.
Absolutely no cheating, no cliffhanger, and a happy ever after.
420 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2021
1646 people are currently reading
5210 people want to read
About the author
Jagger Cole
74 books5,353 followersA reader first and foremost, Jagger Cole cut his romance writing teeth penning various fan-fiction stories years ago. After deciding to hang up his writing boots, Jagger worked in advertising pretending to be Don Draper. It worked enough to convince a woman way out of his league to marry him, though, which is a total win.
Now, Dad to two little princesses and King to a Queen, Jagger is thrilled to be back at the keyboard.
When not writing or reading romance books, he can be found woodworking, enjoying good whiskey, and grilling outside—rain or shine.
You can find all of his books at www.jaggercolewrites.com
Grab a FREE book for joining my fans-only newsletter! -> https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8rld1ik3sd
Now, Dad to two little princesses and King to a Queen, Jagger is thrilled to be back at the keyboard.
When not writing or reading romance books, he can be found woodworking, enjoying good whiskey, and grilling outside—rain or shine.
You can find all of his books at www.jaggercolewrites.com
Grab a FREE book for joining my fans-only newsletter! -> https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8rld1ik3sd
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 441 reviews
September 30, 2021
Meh. There’s a lot of elements here that were promising. The dynamic between the dominant H and the naturally submissive h was pretty hot. The OW and OM drama had a lot of potential. Their star-crossed lovers vibe was nicely set up…
But every bit of it was watered down with PC nonsense and resolved way too easily. The H was only aggressive during sex, the rest of time he just moped around high. We kept being told the h was not his “prey” because “she’s a wolf too” yada yada yada… 😐🙄
Then the evil OW, who on the night previous, tried to trick the H into a cocaine-fueled foursome, shows up at the h’s house apologizing for being a bitch and says she was just jealous and she should give the H a chance. 😐 See? Evil Cackling Whore OW have feelings too. 🙄 Give yourself a good old fashioned feminist pat on the back. 🙄
And the OM? It is never used to work the H into jealous/possessive lather. What’s the point???
All the other conflicts are magically forgotten and softened in the same way. And here’s the kicker… the BIGGEST obstacle is that she has ambitions of becoming a Supreme Court Justice, and he’s gonna be the leader of the Bratva… and guess what? That’s never addressed. We have no idea what the plan is to make that future work. And that’s ridiculous, and makes me question the HEA. They ARE only on High School….
Bottom Line? Eh. Lots of potential but not enough ballz. 🤷🏼♀️ The moral of the story here is, if you’re gonna go there, commit. 💅🏻 2.5 stars.
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- OW drama - some gal tries to get the H’s attention but he’s not interested
- OM drama - the h is in a fake relationship
- no dubcon - the H is aggressive and bossy but the h is definitely into it
- the h is virgin
- the H is a manwhore
- no condoms, but the h is on bc so I guess it’s all good??? He never says if that’s his usual MO. 😐
- casual drug use
But every bit of it was watered down with PC nonsense and resolved way too easily. The H was only aggressive during sex, the rest of time he just moped around high. We kept being told the h was not his “prey” because “she’s a wolf too” yada yada yada… 😐🙄
Then the evil OW, who on the night previous, tried to trick the H into a cocaine-fueled foursome, shows up at the h’s house apologizing for being a bitch and says she was just jealous and she should give the H a chance. 😐 See? Evil Cackling Whore OW have feelings too. 🙄 Give yourself a good old fashioned feminist pat on the back. 🙄
And the OM? It is never used to work the H into jealous/possessive lather. What’s the point???
All the other conflicts are magically forgotten and softened in the same way. And here’s the kicker… the BIGGEST obstacle is that she has ambitions of becoming a Supreme Court Justice, and he’s gonna be the leader of the Bratva… and guess what? That’s never addressed. We have no idea what the plan is to make that future work. And that’s ridiculous, and makes me question the HEA. They ARE only on High School….
Bottom Line? Eh. Lots of potential but not enough ballz. 🤷🏼♀️ The moral of the story here is, if you’re gonna go there, commit. 💅🏻 2.5 stars.
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- OW drama - some gal tries to get the H’s attention but he’s not interested
- OM drama - the h is in a fake relationship
- no dubcon - the H is aggressive and bossy but the h is definitely into it
- the h is virgin
- the H is a manwhore
- no condoms, but the h is on bc so I guess it’s all good??? He never says if that’s his usual MO. 😐
- casual drug use
September 1, 2021
I'm kinda sad that I didn't really enjoy this one that much it was okay just not my fave.. I liked Ilya alot even when he was a giant jerk.. my problem was with Tenley.. I was tired of her push/pull bs.. like it was fine once or twice.. but she did this most of the book and it was annoying.. the relationship between the two was hot cold and alil blackmail on IIya side. I also felt bad for Ten with how many men wanted to control her.. so yeah. I hope the next one is better.
And for safety ppls it says no cheating BUT it kinda was sorta cheating but not really since Tenley was in a fake relationship. But she did cheat with REMEMBER WITH IIya on the fake boyfriend so yeah. But the fake bf was a douche so I didn't care lol.
Low Angst, om/ow drama, tech no cheating but ill explain above, slight secondary character, drama, sexy times, virgin gal and was a manwhore (been awhile)
Recommend-maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶
Slowinsta
Push away from h more
18H/18h
Masturbation
Drugs
Mentions of abuse (from someone else)
Hea
Epilogue
And for safety ppls it says no cheating BUT it kinda was sorta cheating but not really since Tenley was in a fake relationship. But she did cheat with REMEMBER WITH IIya on the fake boyfriend so yeah. But the fake bf was a douche so I didn't care lol.
Low Angst, om/ow drama, tech no cheating but ill explain above, slight secondary character, drama, sexy times, virgin gal and was a manwhore (been awhile)
Recommend-maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶
Slowinsta
Push away from h more
18H/18h
Masturbation
Drugs
Mentions of abuse (from someone else)
Hea
Epilogue
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2022
so all that push and pull, will they/won’t they, angsty tension was (perfectly) written by a man??? (no this is not a sexist comment) (this is more of a squealing crying thanking my heart out that a boarding school trope x enemies to lovers x bad boy x squeaky clean good girl can be SERVED TO THE 10s by the masculine population TOO)
im just— wow.
im just— wow.
September 8, 2024
»What's going on is that you seem to have won the Wolf's attention. And he's waiting for you.«
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
❥ 𝑻𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒆𝒚
She was likeable and relatable. Tenley is smart, ambitious and lovely. She is kinda naive sometimes but it was not that bad.
❥ 𝑰𝒍𝒚𝒂
He is the wolf of Oxford and the heir to the bratva. He is dangerous, plays mindgames and falls for Tenley quickly.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This story was everything I could wish for. A dark college enemies to lovers bratva romance? Sold. It was an amazing read and I can’t wait to start the next book in this series.
Tenley and Ilya have great tension and their dynamic is fire. Both feel the attraction and play their games but neither of them wants to stand back. The back and forth was thrilling to read and I liked them together.
I liked to read how the relationship between them developed and they start to trust each other. Ilya falls head over heels for Tenley and he didn‘t want to believe it himself. His friends Luka and Misha have a handful of work with this dickhead and I loved to read about their friendship. The side characters in general were well developed and relatable.
As a reader you can dive in the story without problems and the emotions speak through the pages. I had no problems understanding everything (as a non native english speaker). The writing style is fluent and easy to read.
I was entertained throughout the whole book and I liked both characters very much. The end came rather quick and I think this could have been longer and more eloberated. Still this book was enjoyable and I loved everything about it!
𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
Yes, yes, yes!!
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓
plot: 5/5
spice: 3/5
humor: 5/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
possessive and protective hero, forced proximity, instant attraction, enemies to lovers, secrets and lies, politicians daughter x bratva heir, academic setting, darkromance, bratva, bully romance, tutoring, blackmail
𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: Tenley (18) and Ilya (18)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no
𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 Savage Heir ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Dark Prince ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Brutal King ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#4 Forbidden Crown ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#5 Broken God ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#6 Defiant Queen ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
❥ 𝑻𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒆𝒚
She was likeable and relatable. Tenley is smart, ambitious and lovely. She is kinda naive sometimes but it was not that bad.
❥ 𝑰𝒍𝒚𝒂
He is the wolf of Oxford and the heir to the bratva. He is dangerous, plays mindgames and falls for Tenley quickly.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This story was everything I could wish for. A dark college enemies to lovers bratva romance? Sold. It was an amazing read and I can’t wait to start the next book in this series.
Tenley and Ilya have great tension and their dynamic is fire. Both feel the attraction and play their games but neither of them wants to stand back. The back and forth was thrilling to read and I liked them together.
I liked to read how the relationship between them developed and they start to trust each other. Ilya falls head over heels for Tenley and he didn‘t want to believe it himself. His friends Luka and Misha have a handful of work with this dickhead and I loved to read about their friendship. The side characters in general were well developed and relatable.
As a reader you can dive in the story without problems and the emotions speak through the pages. I had no problems understanding everything (as a non native english speaker). The writing style is fluent and easy to read.
I was entertained throughout the whole book and I liked both characters very much. The end came rather quick and I think this could have been longer and more eloberated. Still this book was enjoyable and I loved everything about it!
𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
Yes, yes, yes!!
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓
plot: 5/5
spice: 3/5
humor: 5/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
possessive and protective hero, forced proximity, instant attraction, enemies to lovers, secrets and lies, politicians daughter x bratva heir, academic setting, darkromance, bratva, bully romance, tutoring, blackmail
𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: Tenley (18) and Ilya (18)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no
𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 Savage Heir ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Dark Prince ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Brutal King ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#4 Forbidden Crown ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#5 Broken God ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#6 Defiant Queen ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 24, 2021
Ahhh!!! Jagger Cole seriously just rocked my world with Savage Heir. I love love loveeeed Ilya and Tenley. This story was sexy, delicious and filled with the alpha bully goodness that I die for!! I am so excited to dive into book two it isn't even funny!
What I loved more than anything was how sassy and strong Tenley was. She was a little indecisive and confused at times...but who isn't at 18, especially when you have someone as unapologetically demanding and controlling as Ilya coming for you.)
Overall, I loved this story and can't wait for Misha's book. 4.5 stars! ~Ratula
What I loved more than anything was how sassy and strong Tenley was. She was a little indecisive and confused at times...but who isn't at 18, especially when you have someone as unapologetically demanding and controlling as Ilya coming for you.)
Overall, I loved this story and can't wait for Misha's book. 4.5 stars! ~Ratula
February 22, 2025
Evet bu hafta yeni seriye başladım, bu seri toptan tıfılları anlatıyor 18 lik bebeleri jetle gezerken k.kainin votkanın dibine vururken okuyoruz🤔
Güzel bir tesadüf olarak ABD seçimlerinin olduğu güne denk gelmesi de şaka gibi oldu çünkü kızımızın babası başkan yardımcılığına oynuyor..
Bratva prensimiz Ilya ile büyük planları olan senatör kızı Tenley’ in hikayesi. Aslında malzeme güzel ama olmamış, cici kız x kara prens😋
Valla yaşların ergenlikten 5 dk sonra olmasından mıdır, dramanın artık aşmasından mıdır bana hiç geçmeyen yeter artık yeterr diye gözlerimi devirerek okuduğum bi seri olacak gibi ama durmak yok yola devam.. LİSEDELER anlıyor musunuz??🫣🫣
İlerideki çiftlere baktım ve hiç biri beni heyecanlandırmadı…
(Tabii ki yazar “ben mafyadan değilim ben mafyayım” cümlesiz kitap yazamadığı için..)
Her şu cümleyi okuduğumda cinnet geçireyazıyorum😒😒😒
Otur puanım 1/5
Güzel bir tesadüf olarak ABD seçimlerinin olduğu güne denk gelmesi de şaka gibi oldu çünkü kızımızın babası başkan yardımcılığına oynuyor..
Bratva prensimiz Ilya ile büyük planları olan senatör kızı Tenley’ in hikayesi. Aslında malzeme güzel ama olmamış, cici kız x kara prens😋
Valla yaşların ergenlikten 5 dk sonra olmasından mıdır, dramanın artık aşmasından mıdır bana hiç geçmeyen yeter artık yeterr diye gözlerimi devirerek okuduğum bi seri olacak gibi ama durmak yok yola devam.. LİSEDELER anlıyor musunuz??🫣🫣
İlerideki çiftlere baktım ve hiç biri beni heyecanlandırmadı…
(Tabii ki yazar “ben mafyadan değilim ben mafyayım” cümlesiz kitap yazamadığı için..)
Her şu cümleyi okuduğumda cinnet geçireyazıyorum😒😒😒
Otur puanım 1/5
September 22, 2021
I got lost how many times the h went to the H's place to tutor him and ran after meeting him...
super unrealistic...
super unrealistic...
dnf
January 9, 2022DNF at 23%. Yay my first DNF this year.
Ilya is just all talk about how cool he and his friends are, while doing nothing but drinking vodka (yeah yeah he’s Russian I got it) and taking drugs.
Why Tenley agreed to tutor him? She’s the USA future premier minister’s daughter, surely she can’t be associated with Russian mafia lmao. Even a perfect resume doesn't worth it.
Anyway, I didn’t find these characters likable at all.
Ilya is just all talk about how cool he and his friends are, while doing nothing but drinking vodka (yeah yeah he’s Russian I got it) and taking drugs.
Why Tenley agreed to tutor him? She’s the USA future premier minister’s daughter, surely she can’t be associated with Russian mafia lmao. Even a perfect resume doesn't worth it.
Anyway, I didn’t find these characters likable at all.
March 2, 2022
oh my god okay so this was my first book after 3 weeks of exams and i kinda regret it. there was so much potential but it was just super dramatic and unrealistic and repetitive, it could've definitely been better. i honestly have a major migraine rn, it was just too much.
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
May 3, 2024
3.5 stars! Review to come...
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/26/2023)! 🎁
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/26/2023)! 🎁
January 29, 2025
Tropes: opposites attract, good girl / bad boy, cheating, high school romance, Mafia romance
Feels: 1/5
Steam*: 2.5/5
Kinks: dirty talk, sex in risky places, mile high club
Angst: low
HEA: yes
Pairing: MF
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: Ilya actively abuses alcohol and drugs right up until the end, violence, death of parents in car accident in the past, Tenley's mother cheated on her father, blackmail by MMC and minor characters, corruption
Cheating between MCs: No, they weren't ever officially together until the end. They didn't have sex with anyone else during this book. Virgin FMC, manwhore MMC. Ilya was constantly a drink or line of coke away from f****** someone else though.
Any cheating: Yes. Tenley was technically with Patrick and cheated on him with Ilya, but Tenley was in a fake relationship with Patrick and had zero interest in him for himself. She wouldn't even let him kiss her.
Other person drama: Ilya is jealous over Patrick. Ilya is constantly ranting in his inner monologue that he should just fuck others, and he's constantly surrounded by half naked women offering themselves up. It's implied that he doesn't actually do anything with the other women because they bore him and he's hung up on Tenley.
1.5 stars
Tenley is the daughter of the US Secretary of State, who has been approached as a vice president candidate for the upcoming election. Her father asks her to be in a fake relationship with Patrick, the son of the president candidate. Because it will help give positive press to their campaign. She switches from an American school to a UK Elite boarding school for her final year of high school and has a love triangle with Patrick (who honestly has no shot in hell with her) and Ilya.
Ilya is also 18, in his last year of high school. He grew up an orphan raised by his uncle who is a member of the bratva. He is already initiated as a full member with the bratva. He partied so hard last term that he got into some trouble academically, even though he's a genius apparently. So they have set him up with a tutor. Tenley is that tutor. When they meet, he has absolutely no interest in tutoring and just wants to have her, but she's not single and she's worried about appearances and the bratva has an interest in the presidential election that causes conflict too.
Tiktok has a lot to answer for. I added this to my TBR because I saw a good tiktok about it. I should have dnf'd as soon as I saw it was high school, because high school, especially when it's MF is a tough pill for me to swallow. But I was like, there's supposed to be something special here, so I'll keep reading. And then I started hating hard, but I wanted to persevere because 1) OCD and 2) so that I could share in its totality my opinion of this book.
I added a billion notes in my Kindle as I was reading about things that were positive (very few) and things that were negative. I'm just going to dump my thoughts here in those piles. These are not in order of importance, they are just in chronological order as I was reading the book. My main problem was that these characters were so nonsensical and contrived in their interactions and Ilya was an immature b**** boy.
Things I liked:
- Page 286 - This interaction that she has with her father is the most real, organic, and vulnerable moment of the book so far. Everything else seems like cardboard cutouts being moved around a board. But the dialogue with her dad is a nice little moment
- First mutual hookup at 78%. Ilya hasn't gotten anything out of their previous hookups. I guess one positive thing to say about this book is that it's nice that the focus is more heavy on the female's sexual pleasure instead of so centered on the male's. When they are having sex, the smut is actually pretty good. One good thing about him is that he gets her off. But everything about their relationship outside of it sucks.
- It was nice how he described her at the end as being another wolf that matches him, as opposed to her being prey or Little Red Riding Hood to his wolf. I feel like she didn't entirely earn being called a wolf, but it was a nice concept.
Things I didn't like:
- Their interactions have been very minimal and superficial, they have barely interacted and we are at 29%. That's a long time into the book for them to have no connection built up yet.
- The music references are very specific and in your face throughout the book. It's a little poserish. And the story is so superficial.
- There are a few moments where Tenley was standing her ground and then she just throws herself back into his grasp. Dumb of her. Hard to respect Tenley.
- We went the entire book, where the whole premise of their relationship was that she is his tutor, and at no point in the book did they ever open school books or talk about school materials. It was the most ridiculous thing that that was the driver uniting them and there wasn't even a moment of even attempting real tutoring.
- Shaming a girl for her underwear is not a mature MMC. Ilya lost points with me for that.
- Their dreams for the future are so fricking incompatible. The Supreme Court dream is not very compatible with having a husband in the bratva. Fyi, the epilogue is only 2 months after the end of the book. I think they really needed to have an epilogue further into the future to make this couple lasting believable. I definitely couldn't see this couple lasting.
- It's annoying how we keep being reminded about how Tenley is not like other girls. And the only thing that Ilya likes about her is that she defies him. Yet she gives in to him, she caves almost every single time. Yeah she puts up a fight but she caves to his will all the time. So she isn't really the thing he even likes about her!
- Ilya left her in his bed after their first "sleepover" and was surprised and mad at Lukas for her dumping Ilya after!? You ghosted her in your own room and left her to awkwardly interact with your housemates in the morning and walk of shame home. That's on you...?
- It's annoying how Ilya keeps telling himself that it's over with Tenley. And he needs to bury himself in random pussy to shake the grip she has on his hormones. (It sounds like he doesn't actually hook up with anyone else, but it doesn't matter he's still a dick) He's so fickle. He's not as down bad for her as he could be, it's not giving good book boyfriend vibes.
- This tutoring s*** is complete b*******!!! They both agreed they were over, mutually! Yet Ilya keeps insisting on her showing up for tutoring? Yet he didn't ever need or want any tutoring whenever she does show up, he has clearly just been using it for personal means and he has no intention of using her tutoring or pursuing a relationship with her (though he does want to get more information on Patrick but he hasn't actively been using her to get information about Patrick either). Tenley honestly can't be faulted for thinking there was no point in showing up! And he kept manipulating the authority figures at the school to force her to show up for tutoring! My neurospicy rule following brain just balks at this. Also, why does it keep flipping between Patrick and Ilya having power over the school authority figures, if someone's going to be in someone's pocket you would think they would be loyal and consistent.
- By the 70% mark, feelings should be developing and characters should not be as selfish as Ilya is being. He should be looking out for his love interest and caring about her future and not just sabotaging her education and dreams because he wants to manipulate her.
- Ilya is so immature, he's all impulse, no rationality, no brains, no planning. There's no logic to what he does, he's wishy-washy and he pushes and pulls Tenley closer and away with no logic behind it.
- Unsafe sex. Given his manwhore ways, his very active drug use, and the lack of mention of her being on birth control before the sex, this is irresponsible
- Page 368 - Ilya's so immature. It would be nice if he could show some personal growth and for once not fall back on the crutch of alcohol, drugs, partying with women half naked around him and being a mess. He's got to pull himself together for his own sake.
- Ilya isn't smart or successful as a member of the bratva. His friend Lukas has to be the one to pony up research he's done that will blow Patrick to smithereens.
Some notable moments:
"“Just like you liked kissing me.” She laughs coldly, but it’s fragile. “Ilya, I can’t even remember kissing—” “Then let me remind you.” I don’t think, I just do. I pull her into me. My hand slips to the back of her hair, tangling it in my fist as I lower my mouth to crush our lips together. Last time, I kissed her to make a point. This time, it’s because she’s mine."
"“Does it owe you money?” I frown as I raise my eyes. Charlotte is looking at me curiously from across the kitchen. “Huh?” “Your waffle.” I lower my gaze to my place, to the waffle that Charlotte made me. The one that currently has about forty stab marks from my fork in it, though without a single bite. I feel my face burn as I look back to my friend. “Sorry.” “Don’t say sorry to me. Say sorry to the poor waffle.”"
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
Feels: 1/5
Steam*: 2.5/5
Kinks: dirty talk, sex in risky places, mile high club
Angst: low
HEA: yes
Pairing: MF
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: Ilya actively abuses alcohol and drugs right up until the end, violence, death of parents in car accident in the past, Tenley's mother cheated on her father, blackmail by MMC and minor characters, corruption
Cheating between MCs: No, they weren't ever officially together until the end. They didn't have sex with anyone else during this book. Virgin FMC, manwhore MMC. Ilya was constantly a drink or line of coke away from f****** someone else though.
Any cheating: Yes. Tenley was technically with Patrick and cheated on him with Ilya, but Tenley was in a fake relationship with Patrick and had zero interest in him for himself. She wouldn't even let him kiss her.
Other person drama: Ilya is jealous over Patrick. Ilya is constantly ranting in his inner monologue that he should just fuck others, and he's constantly surrounded by half naked women offering themselves up. It's implied that he doesn't actually do anything with the other women because they bore him and he's hung up on Tenley.
1.5 stars
Tenley is the daughter of the US Secretary of State, who has been approached as a vice president candidate for the upcoming election. Her father asks her to be in a fake relationship with Patrick, the son of the president candidate. Because it will help give positive press to their campaign. She switches from an American school to a UK Elite boarding school for her final year of high school and has a love triangle with Patrick (who honestly has no shot in hell with her) and Ilya.
Ilya is also 18, in his last year of high school. He grew up an orphan raised by his uncle who is a member of the bratva. He is already initiated as a full member with the bratva. He partied so hard last term that he got into some trouble academically, even though he's a genius apparently. So they have set him up with a tutor. Tenley is that tutor. When they meet, he has absolutely no interest in tutoring and just wants to have her, but she's not single and she's worried about appearances and the bratva has an interest in the presidential election that causes conflict too.
Tiktok has a lot to answer for. I added this to my TBR because I saw a good tiktok about it. I should have dnf'd as soon as I saw it was high school, because high school, especially when it's MF is a tough pill for me to swallow. But I was like, there's supposed to be something special here, so I'll keep reading. And then I started hating hard, but I wanted to persevere because 1) OCD and 2) so that I could share in its totality my opinion of this book.
I added a billion notes in my Kindle as I was reading about things that were positive (very few) and things that were negative. I'm just going to dump my thoughts here in those piles. These are not in order of importance, they are just in chronological order as I was reading the book. My main problem was that these characters were so nonsensical and contrived in their interactions and Ilya was an immature b**** boy.
Things I liked:
- Page 286 - This interaction that she has with her father is the most real, organic, and vulnerable moment of the book so far. Everything else seems like cardboard cutouts being moved around a board. But the dialogue with her dad is a nice little moment
- First mutual hookup at 78%. Ilya hasn't gotten anything out of their previous hookups. I guess one positive thing to say about this book is that it's nice that the focus is more heavy on the female's sexual pleasure instead of so centered on the male's. When they are having sex, the smut is actually pretty good. One good thing about him is that he gets her off. But everything about their relationship outside of it sucks.
- It was nice how he described her at the end as being another wolf that matches him, as opposed to her being prey or Little Red Riding Hood to his wolf. I feel like she didn't entirely earn being called a wolf, but it was a nice concept.
Things I didn't like:
- Their interactions have been very minimal and superficial, they have barely interacted and we are at 29%. That's a long time into the book for them to have no connection built up yet.
- The music references are very specific and in your face throughout the book. It's a little poserish. And the story is so superficial.
- There are a few moments where Tenley was standing her ground and then she just throws herself back into his grasp. Dumb of her. Hard to respect Tenley.
- We went the entire book, where the whole premise of their relationship was that she is his tutor, and at no point in the book did they ever open school books or talk about school materials. It was the most ridiculous thing that that was the driver uniting them and there wasn't even a moment of even attempting real tutoring.
- Shaming a girl for her underwear is not a mature MMC. Ilya lost points with me for that.
- Their dreams for the future are so fricking incompatible. The Supreme Court dream is not very compatible with having a husband in the bratva. Fyi, the epilogue is only 2 months after the end of the book. I think they really needed to have an epilogue further into the future to make this couple lasting believable. I definitely couldn't see this couple lasting.
- It's annoying how we keep being reminded about how Tenley is not like other girls. And the only thing that Ilya likes about her is that she defies him. Yet she gives in to him, she caves almost every single time. Yeah she puts up a fight but she caves to his will all the time. So she isn't really the thing he even likes about her!
- Ilya left her in his bed after their first "sleepover" and was surprised and mad at Lukas for her dumping Ilya after!? You ghosted her in your own room and left her to awkwardly interact with your housemates in the morning and walk of shame home. That's on you...?
- It's annoying how Ilya keeps telling himself that it's over with Tenley. And he needs to bury himself in random pussy to shake the grip she has on his hormones. (It sounds like he doesn't actually hook up with anyone else, but it doesn't matter he's still a dick) He's so fickle. He's not as down bad for her as he could be, it's not giving good book boyfriend vibes.
- This tutoring s*** is complete b*******!!! They both agreed they were over, mutually! Yet Ilya keeps insisting on her showing up for tutoring? Yet he didn't ever need or want any tutoring whenever she does show up, he has clearly just been using it for personal means and he has no intention of using her tutoring or pursuing a relationship with her (though he does want to get more information on Patrick but he hasn't actively been using her to get information about Patrick either). Tenley honestly can't be faulted for thinking there was no point in showing up! And he kept manipulating the authority figures at the school to force her to show up for tutoring! My neurospicy rule following brain just balks at this. Also, why does it keep flipping between Patrick and Ilya having power over the school authority figures, if someone's going to be in someone's pocket you would think they would be loyal and consistent.
- By the 70% mark, feelings should be developing and characters should not be as selfish as Ilya is being. He should be looking out for his love interest and caring about her future and not just sabotaging her education and dreams because he wants to manipulate her.
- Ilya is so immature, he's all impulse, no rationality, no brains, no planning. There's no logic to what he does, he's wishy-washy and he pushes and pulls Tenley closer and away with no logic behind it.
- Unsafe sex. Given his manwhore ways, his very active drug use, and the lack of mention of her being on birth control before the sex, this is irresponsible
- Page 368 - Ilya's so immature. It would be nice if he could show some personal growth and for once not fall back on the crutch of alcohol, drugs, partying with women half naked around him and being a mess. He's got to pull himself together for his own sake.
- Ilya isn't smart or successful as a member of the bratva. His friend Lukas has to be the one to pony up research he's done that will blow Patrick to smithereens.
Some notable moments:
"“Just like you liked kissing me.” She laughs coldly, but it’s fragile. “Ilya, I can’t even remember kissing—” “Then let me remind you.” I don’t think, I just do. I pull her into me. My hand slips to the back of her hair, tangling it in my fist as I lower my mouth to crush our lips together. Last time, I kissed her to make a point. This time, it’s because she’s mine."
"“Does it owe you money?” I frown as I raise my eyes. Charlotte is looking at me curiously from across the kitchen. “Huh?” “Your waffle.” I lower my gaze to my place, to the waffle that Charlotte made me. The one that currently has about forty stab marks from my fork in it, though without a single bite. I feel my face burn as I look back to my friend. “Sorry.” “Don’t say sorry to me. Say sorry to the poor waffle.”"
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2022
Enjoyed it!
Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: enemies to lovers
Angst: 😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥
This was my first Jagged Cole book and was not sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed it! A kinda-bully, kinda opposites attract, Savage Heir was super fast paced with some hot smexy times. Seemed maybe a little rushed at the end, but I still really enjoyed it. It is the first in a series of standalones, but my impression is that these are next gen characters from previous Bratva books. Definitely going to continue with the series.
Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: enemies to lovers
Angst: 😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥
This was my first Jagged Cole book and was not sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed it! A kinda-bully, kinda opposites attract, Savage Heir was super fast paced with some hot smexy times. Seemed maybe a little rushed at the end, but I still really enjoyed it. It is the first in a series of standalones, but my impression is that these are next gen characters from previous Bratva books. Definitely going to continue with the series.
September 1, 2021
Unfortunate DNF…
The H is this story is very difficult to stomach. His POV is confusing at best as in his inner dialogue does not match his inner thoughts. My biggest issue is the extent of his behaviour and the fact that these characters are only in HIGH SCHOOL.
*SPOILERS* (Kind of… not really)
The H speaks about how ‘last week’ he ‘might’ve’ been interested in engaging in GROUP SMEX with his friend/s. He’s a drug user - like full fledged cocaine. Has killed people and this is all in the first 5 chapters! Way to much mileage for a teenager and I’m almost sad knowing the h will end up with him.
And lastly, his friends seem just as disgusting … the Misha character? Yeah, if this is the tone of this series, I’ll be skipping it.
Jagger’s male leads were top tier… I do not know what this is but I’m not here for it.
The H is this story is very difficult to stomach. His POV is confusing at best as in his inner dialogue does not match his inner thoughts. My biggest issue is the extent of his behaviour and the fact that these characters are only in HIGH SCHOOL.
*SPOILERS* (Kind of… not really)
The H speaks about how ‘last week’ he ‘might’ve’ been interested in engaging in GROUP SMEX with his friend/s. He’s a drug user - like full fledged cocaine. Has killed people and this is all in the first 5 chapters! Way to much mileage for a teenager and I’m almost sad knowing the h will end up with him.
And lastly, his friends seem just as disgusting … the Misha character? Yeah, if this is the tone of this series, I’ll be skipping it.
Jagger’s male leads were top tier… I do not know what this is but I’m not here for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2024
Ilya & Tenley
March 15, 2022
4,5✨✨
October 3, 2023
It was alright. The h has serious violent tendencies and that’s saying something. I liked the H a tiny bit more but overall I didn’t think this one was a winner.
January 29, 2022
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars! YA romance. Loved this bratva enemies to lover romance. Very steamy read!
September 1, 2021
I again loved this new epic Bratva tale that was completely different from the stories that were told before.
The Wolf was the heir to the head of the the largest Bratva crime family, the handsome, Ilya Volkov, is 6ft of brutal young man, an heir with a temperament of a bully and is vicious. Tenley is helping her father at a prestigious school, which will aid him in becoming the next Vice President. Then she meets The Wolf, who also attends the same school, their meeting is one of displeasure for them both, and a battle of wills commences.
This story was an addictive read, it’s one of those that you can’t put down. I loved it!
The Wolf was the heir to the head of the the largest Bratva crime family, the handsome, Ilya Volkov, is 6ft of brutal young man, an heir with a temperament of a bully and is vicious. Tenley is helping her father at a prestigious school, which will aid him in becoming the next Vice President. Then she meets The Wolf, who also attends the same school, their meeting is one of displeasure for them both, and a battle of wills commences.
This story was an addictive read, it’s one of those that you can’t put down. I loved it!
December 7, 2025
《I don't do boy meets girl Tenley, he hisses. But I know I could do being in love with you.》
Ohhh, my heart trying to escape from my chest.♡♡😭😫
Ohhh, my heart trying to escape from my chest.♡♡😭😫
Want to read
April 26, 2023Free 26 April 2023
May 30, 2023
3.75🌟.
Safe and I love hero for that because he had numerous occasions to slip. Overall a good book.
Safe and I love hero for that because he had numerous occasions to slip. Overall a good book.
February 15, 2022
5 stars ⭐️
Normally I don’t read stories where the H and h are only eighteen years old, but I have to say I really enjoyed this one. Ilya is the nephew of a bratva kingpin, and as such, future heir to the bratva throne. Henley is the daughter of the American Secretary of State, who is in the running to become the next Vice President. They are both attending one of England’s prestigious colleges, because of who their parents are, not because of who they are. Ilya is the bad boy on campus, while Henley has always toed the line and been good. Throw into the mix the Golden Boy on campus, who happens to be the son of the senator currently running for the American Presidency, the golden boy who is not what he portrays, and this story just flows with steam, suspense, and intrigue. Well worth your time.
Normally I don’t read stories where the H and h are only eighteen years old, but I have to say I really enjoyed this one. Ilya is the nephew of a bratva kingpin, and as such, future heir to the bratva throne. Henley is the daughter of the American Secretary of State, who is in the running to become the next Vice President. They are both attending one of England’s prestigious colleges, because of who their parents are, not because of who they are. Ilya is the bad boy on campus, while Henley has always toed the line and been good. Throw into the mix the Golden Boy on campus, who happens to be the son of the senator currently running for the American Presidency, the golden boy who is not what he portrays, and this story just flows with steam, suspense, and intrigue. Well worth your time.
November 18, 2024
Minimal plot, just spice. No thank you
September 23, 2021
ALL MY REVIEWS CAN BE FOUND ON MY BLOG: ABSTRACT BOOKS
Suddenly, I’m face-to-face with The Wolf himself. The dark hair, the piercing green eyes. The dark, menacing look on his perfectly chiseled face. My eyes drop, and I blush. He’s also shirtless. Shirtless, and… built. And tattooed to hell and back. My face burns as my eyes drink in the broad, muscled shoulders, the lines of his photoshop-perfect chest and abs, and the grooves of his hips diving into the waist of his black jeans. I slowly drag my eyes up to his stern but slightly amused face. And I tremble. Ilya Volkov is stunning. And terrifying. And gorgeous. And dangerous looking. ”
Star Rating : 4.5/5 Stars
POV : Dual
Cliffhanger : None
Hero : Ilya
Heroine : Tenley
Pace of the story : Moderate
Angst Rating : 5/10
Heat Rating : 6/10
Triggers Involved : past trauma
Plot Summary :
Tenley knows that she is in for a treat when she is assigned to tutor the most ruthless boy in her high school. Ilya is the Heir to a mafia throne and there is no limit that man has not crossed. Even at such a young age, he possesses a ruthlessness achieved after years of brutality and is one of the coldest people ever. Tenley knows he will destroy her if she falls into his trap but one looks at the man popularly known as the wolf and she knows there is no way she will be able to resist him. Not that he will let her get out of his trap.
Ilya wants the cute tutor who gave him sass after coming to his house. The girl who is sassy yet so innocent. He wants to shatter her and watch all her pretty parts break. If only she didn't make him want more. Make him want things that he knows they both will never get. Especially when they are both from the opposite side of the tracks.
Overall Opinion :
This is the first book that I have read by this author and I must say that I am a crazy fan now! This series is more like a second generation series of the characters of her previous mafia books. We see a lot of her other characters and I can't wait to meet them all! I am definitely going to read all her other books as well because the way this author writes has hooked me in. She describes everything with vivid imagination and specially her heroes, who are a total smack btw, are amazing. The only thing I found a bit odd in this one was that the hero behaved way more maturely than people do at his age. I felt like I was reading about a man in his 30s and not a teenager. That bugged me a bit as he seemed to go out of character because of that.
Definitely recommending this one to all the Dark high school mafia romance loving people!
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March 23, 2022
﹙ two-point-five stars ﹚
Savage Heir had so much potential but just never managed to live up to it. the push and pull between Tenley and Ilya took up way too much time and prevented them from actually connecting in any way, and so their hea and i-love-yous at the end felt cheap and insubstantial.
Tenley was incredibly frustrating to read, because none of what she was doing ever made sense — she vows to stay away from Ilya at least four times, which (spoiler alert) she never does — and it just became repetitive and annoying. she tells herself she’s never going back to Ilya, she goes back, she ends up exploding in his face, rinse and repeat five to six times.
Ilya’s character held a lot of promise, but unfortunately, he’s sucked into the black hole that is the back-and-forth with Tenley and isn’t given any actual chance to develop. the only redeeming part of the book is in the last fifty pages or so when Tenley finally stops yelling and Ilya finally stops growling and they have their first actual conversation. but by then it’s too little, too late.
Savage Heir had so much potential but just never managed to live up to it. the push and pull between Tenley and Ilya took up way too much time and prevented them from actually connecting in any way, and so their hea and i-love-yous at the end felt cheap and insubstantial.
Tenley was incredibly frustrating to read, because none of what she was doing ever made sense — she vows to stay away from Ilya at least four times, which (spoiler alert) she never does — and it just became repetitive and annoying. she tells herself she’s never going back to Ilya, she goes back, she ends up exploding in his face, rinse and repeat five to six times.
Ilya’s character held a lot of promise, but unfortunately, he’s sucked into the black hole that is the back-and-forth with Tenley and isn’t given any actual chance to develop. the only redeeming part of the book is in the last fifty pages or so when Tenley finally stops yelling and Ilya finally stops growling and they have their first actual conversation. but by then it’s too little, too late.
April 18, 2024
This one was the first books I read from this author and I could not stop reading once I started. Ilya and Tenley were such a power couple, super hot together and very funny. Yes, the heroine is annoying at times when she's constantly running away but nonetheless I really seemed to like the drama going on.
The end seemed fast paced or maybe I didn't want the book to end lol. Can't wait to read the other books in this series, hoping they are equally as good!!
The end seemed fast paced or maybe I didn't want the book to end lol. Can't wait to read the other books in this series, hoping they are equally as good!!
October 3, 2021
Started of ok but I got bored like 30% in.
January 14, 2024
Before continuing the Dark Hearts series and while waiting for the second book in the Venomous Gods series, I thought I should dive into this one as well.
NA ain't my favorite genre and even after reading this I stand by that, but it was definitely one of the better ones.
The students of OHA are the elite of the elite. Children of the most powerful people in the world.
Tenley Chambers is the daughter of the next VP of the United States but she wasn't born into this world. She might be an outsider, but she's one determined young woman. She has a plan and she'll stick by it through hell and high water. But she didn't calculate Ilya Volkov into The Plan. Never even see him coming.
The heir to the most dangerous Bratva in the world, there's not much that fazes The Wolf. Until a beautiful redhead throws a glass of whiskey into his face like she doesn't know who he is. Or just doesn't care.
Could the free world's next second-in-command's daughter and the next mafia king ever make it work when their worlds are as far apart as they can get? Trust me, it works out.
I only wish Tenley was as determined and sure about her feelings as she was about her academics and plan. She was a little wishy-washy throughout the whole story, but Ilya's darkness made up for it. Looking forward to more!
NA ain't my favorite genre and even after reading this I stand by that, but it was definitely one of the better ones.
The students of OHA are the elite of the elite. Children of the most powerful people in the world.
Tenley Chambers is the daughter of the next VP of the United States but she wasn't born into this world. She might be an outsider, but she's one determined young woman. She has a plan and she'll stick by it through hell and high water. But she didn't calculate Ilya Volkov into The Plan. Never even see him coming.
The heir to the most dangerous Bratva in the world, there's not much that fazes The Wolf. Until a beautiful redhead throws a glass of whiskey into his face like she doesn't know who he is. Or just doesn't care.
Could the free world's next second-in-command's daughter and the next mafia king ever make it work when their worlds are as far apart as they can get? Trust me, it works out.
I only wish Tenley was as determined and sure about her feelings as she was about her academics and plan. She was a little wishy-washy throughout the whole story, but Ilya's darkness made up for it. Looking forward to more!
November 1, 2025
Audio Review
4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes:
❤️modern day fairytale retelling
🩶enemies to lovers
❤️YA aged characters
🩶Bratva
❤️psych hero
🩶smart heroine
❤️touch her and die
Savage heir is the first book in the savage heir series from author jagger Cole. I loved this book. What I will say is because the characters are younger I felt a little backwards since I’ve read everything from Dark Hearts and on, however I still absolutely loved it and it didn’t take away from this story at all.
The students of Oxford Hills Academy are the elite and of power and pedigree. Tenley Chambers is the daughter of a man that is currently running for VP of the United States. She’s smart and has goals , what she didn’t plan on was Ilya Volkov, the wolf 🐺. Ilya is heir to the bratva. He is as powerful and dangerous as he is gorgeous.
Tenley and Ilya have this back and forth push and pull with each other and their relationship is just straight fire. Both of them feel this pull of attraction the attraction and both play this back and forth game with each other but they each have their reasons for not wanting to be with the other.
The audiobook was performed perfectly by Aaron Sherlock and Auri Alden. I’ve listened to Aaron a lot and he’s always been one where I can get lost in. Auri , this was my first time listening to her and she performed exceptionally great. Both narrators performed this amazing with the grit, emotion and fire.
I can’t wait to listen to Dark Prince
4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes:
❤️modern day fairytale retelling
🩶enemies to lovers
❤️YA aged characters
🩶Bratva
❤️psych hero
🩶smart heroine
❤️touch her and die
Savage heir is the first book in the savage heir series from author jagger Cole. I loved this book. What I will say is because the characters are younger I felt a little backwards since I’ve read everything from Dark Hearts and on, however I still absolutely loved it and it didn’t take away from this story at all.
The students of Oxford Hills Academy are the elite and of power and pedigree. Tenley Chambers is the daughter of a man that is currently running for VP of the United States. She’s smart and has goals , what she didn’t plan on was Ilya Volkov, the wolf 🐺. Ilya is heir to the bratva. He is as powerful and dangerous as he is gorgeous.
Tenley and Ilya have this back and forth push and pull with each other and their relationship is just straight fire. Both of them feel this pull of attraction the attraction and both play this back and forth game with each other but they each have their reasons for not wanting to be with the other.
The audiobook was performed perfectly by Aaron Sherlock and Auri Alden. I’ve listened to Aaron a lot and he’s always been one where I can get lost in. Auri , this was my first time listening to her and she performed exceptionally great. Both narrators performed this amazing with the grit, emotion and fire.
I can’t wait to listen to Dark Prince
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