Savage

Sins of the Banna, Book 1

By: Erin Russell

Narrated by: Nathan Kelly, Zachary Zaba

Everyone thinks the mafia is so glamorous. They make books and movies by the hundred and it's all suave guys in suits making deals in smoky backrooms over poker games.

Well, I'm the mafia prince of Oklahoma. There's no glitz or glamor here, and I hate every minute of it. But it's my birthright. Until war breaks out between my family and the Aryan Brotherhood, and I'm forced to go into hiding in a little Missouri town that's even more remote and redneck than my own.

The only upside is that I get to see the boy I used to share my home with, until his mother got sick of my dad and ran for the hills. I devoted my childhood to protecting him from my violent father, and it was the only thing that's every made me feel like a good person. Seeing him again makes me feel like maybe that good version of myself isn't as dead and buried as I thought. Maybe there's a chance to get him back, if I can scrape away all the numbness and callous around my heart that a lifetime of violence has built up.

Not to mention, he's...different. He was always a shy, scared little kid. Now he's still kind of little, but he's ten pounds of confidence in a five pound bag. And he has no problem telling the homophobic killers that I work with where to shove it if they don't like who he's become. I'm inspired, and I wish I could take a little bit of that confidence for myself.

I've spent my entire life rolling over and giving Dad whatever he wanted. Chipping away at my soul, one piece at a time. With Micah's help, maybe I can get it back. Even if his methods are the last thing I was expecting....

©2025 Erin Russell (P)2026 Erin Russell

5.75/5 ⭐ 2.5/5 🌶️

Micah & Tadhg (our main characters who experienced a traumatic past together as children) are reunited as adults under extreme circumstances. They are still extremely protective of each other & throughout the story they slowly start to knit their relationship back together. It's an uphill battle & they both work on overcoming past trauma, Tadhg especially.

As they grow closer, their relationship starts to shift into something different but just as serious & intense. Their chemistry & codependency feels like a physical presence throughout the whole book. This is a very raw & emotional story filled with trigger warnings. I personally think it's worth the heartbreak to read/listen to it & are both characters finally get their HEA. But as always, protect your mental health & please read the trigger warnings before jumping in.

The narration was top tier as well. It really helped me get into the story even more so than just reading it had. It also cleared up some pronunciation questions I had towards some of the different sounding names.

Features:
- Gay Awakening/Acceptance
- Feminization In Bed
- Mild Sub/Dom Kink
- Size Difference
- Larger Bottom/Smaller Top
- Ex Stepbrothers
- Trauma Bonded Couple
- First Love
- I Will Always Protect You

Absolutely Savage!!

So I read this book last year and adored it. Erin Russell is a ferociously good writer. Revisiting the story as an audio book was just as good if not better than the first time. Nathan Kelly and Zachary Zaba were amazing together and really brought depth to the characters. Absolutely recommend, worth the credit. :)

My Mafia Prince of Oklahoma

4/8/26: ALC for this book was fantastic. This is one of my favorite books from Erin and loved having the audio version bringing my boys to my ears. The narrators did a fabulous job.

🖤 I am doing an ARC Review for Savage the 1st in the Sins of the Banna Series, this is a spin off series to Possum Hollow which I totally freaking loved. This book is about Savage (Tadhg) and Micah.
First of all I have to mention HE IS A MAFIA PRINCE FROM OKLAHOMA!. MY HOME STATE... 🤣
I laughed so damn hard at the whole intro about Oklahoma.
Their parents were married but they ended up leaving and Savage hadn't seen Micah in years. When stuff went down with the Banna and Aryan Brotherhood, Savage was reunited with Micah.
I love Erins writing. I feel like she brings these stories to life. I love getting sucked into Erin Russells world with her boys she writes about. If you have not read anything from her I recommend you do it ASAP, you will not be disappointed. ANOTHER 5 STAR BOOK FOR ERIN!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Savage and Micah!!!!

This is such a great story and a great listen. Loved Savage and Micah. The connection even after so much time together was nice to see and I enjoyed their shift in dynamic. The narrators did a wonderful job at bringing both characters to life. I will definitely listen to this audiobook again!

Savage is bebe gorgeous sweetheart pie!

I have read this book twice and listened to it three times. I love love the story! I loved savage from Running Feral and I was so happy he got his book. I am also a big fan of stepbrothers lol I’m so happy Savage and Micah! I wanted to get in the story and hug Sav. Loved the Tristan cameos and the tiny mentions of Gunner and Tobias - thank your Erin for bread crumbing the next MCs in each book I eat it right up.10/10 recommend the sex is sexing
12/10 the story was storying and the hurt was hurting
Grumpy/Smart mouth kinda sunshine
Hurt/like super hurt and comfort Submissive big boi Mental Health
Mafia