Reading Assignment Challenge: Savage Love by Sandrine Gasq Dion

Reading Assignment Challenge: Savage Love by Sandrine Gasq Dion

Six years ago, Chaz Savage was on top of the world: Beloved NFL star, filthy rich, great friends--and a man he was close to falling in love with.  Lev Chirkoff was smart, funny, sexy, and freaking adorable.  Then, one night he was gone with no explanation.  Chaz is devastated, left wondering what happened to the only man who ever had his heart.  Eventually, hurt turns to anger and then to rage.  If he EVER sees that man again...

Lev Chirkoff has an impossible job forced on him by the mob boss his father works for.  It involves a professional athlete he has worshiped since the first time he saw him, and the very thought of it sickens Lev.  He meets Chaz and they seem to be made for each other.  Soon, his only plan is falling in love.  When a traumatic night forces Lev out of Chaz's life, he disappears.  But Chaz Savage never leaves his heart.

Six years later, Lev returns to Seattle, makes new friends and finds a purpose in life.  A Halloween party puts him in Chaz's orbit again, and unsportsmanlike conduct doesn't begin to cover the big man's reaction.  With the mob after Chaz, Lev is assigned to protect him as they go into hiding.  But Chaz Savage isn't about to make it easy for the man who devastated him.  Once old feelings stir, he finally has a chance to discover the truth about Lev's betrayal.  Lev falls even more deeply for the man who is so much more than just a football star---but surely his secret will cost him Chaz's love forever.

They say it takes a village, but in this case it's a reservation--and as Chaz and Lev come to an uneasy peace, they discover that the people around them are more than willing to give their lives for the safely of their family.

Whew--this was one of the more confusing entries in Gasq Dion's Assassin/Shifters series.  Part of it is my fault, I think I accidentally read it out of order but part of it is the fact that the cast of characters is getting HUGE and it seemed like almost all of them showed up at one point or another in Savage Love.  AND...several incidents that happened in previous books were referenced in this book but I didn't always remember the details clearly enough for everything to make sense.  As a result, I spent much of the books understanding 75% of what was going on.  I also felt that Lev and Chaz's personal story was rushed and somewhat sacrificed so that the larger overall battles and continuation of the Assassin/Shifter world at large could move forward and even expand.  This book saw the addition of at least two more factions into the already huge cast of characters and realms.  As a result, my enjoyment of this particular entry was not as strong as it has been for previous books.  I am hoping to go back and reread two or three books that take place right before this one and then reread Savage Love and hope that it clarifies the bits I was a bit fuzzy on.  If you are new to the series, you absolutely CANNOT begin with this book...if you are up to date, give it a go as it is one action scene after another from start to finish.