| Title | : | Savage Rivals |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 256 |
| Publication | : | First published November 18, 2021 |
Captain of the Highnam Academy football team, and the bane of my existence.
As Alstone High’s team captain, I’ve been pitted against him from the beginning, but our conflict isn’t only reserved for the pitch.
Everyone knows we’re enemies. From our first encounter, our rivalry has been escalating, spiralling out of control.
Until one night when everything between us changed.
He pushed me too far, and we crossed a line that should never have been crossed.
Now, I can’t get him out of my head.
Can we ever be more than rivals, or are there too many obstacles in our way?
One thing I know for sure.
Things between us will never be the same again.
Savage Rivals is a standalone M/M new adult high school romance with enemies to lovers and gay awakening themes. This book contains mature situations and content.
I *Originally included in the Brutal Boys on Devils Night collection. This edition of Savage Rivals has been expanded with additional content.
Savage Rivals Reviews
-
We were enemies. We loathed each other with a hatred that was like a living thing, feeding off our animosity.
the way i devoured this✋🏻
Becca Steele and i haven’t seen eye to eye with her last few releases... Cassius and Jessa, Weston and Lena, her recent novellas. none of them gave me what i always craved from her.
until this bitch. she gave what was supposed to be given.
i think Becca Steele at her roots excels at enemies to lovers. Caiden and Winter lured me in and got me reading Steele’s entire backlist bcos i loved their trilogy— their enemies to lovers arc was so damn good but nothing has truly captured me since them.
until
Savage Rivals.
they low-key reminded me of Winter and Caiden, with Asher being Winter and Levi being Caiden, with their ridiculous but hilarious pranks and antics. both of them as bad as each other, giving as good as they got. it was just rife with brutal tension, these undertones of anxiety bcos you couldn’t predict what either of them were gonna do next😭
the Gallavich vibes i got from these two?? ✨delicious✨ im a basic bitch, but two guys who beat the shit out of each other bcos they’re actually in love is my kryptonite, okay? i was a whore for it in
Tryst Six Venom too. there’s something just completely unhinged about it that i love lmao.
i seriously just pictured this interaction from Shameless:
from this:
to this:
to this:
it’s called range.
and it made me unhinged too🤪
bcos NOT THE AGGRESSIVE KISSING INTERRUPTED BY THEM SAYING “I FUCKING HATE YOU SO MUCH” STOP“I hate you so fucking much.” His voice was a low, savage rasp. He pulled my head to his, and our mouths met again in a fight for dominance, a clash of teeth and tongues.
“I really…fucking…hate…you, too,” I ground out between attacks, biting and licking, my fingers digging into his biceps.
it truly gives me life. like they get turned on from beating the shit out of each other, i–
me fangirling over Asher and Levi beating the shit out of each other and refusing to question my sanity:
and watching them be truly pissed off, feeling absolutely abhorrent about being attracted to each other was fucking golden. like they would kiss and be like “fuck, no... erm yes, but ew, but also yes.” they hated how attracted and obsessed they were with each other that it was hard not to grin like a lunatic.”And you? I can’t stand the sight of you, so why are you, of all people, fucking with my head like this?” I shook my head. “None of it makes any fucking sense.”
“I can’t stand the sight of you, either.”
they were everything, wow.
like Levi being pissed when other people made derogatory comments about Asher – he really was like “only i can be mean to him, leave my boyfriend alone😠” then when Asher’s best friend threatens to punch Levi in the face, Asher GROWLS at him to not touch Levi, i– you’re telling me that’s not Gallavich??”I don’t know if I want to kiss you or punch you right now.”
and them calling each other Seven and Ten for their football numbers... then calling each other by their real names all soft and squishy🥺 they delivered oh my god. but honestly whenever they got too squishy, i was like NO FIGHT, JUST ONE MORE TIME! bcos it was just so fun ahaha.
but the cuteness didn’t last too long. they’d proceed to beating the shit out of each then have sex right after :)”Too preoccupied with enacting your revenge after our team beat yours?” I suggested, knowing it would rile him up. When his frustrated huff of breath came through the speaker, I smiled, but my smile died away when he finally spoke again.
“Too preoccupied with you, Ten.” His voice had gone all husky and low.
and not their love declaration making me tear up✋🏻 AND THE EPILOGUE STOP IT. IT WILL FOREVER HAVE ME IN A CHOKEHOLD EURGHHHHH.
wish i hadn’t read this so fast, but i honestly couldn’t help it. Becca Steele needs to write more mm romances ASAP bcos i think she excels at them.
my only complaint is, i wish Becca Steele didn’t accommodate to American slang when she’s British and her characters are. having her characters say “ass” and “asshole” amidst British slang sounds so weird. having Asher be like “im skiving today, mate, so see ya later asshole” was just jarring af to read.
we say ARSE with a big fat juicy R in the middle :) -
3 stars.
⚡️ contemporary sports romance (football).
⚡️ high school setting.
⚡️ enemies-to-lovers (the mcs are rival football team captains).
⚡️ lots of childish behaviour lmao. pranks, juvenile fights and shit like that.
⚡️ a little angsty in the beginning, but once they got over their “hate” for each other, it died down.
⚡️ the tension between these two… amazing.
⚡️ these two idiots were cute as fuck together tbh.
⚡️ their lil crushes on each other were so obvious.
⚡️ no unnecessary break ups towards the end.
⚡️ overall, i really enjoyed this. if you ever want something easy, quick and addictive to consume, i definitely recommend this book. -
I think I’ve just gotten used to the fact that many MM romances have ugly covers because I DID NOT KNOW THIS WAS MM.
I got so excited when I found out that there’s a new NA - enemies to lovers - rivalry MM romance. All of my favorites in one. Fucking perfection.
I absolutely loved it. The characters were great. The enemies and rivalry portion was spot on and it wasn’t petty. It was real hatred and exhaustion and it was amazinggg.
I did read it in hopes that it would remind me of Heated Rivalry but I guess I should’ve learned my lesson a longgg time ago because no one compares to my Ilya. But the rivalry was a close second
The book wasn’t anywhere close to perfect and my rating is probably wayyy too high for it but you know what? I DONT FUCKING CARE. Because I enjoyed the fuck out of it. Asher and Levi owned me in this. It just helped that they’re dialogues and personalities weren’t cliche and “tried to be different “ type.
Please read it. It’s fun and addicting and I 100000% recommend it to anyone who just loves NA- high school MM romances. Because there’s not much of football talk here -
![moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1645500038i/37448930._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
4.5 stars ☆
can i just say?? angry kisses truly hit different. when they say i hate you but can't resist the pull towards each other, chefs kiss. although i adored their cute moments, i wished the enemies part lasted a biit longer, but i still loved it overall! 🥰
also, levi . 🥺 -
Audiobook - 4.5 stars
Story - 3.75 stars
This was surprisingly entertaining and hot.. I enjoyed the banter, the fights, the kisses and the way the Bi storyline was so well done.
Very entertaining and hooooot. 🤩🤩 -
THAT WAS EVERYTHINGGGG!!!! if you enjoyed this you should check out the harry styles and louis tomlinson fan fiction unbelievers by isthatyoularry on archive of our own!! 💚
-
*** I received an Arc from the author in exchange for an honest review.***
One of my favorite enemies to lovers stories in a long time. Loved the sizzling chemistry between Levi and Asher. They were on fire together especially their funny banter and attempts at ignoring their visible chemistry.
Savage Rivals is a fast-paced enemies-to-lovers story that focuses on two rival football (soccer) captains, Levi and Asher. They are both from competing high schools and have been enemies for the last year. One fun aspect of Savage Rivals is that while they have been at odds on the field there has always been some underlying tension beyond just opposing football teams.
Savage Rivals is the slow unraveling of genuine feelings between two stubborn jocks who are constantly struggling for dominance. I loved the chemistry and sexual tension between Asher and Levi throughout the story. Their relationship progression was fun to see develop into something more meaningful without losing their witty banter. -
Audio - 5++++HAWT AF STARS!! Will Watt and James Joseph (aka Joe Jameson) ...
4 - Stars
Overall, I really enjoyed the story. I only wished it had been longer and a bit more developed. The story did feel a like coming into a situation that was already in progress. That's probably because it's part of a series, and I wasn't interested in the prior books. Don't get me wrong, I didn't feel lost, I just didn't feel the build up of the animosity between the MCs. It was already part of their history that I missed out on. But it's easy enough to get over as the story continues.
I really hope the author writes more MM. -
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5/5
ARC Provided By The Author In Exchange For An Honest Review
**S. A.**
So finally, the completed standalone was released!! I enjoyed this book a lot, there were a few issues but I liked it and really, went through it in a few hours, just that invested I was.
This book is an MM romance, featuring the love-hate relationship between two MALE teenagers.
This book even though I liked it quite a lot, I still found a few issues within that made me not completely felt in love with it.
I felt like this book was a bit too rushed at the beginning and at the end too, like they got together maybe a little too soon, I wanted more bantering and fighting between them, more pranks too. And then the ending was a bit abrupt too, maybe, I don't know exactly, I was just there, left wanting more. (😭🤔)
There were a bit too much sex scenes... I wished for more emotional connection or more plot/plot twists but well, I'm glad at least we got that plot twist towards the end. (Although, I'm now confessing that usually MM's have a lot of sexual content even more than MF)
Let's just get to the interesting points of this review, before I bore everyone out of their minds with my useless ranting (😎🤯).
The PLOT was a bit rushed a bit at the beginning and at the end, but the story was interesting, sexy and steamy. The plot is centered between the rivalry between two soccer teams of two different schools, and their captains, who specially hate each others guts.
How they would vandalise/prank each other’s schools to piss each other off, they would use foul play during soccer games, they would fight each other in The Pit (like an "arena" were they fight one on one until one taps out or is knocked out)... the kind of things teenagers do between them just because they are rivals and want to show who is better/stronger than the other. (😏🙆🏻♀️)
The ROMANCE is actually great, the chemistry between Asher and Levi is on tune, they are very hot and cute together. Sometimes, I would feel frustrated wishing for a more emotional connection (but we know how this is... 😪😓) than a sexual one. Their romance is sexy, hot and steamy, they go from enemies to lovers in a blink of an eye, actually, one moment they are beating each other up and the next, out of nowhere, they start kissing (abusing 🙊) each other's lips. But towards the end, you can get a glimpse of an emotional connection growing between them, which was beautiful, and it was quite frustrating that the book ended when it was just getting even better. (😭)
There are some good and popular troupes in this book:
♡ Enemies To Lovers
♡ Possesive Hero
♡ Secret Relationship
♡ Rich/Poor
♡ Virgin Gay Sex
♡ Bi-awkening
The CHARACTERS, so in this department I didn't have any problem (shocker! 👏🏼) I liked both mc's the same (lie, I liked Levi a teeny bit more 🤫) and the supporting characters were good too, the friends of both mc's, were loyal, trustful and funny, easy to like, honestly.
💀 LEVI "seven/7", he's the captain of Highnam Academy "soccer" (football) team , the school for rich kids, he hates Asher but also feels an undeniable attraction towards him, that makes him hate him even more, his pranks against Alstone High gets out of hand and backlash him in end. He's very competitive, strong headed, short tempered but he really is emotional and caring towards his important people, he's protective, smart and likes to win in everything he competes or involves himself in, even in sex (this was quite a view 😂🙈). His competitive streak only gets worse whenever Asher is involved or around, he has to stay above him.
EXAMPLES:
“Nah, I really didn’t . Nice place you’ve got here, Seven— not that I can see much of it in the dark. You might wanna sort out your little power problem. We could use some light in here.”
“I hate you so fucking much.” My back was against the wall, and he was right up in my face. Again.
All I could focus on was Asher’s lips, soft but completely unyielding against mine.
Asher’s face was flushed, his pupils blown, and his mouth wide open as he stood there, at a total loss for words. Blood streaked across his lips, the evidence of our brutality.
--
That must be a new kissing technique, we are just to amateurs to knew that... 😏🙆🏻♀️
A choked cry tore from my lips, and I fell to my knees next to Asher’s prone body, cradling his head in my hands.
“Asher. Oh, fuck. Asher.” Brushing his wet hair away from his face , I curled over him, my voice dropping to a panicked whisper. “Baby, wake up.” I didn’t even realise I was crying until I felt the tears on my cheeks, hot against the freezing winter air.
--
This scene, one of the best, waiting almost 2 months for this (🙌 🙆🏻♀️)
💀 ASHER "ten/10", Alstone High soccer (football ) team captain, the school for the poor kids, the wrong side of the town kids. Asher is quite the popular guy in his school, everyone likes him and respects him, they always expect him to seek revenge against Highnam whenever something happens and he usually delivers. Like Levi, he's very competitive, strong headed (even more than Levi, I would dare say), short tempered (a lot), smart and protective of his friends. He has an strained relationship with his mother, due to different circumstances life has put them through. He's need to compete with Levi and win is always there and NEVER, goes aways, they always need to compete for every single thing, even for who is top during sex, who kisses who... (everything 😂🏆).
EXAMPLES:
“Milo.” Easily moving out of his hold, I gripped him so he was immobile and pressed my knife to his throat, the flat of the blade against his skin. “Meet Ruby.”
--
Why did I liked so much whenever he took out Ruby??
Levison Woodford, known as Levi to almost everyone. I called him Seven, after his football number.
“You’re nothing but Highnam scum. A bully with not even two brain cells to rub together, on a loser team . Your little world is so sad that you have to try and provoke me just to make your pathetic life feel a bit better.” The contempt in his eyes froze me in place. “Tell me, Ten. Does it make you feel good to come here and—”
“You’re going to pay for that,” I snarled. “It’s time I introduced you to Ruby. Properly.”
“Do it.” Then his mouth came down on mine.
The supporting characters, Danny & Talia [Asher's best friends and most supportive friends] and Milo [Levi's best friend and best supporter] are all great, the friends are funny, supportive, annoying teenagers but likeable (as likeable as teenagers can be 😂) in all their different forms. They help each other and maintain healthy relationships between them (shocker here, again! 🥳👏🏼). Asher's mother it's the only difficult character, for her reluctance to accept her son's sexuality.
In conclusion, the book was very good and funny, the crazy banter and pranks between the schools were great and amazing (probably one of my favourite parts 🙆🏻♀️), the romance between Asher and Levi was very teenager (-ish 🤣), sexy, hot and cute in the end. But Levi was the one who stole my heart from this book and mainly the reason I rounded up the rating too (🤫😍🤡).
I highly recommend this book, I hope you like it and enjoy it as much as me!
Happy reading everyone!! 🖤🖤
P.S. This book was introduced (22 chapters exactly) in the anthology Brutal Boys. -
Savage Rivals is a MM enemies to lovers romance between two football players of rival high schools.
I picked up Savage Rivals right after reading
Llakshmi’s review and only needed this line (4%) to decide this was going to be fun:
The bastard started it first. Calling me 'Ten' the very first time we'd played against each other. All because I refused to shake his hand in the prematch ritual, and I'd only done that because the look he'd given me.
While I’m in the minority who is not really into this kind of super unrealistic hate to love, I just couldn’t stop reading this ridiculous source of happiness. I laughed and rolled my eyes because half of the scenes in the beginning would never happen in a real world setting (*first/second time they kissed*) but it was so entertaining I didn’t mind as I usually do. The only thing I wish is that the characters felt a bit different, because with some exceptions, if someone deleted the names on a scene I could never know who is who. -
4.0 rating: for the romance
3.5 rating: for the "plot"
I was debating whether to write a review for this one since there were already so many. Lol. I wasn't sure what mine would add 🤣 but I decided why not? I did enjoy it after all.
I will be honest this was my first exposure to a Becca Steele book and it was not a disappointing introduction! I am curious to see what her other books are about.
When it comes to an enemies to lovers trope, I am almost always interested. This one intrigued me due to its trope. So I was already invested and hooked.
I will start with discussing what I did enjoy about this book.
I liked the romance between "7" and "10". The tension and "hatred" between them was undeniable.
“I hate you so fucking much.” His voice was a low, savage rasp. He pulled my head to his, and our mouths met again in a fight for dominance, a clash of teeth and tongues. “I really… fucking… hate… you, too"
When they had these moments I was laughing like an idiot. One moment they wanted to kill each other and the next they were locking 💋 My boys were confused af haha 😂
I didn't really feel like they ever hated each other, more like crushing (hardcore) on one other. Even, our girl Talia called out Asher about his obsession with Levi lol. Sis was very observant. She smelled the bs from a mile away💅🏻 she was low-key stanning.
I liked how we went from
"Fuck you, Ten"
To
"I knew right then that I was completely fucked. No one else would ever compare to Asher Henderson."
It was likewise for Asher 😌 It took a while for these two idiots to work out their obsession with one another haha.
So their romance was fun and sweet hence why I gave it a 4.0 for the romance only.
The "plot" was a snooze fest sorry peeps. The "savage rivalry" was not evident to me in this book. But tbh I didn't expect much considering this is a YA book, it was giving what it was supposed to for its intended audience. But personally it was meh to me. I didn't really care for the juvenile pranks/fights of teenage boys.
While, I did enjoy the romance it was pretty fast-paced so it did at times feel rushed like some of my GR friends did point that out in their lovely reviews so I will not go into it in this review.
Other than all that, it was a pretty enjoyable and addictive read.
If you are into a fast-paced enemies to lovers romance with steamy scenes, then this book is for you. However, if you want angst, and a slow burn romance I would say skip this one🙃 -
This was a fun read but felt a little too straightforward and one-dimensional to be amazing.
✅ IT WAS FAST PACED in that there was always something dramatic or exciting happening, which made this a super quick read that I finished in one sitting!
🆗 THE SITUATIONS SEEMED quite unrealistic - I couldn't really see people behaving like this in real life. But it's a book so I'm okay with some unrealistic behavior as long as it's still entertaining (which this was) 😆
🆗 THE RIVALRY WAS a little too overblown, and I feel like that kind of contributed to why it felt so unreal to me. And then the way they ended up getting together felt a little too easy considering their hate, even though their hate was obviously just a disguised crush 🤷♀️ I don't know
✅ I LOVED THAT THERE was not any unnecessary drama towards the end. I always start to get so cringe when I just know something pointlessly dumb is going to separate the characters temporarily until the HEA in a romance novel - but we didn't have any of that! The main end conflict here was just coming out to their friends and family.
✅I LIKED BOTH Asher and Levi's characters. I thought their different backgrounds were really well done and portrayed well in the way they acted. Their banter was great, they had some intense tension at points and overall I thought their relationship was really adorable
Overall, this was a really supportive and uplifting MM romance. All of the side characters were very supportive of their relationship and there was definitely enough spice to keep me interested 💗 Honestly, one of the biggest things that bothered me was how Levi so casually drove a $200,000 car haha. Definitely recommend!
Steam Scale: 🔥🔥🔥🔥/5
Swoon Scale: ❤️❤️/5 -
this was amazing. perfection. chef's kiss. this was EVERYTHING!!!
that's it, that's my review 💀
For a deep dive, check out
ellie's review because she summed up this book pretty fucking well and I have nothing more to add! 🥰😘 -
➥ 3.75 Stars *:･ﾟ✧
"I want to suck you off. Are you gonna let me?" I nipped at his ear, enjoying his shiver as I continued flicking open the buttons of his fly.
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
do not be deceived by this cover. this is not a dark, intense, super smutty romance book.
Sophie Lark's books all have covers just like this so that was what i'd assumed. this is just a cute, lighthearted highschool romance with some smut (i think it was like 4 sex scenes). i'd also been told that it was like
Tryst Six Venom in the back-and-forth "getting at eachother" and rich person/poor person sense but...i found this book to be much less angsty and intense.
once i understood what this book was actually meant to be, i found this book to be so fucking cute.
i must say, the first 30% was very underwhelming. i felt that the "rivals/enemies" aspect was not very well executed. it was meant to be a rivalry between two captains of competing highschool football teams (which reminded me of the premise of
Heated Rivalry) but the beginning of the book lacked sooo much character depth and relationship developement. it felt like the author had taken two random characters and conveniently made them hate eachother: there was no depth to their hatred. i would've liked for them to have had angstier interactions while they were still rivals because it felt like their "relationship" or feelings of eachother were so shallow and underdeveloped. so, i would say that you're much better off reading
Heated Rivalry if you're looking for a well-written rivals/enemies-to-lovers book.
however, after the author stopped trying to force the enemies-to-lovers trope, i found this book to be so sweet and enjoyable. i felt that the romantic developement was done well and that the storyline of their relationship was just perfect.
kinda spoilery:
moments i loved!!
➥ one kissing the other when they were trying to distract them to escape the school
➥ asher sneaking into levi's house whenever he wants
➥ levi correcting asher's grammar over text
➥ the way that levi chose to end the fight
➥ their nicknames for eachother being the number on their football jerseys (10 and 7)
➥ them starting to go on dates, one being going to the cinema and they argue over paying for eachother
➥ asher taking care of levi when he was drunk
➥ the hurt/comfort after asher got attacked
➥ the solution the the whole-team rivalry
➥ their love for eachother is just so pure
➥ levi finally letting asher drive his car
they're just so perfect for eachother.All my guilty thoughts left me as soon as I saw him, and before I even knew what i was doing, I was bounding across the room and launching myself at his bed, throwing myself on top of him. A startled cry fell from his lips that was instantly swallowed up when my mouth came down on his.
like???? they are actual angels ��😭😭"I want to suck you off. Are you gonna let me?" I nipped at his ear, enjoying his shiver as I continued flicking open the buttons of his fly.
😦😦😦😦😦
a super fun, cute, quick read. i def recommend, just know the enemies to lovers was not a strong aspect in this book -
This is the second high school book I've read and loved in the past week - who even am I?
But seriously I really liked this, it was so good! I really liked how the author wrote rivals-to-lovers in this I thought it was very well done. -
"Ten, look at me." I shifted closer until our sides were touching, but he remaind statue-still, staring out to sea. Reaching out with a shaky hand, I cupped his jaw. He stiffened but otherwise didn't respond. My thumb stroked across his skin. "Asher."
my biggest issue here was how it took me a long ass time to get invested. the characters were highly interchangeable for me and the root cause of their rivalry was just petty. im gonna keep this review simple: i liked asher and levi more than ten and seven. when the characters mentioned each others actual name, it was like harry potter finally saying voldermorts name. the turning point for me honestly. the first 30-40% was a chop. i was either in the i-cant-stand-this or this-is-tolerable mood. nothing is in between. however, when they started to warm up with each other, my interest was immediately there. overall, i liked it but didnt love it. it was still somehow a fun time. -
I loved Becca’s novella Cross the Line so when I saw she wrote this full length novel, I had to read it and I loved loved loved it!
Takes place in the same world as Cross the Line. Except where the main characters in CtL go to school at Alstone High, we now have one of the MCs in this book from the rival school Highnam Academy.
-British
-rivals to lovers done so well
-high school
-soccer players
-rich boy/poor boy (i am seriously obsessed with Levi and Asher)
-hatred as foreplay
-chat messages with some serious sexual tension
-GALLAVICH vibes (iykyk)
-street fighting and fancy cars
Can be read as stand-alone.
I already purchased the paperback to have on my shelves and will definitely be re-reading.
Oh yeah and we can always appreciate Andy Murray on the cover. 🔥 -
3.5⭐
Overall I liked it. I could not take these two guys seriously being rivals and arguing, it seemed funny and cute to me and although it is not the author's intention, because this is not a comedy, I swear I was amused to see them argue because as my friends said, they looked like two puppies (specifically Chihuahuas) barking, and well, that made it entertaining for me. 😆
Also they were cute and sexy together.🥵
Asher and Levi were straight, or so they thought, until a kiss becomes more and soon they can't stop.🙊
"I really do love you, Levi.” He turned his head, capturing my mouth, his hand coming up to grip my jaw as he kissed me, hot and slow and deep.
“I know. Show me how much you love me by not crashing my car, okay?”
And he crashed it.
(joking here). -
3 Stars
Overall Opinion: Eh, this was just alright for me. It started off with some good potential and then seemed to lose it and go into fast forward with some mushiness thrown in with a HEA. I felt like it was a little too insta for me and the fact that neither really had any real struggle with the fact that they were now attracted to a man instead of females like before , made it feel not very believable. I think that would be a significant change in personal identity to cause at least some angsty feelings and I didn’t get that at all. Overall this, sadly, missed the mark for me and was 3 just okay stars.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Asher and Levi’s story. They are rival captains of the football (soccer) high school teams. After Levi’s team ruined Asher’s locker room, Asher and his teammates are out for revenge. Neither can stop thinking about one another to the point of obsessions and one night they cross the line when they kiss and start to see each other differently. There is some team drama, some big life changes, and some sexy times…and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Asher and Levi’s POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Alright. It was okay pacing and then seemed to be in fast forward towards the end.
Instalove: Kind of because it seemed to jump from hate to lust to love.
H1 (Hero #1) rating: 3 stars. Asher. I don’t think I really connected with his character or got very deep in it. He was just alright.
H2 (Hero #2) rating: 3 stars. Levi. I felt like I didn’t get deep into his character either. He was also just alright.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Not really
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: No
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: No
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends with a jump ahead epilogue with a HEA ending
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers -
”Too preoccupied with enacting your revenge after our team beat yours?” I suggested, knowing it would rile him up. When his frustrated huff of breath came through the speaker, I smiled, but my smile died away when he finally spoke again.
“Too preoccupied with you, Ten.” His voice had gone all husky and low.
*taps microphone* I LOVED THIS SO FUCKING MUCH OMG.
It was funny how they hate each order? yes! it looked like they had killed each other's mother to hate each other so much but I loved anyway.
The way they beat the shit out of each other and after just start kissing. gallavich vibes. *chef’s kiss*
The love declaration. THAT SCENE YOU KNOW THE ONE!!?! YES. I love a good breakdown scene. This book gave me everything I need.
AND this is so fast-paced, the way I like.
AND to improve is a sports romance.
Thank you very much Becca Steele.
First reread: They calling each other mortal enemies✋🏽 stop I'm laughing so hard baby it's not that serious calm down.
And you know those books you finish reading and already want to read again? exactly.
I LOVE THIS AND THEM SO MUCH -
A definite improvement overall for me compared to the only other MM installment this author had done before this one.
I'm a sucker for enemies-to-lovers and Asher and Levi's hate for each other was deliciously good.
The chemistry jumped off the page between these two and as they started to gain attraction for each other even as they hated each other, and then slowly let their guards down enough to let go of the animosity, it was so good.
The rivalry was actually close to "savage" so it fit the title well. Asher threatening Levi and Levi's best friend with a freaking knife was WILD.
But I loved later on when they were really falling for each other and were basically boyfriends, and some of Levi's team gets "payback" on Asher, Levi being so upset and wanting retribution for it was just as lovely. I love the "I hate you so much but for some reason I can't keep my hands off you" as much as I love the "I love you fiercely and I will fuck anyone up who tries to hurt you" dynamic.
My only reason for a star off is that I kinda just wanted more drama when everyone was finding out about them. There was some, but...not enough. Especially when these schools had SUCH a huge rivalry and these two had hated each other so intensely. I felt like the book kinda just glossed over reactions or said they were shocked or uncomfortable with it, but we didn't get to see that, and it all worked out pretty easily in the end.
Also when there's a couple who are keeping their relationship a secret because of how people would react, I am a sucker for people finding out by finding them kissing or more, and it's like *gasp* oMG and everyone has bad reactions to it and it's a whole thing. I would have loved that kinda drama in this, especially when the drama when they were enemies was so good.
But otherwise, on the whole, I loved this and I loved these two together. They worked so well together. And this definitely made me open to more Steele MM romance books in the future, if she ever decides to write more. I was iffy after my 3 star read with the other, but wanted to give the author another chance, and she did well with this one. I definitely want to read more by her.
So overall, a good enemies-to-lovers story that turned into a wonderful romance story. These two in love with each other was even better than when they were enemies, if only because they had made such good enemies beforehand. It makes the falling in love with each other part all the sweeter.
Two big thumbs up from me, and I look forward to more MM books from this author 😁 -
This is not a 4 stars book, I REPEAT: THIS IS NOT a 4 stars book, but fuck it I enjoyed it.
You know when guys get together and do stupid shit: this book is that. I was rolling my eyes so much but I also enjoyed myself and when the hate/fuck started? 🤯🤯🤯
I cannot, it was really funny and really hot at the same time? And messy and dramatic, but they are teenagers practically so, I kind of expected it.
Anyways, this was short, fun, hot and enjoyable. Not a 4 stars read but something. 🤣🤣❤ -
When you found your soulmate, no matter how young or old you were, you knew—and I knew with everything in me that he was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And I knew it was the same for him.
Buddyread this with my bestie @Magic_of_darkness_and_books and we lived our best life screaming at each other ✋ tyvm.
Here's some fun fact,
- I initially “buddyread” this with @elena when it first got released and well that... flopped
- tried this book again some time later and couldn't help but roll my eyes at the HS romance
- y'all have seen my feed lately with HS romance so.... No Comment.
I greatly enjoyed this book, even more so because I read this together with my dear friend. I don't have much to say about it except that I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would, nor did I love it as everyone. It was a beautiful story and I loved that we actually got to see our MC's fall in love throughout the book (take that Alessandra Hazard!).“You might wanna hold on to something.”
Loved the protective vibes, the “I hate you” words that flew out of both of our MC's mouth which basically meant “I'm obsessed with you, head over hells for you annoying ass.”“I hate you so fucking much.” His voice was a low, savage rasp. He pulled my head to his, and our mouths met again in a fight for dominance, a clash of teeth and tongues.
“I really…fucking…hate…you, too,” I ground out between attacks, biting and licking, my fingers digging into his biceps. I wasn’t even aware of the moment I’d touched him, but his muscles were hard and flexing beneath my palms as I squeezed as hard as I could.
Absolutely loved the way these two characters came together. There was no usual “homophobic standard” that usually comes with many books that feature previously straight characters. I'm guessing this is the author's first MM romance and I can see how she holds great potential. And I absolutely SOBBED over their open communication ✋😩✋✋✋✋✋ that shit didn't have the right to be so good.His hand slid out of my pocket, coming up to cup my jaw. He tugged my head up, forcing me to look at him. Licking his lips, he swallowed hard. “How do you feel about me?”
It took everything in me to hold his gaze. Talking about feelings, that wasn’t something that came naturally to me. It had been hard enough just discussing what I had done with Talia earlier. But for Levi, I’d try.
LEVI SIMON WOODFORD. That's it. That's the entire tweet. The entire vibe. One hell of a sexy king. He came for the facts straight up in the opening of the scenes and I fell head over hells for his superior insults and my eyes became 🤩 every . damn . time.
Asher Henderson : eh
Jokies, he fine. I like him, not the first of this book cus this man clearly never heard of constructive criticism but eh, he's fine.“Hi.” There was no way I could stop my grin when I came to a stop in front of him, and he smiled at me, his eyes lighting up.
“Hi. I got tickets, and there’s no one I recognise around.” He held up his phone.
Also I think I've had an epiphany after 4 HS romance this month (again, NO COMMENT) that the steam level isn't.... that good, or rather, it isn't THAT spicy. Based on this cover, I expected the steam level to be out of the chart. Forgot this book is a young adult, hell does this book even cover what YA even means??? But yeah, I think this book set my spine straight that YA Spice isn't as spicy as my normal spice lol. Just thought I'd clarified that. I CAN'T BE THE ONLY HOE HERE. I SEE YOU LURKING! ✋✋✋“So.” I slid my hand onto his thigh, lowering my voice as I tilted my head closer to his. “I always wanted to mess around with someone in the back row of the cinema.”
Initial reactions:
Reading this with my bestie K made this a special experience. -
3.75 Stars
Told in dual POV, 1st person, it can be read as a standalone. It’s a new adult romance with an enemies-to-lovers trope. It’s low angsty (almost angst free), an easy read, and hot! Loved both characters, they are lovely, sweet, and obsessed with each other. Their hatred is delicious. All in all, I had a good time reading it and hope you enjoy it as well! -
DNF at 18%
I’m too old for this shit. The mom in me is screaming. First, the one team destroyed the other team’s locker room, equipment and all. And now as revenge, the other team is hosing them down INSIDE A HOUSE? DOES NOBODY THINK OF THE MOTHERS?
I’m grounding them all and taking their phones away. And pouring myself a glass of wine to recover.
I feel like MM books should come with trigger warnings for pranks. Why so many pranks? 😭 -
"What the fuck are we doing?" He ripped his mouth away from mine, staring down at me as I sucked in a shaky breath. His pupils were so wide, the soft brown of his irises barely visible, and his lips wet and swollen from our kisses.
"Fuck knows." My hand sliid around the back of his neck, pulling his head back down to me. "I still hate you."
"Still mutual," he murmured against my lips before I ended the conversation with another kiss.
-----
*note: i was pretty generous with the spoiler tags today so take caution if you're on the gr app!
-----
[4.3] LEVI AND ASHER IN A NUTSHELL:
80% of their interactions include shoving each other against walls or tackling each other to the floor and flip flopping places like pancakes 🥞
with the way the story kicked off, i was legit expecting something dark like a dead body popping up somewhere or plot twisty like a third party covertly pulling strings in the background to stir up more animosity between our two mcs' schools, but MY MISTAKE. this turned out to be a rather easy to digest, low stakes read that still manages to entertain 😌
fair warning: prepare to activate your suspension of disbelief powers! in a fictional world of crazy high schoolers, parental/authority figures are essentially nonexistent, there are no real consequences for the plethora of illegal activity happening within these pages--assault , b&e, vandalism/destruction of property being the top offenders--and we're also given a hint of a Disney-style resolution to the bad blood between schools. if you're able to get past these points, i think you'll have a grand old time!
the progression from rivals-to-frenemies-to-lovers was something i found myself surprisingly enjoying. with every story built around this trope, 100% money back guarantee you'll find me going bananas over (1) the unspoken rule that they're not allowed to converse unless their faces are within 2.2mm of each other and (2) the mcs pulling the ancient technique of kissing your mortal enemy as a diversionary tactic... highly effective based on the results we've seen thus far 👩🔬😉
their push-and-pull during scenes where they give into their lust & attraction did start to read a bit repetitive to me after the first few times, but the passionate exchange of i hate you's between lip-biting kisses and their aggressive WWE-worthy moves made it hard to wipe the smirk off my face 😏
while the mcs would occasionally blend together in my head, they were a surprisingly sensible pair of high schoolers forced to shoulder the brunt of a school feud courtesy of their team captain statuses. i must say, the overall supportive group of friends/family and lack of homophobic slurs were a very welcome and refreshing touch, and the epilogue tied up their story in a nice, clean bow 🎀
ok i've rambled long enough! on a final note, i just want to leave the quote that had me wheezing for a good while 🤣🤣 there's spoilers re: the circumstances of their first kissy kiss so click the spoiler tag with caution, but please do come back and report if this part cracked you up too!
-
Despite the "savage" title, it's a rather sweet gfy/na book.
Asher and Levi are the captains of two rival highschool football teams (European football, not the kind you play in the U.S.). Asher from the poorer part of the town, Levi from an elite school. They're rivals on and off the field, and yes, the issues they have with each other are blown up when you read about them with an "adult" mind. But we know that when we start reading ya/na books, so I'm not judging it too harshly. Same goes for the pranks the two teams play - yes, it's a bit childish. And yes, it's property damage. And yes, Asher definitely should have seen a doctor after he got beaten up by 5(!!!) guys. But again: it's a mm/na romance, the characters are 18 years old, you can't expect them to act like grown-ups.
The plot is predictable and sweet, the sex hot, and Levi and Ash both very likable. So if you're in need of a quick in-between read, you can't go wrong here.
I skimmed a bit, that's why I'll rate it with 3 fluffy stars. -
Fantastic read by Becca Steele. Loved everything about this book🔥.
❤️🔥 HS sports romance
❤️🔥 MM
❤️🔥 Enemies to lovers
❤️🔥 Snark x 100
❤️🔥 Bi awakening
❤️🔥 First times
❤️🔥 Steam
❤️🔥 Opposites attract
❤️🔥 HEA
4 steamy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -
3.5**** stars
Honestly I wasn't really invested in the story but I think it was more my fault than the books.
But Asher & Levi were totally sweet. I loved their story even though I mostly flew through the pages.
Fright night was again really fun, same as it was in
Trick Me Twice. And the epilogue, f*** sweetastic 😍
So if you are in the mood for a rather light high school rivals romance with a lot of pretty harsh pranks on both sides, low angst, hot first times and a sweet sweet HEA - go for it. It's worth it. -
Safe
- both only with each other after meeting
- only dated girls before
- they are not virgins but first time with another guy
This book is FUN! Their problems and rivalry are pretty stupid, but this is what makes this great, because what teenager isn's dramatic? I felt like i was sixteen again reading their pranks.
I liked the steamy scenes and the second caracters were great.
Asher's best friend had an on and off again relationship but It had been over for a while and now she started dating their other best friend, Danny. I liked this, girl finally having experiences.
I loved the epilogue, I wish there was an extra scene with a baby.
They are imature (suit their age), fun, horny and obsessed with each other. Teenagers who are the soccer team's captain but don't have eyes for other people.
