Savage Truce (Heart of Crime 1) by Michelle Heard-review tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 8, 2026
I was born into Bratva royalty, but that never made me a princess. My entire life I’ve been mocked and ignored, and the only place I’ve ever felt like myself was at the theater, with a needle in my hand and beautiful fabrics around me.
That’s where I met him.
A stranger with a missing button, clear blue eyes, and a voice that made the world feel less cruel for one stolen night.We only exchanged our first names and talked the night away over warm coffees and pastries before my life came crashing down around me.
Years later, my grandfather is dead, the Bratva is at war, and I’m imprisoned because of my family. I’m broken, bruised, and forgotten until the new pakhan comes to inspect his prisoners.
Rodian Volkov.
The man I never forgot. Only now, he isn’t a stranger with gentle hands and friendly eyes.
He’s become savage just like the rest of the men who bend the knee to him.He’s now the monster I fear.
When he tells the Bratva he’s marrying me to bring peace, I’m too terrified to argue.
Because saying no to the pakhan is never an option.
•••••
REVIEW: Savage Truce is book one in the Heart of Crime series by Michelle Heard.
Rodian Volkov 32 years old is the Underboss of the Bratva. Anastasia Donovan 20 years old, plus sized seamstress and daughter of mafia and mob parents.
Anastasia works at a seamstress in a theater company in the UK. She loves her job and her workshop – it’s peace and solace that she needs. The petite actresses are cruel and mean to her. For no other reason than she is plus sized. When attending to costumes on the final performance for the show she is working for. She glances out through the curtain and sees a man sitting in the front row dressed in a tailored black suit who happens to be devastatingly handsome. When the lead actress, Sofia, approaches her telling her that the man she is staring at is out of her league, but right up her alley. She tells Anastasia she is going to invite him backstage after the show. Returning to her station backstage –
Anastasia believes that Sofia is right. No man like that would ever look at her. When a stagehand approaches the handsome man, he refuses Sofia’s invitation, but as he stands and adjusts his coat a button falls to the floor. The stagehand darts forward and grabs the button, offering that the seamstress backstage could sew the button back on. The man accepts. When Rodian steps into the workshop backstage, he is immediately taken aback by the beautiful woman in front of him. Anastasia fixes his button and offers to make the jacket a better fit for him. He takes her up on her offer. When she is done, he asks if he can just stay and watch her work. She says yes. When she mentions that Sofia invited him back, he tells her he isn’t interested in Sofia – he is interested in her.
They spend an amazing night together, just talking and getting to know one another. They make plans for a date the next night at 7pm.But Anastasia doesn’t make it. Her mother shows up to return her to Russia because she is about to be 21. Rodian is heartbroken. He knew in his gut he wasn’t going to see her again. And he doesn’t for five years.
Anastasia has become a prisoner in her Grandfathers home.Because of her weight her grandfather wants nothing to do with her Anastasia and her mother are sent to their country home.Anastasia has basically become her mother’s maid. A prisoner in her own family home.But she clings to the memory of her one night with Rodian.
It’s taken Rodian five years to gather enough men to overtake Pakhan of the Bratva, Yegor Fedorov. When Rodian’s men raid the countryside home, Anastasia is shot in the leg trying to escape, and everyone still alive is forced into vehicles and taken to a factory. When someone says a new Pakhan is taking over, Anastasia knows what that means. Everyone in her family is as good as dead, including her.
But they don’t kill Anastasia, while she listens to everyone being killed around her, Rodian’s men make her cooks for them.Because she is too overweight to rape, and someone needs to cook for them. But they starve her and abuse her for a week before Rodian shows up and when he does, all hell breaks lose.
He had no idea that his Anastasia was Yegor Fedorov’s granddaughter. How did he not know that Yegor had a granddaughter – let alone Anastasia. But after five long years of searching, he found her. Abused and beaten by his own men.
Will she ever forgive him? Will he be able to show her how much she means to him?
This was a great start to a new series. A wonderful world built around Rodian and his family and friends. You know that Rodian is as deadly as they come, but the way he melts whenever Anastasia is near is absolutely wonderful. I read this book in one sitting – and I was so sad to see it end. Can’t wait for the next book in this series.
Highly recommend….
copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Erin K.
Michelle Heard is a Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author who loves creating stories her readers can get lost in. She resides in South Africa with her son where she’s always planning her next book to write, and trip to take.
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