Carnal Sanctuary: Savannah’s Awakening

The story starts with Savannah caught up in something frightening and waking in a place she doesn’t know, surrounded by people who seem to understand the strange world she’s stumbled into better than she does. As she learns more about immortals, unusual abilities, and her own place in all of it, a much bigger mystery starts to take shape.

You know I enjoy my spice. I’m certainly not going to complain when two characters finally stop dancing around each other and put all that sexual tension to good use. 😂 But I also need an actual story to go with it. Unfortunately, Savannah’s Awakening tipped that balance too far in the other direction for me.

I really liked the paranormal story underneath all the sex. The supernatural world has immortality, different beings, unusual abilities, ancient histories, dangerous enemies, and a much larger mystery surrounding Savannah. The more that storyline moved forward, the more interested I became. By the end, I could see the foundation for a much larger story throughout the Carnal Sanctuary series, and that was the part I wanted more of.

Savannah was a character I wanted to connect with more than I ultimately did. I liked that she’s confident, bisexual, comfortable with her sexuality, and unapologetic about enjoying sex. But her sexuality became such a big part of her characterization that I sometimes felt like I knew more about what turned her on than I knew about her. There’s a more interesting Savannah underneath all of that, trying to understand why she’s different, what she’s capable of, and where she belongs.

I liked Savannah and Roman together, but I wanted more time to see their emotional relationship develop. Even when destiny is shoving two people together, I still want the conversations, vulnerability, trust, friendship, and emotional closeness that make me believe they would choose each other anyway.

My problem wasn’t that Savannah’s Awakening was explicit. I read dark romance, reverse harems, and enough fictional red flags that nobody should look to me as the spokesperson for wholesome entertainment. 😂 For me, spice works best when it adds to the story and the characters. Here, the sexual thoughts, fantasies, and encounters were so constant that they eventually started losing their impact. I didn’t need less sex because I’m opposed to spice. I needed less sex because I wanted more story.

WOULD I RECOMMEND SAVANNAH’S AWAKENING? Yes, for readers who love erotica with paranormal elements and want the heat turned all the way up. If you’re looking for more focus on the mystery, worldbuilding, and emotional side of the romance, you may feel the same way I did and wish those parts had more room.

MY FINAL VERDICT: The foundation for a story I could have absolutely loved was already there. More character development, more time with the mystery and lore, and a stronger emotional relationship between Savannah and Roman would have made a big difference for me. I also wanted more breathing room between the intimate moments so they could build more anticipation. The story had my interest, but the constant focus on sex kept me from connecting with Savannah and Roman as deeply as I wanted. As for that 5/5 spice rating? Trust me, those peppers aren’t decorative. This book didn’t just bring the spice. It bought the entire damn pepper farm and apparently set it on fire. 😂🌶️

NOTE: This review reflects the ARC I received directly from the author and read as of July 28, 2026, and may not reflect any revisions, corrections, or updates made to subsequent editions.

Final Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5) | Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (5/5)