When wilderness guide, Harper Ward, is summoned to the small town sheriff’s office in Helena Springs, Montana, to provide assistance on a case, she is shocked to find that their only suspect in the double murder investigation is a man described as a savage.

But the longer she watches the man known only as Lucas, on the station surveillance camera, the more intrigued she becomes. He certainly looks primitive with his unkempt appearance and animal skin attire, but she also sees intelligence in his eyes, sensitivity in his expression. Who is he? And how is it possible that he’s lived alone in the forest since he was a small child?

As secrets begin to emerge, Harper is thrust into something bigger and more diabolical than she ever could have imagined. And standing right at the center of it all, is Lucas. But is he truly the wild man he appears to be? A cold blooded killer? An innocent victim? Or a perplexing mix of all three?

Harper must find out the answers to these questions because the more time she spends with him, the more she risks losing her heart.

Book Type:

Contemporary Romance

Review: Savaged

Two survivors, who’ve lived difficult and divergent lives, find love and uncover a horrifying truth in Mia Sheridan’s SAVAGED.

We first meet wilderness guide Harper Ward, when she is asked to consult on a murder case. The suspect is described as a savage—a unkempt-looking man cloaked in fur who lives in the brutal Montana wilderness. But while he is all rough and hardened exterior, his eyes betray a different story altogether and Harper instinctively wants to know more about him.

“He was all man, every bit of him, and never in her life had she felt another person’s presence so keenly. Never had she been stared at with so much intensity. It unsettled her. It intrigued her.”

As Harper gets to know Lucas and what he’s endured, she’s drawn in by his gentleness, fascinated by his intelligence and resilience.

Before too long, however, Harper realizes this case goes deeper than expected. There’s a truth much bigger and more horrifying just out of reach, and somehow, Lucas seems to be in the middle of it all.

Harper and the detective she’s working with must figure out who Lucas really is, what he’s hiding, and what is really at play in this small Montana town.

With her signature poetic style, Sheridan weaves a poignant story with unexpected turns. The narrative comes alive through beautifully nuanced characters, an unforgiving wilderness backdrop, and a consistent thread of suspense and mystery. Harper and Lucas’ story is deeply romantic, and it was easy to be swept away by it all—tender and shocking moments alike.

I loved the characters, the balance of romance and suspense, and the epilogue which left me feeling happy and hopeful.