Kristie J’s review of Savaged by Mia Sheridan
Contemporary Romance published by Amazon Digital Services 27 May 19
I was pondering on this review – at 3:30 a.m. as I was on the third night where I couldn’t get to sleep – and was stumped on how to describe the outline of the story. It’s one of the most unusual and unique books I’ve read in a while and for me, wow, did it work.
Think Tarzan, only in the forests of the US, and Tarzan had lived a fairly normal life up until the ages between 8 and 10, but then hero was ripped away from all he knew and spends the next years hiding in the woods, thinking there is a war going on, and you get a sense of what this book is like.
Lucas, also known as Jak – the reason for the two different names is explained – has led a very lonely and harsh life. No one really knows of his existence and he doesn’t want anyone finding him. But that plan is blown out of the water when the local sheriff finds him near the scene of a murder. Circumstances are suspicious and he brings Luca into the station.
Harper Ward is our heroine. She has also lived a very lonely life. Her parents were in an auto accident many years previous and the car and their bodies were never discovered, and she’s been living in limbo ever since, never allowing anyone to get close. She is drawn into the murder investigation as a consultant, since she knows the territory better than almost anyone. She first sees Lucas at the police station and they share an intense connection with each other.
It’s not long before they rule Lucas out as a suspect, but they are still very cautious about him. But Harper is intrigued and drawn to this rough young man with the lonely story. She relates to him growing up without family. And Lucas is, in turn, very drawn to Harper. He has had very little contact with people, yet he knows from the beginning she is special, and they slowly and gently fall in love with each other.
There is a very intriguing mystery as to what happened to Lucas and why he’s just existing for so many years, so I’m deliberately being vague so as not to spoil anything, but it did keep me very invested in what happened and what’s going on now. The book includes flashbacks to Lucas’s life and how he survived.
I adore both Harper and Lucas. Lucas, having grown up the way he has, alone most of his life, has an innocence about him, yet in other ways he’s very mature. He’s had to be. And Harper is his perfect match. She also has been mostly drifting through life, until Lucas becomes the anchor she needs and very much the hero we all wish we had.
The Legend of Tarzan is one of my new favooourite movies and I’ve watched it a number of times now. Forget the chest crash between Tarzan and his ape brother, it’s the chemistry between Tarzan and Jane that keeps me watching this movie again and again. With the love of that movie in mind, this book really worked for me. I also read a somewhat similar book years ago now, Wild at Heart by Patricia Gaffney, about a young man also ‘lost’ in the forest. I’ve read it many times over the years because I also love it. So Savaged gets ‘good feels’ from me. I got it on Kindle Unlimited, but I think I’m going to purchase a copy as I just know this is another book I’ll be reading again.
I’m not sure if this is the first book in a series. It’s wrapped up at the end, but leaves the possibility for more should Ms. Sheridan ever want to revisit this story. I’m happy as a clam, or at least as a clam can really be, to highly recommend the book. I’ve read some great books by this author and this is another one that goes on that list.
Grade: A-
Summary:
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.
No excerpt available.
