Unwanted (Men and Monsters #1) by Mia Sheridan

I've only read one of Mia Sheridan's books in the past, so I think that helped me going into this book as I didn't have any expectations. I enjoyed how this book mixed romance with a bit of a thriller. I say bit of a thriller as that was definitely not a main aspect of the story, instead those climatic scenes regarding 'who did it?' were at the very end of the book. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely some investigative moments happening throughout the story, however it is more focused on some tame background for Lucas and one of the victims.

The main aspect of this story is a romance and I enjoyed how the relationship between Harper and Lucas develops. They understand each other in many different ways and truly help each other open up. I also thought Sheridan did a great job of adding a more animalistic approach on Lucas's end as it is more believable. Although a bit fantastical, it does focus on the instinctive feelings one can have. Certain descriptions reminded me of reading "Where the Crawdads Sing", watching someone try to determine human situations by only having animals as a reference. A lot of nuances do not make sense but you can get an overall feeling of anger, fear, etc.

Getting flashbacks of a character fighting to survive the harsh elements of Montana with no resources was terrifying and astounding. I wish there had been a few more of these scenes as there were a few dark situations touched upon but you don't get the full scene as the character was living it and some of those would have been really amazing.

The agent side character, but also somewhat of a main character as we receive his third person point of view a few times, was unnecessary at times. There was a lot that was pretty obvious early on regarding the mystery of Lucas. I wasn't bored with his investigation, but after finishing the book, I could have done with more scenes between Harper and Lucas versus these side interviews that told me things I already knew.

The ending did become a bit far-fetched but I get where the author is going to set this up as a series. I enjoyed this overall and I'm definitely interested in reading more of these "savage" men, how fun!, but I have to kind of brush off the craziness of it all.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: 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.