*SPOILERS AHEAD! DON’T READ IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THIS BOOK! 

5⭐️/ 2🌶️ 

A mystery involving different characters, different perspectives explored, and a man who seemed to be at the center of everything, this was a complex case that had come across in Helena Springs. Harper Ward, natural wilderness guide was use to showing tourists around on guided hikes along the trails, and essentially knew all the ways around the Forrest, the terrains, and valuable insight of the lands. What had initially seemed like a normal day in Helena Springs suddenly took a drastic turn when two separate murders occurred, brutally murdered, gory details at the scene of the crime, and the sheriff and townspeople wondered who was responsible for this? It seemed like a big clue was that the murder weapon was an arrow… surprise, surprise when they happened to stumble upon a man who happened to be carrying the murder weapon and was coincidentally near the area of one of the murders… suddenly Lucas became a person of interest. From the unsolved murders, a separate story happening alongside the main story, and the overall dark, mysterious vibes illustrated throughout the story, I was intrigued to see how everything would pan out.

Lucas was a very interesting man. At first glance, Lucas looked wild and unkempt, most even assumed that he didn’t truly know anything, but Harper could tell that Lucas had an intelligence to him that most people overlooked. While reading, I wanted to know every morsel of detail about Lucas because, the way he spoke and behaved was unlike any man Harper had ever come across. In some ways, I couldn’t help, but picture Lucas as a “Tarzan type man” since he was so use to living in the middle of nowhere, being around in the woods, having a keen sense of smell, etc. 

At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect other than the mystery surrounding the two murders that occurred in Helena Springs, but it seemed like there was more to the story than I originally thought. Alongside the story of Lucas, Harper, and Agent Mark Gallagher, there was also the story about a boy named Jak. The circumstances surrounding Jak and how he found himself suddenly in the woods and fighting to survive was unusual especially since it seemed like based off the prologue, Jak had been taken from his home as well as other boys. Jak had to survive in the woods and along the way befriended a wolf pup which he named, Pup. Jak living in the woods did whatever he could to live, and when he stumbled upon the cabin that Driscoll owned, it looked like things were looking up for Jak… or so it seemed. Based off Jak’s chapters, it seemed like the events took place in the past since that was when Driscoll was alive. In addition, the chapters with Jak revealed what he did throughout his years of survival. I grew suspicious as to what Driscoll’s true intentions were in helping Jak. Simultaneously, while Mark was investigating an Issac Driscoll’s murder (*ahem same Driscoll Jak knew) he uncovered journals detailing different findings on different animals, but the information wasn’t adding up… something told me that based off the information Driscoll put together, it wasn’t about animals… perhaps maybe about Jak and the other boys who Jak found himself near the night he was taken. I started formulating my own theories as I read the story, and I grew more and more suspicious as more clues and details were revealed. 

The reveals within the story were SO GOOD and answered many of my questions of the lingering mystery. I had my suspicions on Lucas or should I say.. JAK! I went back & forth on questioning whether they were two different people or the same, but with more insight on the past with Driscoll and Jak’s past, it became clear to me that it was indeed Lucas, especially because he himself admitted that truth to Harper. Even with some truth revealed about Jak’s true identity, there were still other unanswered questions that built up towards the end of the story.

Harper and Jak (a.k.a. originally introduced as Lucas) shared a unique connection, one that I was very much invested in. I found it very interesting how little by little with Harper stopping by to Jak’s cabin, they formed an unlikely friendship which then turned romantic. Harper couldn’t seem to stop thinking about Jak and how sweet, endearing, thoughtful, and strong he was. Jak had somewhat of an innocence to him that was sweet and Harper liked seeing his expressions unfold as he was introduced to new words and reminded of things he knew from when he was a kid. The way Jak thought about Harper was by far the most fascinating way I’ve ever heard a man think about a woman such as, the way he loved Harper’s smell, the way she interacted with him, the smiles she had that he was responsible for, and so much more. Harper and Jak had great chemistry and once they started to get closer and intimate was when their relationship started to take flight and make them wonder what would come next for them. I honestly couldn’t get enough of the moments Harper and Jak shared, it was so romantic, and even the simple times of reading, “The Count of Monte Cristo”, taking walks in the woods, just living in the moments of simplicity together was lovely. The way Jak would occasionally think about Harper in terms of “mates” just spoke to his “animal” side and how even he was with her, he felt like he couldn’t contain the “animal” in him because he just wanted her so much. Yeah a man who’s like Jak was quite rare, but I also found it sexy the way he got around Harper. 

I’ll admit the beginning took a bit to get into, but only because the story needed to set some things up, but once I started to understand the bits and pieces, then the story started to grab my attention more. Originally it seemed like the mystery behind the double murders was the only thing that I was expecting to learn about, but as the story progressed, little by little it seemed too much of a coincidence that what happened to the night Harper’s parents died to Jak being abducted by a strange man leading to him living in solitude in the woods occurred on the exact same night?!?! Not to mention the true identity of Jak’s family and who’s family he was part of?! What in the world?! Mia Sheridan had me on the edge of my seat while I was reading. With the clues leading up to some big reveals, some I was expecting, others taking me by surprise. Jak and Harper’s lives were intertwined years before they had met, it was all so mysterious and thrilling to see how everything was connected back to Jak and Harper. 

This story had me in a tailspin. Just when I thought I figured something out, turns out there was even more to be discovered! Mia Sheridan did such a fantastic job in terms of building the mystery, suspense, and revealing the twists and turns to the plot. Jak and Harper’s story was so much more than I originally thought, and I loved seeing how their story unfolded. Both Jak and Harper had gone through so much throughout their lives, but being together they found they fit perfectly, they complimented each other in a way that just made sense. While this story was focused more on the mystery aspect, I couldn’t get enough of the moments between Jak and Harper. Jak and Harper were characters that I fell in love with over the course of the story, and omg they were so sweet and loving together! The way everything came to light in the mystery was shocking and surprising! Overall, this was such a fantastic book, and again, not knowing what to expect gave me the opportunity to go into the story with an open mind. This had a little bit of everything, and I cannot stress just how much the twists and turns in this mystery were so great, as well as the romance and chemistry, I loved every bit of this story. The ending and epilogue filled me with joy to see Jak and Harper living happily together, and despite all the trauma and hurt they experienced, they had each other, and moved forward in their lives together.