Stolen by the Mountain Man

Rugged Hearts #3

by Aria Cole

Kidnapped. Held captive in the wilderness. And now…rescued by the most dangerous man she’s ever met…



Hunter Warner doesn’t do people—he does solitude, survival, and silence. As the quietest of the nine brothers, he’s built a life deep in the rugged wilds of Devil’s Peak, training people to endure nature’s harshest tests. But when he stumbles upon Lark—terrified, gathering wild berries, and being held captive by a crazed off-gridder—his instincts kick protect, rescue, and claim.



Lark’s been a prisoner for as long as she can remember, stolen from her city life by a man obsessed with controlling her every move. But the day she meets Hunter, everything changes. He’s an ex-military survivalist with a burning intensity, one who’s willing to break every rule to save her. Desperate and drawn to his over-the-top protective presence, she’s willing to put her life—and her heart—in his hands.



Hunter’s raw masculinity and lethal skills captivate Lark, while her vulnerability and inner strength awaken a primal desire in him to possess her completely. As danger closes in and the wilderness strips them bare, he knows one thing for she’s his, and he’ll kill to keep her safe.



Will Lark escape one captor just to surrender to another? Or will Hunter’s touch be the one she’s been waiting for all along?



The Rugged Hearts series is full of rugged, ex-military, mountain men brothers, steamy tension, seductive banter, and love worth fighting for.



Get ready for a steamy adventure where a reclusive mountain man risks everything for a woman who’s only ever known captivity in this age gap, touch-her-and-die, over-protective insta-love romance that will leave you craving a mountain man of your own!

Genres: Contemporary

117 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 29, 2024

About the author

Aria Cole is the pen name of a USA Today bestselling author who published her first book in 2012 and began writing contemporary romance long before that.

Her books always feature possessive alpha men and the sassy, curvy, nerdy heroines who love them, along with a healthy dose of irresistible insta-love and happily-ever-afters sweet enough to make your teeth ache.

Follow Aria on Amazon for new release updates, or stalk her on social to see which daring book boyfriend she's writing next!

Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/ccGnRX
Instagram - http://bit.ly/2OzIWSA
Facebook - http://bit.ly/2d3UsDr
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Reviews

[*CJ* · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Stolen by the Mountain Man” is the story of Lark and Hunter.

Sweet insta love, double v card romance between the heroine (who is kidnapped in the woods) and the hero (her rescuer).

It was a sugary treat.

Safe
2.5/5

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stolen...AGAIN

ok so I usually do not dnf books especially novellas since they are already so short but this one I stopped. Which is surprising because I love mountain men AND I love this author and usually race thru all the books.

I get that obviously its about the sexy mountain man saving the young woman and being her rescuer and showing her they can have a perfect life. INSTA LOVE - I'm constantly reading these books and I love them. But she left a very controlling dad to be kidnapped by an abusive controlling stranger....to be "saved" by Hunter as he brings her back to his mountain to be with him forever. PLUS right after he saves her and they are escaping, they are having sex outside where they are both losing their V cards. But never did he think, no I'm going to do the right thing by this traumatized woman who I think I've fallen in love with (in about 8 seconds) and swear to do right by her and make a life with her and show her her worth and make her know how we are made for each other. There was no chemistry but between these two.

Idk why his dirty talk, the quick pace of their physical relationship, and her lack of trauma and his lack of brains triggered me so badly....oh well I think him thankful this is the last of he series? Hopefully? Because I won't be continuing regardless.

[Barbara Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this story but it just didn’t do it for me. I love the concept of the story but found several inconsistencies throughout. It also seemed repetitive in places. I found some parts a little confusing.
There was too much hot and cold ….he wanted her then pushed her away. She wanted him then ran.
However I will say the cover is a home run and with some tweaking the story would be
Much more enjoyable.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sharon Akshar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story 'Stolen by the Mountain Man' by Aria Cole is about an ex-soldier who lives on a mountain coming upon a young woman one day who is out picking berries. He can see at once that she is frightened and ill at ease. When he asks if she needs help, he can sense her feeling of hopelessness. At his prodding she confesses that she has been kidnapped and held prisoner for months by a cruel old man that lives on the mountain. She panics and hurries back the way she came from by stating that she will never be able to be free of the man and she will get beat again if she tries. But Hunter Warner has decided to help Lark get away from her abductor and he comes to the cabin at night when the old man is in a drunken sleep, and he tells Lark to come with him and that he will take her to safety. For some reason she feels that she can trust Hunter to keep her safe and they begin the hurried journey away from her captor. The longer Hunter is with Lark, he realizes that he will do anything to protect her.

[Unrulyreadr Reviews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying , it took everything in me to finish this book. It was 1st draft writing, that I thought I might have gotten a ARC some how. So beyond the girl who is kidnapped , and then kidnapped again. It is this little gem... They get caught in the rain, he tell her to get out of her wet clothes, and she does. BUT then it describes him taking off her dress, panties etc. AGAIN, in the next scene. Now we are going to have sex and here is a woman who was kidnapped and held hostage for a few months and she taste like fire and ice...I don't even want to go there. But then you have the wrong words used like: "You freeze me in my tracks with just a look." It should be , You froze me in my tracks with just a look. Furthermore Lark honey, this man rescued you, told you he loved you with in a 2hr period, gave you his Vcard and you keep questioning him. STOP !!! I can't give this book no more than 1 star. Will I read more in this series.. sadly no.

[Siobhan D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunter Warner is an ex-solider who doesn’t do people, he does solitude, survival, and silence. He now training people to endure nature’s harshest tests. One day while out picking berries, he comes across a woman who is frightened. Hunter soon finds out her name is Lark and she has been kidnapped and held prisoner for months by a cruel old man that lives on the mountain, but she runs back to the cabin. Hunter has decided to help Lark get away from her abductor and he comes to the cabin at night when the old man is in a drunken sleep, and he tells Lark to come with him and that he will take her to safety. Lark goes with him knowing she will be protected by him.
Hunter and Lark have great chemistry together as well as some explosive romance.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tara]

Contradictory

The writing in this book was... fine. It wasn't good, and, if you can get back a ton of contradicitons, it wasn't exactly bad either. There are times when she's in a dress and others he's taking off her pants. She's naked and then dressed. The bad guy "tied her to his bed and broke her spirit" before she spent months alone with him, but she (18) and the MMC (34) are double virgins. It took them multiple days to hike 15 miles, which an average person could feasable hike in a day. Later in the book, he hiked to the cabin and back (30 miles round trip) in a single night while she was asleep. The same phrases and thoughts are repeated over and over, and for as short as this book is (92 pages of the 117 listed) it was difficult to finish.

I love insta-love books, but this one wasn't wortht he time I wasted on it.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a crazy mountain man kidnapped Lark she never imagined another mountain man would save her. Hunter lives on the mountain for peace and quiet but rescues Lark and his whole world changes. This is an intense read with believable characters, danger, drama, steam, and unexpected twists that make this a good read. Stolen by the Mountain Man is book three and a good addition to the Rugged Hearts series. I look forward to reading the rest of this series. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[C.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say?

I’m all for the possessive alpha male main character but this book is a walking cliche of the trope. How many times in one conversation can he declare “you’re mine”? It made me want to pull my hair out.

Character development was lacking. Why should I care about the characters if they really wasn’t introduced? How can I root for the MC if I really don’t understand what makes him tick.

This book felt like a rush job. I gave 3 stars just for the follow ups (Epilogues).

[Lisa Pate · Rating 5 out of 5]

a steamy read

Lard had been kidnapped and beaten daily by Cyrus. By chance Hunter sees her and is determined to help her. He gets her to leave Cyrus in the dead of night and leads her to his lodge, family and safety. On the way they find the love that the both of the desperately need. Most of the story is filled with their steamy love and how they managed to have a growing family.

[LA FITCH · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mountain man story. Hunter comes across Lark as she is foraging for berries and when she says she had been taken by an old man in a cabin nearby hunter sees the bruises on her arm. Late at night when Lark is looking out the window and her captor is drunk Hunter arrives and sneaks her away. It takes a couple of days to get to the lodge and when they arrive her captor is there waiting. Hunter and Lark's love story is a must-read.

[Will Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I loved the concept of the story and the characters were good, not to mention a lot of hot spice thrown in throughout, I couldn't connect to it. It felt way too much like the hero took advantage early on. Yet, there were many good parts in the story to offset the small discrepancies. Overall, a solid 4 stars.

[cloud_9_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a free download that I took a chance on. I like the premise of the story and the characters themselves - but I wish I had realized how short it was before it started. You’re immediately thrown into the climax of the story (no pun intended) with no background character or plot building. If you enjoy quick reads with insta love, then this would be a book for you.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Lark and Hunter. It’s a well written story. I found a bit of it repetitive, and sometimes says hmmm? I did enjoy the story itself.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of HOTTEST and most engaging romance book. In fact, each one of these books in this series is AMAZING with the best characters and HEA endings ever. Hunter and Lark have some really great chemistry together as well as some explosive romance.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has given us a heart pounding story that pulls us into the lives of Hunter and Lark. The story keeps us turning the pages with fears, trust issues, determination, danger and steam.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Andrea Hartline · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I know this is a short novella, but falling in love in the first chapter is crazy. The dialogue between the characters is so cringe. The plot is totally implausible. The spice was decent, but totally lacking a plot. This book gave me the ick, I don’t know why.

[Imogen Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lark (18)
Hunter (34)

Lark left her father who was abusive towards her 2 days after she turned 18. She got taken by a man after letting him give her a lift, months later she meets Hunter while looking for berries and he helps her escape the man who took her

Dual Virgins

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

[Cynthia Siermienski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stolen by the Mountain Man

Good book. Fast reading and intriguing action. Lark was a brave young woman. Hunter was her white knight. The story kept you entertained and interested.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good

This is a very good book. I really enjoyed it so so very much. I can’t believe that old man took that young girl and thought he could keep her.