Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
Sometimes a simple choice, like opening a window, can alter your destiny forever.

Five years ago, Isla’s life was as happy as it had ever been. She’d finally had a place and people to call her own. But a split second decision irrevocably changed her life, and there was no going back.

Axel, Archer and Wyatt have spent the last five years hunting for Isla across the country after she disappeared from her home one night. Determined to find the girl that completed their Pride like no person before or since, they track her to Louisiana, and are prepared to beg her to come home.

But what they find down in the Bayou changes everything, and they soon find themselves in a life or death battle with a psychopathic lion monarch, as they desperately try to convince Isla that not only can she trust them, but that they all belong together.

This is a Reverse Harem Romance and the main protagonist has a HEA with more than one man. Heat level: Spicy!

Hunting Isla is the first novel in the Black Mountain Mates series.

122 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2019

299 people are currently reading
414 people want to read

About the author

Grace McGinty

64 books2,200 followers
When I was nine, my grandmother and her friends used to read and swap Harlequin Mills and Boons novels. When I was busted reading one, they started sneaking me boxes full of strong heroines and rugged men. Thus started a long love affair with the romance genre.

Then I discovered urban fantasy, and fell in love with broody Alphas and sexy paranormals, and combining them together was a no brainer.

Then I discovered Reverse Harem.... Oh my. Why choose, am I right?

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
486 (37%)
4 stars
424 (33%)
3 stars
284 (22%)
2 stars
72 (5%)
1 star
15 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
Profile Image for CassDamm.
683 reviews95 followers
January 8, 2025
It was ok but so rushed. Literally going at triple speed for every single event. It needed like 200 more pages to give more details for the story.
83 reviews4 followers
November 16, 2019
Amazing as always.

Do yourself a favour and read this book.

Grace never disappoints. Her characters are always well developed, and multi-dimensional. Her stories, even the shorter ones, still have enough substance to sink your teeth into.

I really enjoyed reading Isla's story and cant wait to read any future Black Mountain Mate books.
Profile Image for Annie.
203 reviews2 followers
November 16, 2019
Fun and heartfelt shifter story

Sexy
Sweet
Heartfelt
I loved this read, it was fun and enjoyable-just enough steam, shifter politics and pack love.
A definite must read!
Profile Image for ChristinaReads5.
756 reviews2 followers
September 2, 2024
not my favorite from Grace McGinty but still enjoyable

Isla is given a baby and told to run. She does as her best friend asks and finds that her best friend and family were killed and she is going to raise the baby and keep him safe. But there are people looking for her and the baby is being hunted.

Lion shifters and bear shifters. Not normally a fan of being able to turn into a shifter, but it works with the story. It was cute and no conflict between the love interests.
Profile Image for Dana aka ♥Belladonna♥ .
836 reviews173 followers
July 13, 2022
Bohdie & Isla were cute and the story had potential, but the character building was lacking. It made the romance feel forced and perfunctory.
The ending felt rushed. We weren't given an answer to what happened to Talbot. And poor Axel got the shaft. What should have been the conclusion/HEA, between Axel and Isla (and the boys), is 100% off page and assumed.
Profile Image for Angel.
1,189 reviews14 followers
May 5, 2024
Overall, it was a cute story. There were some parts that I was just like... get on with it already... or there were equal parts where I thought, well, that was a tad rushed.
I would have loved to see more of the relationship between father and son.
And I would have loved a future jump to their own cubs.

kudos on the proper use of come vs cum.
Profile Image for Kelsey Coussou Buckman.
346 reviews20 followers
January 30, 2024
gimme more Grace!

I started this before Grace confirmed it was a standalone for me 🤣 I was ready to be mad at myself for a cliffhanger. Now I just want to yell at her to go write Vance and the bears a book too. *side eyes her muse to get to musing*
Profile Image for Lexie Winston.
Author 48 books926 followers
November 15, 2019
Awesome

I love Graces McGintys stories and this new offering is no different. It is heart warming and fun and sexy all rolled into one. I love a fabulous shifter story and this certainly counts as one. Highly recommended
Profile Image for Murphy.
725 reviews
March 12, 2021
He tasted like sunshine and perfection

Grace.....how are you going to keep doing me like this!? Lol. I need those extra R rated scenes of group fun times! 😂

The story of Isla, Axel, Archer and Wyatt was great! Omg I loved Axel and Archer- 🤤 totally my favorites 😉! They are all brought together in their teens along with Cara. They are all best of friends. One night - Cara wakes Isla and essentially tells her she’s in trouble and Isla is the only one that can help her. Isla takes off without question to discover Caras 2-day old baby in the back seat with Isla listed as his birth mother.
Fast-forward 5 yrs later and the guys are on the search for the only girl they ever loved! Isla has quickly learned things aren’t always what they seem and someone is trying to take away her son.

I’ve totally read everything out of order but I love Bohdie so much right now! Lol. Im so ready for the new book with him “sweethearts and savages!” Plus I hope we get to see more of Isla and her pride!

*Overall 5/5
*Heat? 4/5 Still need a scene with Axel and then group fun times 🤔
*First person POV all main characters
*Fast-Burn
*HEA? Yes!
Profile Image for Angel.
335 reviews4 followers
May 20, 2021
Loved the Black Mountain Posse

So i was reading Eden Academy 2 and noticed the graph at the beginning showing the crossovers. Realized I'd read all the related books except this one. Loved Bohdies character so much i immediately downloaded this book. I'm so glad i did.
Isla, Bohdie, Vance and Wyat were all my favorites. So much so i don't think i could just choose one of them. The story was interesting for world building. The lion shifters and bear shifters had such a different pack dynamic to the group in the dark river books which have more diversity of animals or the wolf clan mentioned in Azars books. It made the world feel more real seeing how each place had different customs even if they are all "shifters" unfortunately lion customs suck and so isla and her group fight against it. Vance and the bears were so interesting and endearing. I loved Vance so much i hope he gets his own book! The end mentioned a novella about the bears but i couldn't find it *cries*
Profile Image for beth m.
875 reviews
May 28, 2021
Meh

This was not the same quality as other books by this author that I have read. I agree with all the other reviews, there is so much potential but it was cut completely short . This book was lacking depth, descriptions, and steamy scenes... I mean. Come.on.
Profile Image for Haste.
225 reviews5 followers
Read
July 28, 2025
In a book called hunting Isla, Isla is only being hunted for roughly 2 pages.

Notes/Questions:
- I dislike that the mmcs were so close to Cara as well. They were all lion shifters together, I wonder if they would have chosen Cara if she was still alive instead of Isla?

- How did it take lion shifters (with heightened smell) 5 years to track down a simple human?

- What is with getting bitten and sucking blood to turn into a lioness? Isn’t that more a vampire thing?

📕📗📘📙📕📗📘📙📕📗📘📙📕📗📘📙📕📗📘

Summary
Isla heads back to her foster home after watching movies with her friends (Axel, Wyatt and Archer). She is approached by a frantic Cara (her and the guys’ pregnant friend) who shoves Isla into a packed car and begs her to run. Realizing Cara’s baby is in the car, Isla runs. The next day Isla watches the news and sees that Cara’s entire family was murdered.

Skip 5 years ahead, Axel, Wyatt and Archer have been searching for Isla all this time. They find her on the brink of death after Bodie (Cara’s son) had bitten her during his first transition into a lion cub. They turn her into a lioness to save her life, and internally decide she is their mate. The men tell Isla that Cara was also a lioness and her family was killed by another lion who wanted to take over her family’s pride. Understanding that Bodie would have been in line for the throne, the group realizes they have to run.

The group find Billy, Bodie’s father (and the son of Cara’s killer). With his hell and the help of a group of bears, they kill Bob (Cara’s killer) and help Billy take over the Pride.


𝕳𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊 .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kristi Jung.
330 reviews8 followers
March 11, 2021
Hmm...

3.5 stars or less.

This book has so much potential. Author, this book would be 5/5 or a million out of a million if you expand the books into 2-3 books. Imagine, the first portion being shown in more detail.. Isla on the run with [spoiler] and their struggles. Then halfway through that first book they reconnect with the harem. Then the next book would be about the problem/plot, and instead of the plot being rushed it could be eased alongside the romance. Oh man.. I can see it now. The readers would fall in love with the characters and the books. Instead, as it is, everything is rushed and therefore loses almost all quality. You’ve got the plot, you’ve got the potential, you’ve got the characters and world building... now let it flourish!

I felt cheated that half the book was told, because we miss YEARS of context and character development and background. Isla’s background wasn’t even talked about.. it just.. was there. I want to know how it impacted her. What lasting problems (emotionally) her background left her with.

*Sigh longingly*... so much potential.
Profile Image for Annelie.
684 reviews25 followers
July 11, 2022
Good but worst plan ever ⭐⭐⭐3.5⭐⭐⭐

An interesting story about a teenager who has to flee one day in the middle of the night and keep a precious secret during five years.

Isla had a nice life, hanging aroung with three hot guys and her bestie, carefree and happy. But one night, everything changed and Isla has been given a big responsibility considering she's only 17 years old. Five years later, the guys who have never given up searching her, found her and discovered her secret. Isla has realised that there are more than human in the world and has to deal with the shifter world and their ruthless code.

I enjoyed this book but I rated it 3.5 stars because of the end. Their plan to defeat the villain is one of the stupidest one I'v ever read about🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😂 It was ridiculous and the worst is that it worked totally! It's a shame to end a book like this. The storyline flows nicely, there are mystery, romance, RH, and shifters but this part felt sloppy🤷‍♀️ It's disapointing...

But globally, this is a nice standalone shifter RH story, and suited for a pleasant and quick read😊
Profile Image for Nikki.
906 reviews83 followers
September 29, 2022
Rating: 3.75 Stars
POV(s): Multiple—First Person
Relationship: Reverse Harem
Genre(s): Paranormal Romance

Divider


From sports romance, romantic suspense, omegaverse, and now paranormal—Grace McGinty hasn’t disappointed me yet. Fingers crossed that Vance and his Sleuth will get their own book sometime in the near future.

Divider


Title: “Hunting Isla (Black Mountain Mates #1)” by Grace McGinty
Interconnected Series: TBD
Standalone: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
HEA:
Triggers:
Tags/Tropes:
➢ Fated-Mates
➢ FMC-On-the-Run
➢ Guardian-of-Child
➢ Lion-Shifters
➢ Seperation (5 years)
➢ Single-Mom
➢ Small-Harem (3 men)
1,028 reviews6 followers
May 19, 2025
Pretty good. It felt a little short and rushed.

I think we needed more time to get to know Isla in the original setting - especially pertaining to her relationship with Cara. I needed to see that their friendship was strong enough for Isla to just jump in a car and take off with so little explanation and instruction.

Additionally, the relationship changes with the guys after the time jump felt really abrupt. We were told they were just friends, and had no romantic feelings for each other when the book started, so it should've picked up from there, and given time to grow into romantic love. Instead, it read like body betrayal syndrome. Granted, these guys had never bullied her or done anything to hurt her, but still, the switch from friends to lovers was driven by lust and hormones, not an emotional connection. Idk, I expect more from a friends to lovers storyline.

That said, I did like all the characters and would love to read more about the bear shifters.
Profile Image for Sam&Dean.
966 reviews21 followers
June 6, 2024
I'm making my way through all of Grace McGinty's books and I enjoyed reading Hunting Isla❤️❤️❤️
There are a few things that weren't my favorite, including LONG 5-year separation between the characters. I understood why but I just hate any kind of separation. Little Bohdie was great though and I wouldn't mind seeing him get his own story, all grown up and taking over the Lion Pride🦁

My only other complaint was that 🌶️I LOVE SPICE🌶️ and this book was lacking 🔥HEAT🔥for a Grace McGinty story. We NEVER got Isla and Axel together, didn't get to see them mated and we definitely needed the "package deal" with the 4 of them, so sad....🔥🔥🔥

Anyway, I can see a lot of possibilities for more books in this series, and is there a book out there featuring the Cold River Sleuth?? I REALLY HOPE SO BECAUSE WE DEFINITELY NEED MORE TALBOT & FRANKLIN!!!!❤️❤️
Profile Image for Sarah D.
1,169 reviews7 followers
April 18, 2025
This book has a good concept and plot, but is badly executed. The world building and characters are really undeveloped.

How are Axel, Archer and Wyatt related to the lion pride? They seem to be from a different pride, but are also allowed to live in the same town, despite being alphas. They live there even after the bad guy takes over. It doesn’t make sense.

How many lion prides are there? Are they from the same one?

How does lion society function if the male lions are constantly killing everyone, including their own sons? Why do the lion females allow themselves to be enslaved by two dudes who murder all their kids?

There are plenty of editing issues: in one scene, Axel and Archer’s names are used interchangeably. Lots of typos and misused words. This really just comes across as a rough first draft.
665 reviews6 followers
June 16, 2021
A 3.5 star read for me. I enjoy McGinty's writing style (huge fan of the Dark River Days series). Good read for relatively low angst plot. Yes, there's drama and mystery with the evil Regis. Low angst on the guys sharing, low angst getting back together. I echo other reviewer's sentiments that delving into the struggle that Isla had on her own, more backstory to the depths that the guys went to find her would be beneficial. I'd even like more backstory on them as teenagers - what drove each of the guys to get ousted from their Prides, how did they really find each other, what struggles they went through. Not enough of Cara in the plot either. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the book, it just feels like it could be so much more.
9 reviews
May 31, 2023
LOVE LOVE LOVE

As always anything Grace writes is amazing and becomes my new favorite book. This in particular is up the with her Manix series for me which is my all time fav. series ever. It hit all the mushy gushy notes and of course since Grace wrote it, it scratches all the spicy itches you may have! I do wish I got to see a little more of the spicy scenes between the pride but apart from that the smexy parts were 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️. I do hope she continues this series cause I need another great series of hers to be consumed by. In conclusion definitely worth the read honestly think there should be “100% satisfaction guaranteed” in big bold letters on the cover. 😜
Profile Image for M Robinson .
2,422 reviews
April 8, 2024
Dnf 85%

Forced myself to get far and I find I just cant be bothered to read anymore.

My least fav book of this authors by far! Its too mills n boon esque. Meh. It just feels formulaic and tedious. I cant get invested in this story at all, not least the whole premise of her running off with a baby at 17. It just was too farfetched. Ues shifters aren't but her running off with a 2 day old new born is. And then she dumps her car! So she has no buggy, a car seat n is carrying everything by herself plus caring for a newborn? Nope it doesn't work like that. Those first few weeks/months are the most difficult.

Anyway its not for me.

Just not for me
Profile Image for Chrissy.
1,390 reviews62 followers
June 11, 2020
Easy Entertaining Read

This was a fun bite-sized book. I really enjoyed meeting Isla and the guys and the story was told with Grace McGinty’s usual flair and taste for humour and heat.

Isla is a 17 year old girl who went into foster care after living on the streets, for several years. She has four friends, three guys who share an apartment and Cara who introduced her to them. One night Cara comes to Isla and begs her to leave, giving her a car and a suitcase with some cash. Isla trusts her friend and runs, only to find something in the back seat she wasn’t expecting.

Isla is a strong and determined young woman with a kind and compassionate side. She loves deeply and gives her loyalty completely when she does give it.

The guys, Axel, Archer and Wyatt are fantastic characters, as well, and I really enjoyed getting to know them. For a novella, this author creates and conveys characters exceedingly well, as often with this format the characters lose a little of their resonance.

The plot was fairly straight forward, though imaginative and a little different, and I really enjoyed working my way through the book to find out what happened next.

If you are looking for a great quick distraction then I recommend this book. It’s pure escapism and you will enjoy it.
Profile Image for Natasha.
414 reviews3 followers
November 1, 2020
This story was originally in the shifter’s destiny anthology, but is book 1 of a series. It’s reverse harem, so there will be more than one love interest. It’s a complete story and all of the characters are wonderful and very likeable, especially meeting the bears, who we encounter in another series, and will soon have their own story. This is a gifted Author, who fabulous at world building and creating memorable characters. Looking forward to meeting all of these characters again in cross over series and stories.
Profile Image for Bibliophilist 99.
241 reviews2 followers
August 1, 2021
Yes!! Go isla!

I adored this warm hearted read, as I have been for Grace McGinty's read. This standalone storyline is about 3 male lion shifters and 1 human with a twist. And boy what a twist it was! The FMC, Isla is strong and fierce. I love me some strong alpha females! The 3 male lions are handsome, broody, and a hand full. Lord help Isla. I absolutely loved them. I seriously couldn't choose between any of them. This is a feel good must read paranormal shift #whychoose romance
Profile Image for The Dirty Bookworm.
154 reviews7 followers
April 25, 2022
I want more!

This novella would have been better as a full length book because there was so much more I wanted to see. And I wanted to get to know the characters better too.

Great plot, just needed more time for more detail and character development and it would have been perfect. Also I felt like Axel got done dirty because we never get a scene with him and Isla getting it on.

I cant wait for the next one with the bear shifters. Franklin and Talbot are such silly characters and I cant wait!
510 reviews2 followers
February 15, 2023
Hope there will be more!

I got into this authors books thru the Manix series. I read the first 3 books in days and then decided I wanted to read more. Since the 4th book isn't out just yet I decided this one was next. Partially because of the price and partially because it was by itself. I am so not disappointed! It was just as addicting as the Manix series! And even tho I like reading things in order I will probably be working my way thru each series in the same Manix world next. But I do hope there will be more in this series as well!
Profile Image for Shannon Davis.
99 reviews2 followers
June 27, 2024
Such a great shortish story!

I love the characters in this book so much!
Isla, Axel, Archer and Wyatt are all so well written.
I was pulled in from the very first chapter and stayed at it until the end. I thought it would have links to past books but so far I don't think this one has any overlap. The lions don't anyway..maybe we'll see the bears in a future book.
I hope so because the twins and Vance just beg for their own stories to be told.
Maybe Bohdie will end up in Eden? Hmm
Profile Image for Sharon.
873 reviews10 followers
December 2, 2023
Ah, I loved this. I'm a sucker for childhood friends to lovers, so this was right up my alley.

Don't think I ever read about Lion shifters before, but I absolutely loved it. And that sweet, vicious cub Bodhi? Obsessed.

I must say, even though I loved all these guys, the bear shifter took the cake. The men were hilarious.

The nicknames, the banter, I absolutely loved them. I really, really hope we'll get to see more of them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.