Review: LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Touch of the Wolf
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 3, 2014
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Vivacious Valkyrie - Marta:*Copy gifted in exchange for an honest reviewI seem to be discovering new authors recently, which is fabulous for someone who reads as much as I do but maybe not for my bank manager! Vella Munn is one such author, and I was more than happy to read Touch of the Wolf when recommended by a friend. This is an ideal book for lovers of romantic suspense who are looking for a read that is perhaps a little deeper than many others out there. Although it will also be an interesting read for devotees of paranormal fiction.This story centres around Winter Barstow, a young anthropologist who has no recollection of her family and has grown up in foster care always searching for her place in the world. All she truly knows about herself is she obviously has Native American heritage and has always felt a connection with wolves.The professor she works with Dr Gilsdorf, is on a fact finding mission in the Olympic National Park in Washington when she receives a mysterious tribal mask from him. The mask is in the form of a wolfs head and something about it awakens memories within Winter. Her journey to the Olympic National forest to meet Dr Gilsdorf finds her discovering tragedy as Winter finds out that her mentor has been viciously murdered. Was he slain by opportunistic thieves or is it possible that someone doesn't want his findings made public?Jay Raven is part of the Hoh tribe but has turned his back on many of his families native beliefs. Working as a Park Ranger he struggles to maintain a balance between the modern world and his heritage. He realises that there are those amongst his people that will stop at nothing to protect their most sacred relics but would they go as far as murder? Meeting the mysterious Winter challenges Jays very beliefs as it's obvious that she knows far more than she's prepared to say. Wanting to protect her Jay tries hard to warn her off but sometimes connections just cannot be ignored. Winter is stirring up a can of worms and it looks like the killer hasn't quite finished his dirty work!Ok going to be honest and say I was a bit concerned by the location, use of wolves and native American imagery in this book. Why? Well with the advent of sparkly vampires there does seem to be quite a plethora of similar stories around. Happily this is nothing like those! This book is a grown up read, full of mystery, suspense and historical facts. Set in a very evocative landscape it's full of lush descriptions that take the reader into the forest to journey with the central characters. Yes there is a romance but somehow it felt secondary to the mystery of who the murderer was and just what the reasons where.All in all this was a well thought out story and it's obvious that Ms Munn has done her research . A book to make you think and certainly one to enjoy .