Pursue by Vella Munn

Vengeful dogs hunt for animal abusers, but they can’t do it alone. They need Native American Niko Fox. Will she let Darick Creech protect her?

Niko Fox’s life changes the day massive gray dogs force her to follow them into southern Oregon’s coastal wilderness. When she spots an emaciated mare and the mare’s newborn foal, she rescues the helpless animals. Someone is responsible for the horses’ condition, someone Niko promises to make pay for the crime of animal abuse.

Because of a past conflict with him, she wants nothing to do with Fish and Wildlife officer Darick Creech, but the big, compassionate man understands what the grays represent as well as she does. Darick knows she won’t stop looking for truth and justice. He vows to mend the rift between them so he can do everything possible to ensure her safety. There’s nothing personal between them, nothing to distract them from their shared goal. Or is there?

Niko’s search for answers leads her to an abused dog. As she frees the animal and places it in her vehicle for a trip to the vet, the grays watch.

Niko is special to them—and to the force that rules their behavior. They need her.

Then, as Darick and Niko expected, the grays make their first human kill.

Reader Advisory: This books contains some scenes of violence.

Book 3
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
The third book in this series offers another gritty and thought provoking look at animal cruelty and natural justice. The greys are back and this time Niko, a Native American teacher’s aide, starts to understand the Hopi origins of the vengeful dogs.

There is less mystery in this third book. The dogs’ motives and methods are clear. Instead of a murder mystery, this story questions the morality of the humans who are involved with the dogs. Niko connects with the animals and she can communicate with them. While she abhors the cruelty of the dogs’ victims, she struggles to justify their brutal, feral form of justice.

In this story, Niko works closely with Darick, a Fish and Wildlife officer. Theirs is a tentative friendship. There is a physical attraction between Niko and Darick but this doesn’t really read as a romance. I struggled to warm to either of these characters because they both seemed to be vehicles for the author’s ideas about animal cruelty, justice, and vengeance rather than fully dynamic characters.

The supernatural element of this story is stronger than in the earlier books. There are some incredibly tense and frightening scenes and some disturbing violence. This could probably be read as a standalone novel, but I would advise readers to at least start from the second book, Fangs, for more of the background of the wolves and Niko and Darick’s world.

I’ve really enjoyed this series – the concept is refreshingly original and the stories are difficult to place within a specific genre. I look forward to more from this author.

Also Available in the Feral Justice Series

Book 2
Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
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For reviews & more info, check out our Fangs post.

Vella Munn writes because the voices in her head demand it. She has had upward of 60 titles published both under her own name and several pen names. A dedicated hermit and shopping loather, she’s married with two sons and four grandchildren. She’s owned by two rescue dogs.

Connect with Vella

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Pursue (Feral Justice #3) by Vella Munn to read and review.

Fangs by Vella Munn

As death and danger stalk the southern Oregon coast, Mia Sandas and Jeff Julian must trust each other. Can they handle the truth?

When a poacher leaves a wounded elk cow to suffer on the southern Oregon coast, Mia Sandas has no choice but to end its misery. Before she’s forced to do the same to the cow’s orphaned calf, a massive grey dog appears and snaps its neck.

Unknown to Mia, this is only the beginning of a test of her courage and comprehension. As she turns to Fish and Wildlife officer Jeff Julian, the grey and his four-legged companions stalk local animal abusers.

Jeff and Mia are drawn together as they seek understanding of what is taking place in the forested mountains. They know the canines are committed to primitive justice but why? Who are the targets and what will be the outcome?

Can Jeff and Mia stop more bloodshed—and do they want to?

Book 2
Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Totally Bound

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
I requested this story after falling in love with Vella Munn’s writing in Death Chant. And once again, I was thoroughly captivated by an unusual story. It is the story of Mia, a single woman living in isolation on an Oregon mountain, and Jeff, the wildlife officer investigating poaching crimes on Mia’s mountain. At times a terrifying horror story, this book mixes First Nations mythology with modern animal welfare and a struggle for survival in a harsh environment.

I really loved this. A murder mystery, a horror story, and even a romance at times, this story has a wonderful sense of place and is full of beautifully crafted characters. The point of view shifts constantly in this story, moving readers between Mia, Jeff, the poachers, and the dogs charged with protecting and avenging the animals who live on the mountain. The animal perspective offered by the grey dogs is unusual outside of shifter stories but it works well, bringing an urgency to the hunt and adding a whisper of the supernatural to the story.

I love the stark contrasts in the writing. Lyrical, almost spiritual moments jar harshly against graphic descriptions of brutal attacks and grisly crime scenes. Mia’s pragmatism and her competence don’t sit easily with her emotional vulnerability. Even the poachers are both condemned and empathised with. I love the complexity of the story and the author’s refusal to offer easy answers.

This is a very special book and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Vella Munn writes because the voices in her head demand it. She has had upward of 60 titles published both under her own name and several pen names. A dedicated hermit and shopping loather, she’s married with two sons and four grandchildren. She’s owned by two rescue dogs.

Connect with Vella

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Fangs (Feral Justice #2) by Vella Munn to read and review.