Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver

Description

Kellan “Kell” Hayes, the previous heir of a ranch, promised never to let anyone get close again after a poaching raid killed his brother. Kell is now one of the best wolf trackers in the country. He lives alone in Alaska’s rugged backwoods, which is both his sanctuary and his punishment. He knows these regions better than anybody else. He knows where to find secret dens, how to interpret snow-covered tracks, and how to predict where a wolf pack will travel when the northern lights are out. On the other hand, people are a mystery he would rather not deal with.

But when Kell finds Avery Mercer half-frozen on a snowy path, everything changes. Avery, a brave wildlife photographer from Seattle, was sent to take pictures of Silverback, the famous alpha wolf with an ivory-white coat and piercing amber eyes that have enthralled environmentalists all over the world. Avery is alone, shivering, and scared that her aspirations and career are ruined after her engine failed in a sudden blizzard. Kell wants to leave her outside, but something in her resolute look reminds him of what he’s lost, so he takes her back to his cabin, which is locked up and where the wind sounds like a wolf’s howl.

Avery and Kell don’t get along because of their circumstances. She wants to take pictures at dawn in freezing conditions, and he has strict regulations about camp safety and how to deal with wolves. But when she warms up in his small shelter with a wood stove and shares meals of trail stew and fresh salmon, her warmth starts to break down Kell’s carefully built defenses. He teaches her how to follow a pack by looking at the way their paw prints spread out; she teaches him how to find beauty in being weak. They do trust exercises under clear sky lit up by auroras. They carry each other across precarious ice flows, talk about childhood experiences of loss and departure, and read poetry by lantern light that talks about nature and wonder.

Kell finds proof of a well-organized poaching operation that is targeting Silverback’s pack, which suddenly puts their increasing closeness at risk. These crooks will do anything to get the alpha’s fur as a trophy, as shown by the high-powered weapons, tranquilizer darts with poison, and GPS collars that have been tampered with to show den sites. Using Avery’s cameras and Kell’s tracking skills, they set out on a secret expedition across freezing tundra and through thick spruce forests to find the people responsible before the next moonless night allows further bloodshed.

They fight off intruders on a hill that is being blown by the wind, set humane traps to catch a poacher in the act, and execute a daring midnight rescue of a wolf pup that is stuck in an unlawful snare. Every dangerous moment brings them closer together, showing them hidden strengths Avery’s unflappable fortitude under fire and Kell’s ability to be tender and teaching them that love, like the wild, needs both respect and bravery.

Avery and Kell face up against the brain behind the poaching ring at the last confrontation in Silverback’s den, a snow-covered cave carved into granite cliffs. The mastermind is a discredited wildlife researcher who has become a black-market dealer. They have to rely on the trust they’ve formed to outsmart a man who sees both of them and the wolves as nothing more than goods.

Wild Eyes takes you on an incredible trip across the wilds of Alaska and the human heart. Elsie Silver writes a great mix of visceral suspense, poetic nature writing, and a passionate love story that shows that even the strongest guardian needs help sometimes.

About the Author

Elsie Silver is a New York Times bestselling author renowned for her atmospheric romances set against rugged landscapes from Alaskan tundra to Scottish glens. A former wildlife ecologist, she brings authenticity to stories where nature and human emotion intertwine. Elsie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three rescue huskies.

Product Details

• Title: Wild Eyes
• Author: Elsie Silver
• ISBN-13: 9781464242861
• Publisher: Zebra Books
• Published: January 28, 2020
• Pages: 384
• Binding: Paperpack