I love adventures starring working dogs, and this romance certainly features the great outdoors for our heroes with two smart K9 partners. DANGER ZONE sounds just right for avalanche rescue teams.

Lily Alton has joined a Colorado ski resort’s avalanche team with her young dog, Shelby, a Belgian Malinois. This is a herding dog whose instinct is to protect the flock. Skycrest Resort is busy this winter, as a lower resort recently closed. Ski patrol captain Scott Linden needs to be sure all the dogs are up to standard, so early on, he makes Lily requalify Shelby. This is a way to show the reader what kind of training Shelby has gained to find people under deep snow. Both Lily and Scott have lost people to avalanches, and they want to try to prevent this happening again, as well as find anyone stranded. Advice to visitors and taking practical steps to defuse potential hazards are a major part of the work.  

Along with his Labrador, Hunter, Scott leads a dedicated team. He is the most experienced at the Rocky Mountain ski resort. Scott is in charge when a young boy goes missing. Jackson is only nine years old, and Lily is his occasional babysitter when his dad, Denton Endicott, has to be away on business. Worse is to follow, as the ski tracks lead away from the resort. A ransom note is delivered. While Denton is trying to negotiate, Lily and Scott take off, depending on their survival skills to clamber through hazardous mountains and forests. An approaching snowstorm, the risk of being caught in an avalanche, hypothermia and lack of food may not be the only dangers they face. They don’t know if young Jackson is alive or able to help himself. All they know is, they have to depend on each other and their willing dogs.

You can probably tell I had a great time with this gripping story. I thought the dogs would need more fuel – I would need more fuel – to cope with the endless deep snow and bitter nights. Don’t try this at home. The romance seemed to develop suddenly, and the two didn’t really talk about how their lives might go forward. Cindi Myers has put the focus on the inhospitable snow conditions and the work of training dogs as partners in this endeavour. DANGER ZONE should satisfy your thirst for outdoor adventure in a romantic suspense story. Love the dogs.