Harley Tatum returns to Copper Mountain, Alaska, as a PI, tracking down a man called T-Bone Travis, who probably thought the law couldn’t or wouldn’t follow him so far. SCENT OF HOPE is second in a series about the great outdoors and crime, romance, and danger.

Jericho Bowie is a trainer of Search and Rescue K9s, and he’s especially working with avalanche dog, Orlando, a Bernese cross. He and Harley used to date but they had a bad breakup, and she left town. This pair of good, hardworking people have a ton of backstory between them. Each of them relate their family circumstances and go over who’s dead and who’s alive, who is rebuilding a resort but deep in debt, who used to be on drugs but got clean. And of course, why they would never date the other again. That sort of thing. I got quite impatient wanting them to go outdoors and chase some villains.

This Call of the Wild series had one previous story, but the setting will be quite familiar to readers who enjoyed the Sky King Ranch series. Similarly, distances are covered by light plane, some of the family members have been away doing military service, and everyone is just a little suspicious of strange men. One such is Mars Sorros, an international criminal said to be hiding out under a new identity. Nobody is sure if he’s in the vicinity.

This lightly inspirational romantic suspense features flights and an avalanche, bitter cold and a perilous snowstorm. I recommend keeping warm while you read. The dog, Orlando, is a cutie as well as being a practical working dog.

SCENT OF HOPE by Susan May Warren emphasizes second chances, learning from mistakes, and knowing who your real friends are. Good advice, and fun with a K9 too. A third book will wrap up the series.