SOLVED. Romantic Suspense (90's - I think) - Heroine is a dog trainer who goes on an undercover mission with a government agent of some sort. [s]

[Lara]

Romantic Suspense. I think I read this in the 90's (but it could be late 80's or early 00's). I feel like it reminded me a lot of Linda Howard but I own all of her books, so it's not her.
The heroine is a dog trainer. She has 3 dogs. She is asked to go on an undercover mission with some kind of government agent. I remember them escaping on a boat and I think the mission was on an island. She took one of the dogs with her, I think it was because "what kind of government operation would have a dog on a boat?". I know that the bad guy comes after them at the end, after you think everything is going to be cleared up by other government types. And I do believe that the bad guy kills two of her dogs, which really upset me at the time. I think one of the dogs was named Sweet Pea. I know it's not much to go on but I figured it's worth a shot.

[Juels]

Code Name: Baby by Christina Skye?

[Lara]

No, that's not it. But thank you!

[Kym]

What breed of dogs does she have?

[Lara]

I think Sweet Pea is maybe a rottweiler. The one that goes on the boat I think was a black Lab.

[Kym]

It sounds very similar to The Search by Nora Roberts, except it is too early, she has 3 labs (none named sweet pea) and they don't die.
You may enjoy this book anyway.

[Lara]

It does sound good. Not the book but I'll read it anyway. Thank you!

[Kym]

What about Deadly Ties by Susan Holmes?

[Lara]

No, shoot. That sounds good too. LOL

[Kym]

I'll keep looking. Much better than having to vacuum up my Golden Retriever's hair. :)

[Lara]

I remembered some more. There is a part at the end where she is calling her dog (Wiley???) to jump onto the boat. But she is using a hand signal to tell him to stay. So he is going back and forth, kind of dancing around. And then the guys who work for the bad guy are even telling him to "jump." Just wanted to put it down before I forgot.

[Kym]

Lara, Are you sure one of the dogs name is Sweet Pea, as the only one I can find is Deadly Ties which has been ruled out?

Amazon review -

Maggie's dog SweetPea her first dog, M B retired service dog and Sam, her golden retriever who is learning tracking.

Hope some-one can solve this for you.

[Lara]

I thought it was but maybe I'm misremembering. Because I know that wasn't the book. Thanks so much for looking for me!!!

[Kris]

Lara, who is she pretending to be or how is she helping in the undercover operation?

What of dog training does she normally do?

What's the location - U.S./country/region, big city/small town?

[Lara]

I think it's smaller town. I remember the book opening with her showing off a dog that she had trained for a sheriff/deputy/police in her town. They were surprised how good the dog was doing. I can't remember why they want her to go but she is definitely just providing cover for the agent. She trains the dogs for basic family stuff usually, I think, but also for officers. She uses hand signals and voice. (Possibly German commands). No idea about the region, other than she starts out in the States. Maybe the Northeast. And the boat goes to some tropical islands (Bahamas maybe). Thanks for still trying!

[Lara]

Bump

[Kris]

Please note the bump period for this large group is 30+ days -- or sooner if you remember more information.

[Lara]

Yes, I originally posted on July 29, so I had put an alarm on my phone to remind me today to bump the post. Is it supposed to be longer than that? Thanks.
Is it supposed to be from the last post? I'm sorry, I just went from my original post date. I apologize.

[Kris]

No worries. We count 30+ days from your most recent post. It may be different for other groups, but this guideline helps because our group is so large.

[Kym]

Lara,

How far into the story does the romance start? Is this why she agreed to act as cover for this mission? Do you know the crime the bad guys did?

[Lara]

The romance starts after they are on the mission. I feel like the bad guys kidnapped someone and there were drugs involved. I can't remember why she agreed to help but I know it wasn't the romance. There was attraction but they had just met and were talking about this mission

[Lara]

I found it!!!! It was in the same compilation book as another one I was looking for (The Cowboy Takes a Wife is another book that I just solved. And I saw that it was in a 3-in-1 book that looked familiar. And Boom!!). Sutter's Wife by Lee Magner. I even checked and one of the dogs is named Sweet Pea! SOLVED!

[Kris]

Glad you found your book, Lara. Here's the link - Sutter's Wife by Lee Magner.