Survival Instinct by Fiona Quinn - 4 stars and a woof!

[Theresa]

This was a find! First in a trilogy by a reasonably prolific writer, this absolutely can be read as a standalone. But beware! You won't be able to stop!

Tripwire and his SAR K-9 Valor are training in West Virginia when a bomb cyclone warning sends their team to ride out the storm at a nearby luxury wilderness lodge. Dani, a military veterinarian on leave from Afghanistan, also is headed to the wilderness lodge with a military friend; their plans are to hike some trails to fulfill pormises made to a fallen team member. Ultimately, Dani and Tripwire (that's his code name btw) meet on the trails, there is rescue and sheltering from the initial storm front, and an ending I only pieced together about the same time the characters did. There is romance but it's secondary and handled really well. Valor is a full character and totally fabulous, and the plot nicely complex with some serious notes.