Overview
Dog trainer Jane Connor has always preferred the company of canines, so when her kennel is destroyed in an Arizona wildfire, she finds her whole world in ashes. Jane managed to rescue all the animals, but her status as a local hero won’t pay the bills. Soon she’s reluctantly agreeing to work on a reality TV series about life on the dog show circuit–starring herself and her golden retriever, Shadow.Jane has complete confidence in Shadow’s star quality–until she sets eyes on their chief competitor:an irritatingly perfect little papillon! Worse, the dog is attached at the leash to hunky Cole Forrest. Jane can hardly hide her attraction off-camera, so how will she conceal it from a national audience? It’s exactly the kind of distraction she doesn’t need. But in a summer of surprises, Jane just might discover that an old dog learn new tricks–when love is the treat.
Synopsis
Dog trainer Jane Connor has always preferred the company of canines, so when her kennel is destroyed in an Arizona wildfire, she finds her whole world in ashes. Jane managed to rescue all the animals, but her status as a local hero won’t pay the bills. Soon she’s reluctantly agreeing to work on a reality TV series about life on the dog show circuit–starring herself and her golden retriever, Shadow.
Jane has complete confidence in Shadow’s star quality–until she sets eyes on their chief competitor:an irritatingly perfect little papillon! Worse, the dog is attached at the leash to hunky Cole Forrest. Jane can hardly hide her attraction off-camera, so how will she conceal it from a national audience? It’s exactly the kind of distraction
she doesn’t need. But in a summer of surprises, Jane just might discover that an old dog learn new tricks–when love is the treat.
Publishers Weekly
Carmichael's latest pet-themed romance takes an affectionate look at the unglamorous, itinerant life of the dog-show circuit. Jane Connor is a successful trainer and handler until an Arizona wildfire strikes her property, on which she had let her insurance lapse. Left without home or income, she's forced to accept a producer's offer to feature in a documentary film about canine agility competitions. Demi-celebrity jars self-effacing Jane, as does the prospect of sharing an RV for months with her bubbly blonde producer. Her handsome trainer/handler competitor, widower Cole Forest, unsettles her still further, especially after Cole and his ornery daughter, Teri, have a vehicle breakdown and begin to travel in the same RV as Jane. Many of the plot twists feel artificial, as does the almost pathological level of self-deprecation that keeps Jane blind to Cole's attraction. Though this book is less strong than Carmichael's earlier efforts (Gone to the Dogs, etc.), her lively prose, sensitivity to Teri's inner battles and insight into all things canine still make this an appealing tale. (Nov.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.