About the Book

Book: Trapped in Yosemite

Author: Dana Mentink

Genre: Christian Fiction

Release Date: February 27, 2024

When a massive earthquake levels the region, secrets and unknown dangers are exposed…

The ground in still-icy Yosemite National Park isn’t stable, and K-9 handler Von Sharpe fears the worst. But his worries are pushed aside when he sees an SUV viciously forced off the road…with his ex-fiancée at the wheel. It’s only when Stella Rivers steps out of the vehicle that the very ground under their feet cracks and breaks with the onslaught of a terrifying earthquake.

When her meeting with a mysterious client is ambushed, Stella witnesses the man being gunned down by a sniper and becomes a target herself. With the threat of aftershocks triggering landslides and floods, the new mom has no choice but to run to save her baby girl—even if it means teaming up with the man who has no idea he fathered her child.

Trapped in a dangerously unstable wilderness with a killer closing in, Von and Stella are running out of time to get to safety. And every fissure reveals a new secret that will shake them to their foundation…

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Dana Mentink is a USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author as well as a two-time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, and the recipient of a Holt Medallion. She’s written over fifty titles in the suspense, lighthearted romance and mystery genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense and Poisoned Pen Press.

More from Dana

I won’t ever forget October 17^th, 1989. I was finished with my student teaching duties, chatting with my mother while we watched the World Series. It was an epic matchup of two Bay Area teams. As we watched, the floor lurched and the entire house began to rattle and pitch. We ran outside and watched the street undulate like ocean waves. We’d later come to learn it was a 6.9 earthquake on the Loma Prieta fault. The shaking only lasted 20 seconds but 63 people were killed, 3,757 were reported injured and 12,053 displaced. The damage estimates reached as high as $10 billion, with 18,306 houses leveled. Approximately 2,575 businesses were impacted and 147 were destroyed. The part I will remember most was the collapse of a section of the freeway in Oakland which trapped people in the pancaked structure. I remember watching the close space rescue teams work night and day to find survivors.

Little did I know that memorable event would someday lead to a book! This novel combines the iconic California setting of Yosemite and the big fear buried deep in every California’s mind…the big one, the massive earthquake we know will be coming someday. Of course you know there will be a happy ending in the novel, but I hope you will feel the edge of your seat suspense that keeps you turning pages. God bless you, dear readers!

My Impressions

“Stella Rivers scoured the dense shrubbery like she’d been doing for the past hour as if the branches might somehow reach out and snatch her van off the mountain road. Ridiculous, but the isolation raked her nerves.”

Yikes!! Dana Mentink knows how to build tension in the first sentence, and in Trapped in Yosemite, that tension only gets more and more taut until the last sentence!

Stella Rivers is an arborist with something to prove and a nine-month-old daughter to support on her own. She becomes a human target while going to an appointment near Yosemite. As Stella flees, her vehicle is destroyed, and she is rescued by her former fiancé, Von Sharpe. Von is ex-military and grudgingly leads tours in Yosemite at his brother’s wilderness survival camp.

Stella is keeping a huge secret from Von and has put up a wall around her heart. She vows to stay away from Von and to never make him as important in her life as he once was. “She wouldn’t and couldn’t make him her everything, the source of her happiness and fulfillment.”

Von doesn’t understand how to deal with a young child, but his precious Malinois is like a child to him. Burned once by Stella, Von finds himself protecting her from incredible natural and human disasters. Von doesn’t believe God gives second chances, and he’s not about to give himself or Stella any grace.

I loved the eventual solution to Stella’s mysterious stalker. I didn’t see it coming until just before the reveal.

If you love high-octane romantic suspense with mystery or secret baby trope, you will enjoy Dana Mentink’s Trapped in Yosemite.

Notable Quotables:

“Why hadn’t he told her the truth? Truth and facts were what kept people alive.”

“If you aren’t tied together by God, the world will tear you apart in short order.”

I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher via Celebrate Lit and NetGalley. I also purchased my own ebook. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

“‘You weren’t put on this planet to be happy.” ‘Tate’s equanimity only infuriated Von further. ‘Yeah? Then why am I here, oh, wise sage?’ ‘To learn how to love.’”

“‘I try very hard not to dwell in what ifs.’ That would turn into a spiral of intrusive thoughts that would hold her hostage. “

“Love couldn’t be enough without the bedrock of faith.”

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Magnificent! My fave Dana Mentink romantic suspense yet!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 21

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 21

Bigreadersite, March 21

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 22 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 22

Texas Book-aholic, March 23

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 23

Lakesidelivingsite, March 24

Pause for Tales, March 24

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 24

Betti Mace, March 25

The Sacred Line, March 25

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 26

Daysong Reflections, March 26

EmpowerMoms, March 27

Life, Love, Writing, March 27

Cover Lover Book Review, March 28

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, March 28

Blogging With Carol, March 28

Tell Tale Book reviews, March 29

Simple Harvest Reads, March 29 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

For Him and My Family, March 30

Splashes of Joy, March 30

Blossoms and Blessings, March 31

To Everything There Is A Season , March 31

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 31

Holly’s Book Corner, April 1

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, April 1

Life on Chickadee Lane, April 2

Labor Not in Vain , April 2

Lily’s Corner, April 3

Lights in a Dark World, April 3

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, April 3

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away the grand prize package of a $100 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2a8f5/trapped-in-yosemite-celebration-tour-giveaway