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…

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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 17th, 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 THOUGHTS

Trapped in Yosemite is written by Dana Mentink. This is a full size Love Inspired Suspense Trade book. I always try and read everything that Ms. Mentink releases, as she is one of my go to authors. I really enjoyed getting to read a longer story by her. I felt that we got to know the characters on a deeper level, and you get to see more of their back stories. In true Mentink fashion the book starts off with heart pounding suspense, and continues through the whole story.

Stella is an arborist. She drives to meet a potential client and she is excited about building her business. However when she meets with them, something feels off. Just as the potential client is handing her an envelope, he is shot. Stella tries to back track and get out of there before she becomes the next victim. As she is feeling, an earthquake hits and she finds herself falling into the water. The one person she never thought she would see again is the one that rescues her. Von, who is her ex fiancé, is very surprised to come across Stella like this. He brings her back to the camp he is helping to manage.

Von is a K9 handler and wants to keep Stella safe. He knows she is holding onto something. He gets frustrated that she will not talk to him about it - but in reality, there are things that he is holding back. Both of their stubbornness can potentially get in the way of trying to stay alive. Stella has no idea why someone would want her dead.

The author did a great job at drawing you into the story within the first few pages. I loved the complexity of the characters. I loved reading about Yosemite. Suspenseful story line, hidden baby, and Yosemite. What more can you ask for?

Thank you to the author, publisher and Celebrate Lit for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own