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 REVIEW

This book is one of those that you can’t put down. The main female character Stella is fierce, determined and in danger. A simple phone call to go look at some trees that may be infected with something turns into much more. I could feel the cold weather as she trudged up the mountain to meet the person who called her. it was a little uncomfortable to meet a stranger in an isolated area but Stella is determined to prove she knows her job and can this man save his trees. When a shot rings out, one person is dead and the other is in survival mode.

With an unexpected earthquake everything suddenly changes as people are trapped in the Yosemite National Park and Stella runs into her ex fiancé. That seemed a bit awkward but she must rely on Von. Putting their differences aside they must work together if they are going to survive. The author with first hand knowledge describes an earthquake with an almost eerie feeling. One minute everything is fine then a second later the ground beneath starts to disappear.

I loved the suspense in the book and couldn’t wait to see who was trying to kill Stella and why. The relationship between her and Von are delicate at times but the authors excellent writing gives us a front row seat to a transformation happen. Faith plays a big part in the story and I loved how I was captivated by each moment in the book.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.