Underscoring the dangers that can be found in nature, this book takes the reader to a team building camp in Yosemite amidst the disaster of an earthquake and the havoc that follows. Add to this a sniper bent on murder and the soul searching of two lovers and their broken relationship and they are confronted again with their past and future. The story speaks of mistakes made, chances lost and second chances possible. Great for those who like adventure and mystery with Christian values prominent in the story.

WOW!!! This book started off with a bang. It kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. A shooting, an earthquake, and not knowing why she was being targeted. Then the final twist I didn't see coming. A book I definitely recommend if you enjoy fast-paced action.

Earthquakes, floods and attempted murder are just a few of the events in Trapped in Yosemite! K-9 handler Von Sharpe and his dog, Bear, have leading roles in this book as they attempt to keep people at a camp in Yosemite safe after the earthquake until rescue can arrive. Von's ex-fiance, Stella, keeps getting shot at! Who wants her dead? People in this book are keeping lots of secrets from each other. I did not suspect some of the secrets until almost the end! I enjoyed this book and recommend it to others who enjoy suspense! I received a complimentary e-book through NetGalley and the author. This is my honest opinion,

Upon seeing the book's title, I felt compelled to read it. "Trapped in Yosemite" lived up to expectations. The scenic backdrop and engaging characters made it captivating.

Stella Rivers, a determined single mom, seizes an opportunity to work as an arborist near Yosemite. An unexpected turn of events occurs when she witnesses a shooting, and her ex-fiance and the father of her child , Von Sharpe, comes to her rescue.

Amidst chaos and a massive earthquake, the story unfolds, leaving Stella and those around her in jeopardy. The suspense builds as the author skillfully keeps you guessing about the real target at MDWG campground.

While the lack of aftershocks puzzled me, it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story. Overall, a delightful read that kept me guessing till the end.

I would like to thank the publisher for the opportunity to read the advanced reader copy, understanding that I was under no obligation to provide a review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

A single Mom who witnesses a murder, now she is the target. She gets saved by her ex fiance. Now she has another dilemma about telling the truth about their baby. Von is a military man, stoic, almost unbending, stubborn and guilt ridden over his brother's death. Stella was a confused woman who expected more than Von could give. Motherhood made her more mature and she learned to lean on God. This story was non stop action. A murder, an earthquake and a killer. Will Von and Stella grab a second chance or will Von go away again for the military?

Stella Rivers was supposed to meet with a client in Yosemite, but instead witnessed a man gunned now. Now her life is in danger, plus an earthquake shakes the very ground under her feet. What an exciting beginning to a thrilling suspense novel. Her former fiancé, canine handler Von Sharpe, joins her in the fight to survive and find out who is behind the human danger. From page one to the end, the story holds you in its grip as you race with the engaging characters to escape and to stop the killer. Surprising twists add to the enjoyment. A great clean mystery. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. #TrappedinYosemite #NetGalley.

Author Dana Mentink's romantic suspense books are definitely 5-star worthy. I was pulled into Trapped in Yosemite early with the introduction of Stella who is in a remote area in cold, windy and unsettled weather waiting to meet a client that she has concerns about. Mentink has a fantastic ability of setting the scene so that the reader can picture it well while advancing the plot. The action, mystery, and suspense start up quickly and held my interest throughout the book. The plot has twists and turns that shocked me. I found both main characters, Stella and Von to be likeable, but not perfect. I enjoyed reading about the attitude changes that they had as well as their faith. I loved Bear, Von's special forces protection dog. I would definitely read more from this author and recommend Trapped in Yosemite to all clean and/or Christian romantic suspense readers and to all K-9 enthusiasts.
I received a complimentary copy through NetGalley and am sharing my opinion of this exciting and well-written book.

I am a fan of Dana Mentink’s cozy mysteries so I thought I would give this a try. I love anything set in national parks and, although I am not a fan of romantic suspense, I thought her writing would carry the story. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The setting, which I was excited about, was the best part about this. The characters, particularly the FMC, Stella, were annoying. There was so much introspection which took me out of the thrilling situation that was building. It's all very melodramatic and felt like watching a soap opera with the overacting. There are a lot of Christian references, which were fine and didn’t bother me, but others might find them heavy-handed. This one really just was not for me.

I knew I was in for a treat the second I glanced at the gorgeous cover for Trapped In Yosemite by Dana Mentink. Action and suspense propel the story forward from the very first page. Moreover, I love the character development for Stella and Von. And they show that regardless of age, we all have growing up to do. Also, the dog, Bear, and how he loved the baby, Hannah, warmed me to my soul (even while reading such tense, chilly scenes). Lastly, keep an eye out for a few breadcrumbs because this story moves fast.

Fans of the following will love Trapped in Yosemite: second chance romance, suspense, thriller, action, military drama, Christian fiction, redemption, whodunnits, action packed, mysteries, and faith. I received this book through Net Galley and did not have to give a positive review.

*I want to preface this by saying I have never read any Christian romance/fiction novels before. I honestly tend to read dark romance a large majority of the time, but the plot of this book sounded very interesting.

There was a decent amount that I liked about this book! The writing was great, and I thought the story progressed well. The book starts with a bang, Stella is meeting with someone for work when he is shot by a sniper, who then tries to kill Stella. While she is attempting to escape she runs into her ex Von and an earthquake happens as well. So things start pretty crazy and it draws you in. You learn pretty quickly that Stella is keeping a big secret from Von. I believe she doesn't tell him though until like 40% in. I liked the suspense of the book and enjoyed all of the side characters.

I have a couple of things that stuck out to me though that I didn't enjoy. I am pretty sure Stella the FMC is 27 but she acted very immature in my opinion. While they did break their engagement off before the start of the events in the book, I think she should have reached out way sooner about the secret. I think Von was older and he acted even more immature than she did. I felt like he was worried about all the wrong things about the situation and it bothered me. There were a lot of secrets in this book and miscommunication is one of my least favorite tropes. I wasn't a huge fan of the moral criticizing in the book but that's just me.

Overall, the fact that I read mainly dark romance, left me feeling surprised with how much I enjoyed this one! I recommend this one if you enjoy suspense and Christian romance!

With dozens of books to her name, surprisingly Dana Mentink is a new-to-me author. I will be on the look out for her titles in the future. Trapped in Yosemite is a wonderful suspense novel. I don't usually like books in which the romance develops too quickly, in this book that wasn't an issue as Von Sharpe and Stella Rivers has once been engaged. That ended eighteen months before an earthquake and a murderer threw them back together. Finding their way in extreme circumstances and adjusting to the changes that had occurred in their lives over their time apart both helped and hindered in defining their new relationship, or if there was ever to be a relationship. Being trapped at the Mountain Dog Wilderness Guides Camp with dwindling resources, fractious campers, and a murderer lurking about with his sights on Stella, caused a roller coaster of emotions in both Von and Stella, and that wasn't even the half of it! Mentink has written a believable suspense story that highlights God's grace and His willingness to give repentant people second chances, something we need to be willing to do as well.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Trapped in Yosemite from Harlequin via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Stella Rivers has a meeting with a mystery client. When she arrives at her destination, she gets a bad feeling. This bad feeling is merited when her mysterious client is ambushed. After the ambush, she is running for her life. Von Sharp sees her car getting run off of the road. When he arrives at the vehicle, he is shocked to find his ex in the driver's seat. The hits just keep coming when a large earthquake hits the region. Stella is now trapped and frantic to get back to her baby girl. A baby girl who is the daughter of Von. Von has no idea he has a daughter. There was a lot of drama packed in the first few chapters.

There are so many scary scenes with danger all around. You can envision the beauty of Yosemite, but you can also appreciate the underlying danger. Stella and Von will have to put the past behind them as they lean on each other in order to survive the perils of nature as well as a killer who wants to kill Stella. Stella cannot figure out why anyone wants her dead.

The emotional side of this story played into the plotline as the fractured relationships needed to be repaired and trust restored. Faith is a key component in this storyline as well. The danger and suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat as you anxiously await for another shoe to drop as danger seems to be lurking around every corner. I must confess that the ending completely floored me. Kudos to Dana Mentink for fooling this mystery lover and leaving me with my mouth agape.

Thank you to Harlequin books and the author for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have been to Yosemite several times and I know the wild beauty that is there. It is the perfect setting for this type of story. I can't imagine what an earthquake could do in Yosemite but having lived in California for most of my life, I know the catastrophic damage it can do! Von and Stella were interesting characters. They were quite different personalities and at first I found it hard to imagine them having been fiancées! Yes, they had broken up, but they just seemed so different! Stella witnesses a man shot & killed right before her eyes and shocked, makes a run for it before the killer can kill her too! She ends up at a wilderness camp before her van gets stuck and just then, the horrific earthquake happens! Wouldn't you know, Von is the one who saves her! They are both dumbfounded. The rest of the story is trying to avoid this killer and get to safety from this camp, along with the other people at this camp. However, the people at the camp have issues too and maybe one of them is a killer? Who knows?! The author weaves a great who done it, along with using the backdrop of the continuous aftershocks & nature to create tension and danger for all the people involved. There is another huge 2nd storyline and that is, Stella has had Von's baby that she never told him about! Talk about a lot of tension! When the baby comes into the camp, Von's anger and personality starts the slow process of changing. How will things turn out? Who will be saved?

TRAPPED IN YOSEMITE kept me rapt from page one. Set in a favorite national park, it has a natural disaster, a second-chance clean Christian romance between K-9 handler Von Sharpe and his ex-fiancée Stella, and thrilling action. Unputdownable!

This book was seriously hard to put down! Nonstop action starting on page one and not letting up until the very end. I liked the complex relationship of Stella and Von; their past relationship and present interactions made them feel realistic. I thought Von’s temper was a bit much at times, but I think this was reflective of his military service and did make sense with his character. I also got a little frustrated with Stella not telling Von her secret, even though most everyone else at the base camp knew it. The faith element was well integrated into the story. I think the action was well written and the twists near the end made it not too predictable. I also loved the dogs! Overall, I really liked this story. It was my first by this author but it will not be my last!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Stella is in for a surprise when she meets with her latest client in Yosemite. There's lots that goes awry here -- her client is murdered in front of her and the region is hit with a major earthquake that causes all sorts of havoc. Complicating things is the fact it appears that the sniper is now after her. Thank goodness she's rescued by her ex-fiance, Von Sharpe (what a name! ).

Von is basically a good guy, but doesn't deal with life's blows very well by retreating into his job in the military. He's an amazing K-9 handler and his dog Bear is absolutely awesome in his role as protector in this.

Secret baby meets second chance in this story as both Von and Stella have to deal with the decisions they've made, all while trying to solve the mystery of who is shooting at them. There's a good bit of action here and I loved that. I have to admit I didn't see the solution to all of this until those final pages!

Overall, this was a very satisfying romantic suspense that kept me hooked until the very end. There are conversations about faith and religion. I liked that about the story because I think these are conversations that are important between romantic couples. Von's growth in this story is palpable, and while Stella's was more subtle, she learned from her experiences as well. I did find things slow in spots, but not overly so, and I was rooting for Von and Stella all the way!

Being trapped in a survival situation with her ex fiance is the least of Stella's problems. She witnessed the murder of a client shortly before an earthquake hit the park and now the murderer is after her. She'll need Von to help her survive to be reunited with her daughter... the daughter he has no idea they share.
This story is full of action, relationship drama, and beautiful descriptions of scenery. The characters struggle with impossible choices, relying on each other and their faith to survive. To me, some of the circumstances seemed overly convenient and didn't quite add up and the moralizing got to be a bit much, but overall it was pretty good clean Christian fiction.
Thanks to Harlequin Romance through Netgalley for the advance copy of this book. The opinions in this review are my own and given voluntarily.

“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.

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.

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.”

“‘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.”

In “Trapped in Yosemite” Stella soon discovers that witnessing a murder and keeping secrets from her ex (Von) comes with its consequences. Yikes. Mix the two together and you come up with a fast-paced, action-packed, suspenseful second-chance story. Whew!

This drama-rich story kept me completely engaged, from the beautiful, eerie cover art to the satisfying last page. Both Stella and Von are interesting characters, and I enjoyed the past and progressing relationship, and really enjoyed the spiritual vein throughout.

I’ve visited Yosemite before, and this story took me back with its beauty and kept me on edge with the danger and tension that abounds there in this story. If you enjoy action-packed suspense story with a meaningful faith element, this is a wonderfully rewarding choice.

#CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are 100% mine.

Stella witnesses a murder and becomes the target of a killer during an earthquake at Yosemite National Park, she must depend on Von Sharpe a military weatherman, and the father of her young daughter.

A action packed read, filled with suspense and second chances as Von and Stella battle the elements and an unknown evil threatening their lives. A well rounded read, with a full cast of characters, strong backstory and rebuilding of a relationship. I liked how Stella and Von have both grown through their struggles and time apart. Stella I especially admired for how she handled a lot through faith.

Overall, an engaging read with a lot going on, and realistic relationship building. Von is great with his K-9 partner, I liked that he was protective of Stella, and was able to make changes and process his grief. Great character growth and interaction, with plenty of action and suspense to keep me guessing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.