Ambushed in Yosemite by Kellie VanHorn

Ambushed in Yosemite
by Kellie VanHorn

ISBN-13: 9781335919069
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: July 28, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Park ranger Skylar Jansen’s morning hike turns into a nightmare when she witnesses a man burying a body—and then the killer chases her through the wilderness. She’s saved by Special Agent Bode Tucker, a devoted single dad, who suspects a serial killer is at work. Soon it becomes clear that the killer may be connected to the cold case disappearance of Sky’s father. With targets now on both of their backs, they team up to investigate, but outrunning danger could be beyond their reach.


My Review:
Ambushed in Yosemite is a Christian romantic suspense. Skylar is the perfect damsel in distress, and I mean this in the nicest way as we are, after all, reading a suspense novel and most women aren't kick-ass law enforcement. Skylar's an average, kind woman with low self-worth and confidence. She often got in trouble because she didn't trust her own judgment. (The serial killer knows my name, where I live, and I don't really feel safe sleeping in my canvas-sided cabin, but the experts think I'll be safe with the police officer on guard outside, so, okay....) She's too trusting that people know what they're doing and are telling the truth. She had extremely good luck, though, in being matched with a serial killer that liked to play games rather than just kill his victim.

However, I can't imagine how Bode became a detective. The killer kept literally telling him the clues he needs, and Bode still couldn't figure out what was so blaring obvious. He did eventually figure it out when an evidence tech told him who the fingerprints belonged to, but the killer had to explain it to Skylar as he tied her up. Bode's also constantly running into known danger (as in, he knows it's a trap) because he can't stand leaving a loved one tied up as bait for even a moment. Sweet, but not generally a successful strategy. Some things just didn't make sense, like they knew that Skylar's phone had been used by the killer, and it's crime scene evidence at the very least. Yet she picked it up and just started using it again. Huh?

There was no sex or bad language. Despite the unrealistic elements, it was a sweet romance in that it gave hope that a man who wasn't that good at his job and a woman who wasn't very discerning could not only survive but end up happily matched.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.