Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Lost Christmas Memories by Dana Mentink

SERIES: Gold Country Cowboys #4
GENRE: Inspirational Romantic Suspense
PUBLISHER: Love Inspired Suspense
RELEASE DATE: November 1, 2018
PAGES: 224

A witness with amnesia

Can she trust this Gold Country Cowboy with her life?

Tracy Wilson witnessed a murder—but after a head injury, she can’t remember what she saw. Now someone plans to silence her for good, and only cowboy Keegan Thorn believes her. With a killer after her at Christmas, Tracy is running out of time to remember…and falling dangerously hard for the cowboy who could break her heart.

Other Books In This Series

“What a pair we are, Keegan. I don’t trust people and you don’t trust yourself.“

Buckle up, ladies and gents! This is a high stakes suspense adventure from start to finish – with a healthy dose of romance to keep things even more intense.

The heart-in-your-throat action starts right from the very first page, with Tracy witnessing a murder and then running quite literally for her own life. This sentence sent chills through me when I read it – and still does now – “Tracy knew at that moment that she would never make it back to the parking lot.” Yikes! There were several times when I wasn’t sure she’d make it out alive either and since I was fully invested in the story it felt like I wouldn’t make it out alive either haha! Further complicating the ‘thriller’ feel to this quick read novel is the fact that a) Tracy ends up with amnesia of those events after a head injury and b) there’s no evidence of the murder she saw. Talk about some stress!

Enter Keegan, perhaps the only person – other than the murderer – who believes her. I have been eagerly waiting for his story, this bad-boy who was adopted by the Thorn family in his teens and juggles those welcoming family dynamics with the strained relationships he has with his birth father and half-brother. Watching this tough guy’s protective instincts flare to life with Tracy is truly swoonworthy, and his nickname for her made me grin and melt all at once.

Bottom Line: Lost Christmas Memories is the perfect wrap-up to the Gold Country Cowboys series, if we really must say goodbye to this great family. Don’t plan to relax the whole time you’re reading this one, because just about the time you do gunshots start going off again! Mentink’s skill at writing layered characters and action-driven plots keeps readers fully invested from beginning to end, rooting for the good guys and looking over their shoulder for the bad guys. If you haven’t read the other books in this series yet, fret not – it works well as a standalone (but fair warning: you’ll want to go back and ‘meet’ the other Thorn brothers in their own stories too).

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4.5 stars / Love it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion

Dana Mentink is a two time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and a Holt Medallion winner. She is a national bestselling author of over thirty five titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Heartwarming and Harvest House. Dana was thrilled to be a semi-finalist in the Jeanne Robertson Comedy With Class Competition. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with Papa Bear, teen bear cubs affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo, Junie, the nutty terrier, a chubby box turtle and a feisty parakeet. You can connect with Dana via her website at danamentink.com.

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Writing this book was bittersweet for me. It was lovely to finally be able to tell youngest Thorn brother Keegan’s story, but I sure am sorry to say goodbye to this series! It was such fun to write about these four kinsmen and the family bonds that held them together through all manner of murder and mayhem! Here at Mentink Manor, we have recently sent a bear cub away to college for the first time. It feels like I have lost a limb now that my Boo Boo is gone! Fortunately, we will enjoy having her home for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Though it won’t be a cozy country Christmas like it is for Keegan (we live in a city of 80,000 here in Northern, CA) we will be thrilled to have all our family home to celebrate together (Mama Bear, Papa Bear, two cubs, a naughty terrier, and a senior citizen box turtle!) I hope you enjoy this last installment in the Gold Country Cowboy series. I am sending along our best wishes for a blessed holiday season, from our Mentink household to yours!

Other Books by Dana Mentink

To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away a grand prize of a copy of Lost Christmas Memories, a $50 Amazon gift card and this cute reading charms necklace!!

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

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This giveaway is hosted by Celebrate Lit, not RimSP
Follow along with the tour for more chances to win!

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