Stranded in the Mountains - Geri Krotow (LI - May 2022)

 

Series: Love Inspired Mountain Rescue (Book 6)
 
They survived the crash…
Now can they escape the wilderness?
 
Part-time treasure hunter Daniel Sturges's secret assignment was simple -- find a wrecked WWII B-17 and recover the artifacts inside. But now he's stranded with fellow crash survivor Cassie Edmunds, who's searching for the same plane, and they'll have to trust one another with their lives. With temperatures falling in treacherous terrain, will they risk everything for the missing wreckage or discover something more valuable between them? That is, if they can stay alive...
 
Good book that kept me hooked from start to finish. Cassie was on a trip from Pennsylvania to a remote area of Canada, looking for information about her great-grandmother. Great-grandma Eugenia was a WW2 WASP who crashed in the wilds of Canada when Cassie's grandmother was just a baby. Cassie hopes that the wilderness tour she signed up for will lead her to some answers to help her 85-year-old grandmother know more about her mother. The last leg of the multi-flight trip is by helicopter, where another traveler joins her.
 
Daniel is a high school history teacher who works as an Indiana Jones-like treasure hunter during his summer breaks. His current search is for a wrecked B-17 reputed to carry some Russian royal jewels. His job is to find the plane and hopefully the jewels so they can be returned to their country of origin.
 
There was a connection between Cassie and Daniel from the moment they met. I liked how Daniel tried to ease Cassie's fears while on the helicopter. That became very important when the flight ran into trouble and crashed into a lake. With their pilot dead, Daniel and Cassie were on their own to find their way to the nearest settlement. Thankfully, Daniel is very experienced in wilderness survival. Cassie has some hiking experience (local trails back in Pennsylvania) but would be in real trouble without Daniel. I liked that Daniel was patiently amused by Cassie as she got acclimated to their situation. Cassie impressed me with her determination to keep up with Daniel and not be a hindrance.
 
I was glued to the pages as the pair made their way through the wilderness. There were some funny parts, usually involving wildlife sightings, and some tense parts, such as coping with a snowstorm. I liked seeing Daniel and Cassie get to know each other, sharing stories about their lives and faith. I loved hearing Cassie tell Daniel her great-grandmother's story and her hope of finding more information. Daniel was a little more cautious about sharing everything, but the more he got to know Cassie, the more he was willing to share. It was easy to see that their feelings for each other grew stronger, but they didn't think anything would come of it. They lived on opposite sides of the state, and both had settled lives there.
 
I was on the edge of my seat, hoping they would find the plane before the weather forced them to give up. There was also the problem of making it safely to the settlement. Help arrived unexpectedly, and I was relieved to see their rescue carried out. I enjoyed seeing the people they met and the unexpected twist one of the older women provided. I ached for Cassie and Daniel when they parted ways without any mention of their feelings or future.
 
I loved the ending as we see Cassie at Grandma's birthday party, celebrating her life and that of Eugenia. As happy as Cassie was, there was a bit of sadness because she missed Daniel. I loved his sudden appearance and the surprise he had for Cassie. It was an emotional scene and a perfect ending for the book.