Unknown by Vanessa Hall Review

 Happy Wednesday Friends :)

I pray you're all doing well, and I want to thank you for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

I'm really excited for today's review, as it's a beautiful story from another indie Christian author, and it's one I definitely can't wait to tell you all about.

Keep reading for my full review.

Unknown by Vanessa Hall:

Source: Complimentary Copy Provided by the Author

Publication Date: August 13th, 2021

Genre: Christian Fiction/Suspense

Series: Grace Sufficient

Synopsis:

He knew there was a cost. He just didn’t know how great it’d be.

Gabriel Kelly returned to Russia for one reason—to bury his parents. After ten years in the United States, he hadn’t expected to return to his childhood home in the face of tragedy. However, after short days in Moscow, he begins to consider if the same call that cost his parents’ lives is now upon him.

Sofia Rykova’s dreams finally came true when she became a principal soloist with the Bolshoi Ballet. One night, though, an old crush walks back into her life, making her wonder if there is more to life than ballet. Gabe Kelly is just as she remembered, just as she longed for—yet religion stands between them.

Unknown to Gabe and Sofia, danger lurks closer than either would have guessed. The deaths of Gabe’s parents grow more suspicious by the day, and Gabe and Sofia are drawn into the midst of a plot neither can escape. Will obedience to God’s call—in spite of their fears and desires—result in a price too steep to bear? 

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I've been feeling a little burned out with Christian fiction lately, as I'm really tired of books getting published under this heading that aren't truly anything to do with Jesus or faith in the slightest. So I'm always ecstatic when I discover a new author who truly writes "Christian" books, and that is definitely the case with this heart pounding suspense novel from newcomer Vanessa Hall.

This beautiful story has so much wrapped up within its pages, and I easily found myself immersed in a unique story about an American missionary relocating back to Russia to deal with the aftermath of his parent's murders, and his world colliding with an old childhood friend who's now a principal dancer with a prominent ballet company. What everyone quickly wrote off as a burglary gone wrong quickly becomes much much more, and it will take everything Gabe and Sophia have to trust in the Lord through even the darkest of situations.

The story is action packed right from the start, and the plot twists, turns and rearranges in ways the reader never sees coming. The romance is beautiful, and both authentic and realistic, while never straying from Gabe's strong morals throughout his developing feelings for Sophia. I would have found this story enjoyable just from the well plotted mystery and well developed romance, but the faith content is truly what made this one stand out to me. Gabe absolutely loves Jesus, and while he struggles with understanding why this tragedy had to happen to his family, he also understands that we're not promised a perfect life on this Earth, and only in Heaven will everything truly come together and make sense.

With so many Christian fiction titles nowadays shying away from the faith content, I was happy that Unknown keeps Jesus at the heart and center of the entire story, and that both Gabe and Sophia learn the important lesson that you can honor and serve God right where you, with what you've already been given.

Final Rating: 5/5.

I truly adored this one, and I'll be highly recommending it.

Thanks so much to Vanessa Hall for allowing me to read and review this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)