Dangerous Beauty by Melissa Koslin Review

 Happy Wednesday Everyone :)

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

How has October been going for you so far? Unfortunately, one of my favorite months has not been off to the greatest start, as a lot of things seem to have piled on top of another, but I'm keeping the faith that things will get better soon, and until then, I'm thankful for great books to cozy up with.

I recently finished a new Christian suspense release, and today I'm excited to tell you all about it.

If you're a fan of novels within this genre, then I hope you'll keep on reading down below for my full review.

Dangerous Beauty by Melissa Koslin:

Source: Complimentary Copy Provided by the Publisher as Part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: September 1st, 2022

Genre: Christian Fiction/Christian Suspense

Synopsis:

Liliana Vela hates the term victim. She's not a victim, she's a fighter. Stubborn and strong with a quiet elegance, she's determined to take back her life after escaping the clutches of human traffickers in her poor Mexican village. But she can't stay safely over the border in America--unless the man who aided in her rescue is serious about his unconventional proposal to marry her.

Meric Toledan was just stopping at a service station for a bottle of water. Assessing the situation, he steps in to rescue Liliana from traffickers. If he can keep his secrets at bay, his wealth and position afford him many resources to help her. But the mysterious buyer who funded her capture will not sit idly by while his prize is stolen from him.

Melissa Koslin throws you right into the middle of the action in this high-stakes thriller that poses the question: What is the price of freedom?

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I hadn't personally been a fan of Melissa Koslin's debut novel, Never Miss, but I was intrigued by the synopsis of this one, and wanted to give her books another try. While Dangerous Beauty didn't quite end up being what I was expecting, that ended up being a positive thing. This book had much more depth than I was expecting, and it drew me right into the intense story that focuses around trafficking, God's never ending love, and a modern arranged marriage under highly unusual circumstances.

Trafficking is not usually something I enjoy reading about. It's always heartbreaking to read stories that highlight this horrific and inhumane side of humanity, and I often find authors struggle to do justice with stories set within this setting. However, I was blown away by just how authentically Melissa Koslin managed to deliver her story both accurately and truthfully, and I was impressed with how tastefully the entire subject was handled, while not shying away from the hard hitting topic it is.

I will say however, that I did still find the suspense part of the story a bit lacking unfortunately, which was a bit of a letdown. There was such build up over the course of the story, and then the conclusion wrapped everything up super quick, and I was left with many questions that I didn't feel were properly answered.

However, even with feeling letdown with that part of the story, I still ended up really enjoying this one. Having the marriage as a marriage of convenience isn't something I see done too much anymore in contemporary Christian titles, and I loved it. Lilliana and Meric were both characters that had been through such horrific events in their pasts, and watching them have to try and let each other in while trusting God to move past all their hurts was remarkably beautiful, and I wholeheartedly loved the romance element. This couple had me rooting for them right from their first meeting, and I loved how they learned to bring out the best in each other, and trust each other no matter how everyone around them thought otherwise.

I applaud Melissa Kolsin for tackling the dark side of trafficking while intertwining it with a well rounded faith message, and using the marriage of convenience trope which made this story stand out as original and unique in the Christian suspense genre.

I enjoyed this one so much more than I did her debut release, and I hope to read more books from her in the future.

Final Rating: 4/5.

Thanks so much to Revell for allowing me to read and review this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Revell) as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review. 

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