PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
Sabina Mancari never questioned her life as the daughter of Chicago’s leading mob boss until bullets tear apart her world and the man she thought she loved turns out to be an undercover Prohibition agent. Ambushes, bribes, murder, prostitution—all her life, her father sheltered her from his crimes, but now she can no longer turn away from the truth. Maybe Lorenzo, the fiancé who barely paid her any attention in the last two years, has the right idea by planning to escape their world. But can she truly turn her back on her family?
All his life, Lorenzo’s family assumed he would become a priest, but he has different ideas—marrying Sabina and pursuing a career in the law. Despite his morals, he knows at the core he isn’t so unlike his mafiosifather and brothers. Has he, in trying to protect Sabina, forced her into the arms of the Prohibition agent bent on tearing her family apart? How can they rebuild what has so long been neglected and do it in the shadow of the dark empire of the Mafia?
Shadowed Loyalty, set amid the glitz and scandal of the Roaring Twenties, examines what love really means and how we draw lines between family and our own convictions, especially when following one could mean losing the other.
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My Review:
This book has a completely different setting and storyline from what we’ve come to expect from this author. Set in the Roaring Twenties, it’s an interesting inside look at a family whose husband/father is a mob boss. The main part of the storyline revolves around Sabina Mancari, the spoiled daughter of the family. She falls in love with a man who betrays her family, and the rest of the story follows the repercussions from that betrayal. She has also been unfaithful to her fiancé, Lorenzo, and finds that her plans for her life have been altered in ways she did not seriously consider. Lorenzo is a devoted believer who has remained close to his family, yet separated himself completely from their criminal activities. As a lawyer, he’s called on to defend Sabina’s father, which further complicates his relationships with both Sabina and his family. As disturbing events and the revealing of dark secrets continue to pile up in Sabina’s life, she realizes that the only way for her to find true joy is in having a right relationship with God. Both she and Lorenzo must cling to their faith to bring them through the turbulent events.
It’s a well-written book. The author does a good job of helping us get to know and empathize with Lorenzo and Sabina. The storyline itself is suspenseful at times and took a couple of turns that I didn’t see coming. The historical detail helped to highlight everything that was happening in the book. Towards the end of the book, the spiritual theme of turning to God for forgiveness and trusting Him was a highlight of the story.
All this being said: I didn’t love this book. Even though the author never in any way excused sin and always pointed the way towards faith, I did not enjoy reading about the criminal elements and the immoral behavior in the storyline. This book is not overly graphic in those descriptions, and I’m not faulting the author here with that. This story just isn’t for me. The author made a wonderful case for the redemption that comes from God, but it wasn’t enough to make me put this book on a favorites list. Will I read the rest of this series? I don’t know. It’s something I’ll have to consider further.
My apologies to one of my favorite authors for not giving this one a glowing review. I’ll be looking forward to reading another of your books in a different setting.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.
This is an honest and thoughtful review, Patti. I appreciate it.