Shadowed Loyalty by Roseanna M White
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
About the Book:
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 turned out to be an undercover Prohibition agent. Now she sees how ugly the underworld can be. Ambushes, bribes, murder, prostitution—she thought her beloved Papa was above all that, but clearly he isn’t. What does that mean, though, for her and their family? Maybe Lorenzo, the fiancé who has barely paid her any attention in the last two years, has the right idea by planning to escape their world.
All his life, Lorenzo’s family assumed he would join the Church, but he has different ideas—marrying Sabina and pursuing a career in the law. But despite his morals, he knows at the core he isn’t so unlike his father and brothers, which has always terrified him. Has he, in trying to protect Sabina from his flaws, in fact harmed her? It sure seems that way when he realizes he all but forced her into the arms of the Prohibition Agent now bent on tearing her family apart at all costs. But 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 the one could mean losing the other.
My Thoughts:
Always eager for a new Roseanna M White novel, I was very curious to see how it would go with this being a little different than the other books I’ve read and loved by this author, and I was not disappointed in the least. I love the writing style and how the history – no matter the setting or time period – comes alive so effortlessly through the author’s writing. The 1920’s have always been an era that’s intrigued me, so it was easy for me to fall in love with every aspect of Shadowed Loyalty. The characters were brilliant – Sabina was so well constructed and so life-like, she was easy to relate to and route for.
This story displayed so many of the complex layers that go along with family, loyalty, faith, and more. The faith theme was so inspiring and encouraging, and I really appreciated how authentic it was to the setting and the history. Lots of wisdom, and lots of touching moments – definitely what I have come to expect from one of White’s novels, and that’s a big reason why I always look forward to her novels.
It was so fascinating getting to read about the mafia aspect, and what it would have been like to have grown up as a Mafiosi’s daughter, and a believer as well.
Sabina and Lorenzo were absolutely marvelous, and I loved reading how they grew, on their own and together. The forgiveness and love that was shown time after time was deeply beautiful, and all in all, I very much enjoyed this story. <3
I received a copy of the book from the publisher/author. I was not required to write a positive review, all thoughts are my own.
Gods Peculiar Treasure Rae 