Shadowed Loyalty (2022)

About the Book

Book: Shadowed Loyalty

Author: Roseanna M. White

Release Date: May 2, 2022

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction, Christian Historical Romance, Inspirational

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.

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My Thoughts

I absolutely adored every minute of this totally unique read. Shadowed Loyalty by Roseanna M. White is SO good. It’s so good because it is so different from most Christian novels. This story is gritty and raw and real. I was so into this storyline that pages flew by and I spent hours past my bedtime reading. Actually, I’m not sure what time my bedtime is anymore. This book blew time out the window! The characters are superb. What I like best about them is that they are constructed so realistically — they may be selfish, self-focused, struggling, and sinful but they are also capable of loving, acceptance, vulnerability, and redemption. They are just like us, human and multifaceted. I like that White created conflicts for her characters that are complicated. There are few easy answers in this story. And this is what I appreciate the most: Shadowed Loyalty forces the reader to contemplate some very gritty, very ugly truths about humanity, truths that transcend time. I loved every minute of this literary journey and won’t soon stop thinking about this fantastically distinctive story.

One of the many topics brought up in this novel is the idea of siblings being taught the same lessons but becoming very different people as adults. Lorenzo, Tony, and Val are siblings. Raised by the same mama who taught them all about Jesus and His great sacrifice for them. The intent for all three men was that they would grow up to be decent, God-fearing, good men. Lorenzo took the teachings to heart, but his other two brothers did not. Why? I have struggled with this topic my whole life. I have four brothers and one sister. We were all taught about God and right vs. wrong. We all went to church on Sundays as a family. We were all given our own Bibles and shown how to Bible study. We all prayed consistently through our childhoods. My parents laid a very strong Christian foundation for us kids to build upon. BUT my siblings and I are super different. My sister and I believe in God with our whole hearts and are daily trying to pass this on to our children. In this, we are very much like Lorenzo. But my brothers are not like my sister and I. They are more like Tony and Val: worldly and often chasing the wrong thing. This is not a judgement on any of my siblings — I love them all very much for the unique and awesome people they are — but I have often been confounded by how different we all are. White, in the discussion questions section of her novel, asks, “Why do you think these lessons sink deep into some hearts and are so easily ignored by others?” Isn’t that a fantastic question?! I’ve wondered this myself for many years. I don’t believe there is an easy answer, but I do think the answer lies with Pride. People who tend to be more self-focused, who want things their way, tend to be those who hear these lessons and discard them. They come up with all sorts of reasonings to justify why they don’t believe in God, but honestly, they just want things their way. People who take these lessons about Jesus to heart are no better than anyone else, they just see the truth and wisdom to these lessons, and want to live their lives a certain way. But this is just what I think.

I knew going into this post that a single review could never do Shadowed Loyalty justice. This story is definitely one of my top-10 for 2022. I love this book and will make sure to keep it on my re-read pile so I have it for years to come. If you are a fan of well-written, excellently researched, gritty, and honest Historical Fiction then you will want to get a copy of this novel ASAP.

I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on May 1, 2022, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.