Shadowed Loyalty, by Roseanna M. White
Chrism Press ISBN 9781941720790
Adult Rating: 4
Historical fiction author Roseanna M. White pens a stand-alone historical novel set during the Roaring Twenties (1922).
In Shadowed Loyalty, Sabina Mancari, daughter of a Chicago’s mafia boss, discovers the man she was dating was really an undercover Prohibition agent, out to get her father on criminal charges. Sheltered from her father’s criminal activities, she faces where one’s convictions and one’s family loyalty are at odds. Her longtime fiance, Lorenzo, reconnects with her after basically ignoring her the past two years while pursuing a law career. Can they forge a life together away from their family’s Mafia ties?
Sabina changes from a naive woman who is unaware of her father’s activities to one who cannot turn a blind eye to the truth any more. She grows in her faith and in her relationship with Lorenzo. Theirs is a clean romance as they struggle to break free of their families, learn to love and trust one another, and live a faith-filled life.
Known for her excellent characterization, realistic faith elements, and eye for historical detail, White deftly applies those to this novel. This is not the usual time period for White, but she does an excellent job in integrating her research into her writing. The reader enters into Chicago’s shadowy underworld where love, loyalty, and faith are tested – and where brothels, prostitution, murder, and other criminal activities abound.
Recommended for adult readers and older teens, as well as historical fiction fans. Fans of Rachel Scott McDaniels’ A Mobster’s Daughter (set in 1924 Pittsburgh) and Elizabeth Camden’s Gilded Age books will want to read this book.
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