Jessica Scachetti

The new edition of Out of the Shadows hooked me right away with its mix of mafia danger and heartfelt faith. Liliana is such a refreshing heroine—strong in her beliefs, unique in style, and completely real in how she navigates her chaotic world. Kristian's inner battle between loyalty to his brutal family and growing feelings for Lily adds a lot of depth and keeps the story exciting.

I appreciated how the story balanced brutal crime drama with genuine warmth and sensitivity, such as the show more baby shower scene. The characters are layered and human, battling with with personal histories and faith. Despite the stress that exists around them, their bond feels natural.

If you enjoy mafia romances that tackle faith, family, and redemption in addition to action, this is a must-see. It's a unique perspective that combines danger and emotion in a way that had me flipping the pages.

A KU read. show less

I so want every book I read to be winner for me as a reader and of course for the author. I really struggled with this book personally though. The premise when I read about it sounded good. I haven't run across a Mafia tale in quite awhile. It was different than the romantic suspense I have enjoyed recently and was looking forward to a unique twist. In that regard it was good. I want to be respectful and not give any spoilers away. I liked the interaction between Liliana and Kristian from show more the beginning. I liked how their relationship developed. I liked the unique situation that threw monkey wrenches into things for his father. I like the inner battles they both wrestled and dealt with. I liked the ending. But this I have against it...I just don't believe a good book is enhanced at all by filthy language. It detracts from the book. It doesn't matter if a word is st*arred, you still know what the word is, and now those words are in my head and it's what comes up when I think of the book. A good story should stand on it's plot and characters and I just don't think this is necessary in my opinion. It took away any enjoyment of the book I might have had because I was trying to avoid the language. I get that Mafia and evil men talk like this but I don't believe it has to be written for us to get the point. And sadly, based on that, I cannot recommend this to my Christian friends, whom I pass books along to all the time. I'm sure others can ignore it in which case they might be ok. I was not. I think Ms Scachetti has the talent and potential for wonderful and intriguing stories. I hope this aspect will be reconsidered. I was given a free copy of this book and asked to leave an honest review. The opinion expressed is entirely my own. show less