I received this book "Feared" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.
I have not read any of the other books in the series. Actually I didn't know that this was a series when I started reading it. So I thought this book was just okay. If I was following the series maybe that opinion would be different. The characters were okay but I felt no connection. The legal talk was a bit too much for me. I have no idea why this book is called "Feared" did I miss something. If I picked this book up at the library it would have been a DNF for sure but since I received from NetGalley I felt I should try my best to finish. I have no desire to read any of the other books in the series.

Lisa Scottoline has written another winner with her 6th book in the Rosato & DiNunzio Legal Thriller Series. I was hesitant to read this since it was number 6 in the series and I hadn’t read any of the others in the series, but it was excellent as a stand-alone book, also. I definitely plan to go back and read the other 5. I had read AFTER ANNA earlier and thought that was also a wonderful book. I normally do not read legal thrillers, but Lisa has changed my mind on that matter. This book was exciting and action packed. Even though I didn’t know the history of the characters, I could sense that they were 100% dedicated to each other. The characters were definitely distinctive, and if I were to spot them walking down the street, I would instantly recognize them. All of them. This was truly a wonderful book.

A reverse discrimination suit brought against the all female firm is a new one for the books and it is Mary's arch enemy Nick Machiavelli who is behind it all. Having a trusted associate turn against them was a hard one to accept, but when a day later John is found murdered the entire issue is thrown wide open with several suspects including his secret fiancee who happens to be a partner of the firm (who also kept quiet about the relationship until his murder).

Mary is seven months pregnant but she does know that Machiavelli is waging a personal vendetta on her and her firm. He is determined to get rid of them professionally but has left no traces to connect him with any of the suits brought against them. It is upto sheer hard detective skills that they are able to find traces of Nick's hand behind all the problems they face. Devious and like his name, Nick is brought down to earth with a thud (this sounded a bit unimaginable) by his mother to whom he cannot lie.

The Italian American community seems larger than life in Philadelphia and it is they who are in the forefront of Mary's endeavours to get to the bottom of their problems. Held back by her pregnancy, she seeks help from any quarter to put an end to this battle which will see all her hopes and aspirations for her firm of lawyers dashed. This is where her arch enemy's mother came in!

I liked this bunch of feisty women who were not going to give in until justice was done. Despite skepticism from partners, withdrawal of cases from their clients, intimidation by the press they kept on.

Slightly different to Lisa Scottoline's other books, this was nevertheless a very good book.

Mary is nearing the end of her pregnancy and getting busier at work thanks to a discrimination lawsuit filed against her, her partner, and their law firm and one of their associates gets murdered leaving the law firm with a bad reputation and even more work to do. This was a good, quick read that would have gotten more stars but I really wasn't thrilled with the way it was all neatly wrapped up at the end in regards to the lawsuit.

This is the 6th in the Rosato/DiNunzio series. I love Mary, she’s one of my favorite characters. I’m a few books behind on this series, but it really doesn’t matter if you read them out of order. Mary’s law firm gets sued for “reverse discrimination”. They are mostly a female firm, with one male lawyer. As it turns out, things aren’t what they seem. Mary is pregnant, and she’s dealing with a lot of stress in her life over this lawsuit. Then there is a murder. Is the original lawsuit what it seems? Who is behind it?

This is a fun, fast-paced read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley at St. Martin’s Press for an ARC. This is my honest review

This is the first book in this series that I have read but won't be the last. Fast paced and well written. Characters that you care about. Unexpected twists and turns and a very surprising ending. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves thrillers and a good story,

*****4 Stars*****

This is my first book by Lisa Scottoline and is book #6 in the "Rosato & DiNunzio" series. I think this book overall was a good read. The story and character development were great. I really felt like I got to know a lot of the characters well and became immersed into the story. Rosato and DiNunzio are partners at a law firm who become under attack with a reverse discrimination against them for only have one male employee. While this sounds quite boring, the story line develops and becomes complex, with murder and malicious behavior along the way. I also was shocked by the ending which always upgrades my score rating. I don't believe I missed anything by not reading the previous 5 books in this series and thought this read well as a stand alone; however I will be looking to add the other books to my to-be-read list.

*Special Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an advance read copy in exchange for an honest review."

Great Read !!! The story is set at the Rosato-DiNunzio Law Firm. During a baby shower for Mary DiNunzio we are introduced to many of the prominent characters. Also, during this event, the three partners of the firm are served with sex-discrimination lawsuits. It is stated that three men were denied jobs at the firm (because they are men). One male lawyer, John, that does work at the Rosato firm appears to keep tripping up on what he is saying in public. John had interviewed one of the three plaintiffs and (supposedly?) had slipped about being uncomfortable with all the women at the Rosato firm. Worse yet, the firm representing the 3 men is Nick Machiavelli - Mary once had beat him in court and he promised revenge.

Machiavelli was a feared attorney, but not well liked. Bennie Rosato knew that they needed a lawyer who was extremely savvy to go up against Machiavelli. So, they enlist Roger Vitez; a "lawyers lawyer" who is also a bit unconventional. A day later, the partners meet with Roger and Isaac (a psychology/marketing employee of Roger's). Halfway into the meeting, the group is informed that John is dead. It is then that Mary & Bennie find out that their partner, Judy, was dating John for some time. At this point the police think a burglary gone wrong and that is what got John killed. In a turnaround, Judy is the number one person of interest in John's murder.

Other cases are mixed in as are the personal lives of Mary & Judy. We find out later how the professional cases intertwine with that of the personal

Just when you are thinking that the story is over... you are hit with a zinger!!!!!

MUST READ!!!

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a wonderful read!

This is book six in the Rosato & DiNunzio series by Lisa Scottoline. I did not read the first three books. Since I started with book four, I can honestly say they work well as standalones; however, I’m planning to do something I never do. I never go back to the first book in a series, if I started with a later one, but I love this series so much, I have added the books I missed to my to-be-read list.

I can’t get enough of these characters. Lisa does a wonderful job with their development, and she throws some interesting people into the mix. Mary DiNunzio’s family is Italian and not only are they close, but they live in a neighborhood where most of the people get along with each other and news of what is happening quickly spreads. The DiNunzio family’s friends have interesting nicknames such as: Tony two feet, Tony down the block and Pigeon Tony—known as the three Tony’s. They are all people I would love to know. I also wouldn’t mind having some of Mary’s mom’s homemade ravioli!

Bennie Rosato is the head of the law firm. She appears to be all business and a bit intimidating. Rarely does she let down the armor she has built around herself, but when she does, it adds a different element to her character. The other employees in the law firm are an interesting mix too. They all work well together; the firm resembles a family of sorts.

Moreover, Lisa Scottoline’s law experience shines through in this book. The case is well thought out, and at times added tension because I couldn’t see how they were going to get out of the predicament they were in. In the end, things are neatly wrapped up, and I feel satisfied by the experience of having read another great book in this series.

One other thing I absolutely love about these books is that you wont find the f word, or other swear words anywhere in this book. The graphic sexual scenes that every author seems to think they have to throw in there, whether or not it belongs in the story, are absent too.

This definitely worthy of five stars!

One minute Mary DiNunzio is celebrating with her friends and co-workers at her office baby shower and the next she is worried that her law firm and everything she personally owns will be taken from her. She and the other two partners in the firm, Judy Carrier and Bennie Rosato the founding partner, are being sued for discrimination by three male lawyers claiming they didn't get hired by the firm simply because they're men. The partners and associates at the firm have always been like a family, but a few people have been keeping secrets that when exposed, could ruin friendships and mean the end of the firm. Just when it looks like things couldn't get worse, a murder occurs that hits very close to home.

"Feared" is the sixth book in the "Rosato & DiNunzio" series, which follows ten previous books with the same characters in the "Rosato & Associates" series. Mary has long been my favorite character in both series and it's great to see her taking center stage in this installment. The title of the book refers to the question of whether it's better to be loved or feared. Mary has always wanted to be loved and her reputation, family, and friends means everything to her which is why the character is so easy to like. When her old nemesis, Nick Machiavelli, comes back with a vengeance leading this vindictive lawsuit against the firm, Mary hates the things he is saying about her personally and how it affects her clients. However, Mary has a hidden strength which could strike some fear into the arrogant Machiavelli. I love when Mary shows that just because she's a nice person, it doesn't mean she's a pushover. In this book, she proves when people and things she holds dear are in danger, she can be just as fierce as Bennie.

This novel is a little different than the others because not only are Mary, Bennie, and Judy helping clients, but they're also defending themselves. The opposing counsel, Machiavelli, is so despicable in his attack against Rosato & DiNunzio that some of the scenes are hard to get through. However, the best part of these books is how Bennie, Mary, and Judy pull together when there is a crisis and there are plenty of those in this book, some a matter of life and death. There are some truly sad and touching moments in the book, especially between Mary and her best friend Judy.

The author keeps you guessing about who the murderer is and what the motive is. The last few chapters range from fun, surprising, scary, shocking, and heartwarming. This novel can be enjoyed equally by ongoing fans of the series and new readers and I would rate it as 4.5 stars.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of St. Martin's Press. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

Feared is Lisa Scottoline's 6th installment of her Rosato & DiNunzio series. The female owned and run law firm has just been sued for reverse discrimination by three men who claim the only reason they did not get hired was they were men. The ladies are surprised to discover that their one male employee has been feeling uncomfortable around them and has been talking about it around town while looking for other work. When he is shockingly murdered they must fight to clear their name of any involvement, uncover the real killer and clear their legal names before they lose everything they built.

This was my first foray into the series and I admit that I felt a little lost when it came to the characters. I did not think they were well developed and I had no real connection to any of them. That may be different if I had read the series from the beginning but I struggled to really care about any of them, especially the side characters of Mary's family. The story dragged at points when the conversations got to law intensive. I saw a couple of the plot twist coming early on and struggled with this but in general Scottoline's style was enjoyable and I would like to try some of her other works. I noticed other reviews are very positive from fans of the series and I hope they enjoy the newest edition just as a new reader it was hard to get lost in their world.

When requesting this book from Netgalley, I was unaware that it was a series. In fact, it was the 6th book of the Rosato & DiNunzio series. "Holy Crap, I am going to be lost" was my first thought. However, I wasn't lost at all. Going forward, I will read the rest of the series if there are more coming (I hope there is) but I don't know if I will go backwards really.

Mary, Judy, and Bennie are the names behind Rosato and DiNunzio law firm. Judy is the newest partner. Her and Mary are best friends. They have two other attorneys that work at the firm as well, Anne and John.
John and Anne have been working on a big case together. Suddenly, the "girls" are bombarded with a law suit against their practice that they were not expecting. They are being sued by three men claiming that they were not hired because they were male.

What is this about??? John is male???!!!

Not only that, but the attorney representing the men are the girl's enemy, Nick Machiavelli. Nick will stop at nothing to destroy the girls and their reputation. They end up losing their only male employee, someone ends up murdered from the firm, and Machiavelli is still coming at them with a vengeance.

With Mary about to bust, this is causing a lot of stress on not only her but the baby. Perhaps it is true that nobody can understand their child more than their own mom. The girls will do whatever she has to do to prove that Machiavelli set up the entire lawsuit and to solve a murder within her own work family.
I really enjoyed the book. It was pretty easy to follow and didn't drag out like some criminal stories do.

https://wordpress.com/post/ccsfrontporch.wordpress.com/82

Really only 3.5 stars, but I rounded up. I struggled with the plausibility of the who-done-it, when it came, but I always enjoy this series when it's told from Mary's point-of-view -- her humor, the Italian interactions with her parents and other Italian-Americans, I just love Mary. I usually am very OCD about reading series in order, but I received an ARC of this, so I missed the first 5 books in this second series (I've read all of the first series), so I know there are personal details in the characters' lives that I've missed out on (Mary is now married and pregnant), but the story itself stands alone without missing too much background (even the Mary/Machiavelli returning rivalry doesn't need a lot of background to follow). Not the best as far as how believable it is, but still very well done, especially when Mary goes back to "the neighborhood" and the scenes with the Rosary Society and Machiavelli and Flora, very entertaining. Easy, fast read with some twists.

When three men announce that they are suing the Rosato & DiNunzio law firm for reverse sex discrimination—claiming that they were not hired because they were men—Mary DiNunzio and Bennie Rosato are outraged. To make matters worse, their one male employee, John Foxman, intends to resign, claiming that there is some truth to this case.

The plaintiffs’ lawyer is Nick Machiavelli, who has already lost to Mary once and is now back with a vengeance —determined to not only win, but destroy the firm. It soon becomes clear that Machiavelli will do anything in his power to achieve his end…even after the case turns deadly. The stakes have never been higher for Mary and her associates as they try to keep Machiavelli at bay, solve a murder, and save the law firm they love…or they could lose everything they’ve worked for. Told with Scottoline’s trademark gift for twists, turns, heart, and humanity, this latest thriller asks the question: Is it better to be loved, or feared…

My Thoughts: I always love revisiting the characters in the Rosato & DiNunzio law firm, but in Feared, the newest outing, I was even more drawn in by Mary DiNunzio in her new role as an expectant mother. Her fierceness masked her vulnerability, and kept her swinging as she worked with her partners to battle their nemesis, Nick Machiavelli.

When the lawsuit began to look like an uphill battle, everything got much worse when someone was murdered. Bereft and still swinging, the women did everything in their power to solve that case and follow the clues that would bring the lawsuit to an end.

I’ve always enjoyed Mary’s thought processes, and watching her figure out the connections that would tie the case up for them was as enticing as always. I especially enjoyed the camaraderie between the law partners, Mary, Benny Rosato and Judy Carrier. The family and friends from the neighborhood added just the loving network that Mary needed during difficult times.

As solving the murder seemed to elude the partners, the suspense increased dramatically; and then an unexpected clue brought the answers, but would it be too late? I kept rapidly turning pages until the very end of this 5 star read.

***My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley.

Feared by Lisa Scottoline is the 6th in the Rosato and DiNunzo series, and quite frankly for me - the best! The female group of lawyers are hit with a reverse discrimination lawsuit. In the meantime, and throughout the story, Mary DiNunzo and husbank Anthony are expecting their first baby. Her job as a lawyer and his as a writer, and now to be stay at home dad, make for fun and angst in every possible way. The plot is filled with adversaries, lawyers with a vengence, friends, enemies and murder. Mary and her colleagues/friends take it all in together in fits of fun, fright, and determination. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press!

Mary and her crew find themselves in the center of a reverse-discrimination lawsuit. What bothers them even more is when they learn that John, an associate at their firm, made some unflattering comments about them to one of the plaintiffs. Mary's nemesis, Machiavelli, is the lawyer representing the plaintiffs and he does not fight fair. He stages press conferences and calls all of the women in the firm out for their supposed discrimination practices.

Meanwhile, the firm is dealt a blow, both personal and professional and are left reeling in the aftermath. Some secrets are exposed and one of them is suspected of murder. Machiavelli stages several PR nightmares for the firm. Bennie hires a lawyer for them who is more interested in projecting zen, than really taking Machiavelli head on. Mary finds her reputation, along with everyone else's at the firm being tainted.

Mary is also dealing with being pregnant and finds herself conflicted over slowing down, or continuing her rigorous schedule and possibly causing complications with the baby. Anthony tries to be supportive of her efforts, but he does call her out on her view of pregnancy itself. Mary did seem to have tunnel vision again and didn't seem to understand that the baby is a blessing and not a curse. She was only looking at what she felt she was losing out on and not on what she was gaining.

Needless to say, there was a lot going on in this book. Sometimes I felt that it was bit too much at times. Overall it was a good read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

I felt as if I were back among old friends as I read this latest in the DiNunzio/Risotto series. The book started out well and at the halfway mark, I was feeling like I was into a 5 Star book. There was tension, stress, humor and sadness as the law firm attempted to fight against the lawsuit that had been filed, and to fight against Mary’s enemy Machiavelli. That’s when it started inching downhill and ultimately imploded at the end.

The ending was so contrived and built on ethnic stereotypes...it felt like the author was just trying to wrap things up quickly and all the efforts by Mary and the rest of the characters earlier in the book just vanished. It bordered on unbelievable and left me wondering whether I had missed something regarding the murderer. Seriously? Machiavelli came off looking foolish, Mary’s hatred toward him got in the way, the whole Zen thing was far fetched and the scene with Machiavelli’s mother was just ridiculous. I love this series and this author but this felt like Scottoline needed to meet a deadline or something. Disappointed for sure.
.

Wonderful book! In a storyline that could be taken out of today’s headlines, the firm has been served with a reverse discrimination suit by three men that said that they weren’t hired because the firm is all women. There’s something fishy in the entire lawsuit but no one can figure it out. Then the only male employee, John, decides to resign & it causes more tension & problems. Besides defending themselves, they are trying an anti-trust suit & John was a big part of the team. As they try to rotate duties & pacify the clients, John is murdered & his girlfriend, Judy, is a person of interest. Can things get any worse?

Lisa Scottoline writes terrific legal thrillers with a touch of romance. She manages to keep the plot intense & interesting while keeping up a good pace. The storyline doesn’t drag. The women have really developed a sense of family at the firm & are shocked when John admits to feeling he won’t be advanced there. There are multiple storylines going on but they are all kept straight & resolved by the end of the book. I love that Mary’s loud, brash Italian family are a big part of the story & the way it ends.

Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors. I think I have read every Rosato/DeNunzio book from the very beginning of the series, as well as her stand-alone fiction, and nonfiction. This latest book, Feared, is like catching up with old friends, and enjoying their successes. The story centers around a reverse-discrimination lawsuit. Philadelphia lawyers Bennie, Mary, and Judy are back, along with the full (and sometimes hilarious) supporting cast. Ms. Scottoline catches the reader up and re-introduces the characters, so I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to a reader who is reading this series for the first time. I highly recommend this author, and this series!

I love Lisa Scottoline’s books and Feared is no exception. Well written plot with many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.. Couldn’t put this book down. I highly recommend this book. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc. This is my unbiased review.