I was so excited to read this book! Lisa Scottoline is an excellent author and I have always been a huge fan of her books! This book was not my favorite of hers.  
 
This book was super hard for me. The book starts out telling the story of five different people who may or may not be connected. One is the story of Dante, a young boy who is kidnapped and hidden in a madhouse. The second story is of Gaetano, a lawyer who is trying to rescue the boys. The third story is about Alfredo who has goats and makes cheese. The fourth story is about a fisherman's family, while the fisherman is out to sea, everyone is killed but him on the same night that his wife gives birth to a translucent baby girl. The last story is about two twins who want to improve their lives. As the book progresses, the stories develops further and further. The book was enjoyable. The hard part for me was that the connections between the stories did not happen until much later in the book. The characters are well developed, but I didn't particularly love any of them. I particularly enjoyed the last portion of the book where the author shared that this is a story of the mafia in Sicily and the research that led her to writing this book. Overall this was a good read!  
 
I am very grateful to G.P. Putnam/Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book! Just the accuracy of the history of Sicily and the making of the Mafia was enough to keep me interested. Little Dante, 6 years old, is kidnapped and sent to live in a madhouse back in the 1800’s. This was happening to young boys back then. As they got older they were sent to a sulfur mine as slave labor.. A group of men began meeting in a secret location and formed a pact. They began to take matters into their own hands and right the wrongs that were happening. (The birth of the Mafia)

Many families are connected in this story but we don’t know exactly how until the story progresses. Every once in a while I got a little lost with each family’s story but it all comes together nicely later in the book and it all makes sense. Gaetano is an amazing character. The strength and determination of this lawyer and his will to save Dante is heartwarming. The book gives us closure in the end as Dante wants nothing more than to find his family, specifically his father, because he is sure his father was the one who wanted him to be kidnapped in the first place.

Great historical novel by Scottoline. The food, people, stories, locations, and even goats described in this book are so engrossing! Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House LLC and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the ARC.

I love Lisa Scottoline’s books. I have enjoyed quite a few. LOYALTY was not my favorite. The first half of the book plodded through a fistful of story threads that seem to have nothing to do with each other. The story involves the kidnapping of a child named Dante which took place in Sicily in the early 1800’s. The child is thrown into a “madhouse” where he was forced to compete with a wild group if inmates. This is a time when sanitariums were a truly frightening place.

The sad plight of children in this darkest of Scottoline’s novels continues when the fisher community suffers a horrible tragedy at sea. The community response was to on an infant born the very night of the tragedy because the infant’s father was the sole survivor. Mother and baby are forced to flee for their lives.

Other threads include a lawyer who is investigating Dante’s disappearance without a clue as to who in Palermo lost a son. There are also tales of a group of lemon growers and a cheese maker.

The reader is left pushing through chapters that do not seem to connect with the preceding one. There is a brief hope for a connection at the beginning of Part 2 of the book when the lawyer, Gaetano, discovers Dante’s family. Unfortunately, though we readers make the connection to the kidnapped child and Dante’s parents, Gaetano does not. It is not until the second half of the book (after even more loose threads are revealed) that things begin to be resolved themselves.

For me, it was difficult to really care about any of the characters when they appeared so sporadically on scene. It is not until you are well into the book that the connections between story threads begin to reveal themselves. By that time my lack of connection with the characters took its toll.

Were it not for the author’s skill as a word-crafter, I would likely not have stuck around long enough for the threads to come together. Nevertheless, I am grateful that I was given a chance to receive an advance copy of this novel to read and review.

I am a big fan of Lisa Scottoline and she never disappoints.
This was not one of my favorites but still kept me intrigued enough to keeping reading and I enjoyed the twists and turns.

I have always been a fan of Lisa Scottoline and was super excited to receive this ARC. So first off I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is a historical fiction and really kept me engaged the entire time. I enjoy books about the mafia and this one was no exception. It did have me researching the Sicilian mafia and their role in Italy during this time period. The characters were very well developed and while the story was different than her normal writing style, I still very much enjoyed it. I would highly recommend this book and will be buying a physical copy once its released.

Getting a chance to review a Lisa Scottoline novel was like winning the lottery. Instead of another one of her thrillers, “Loyalty” gives us a peek into Italian history with a dramatization of the early days of the Sicilian mafia.

When the novel opens, we discover that a child, Dante, has been kidnapped and left at a madhouse. The kidnapper may or may not have been Franco who manages a lemon grove but hoping to own his own grove, might be willing to do anything to make that happen. Further, Gaetano is attorney and a member of Beati Paoli, a secret society, who seeks to find the boy. Meanwhile, Lucina born to Mafalda, is deemed evil, even though her mother believes she is God’s greatest gift.

Yes, there is a lot going on, and I have only touched the surface. Readers of her legal thrillers might be a little frustrated with the pace of this book as well as the number of characters and plots. While this is a slow read, especially in the beginning, and you wonder where the novel is headed, there is a payoff. Ultimately, you will enjoy the journey Scottloine takes you on. I especially appreciated the picturesque details she gives of Silicy. I could easily imagine myself there.

My thanks to the publisher, Lisa Scottoline and NetGalley for this intriguing book.

This book is so different from the writing style in Scottoline's What Happened to the Bennet's? that I almost couldn't believe I was reading something from the same author.

I found it a bit challenging to get into the story and plot but I was happy to have finished it for the purpose of this review. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy.

It's always amazing to read and be transported to another country and Scottoline does this when she takes us on a thriller ride to Sicily with her new book Loyalty. It is an intense historical novel which isn't my usual genre.

Scottoline’s latest had me hooked from the first scene. Set in Palermo, Sicily in 1810, the book opens with a shocking kidnapping that sets in motion a chain of events involving several seemingly unrelated groups of people. The kidnapping has a devastating ripple effect on all of them and ultimately alters the history of the region.

Scottoline’s deep research is evident as she describes the intricacies of Sicily at the time. The fishing village, the customs, the sea patterns, etc. I was completely transported to the Sicily of the early 1800’s and I loved it! We follow the events leading to the rise of the Sicilian mafia and it’s a riveting read.

Like good historical fiction does, this one had me looking up information to try to decipher what is based in fact. The Royal madhouse of Palermo?! Was that a real place? Did the Sicilian mafia really start in farming regions of Palermo? Be sure to read the Authors Note at the end. Very interesting and it will save you some time flipping back and forth looking stuff up while reading.

Some scenes were a bit melodramatic and I found the writing a bit choppy in places, but I still gobbled it up. I was sad when it was over. If you like historical fiction, be sure to preorder this one. 👍🏻

Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam Sons for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another best seller from Lisa Scottoline! I found this different than many of her other books and wasn't sure if I would enjoy it but I did get caught up in the story and really liked it! The book is filled with the history of Sicily-a lot of research went into this novel. There are many characters but it all weaves together and is truly a very enjoyable book. Will definitely recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Scottoline and ‎G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Lisa Scottoline has really turned me into a fan! I loved every page of this one., It was fast-paced and kept my mind occupied!

I always enjoy reading Lisa Scottoline’s novels. I have to admit that I’m still unsure of this one.
The beginning was very confusing with so many characters that didn’t seem connected. I almost gave up at that point. I did continue though, mainly to understand their connection.
I didn’t really care for the characters and some were just plain evil. But the sign of a good author is that she hooked my interest. I needed to know the connection.
So if you start this novel, please don’t give up. The answers will surprise you.
I will give Ms Scottoline 5 stars but only 3 for the book.

When I decided I wanted to read this book I was expecting a storyline similar to those in the other books I have read from this author. This book was completely different. Although a decent read it did not meet the quality of her previous works.

Loyalty is historical fiction imagining the early days of the Sicilian Mafia. Several character threads are used to weave an intricate story, and although a lot to manage at the beginning, the story becomes more clear and engaging as it moves along. I struggled a bit at first keeping track of the characters, but once it all clicked I was engrossed in this novel. I associated Lisa Scottoline with mystery and thrillers, but it seems as though she has ventured into historical fiction and I think this is a solid shift.
Thanks to Net Galley and GP Putnam Sons for an advanced copy to review!

I will admit this was not my favorite Lisa Scottoline Book. The story takes place in a time and place that I am unfamiliar with, but was interested in learning more of the period. The book follows MANY characters and at first the reader does not see how the characters are intertwined. By the end of the book all the lose ends have been tied up in a nice little bow.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A lot of dynamics at work in this one.

This detailed journey is a tour through Palermo Sicily in the 1800’s woven expertly with fact and fiction.
A little boy, Dante, is kidnapped during the St. Rosalia Festival and tossed into a madhouse, where a bribed guard, Renzo, tells the administrator the child was relinquished by his parents for trying to kill a fictional little brother.
On the outskirts of Palermo, Franco manages a lemon grove for Baron Zito, a crop desired by the British Navy to prevent scurvy, and wants to one day own his own grove. So much that he will do almost anything, including arranging such kidnappings.
We see the rise of the mafia in Sicily through the desires of the not so wealthy. How power and greed corrupt- How the choices made both enhance and affect the people of the town.

This story is a very different type of story for Lisa. Her previous writings that I have read are mostly legal thrillers of mystery. Now she is turning her hand to writing historical fiction, and I couldn't be happier! This was a fascinating inside look at the mafia as it grows in power in Sicily! I also enjoyed reading about a completely different time period in history and a setting that my own ancestors originated from. Lisa is from my hometown and I always gravitate towards her books because of her locations she chooses. It’s very fun to read books where you know road names, landmarks and towns!
I will include, you will need patience before the main characters come together in this one. Try and take your time and absorb the writing and development of Lisa’s characters.
In the front of the book is a list of all of the character names and their positions within the story. Very useful!! This will be your guide.
Thank you to #NetGalley, the publishers and Lisa for extending me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Another outstanding book by this very talented author who started off with legal fiction and has come up with a historical novel set in 1810 in Italy. The story begins with the introduction of the multiple characters who eventually will tie everything together,
Dante a young boy 0f 5 or 6 gets kidnapped at a festival and is sold by a man who profits by this and he is the main focus of this book. He is shackled in his cell and he endures this horrible life until his teenage years when a new administrator takes over the mental facility. He falls in love, sets out to find his family and makes peace with the life that he has lived up to this point.
Rich descriptions of the people, places and events make this such a great read that I am happy to recommend. I look forward to many more great books in the future by Lisa Scottoline.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This book has a lot of storylines in the beginning, with a lot of names and places, I was ready to give up around 25%. Stick with it though, and it all comes together quickly to finish as a strong story.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Catalans, a lawyer must find Dante, a little boy who was kidnapped.
Franco, who was to kidnap Dante was to murder him but instead took him to the mental asylum.
Why was he asked to kidnap and murder the child? What will happen to Dante? Can he escape?
A shocking story if Nadia control, family secrets, and love.

Always a good story and sucks you in right away. I really enjoyed the book and really appreciate the advance read. Thanks