In this continuation of the Rosato and DiNunzio series with alphabetized titles, Mary’s pregnancy weighs heavily in the story. Tables are turned on the firm when they are sued, and murder comes too close to home, with one of their own a person of interest. Unrelated to the discrimination case, religious bias seems to crack the fourth wall, as the lawyer for the firm comes across as ineffectual in his lackadaisical, eastern spirituality approach. The clue that exposes the murderer is generic and far-reaching as conclusive evidence. The writing is solid and flows, but the storyline and accoutrements fall short of Scottoline’s brilliance despite her winning formula. With Mary the lead in this book, her family makes broad appearances, which is always welcome to DiNuinzio fans. As a novel in a series, it’s worth reading for the continuity in anticipation of “G***”. I was fortunate to receive an early copy from the publisher #St.Martin’sPress through #NetGalley.

FEARED by Lisa Scottoline 
I have read other books by Lisa Scottoline and loved them and I really enjoyed this as well, I noticed this one was different than others as it had a strong Italian presence , then I realized that this was part of a series, number six in the Rosato/DiNunzio series. I guess I'm going to have to read the first five now!😊
The characters were all so colorful and fun to get to know. Ok...maybe some not so fun...but that goes with the territory with murder mysteries. 
The book pulled me in from page one and it never ever got dull. There were twist and turns and ups and downs. You will feel like your riding a rollercoaster reading this book. 
Great character development, good storyline, and surprising twists...everything I love in a book. I do recommend this book!

Received an advanced copy of Feared from Netgalley! Took me awhile to get through. This book seemed slow in the beginning. But picked up pass about half way through. Typical of Lisa Scottoline. Lots of twists that have you guessing! I would recommend this book, just push through the slow start, hold on because it gets good!

Feared by Lisa Scottoline is part of a series but my first exposure to the series. I received an advance copy through Net Galley. Although this book can work as a standalone, I admit I was not excited about the book in the beginning. I did not find the characters likeable or sympathetic. They did grow on me as I read on. The central character is Mary DiNunzio, a pregnant lawyer and named partner in her firm. She and her partners are sued for reverse discrimination by another attorney who has a grudge against Mary. The only male lawyer at their firm proves to be one of the primary witnesses against them and things get really complicated when he is murdered. An office romance is uncovered and Mary's best friend becomes the prime suspect.

The law firm hires Roger, a "Zen master" who specializes in legal malpractice and has never lost a case, to represent them. Whereas Mary and her partners' instinct is to fight back, Roger believes in a different path and much of the conflict in the book stems from the tension between him and the partners. While they battle the reverse discrimination suit and defend themselves against accusations of murder, their opponent Machiavelli ramps up his personal attacks against them in the press trying to ruin their reputation and drive away their business. In the meantime, Mary's husband and family show their concern for her pregnancy and her struggle for independence causes familial tension.

While I initially resisted the lawyers, I grew to like them. Other characters were immensely likeable from the beginning, especially the Tonys. The Italian-American dynamic of the family was engaging and entertaining. The family of the deceased lawyer was sympathetic and engaging. The book was a slow start for me, but I'm glad I stuck it out because I enjoyed the read.

It was lovely to reunite with Mary, Judy, and Bennie and the rest of the crew.  These ladies are strong and powerful but their company is suffering under the gender discrimination lawsuit they've been slapped with.  Feared wasn't quite as fast-paced as some of the earlier Denunzio books but still a fun read with some worry that the girls are going to come out of this situation in good standing and with money in there pockets.

Another amazing twisted read from Lisa. Thrilled to revisit the old neighborhood with all the family, neighbor and friend craziness that only Mary's neighborhood in South Phillie can bring. Along with that Mary is pregnant, they are facing a lawsuit, an employee in murdered and they're in the middle of a major litigation and Mary's instincts point her in one direction. Back to the old neighborhood and their long time nemesis Machiavelli. Perfect name for the bad guy. Why did I love the Rosary society ladies so much? This story has the best of everything, laughs, tension, suspense, sadness. Mary working through things with Anthony and being pregnant. The whole office has so much going on, Judy, oh how I loved her. She's always right there. I can't say enough good things about this book, it's Lisa at her best as always. She's such a great author and her stories mesh the personal side with the plot. Not many authors can pull that off smoothly and Lisa is stellar. I loved this book and the epilogue. Heavy happy sigh!

**arc from Net Galley and Publisher for an honest review**

Lisa Scottolni brings back the crew of Mary, Benny, Anne and the rest at Rosario and Denuncio law firm in Philadelphia.   Though the story is a bit contrived and the ending, weak; there is no getting around Scottolini's ability to provide South Philly color and character.  In this novel Rosetti and DeNunzio must defend against serious discrimination charges while trying to solve the murder of their cooleague.  If you're a fan, you'll enjoy it - especially the time spent with quirky South Philly neighbors.

I loved this book/story just like I have every one of Lisa Scottoline's other books!!!!!!  In this story Mary Dinunzio is 7 mths pregnant with her 1st child and knee deep in a case as usual. This time the case is again her own law firm. They are being sued for reverse discrimination by three men who are saying they applied for a job and didn't get hired because they are men. Mary suspects her arch nemesis Machaivelli is behind the whole thing but then the only male associate in their law firm gets murdered.  You will get get sucked in from the first page and think you've got it figured out but you are wrong!!!!!!  Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the oppurtunity to read this amazing novel.  I will highly recommend this book to everyone

Three male lawyers are suing for reverse discrimination for not getting positions with the Rosato, Carrier & DiNunzio law firm. The men are being represented by Nick Machiavelli. He has it in for Mary DiNunzio and has found a way to get back at her. Their associate John Foxman quits in the middle of all going on with the firm. Then he is found dead. There are secrets to be revealed but most important is who could have killed John and who is behind all of the problems the firm is having. Will they survive the bad press?

This is the 6th in the series for fans that love Rosato and DiNunzio. The firm is being sued for discrimination against men but it may be just a set-up? The only male lawyer in the firm is murdered. Was it because he misspoke about the firm? A secret romance... This all sets up for an interesting legal case. Recommended for all Rosato/DiNunzio fans.

I'm a big fan of Rosato & DiNunzio novels, and this one does not disappoint!  Mary's arch-nemesis, Nick Machiavelli is back, and I love this rivalry.  I hope Scottoline keeps this series going - it's one of my favorites!  Must be the Philly connection. :0)

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!