Shadows of Trust is a collection of three novellas surrounding Doug Valdez and how he and his wife Jill end up adopting each of their children. The titles of the novellas are: Hunted, Secrets of St. Augustine, and Shadows of Trust.

I quite enjoyed each of these novellas. But, my thoughts on novellas still stand. I think they are too short. The story is over before it really even starts. The first novella, Hunted, surrounds a teenager named Reagan. It was very convenient how she just fell right into Doug and Jill’s lap, but hey that's what this story is all about. She ends up in Doug’s protective custody and eventually becomes a permanent member of the family.

The second novella, Secrets of St. Augustine, is about Layla who also just so happens to fall into their lap. I thought this story followed the same outline as Hunted did. There is nothing wrong with that, but it was a little bit predictable. The main difference was how fast Doug came around to the idea of adopting Layla.

The third novella, Shadows of Trust, which I feel like is cheating by having the same name as the collection of books, was different from the first two as far as storyline goes. Doug wasn’t necessarily “protecting” the kids here/investigating a crime, he was just trying to figure out where their aunt disappeared to, and in the process fell in love with the kids.

Overall, I enjoyed the collection of books and liked getting an insight into how each kid became a part of the family. For those who are avid readers of Traci Hunter Abramson, you’ll know of Doug Valdez. He appears in many of her books as a vital side character, and it was about time he got his moment to shine, even if it’s through his kids.