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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
This series has been my favorite lightweight romance/erotica series since discovering it in 2016. I have come back to these books as a place of (horny) comfort for years. The final installment made a lot of “wrongs” right, for me - for the previous two books, I found myself sort of going through the motions instead of enjoying the plot, because the deaths of Emma and Michael were so upsetting. But: this book does right by those two characters, and makes it seem like, while they’ll never be perfect, those who survived them will actually manage to live a fulfilled life without them. What a happy ending.
I was hesitant to give five stars because of how every book towards the end of this series has tended to have less sex in it (you do not go to a butcher without expecting more than a little blood!) but the sex scenes that ARE in this book are unparalleled compared to the last two books.
Abigail Barnette, you’re a blessing. Thank you for this series.
I was hesitant to give five stars because of how every book towards the end of this series has tended to have less sex in it (you do not go to a butcher without expecting more than a little blood!) but the sex scenes that ARE in this book are unparalleled compared to the last two books.
Abigail Barnette, you’re a blessing. Thank you for this series.
I'm so sad this series is over! It's been a favorite for so long. BUT this was a satisfying ending to these character's stories. I'll miss Sophie and Neil and El-Mudad, but I'm so glad to know them in the first place.
A happy and mostly triumphant ending to a series that I (and many others) feel has stumbled a bit along the way. We can't seem to agree on what those stumbles are, specifically, because so much has happened over the course of several in-universe years and seven other books. And the major problem that causes is that this sometimes didn't feel like a story, it felt like a to-do list of getting closure for the many, many plot threads.
Which, yes, is what endings are for. But in covering everything that's ever happened in the story, that drags up a lot of the things that feel like dead weight. I wasn't a fan of the idea to give Sophie a baby she didn't birth by killing off its parents in a car accident; I felt it undermined Sophie's determination not to be a mother. So now, in every book since, she's had to do a mental dance of "I'm a caregiver, not a mother" even when she's clearly performing parental duties and experiencing something at least adjacent to a maternal sort of love. And this book addresses that, actually in more depth (or at least more consistently) than I recall other books doing, by exploring her dynamic with El-Mudad's children, who were long out of babyhood when they came into Sophie's life. So I won't say that cognitive dissonance isn't recognized and discussed, only that I wish it had never had to happen in the first place.
But the list goes on. Some readers apparently dislike El-Mudad (not me, I adore him.) So they're going to be unhappy he's even around, let alone getting a happy ending with Neil and Sophie. Holli and Deja and Penny all have to show up--and man, even though I'd read the first two of Penny's spin-off novels back when they came out, I'd managed to forget she was a character at all, it's been so long. It's been long enough that I'd also forgotten, when Sophie runs into Ian at a party, that she slept with him and his ex-wife back in their collective swinging days. As for me, I didn't really like The Sister that much (relatively speaking to the other novels) so I was forced to sit through Molly half-heartedly being important to the plot again, and the only-sort-of-resolved issue of Sophie in denial about her diabetes. I don't particularly feel like either plot thread enriches the story, and even the tiny subplot with Molly and Amal, cute in isolation, felt like a complication that we didn't really need on top of everything else we already have to speed-run through.
If there can be said to be a "main" plot of this novel on its own, it's certainly the Laurence/Valerie/Olivia family tangle, and that, I do feel was handled well. The issues were foreshadowed, the complications laid out and entangled with subplots in great detail, and the resolution satisfying. Given that Valerie has been a thorn in our main characters' collective side for the entire run of the series, I would have been disappointed if she didn't still have a major role to play at the end, and as far as that goes, I got what I wanted.
I just also had to wade through a lot of flotsam that I wish could have been left behind.
Which, yes, is what endings are for. But in covering everything that's ever happened in the story, that drags up a lot of the things that feel like dead weight. I wasn't a fan of the idea to give Sophie a baby she didn't birth by killing off its parents in a car accident; I felt it undermined Sophie's determination not to be a mother. So now, in every book since, she's had to do a mental dance of "I'm a caregiver, not a mother" even when she's clearly performing parental duties and experiencing something at least adjacent to a maternal sort of love. And this book addresses that, actually in more depth (or at least more consistently) than I recall other books doing, by exploring her dynamic with El-Mudad's children, who were long out of babyhood when they came into Sophie's life. So I won't say that cognitive dissonance isn't recognized and discussed, only that I wish it had never had to happen in the first place.
But the list goes on. Some readers apparently dislike El-Mudad (not me, I adore him.) So they're going to be unhappy he's even around, let alone getting a happy ending with Neil and Sophie. Holli and Deja and Penny all have to show up--and man, even though I'd read the first two of Penny's spin-off novels back when they came out, I'd managed to forget she was a character at all, it's been so long. It's been long enough that I'd also forgotten, when Sophie runs into Ian at a party, that she slept with him and his ex-wife back in their collective swinging days. As for me, I didn't really like The Sister that much (relatively speaking to the other novels) so I was forced to sit through Molly half-heartedly being important to the plot again, and the only-sort-of-resolved issue of Sophie in denial about her diabetes. I don't particularly feel like either plot thread enriches the story, and even the tiny subplot with Molly and Amal, cute in isolation, felt like a complication that we didn't really need on top of everything else we already have to speed-run through.
If there can be said to be a "main" plot of this novel on its own, it's certainly the Laurence/Valerie/Olivia family tangle, and that, I do feel was handled well. The issues were foreshadowed, the complications laid out and entangled with subplots in great detail, and the resolution satisfying. Given that Valerie has been a thorn in our main characters' collective side for the entire run of the series, I would have been disappointed if she didn't still have a major role to play at the end, and as far as that goes, I got what I wanted.
I just also had to wade through a lot of flotsam that I wish could have been left behind.
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5 rating. I enjoyed this more than I did the last two books. It felt more carefully written. I feel it was a good ending to the Sophie's journey. Some loose ends but I think it's a good thing in this case. I liked El-Mudad with Sophie and Neil better in this book but stilk not 100% sold there is the same love and connection between the three of them. It can't hold a candle to Neil and Sophie's love and connection. But he does solve some of their problems. I don't know polyamorous relationships are something I still struggle to wrap my head around to understand. And I know people who are so in my life. But I respect it. I think I'll do a re-read of these books perhaps? It's been years since I've read them and will feel more full circle. I truly loved the first 5 books. The Baby may have been too heartwrenching though.
I'm so disappointed in this installment in Sophie's story. The sex isn't sexy, and I only made it to chapter 4 before I couldn't bear being in Sophie's head anymore. She's scared of being "old," even though she's barely 30. She sees her diabetes as being something that's terribly wrong with her, as if millions of people don't live with it every day (and as if she doesn't have unlimited resources to help her manage it). And I find it incredibly hard to believe that El-Mudad wouldn't have been added as someone who could pick up Olivia in an emergency. Even if Sophie didn't think to do that, surely Neil or El-Mudad would have. Ultimately, in the future, I think I'll pretend the last 2 books in this series don't exist.
This series has been my favorite lightweight romance/erotica series since discovering it in 2016. I have come back to these books as a place of (horny) comfort for years. The final installment made a lot of “wrongs” right, for me - for the previous two books, I found myself sort of going through the motions instead of enjoying the plot, because the deaths of Emma and Michael were so upsetting. But: this book does right by those two characters, and makes it seem like, while they’ll never be perfect, those who survived them will actually manage to live a fulfilled life without them. What a happy ending.
I was hesitant to give five stars because of how every book towards the end of this series has tended to have less sex in it (you do not go to a butcher without expecting more than a little blood!) but the sex scenes that ARE in this book are unparalleled compared to the last two books.
Abigail Barnette, you’re a blessing. Thank you for this series.
I was hesitant to give five stars because of how every book towards the end of this series has tended to have less sex in it (you do not go to a butcher without expecting more than a little blood!) but the sex scenes that ARE in this book are unparalleled compared to the last two books.
Abigail Barnette, you’re a blessing. Thank you for this series.
(Since there is at least one other book in the series that I liked less than this one, I'll keep my rating in the 4-5 stars area.)
It is here! The last book in The Boss series, this time having Sophie in the limelight. You might argue that Sophie was always in the limelight since the whole series is from her point of view, but I am going to disagree. The other books in the series focused on one or multiple other characters, but this one, this last book of the series, it is all Sophie.
If I recall correctly, we left everyone worrying about what's to come next in the last book. There had been a clash with Laurence and everyone was uneasy, so a wrap up was to come. Sophie is just that, it takes all the lose ends and pull them up in a bow, some more careful and tight than others.
While it is a good conclusion to the series, this book felt a little off. I am very happy that finally no one is shrugging out of anything (I didn't mention it in any of the other reviews, but the amount of shrugging out of jackets, coats and other outside clothing made me want to climb the wall), but there were other things... Some scenes felt very flat to me, when there were three characters (I mean Sophie, Neil, and El-Mudad) having a conversation if felt like one of them wasn't there when they weren't actively speaking. I don't know if it's just me or there was something about the description, but I definitely didn't get that impression in any of the other books.
I appreciated the whole domestic violence discussion. I didn't like that it happened to one of the characters, but I liked that it showed that domestic violence exists without anyone outside of it even knowing.Without wanting to, I thought to myself that Valerie never gave me the impression of someone who would be a victim of domestic violence, she was a strong accomplished woman, but then I realised that's the whole point. There isn't anything to make someone more prone to being a victim, it can happen to anyone regardless of their social status or the way others perceive them. Very well done, Abigail Barnette.
In my first review on this series I said that Sophie is relatable and that's not the case anymore. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Sophie simply changed lanes, we intersected for a while then I watched her go a different way. Her evolution was very smooth and I might have not even noticed it if I wouldn't have had this period in between the first and the last book of the series. What I'm saying is Sophie changed. She started off as this ambitious poor girl who had big dreams, and became this comfortable, rich woman whose dreams and priorities changed.
My feelings about Neil and El-Mudad remained the same.I would have liked Neil to top El-Mudad, so, um, maybe, I can hope for a short story? Maybe? I won't keep my hopes up, just putting it out there. I must say that I liked Neil's relationship with Rashida and the way everyone became a big happy family.
Under the things I didn't particularly likeis Valerie's long lasting feelings for Neil, to the point where it's completely unhealthy and more like an obsession. Get a grip already, Valerie! I was so glad El-Mudad stepped in and made both his and Sophie's feelings about that relationship known. Only Neil was too quick to accept it. And just to be clear, Neil is definitely guilty too in this Valerie-Neil relationship.
As I already said, this last book tights up lose ends and while I am glad everything was taken care of, I feel like some things were rushed. Neil's acceptance that he might just be wrong, Valerie's divorce—what happened to Laurence? I'm sure he put up a fight, that was definitely one nasty divorce. Did he walk away with Valerie's money? Was there no repercussion for his actions?—then the fact that matters regarding Olivia weren't taken care of until it absolutely had to, it all made it feel like this book's whole purpose was just that, cleaning up, and not offering a sequel, a story.
However, I did enjoy it. I laughed a few times, there were some good moments there, some harsh words were thrown too, and the book was overall entertaining. I just didn't feel it as close as some of the others, there was excitement, but in a very so long kind of way, I knew every step of the way that this is the last book, it loomed over me, and I wasn't taken by surprise at all by what happened. I like being taken by surprise when reading.
It is here! The last book in The Boss series, this time having Sophie in the limelight. You might argue that Sophie was always in the limelight since the whole series is from her point of view, but I am going to disagree. The other books in the series focused on one or multiple other characters, but this one, this last book of the series, it is all Sophie.
If I recall correctly, we left everyone worrying about what's to come next in the last book. There had been a clash with Laurence and everyone was uneasy, so a wrap up was to come. Sophie is just that, it takes all the lose ends and pull them up in a bow, some more careful and tight than others.
While it is a good conclusion to the series, this book felt a little off. I am very happy that finally no one is shrugging out of anything (I didn't mention it in any of the other reviews, but the amount of shrugging out of jackets, coats and other outside clothing made me want to climb the wall), but there were other things... Some scenes felt very flat to me, when there were three characters (I mean Sophie, Neil, and El-Mudad) having a conversation if felt like one of them wasn't there when they weren't actively speaking. I don't know if it's just me or there was something about the description, but I definitely didn't get that impression in any of the other books.
I appreciated the whole domestic violence discussion. I didn't like that it happened to one of the characters, but I liked that it showed that domestic violence exists without anyone outside of it even knowing.
In my first review on this series I said that Sophie is relatable and that's not the case anymore. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Sophie simply changed lanes, we intersected for a while then I watched her go a different way. Her evolution was very smooth and I might have not even noticed it if I wouldn't have had this period in between the first and the last book of the series. What I'm saying is Sophie changed. She started off as this ambitious poor girl who had big dreams, and became this comfortable, rich woman whose dreams and priorities changed.
My feelings about Neil and El-Mudad remained the same.
Under the things I didn't particularly like
As I already said, this last book tights up lose ends and while I am glad everything was taken care of, I feel like some things were rushed. Neil's acceptance that he might just be wrong, Valerie's divorce—what happened to Laurence? I'm sure he put up a fight, that was definitely one nasty divorce. Did he walk away with Valerie's money? Was there no repercussion for his actions?—then the fact that matters regarding Olivia weren't taken care of until it absolutely had to, it all made it feel like this book's whole purpose was just that, cleaning up, and not offering a sequel, a story.
However, I did enjoy it. I laughed a few times, there were some good moments there, some harsh words were thrown too, and the book was overall entertaining. I just didn't feel it as close as some of the others, there was excitement, but in a very so long kind of way, I knew every step of the way that this is the last book, it loomed over me, and I wasn't taken by surprise at all by what happened. I like being taken by surprise when reading.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes