Honestly, I really loved this book and am torn about whether or not it deserves five stars. London is free and Crewe is angry. They are apart but unable to ignore the all-encompassing feeling of having known and lost their soulmate. The push and pull between them was truly entertaining, alternating between sweet and sad, romance and angst.
For me, London shines again. Strong and strong-willed, she does everything she can to mend broken bridges. But when Crewe offers to give her back her old job as “slave” she draws the line and gives him heck for it. She has self-respect and integrity. Crewe finally gets his head on straight, choosing love over royal tradition and finally finding that good heart that London kept telling him was hidden inside.
So why did the last book lose a star? Well, I feel that not every villain in this story deserved to be part of the HEA and that left a very bitter taste. It felt like the ending was ruined.
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SPOILERS AHEAD
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The author did a fabulous job of vilifying Ariel (Crewe’s business partner/subordinate) and painting her as a heartless sociopath:
Book 1 “You expect me to care just because I’m a woman? I don’t care about your problems. Whine to someone who gives a damn.”
Book 2 “It can’t be a medical school dropout from Brooklyn.”
Book 3 “You should have sold her to Bones.” (This last one is the cruelest of all considering what they all knew about Bones’ latest victim.)
London values Ariel because she is “the only family” that Crewe has. But the reader never gets a sense of why that is the case. She’s an employee with an inflated ego. Her actions demonstrated cruelty, selfishness, arrogance, disrespect, and inability to compromise. Ariel and Crewe should have parted ways. Hugs are okay. Going to each other’s weddings is okay. But putting her back in a position of authority? No way. She can’t be trusted. London’s soft-heartedness and forgiveness aside, she will never be safe from someone who is so immoral and self-important.