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The Elite #3

Classified

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Classified is the final book of the Elite Series and should only be read after book one, Danger Zone, and book two, Need for Speed.

They train to serve their country.
They strive to be the best.
But only a select few can be...
The Elite

* * *

MATEO MORGAN
CALL SIGN: SOLO


Reckless, arrogant, and bold, Solo is as known in the U.S. Navy for his bad-boy reputation as he is for his skills as a fighter pilot. It’s a surprise to his peers, then, when he’s chosen to train and compete at the most prestigious naval aviation academy in the world.

MISSION RULES:
1.Kick everyone’s ass.
2.Do whatever it takes to win.
3.Do your best to distract the competition.
4.Especially when that competition is a gorgeous blue-eyed perfectionist who makes your blood run hot.

* * *

GRANT HUGHES
CALL SIGN: PANTHER


Disciplined, smart, and confident, Panther can’t afford not to play by the rules. As the son of a top Navy commander, all eyes are on him, and being anything less than number one is unacceptable.

MISSION RULES:
1.Keep it safe in the air.
2.Prove you’re more than Commander Hughes’s son.
3.No distractions. Stay focused.
4.Don’t fall for your competition—especially not the rebellious heartbreaker with lips made for sinning.

In the heat of the hot California sun, tempers flare and desires ignite as Solo and Panther try to resist their attraction while fighting to be number one.
With passion this intense, the question remains:
Who’s gonna come out on top?

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 23, 2020

396 people are currently reading
1486 people want to read

About the author

Brooke Blaine

65 books2,436 followers
Brooke Blaine is a USA Today Bestselling Author best known for writing romantic comedy and M/M romance. Her novels lead with humor and heart, but Brooke never shies away from throwing in something extra naughty that will scandalize her conservative Southern family for life (bless their hearts).

She’s a choc-o-holic, lives for eighties bands (which means she thinks guyliner is totally underrated), believes it’s always wine o’clock, and lives with the coolest cat on the planet—her Ragdoll/Maine Coon mix, Jackson Agador Spartacus.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 727 reviews
Profile Image for Carol [Goodreads Addict].
3,068 reviews25.3k followers
June 19, 2020
Classified is the third and final book in The Elite series by Brooke Blaine and Ella Frank. This series has held me captivated from the first word of the first book. These three books need to be read in order. This final book’s focus is on the growing bond between Grant and Mateo. And I want to warn you, a side effect of this book is massive swooning. Consider yourself warned.

“Now that we were together, I knew we could navigate anything that came our way.”

classified ella frank - Google Search

Lieutenants Mateo (Solo) Morgan and Grant (Panther) Hughes are nearing the end of their time attending the Naval Aviation Fighter Academy, the most elite fighter pilot academy in the world. Going in to the Academy, the only thing either of them wanted was to win, to be the best. But now everything has changed. They have fallen in love. One a buttoned up, always follow the rules man and the other one an unpredictable, pushing the boundaries man, together, they have somehow balanced each other out. Where once, their careers were their only focus, now they are both imagining a future together. But how would that work? When they graduate, they could be sent thousands of miles away from each other. Does their time together have an expiration date? Is this all they will get?

two f/a 18a jets side by side flying - Google Search

“This man made me believe in words like love, forever, mine, and yours. I wanted to have, and be, all of that with him.”

Grant and Mateo’s relationship is out in the open now and they have the freedom to be together publicly as well as privately. They both pretty much were living in the now, trying to just be together and not think about what happens next. But not having the important conversations left a weakness between them, where doubt can find it’s way in.

“This was what it was like to finally find your person, to know that they chose you, you chose them, and nothing would get in the way of what you shared.”



I think of the three books, this was the most beautiful. I loved the dual point of views. I loved getting into both of these men’s heads and knowing how they felt. I loved that they went into the Academy with one focus, one goal, but watching that goal change. That they changed their focus from themselves to each other. That they realized that love means that the most important thing is no longer your own happiness but the happiness of the person you love. This series was amazing and I couldn’t adore these two more.

two motorcycles on the highway - Google Search

“The best things were worth waiting and fighting for.”

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

Profile Image for Wendys Wycked Words.
1,590 reviews3,958 followers
July 5, 2020
3,5

This is the third and final book in "The Elite Series" and it gave me all the closure I needed... Being the last book, it also didn't end on a cliffy which made me all kinds of happy.

yippie gif - Google Zoeken

I have to be honest though, I expected a bit more angst and action, but to me, it read more like a very long epilogue ... Which isn't a bad thing, since it was all kinds of sweet and romantic. I could nearly taste the love between these two. They really came a long way since the first book.

Afbeeldingsresultaat voor gay kisses

I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book and the ending definitely gave me butterflies but ... for me personally... I would rather read one or two lengthier books than 3 short ones with cliffies and waits in between. Thankfully the wait in between wasn't that long, but it still took me out of the story.

That said, these two were all kinds of hot and sweet and I am so glad I finally got to be a witness to their Happy Ever After. There are some small bumps on their road, but nothing they can't handle together.

 so cute gif - Google Zoeken

I really like the writing style of these two authors together and I hope there will be more collaboration between them in the future ;) 


An ARC was provided to
postedonlogo
in exchange for an honest review
Profile Image for Evie.
571 reviews319 followers
April 6, 2025
I feel like this series of books falls firmly into the "I didn't say it was good, I said I enjoyed it" category. I've been in a high stress mood the last week, where one minor inconvenience is all it would take to make me launch myself into oncoming traffic, and this light hearted action romance about two sexy rivals fighter pilots enthusiastically smooching has really been the thing that held my sanity together.

I will put a caveat on this though and say that 75% of my enjoyment comes from the amazing audiobook performances Aiden Snow and Christian Fox put in as Panther and Solo. To the point that at one stage I was doing a dual read with my kindle and ended up putting it away cause the book was diminishing my enjoyment of the story 😂😂. I genuinely don't know if I would have enjoyed it or finished it if I was reading it so I really encourage you to listen to it where possible.

I really enjoyed this final installment and while I don't normally love a third act break up, in this instance I really liked it (I think these two needed a bit of light angst to break up the saccrine sweetness). As an aside, this absolutely didn't need to be three books and 100% reads as one continuous story.

I'm rating this one 5 stars for the series as a whole (although it was as probably still closer to a 4 star) but will 100% come back to this as a comfort relisten in the future.

I'm sad to say goodbye to these two dumbos but I'm so glad that they were able to find a HEA together ❤️
Profile Image for Vanna.
816 reviews97 followers
July 25, 2020
4 Loved-It Stars for the series overall!! 😍 💕 First of all, the story of Mateo "Solo" Morgan and Grant"Panther" Hughes did not really need 3 books, it could have easily been 1 book or max 2 books 🙄. But I guess the authors wanted to make money and keep their fans wanting more with 2 back to back cliffhanger endings. Having been through this "waiting" ordeal once before with EF, I waited for the final book to come out before venturing in..😉. (I know, I'm so smart 🤪)
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the story, it was like watching M/M themed Top Gun (Classic movie from the 80s for all those millennials out there😍 ) Mateo or Solo is the resident bad boy who's reputation reaches the Elite Flight Club before he does; whereas Grant Panther is as straight laced as they come. They are at the "The Elite Club" for 12 weeks for training and to win the trophy for the best fighter pilot. So of course they are attracted to each other.. 💘 much to Panther's annoyance and Solo's amusement. Not used to taking no for an answer, Solo pursues Panther and despite many rebuffs, Panther gives in and they finally hook up. Their work and short duration of their training schedule makes them wary of getting emotionally involved so they decide to keep it casual. What they don't anticipate is Panther almost losing his life in a crash; which gives Solo a scare and Panther a new perspective on what's important. They start off spending more time with each other and things heat up fairly quickly. Intimacy and their amazing chemistry leads to some steamy times 🔥🔥between the two, but all their efforts to keep things casual gets blown away when feelings start to bloom💕
Will they have the courage to come out to their superiors and peers about their relationship? Even if their relationship survives the pressure of the competition, can it survive the rigors of long distance? What will their future look like?
This is a low-angst, high-flying action, 💕sizzling romance🔥 between two alpha males🤩. There is no outright bad guy or villain and I felt that a little bit of serious angst could have added a little depth to the story (like maybe exploring Mateo's family and past) Ultimately the last book felt more like a long epilogue (as so many of my GR friends have already mentioned), but it was still quite enjoyable. The adrenaline high, cocky banter, hot MCs and steamy passion made for a fun book💝 Highly recommended 👍 👍
Profile Image for Pauline.
423 reviews205 followers
May 21, 2025
This was the most SAPPY HEA I’VE EVER READ AND I COULD NOT BE MORE HAPPY ABOUT IT 😭😭

God, what a fun, emotional and just giddy finale to this little series. I loved, loved LOVED the whole relationship development between Panther and Solo from antagonists/rivals in book 1, to scorching hot fuck buddies in book 2, to loves of their fucking lives in book 3. I GOBBLED IT ALL UP.
That being said, this is definitely one continuous story and there’s literally no reason to break it up into three parts. Still a bit salty about that.

BUT I already can’t wait for my audio reread because I already miss the sexy voices of Aiden Snow and Christian Fox, who did an absolutely phenomenal job of narrating the hell out of these books ❤️‍🔥
Profile Image for Kati *☆・゚.
1,312 reviews700 followers
December 10, 2024
re-listen December 2024: ♡

3rd note after re-listen

God I love their HEA so much but hell, even after all this time and revisits, knowing nothing would change (ofc) I'm still mad at the author's for depriving us of the ultimate HEA scene on page there at the end. 😭


2nd note after re-listen

As much as I love these (audio)books I have to say, I find it honestly pretty impudent to cash in three times for a series with only approximately 13h length (or 570 pages) in total for one ongoing story.


note after re-listen

Well f* it, I'm pumping up my rating to the full 5 stars. I just love this whole story as well as Panther and Solo just too much to give them anything less!! 🥰

review for the whole series ⇢ here


**************
The Elite Trilogy

Book 1 - Danger Zone
Book 2 - Need for Speed
Book 3 - Classified
Profile Image for Rain.
2,603 reviews21 followers
March 16, 2023
*4.5* Book three was just as fun as book two. Must be read in order!

Lieutenant Mateo Morgan (Solo) and Lieutenant Grant Frederick Hughes (Panther) continue to heat up the pages in this last book of the series. I’ve honestly had so much fun reading these books. Nothing life-changing here, simply two men living their lives and learning more about each other along the way.

The raw emotion swirling in those beautiful brown eyes was breathtaking. It was full of trust, honesty, and absolute devotion.
Profile Image for Sabrina.
4,337 reviews2,395 followers
June 23, 2020
NOW LIVE!
Amazon US * Amazon UK



Classified is the the conclusion to Solo and Panther's story and probably the sweetest out of the three books. There was still some angst in this book but not a ton and instead it's focused more on seeing Solo and Panther navigate their lives together. There was a lot for them to figure out and it was interesting to see how they handled the big decisions.

I think this was a great conclusion to this couple but I do have to say that it felt more like an extra long epilogue than anything else. If it wasn't for the little bit of angst I would be certain that this was nothing more than an epilogue novella that was added on to a series. I enjoyed it so I'm glad I read it but it's also just one of my personal reasons that I typically try and avoid trilogies.

ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.

Profile Image for Cadiva.
4,013 reviews445 followers
June 18, 2020
Full review tomorrow when I'm at the laptop.

***

This was a tension-packed final entry in the story of Panther and Solo and it delivered on both the emotional highs and the sensual.

There's a relationship wobble which brings additional drama to the plot and it totally worked for me as a medium by which to introduce the level of doubt needed to create a stumbling block on the way to final happiness.

Panther and Solo, aka Grant and Mateo, are as scorchingly hot as they have been in the first two books, but there's way more emotional investment in Classified and I loved how both men were allowed to be vulnerable.

As this is basically a Top Gun homage, there's loads of detailing on the final few weeks at the Elite pilot training centre and I liked where Brooke and Ella took that particular plot line, it was a satisfying conclusion.

But, as I've said in my other reviews of this series, I really don't think it needed to be broken up into three books. Each individual part really was just a single chapter in the overall trilogy of story narrative.

That's just a personal view though, each individual book works, although there is a cliffhanger at the end of book one, and the release dates between them have been short enough to not lead to too much frustration.

#ARC kindly received from the authors in return for an honest and unbiased review
Profile Image for M.I.A.
412 reviews91 followers
June 23, 2020
Perfect.
Ella Frank is my go to for escapist romance and joined with Brooke Blaine, just perfect.

Classified delivers:
Quick Read
Low Angst
Sizzling sexual chemistry
Opposites Attract
Lovable mc's
Fulfilling OTT HEA
~~
Slow dances
Frolicking in the ocean
Romance by candlelight

~~
Mateo and Grant were so incredibly sweet in Classified , this was all positive, over-the-hump, we're in love and we can't keep our hands off each other. The conflict was barely a blip on the radar.
Their walls have come down.
These two in love, gush-worthy.

*happy sigh*
Highly recommend this series if you're looking for an easy read with scorching sex scenes, low angst and an opposites attract romance.
Profile Image for Yarie ☆.
326 reviews25 followers
July 27, 2020
Book 3 in the elite series (and I think it's the last one)

Solo and Panther continue to fight for a chance to see how far their relationship goes, we have a lot of back and forth, both have no clue how to be in a relationship and this is noted by the lack of the typical conversation that all couples have "what are we?"

I managed to understand the dilemma tho, it's hard for you to know where things are going when you don't have a clue what your future is going to be. Everything is solved quickly so this is a bonus, one thing I liked about this series is that drama doesn't last long, everything is solved easily.

The ending was quite satisfying and cute.

Rating: 3.5 Stars.
Steam: 6 out of 10.
Triggers:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
Profile Image for Rαιɳ.
271 reviews6 followers
February 28, 2023
3.5⭐️
Ok so, I'm not good at individually rating each book of a series and even less of a trilogy so I'm not sure how to rate this trilogy, the fact that I read the books one after another and that they are short doesn't help , it's like I've read a single big book so Idk. If I had to rate the whole trilogy I'd give it 4 stars because it was just what I needed, a captivating and light read, but if I had to take each book individually it would be 3.5 stars I think, because if I take them individually there was too much sex (for my liking) and little sentimental side of the relationship (except in book 3) and also the plot, some scenes were a bit repetitive in the second and third books. But I really enjoyed these books and the characters as well so it was a great read, which I wasn't expecting.
Profile Image for Lyndy Ann ♫.
672 reviews
June 25, 2020
Classified was a nice conclusion to Panther and Solo's story.

They finally said those three little words to each other and they completed their twelve weeks Top Gun course with the rest of the team.

I was enjoying the epilogue until the end and then I felt cheated out of what they had planned for that night, SERIOUSLY that was cruel.

I am beginning to agree with members on here that wrote that EF stretches her series for the money, this could have been a two book series.
Profile Image for Sheena.
571 reviews46 followers
February 13, 2024
5/5 stars

it’s safe to say this is one of my favorite series i’ve ever read. i’m kinda pissed at myself for not reading this sooner but i these books are probably in top reads for the year 🙃

i also could not choose like 2 quotes so here are all of my favs 😋


The raw emotion swirling in those beautiful brown eyes was breathtaking. It was full of trust, honesty, and absolute devotion. Solo had barreled into my life like a hurricane and made me fall head over heels for him, and with every minute we spent together, I got more caught up in his pull.



“Some things are worth the risk.”
“Yeah?”
Panther nodded and ran his fingers up the back of my neck. “You’re worth the risk.”



As we fell onto his bed and the rest of the world disappeared from view, I thought what a perfect song and ending this was to our night, because in that moment, I only had eyes for Grant Hughes.



“But as much as I loved that little fantasy, nothing compares to watching you fall apart, and then having you look at me like I hung the fucking moon.”
For once in my life, I had no smartass response and no quick answers, because he was right. As far as I was concerned, he did hang the sun, the moon, and all the stars in the sky. That’s the way he made me feel when we were together, and unless someone could prove otherwise, I had a feeling I would forever feel that way about Grant “Panther” Hughes.


literally love these two 🥹🫶🏽

In the last couple of days I’d realized two very important things about Mateo “Solo” Morgan: he had the power to make my world feel complete and the power to make it fall apart, and that scared the ever-loving shit out of me.
“This,” Solo said, as he brought my hand up and placed it over his heart. “You mean everything to me. Everything, Panther. So much so that the thought of losing you has made me lose my brain these last couple of days.”



“Yeah. I’m not stupid, Panther. You’re practically Navy royalty. You’re smart as hell, you fly like you own the sky, and you’re the bravest person I’ve ever met. I love you, but I’m under no delusions. I’m aware that I probably only have you for a limited time here.”



“I love you,” I said, and reached up to take hold of Panther’s face. “I just didn’t realize how much until I’d almost lost you.”
“Never.” Panther’s eyes fell shut and he leaned his forehead against mine. “You could never lose me because I’d refuse to go. I love you too, Solo. And I don’t care what anyone has to say about that, especially my father. These last few days have felt like forever.”



Sweet Jesus, nothing compared to the way I felt when I was with Panther. I’d always said my first love was flying, and that nothing could ever take its place. But as Panther shifted and rolled over so we were facing one another, I realized how very wrong I was.
This was my first love, and if I had anything to say about it, it would be my last.


on the floor screaming🫠

“I mean, like you, I can’t imagine not flying in some capacity. But the idea of being shipped off somewhere you’re not? I…I hate it. God, is that crazy? That after a handful of weeks with you I can’t imagine even a day without you?”
“Grant?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s about the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”



Panther ran his hand over my hair. As I closed my eyes and relaxed into his arms, never had I felt more loved and more secure than I did right there, in the arms of my forever.
Profile Image for Anna lost in stories *A*.
1,021 reviews189 followers
November 6, 2020
*little disclaimer
I have been in the biggest reading slump of my life since the end of august… it lasted for about two months and was absolutely awful… fortunately around the end of october I finally got out of it and got back to reading more like I am used to :) unfortunately I still don’t want to sit down and write *proper* reviews… you know, detailed and with full and coherent sentences… ;) usually when I get like this I can wait it out and then catch up on everything once that mood passes, but it’s not looking like it’s going anywhere anytime soon… so what I am gonna do is update all of the ones I still haven’t written (and all of my future ones will look like that as well, unless something magically changes) with this little disclaimer at the top and then a bit of an intro plus some random and chaotic thoughts… ;) I mean… it’s better than no review at all, right? :) some of them will include spoilers, some of them won’t, but don't worry, if there will be any spoilery things I share with you in my review, they will be always at the end of it, clearly marked and initially hidden from view, so there’s no way you will read anything accidentally :) ok, I think that covers everything that I needed to share with you :) we good? awesome :) then let’s just dive in ;)

I’m gonna write one review for the whole trilogy, because it’s just one story all about Mateo and Grant… also, I read all three books in less than two days and they are all merged together in my brain anyway soooo… ;)

- originally I gave this story 4 stars but after thinking more about it, I decided to bump it down to 3,5 stars instead… don’t get me wrong, I read it very quickly, cause the writing style of this duo is always entertaining, but… it felt repetitive… maybe not in the specific details, but in the overall vibe… like I’ve read this story from this duo before…

- the ending was too perfect… I know how this may sound, but I will talk about the specifics in the spoilery part of this review at the very end

- with their previous trilogies I didn’t think that (maybe it would change if I read them now) but this one felt too long… I mean, it could have been easily edited down to just one longer book… two at the most, if you really wanted to do it, but three books around 200 pages? I mean… do we really needed all those sex scenes in there? don’t get me wrong, I love a good steamy scene but I also want it to be balanced with a solid character development… and I felt it was lacking here…

- the secondary characters were amazing, and I really wished they would get more focus on them… I was hopeful, cause they were quite present in the first book, but after that they sort of took the back seat in the story…

- the romance felt underdeveloped and rushed, even though technically it happened over the span of a few months, but it felt… not enough… and it’s a matter of writing, because I have read books that took place during a week, and the romance there felt well built and fully fleshed out…

- the cliffhangers were unnecessary, especially with how they were resolved… more about that in the spoilery section

spoilers below, you’ve been warned :)



Just because I didn’t enjoy this story as much, I definitely don’t want to discourage you from giving it a try :) for example, my sister absolutely adored it :) it’s definitely more of a *me* thing, where my reading preferences changed over time and this story just didn’t do it for me like I hoped it would :) but that’s ok, not everything we read can be perfect ;)

XOXO

A
Profile Image for ✰ Bianca ✰ BJ's Book Blog ✰ .
2,341 reviews1,341 followers
June 23, 2020
description

description

description

The final book!

You NEED to have read books #1 & #2 to read this second one!

We start right where we left Solo & Panther in book #2.

They're about to walk into the Gala ... as a couple. In front of all those important military guys - and Panther's dad.

And after that we're trying to not screw up this new relationship - and even make a real serious permanent one out of it.

But what about their jobs once this whole Elite thing is over?? They'll probably end up thousands of miles apart ... 😰

description

Great final book! I loved reading it!

These two are just adorable.

This book was so sweet and funny and sexy and sunny and Top Gunny.

... and happily ever endy??? ☺☺☺

READ IT!

I LOVED IT!

I also think that we might get a little epiloguey novella about those two one day!

description
💜 💜



Smokin Hot Book Blog Smokin Hot Book Blog Smokin Hot Book Blog Smokin Hot Book Blog Smokin Hot Book Blog
Profile Image for Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp.
792 reviews1,972 followers
June 22, 2024
|| 3.0 stars ||

This served as a good and very sweet ending to Panther and Solo's relationship, but as a book itself, I found it be rather lacking.
I mean, there really isn't much of a plot: it's mostly just sex. However, it is definitely obvious that this relationship runs quite deep and that they truly love each other, so that's something at least.

Nonetheless, the absence of a story meant that the read was also a bit boring and definitely repetitive. There was this one thing that happened, though, namely Solo having to grovel to get Panther back after fucking everything up, which I really enjoyed I always love a good conflict with a bit of grovelling, so this was immediately my favourite part of the book. Granted, it's also one of the only (if not the only) real situation that didn't involve a sexual interaction, so the bar was not that high to begin with.

Long story short, I enjoyed this series and this couple, but I do think everything was a bit dragged out and none of the sequels were able to hold a candle to the first book.


'The Elite' trilogy:
1. Danger Zone - 4.5 stars
2. Need for Speed - 3.5 stars
3. Classified - 3.0 stars
Profile Image for ❤️ Nanda ❤️.
781 reviews419 followers
September 1, 2022
Pics-Art-09-06-04-52-19


🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧

All the stars to this quick but perfect trilogy!
I love Panther and Solo so much that I wish their books were longer, but maybe that's another great positive point here ... There's no dragging or excess of filling!
These books are fast paced, hot as hell and with so much love and passion between these two, that i couldn't stop listening!

Panther finally got out of the closet and it was so good to see not only his confidence in himself, but also in his relationship with Solo.
Solo in other hand had so many doubts about his worth, and i loved that in the end, he saw what was most important in his life.

It ended how it was suppose to be, cause they definitely work better together!
Both fighters in life and in the air!

The narration was incredible and complimented the story perfectly!

I'll definitely be reading more of these authors, cause this one left me wanting more of them!

Pics-Art-09-06-04-52-19
Profile Image for Love Is All Around.
2,329 reviews68 followers
August 26, 2022
RECENSIONE A CURA DI LADY MARMELADE
Siamo ahimè arrivati alla fine di questa strepitosa serie incentrata sulle avventure romantiche e adrenaliniche di questo pazzesco gruppo di piloti della Marina degli Stati Uniti D’America!
Solo e Pantera ci hanno accompagnato per tre libri, raccontandoci le loro vicissitudini personali e le manovre spericolate che compiono durante il loro addestramento.
Continua sul nostro blog!
Profile Image for Sanaa .
1,219 reviews177 followers
December 30, 2020
3.5 stars.

Nothing too crazy exciting in this book. It's a one big epilogue to be honest and it's always been like that when Ella Frank writes trilogy's. Skipped some moments to get this books finished faster because I was kinda bored with some parts since it became a little repetitive.
Profile Image for Claude.
250 reviews23 followers
July 2, 2020
I WANT THE PROPOSAL. Grrrrrr 😭. Love them! RTC
Profile Image for Carole (Carole's Random Life).
1,950 reviews611 followers
December 12, 2023
My Thoughts
This is the third piece of the story. I hate that they broke this up into 3 parts, but it is what it is. Panther and Solo are a couple at this point, and they are worried about what will happen after graduation. They have a couple of obstacles and some feelings to work through. I listened to the audiobook and thought both narrators did a great job with the story.

Book source: Purchased
Profile Image for Bookgasms Book Blog.
2,863 reviews1,570 followers
June 23, 2020
Holy moly, #5stars for Classified, the amazing conclusion of The Elite series!

OMG, I absolutely loved Solo and Panther’s relationship. Friends and lovers, and ridiculously talented pilots. They’re perfect for each other and I couldn’t wait to see just how their story ended.

And oh my what an ending! Don’t bother looking for any more details from me. #nospoilers

You need to read all three books to get their whole story, bur trust me, it’s worth the read from the first word to the last. ~ Missy, 5 stars
Profile Image for haletostilinski.
1,530 reviews662 followers
June 26, 2020
We had to wait an extra month for this one, but it was worth it to get the conclusion to Panther and Solo's story.

This kicks off right where the last one left off, with Panther and Solo revealing their relationship to the masses.

Things go relatively well, and as the Elite program's end falls close and closer, these two have to figure out what they want to do after it's done, where they want their relationship to be and what they see in their own and each other's future.

There's some drama as they work it out, but they are able to work it out and come out all the stronger for it.

The heat was good in this, although at times I did wish for a little more, although it wasn't too big a deal.

My main beef with this is at the end, with what felt like an abrupt ending and then it was like "yay! epilogue!" and it was sweet and wonderful and melt-your-heart and all...until they didn't show . Like...why? "That's classified" pff! We want to see it and we deserve to see it after this journey we took with these two. Like we can imagine it, for sure, and I'm sure it was wonderful and so very Panther and Solo...but it would have been nice to not just imagine it, is all I'm saying.

It's not fun feeling more disappointed then happy at the end of a romance novel. (And I get that not all are going be such a HFN or HEA, but these two were clearly getting their solid AF HEA, so let us see .

That's my main reason for 4 starring this, but overall it was still wonderful and closed out this trilogy wonderfully. Just...we want what we want, don't we? And giving us a tease but not the full thing is mean, is all I'm saying.

Still definitely recommend this, especially if you've been reading up until this point. But be prepared for maybe being slightly disappointed with the ending.

Still worth a read, though! :)
Profile Image for Shannon.
2,756 reviews223 followers
June 23, 2020
It was all building to this!

Classified was a fitting end to Panther and Solo’s story. We got a little angst, a teeny bit of drama, and a big ol’ helping of love.
I liked that we saw a different side to Solo in this book, even if it came at a slight cost. He’s always been so confident and sure of himself, to see him open and vulnerable was a nice change. Which kind of feels wrong to say, since he was hurting, but I stand by my comment! He and I didn’t see eye to eye in the beginning, so I’m happy he won me over!

Solo and Panther each came a long way during their time in The Elite, and I enjoyed being on the journey with them. For all their differences they were very much the same. Once all the obstacles were out of the way and they were free to be a couple, they were very loving. Which was a nice change from how things were between them in the beginning- when it was all back and forth, hot and heavy, with really only one thing on their minds. And you can guess what that one thing was!

I do wish this series had been a duet instead of a trilogy, though, if I’m being honest. At times it made it a little difficult to really feel the connection between Panther and Solo, especially in the beginning, with the way the story was broken up. Just when I’d start to feel some kind of way the story ended and I’d have to wait for the next one, and hope I’d get those feelings back. But this final book did give me the closure I was hoping for, for Panther and Solo. And the epilogue was so sweet, even if it did leave me wanting more!
Profile Image for NMmomof4.
1,801 reviews5,068 followers
February 16, 2021
3 Stars

Overall Opinion: Meh. This fed into my prejudice against trilogies because it felt like not much really happened in this book and book 2. While the pacing was fine, it just seemed uneventful and could’ve been edited down to even one book. The main thing that happened here is their conflict for the relationship, which I do feel was necessary for the overall storyline, but it too was kind of meh. Overall, the trilogy was 3 books with only 3 stars...just okay.

Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is the conclusion of Grant and Mateo’s story. It takes off where the last book left off. They are navigating a new part of their relationship while trying to figure out what their futures mean after the training program. There is some drama and some sexy times...and they get a HFN ending.

Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Grant and Mateo’s POV.

Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed.

Instalove:No, but feelings were already developed when this starts.

H1 (Hero #1) rating: 4 stars. Grant/Panther. I still liked him. I appreciated how he stood up for their relationship with his family.

H2 (Hero #2) rating: 4 stars. Mateo/Solo. I still liked him too. I liked how he was romantic for Grant.

Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed

Push/Pull: Yes

Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.

Descriptive sex: Yes

OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: No

Sex scene with OW or OM: No

Cheating: No

Separation: Yes

Possible Triggers: No

Closure: This ends with what I would call a HFN ending . While it was cute, I would’ve liked a more in-depth farther glimpse of their future after investing and reading 3 books at this point.

Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,914 reviews1,365 followers
June 26, 2020
***AVAILABLE NOW - FULL REVIEW ***

5 ELITE CROWNS

GAHHHH! My love for these men knows no bounds. There is just something about their story and relationship that makes you believe in that all consuming, everything is possible type of love.

Grant and Mateo are the epitome of a couple, bringing out the best in each other, tackling problems together, supporting and loving each other with no limits. I cannot tell you how many times I had a huge smile on my face when these two were together.

The story is low drama for the most part. There is a smallish conflict, that is resolved pretty quickly. This is book 3 of 3, so it is more the end of their story, but I loved the resolution and how we got so much of their HEA!

This series rivals my love of ACED. I’m so consumed with these two and their romance. It is pure and true and the quintessence of love.

ARC review
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