The Finish Line (The Ravenhood)

This series has honestly broke my heart a hundred times, soothed it, shattered it again, desperately searched for all the pieces, tossed them into the air and let them slam to the ground, pick them all back up again to violently shake them before finally putting it back together again. Although I think it stole a piece that will forever be trapped within the pages of this final piece of the story. This series has me in such a chokehold. The pain I have navigated.... the anguish.... the heartbreak... the tears... it was a lot. It was so much. I truly was not expecting the emotional depth that this story carried. I thought it was going to be a simple steamy romance that was similar to a lot of the other plots that fall into the popular tropes booktok recommends and becomes obsessed with and I was very wrong. I didn't know I would be falling into such beautiful and painful story that would grab me by the throat and not let go. This was such an interesting contrast to the first two books. You could feel the time that had passed and the changes that had occurred in that time. The characters all carried familiar energy, but you could feel how far they had all come from the first and second book. There was so much new to navigate and get comfortable with all while still picking up the pieces of my heart and trying to breathe after the close of book two. I wasn't prepared for the raw and dark emotions that this book would be bringing to us and it is the first dual perspective which was a very entertaining switch. Tobias is a heavy focus in this book and learning so much about his story and his relationship with Dom as his big brother was so emotional to read through. His entire existence has been such a journey and he has so much to heal from before him and Cecelia can ever possibly have a chance. This man is beyond on his knees to do whatever it takes but she more than drags him through the trenches as she tries to heal the gut wrenching heart break she really has been put through by the hands of the Ravenhood. I don't think I have ever read such non stop heart break and having an FMC truly be dragged to the depths of emotional pain through so many different situations. This book was an amazing conclusion overall to such a beautiful and sad story. So sad. There was so much grief within these pages and having to relive some of the hardest moments from new perspectives in past reflections just gutted me. Reflections of Sean and Dom and Tobias early on in coming to terms with them all loving the same girl and what it means to and for them was a really hard chapter to reflect on. How Tobias felt when he first learned. How Sean and Dom felt... just gut punched. I was drowning in so much heartache within these pages but the healing you get as you work your way to the end is fully worth it. Those final chapters... I cried and cried. Cecelia's dream.. Dom on the shore... Sean's words... cried and cried. I would put myself through this over and over. I enjoyed this series so much. Again the spice is so amazingly placed within the plot that truly has such depth and is so entertaining. It isn't just spice but true deep intimacy that helps build the relationship depths that you are reading about. It's just so good... this will be one of those book series that I forever wish I could read again for the first time over and over and I will never see rainy days the same ever again.

After Exodus broke me into a million tiny pieces, this book put some of them back together and healed them. While I do feel like it was a bit different from its two predecessors-- slower in pace, less action-- the way it brought all the characters' stories together and the way it ended had me bawling through the last 100 pages, as Kate's stories so often do; except this time, they were tears of happiness rather than devastation. This book gives us a lot of context about Tobias' story, and admittedly, while reading Exodus, I didn't exactly *love* the Frenchman. I've been a Dom girlie through and through since the first time we met him. This book changed how I felt about Tobias though. Learning about his past and everything that happened to him before Cecilia came along allowed me to love him more and more. I also loved that Dom and Sean and Tyler were part of many of the memories, and so this gave more insight into their childhoods and pasts as well. I would say the context was really necessary for me because, like so many of us, Exodus left me shattered. There are some slight grammatical and formatting errors here and there, I will say, and some of the time skips and flashbacks made it a little difficult for me to keep track of at times, especially when some of them didn't clearly indicate what time period we were in. But it was easily remedied. The twist ending was a complete shock, and it gave me so much appreciation for the growth of Cecilia's character. I'll never stop loving Dom, but I can appreciate how she and Tobias are meant for each other in this life after reading this installment. The Finish Line is the "happily ever after" all of us needed.

This book is EVERYTHING! This entire series will honestly always hold a special place in my heart. It made that much of a lasting impression on me. The Ravenhood trilogy is most definitely my top series of 2021 no doubt in my mind! I loved this so much I started to listen to it again after I finished! Kate got me really good in the previous book, Exodus, where I felt like my heart would never mend with all the tragedy and heartbreak. I’m so glad, but also knew Kate would put my heart back together again. Which she did and more! As soon as “The Frenchman” arrived I was team Tobias right from the start. I knew there was more to this Devilishly, Dark, and dominating man. I love that this book is called the Finish Line, because it’s true. Tobias is going to do everything he can to regain the love and trust of Cecilia, his Queen. I was in awe of how Kates writing was so detailed, and how everything tied together, and was brought full circle. All of the secrets that were kept for so many years was just unbelievable, warming my heart with every revelation. We get Tobias’ story from a child to present day and everything in between, I loved getting to know the true man behind the expensive Armani suits. How everything he did was for his family, for everyone but himself. Why he did the things he did. It was very exciting and tragic at the same time. This made me just love this character so much more. The layers on this man runs deep, very deep. Several times I just couldn’t believe this was the same man from the previous books. You see Tobias in a completely different way! He carries such hard and heavy emotional weight.Tobias comes to claim his queen, Cecelia, protect her, but she most definitely does not make it easy on him at all. Her hurt from him runs so deep. There were so many twists and surprises, I was captivated. It made the story come together in a way I didn’t know I needed and craved. This brought the steam too, very slow burn. But so sexy! ….STROKE… She makes him work so hard to prove himself, to show her that he is the man for her, and will never leave or let anyone ever hurt her again. Unfortunately, Ce is tough as nails, and is guarding her heart from him. Will not let him in so easily. She’s making him work for it and prove himself. There is always that electricity between the two of them. That never changed in the months they were apart. Tobias is not going to give up fighting for her, even trying to domesticate himself to her normal life. Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell BOTH did Audie winning performances in this book, actually all 3 books! Preformed in dual POV, which was fantastic. I am still in awe and speechless in both of their performances! They are most definitely my ride or die narration team, the best! Joe Arden did most of the dialogue in this one, and WOW! Not only was his French accent perfect throughout the whole book, but he brought Tobias personality out so beautifully for us to hear. This book time jumps a lot, and you hear various other male characters, but Joe did such an amazing job keeping each characters unique tone and personality. Speaking of personality… my goodness.. he created such depth and so many layers, so much vulnerability to Tobias. We are getting to know who he really is. His inner dialogue has such humor, I loved that. He’s so domineering, but funny and witty. There is a chapter in particular that got me real good, like hold my breath good. He can convey such raw emotion, sadness,desperation, that I felt it tingling down my spine! I will say it’s the most emotional I’ve ever heard from him. It brought me to tears just hearing the pure agony in his voice. Gah… such a phenomenal performance! Maxine Mitchell did it to me again. In the last book she took me on the wildest, most heart wrenching journey. She is such an amazing performer. Her character has come such a very long way from being that naive 19 year old we met in the first book. Maxine masters Ce’s emotional evolution that had me hanging on her every word. The dual POV when they were in arguments made me feel like I was right there with her. She can convey such vulnerability to a bad A woman who is a MF Queen. Magnificent job! 💋 I definitely did not want to say goodbye and this story to end. It’s truly one of those books that I will listen to again and again. “They loved with a love that was more than love” - EA Poe . Best book series of 2021. END OF!

This book wasn’t just a conclusion—it was an emotional experience that tied together every heartbreak, every question, and every piece of the story in the most powerful way. The depth of emotion in this book is unreal. I felt everything—love, grief, anger, healing. It took everything built throughout the series and delivered a finale that felt raw, honest, and completely unforgettable. The characters? Forever etched into my soul. The growth, the sacrifices, the way everything comes full circle… it was handled so beautifully. And the way the story honors the past while still giving us something to hold onto? Perfection. This book doesn’t just give you an ending—it gives you closure, meaning, and a lingering ache you’ll carry long after the last page. I loved every second of it and didn’t want it to end. Well done Kate!

What can I say? For a Trilogy that started off swimmingly for me, it has ended not so great. Book 2, I despise. This final book was only slightly better. So, for me that's not much of anything to appease me.. Book 1 will forever be my favorite book though. The only book that got me to press on with this Trilogy to be honest. I just wish that books 2 and 3 were worth the journey. Sadly they were not.. I wish that I could embrace the hype for this Trilogy, but I just couldn't... it left me very underwhelmed with many respects regarding the nitty gritty of the Ravenhood and their purposes. I wanted to see way more on this front and not just be "Told" after the fact, what has occurred and why... It also doesn't help that the heroine's juice was just not worth the squeeze that I had to endure with her... Chick regressed so utterly badly, that books 2 and 3 just made me even more upset that I had to keep tolerating her. At the end of the day, I just can't reconcile ANY of these men wanting, loving, or dealing with her for as long as they did and the rift and emotional trauma it caused all involved, regarding her. And though Tobias will NEVER be my favorite, he definitely deserves more than what Cecelia has brought to their table... Just being honest. This final book did not give me what I was hoping to see. And it did not appease my grievances of book 2, that led me here to this final book either... The only things that I walk away with here is that Sean was my dude. The only worthy one here, IMO.. Dom, I will never forgive what his ending is in this world.. NEVER because it makes no sense that it was even allowed to come to pass. And if I'm honest with myself, my heart is hurt because of this fact.. Dominic and I ... we have a complicated thing. I love you Dom.. I wish you had more to this life.. That you were granted your worth. Tobias, I understand you now, and appreciate your sacrifices, but you lost my allegiance before it could even blossom. Though I love the first book, I can't say that I would recommend this Trilogy, because I came to loathe the happenings and half veiled reveals regarding the meat and full truth of this world. It's a great concept with a few very real truths woven into it, but it ultimately fell flat, dropped the ball on MANY things for me. I gave this one 3 stars because it was written well, the potential was there, but it just could not evolve for me. And many things came too little too late for me. I KNEW that this final book was not going to change my opinion of the characters and the things that I peeped in book 2.. I just wish that this was one of those times that I was wrong about that. That I didn't know my gut and myself so well, when it comes to things like this. Hopefully those who love me and my passion, will start to trust me when I say "NO. I cannot and will not change my thoughts, feelings, and intuitions on how I feel about a story, a character, and where I'll be standing when it all ends. LOL!

Thank you so much Kate Stewart for this fabulous series. I devoured this series and I loved every minute of it. You truly are a master at words, and I cannot wait to read more books of yours. The Ravenhood series is by far my favorite books I’ve ever read my entire life. This series has changed me in so many ways. The Finish Line help me understand so much more and I’m very thankful that it answered all the nagging questions that were in my heart. I absolutely love this series. Once I finish this review, I’m going start from the beginning again. I am very sure I’ve never read books where they made me cry so much but it was so worth it. Thank you so much Kate Stewart because you made me fall in love with your characters. My favorite character hands-down is Dominic because he was an old soul that just jumped right off the pages of this fabulous series. I know this is the last book in the series but I so much want to know more like if Cecelia and Tobias will have lots of babies. As I was reading the series, I have this undeniable desire to learn French because Tobias speaking French to Cecilia made me swoon every time. I absolutely loved when Tobias said cuss words in French. I was truly honored to read this series by you Kate and I cannot wait to get my hands on more of your books. I’m thinking I just need to get all the audiobooks because there’s something about Joe Arden’s voice that makes the book come alive for me. The Ravenhood series is a phenomenal series that will have a special place in my heart for all eternity. Thank you so much Kate. At the moment, I am at a loss for words because this series was beyond my expectations and I loved every second of it. I don’t think I ever in my entire life would ever had thought a booked series could change me like this series has. I’m so thankful that I bought all the books in the series because this series is like a roller coaster that blew my mind, made me sob uncontrollably, ripped my heart out, and finally it made my heart to learn what happened to everybody in the series. Thank you again, Kate Stewart. Words cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for you writing this series.

Review for The Finish Line by Kate Stewart I put off reading the Ravenhood series for a long time because everyone mentioned how heart-wrenching and heart-breaking it was supposed to be. I went in expecting the same level of emotional devastation as books like The Nightingale or The Woman. But honestly, it wasn’t on that level of heartbreak, and I regret waiting so long to dive in! Yes, it’s emotional, but it’s more bittersweet than soul-shattering, so if you’re hesitant about starting it for that reason, don’t be. As for The Finish Line, it’s a solid ending to an incredible series, though not my favorite of the trilogy. I’d give it 4 out of 5 stars. The spice level is a solid 3 out of 5, and while the emotional depth is there, I found myself a little bored at times. It didn’t pull me in as much as the previous books, and I was frustrated by some of the character dynamics. Spoiler Thoughts: I couldn’t get over Tobias’s shift in this book. In the last one, he was dominant, intense, and captivating. Here, he felt too human—almost mundane. Seeing him sitting on the couch, doing nothing, and being submissive just felt off. I also didn’t love how easily Cecilia’s plan worked. For someone who was built up as a mastermind, it didn’t seem realistic that Tobias could be so easily fooled. If I were Cecilia, I think I’d have a hard time reconciling the dominant, irritating-in-the-best-way Tobias I fell in love with and the subdued version we see here. The ending was satisfying, but the road to get there—especially all the cat-and-mouse dynamics—felt unnecessarily drawn out. Overall, though, the series is still amazing. It’s emotional, romantic, and beautifully written, and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves angsty, layered romance. Don’t let the fear of heartbreak hold you back—you’ll be missing out on something truly special.

This series in general I still think about. While the writing isn’t amazing and a little slow at first, I still loved the books. Worth the read! And now I want to read them again! The story line is chef’s kiss!

Ho amato molto i primi due libri di questa serie e non mi ero resa conto di quanto fosse necessario un terzo libro per colmare tutti i vuoti lasciati nei libri precedenti. Nel terzo libro abbiamo finalmente il POV di Tobias e non solo questo chiarisce tutti i dubbi rimasti nel racconto degli eventi passati ma si ha la possibilità di entrare nella mente di uno dei più bei personaggi da questa autrice. Non è soltanto un epilogo una bellissima serie ma anche un cammino di redenzione e rinascita.

Älskar denna serie !

I read this trilogy in two days and let me tell I got all laughs, cries, drama, thrill, sex. This story was packed with everything. You want to read this. Go for it. If you don't read it, you are missing a very beautiful book!

This trilogy is a rollercoaster of emotions. I don’t know how to feel about this final book. I kept crying through it and always for the same person that left us in the previous one. After reading the trilogy…I have to admit I’m not a hundred percent satisfied with how things ended up going. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is excellent and the whole story is magnificent. It excited me, it made me laugh, it made me suffer..so many feelings I went through…but the fact Cecelia falls for Tobias when she fell first for Dom and Sean, forgetting them so “easily”…the fact I can’t really feel much for Tobias when I actually enjoyed his brothers more…the fact Sean got over Cecelia so fast with another woman…all those facts kind of disappointed me (without counting Dominic’s passing, that was totally painful to witness). Also, I don’t get much the end…suddenly we get a Sean POV that doesn’t really say much…it left me indifferent when I actually wanted to see a bit more, if so, of Tobias and Cecelia’s relationship, for example she having a baby. Like I said, the story is magnificent and I consider it’s made this way to cause so many feelings to the reader. So much angst. But to me, it left me wondering how things would have been if Tobias never showed up or if she never fell for him.

If you're here, looking for words that convince you to read this book, stop looking. Not because I got them, but because The Finish Line doesn't need them. It was a beautiful ride, this triology. One that made me sob countless of times, but it was so worth it.