The other truth that haunts him is a deep fear related to his biological father’s mental illness. That’s one truth Tobias needs to make peace with and gives Cecelia the decision to make peace with it, too. The bad guys will always be after Tobias, and now Cecelia. And the flip side, when he stole Cecelia away, breaking their hearts after punishing them for their own lies and sending them out of the country. After everything he had done and sacrificed for them, they lied to him in the worst way. At one point he details how painful it was to find out that Sean and Dom were lying to him and hiding Cecelia. We see how he worked himself into a dangerous organized crime ring in France to network and earn cash to further his plans in the US with the Ravenhood. In flashbacks, we see how he cared for young Dom and was more of a father figure than a brother. Tobias is the leader of the Ravenhood and he’s had a plan for decades. Ravenhood= Robinhood, in case that piece isn’t clear! They’re good guys doing bad things for the right reasons. The Finish Line shares Tobias’s life from a child after his parents were killed, to his time in France and the crazy long game he’s been playing to set up his club to help rid the US of corrupt leaders. He was cruel to her in the past. In his defense, he did have good reasons for some of his behavior. Tobias needs to exhibit some major groveling to earn a permanent place in Cecelia’s heart.

While Tobias is back on with Cecelia, they have a lot of work to do figuring out how to be a couple. The story is told through Tobias and Cecelia’s alternating points of view. The book begins immediately after Exodus ends. It’s deliciously uncomfortable if that makes sense. It’s a rare thing for an author to walk this line, where I loved the couple and completely bought into them, but still…I had such strong feelings for Cecelia’s past loves.

And, even with EVERYTHING, my heart still hurts for Sean and Cecelia, my mind was still turning Dom’s life and death over and over. Did they REALLY belong together, and I wanted more backstory on Tobias before I could truly support him vs Cecelia’s first love, Sean. I LOVED the story…but I didn’t feel as satisfied with Tobias and Cecelia’s HEA as I wanted to be.

But, it never really sat completely well with me. I couldn’t wait to read The Finish Line by Kate Stewart.

Ravenhood books