Title: Built to Last
Author: Julie Ann Walker
Series: Black Knights Inc. #12
Pages: 386
After twelve books we are finally seeing the last Black Knights Inc member fall and the capture of the elusive Spider. Angel has gone undercover one last time to stop the worst crime syndicate kingpin, Spider, while also trying to not let the one woman who got away discover his true identity.
Since Angel was introduced I have wanted to know his story and it was as patriotic and heartbreaking as I was expecting. Angel spent his life putting the world before himself and because of that he now has a new face and name. He gave up everything for the greater good, including the one woman he loved, but now he is getting a second chance with her. Angel really deserved a chance at happiness so I am glad he and Sonya finally got one.
The situation between Angel and Sonya is not an easy one. There are a lot of lies and years of Sonya thinking he is dead. So as you can imagine there is definitely a time where Angel cannot disclose who he is because of the danger. Unfortunately there are multiple chances when Angel can tell Sonya the truth about his identity before they have sex and he doesn’t. He instead plans to wait until she is in love with him and at one point thinks about not telling her at all. So while I can understand how hard this situation was, I think Angel was being an asshole in not disclosing the truth sooner.
After multiple books, the Black Knights Inc have finally captured Spider. This has been a long time coming and it was great to see Spider finally get captured and see his empire fall. I did feel like it was a little anticlimactic but it also has been going on for multiple books now so a lot of things have been adding up against Spider.
We also get a second relationship in this book with the ongoing saga of Rusty and Ace’s relationship. They, along with the rest of BKI, were all on hand to participate in bringing down Spider and it led to them working directly together and unfortunately injuries occurred. Ace and Rusty have been fighting their feelings since they were introduced but seeing one in the hospital is enough to push them to admit their feelings. I’m kind of sad we don’t get to see Ace and Rusty as a couple like we have all the other couples.
Overall, this was a good ending for the series. I enjoyed the Black Knights Inc. and look forward to reading the new spin-off series and seeing if we will get some cameos of these couples.
CW: gun violence, death, and injuries; loss of a partner and grief; terrorism; coming out to parents
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Previous books and reviews for the series:
Red-Haired Ash Reads 