Well folks, I’v done it. The Knockemout series by Lucy Score is officially done and dusted, Things We Left Behind has been absorbed cover-to-cover, and while I am putting the books down for now the characters wil be sticking with me for a while. This romance series has been a whirlwind, with so many layers and storylines merging to create some addicting reads. Things We Left Behind hits a spot deep in my heart, but I’m not sure where my emotions lie.

There was only one woman who could set me free. But I would rather set myself on fire than ask Sloane Walton for anything. Lucian Rollins is a lean, mean vengeance-seeking mogul. On a quest to erase his father’s mark on the family name, he spends every waking minute pulling strings and building an indestructible empire. The more money and power he amasses, the safer he is from threats. Except when it comes to the feisty small-town librarian that keeps him up at night. Sloane Walton is a spitfire determined to carry on her father’s quest for justice. She’ll do that just as soon as she figures out exactly what the man she hates did to—or for—her family. Bonded by an old, dark secret from the past and the dislike they now share for each other, Sloane trusts Lucian about as far as she can throw his designer-suited body. When bickering accidentally turns to foreplay, these two find themselves not quite regretting their steamy one-night stand. Once those flames are fanned, it seems impossible to put them out again. But with Sloane ready to start a family and Lucian refusing to even consider the idea of marriage and kids, these enemies-to-lovers are stuck at an impasse. Broken men break women. It’s what Lucian believes, what he’s witnessed, and he’s not going to take that chance with Sloane. He’d rather live a life of solitude than put her in danger. But he learns the hard way that leaving her means leaving her unprotected from other threats. It’s the second time he’s ruthlessly cut her out of his life. There’s no way she’s going to give him a third chance. He’s just going to have to make one for himself.

This book is the culmination of a lot of things – not only do we have the overarching tensions and plot converging to create a high-stakes, high-emotion rollercoaster, but we also have a lot of the simmering tensions between Sloane and Lucian found in Things We Never Got Over and Things We Hide From The Light. Going into this novel, you know it is going to be a true enemies-to-lovers read, something that I found myself really looking forward to. This isn’t just some on-the-surface pettiness, this resentment and burning conflict runs deep.

There are similar themes explored in Things We Left Behind that we saw in Things We Hide From The Light, but they are dealt with differently in terms of character interactions, theme discussions in text, and the overall effectiveness of the story elements involved. I like Lucian, I think he is an interesting character who has a lot of darkness in his past and who is more complex than the Morgan brothers (still love those guys, don’t get me wrong), but I don’t know if he is given the right quite the right healing journey. I am trying not to spoil things because this is a popular book in a popular series that many are going to pick up when they start reading contemporary romance (I know, I was one of them). If I say that there was a sudden switch that happened that didn’t feel quite right, and his behaviour afterwards didn’t come across quite right, perhaps readers who have finished the series will know what I am talking about. I understand the intention, but I don’t know if it came across…well, right.

I think this interpretation – and let me make this clear, my opinions are simply based off my interpretation of the novel – doesn’t sit right with me because of how the Morgan brothers and Lina dealt with their trauma and stresses. I know, there is not singular way to deal with trauma, and Lucian is doing several things to address and grow beyond his trauma. How he acts and reacts after that specific event just doesn’t seem to have the same lightbulb moment as seen in the other books. Perhaps it is because it is trying to be a lightbulb moment that it doesn’t seem to work. Sloane’s reaction to Lucian feels right, as does how she processes what happens and how Lucian cares for her the night of, but from the next day onwards I just didn’t feel like it fit into the big picture. He got it right eventually with the visit, so I’m not dragging him forever on this.

Things We Left Behind has a great balance of past and present while also throwing in the pressures and worries of the future too for good measure. Like the other Knockemout novels, there is a lot of internal and external conflict going on here. There is also a great group of characters to create stellar interactions and dialogue with. Overall, Things We Left Behind was a pretty good read and finished off the series nicely. I highly recommend all those looking to dip their toes into adult contemporary romance to pick this series up.