This book made me very invested in the characters and their relationship, even if I disliked certain parts of the writing style and some of the remarks that were made in the book, which shows that this book definitely met its goal. I yet again found a Lucy Score book altogether too long, as there was about 100 pages that could have been synthesized to make the pacing much better, but I really enjoyed the storyline and how the relationship between Lucian and Sloane developed. As a conclusion to the series, I think that it wrapped everything up in a very satisfying way and I enjoyed the friendship dynamics that were one of the focal points of the story.

My favorite installment in the series by FAR and about one of my fave literary couples! I loved this book from the very beginning till the very end. It has had everything I look for in a romance.

Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
I was DESPERATELY waiting for this book to drop! I read things we never got over and got glued! Loved the characters, loved the romance, great storyline. Second book came out, felt the same way. But let me just say there was something about Lucien’s dark broody character you just NEED more of so when I heard this book was coming I could not wait! It was everything I could ask for. Dark, broody, sexy. You finally get to hear about what happened between Sloan and Lucien that we’ve been waiting for ages to find out! Read it, just read it

I loved this series. Each book could be a stand alone, but better together. You really get a connection to all the characters. Lucian and Sloane have overcome so much, and are a very strong couple because of everything.

The Knockemout series is second to none! Sloane and Lucian's story was such a perfect and satisfying end to my glimpse into the lives of these characters and their beloved town. Like the rest of the series, I couldn't put this book down and have since recommended to just about every romance reader at the library, which feels fitting given Sloane's profession.

I adored Sloane and Lucien. They had such an emotional past and they really had to work through a lot to finally find true love and happiness witj one another.

As always, Lucy writes amazing side characters and it was so good to see many of them again. It was very bittersweet to finish this one too because I know our time in Knockemout is over 😥😥😥. I loved how everything was wrapped up and I can’t wait to see where we go next!

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Read this if you like:
📚 Second chance romance with a difficult past
📚 Bookworm meets bad boy
📚 Small Town romance with some big city moments

The third and final installment to the Knockemout series. Sloane and Lucifer have been a side attraction throughout both previous books and we finally get some answers.

I personally found book 2 to be better than this one. Its absolutely a personal opinion, but its all come down to mysteries and secret keeping. I'm not a huge fan of unspoken pasts. Its used as a tool to keep a reader going, and it works, but that doesn't mean I like it. And the past between these two is so muddy. Its very very hard not to side with one over the other. Someone is pretty boneheaded for holding an incredibly misaligned grudge for over 20 years. The other could be faulted for allowing it, but I'm just glad it FINALLY came out and was resolved.

The current focus of suspense was ok. It really took second place to the interpersonal drama. It was good. It was what alot of people guessed it would be. Its all wrapped up on a bow. I'm glad everyone has their closure and HEA.

The Knockemout series, featuring Sloane and Lucian, is a small town romance that has left readers enamored with the cast and town. The series explores their history and their childhood friendships, leading to a passionate and intense relationship. The chemistry and tension between the main couples are unmatched, and Lucian even refers to Sloane as a good girl.

Thanks Netgalley for a free copy for an honest review.

The Knockemout series has been an absolute hit with me! I've been looking forward to reading Sloane and Lucian's story since I finished the first book, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. Their story had everything I could have asked for and more. I was hooked from start to finish. Sloane and Lucian's witty, angsty, and emotional chemistry was just perfect. The tension between them was off the charts, and their bickering throughout the series was just the icing on the cake. It was great to see all of my favorite Knockemout residents again, especially the hunky and hot leading men. I loved how the mystery carried through all of the stories and was resolved in the end. Lucy's bonus epilogue was the perfect way to wrap up the story. All in all, it was the perfect conclusion to this fantastic series! It’s a must read!

Thank you, @netgalley and @read_bloom, for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.

Things We Left Behind is the final chapter in the Knockemout series, following the tortured history of Lucian and Sloane and the tension that’s been building in previous books.

Very similar in style to the first two novels, Score once again uses the enemies to lovers trope, and it got a little overplayed. I appreciated that we didn’t have to wait the entire book for the “big secret” between our main characters, but honestly… the secret was really ho-hum. There was no rational reason these two should have hated each other as much as they did. It just didn’t seem believable. A friendship dissolving makes sense, but the hatred, no.

Overall it was entertaining. It wrapped the mini-crime thread up well enough, had the familiar and amusing banter amongst the friend circle, and of course delivered the smut the stories are known for.

*I will give a trigger warning for abuse. It’s not overly graphic, but a presence in the book for sure.

Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and Netgalley for this ARC copy.

This was a hard book for me for some reason. I have read the other 2 books in the series. I usually really enjoy Lucy Scores books. Sloane and Lucian have always been my favorite characters but this book felt a bit off for me. I love their charged energy and the angsty sexual tension between them. The storyline and flow of the book left me wanting for more. I didn't like the slow pace of this book and was left disappointed throughout the majority of the story. ⅗ stars. It was a good book just not great like the others that came before it. Thank you Netgalley for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to SourceBooks, Bloom, and Lucy Score for the ebook ARC and physical copy! When I tell you I screamed when I saw the email come through…

I was a little late to the Knockemout party, but man, I became obsessed real quick. I love these characters and this town so, so much. I couldn’t wait to jump back in and visit all of my favorite people. There is not a fictional town that I think about more than Knockemout. This is one of my Roman Empires, if you will.

This book was hands down my favorite of the series. I see you, Suit Daddy. Lucian is so swoony. He’s got a troubled past, but you know he’s going to give in to all of his feelings eventually, and when he does…ugh, I just want to hug him.

A nice little happy ending for all of the characters we’ve grown to love. I just wish there was more to come!

I love Lucy's newest book!

Sloane and Lucian are probably my favorite Fiesty couple from Knockemout! The library, the midnight library reference (one of my favs), Shania!!!! Ahhh so many good little bits. Loved the twists!

We know from the first two Knockemout books that Sloan and Lucian have a history. Both grew up in Knockemout. Sloan is the town’s librarian and Lucian moved away to run his business, but still comes back to Knockemout occasionally as he’s good friends with Nash and Knox.

This book mostly took place in the present, but gave us flashbacks to when Sloan and Lucian were in high school to help us understand their complicated history. I enjoyed their banter and sarcasm and the spice scenes were on point. Only complaint is that it could feel repetitive throughout the book and when comparing to the previous books in the series. The men are always overprotective and the women are always sassy and getting themselves into interesting situations. It’s easy to forget they’re in their upper 30s / lower 40s with the maturity level. With that all said, still incredibly addicting.

we've been building up to this couple for FOREVER and it lives up to all the hype!! they were sexy, bantery and absolutely delicious. i don't want to say goodbye to knockemout but what a way to say goodbye!!! lucian is sexy as hell and sloane is just like me fr i love everything lucy score has written! she continues to "knock em out!"

Alrighty, so I was not the target audience for this book. The only reason I read it was because I'm easily influenced to read hyped-up titles and I'm going to a book signing. But this was so absolutely painful to read, I was ready multiple times to call it a day and fake like I read it when I met the author. As a disclaimer, this was the first book I read by Score and it happened to be the end of the Knockemout (which I mentally pronounced as Knock-em-out for 592 pages) trilogy, so I didn't have the background and built-up anticipation for this series finale. Having finished this, however, I have no inclination to go back and read the first two books...

To continue with the roasting of this book (because I have hundreds of pages to build up animosity towards it), I disliked every single characters name. They were the whitest, most basic names that exist, e.g., Sloane, Knox, Lucian, Waylay, Nash, and even the dog's name was Waylon. The story itself felt like a glorified Colleen Hoover romance (without the abusive male protagonist), an author I have very strong opinions about. Half of the book could have been cut out as it just seemed to drag the story down. Lucian's career seemed a little farfetched so that whole story arc felt dramatic and when the happy ever ending came, everything had to fall into place.

Steamy, Slow, and Predictable, this will be my last read by this author.

P.S. The book goes faster if you skip all the NSFW sex scenes that do nothing for the plot. Believe me, you won't miss anything.

rating: 3.8 ⭐️

i feel like i have been waiting for this book since the start of the series. and it did 👏🏻 not 👏🏻 disappoint. lucy score saved the best for last.

here we finally have the story of sloane and lucian (who i will hear-by only refer to as 🖤suit daddy🖤). what we know is that these two cannot *stand* each other, but we don’t know why… UNTIL NOW. this is a small-town, friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance and i recommend reading the other two books before this one because they lay a lot of groundwork. also, you’re missing out if you don’t.

okay here we go. i flippin love suit daddy. WHAT A SWEET SOUL MASQUERADING AS THE ANGEL OF DEATH. the little things he does for sloane’s mom — FOR SLOANE — honestly just everything about him had me swooning. and AND we get a peek into his seventeen-year-old brain in the flashbacks and it was just 🥺🥰 (i could’ve done with more flashbacks to sloane and lucian’s budding high school love but i love a good flashback). the banter between them always hits. and there’s always that sizzling undercurrent of tension. i hesitate to say this is a true enemies-to-lovers because they don’t hate each other (at all really). they just have some… baggage to work through. and them working through it is the plot, and it works incredibly well!! i was rooting so hard for them to get to the good part… i mean the things this man does in the last third of the story. you need to read this book just to get to the simping. it’s 10/10.

my one qualm is i simply do not care about the anthony hugo subplot. i read it and my eyes glaze over. i’m also like why does this dude care about these people in the small town? idk, i didn’t need it. other than that — this series is just fun! read it to have a good time, giggle, blush, feel the good things.

This book.... 𝐃𝐄𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑, and one of my 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐒 this year. ⁣
⁣
My heart!!! What am I going to do with my life now that the series is over?!!? Lol
⁣
𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝗪𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐃 gave me all the feels. I laughed, swooned, cried, and HATE a certain character. Ugh. I just wanted to protect Sloane and Lucian. ⁣

Lucian and Sloane were neighbors across the street so Sloane pretty much knows Lucian more than anyone. I'm not going to say too much because I don't want to spoil anything, but Sloane did something that broke the trust between them. This totally changed their life. They were friends when they were younger, but now, they're enemies that couldn't stand each other's presence. They were both forced to be in each other's presence when Sloane's father died.

The buildup of their character development was definitely beautiful. Lucy Score saved the best for last. I do have to say the beginning was quite slow, but when it picked up, I couldn't put it down.

Highly, highly recommend this book!! This full series.

I started this series a couple of years ago, and genuinely it renewed my love for romance. I love the small town environment, the character dynamics that feel so local and intimate and homey and special, while also still being a perfect escapist read. This book though, by far my favorite of the three. We've been watching Lucian and Sloane for a while now and I didn't think their tension could be matched once we finally dove into their story, but truly this was incredible. The use of flashbacks was a perfect balance without being overdone, and the style choice really highlighted how vulnerable and and sacred young love can be, even if it turns to hate. Their banter and their build up felt the most realistic out of all three couples and was so engaging, I couldn't put it down!

This book is perfect for fans of small town romance and enemies to lovers with a morally grey mc.
Enemies Sloane and Lucian decide to have one night to get rid of all the sexual tension between them, but can’t seem to stop. They want completely different things in life but can’t let each other go.
I absolutely loved this book. I read it in two days and was completely hooked. I have been waiting to read about Sloane and Lucian since the first book and I was not disappointed. The tension and the banter is amazing. The tropes are amazing. The characters are amazing and the plot was amazing. This book gets 5 stars from me. It was absolutely perfect and I would one hundred percent recommend this to other people.

Some of the tropes include:

- enemies to lovers
- Enemies with benefits
- Morally grey love interest
- Small town
- Second chance

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.