Hendrix Barry lives a fabulous life. She has phenomenal friends, a loving family, and a thriving business that places her in the entertainment industry’s rarefied air. Your vision board? She’s probably living it.

She’s a woman with goals, dreams, ambitions—always striving upward. And in the midst of everything, she’s facing her toughest challenge caring for an aging parent.

Who has time for romance? From her experience, there’s a low ROI on relationships. She hasn’t met the man who can keep up with her anyway. Until…him.

Tech mogul Maverick Bell is a dilemma wrapped in an exquisitely tailored suit and knee-melting charm. From their first charged glance at the summer’s hottest party, Hendrix feels like she’s met her match. Only he can’t be. Mav may be the first to make her feel this seen and desired and appreciated, but he’s the last one she can have. Forbidden fruit is the juiciest, and this man is off limits if she plans to stay the course she’s set for herself.

But when Maverick gives chase—pursuing her, spoiling her, understanding her—is it time to let herself have something more?

I received an advance galley of this book courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

I started the Skyland series about a year and a half ago, and I can’t believe it’s over. To say I have loved these characters is an understatement. Hendrix, Soledad, Yasmin – they’ve been through so much, and we’ve been right there with them. These ladies honestly felt like real-life friends. I’m genuinely going to miss them.
Hendrix immediately became my favorite the moment she made her appearance in Before I Let Go, and I was so happy to finally get to read her full story; it felt like such a reward.

Kennedy Ryan has this unmatched ability to write complex, powerhouse Black women who are fiercely independent, deeply layered, and unapologetically real. Hendrix is no exception. She’s stylish, successful, and headstrong – basically living the life most of us have on our vision boards – but she’s also juggling some very real, very heavy stuff behind the scenes. Between running her booming PR business and caring for her mother, who’s battling Alzheimer’s, Hendrix is carrying the emotional weight of the world and still managing to show up for her people. If that’s not the definition of strength, I don’t know what is.

Hendrix has always been strong and very independent and didn’t need a man to hold her down, but then Maverick Bell enters the picture and flips Hendrix’s world on its head.

Mav is that rare kind of love interest who’s not just hot (although let’s be real, he’s very hot), but also emotionally intelligent, kind, driven, and respectful of Hendrix’s boundaries. Their chemistry is electric from the get-go, and once things start to heat up between them? Good LORD. The steamy scenes? Yeah, they were definitely steaming. Hendrix and Mav are the very definition of a power couple, and I loved watching their relationship unfold and how they overcame the obstacles in their way.

What I also appreciated was just like the stories before it, this book isn’t just about romance. It’s about caregiving, grief, ambition, legacy, and community. Hendrix’s relationship with her mother, who’s slowly declining due to Alzheimer’s, was gut-wrenching and beautifully handled. The scenes with her mother and her aunt felt so grounded and real – I teared up more than once. Ryan doesn’t shy away from the messy parts of life, and she never sugarcoats what it means to care for someone who’s fading away piece by piece. But she also shows the love, the resilience, and the sacredness of those relationships. It was honestly one of the most moving parts of the book.

And I can’t not mention the friendships. One of my favorite things about this whole series has been the depiction of deep, nourishing, ride-or-die female friendships. Hendrix, Yas, and Sol have each other’s backs in a way that feels both aspirational and so familiar. Their bond is one of the strongest undercurrents in the series, and it continues to shine in this final installment. I think I mentioned the group of strong Black women I knew in Houston who lifted me up and showed me how to live in my truth. I am forever grateful for their friendship and I saw each of them depicted in some way between these pages.

There’s also something so important – and necessary – about the way Kennedy Ryan weaves in social commentary without making it feel like a lecture. As a white reader, I find her books to be eye-opening in the best way. They push me to consider the systems in place that still hold Black communities back and what allyship really means in everyday life. Her stories aren’t just entertainment; they’re education and empathy wrapped in stunning prose and compelling plotlines.

Bottom line? If you haven’t started the Skyland series yet, what are you waiting for? If you love character-driven romance, strong women, vulnerable men, and stories that make you feel all the things (and I mean all the things), then you absolutely need these books in your life.
While I’m sad the series is over, this was the perfect finale. It was sexy, emotional, empowering, and unforgettable.