It was still a good book that kept me interested. I was obviously invested in the resolution. Books one and two were so strong, but this was a bit of a let down in terms of the plot. Mind you, it's still a four-star read for me.

I approached this book fully aware that it’s the third installment in a series I hadn’t read the first two books of—despite my best efforts. I’ve tried multiple times to get through A Marvellous Light both as an eBook and audiobook, but I couldn’t get into it, and the same thing happened with A Power Unbound. Maybe I just need to be in the right mood, as the magic system here is different from what I’m used to, and male narrators often don’t work for me.

While it tied up some plot threads, I assume, the fantasy elements felt underwhelming, and the romance didn’t hit the mark. The integration of previous characters felt more distracting than enriching (probably because I was missing out on the nostalgia from previous books), and the resolutions for the Edwardian same-sex couples didn’t captivate me as much as I hoped.

Overall, I find it hard to judge this book because I haven't read the first two, so I will definitely revisit this book when (WHEN!) I have done so.

Thank you so much to Freya Marske, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for sending me the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Marske has landed this trilogy with aplomb! A Power Unbound wraps up a thrilling and sultry story that I did not want to end. With rich characters and an engaging mystery, this book and series are ones I never fail to get more people hooked on.

This was a great conclusion to a fun series, super glad I decided to pick the series up as a whole. I’m looking forward to what ever the author decides to write in the future!

If you like Romance, especially the raunchy, open door kind, you’ll likely enjoy this series more than I did.

The fantasy elements and magical system in this series were actually quite good, and had they been the greater focus, it likely would have been a more enjoyable read for those like me who don’t love romance-obsessed plots and cringe a b it at very open door sex scenes.

A lot of this is undoubtedly a preference issue, and were I not professionally reviewing, I probably would have quit after the first book. Still, the focus of the series should have been made more transparent by the publisher in initial materials and summary, and from a quality standpoint it takes the focus off of the better plotted and written aspects of the book, which feels like a disservice to both the reader and the author’s potential.

This was a phenomenal conclusion to a series I thoroughly enjoyed. I was a little nervous as the previous novel (A Restless Truth) fell a little flat compared to the glorious first novel, but I was enthralled immediately.

Before I get into the actual narrative, I’d like to give major kudos to the audiobook narrator —Josh Dylan. His voice was perfect for Jack and Alan, and I will absolutely be keeping an eye out for more of his work.

Onto the writing! The plot was definitely strong here — interesting connections from all the different pieces of the first two books — but what really sold me was the development of both Jack and Alan.

Their initial coupling was delicious and wildly passionate, playing with physical vulnerability while deftly steering clear of admitting they even liked each other. As the plot progressed, and their intimate moments heated and froze in turn, their relationship became intense moments of introspection and emotional vulnerability, the likes of which I would never have expected from these two ruthless men.

The stunning parallel of Jack’s experience of magic and loss was a phenomenal conclusion to the story (along with some beautiful queer hope!) He moves from the desperate “Take whatever you need from me” to the vulnerable and open “Lend me what I need”. Jack cracks open the vault of his chest and is thoroughly rewarded for all of his heartache.

As a final note, bless this author for the absolutely searing sex scenes. They were as strong, if not stronger than those of the first book (which is SAYING SOMETHING). I can’t wait to see what Marske comes out with next!

An ARC of this (audio)book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Literally such a perfect finale to a gorgeous series. This series just hits so hard with how emotional it makes me. It's got all the right kind of things to make everyone happy from magic, to regency era, to gardening, to badass old women, the sexiest of sexy scenes, and magical houses a plenty.

Freya Marske is a wonderfully imaginative writer. This trilogy has been one of my favorites with its perfect blend of historical romance themes and magic. It all fits together in a world that feels not too different from our own history in many ways. This third installment was fantastic, I really love that Jack and Alan got their story (after book two I was hoping they would) and watching their relationship bloom while coming up to the wrap-up of the three book spanning plot was so good!

I definitely enjoyed this more than A Restless Truth, but A Marvelous Light is still, in my opinion, the strongest (and my favourite) of the trilogy.

Credit where credit is due: Freya Marske can write a damn good romance. I loved the interclass relationship in A Power Unbound; I appreciated that the novel didn't gloss over the class differences between Hawthorn and Ross, instead giving them the narrative space to discuss those differences meaningfully and openly. These two characters are different in some very notable ways, but they are also so similar, and I enjoyed seeing them not just navigate their differences, but also find a lot of common ground to draw them together. Another thing I appreciate about Marske's writing is the way she approaches sex scenes: they are sex scenes, to be sure, but they are also critical moments of character development, of intimacy, of trust--and she does both at the same time, and does them both with such a deft hand. (This is something that stood out to me not just in this novel, but in A Marvelous Light and A Restless Truth as well.)

This was a fantastic finale to the series! The backstory of one of the main characters of this book, Jack Alston/Lord Hawthorn, was hinted at many times in the previous two installments leading to this book being greatly anticipated. And it did not disappoint! It was a pleasure to dive deeper into Jack's mind and history with Marske's prose and to see the characters of the previous books return. The plot is definitely intricate and requires that one reads the prior two books; it should not be read as a standalone. Lastly, the narration was wonderful! The narrator's voice perfectly matched Jack's voice as I imagined it and helped bring the story to life. At times my attention did stray because the quantity of plot was a lot to take in, so that did knock my rating back a star.

***4.0 Stars***

Overall,
A solid conclusion to a very fun trilogy. The main characters of the first two book are internal and constant in this book. Alan and Jack are grouchy and from two very different walks of life they and the gang find the last item for the last contract. We get to learn in depth Jacks history and why he is the way he is. The story takes us to multiple locations and there is some fun explanations of magic and how it works in this world. I enjoyed reading this book.

Recommendation,
You definitely need to read the first two books in this trilogy before reading this one,. I would even suggest a reread if it has been a while, it took me a minute to remember all the other characters. This series has great LGBTQ+ rep with some spicy scenes on page. If you are interest in historical fantasy romance I would suggest this series to you.

I have followed this series from the beginning and while I am still a bit sad that we didn't get three full books of Edwin and Robin (because truly I would read 50 books of just them) I truly enjoyed meeting all the new casts of characters, and especially enjoyed that the second book was FF because I don't see as many of those books in mainstream circulation.

I enjoyed Jack and Alan in the second book and was glad to see them get a full story, and also enjoyed the continual appearances from our MCs from books one and two.

Overall there was a huge amount of information and a lot going on while the main characters figured out their enemies-to-lovers, hate-sex fueled relationship. I enjoyed it all but thought maybe it could have been a tad shorter.

DNF at 40%.

There was nothing wrong with this book AT ALL, it just wasn't working for me right now. I found it wasn't keeping my attention and I was having trouble remembering all of the people from the previous two books (both good and bad ones).

I'll likely come back to this one at some point, as I did enjoy the first two and I want to know how it ends, this just isn't the time for it.

Only comment is netgalley needs to improve their app so it can be used over other devices such as cars

This third book in The Last Binding series won’t work as a standalone. I recommend reading at least one of the previous books first. I enjoyed the first book, A Marvellous Light, but didn’t read the second book, and while I wasn’t lost, it did take a while to get all the characters and their relationships straight at the beginning of A Power Unbound.

In the first two books we learn that there are magicians in positions of political power who are scheming to basically steal all the magical power of the Last Contract – a pact made between fae and humans giving the power over all magic to humans just before the fae left this world for good. The physical symbols of the Last Contract are a cup, a knife, and a coin, all made from silver, and once the bargain was in place, the three objects were separated and hidden so no one could bring them all together and misuse their power. This, of course, is exactly what this group of magicians is trying to do. At the end of A Marvellous Light, where we meet Edwin Courcey and Robin Blythe, the coin is stolen from them just after they’ve found it. In A Restless Truth, Maud Blyth and Violet Debenham recover the cup during a murder mystery at sea. We also meet a rather prickly Jack Alston (Lord Hawthorn), and Alan Ross, a thief/journalist also on the ship.

A Power Unbound opens with a flashback to an event in Jack’s past when his uncle and his cousin George try to steal both his and his twin sister’s magic with tragic results, including the loss of his magic and the death of his sister. Silenced by a binding spell ever since that night, Jack has been unable to tell anyone what really happened. In the present day, George and Edwin Courcey’s brother, Walter, are leading the group trying to gather the Last Contract items. They’ve succeeded in getting the coin, and are now plotting ways to steal the cup hidden in Spinet House, a rather cranky magical house Violet inherited. Due to the attempts being made to steal the cup, Violet and Maude have convinced Jack to live there as a sort of bodyguard. During an unexpected morning call from Alan, Edwin realizes Alan has a special relationship with magic: it seems to bounce off him. In return for being Edwin’s guinea pig for some magical experiments to learn more about how this non-magical person resists magic, Alan asks for some favors from Jack, such as introductions to a few high profile people to get interviews and advance his career. This cooperation results in Alan’s becoming involved in the protection of the cup and the search for the missing knife. It also throws him into company with Jack.

Jack is everything Alan hates about “the quality”, arrogant, privileged, and ignorant about how most people live. While Alan scrapes by, barely keeping his extended family fed and housed, Jack is seemingly idle and uncaring. Jack is equally disdainful of Alan and the two spend most of their time sniping and snarling at each other. But the strong current of attraction simmering between them makes it very difficult for them to ignore one another. When the pull gets to be too much, they find a way to continue to snipe and spar even in the bedroom (or sitting room, or wherever) much to their mutual satisfaction. This results in perhaps the best ‘hate sex’ scenes I’ve ever read. I love that even after it’s obvious feelings are getting involved, neither man has a personality transplant and both retain their prickliness.

While the relationship takes up a fair amount of the book, the storyline about the Last Contract items and the machinations of the magicians bent on stealing all the power for themselves is developing as well. While the magic system and the convoluted plot are clever and often exciting, there are some definite pacing issues. Some scenes are too long, and other scenes are a bit rushed with inadequate explanation about what’s happening. George and Walter always being a step ahead of our group also got a little old. There are well written and unexpected twists, but there are also a few actions (or inactions) by our heroes that had me scratching my head, and the finale goes on too long.

Josh Dylan is a new-to-me narrator and I am pleased to say he does an excellent job. There is a rather large cast of characters, including several women, and he gives each of them distinct voices and personalities. Mr Dylan doesn’t change his voice over much for the female characters, but I never had any difficulty knowing they were women. His voice acting is smooth throughout and dialogs and narrative passages are delivered with appropriate emotions. Jack’s snark and arrogance shine through, and Alan’s caustic barbs are wonderfully delivered. I will definitely be looking for more books he’s narrated.

A Power Unbound is a complex fantasy story with some beautifully written passages and a wonderful romance. I feel like the story suffers a bit from too much going on, especially right at the end, and a reliance on serendipity to win the day. That aside, I will definitely pick up another Freya Marske book on the strength of the writing and the cleverness of her worldbuilding.

This book was an incredible journey into the world of magic. I thoroughly enjoyed all the hijinks and romance.

Lord Hawthorn has been unceremoniously thrust back into the magical world. And his past seems to be intricately linked with the fight for control of England's magic. Alan, a thief and seller of illegal pamphlets has also been brought into the fold. And they hat each other, and yet there is an inexplicable draw that they might just give into.

I loved this one. I don't love power dynamics in relationships, but Markse did such a great job with these characters. I also felt like the class dynamics were really well handled. I loved grumpy Lord Hawthorn and learning his backstory. And the growing relationships with Alan with the complications and belief in trust of character were so good. The story overall was great with all the other main characters making an appearance. And the new characters of Hawthorn's mother and old fae were awesome. I struggled with the final fight, which might just be a me thing and I felt like the backstory could've been a bit more clear. Highly recommend!!!!

The narration of the audiobook was excellent and I was totally drawn into the world.

Thank you so much to the author, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook!

After I finished "A Restless Truth," I was eager to learn more about Jack Alston's backstory. And I wasn't disappointed. He quickly became my favorite character in the series due to his sarcastic personality and deep love for those around him, regardless of how much he denied that he cared.

The sexual chemistry between Jack and Alan is undeniable and makes for some steamy scenes throughout the book. However, I felt their relationship was left incomplete with unresolved issues such as their class difference. It would have been nice to see them communicate and work through their problems instead of just relying on sex to solve everything.

While the series was enjoyable, I felt the plot could have been tighter, especially towards the middle, where the pacing seemed to lag. Despite this, seeing the other couples in the series still happily in love, while driving each other wild was nice.

I wouldn't mind seeing another book or novella featuring Jack and Alan, as their story feels unfinished.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

This was such a fun and satisfying ending to thus trilogy! I loved seeing all the characters working together, and especially loved finally getting to Alan and Jack get their own book.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio!
Queer historical fantasy! Need I say more? I love the first two books in this trilogy and I am so glad to have gotten to read the audiobook! I think the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to light and giving them the necessary emotion and impact throughout the story. There were a few instances where I had trouble picking out the different characters but overall I did enjoy the audiobook. I absolutely love the characters and the romance in this one. I went into this one thing the banter in the spying between the characters and I definitely got it. It really just creates this amazing tension between the romantic interests and the spice was off the charts good.