I am sad to see Ellie (and Ramsey's) story end, but Weaver did a great job of wrapping everything up with ONE FINAL TURN. My one complaint is that the first few chapters were a little awkward with how much recapping of previous people/events was happening as the plot got going. I feel like a brief forward with "here's what's happened so far" would have helped with the flow. Otherwise once again, this was a book that I lost multiple nights of sleep by staying up way past my bedtime playing the "just one more chapter" game. There were some really good twists in this one and I got teary eyed more than once. The romantic tension was top level, and war effort exploits kept me on the edge of my seat.

This series could easily keep going and I'd gladly continue to read about what Ellie gets up to, and it's a series I will definitely go back and reread at some point. I'll have to check out Weaver's Armory Ames series, but really I just need more of Ellie and Gabriel.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review.

what would you do for family? Spy, travel to another country, get married, risk your life??? During war all of this could happen and more. follow this adventure with intrigue at the turn of a page.

Thank you to @netgalley and @StMartinsPress for this ARC. Book 5 of the Electra McDonnell as a safecracker. She has a chance to work a mission in Portugal to find her MIA cousin Toby. Another great read by Ashley Weaver and said to see this series end. #OneFinalTurn #AshleyWeaver #StMartinsPress #June 2025

For the record, I am still utterly DISTRAUGHT that this is the final book in this series. But, if the series must end, I am very, very pleased with the outcome. Sure, I think that the stuff with Electra's parents could have used another book, but was I really in this for the overarching mystery plot? No, I was not.

What I was in this series for is the romance between Gabriel and Electra and reader, there were times I was biting my fist because Ashley Weaver was giving me exactly what I wanted. <spoiler>THEY GET FAKE REAL MARRIED AND GABRIEL CALLS HER DARLING A LOT AND THERE'S A GOOD GIRL AND IT WAS A LOT.</spoiler>

Eagerly awaiting the author's next series whenever that might be. Thank you so much for this one, I am very happy.

<i>Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.</i>

A very satisfying conclusion to a wonderful series! I've enjoyed Electra McDonnell's character and her safecracking family and friends over the course of five books. Major Ramsey gave off some strong Mr. Darcy vibes on this mission, much to my amusement. Lisbon is crawling with foreign agents and spies, and Ellie, Ramsey, and Capt. Blanding are there to find someone who can point them to the secret route escaped POWs are taking to flee the Nazis. And Ellie is hoping to find her cousin Toby who is rumored to be one of those POWs.

"The fifth and final installment in the Electra McDonnell series brings safecracker Ellie on a mission across World War II-era Europe to Lisbon, Portugal to rescue a key group of escaped POWs.

Ellie McDonnell is about to embark on her most perilous mission yet: go to Lisbon, Portugal to save her beloved cousin Toby who has reportedly escaped from a German prisoner of war camp. Toby has been missing since the Battle of Dunkirk and Ellie had all but lost hope in ever seeing him again until Major Ramsey, the British military intelligence officer she had been working closely with over the past few months, shared the news he'd intercepted.

Nothing will stop Ellie from finding her cousin, not even the awkward experience of having to travel to an unknown country with Ramsey after he'd dismissed her for being untrustworthy just as she'd realized she had fallen in love with him. Under the supervision of Captain Archie Blandings, a charming intelligence officer based in Lisbon, Ellie meets with undercover operatives to track down where Toby might be hiding from the Nazis and whether they are too late to safely recover him, all the while fighting her feelings for Ramsey and the incessant burden of war looming around her at every turn."

Perhaps she's cracked the secret to a happily ever after?

First time reading one of the titles in the series. Shall I write a charming romance set in early works war 2. Yep, that covers it. If you like a romance with unlikely people and settings this is for you

Excellent book carrying on Ellie’s life and love life during the war. Ashley has done a great job of writing, editing and I didn’t find any errors which were glaring or out of place. A read that is very much appreciated. Thanks

I have read all of the books in this series and I am disappointed that ths is the last one. I enjoyed them all and this one is no exception. Electra is a strong independent woman who just happens to be a safe cracker. From a family of safe crackers. She is a young woman whose heart is broken. And now needs to work closely with her former boss (and love interest) in Portugal to find her cousin who has escaped from a German POW camp..
This is an easy read of war, family, intrigue and love.I thought the ending was spot on. Well done.

Disclosure: A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.

"One Final Turn" was a fitting end to the series. Electra heads to Lisbon to try to find her cousin, Toby, who reportedly has escaped a German POW camp and is making his way to Portugal with other escapees. In addition to hopefully finding Toby, Electra (Ellie) and Captain Blandings (Archie), along with Major Ramsey, are hoping to learn more details about the routes escaped prisoners and refugees are utilizing to escape occupied countries so that British intelligence can help facilitate the efforts. This trip will prove quite the adventure and challenge for Ellie, especially with the tension existing between her and Ramsey.

The author ties up the loose ends in the series nicely. I was very pleased with what Electra learns about her parents and her past, as well as what the future holds for Electra, her family and her dearest friend.

3.5 stars

Fans of this World War II series featuring burglar/locksmith Ellie McDonnell will be sad to see that this is the final entry. This is more spy/romance than mystery but it wraps the series up nicely.

At the end of their last adventure, Ellie and Major Ramsey had ended both their personal and professional relationship. Ellie realizes she is in love with the aristocratic Ramsey and that things would never work out. She angered him during their last case by going a bit rogue and not following orders.

But the situation has changed. An associate of Ramsey needs Ellie to go to Portugal for an investigation and gives her an opportunity to find her cousin Toby who has escaped from a prisoner of war camp. Ellie is willing to take the risk and soon she and Blandings -- with the awkward addition of Major Ramsey -- are in Lisbon.

The plot takes quite an unexpected turn here. Ramsey and Ellie are quite stiff with each other until a climactic scene where they clear the air. Lots of action at the end and then things wind up with an almost-too-tidy ending. But we have come to like these characters so it's good to know where they wind up. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In the last installment, Weaver wraps up the series with a bow. A trite but satisfying conclusion to the Electra McDonnell series.

I absolutely adored this series and am in denial that there isn't another novel. Methinks the lady needs more Electra and Major Ramsey mysteries in her life. I downloaded the first book, A Peculiar Combination, back in the fall, but I saw that the last book wasn't out yet, and I didn't want to wait when I started the series. Lucky me, I was able to read this on Netgalley. I binged this series in less than a week. I cannot speak enough of my love for the top-tier crime-solving duo aka Major Gabriel Ramsey and Miss Electra McDonnell. The duo were the perfect foils for each other, and my gosh, the tension. THE TENSION between the two from like book three on was electric *pun intended* but man oh man, the sexual tension between Electra and Gabriel in the last book was so boiling hot, I was PARCHED.

I will say I wish there was at least one more book. Selfishly because I need more Gabriel and Electra, but also because there was so much left to explore. Honestly, I felt like some of the overarching side plots from the series felt scrambled together instead of taking another book or two to fully flesh them out. Also, the book ends in 1941 in the middle of WWII...I need an update to make sure my duo and co. made it out of the war alright.

5 stars for the Electra and Gabriel romance, but the overall story conclusion felt unresolved and disappointing. I'm still in denial that I've finished this series because I feel like there is so much more to explore.

One Final Turn is the culmination of the five part Electra McDonnell series. The concept, that a family of intelligent locksmiths who live a life of crime might make useful spies, in particular the lovely Ellie, was very original. While it's sad to see the end of the story, all loose ends were tied up. I liked learning about Portugal as a neutral country in WWII and that Lisbon was a happening place for agents of all loyalties. Electra is working with a different handler, Archie, an affable man. She is nursing a broken heart over Ramsey's abrupt dismissal and she will be working with him as well while in Lisbon. They are trying to find out about the route taken by POWs who escaped from the Germans and her cousin Toby is among those who recently got away. The plot takes us all about the city, getting to informants just a little too late. There are murders. Ellie's lock picking skills are needed quite a bit. There is both tension and sizzle with Ramsey. All in all a very satisfying end to a lovely series.

I received an electronic ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.
I loved this final book and am sad to see their adventures end. I appreciate that Weaver took time to bring in all of the family and friends to tie up loose ends for the spying missions and Ellie's parents' mystery. Ellie, Ramsey and Archie's adventures in Portugal were filled with danger and intrigue. They pursued leads to find Ellie's cousin Toby but someone was obviously leaking information to the Germans as they ran into dead ends and dead bodies. It took me a while to figure out who the traitor was but it fit well in the overall storyline.
Weaver chose to reveal more of Ramsey's emotions as this book unfolded. He shared his feelings with Ellie and they both admitted their love before the series closed.
The pace was a bit slower in this volume but that allowed time to offer insights into the various characters and provided time to weave together their stories. Would love to see her spin off other books about some of the secondary characters.

Overall I very much enjoyed this final installment in the Electra McDonnell series. I felt the plot as it relates to Portugal was really engaging and kept the formula of the series fresh without feeling like any plot lines were being recycled as can be the case in the mystery genre at times. My only gripe about the book was the way the plot line involving Ellie’s father and his involvement with espionage during WWI was wrapped up. It felt as though that plot point was left to the last moment almost as though it was forgotten. Given how big of an overarching part of Ellie’s story this plot line was and given that it effectively caused the break up to Ellie and Ramsey in the fourth book the way it was hastily ended felt somewhat unsatisfying. I understand it couldn’t likely have been too much longer in this book but it feels like it would have made for an excellent sixth and final book in the series.

One Final Turn, by Ashley Weaver is apparently the last book in this series. It's been a delightful series and a different perspective from any WWIi series I have read. This book was the best of the series. The story was suspenseful and the conclusion of the book and the series extremely satisfying
I highly recommend this book and the entire series!

The fifth and final book in the series is bittersweet for me. I love and appreciate the loose ends being neatly resolved but I am disappointed there will be no more books. This is a great series that will be missed. Would love to read more of Ellie and Gabriel's war time adventures.

This book was everything and more that I wanted in a conclusion!! The tension and romance was so good. I absolutely loved this one and the whole series.

I enjoyed the last installment in this series. While there are many WW2 books out there, this series has been entertaining from start to finish.
If you missed the first four books in the series, I still recommend going back and picking them up.

I received an advanced reader copy via Net Galley.