I have loved this series from the first page of A Peculiar Combination, so reading the last page of One Final Turn was so bittersweet. Electra "Ellie" McDonnell and Major Gabriel Ramsey's story concludes, and storylines for Ellie's friends and family are all left in a satisfying place. This series has been a fun and memorable twist on the popular WWII genre fiction. The tension between the main characters is complicated by the not-quite-legal activities of the McDonnell clan in contrast with the straight-laced, no-shades-of-gray worldview of Major Ramsey. This has created a great, ongoing conflict between the two, against a backdrop of espionage, safecracking, and more. I will miss Ellie and Ramsey, Uncle Mick, Nacy, and all the supporting characters. I hope that sometime in the future, there will be an opportunity to revisit Ellie and Ramsey in another caper.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of #OneFinalTurn.

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for the eARC of One Final Turn! All opinions in this review are my own.

It is bittersweet to read the final chapter in the Electra McDonnell series but I am happy to say that it is a satisfying ending that ties up all the loose ends.

The fifth book in the series finds Electra in Lisbon following a lead for her missing cousin. I don't want to reveal anymore especially if you haven't read the rest of the series, but Electra does get into some very interesting predicaments in Lisbon.

Overall, this series is one of my favorites and the final book did not disappoint. I highly recommend it if you like historical mysteries filled with spies, secrets, and a bit of romance!

An enthralling ending to a wonderful series! I loved this so much. It was everything I wanted from the final book in the Electra MacDonnell series. The heist was the biggest one yet, the romance reached the sweetest of heights. I swallowed this thing down in 2 days. I told myself to read slower (this is the last book after all), but I simply couldn’t. The character arcs, the fun (international) setting, the inner turmoil of the protagonists, the hysterical matchmaking, the insanely high stakes-all absolute gold. If you’ve come this far with the series you will not be disappointed. You have the most enjoyable treat before you and I hope you savor every moment.
So why the four stars? Because I must admit to being a little let down by the series-long mystery we as readers have been following since book one. The question of her mother’s innocence in the death of Ellie’s father. Who was he? What was he involved in? Was her mother really as innocent as Ellie seems to believe. For 5 books now we have been piecing together (with the flimsiest of clues) what actually happened. And only in the last handful of pages do we get any answers. And the answers are underwhelming at best. It felt very rushed. Still, I wasn’t reading the series for that greater mystery hence why my love for this book shines bold and strong.
Well done Ashley Weaver! This book exceeded my expectations for it (and they were pretty high to begin with). I really connected with Ellie on this one and the humor was spot on and made me smile many times. All the moving plots and storylines meant I was not bored for one single second of this book and the ride is one I didn’t want to get off. I will miss these characters dearly. Bravo!

German spies and escaped POWs, traitors and heroes, this book has them all. Add in family and a bit of romance for the best Electra adventure ever. Ashley Weaver has penned the perfect ending to this series.

#ElectraMcDonnell
#AshleyWeaver
#OneFinalTurn
#NetGalleyARC

I truly can't believe this series is coming to an end. If this is really it, I have to say the ending was absolutely fantastic—it ended on such a high note! There were moments when I was literally yelling at Ellie, “No, please, don’t do it!” I was on the edge of my seat, cheering, feeling all kinds of emotions, and then in the next moment, I couldn’t stop smiling from ear to ear. The rollercoaster of feelings in this book is just wow. From heart-pounding suspense to moments of pure joy, this series has been an incredible ride from start to finish. It’s been such a thrilling journey, and if this is the final chapter, it really went out with a bang. I’ll miss these characters and this world so much, but wow—what a series!

I received a complimentary copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

(ad pr) Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books & Ashley Weaver

Ellie is a character you root for during this thrilling adventure through Portugal, our hearts break along with hers yet falls in love with the city of Lisbon. I honestly thought Archie was going to be the shady one, yet we were wrong. It did lose a star for me as i thought that her father’s death would tie more into her adventures in Lisbon and felt a bit separated when found out who it was.

Publication date: June 3rd, 2025
Read dates: 26th November – 27th November 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity and ARC of One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver.

This is Book 5 of 5 in the Electra McDonnell series.

Rating: 4.5⭐️

If you love historical fiction with suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat, then cozy up to this book! Electra is on a mission in World War II- era Lisbon to locate POWs, one of which is her beloved cousin. She continues to search for answers regarding family matters all while putting her life on the line. Major Ramsey is back to aid in helping but is it truly what Electra wants?

Electra us the heroine we all need in our lives! This adventure is full of suspense, tension, and romance and is completely worth your time!

Oh, how I didn’t want this series to end! This book was everything I hoped for—emotional, thrilling, and full of the twists and tension that made me fall in love with Ellie McDonnell and Major Ramsey in the first place.

This time, Ellie’s off to Lisbon on the most dangerous mission yet: rescuing her cousin Toby, who’s miraculously escaped a German POW camp. From the first chapter, I was hooked—there’s such a mix of urgency, danger, and heart. Ellie’s grit and determination are unmatched, and I love how fiercely she fights for the people she loves.

And Ramsey… oh, the slow burn between Ellie and Ramsey absolutely delivered. Their relationship has been a rollercoaster, and this book finally gave me the payoff I’ve been waiting for. The longing, the trust-building, the tension—you could cut it with a knife. Ashley Weaver has such a way of making you feel every moment between them.

The action is edge-of-your-seat intense, but the humor and wit keep things from getting too heavy. I laughed, I cried, and I even yelled at a few characters along the way. My only tiny gripe? A couple of the plot points wrapped up a little too quickly for my liking. I wouldn’t have minded a bit more time in Lisbon or a slightly slower build to the finale.

If you love historical fiction with a smart, strong heroine and a romance you should definitely pick up this series. It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to Ellie and Ramsey, but this was a perfect farewell. I’ll be recommending this to everyone I know who loves a good spy mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I stumbled upon an Ashley Weaver book a few months ago, and was instantly obsessed with the Electra series. One Final Turn was everything I hoped it would be! I just admit, I was very hesitant, and quite judgy about how I felt this series needed to end, haha! I was going to be so upset if it didn't go the way I expected. Well, leave it to Ashley, she went above and beyond what I hoped! I actually cried reading One Final Turn, which was definitely unexpected for me. I will miss Electra and Ramsey dearly, but this book brought it to a close in a most wonderful way, leaving me guessing what would happen next! Well done, great, easy read. 🙏

Thank you to @netgalley for the arc copy One Final Turn!! It's the last book in the Electra McDonnell series I've been raving about. You'll want to read it when it comes out in June!

It felt like an old friend who you sat down to reminisce with. So familiar and comfortable with. And who you loathed to say goodbye to. And I have never hated a goodbye with a book so bad. I'm all cut up inside about it.

The romantic tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. If you have felt a want for more romance in the other books, have no fear. It more than makes up for it here and then some. Like woah thank you Ashley Weaver for delivering so well🥵 its closed door and suchhhh great swoon.

Electra and Major Ramsey undergo so much in this story that is good and great and wonderful but hard and it's refining to their characters.

Electra McDonnell is headed to Portugal to search for her cousin in this fifth and last book in her series. Ellie comes from a long line of thieves. She is an expert at picking locks. She is recruited by Major Ramsey and British Intelligence during World War II. But, in the last book, Ellie discovered that her father might have been a German agent in World War I. Also, she and Major Ramsey had a falling out in the last book and she is no longer working with him. That might be okay, except for the fact that she has fallen in love.

But she is contacted by Captain Blanding, another officer in British Intelligence. Ellie's cousin, Toby, who was captured at Dunkirk, has allegedly escaped. He is working his way towards Lisbon. Blanding needs Ellie to come with him to welcome Toby and take steps to keep the Nazis from discovering the prisoner escape route. Complicating things is the fact that Ramsey is also headed to Lisbon on a mission.

I love this series. The historical elements of life in London during the Blitz are compelling. The characters are engaging. Ellie and her family are a lot of fun to follow. Her romance with Major Ramsey offers another level of suspense and romance. I highly recommend that the reader starts with the first book in the series and works their way through this, the final book.

Great conclusion to the series. I will miss Electra and Gabriel. I feel like Felix’s arc could have been better explored, but I’m happy with the ending.

Great continuation of a great series. There is so much more to this character and look forward to getting into some of the earlier books.

This book was absolutely everything that I wanted it to be and the perfect end to a perfect series.

I just love Electra’s journey as she becomes more confident in her skills and work. She is intelligent, feisty, and just played kick butt.

The cast of characters is everything enchanting and engaging. They bring such life to the story and I love them.

And don’t get me started on the romance. I’m still not over it!

The perfect ending to the series! I do think the overarching mystery wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly for most people’s taste. It felt a bit like an afterthought as a large focus of this book was on Ellie and the Major’s relationship. If that’s not your jam, you might think it’s a bit unfulfilling of an ending but I ate it up. I’ll just be over here giggling and kicking my feet while I wish I could read the series for the first time again!

I enjoyed the Amory Ames series, but I’ve been completely hooked on Electra McDonnell since its debut. In fact, I even track the release dates in my calendar! As you can imagine, I’ve been anticipating One Final Turn for months. However, knowing that this is the final book in the series, I also wanted to savor every moment of it, taking my time to appreciate the story as it played out.

I found myself so immersed in the story that I almost read the entire book in one sitting! Ashley Weaver has such a knack for creating tension and excitement as well as great characters that it was almost impossible to put it down. I woke up early just to finish it.

Thank you to Macmillan and Net Galley for the opportunity to review the book. It was a treat.

WHAT AN ENDING! I've loved this entire series and this was the perfect ending to it! We get to see it come all together and plus Ramsey is just the swooniest guy in the world.

A page-turning story and a satisfying ending to the series -- although I'll sure miss Electra and the Major! I would have read this series for many more books. I appreciate the way the author weaves in historical research without it feeling dry. I love WW2 history but I had never read about Portugal's neutral role in the war, or about it being a bastion of spycraft and asylum-seeking, until this book. I recommend reading these books in order, but it won't take you long ... the stories fly by and you'll enjoy every minute.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous books in this series and was thrilled to receive this ARC. The first 1/3 or so of the novel was a little slow going for me; I felt like it was doing a lot of rehashing from other novels in the series without moving this plot along. But things picked up! Shifting the action to Lisbon was a fun development and most of the plot lines are wrapped up satisfactorily for a series conclusion. I will miss Ellie and the full cast of characters that have been so well written over this series!

The final book in a series usually has a lot of build up and anticipation as it not only has to tie up all loose ends, both practical and personal, and end the story arcs in a realistic but satisfying way, but it also has to be a good enough read to live up to all the previous books in the series. The fifth McDonnell book lives up to the challenge. The new setting of Lisbon makes for a change and helps us see a new side of the protagonist.

I won't go into detail to avoid spoilers, but the resolution to many of the problems and conflicts along the way was well done and tied everything up neatly before the series ended (but not so neatly as to be overly predictable and not worth reading, luckily).

I would definitely recommend reading this series in order as the relationships and some of the conflicts are established book by book so you would miss out on a lot of background knowledge otherwise.