The One For You (The Ones Who Got Away #4) by Roni Loren

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The highly-anticipated fourth book in Roni Loren's unforgettable The Ones Who Got Away series.

She got a second chance at life.
Will she take a second chance at love?

Kincaid Breslin wasn't supposed to survive that fateful night at Long Acre when so many died, including her boyfriend—but survive she did. She doesn't know why she got that chance, but now she takes life by the horns and doesn't let anybody stand in her way

Ashton Isaacs was her best friend when disaster struck all those years ago, but he chose to run as far away as he could. Now fate has brought him back to town, and Ash doesn't know how to cope with his feelings for Kincaid and his grief over their lost friendship. For Ash has been carrying secrets, and he knows that once Kincaid learns the truth, he'll lose any chance he might have had with the only woman he's ever loved.

Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review


It seems almost weird to be such an avid fan of this series that follows the lives of four friends years after they survived a school shooting. Weird because it's a god-awful event that brought these people together, otherwise they might not have ever crossed paths. The friendships that sprouted from that brought hope and love into their lives, and the strongest of bonds that'll stand up to any challenge.

Kincaid and Ashton are both survivors. Best friends in high school with Aston nursing the biggest crush on Kincaid but never coming forward with his feelings. Things changed dramatically after that night and later when Ashton couldn't take it anymore, he moved away. Kincaid always felt that he left her behind so she had to heal and get on with life on her own without her most trusted friend by her side. Now that he's moved back to Long Acre temporarily after a break up and to write his next book, they have to make peace and get along. Ashton still loves her but Kincaid has been in love with a ghost this entire time - her boyfriend who died in the shooting. That's always stood between them. But now that they're older, and Ashton is not as timid about expressing his feelings, he's willing to let it all out there even if he hasn't quite figured out the rest of his plans.

I loved that these two had a friendship before this. They clearly got each other and had fun. Their reunion may be uncomfortable for a bit but at least they're working through it. I like that there is communication between them instead of waiting for a good portion of the book for them to be honest about their feelings. Kincaid, for all her bravado and upbeat personality hides her insecurities well which is obviously harder to do when Ashton knows her best and knows how her family history affects her. And Kincaid knows why, other than the shooting, that it's hard for Ashton to come home. The toughest part of this unexpected reunion is that they finally have to confront certain truths about that dreaded night. They have to separate fact from fiction which is painful but necessary if they are to repair and rebuild their relationship. 

The reason this series is so powerful to me is because it looks at what the survivors go through years after a shooting. The repercussions don't go away with thoughts and prayers. They are intrinsically tied to that event forever and it's hard to carve out an identity away from that, something that Kincaid, Ashton and the town of Long Acre know too well. Long Acre is still perceived as a morbid tourist destination attracting spectators rather than investors, and its town folk have to figure out how to re-brand itself, so to speak.

I knew The One for You was the last book but I was surprised by how I was not ready for it to end. I actually had to read the epilogue twice to accept it. I also had to wipe away a tear after that. Kincaid, Bec, Taryn and Liv thought they were alone after their tragedy but together the found friendship and unending support. The epilogue was so satisfying for me because they each got their happily ever after and that's the most you can wish for someone who's thriving after overcoming the worst. 

~ Bel

The One You Fight For (The Ones Who Got Away #3) by Roni Loren

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How hard would you fight for the one you love? 

Taryn Landry was there that awful night fourteen years ago when Long Acre changed from the name of a town to the title of a national tragedy. Everyone knows she lost her younger sister. No one knows it was her fault. Since then, psychology professor Taryn has dedicated her life's work to preventing something like that from ever happening again. Falling in love was never part of the plan...

Shaw Miller has spent more than a decade dealing with the fallout of his brother's horrific actions. After losing everything―his chance at Olympic gold, his family, almost his sanity―he's changed his name, his look, and he's finally starting a new life. As long as he keeps a low profile and his identity secret, everything will be okay, right?

When the world and everyone you know defines you by one catastrophic tragedy...

How do you find your happy ending?

Source: advance e-galley provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review


The One You Fight For follows yet another survivor of the Long Acre High School shooting. Taryn along with Liv, Finn and Rebecca from the previous books were brought back together by a documentary in which they participated. Since then we've come to know how they've coped since the shooting.

Taryn is definitely interesting because of the unique way she has chosen to move forward with her life. As a professor who has done extensive research into sociopathic behaviour she hopes to put her work to good use. Since her life was spared she wants to make sure that everything she does makes a difference and brings about positive changes. But she's always gingerly towing the line between being the dutiful daughter and letting her creative side break through. 

At the other end there's Shaw who's life was upended by the shooting because of his relation to the killer. Though he didn't pull the trigger he's carried the guilt and shame of what happened. His life fell apart and his future took on a far different trajectory than what he was destined for. He moved away for a while to escape all the unwanted attention and was convinced to come back to Austin to start up a business. 

This isn't necessarily a case of opposites attract but two people at opposite ends of the same tragedy.. Somehow Taryn and Shaw work. Honestly, I'm surprised by Taryn's ability to compartmentalize all these facts and details and look past all the ugliness that surrounds their association to each other to fight for a chance with Shaw. This is why I find her so interesting - she really is one surprise after another. There's so much working against them least of all people's reactions to their friendship. But what might drive them apart is the one thing that they have in common: that they've continued to be defined and imprisoned by this one event. Perhaps their union is the catalyst to help them recover the parts of their identity and lives that went to pieces. 

I couldn't get enough of Taryn and Shaw's chemistry but mostly it was their complicated situation that kept me tuned in. It was enough to make me fidgety. And then there's the tragedy itself that has forever marked these individuals. I'm fascinated by how Loren relays these individuals' experiences reminding us that the effects don't just stop because the horrible thing is over. They last forever, there's no escaping that and each one of these friends has dealt with it in their own manner. 

As with the first two books in this series, The One You Fight For is a highly addictive read. It overwhelms with emotion, squeezes your heart and also offers a glimmer of hope to hold onto.

~ Bel

The One You Can't Forget (The Ones Who Got Away #2) by Roni Loren

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Most days Rebecca Lindt feels like an imposter...

The world admires her as a survivor. But that impression would crumble if people knew her secret. She didn't deserve to be the one who got away. But nothing can change the past, so she's thrown herself into her work. She can't dwell if she never slows down.

Wes Garrett is trying to get back on his feet after losing his dream restaurant, his money, and half his damn mind in a vicious divorce. But when he intervenes in a mugging and saves Rebecca―the attorney who helped his ex ruin him―his simple life gets complicated.

Their attraction is inconvenient and neither wants more than a fling. But when Rebecca's secret is put at risk, both discover they could lose everything, including what they never realized they needed: each other

She laughed and kissed him. This morning she'd melted down. But somehow this man had her laughing and turned on only a few hours later. Everything inside her felt buoyed.

She felt...light. 

She'd forgotten what that felt like.

Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review


I have a special affection for the first book in the series, The Ones Who Got Away. I knew it was something special as soon as I had started it. To read a story about former high school students who survived a horrific shooting, and who are now adults but still deeply affected by their experience put some things into perspective. Mainly that the shock and pain never leave you. 

In The One You Can't Forget, we get to know another survivor, Rebecca who's outward facade is that of kickass divorce attorney who can command a room and get results. She had my attention immediately with how she could read a situation and anticipate the next move. But that's what she shows the outside world. On the inside, she's still traumatized and it all comes back to her when she's the victim of a mugging. Luckily, Wes is in the neighbourhood and scares off the aggressors. He sticks around to make sure she's okay and it's during this moment of all moments that she realizes where she knows him from: she might have had something to do with his career hopes and dreams being ruined. She dreads that he'll figure it out any minute now. 

Loren threw in a nice little surprise with that little bit of info. When Wes finally recognizes Rebecca it's as awkward and awful as one would expect. Wes is a good guy and is trying to make the best of a crap situation. So what if the restaurant of his dreams was from taken away from him. He's still going to make something happen even if he has to scrape by, and scrimp and save to get there. Being attracted to her and knowing that Rebecca had a hand in the state of his fortune (or lack thereof) is inconvenient and all but he still can't help how he feels. They both have their horrible pasts to overcome and maybe they can do that together. 

I'm a big fan of this series. Seeing these characters living with PTSD is a reminder that there is no "normal" anymore. Each day is a mental battle to make it through. And then there's Wes who has his own battles but has remained optimistic and more importantly, kindhearted despite being handed lemons. I liked Rebecca and Wes because they're both attempting to live their lives in spite of the cruelty they've faced, and they keep their hearts open. They might have met under awful circumstances but sometimes the right people come into your life at just the right time. 

~ Bel

The Ones Who Got Away Promotional Tour

“Phenomenal. Gets my highest recommendation!”

—LORELEI JAMES, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

It's been twelve years since tragedy struck the senior class of Long Acre High School. Only a few students survived that fateful night—a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away.

Liv Arias thought she'd never return to Long Acre—until a documentary brings her and the other survivors back home. Suddenly her old flame, Finn Dorsey, is closer than ever, and their attraction is still white-hot. When a searing kiss reignites their passion, Liv realizes this rough-around-the-edges cop might be exactly what she needs…

Liv's words cut off as Finn got closer. The man approaching was nothing like the boy she'd known. The bulky football muscles had streamlined into a harder, leaner package and the look in his deep green eyes held no trace of boyish innocence.

Review

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(Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review)

Returning to Long Acre High School, the site of a shooting years before, to be interviewed for a documentary unsettles Liv. As a survivor, she still carries the emotional scars from that horrific day. While she has moved on in certain aspects, there's also a part of her that is stuck. Finn is also struggling. His guilt over how he treated Liv in high school (keeping their relationship a secret) and how he left her vulnerable during the shooting has always made him feel unworthy of the hero status he attained after the shooting. He's since tried to make things right in his own way through his undercover work for the FBI. The work has been gratifying though it's taken its toll on his mental health. The time away to come do this interview is supposed to be a break from that world before he has to go back in. This reunion between them and their friends stirs up all the questions and hurt. It's a chance to say sorry and maybe rebuild from the ruins. What has caught Liv off guard is seeing how much of her life has remained stagnant when compared to the goals she had laid out for herself back in high school. Now after seeing Finn again, she feels inspired to rectify that and also help him take the time to disengage from his job, unwind and achieve some balance. Perhaps in helping each other, they can not only rekindle what they had but start a new, happier chapter in their lives.

The Ones That Got Away deals with loss, guilt, grief and ultimately forgiveness. Everyone manages differently after a traumatic event; no one can predict how it can affect a person and for how long. In Liv's case, she thought she was doing well throwing herself into her career until she forced herself to look more closely and she saw a pattern that only feeds her insecurities and fears. As for Finn, he's forced to look at what drives his need to live up to the hero everyone believes him to be. This is also a second chance story not just about love but also about life, re-prioritizing values and goals. And it's also about making sure the right people are there surrounding you and encouraging you as the healing continues. 

~ Bel

Excerpt

The boards of the restaurant’s back deck creaked somewhere behind Liv. She didn’t need to turn and look to know it was him. Her senses seemed attuned to his presence. She kept her eyes on the water, letting her greeting drift between them. “Hello, Finn.”

“Liv.”

The quiet tenor of his voice hit her harder than she’d expected, the volume too close to how it used to sound against her ear in those stolen make-out sessions. Funny how even after all the years and the men who’d cruised through her life since, that voice still sounded so bone-deep familiar. She didn’t turn to face him, not trusting her expression to stay neutral. “I guess it turns out I have time for that drink after all.” She lifted her glass. “But I’ll warn you, I’m a few drinks in and all out of energy for polite chitchat.”

“Good. I don’t chitchat.”

He stepped a little closer, his scent drifting her way—some combination of cedar and mint. Like a man who chewed gum while chopping wood. The thought made her want to giggle.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Liv scrunched her nose. “You mean, am I drunk?”

She wasn’t sure what the answer was on that one. Probably a little. She doubted she could be this close to him without anxiety bubbling up otherwise.

“No. You ran out of the gym today. I mean, are you okay?”

Okay.

Was she? She hated that question. That was the question she’d probably heard most since that night—and then again when her mom passed from cancer two months later. That was what everyone always wanted to know. Are you okay?

But people asked, wanting her to say, Yes, I’m fine. I’m going to pull up my bootstraps and not make you uncomfortable with my messy feelings. No one wanted the real answer. But she got the sense Finn did. After all, he’d probably gotten asked that question just as much as she had. She released a breath. “Today sucked.”

“Yeah.”

She took a sip of her drink, the sweet liquid cool on her dry throat. “Being in the school got to me, but I’m okay now. Just a little panic attack—shitty but brief. Drinks and friends helped distract me.”

She could hear him shift behind her, skin against fabric, maybe tucking his hands in his pockets or crossing his arms. “Distraction’s good.”

She finally stole a glance at him, but he was shrouded in shadows, just a broad-shouldered silhouette. “You could’ve joined us. You didn’t have to eat alone.”

“Y’all looked involved in something,” he said, the gruff drawl in his voice making her think of steamy-windowed moments in the back of his car. She used to tease him that the more turned on he got, the more his country-boy accent showed. “You were reading papers. Seemed kind of intense.”

“Oh, that.” She turned back to the water, her shoulders curving inward and the sexy memories icing over. “We were opening this time capsule thing we did a long time ago. It’s probably good you didn’t come over and hear that part.”

“Time capsule?”

She picked at a splinter in the wood railing. “Just something we did that summer after everything happened—promises we made to the Class of 2005 about our futures. Kincaid decided we should open the letters inside tonight to see what our teenage selves hoped we’d become. I decided we should get drunk after.”

He made a throaty sound—like a laugh that didn’t quite make it out—and moved closer. He settled next to her along the wooden rail, his gaze fixed on the dark water. “Sounds like a solid plan to me.”

“I thought so.” She rattled the ice cubes in her glass and dared a peek at him. But all she got was his familiar profile, the slight bump in his nose from when he’d broken it sophomore year, and the unfamiliar scruff as he took a sip from his drink. It was hard for her not to stare and catalog all the little differences, all the changes time and experience had given him. The harder angles. The dark mess of hair that looked at least two haircuts past neat. Expression that didn’t reveal a thing. He was still Finn somewhere in there, but gone was the boy with the wide smile and the playful attitude. There was a sharpness to him now, jagged edges. Like if she met him in a dark alley, she’d have trouble determining if he was friend or foe.

He lifted his drink in agreement and turned, his green eyes gray in the darkness. “That was my plan, too. Minus the time-capsule part.”

“Ha. Lucky you.” She shifted her stance and accidentally bumped her shoulder against his, sending a tendril of awareness down her arm. She wet her lips, ignoring the shiver. “Now you’ll never know if you lived up to teen Finn’s expectations.”

He was quiet for a moment, and she wondered if he was having the same push and pull inside as she was. On one hand, this felt comfortable. They’d always talked easily with each other. But at the same time, they were strangers now. Strangers who had this big, breathing beast between them.

He took a long swig from his drink. “Teen Finn didn’t have expectations. He just wanted to play football, not work for his dad, and get the hell away from here.”

“Guess you lived up to that last part at least. I was convinced you’d changed your name and moved to a foreign country.”

His jaw flexed. “Something like that.”

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