Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading
The One That Got Away by Karina Halle was an impulse read. I never read the author before, but the story of a romance between a soccer (football) player and a sports journalist held a certain appeal that had me picking this one up. Yeah! I am a sucker for sports romance. In The One That Got Away Karina Halle delivered gripping angsty and emotional romance.
True love stands the test of time, and The One That Got Away epitomized this statement perfectly. This is one of those stories where one needs to be in the right frame of mind for. Ruby and Luciano, the couple featured here, encountered many obstacles, some which manifested by their own hands, to attain their happily ever after. It took them eleven years to be together.
It took me sometime to warm-up to Ruby. Her questionable actions throughout the story can be offputting, but as Halle peeled away her layers piece by piece, the reader gained insight into her psyche. A free spirt who spent most of the story running away from her past, hoping to find herself. Only to realise that what she was seeking laid in the very past she tried to escape.
Luciano played for Sporting, one of the top football teams in Lisbon. He dreams of playing for Real Madrid one day. Soccer is his life, and it serves as his escape from the past of his traumatic childhood. A childhood with a father who abandoned him, an abusive stepfather and a mother who ignored him. Poor guy could not catch a break. Even as an adult, his stepfather found a myriad of ways to make his life miserable.
Luciano and Ruby’s romance developed with many complexities. Based on the events, this could be see has a love triangle, because of Ruby’s back and forth between Luciano and his step-brother Marco. However, it went much deeper than that. From the start, Ruby and Luciano shared an intense connection, but as stated earlier, Ruby made questionable choices. The manner in which the Halle wove the threads of this romantic entanglement made it easy to accept.
The One That Got Away is a story of healing, loss, passion, second chances, and a love that survived it all. An emotional story with a delightful and heartwarming conclusion.
The narration was done by the duo of Samantha Cook and Jeremy York. They complimented each other. I’ve listened to Samantha previously and liked her delivery. She delivered as expected. Jeremy York is new to me. I enjoyed his narration, especially his voice for Luciano.
This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading