The One You Can't Forget (Ones Who Got Away, #2)

by Roni Loren

[Sam@WLABB]

I have read other Roni Loren books, but I must say, she has won my heart with this series. I am in love with this premise. The focus on these four survivors and how each were impacted by the shooting was enough to earn my attention, but then she gave them each a complicated, but beautiful romance, which just sweetened the pot.

Rebecca was a high-powered, driven divorce attorney. She poured herself into her work as a form of escape, from her past and the guilt she carried because of it. When a Good Samaritan came to her rescue, it brought her face-to-face with someone she had destroyed in divorce court. She tried to fight the attraction, but gave in after learning she didn't really have all the facts about this man and his tumultuous marriage.

I am a fan of enemies-to-lovers romances, but this was so much more complicated than that. Rebecca sort of got past what she thought was true about Wes quickly, but then she was left with her guilt of hiding her past. It was a wall, which kept her from moving forward. Her emotions and pain were written so well. I ached for her, but at the same time, I wanted her snap out of it! In my heart, I knew Wes was exactly who she needed in order to find some peace and move forward with her life. I will say, she made some BOLD choices at one point, which might have made me fist-pump or let out a "get it girl", and left me all sorts of happy.

Wes❤️! That man earned a spot on my favorite heroes list. He was far from perfect. In fact, there were some things from his past that made me wince. But you know what? He picked himself up, dusted himself off, and made plans to rebuild his life. He may not have been overjoyed about his circumstances, but he was making the best of them, and he wasn't going to let past failures keep him from achieving his dreams. I found him all sorts of wonderful, and his hope was contagious. He was also super sexy and swoony and sweet with a HUGE heart, which are all good things.

Loren wove in some interesting storylines as well, that were quite lovely. I adored visiting Wes' job and working with his kids. I thought Knight was topnotch, and I have a special place in my heart for shelter pets. So, all sort of heart tugging going on there. But, what I loved about the inclusion of these things was how they were about second chances. This whole book is chockfull of second chances, and I have an affinity for those stories, because they leave me hopeful. I like to think we can make mistakes, pay for our mistakes, and then be able to find our happy. This book had a lot of that going on, so I was miles of smiles.

The epilogue was good and steamy, as this couple had fantastic chemistry, but what cracked my face in half was a little reveal that slipped out. I loved it, and it was perfect for these two.

Overall: A fantastic addition to a series I am adoring. It was fun, emotional, sexy, sweet, and filled with heartwarming, heartbreaking, and heart-racing moments.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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