Roni Loren

"This book will stick with you long after the last page is turned and it gets my highest recommendation!" --LORELEI JAMES, New York Times bestselling author 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. The Ones Who Got Away Series: The Ones Who Got Away (Book 1) The One You Can't Forget (Book 2) The One You Fight For (Book 3) Readers are Raving About about The Ones Who Got Away: "Richly layered and full of emotion... Unforgettable."--KRISTEN CALLIHAN, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author "Unique, swoony, and lively."--SARINA BOWEN, USA Today bestselling author "EXACTLY what I love in romance; angsty, hot, conflicted, funny! Don't let this book get away!"--M. O'KEEFE, USA Today bestselling author

The One You Can't Forget

"Absolutely unputdownable, delivers all of the feels! Roni Loren is a new favorite. Loved this."—COLLEEN HOOVER, #1 New York Times bestseller 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. The Ones Who Got Away Series: The Ones Who Got Away (Book 1) The One You Can't Forget (Book 2) The One You Fight For (Book 3) Readers are Raving About about The Ones Who Got Away: "Phenomenal. Gets my highest recommendation!"—LORELEI JAMES, New York Times bestselling author "Richly layered and full of emotion... Unforgettable."—KRISTEN CALLIHAN, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author "Unique, swoony, and lively."—SARINA BOWEN, USA Today bestselling author

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To RomanceI received this book for free from Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The One You Can't Forget is the second book in this latest series by Roni Loren and I didn't know what to expect, but from the ending of The One Who got Away, I just knew that I wanted Rebecca's story so badly. And I can't believe I am going to say this but The One You Can't Forget is SO much better than the first book. Not that I didn't get a fun time with The One Who Got Away, however this book was so much more engaging for me and the pace was way more steady. I read this all in one sitting, and I just didn't want to put it down. There was something about this story that resonated a bit more with me.
Making her laugh was like some weird sort of  drug in his starved system.
Our story begins with our heroine, Rebecca, who is a divorce lawyer who works for her father's firm. Ever since high school and that fateful day where her life was in shambles from the shooting, she lost a big part of herself, including her belief in love and marriage. Rebecca once wanted it all including the boy she loved, marriage, kids and the white picket fence...but the boy she loved was in love with someone else. But now Rebecca has become stronger and more confident. She became a lawyer, and in the beginning scene we see how badass she is when it comes to her career.

Our hero enters the story, Wes Garrett, who is a chef but then he lost his dream resturaunt when he went through a rough divorce and he pretty much lost everything he had. And now he is starting over, teaching kids how to cook and wanting to start again with a food truck business to start and the ocassional stripping session of cooking lessons for bachelorette parties.

On Rebecca's way home from work, she is mugged and she has flashbacks to the high school shooting and she freezes up, but then a dog comes out of nowhere and attacks her attackers who shoot the dog and Rebecca is heartbroken when the dog saved her life and then Wes arrives on the scene and helps her get some medical help for the dog that helped her and including medical attention she may need. When Wes volunteers to take her home to make sure its safe from those that robbed her, she is reluctant but agrees since she has no money on her for a cab or her house key. Even though there is apowerful chemistry between Wes and Rebecca, Rebecca wants to act on what she is feeling for this man but she recognizes him as one of the ex's of her past client and she is part of the reason he lost everyhing. And she knows that he will never forgive or forget what she did to him.
She also grabbed a large, steel pepper mill in her hand.

He smirked "Is this where you bash me to the head and drag me to the basement?"

Her smile was brief, but her eyes sparked with humor. "Yeah. You scared?"

"I could think of worse fates than being held captive by a pretty redhead. "
But when she learns what Wes is doing for his kids that he is teaching, teenagers that are struggling, she wants to help him out and these kids that need a helping hand. And at the same time she wants something more with Wes, and once the truth comes out between them, Wes may be angry at first, but he understands that Rebecca was just doing her job which she apparently is great at. And even though he doesn't want to do the casual fling with her, he also doesn't want to give up on what could be the start to a great relationship. He knows of Rebecca's past and that she needs it very slow, but soon Rebecca will have to face up to her past and also the love she is feeling for Wes and decide if she is willing to fight for him as he does for her....
I know...I just hate acting like some damsel in distress. I'm usually more together than this and--"

"Hey, stop, all right? You damsel however you damn well please. No one's grading you on How To React after Being Robbed. You have had a hell of a night. You didn't expect to be attacked. You didn't expect to be saving a dog. And I'm sure you didn't expect to have some strange dud traisping through your bedroom at midnight. "
The One You Can't Forget was such a fantastic installment and I am so glad that I was able to pick this one up. I honestly didn't know what to expect from this one, because we suspect that Rebecca is hiding a painful secret about the shooting, which we are teased about in the first book. And yeah once you learn what this secret it, you heart just breaks for Rebecca because you can see how much she has tormented herself over the years. But being with Wes, and falling in love with him, she begins to change in certain ways, especially in her belief that some relationships can make it. It is really rough at times in their relationship as Rebecca comes to this conclusion, but Wes is just wonderful, he never gives up on Rebecca and always has faith in her.
Use your life for something good. You can have another chance. Have this be a beginning instead of an ending.
We also have a twist with one of the kids and finding out who the muggers are and Rebecca really impressed me here when we find out the identity. She is so gracious and forgiving and you see her change here. Where she decides that even though she is great at being a divorce lawyer, she wants to do more to help kids out and seeing her come to this realization is pretty epic!! I just loved seeing her growth in this book and seeing her overcome the ghosts of her past and fight for what she wants in her present and her future.
You are...a spectacular, loving, beautiful, human being. Hell, you made a guy who'd sworn off relationships forever fall head over heels for you. If that isn't working miracles, I don't know what is. You see, Bec, you've got it all wrong. You didn't pretend to be someone else around me. You gave me the best gift. You let yourself be who you really are with me. I got to meet that girl, and I'm so damn lucky for it.
Their sexy times are pretty fantastic and Roni Loren is such a talented author when it comes to the sex scenes. I just loved into these moments I was able to become immersed in. They are very sexy and hot at times, but at the same time you easily get lost in these moments and man....the way that this hero is so focused on the heroine and her pleasure being first is my favorite thing to see and Wes is so devoted to Rebecca...especially in the bedroom.

There is such a strong focus on the development of the romance here and Roni Loren does a real great job of balancing all the great elements out just right. Seeing the depth of emotion that comes bursting out of this book is breathtaking at times and pulls the reader instantly in. I can guarantee you will fall in love with Wes and Rebecca as much as I did. These two are fantastic together and I am sad that the book is over....I will definitely be doing a re read in the future. :)







 



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Lauren Sullivan

Trigger warnings: school shooting survivor, ex-alcoholic, panic attacks, animal injury, mugging (with gun), discussion of suicide attempts, child abuse 

There are a few authors who have the amazing ability to rip my heart out and make me love them for it, and Roni Loren is one of them. This is the second book in her The Ones Who Got Away series. I think this could easily be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading the first book anyway!

“That’s actually one of the things I like best about you. You’re all about the action, lawyer girl.” He waggled his eyebrows, trying to lighten the mood. “It’s come in handy so far. Random kissing the first night I met you. Basically seducing me yesterday after we decided to take things slow. Your lack of patience is paying off in great dividends for me.”

Rebecca and Wes meet when she’s mugged at gunpoint by two teens on the way home from work. Rebecca’s attackers are scared away by a stray dog, and Wes comes along in the aftermath and takes the dog – who’s been shot – to his brother, a vet. Rebecca is a survivor of a school shooting, a divorce lawyer in her father’s firm, and on track to make partner when her dad retires to go into politics. Partly because of the shooting, part of his campaign platform is tougher sentencing for juvie offenders – his reasoning being that if the justice system had been harder on the school shooters, they would never have gotten the chance to shoot up prom. Her dad loves her in his own way – and is proud of what she overcame – but he’s also willing to use her. He doesn’t seem to care that she doesn’t want to give talks about her experience as a survivor, that she’d rather talk about her work as a lawyer or pretty much anything else. Wes is, in his own words, “a recovering alcoholic who let his dream slip through his fingers.” He’s a recovering alcoholic and lost his restaurant before it even opened in a divorce mess. The best part? His ex-wife’s lawyer was Rebecca. His current job is teaching cooking at an after school program for troubled teens, and though he dreams of opening his own restaurant, he worries that being back in that environment could cause him to backslide. They don’t seem to have anything in common, but something draws them to the other person. Can a relationship between two such different people work?

“He didn’t blame her for not wanting to talk about it. They’d only agreed to have a good time together, to be casual friends. He wasn’t her boyfriend or confidant. He was a distraction, as she’d said.
So if she wanted a distraction, he would happily distract the hell out of her.”

What I love most about Ms. Loren’s book is how well she deals with trauma. In this book, to the outside world, Rebecca has it all – great job, “supportive” father, she’s a successful survivor. But inside, she’s being swallowed up by a secret she’s kept since the shooting, and after the mugging, it starts to pop out in flashbacks. She masterfully weaves together all the different plotlines – the school shooting, Wes’s childhood, his alcoholism, the kids he’s teaching, the mugging – to arrive at the final big reveal. Neither character has been in a relationship for a while – if at all! While they both feel a draw to the other, Rebecca wants to keep this “thing” with Wes superficial, and she especially doesn’t want to talk about her flashbacks. She views Wes as a distraction from her real life, from running her dad’s charity work, speaking at his fundraisers, and taking care of her own clients. Wes’s family, on the other hand, worries that Wes is getting too focused on Rebecca, that he’s repeating the same obsessive behaviors from before. In some ways, Rebecca worries that she’ll never be worthy of love, and once Wes realizes that, they’re finally both able to confront their demons and move on. I loved how much Rebecca and Wes believed in each other and how incredibly supportive they were.

“You see, Bec, you’ve got it all wrong. You didn’t pretend to be someone else around me. You gave me the best gift. You let yourself be who you really are with me. Underneath all this hurt and trauma, all the pressure and expectations, this is you. I got to meet that girl, and I’m so damn lucky for it.”

Overall, I absolutely adored this book and couldn’t put it down, even when it was ripping my heart out. I can’t wait for the next in the series!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Becky

I was hesitant about this book. I wasn't Rebecca's biggest fan (and no, it wasn't because she'd stolen my name) but she hadn't made the best impression in the first book. I saw positive reviews rolling in though so I was glad to have pre-ordered because it did seem folks agreed it was a good book.

They were right.

The romance was sweet. Sure they started with conflict but as time progresses and they grew closer there was a cuteness to the romance because this pair were friends. They had a deeper connection and so the progression to a more physical relationship wasnt surprising. I was frustrated by the pair of them denying what they had for a while but both hd vaguely valid reasons.

It was a such an enjoyable read with a good level of swoony romance. Also if you like men that can cook and food in general you should totally check this out you will not be disappointed.

b.andherbooks

High-powered divorce attorney Rebecca Lindt wants to put her past as a survivor of a high school shooting behind her, but her dad's political aspirations, the upcoming release of a documentary she was interviewed for, and the trauma that resurfaces during a mugging attempt makes it hard to do.

Wes Garrett, once an up-and-coming star chef, lost it all during his divorce. Finally sober and with a job teaching cooking to at-risk youth, Wes also wants to leave his past behind.

Wes doesn't believe he's a hero, but he certainly is when he helps a stray dog fend off Rebecca's muggers. Taking the shocked out Rebecca and the shot dog to his veterinary brother, Wes finds he recognizes Rebecca from somewhere but can't place it.

Rebecca instantly recognizes Wes from court. Leery, Rebecca can't reconcile this caring, sexy, helpful guy with the angry, scary one she took to the cleaners in divorce court.

Their attraction continues to grow as they can't help running into each other, but will their pasts and secrets ruin something before it can even begin?

So. Damn. Sexy. Wes is a hot, tattooed dream boat. It was great to see a strong guy who was aware of his mistakes, was learning from them, and willing to talk through everything, including sexy times. Sexy consent at it's very best.

I also loved Rebecca's character. She was sympathetic, and the majority of the drama keeping these two apart was real, un-contrived, and not based on lies. Yes, there were secrets, but the way Loren played them out was masterful.

Don't even get me started on the doggy. So great, I only wish we had a little more of him as he does drop off the page for awhile while recovering from his wound. The dog lives everyone!

Also, food truck sexy times! May be my favorite modern take on "sexy carriage rides."

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the ARC!

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


As soon as I finished The Ones Who Got Away, I began the countdown for The One You Can't Forget. I was fortunate to get an eARC and I dove in pretty much the second I got my hands on it. I was so curious about Rebecca's story from the lead up in the first book. Plus, I really just wanted more of this series in general. It's such an interesting concept and one that's quite relatable and timely. I fell totally in love with Rebecca and Wes and their story. I basically inhaled this book, not allowing anything to distract me once I'd started it. 

Both Rebecca and Wes were great characters. Opposites to the core, you wouldn't necessarily think they would work as a couple, but you would also be wrong. They had intense chemistry from the start, and somehow, the broken pieces they each carried fit together wonderfully. There was so much more to each of these characters than what'd you saw on the outside. I loved getting a deeper look at both of them. Wes gave Rebecca the push she needed to find something she was truly passionate about, and also helped her get over the guilt she still carried as a result of the shooting so she could really start living again. 

My heart ached for both Rebecca and Wes throughout this book. Despite the subject matter, it wasn't overly angsty or heavy. It was basically "just right" if you ask me. There were plenty of smiles and swoons to go with the sexy times and all the feels I felt. I enjoyed getting this piece of the Long Acre bunch story and I can't wait to see what comes next. If it's anything like the first two books, I'm going to continue really enjoying this special series. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Surviving a tragedy didn't make you magical. It made you tough. Not special. Just lucky.

"Goodbye? That... felt like the opposite of a goodbye, Rebecca. That felt like a whole lot of hello."

"There aren't that many things in life that are pure pleasure. Think about it. The list is short—food, sleep, sex. They're meant to be enjoyed. Why ruin it with all that guilt?"

Home had never felt like this. Like the right key sliding into the matching lock. Like forever.

The One You Can't Forget

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