The Ones Who Got Away is the newest and most stunning release that Roni Loren has written, a book of raw emotion, sensuality and a tale about fighting for yourself and for love that is right in front of you!!
What a story that this turned out to be!! I really had such a wonderful time reading this book. Now there were moments that I felt “slowed” down a bit, and is probably the reason why I took 3 days to read it!! Yeah, I think its mostly due to exhaustion and no energy, not the actual book itself or it might have been a five star read but my attention was just not very focused this week, oh well…It was still EPIC and I grew to fall in love with so many aspects of this darling story. But my favorite thing about the story was our main key players!!
- Finn Dorsey was the high school quarterback, came from a privileged family, but turned out to work for the FBI. A hero packed with vulnerabilities and struggles of his own.
- Liv Arias, daughter of a landscaper, had a goth phase in high school and not the most popular, but is talented and smart and a workaholic. She has her own fears of the past that still haunt her.
What a book this turned out to be, and every other reader is right that this book just pulls you in right away. Our emotional love tale begins with our heroine. She has returned to the town where the “event” happened. There is a pretty vital documentary being filmed and she is called in to be interviewed. She has to recall the painful part of her past, a past that still gives her horrible nightmares. We see how the “shooting” at their high school by a fellow student, marked these young people in different ways and we get to see how it effects them differently. Finn and Liv were once together in high school, but their relationship was a secret because of Finn’s parent’s disapproval of their relationship.
But one night, at a school dance, while Finn and Liv were making out in the closet, shooting started to happen and Finn runs back to his date and takes a bullet for her, but Liv was left alone and was left at the mercy of the shooter…alone. This event has haunted both Liv and Finn in different ways. Finn was tormented by the sound of gun shots but wanted to overcome his fear. He eventually was able to work for the FBI and has recently been undercover for two long years. But Finn is till tormented and we see how it effects him.
Those sick assholes stole not just my friends’ lives but the could be’s from us. We never got to find out who we would’ve been otherwise. Before we were aftermath.
This story is where we see Finn and Liv start to reconnect, to realize what they had in High School was very real, and as they start to help each other heal, they also act on their physical attraction for each other. I found the set up very interesting. I liked how in different ways they fight for each other on an emotional level and that is so beautiful to see. Both Finn and Liv left things unsaid in their past and now we see that they start to realize how right they really were for each other, but the shooting changed everything for them. What I truly enjoyed seeing was the strong emotional bond that these two form. Of course, the sexy times were sensual and hot and will get you bothered just a bit. However, what really pulls you into the story and keeps you in tune with this pair will be the emotional intimacy that forms between them.
I’m never going to be that guy who left you vulnerable again. I can’t offer much these days, but I can promise you that. I’ve got your back, Livvy
At first, its more of a “fling” type of relationship, but they both realize how much they love each other. However, Finn is about to go on an assignment at the end of the summer and it’s his dream assignment, of making sure those that supplied the weapons in the shooting are brought down. So there is a difficult dilemma that erupts between them. Because Finn will be going undercover soon and it could be a “long” time, even years. Liv has to do some pondering because she will need to make a decision if what they have together is strong enough and worth enough to wait for their “chance” and if they will fight to be together.
There were so many feels in this book, that I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry in this one. And this is where you see the true talent that Roni Loren has. Because when an author can evoke such reactions in a story, truly shows her capabilities in penning a beautifully written love story and this tale was one of the most riveting I have read in a long while!!
As a side note, a true plus to the story was the friendship between four women. I LOVE the fun times and how supportive they are of each other. They have all lost people close to them in the shootings, and it has created such a close-knit bond between them. The ways that they individually have struggled but come together during this rough time for all of them is simply fantastic and I can’t wait for Rebecca’s book because we see certain characteristics to her personality and history, that I was like “WHAT??!” I need her book and NOW. I just know there-there is something major that wasn’t revealed and I want to know. So I can’t wait for June to roll around so I can grab this one up!! So stay tuned for what I imagine will be a fantastic addition to a whirlwind of series.
A truly epically emotional story that keeps you tuned in and magically addicted to the very end!! A TRUE GEM!!
Broken glass still made art.
Sometimes the most beautiful kind.
About Roni Loren
Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. She holds a master’s degree in social work and spent years as a mental health counselor, but now she writes full time from her cozy office in Dallas, Texas where she puts her characters on the therapy couch instead. She is a two-time RITA Award winner and a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.
