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Review

4 stars!

This book is the second in the The Ones Who Got Away series, following on from book #1, which completely blew me away. This series of interconnected standalones tells the stories of four friends who survived a high school shooting on their prom night. Though not necessarily friends in high school, they are drawn together in adulthood as they battle to overcome the horror of their pasts and find their HEA.

This is the story of Rebecca Lindt (she was the one who spent her high school years drooling over Finn (hero of book #1)). She is now a successful divorce attorney who has spent her life focussing on her career and is now gunning to become partner. Her struggle with her past weighs especially heavy on her as she feels somewhat responsible for what her two classmates did that day, and she not only lives with the devastation and grief, but also the guilt that she could have prevented it.

Wes Garrett is a chef who dreamed of opening his own restaurant, but his dreams all fell apart when his ex-wife cleaned him out of everything during their divorce and, bankrupt and with a drinking problem, he hit rock bottom. His life is on the right track now, and he is teaching cooking to teens at an after-school program and loving it, though he is still struggling to get back to where he once was.

Wes and Rebecca meet when he comes to her aid during a mugging one night. He is kind, protective and caring, and there’s a spark of attraction there. But here’s the kicker – Rebecca was his ex-wife’s attorney during his divorce and is indirectly responsible for him losing everything. Rebecca recognises Wes, he initially doesn’t. And when he does… ouch!

It’s a fantastic setup, and with both characters dealing with emotional and life issues, it’s all kinds of intense. But the connection they shared cannot be ignored, and they become friends which slowly, naturally and beautifully becomes more.

“Did you just flirt with me in a room full of children?”
She crossed her arms and gave him her best haughty lawyer look. “Of course not. This is a request for a friendly meal.”
He laughed, a deep melodic sound. “I like it.” He moved his hand around indicating her general person. “I like this whole version of Rebecca who doesn’t hate me.”

It’s sweet and fun with great flirting and banter, and the slow burn is awesome as they work up the courage to act on all of their chemistry! I loved the honesty between them, and loved both West and Rebecca (but mostly Wes) and it’s incredibly heartfelt as they open up to each other and help each other deal with everything they have going on.

“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.”

It’s a gorgeous read, and I loved seeing Rebecca and Wes find their way to their happy ending. There are a number of smaller, dramatic plotlines woven throughout which I really enjoyed. They work well with the main love story and creates a bit of intensity as Wes and Rebecca – both individually and together – figure out what is important and then find the strength to fight for it. It’s all really well written and I felt all they were going through as it all played out.

I loved this one! Another great read from Ms Loren, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

4 stars.

 

The Ones Who Got Away