Total page turner! I seriously could not put this down. It had the perfect amount of suspense and romance. Looking forward to the next one.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

Relevant, passionate, healing-filled Reunion Romance by one of the most intuitive writers out there for deep human motivation and emotion had me in high anticipation for the beginning of a new series by a favorite author.
Review

The Ones Who Got Away took me to a contemporary world that most of us are fortunate we will never have to experience- the survivor of a mass shooting. Exploring the aftermath and pairing it with a nearly desperate, cathartic romance that was always meant to be sent me to so many places inside my mind and heart. In few other author’s hands would I trust them to tell a story like this and get it right. I do not say that to be dramatic, but because its true. I wasn’t even nervous that Roni Loren would fail to show a group of high school shooting survivors a decade later, capturing their past thoughts and actions as teens, then young adults, and now the adult versions. Oh yes, at the heart, we have a salacious and passionate reunion romance between the jock and the artsy girl from the other side of the tracks, but this is twisted up in PTSD symptoms, people just getting by, and oh, the honesty and lust for life that happens when they trigger something in each other because they do know that life is an iffy thing.

That said, Finn and Livvy are gun shy about relationships. For Finn, as an undercover FBI agent, he knows he only has just the summer before he gets sent deep undercover again and he is filled with darkness and barely holds onto his true self by a thread . And for Livvy, she can only make things work if she stays detached. People she loves leave and die like her mom and Finn and all the kids gunned down and she doesn’t believe her splintered, damaged, nightmare-ridden self can connect with anyone. I wanted them to heal and heal together so badly.

The pair of them were combustible together. They were secretly dating in high school because Finn’s family and even Livvy’s would have fought them on it, but now as adults, they are like gasoline and a match. Up they go as soon as they get near each other. Honest, sexy, dirty talking and hot sweaty sexy times ensue. Livvy is a firecracker and drives Finn wild and back into a lighter, happier place and Finn is a smoldering hottie that pushes her through her ice walls and makes her release her artistic, passionate, devil may care self. They are good together and I was left with no doubts. Even when they were on the outs, they were mature, honest, caring, and oh so in love.

Beyond these two, I liked the other layers to this story and setting the stage for the other series stories to come. Livvy and the other survivor girlfriends she has that all do a time capsule letter and realize that none are living up to their teen self dreams, but also realize that they have each other.. Finn and Becca dealing with their friendship, her teen crush, and their shared past. And the need to find closure with Finn’s family.

I know that I have totally gushed and rambled through this review, but I’m still on a reader high and wanted to convey the fabulousness that I was feeling so others would catch the bug and go grab this one.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebooks for providing me a free copy of #theoneswhogotaway by #roniloren for my honest review.

Tragedy struck the Long Acre High School and only a few students survived that horrific night. Liv and Finn reunite 12 years later when they both chose to participate in a documentary that brings those who lived back home. This is a second game romance about heart break and loss.

The description of the book sounds so promising and I expected to feel a lot of angst. The beginning hooked me in but all honestly this book just didn’t do it for me. Yes, it was cute but I wasn’t invested in the characters and for me the book just didn’t deliver the 5 star rating that I’ve seen on ig and goodreads. It was good enough where I’ll catch the next book in the series.

Rating:📚📚1/2 /4 #foodie #the_reading_foodie #laeats #fatty #yummy #reader #read #book #books #pho #springrolls #losangeles #alwayseating #bookish #alwaysreading #bibliophile #bookworm #bookslut #bookstagram #booknerd #foodstagram #bookgeek #bookporn #foodporn #arc #soup #readersofinstagram

I love a second chance romance. I don’t know what it is but I just adore them. The Ones That Got Away is unlike any second chance romance that I’ve read.

Olivia Arias and Finn Dorsey survived the worst tragedy of their lives, 12 years later they are reunited, however, the events of that day still have a profound effect on their lives. The event of that fateful day is brought back to the forefront of their minds and they have to deal with the loss, grief, anger, and regrets. In one summer Olivia and Finn are there to help each other move forward but also learn how to forgive and be able to maybe reconnect on a whole other level.

Despite what happened to Olivia and Finn on that fateful day, the chemistry between them did not diminish. Even while reading you can feel the lust permeating off that page, wondering if they will rekindle their relationship or if all the trauma they both been through is beyond repairing what they once had. I was rooting for them and you will too. You will laugh, you will cry and you will have, at times an unbearable ache and a quiet understanding for anyone who have been there something so traumatic. The Ones That Got Away is a book that you will not soon forget and the story was just what I needed to get out of my book funk.

This was an enjoyable contemporary romance book. Finn and Liv are survivors of a school tragedy and years later they are brought together again and must decide what is important to them. I really liked the characters of Finn and Liv. Both are easy to like and I enjoyed following their story. The banter and chemistry between them was well written and believable. I liked how for the most part they were real with each other and real about their feelings for each other despite the circumstances. This was a nice change of pace from a lot of the fantasy I have been reading. Overall, I would recommend this to fans of other contemporary romance books and I will likely check out the second book. I recieved an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley as well as a copy from Bookish Firsts.

I reviewed this for the January edition of RT Book Reviews

The moment I read the blurb of this book, I knew I wanted to read it. Normally I’m not one to chase too heavy themes in my reads, but for some reason this plot spoke to me. A tragedy that is a high school shooting and the survivors coming together years later for a documentary on the incident. I wasn’t going to pass this up.

Since this was essentially a romance, I was ready not to expect too much tragic incident related narration, but after finishing the book I can say that I could’ve been okay with a little bit more about that detail. After all, this was a defining moment in the lives of the characters. And the shooting itself seemed to me like it could’ve used some dissection. From the few memories the hero and the heroine share with us, I got very curious, but in the end found the past still lingering in my mind with more questions.

While the tragic theme stuck with me, the romance was still there to remind me that this book was about Liv and Finn. I found their romance, or their second chance romance to be more specific, nicely paced, what with their emotional baggage adding weight to their story. They were both characters I could relate to, and for people who’ve been emotionally damaged, they didn’t waste time with unnecessary drama.

I liked this book and its characters, and cared about what happens to the rest of the survivors. I think there’s especially one very heartbreaking and compelling story about one among the group and I can’t wait to read it.

Wow! This was my first Roni Loren book. I don't always read blurbs, but I'm a sucker for a second chance romance where the main characters have a complicated history, so I went for it. Wow! Such an amazing story! Two people, Olivia and Finn, who went through a tragedy in high school and meet many years later, each still working through the repercussions of the event. There was the typical will-they-won't-they and it's-just-temporary, but they had a fresh spin. Ms. Loren writes a really good sexy scene, and the book really moved along. I also enjoyed getting to know the secondary characters, like Rebecca, Taryn and Kincaid, whose stories are hopefully going to be told in future books.

I loved how Roni Loren showed the aspects of the aftermath of survival. Finn and Live are not living their lives to the fullest. Coming back together helps them all see that. Finn and Liv are truthful, flawed, funny and sexy. I also really liked Liv reconnecting with her other female classmates and committing to support each other to live their best lives. I couldn't get enough of this book! And the cover is perfectly awesome.

Different kind of story about people from a small town who survived a school shooting. Years later she returns and sees the guy who she believes left her when she most needed him. He is tortured and has an almost obsessive loyalty to his country. He puts his own desires second and his service to his country first.

I do think the heroine forgave him a little too fast, but I enjoyed this one.

This was my first book by Roni Loren, and I will definitely read more of them! I loved this book. It was sweet and sexy. It had a little bit of a drama undercurrent to the plot, but it fit into the story nicely. The angst wasn't overdone! You're going to love Finn. He is swoon worthy, and Liv is a strong, lively female that figures out what she wants. I just love a good HEA!

Very enjoyable book, even if it was originally centred around a shooting at a high school 12 years ago. The shooting was only mentioned only in the context of the story and didn't go into every detail, so wasn't quite as harrowing as you might imagine.

There is a documentary now being made about the shooting, with the proceeds going to the families of the victims, so the documentary-makers manage to persuade some of the survivors to talk about their experiences for the documentary. Two of these were Liv and Finn, who were 17 at the time and had been having a secret fling. Of course the shootings changed everything for all the survivors and people that hardly spoke to each other before the shooting became friends afterwards as so many of their classmates hadn't survived.

​At the beginning we got to know a little bit about the four female friends, Liv, Rebecca​, Kincaid and Taryn, who hadn't been in close touch with each other for a long time, along with Finn who tried to keep himself to himself at the beginning. Finn is now an FBI agent who has just finished a 2-year undercover job and is taking a break to decompress. Finn and Liv start getting closer and realise they miss their high-school friendship, so Finn offers Liv the use of an apartment above the pool house on the property he is currently staying at, not far from their original hometown, at the weekends. Liv accepts and they start to get closer, working through issues they had from the shooting and moving forward with their lives.

The four friends had originally written letters, put them in a jar and buried them. They opened them at the beginning of the book and realise that they haven't quite done what they said they wanted to do in their letters. So they all promise to try again to live the lives they had promised each other they would when they were younger, in memory of their fallen classmates who wouldn't be able to live their lives. Life had happened and they had not quite gone down the paths they had wanted their teenage selves to live, Liv in this instance with her photography. I loved the part where Liv told her patronising boss she quit!

I loved the relationship between Finn and Liv, they just clicked again after all those years apart and it was great to see them finally getting together.

When the four friends got together I immediately wanted to know more about all of them and hoped there would be more in this series. Luckily enough I checked and there are! So I can't wait now to read about the other girls stories too. This was a book that I felt may be quite sad, but it was actually a real mixture of every emotion and, whilst sad in parts, it didn't overwhelm the book and the whole story just worked really, really well.

Really good read. Highly recommended.

Poignant, sensual, and truly unforgettable. I'm absolutely blown away by The Ones Who Got Away and can't wait for more in this series!

I've been a huge fan of this author since I first read Crash into You years ago. There's something about her writing that just wraps around you and...sticks. She wrote some of my most favorite sizzling BDSM romance. Yet nothing prepared me for this book. I expected it to be great, it's Roni Loren after all. I simply wasn't expecting it to effect me as much as it did. I give Loren so much respect for daring to take on such a sensitive subject matter and not turning it into fodder, but making it poignant and memorable. It was completely unforgettable.

How do you move on as one of the few survivors of a devastating and deadly school shooting? Twelve years later, Liv Morris is still struggling with the answer. Back in a town she swore she'd never come back to, she finds herself wandering the halls of her old high school. A documentary that will be sharing the proceeds with the families of victims and research to help prevent tragedies like that happening again are cause enough for her to come back. But what she's not prepared for is to run into the love of her past.

Finn Dorsey was the golden boy of the town, a football superstar, son of an influential family, while she was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. They were polar opposites yet something drew them together only to be tragically torn apart due to impossible choices made in a terrible time that they both regret. But Finn isn't the boy he used to be anymore. He's hardened, changed, and full of regret. Olivia is also not the girl he used to know and it doesn't take long for the sparks between them to reignite.
I hope you are selfishly using me right now to get off.” She laughed, breathless from his clever fingers. “Oh, I’m completely doing that. Have you seen you?” His expression went old-school Finn—all cocky and sly. “I have. I’ve been in an exclusive relationship with myself for a few years. I'm amazing in bed.”
“So I’ve heard. This morning, in fact. Glad I get to join in this time.”

Aside from their fantastic banter, there were plenty of other things to love about these characters. I loved the woman that Liv became. She's a quiet sort of strength and while she's not where she thought she'd be as a naive girl back in high school, she's determined to change her life now.

Finn was simply devastating. Man but my heart broke for him. He has so much guilt over what happened to Liv during the shooting. And even though he's dedicated his life to ensuring that what happened to them doesn't happen again, he's lost sight of the boy he used to be. All he's known is his job and it's slowly eaten away at his very soul. He's not surprised that it takes the vivacious Liv to remind him of what he once craved and crave it all over again. The chemistry between them was completely incendiary but also quirky and sweet.
You okay, Batman?”
“No, you’ve killed me. I’m now speaking to you from the great beyond.” She laughed. “Is it nice there?”
“So nice.”
“Are there unicorns?”
He reached out and brushed his thumb along her lips. “You’re weird, Arias.”
“I know. You can be Oddly Hot. I’ll be Weirdly Sexy. We’ll be a crime-fighting duo.”

In addition to their romance, there were secondary characters introduced in the form of the other survivors that I was immediately hooked on. I can't wait to get their stories; Rebecca in particular.

If you're looking for a story that's full of meaning and romance and a step outside of the typical, this is most definitely a must read.

Such a powerful and beautiful story!It kept my interest from the beginning, the setup was fantastic and the characters original!Everything the characters went through it was realistic! The romance between Finn and Liv was beautifully done.It's intense, and I believe it's better to not give anything away because even something small I say it could be a spoiler!Overall it was a great book I'll read again and again!

this was an interesting and sensitive premise, survivors of a school shooting finding love. it felt very heavy at times and the ending felt a little rushed.
I was grateful when Liv finally stood her ground at work. Finn was a decent hero, but nothing really stood out for me. although the sex was pretty hot.
I'm very interested in the stories of the remaining three friends.

4 1/2 Stars!


Liv and Finn were secretly hooking up in high school; his family comes from money, while her father was the landscaper. Liv is a heroine of color, she’s Latina. Finn knew his dad was a complete dick and would treat Liv badly, so he thought seeing each other on the downlow was actually going to protect her. Instead, it hurt her, making her believe she wasn’t worthy of dating him. But secret dating is the least of their problems when their entire world changed on prom night as two students came into the school and started shooting, killing dozens and wounding even more. Now, years later, the two are back at the school for an anniversary documentary, and there’s some unfinished shit between them – to put it mildly.

Liv’s passion was always photography, but rather than following her dreams, she went the safe route and became a graphic designer, working at a successful company in the city. Finn went to work for the FBI, specifically to go after the criminal group that sold the guns to those students—as well as selling to hundreds of other shooters in the US over the years. For the last two years, Finn has been deeeeeep undercover in a different criminal group’s inner circle, hoping to get information that would lead him to the men he’s after. Instead, things went south and he just managed to get out. Now he’s supposed to be taking a break and proving to his boss that he can handle going back into the field. Liv offers to help him for the summer, so he can readjust to being in the civilian world and having connections to family and friends, and he wants to help her out by pushing her to go after her passion of photography again. They soon realize that they cannot keep it platonic, no matter how hard they try to ignore one another, and slowly the two fall into bed – and fall in love.



Oh, this book. You guys, this book is so good. Emotional, of course, and raw, but beautiful and hopeful. I know that many readers will pass on this book because of the story, and I get that. I do. I know when the arcs for it first came out, it was shortly after one of our last shootings – and fuck, I hate that I have to say it that way “one of our last shootings” BECAUSE THERE’S SO FUCKING MANY OF THEM THE PASSAGE OF TIME BETWEEN THEM JUST BLURS TOGETHER. This isn’t an easy story, and for some it’s not one they want to read about. And I respect that. I loved seeing this story. Not because of the shooting, fuck no. But seeing these two survivors of such a horrible tragedy pull themselves out of the painful past and find their lives again. THAT kind of story is always super important, and Roni Loren did a great job handling it. I wish this story didn’t have to be told; I wish we lived in a world where we didn’t need a story like this because shit like this didn’t happen. But it does, and I want it to stop, right the fuck now. But that’s a different conversation.


There’s definitely talk about the shooting and the aftermath, we see how it’s affected Liv and Finn – things like anxiety and PTSD, as well as survivor guilt and being hounded by the media and every damn person on the street. But I never felt like that was being shoved down my throat, it wasn’t overpowering, it just . . . was, as part of the backstory for these two. It’s how they survive and move forward, that’s the main focus of this story, alongside them finally being able to fall for one another. I loved seeing Liv find her life, her dreams, again, seeing her walk away from a job that was slowly smothering her. I loved seeing Finn find his center as well and learn that he doesn’t need to always be the hero.


One small complaint I had – and it is truly small, I get that – was their text messages. It’s 2018 – okay, let’s say 2017 when this was written – and these two are grown-ass adults. Yet their text messages read like something from a teen in the early 2000s. A lot of Rs and Us and annoying abbreviations – it would threw me out of the scene. Luckily they didn’t have a ton of texts in the book, but still. Just like dialogue should always feel realistic, both to how people communicate, but also authentic to the characters – text messages and the like should also be realistic, and these were not.


But truly, that’s about it as far as notable complaints. Everything else gets a thumbs up from me.


Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about the sex! Who would I be if I skipped that?! As I said, it is a slow burn between these two, which fit their characters and the story being told, so I was happy with that. There’s some great dirty talk, some fantastic orgasms of course, and even a discussion about what position works best for her – so she can get off again through intercourse (and clit stimulation, of course), because she usually only a one-orgasm-per-night girl. And I loved every moment of it. There’s not as much sex as you’ll find in Loren’s more erotic stories, of course, but again, what we got fit this couple, and that’s what matters the most.


My heart was definitely aching for these two along the way, but the journey was worth it and their HEA was satisfying.


I’m very much looking forward to the rest of this series, which will cover a few other classmates who survived that night, all women who are now good friends of Liv, though none of them were ever friends before the tragedy. They’ve all got their own shit to overcome, and I know I’ll probably experience that same heartache before they get their HEAs. But I trust Roni Loren, so I’m ready for it.

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.

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.

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!!

4.5 Fangs
"I promise, Class of 2005, to live the life that scares me."


Long Acre High School was the epicenter of a horrible tragedy. During prom night, two students were involved in one of the worse massacres to happen in the USA. Very few students survived that terrible night. Twelve years later, some of the survivors are back in their hometown for a documentary.

For Liv Arias, that night only brings bad memories, flashbacks, and nightmares. It also reminds her of her relationship with Finn Dorsey. They had a clandestine love affair. She was the goth girl, he was the popular guy who dated her in secret because his father didn't approve of her. In the present, she's a web designer who's a workaholic and has no time for her photography or relationships.

Finn Dorsey has always regretted his actions that night. He harbors guilt and shame and he hates being called a hero when he knows the truth. He failed Liv in so many ways. Now, as an FBI undercover agent, he has made a promise to himself to put the bad guys away. Seeing Liv brings all these feelings forward and after sharing one kiss, he knows he wants her back in his life.

"Love never ends. But fear could."


I love Roni Loren's books. They are all awesome and this one is not any different. I was impressed with the way she managed the high school shooting flashbacks. They were well done.

I couldn't help but love Finn and Liv together. They were made for each other. Each helped the other one healed and get their priorities straight.

Another great asset to The Ones Who Got Away, was the other females in Liv's group. They went through an awful experience together and the time capsule they uncovered has shown them what was lacking from their present life.

I'm excited to read about the rest of the women. I hope we get those books soon.

Cliffhanger: No

4.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Sourcebooks via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Ones That Got Away is the first book in a new series by a new to me author. It involves survivors of a tragic school shooting twelve years before. This is Finn and Olivia's story. I was so glad to start my year off with this contemporary second chance story. It felt like a good omen for how my reading year is going to go. I'm sucker for second chances and Liv and Finn so deserve this one.

Months after the tragic shooting at their prim, Liv and three other girls wrote letters and put them in a time capsule. In the letters, they pledged to live their life to the fullest in honor of the lives lost in the shooting. It turns out, none of them really fulfilled their promise, especially Liv. Finn offers her a way to start living again. In addition to the romance, I liked the portrayal of the characters who survived. They are alive, but even 12 years later, they still have a lot of healing to do. There are doors to close and feelings to reconcile. It just came across as very realistic. Life goes on after a tragedy, but it is usually very messy for those left to pick up the pieces.

As I said, Roni Loren is a new to me author. I look forward to continuing with this series and reading more from her. I highly recommend this one.