After reading and really enjoying the first book in this series, The Ones Who Got Away, I was really looking forward to reading this book. The anticipation was worth it. This book is really good. Rebecca and Wes are really good together. I really liked how supportive they were of each other. I also really liked the theme of forgiveness woven throughout the book. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series. These books are going on my recommend list.

This is the 2nd book in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. Rebecca is another of the survivors of a high school shooting and it's 10 years later. I appreciate how Roni Loren depicts the after affects of the incident on the characters. Wes is also dealing with his own issues (addiction, failed marriage/business), but they meet unexpectedly and feel a connection that can't be denied. I really enjoyed the story!

Well written, moving story

Roni Loren's The One's Who Got Away series is sadly very timely in light of the tragic multiple school shootings this year.
Rebecca's story comes across very authentic, her pain, her regrets her grief. Wes too has his share of pain and regrets and I though the back stories and the romance were both handled well. While an unlikely pair they both grow and it becomes evident they belong together.
Roni Loren handled a very delicate and heartbreaking subject well.
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley.

Such a deep interesting series. "The One You Can't Forget" is part of a series called, "The One's Who Got Away" about a group of students who managed to live through a school shooting. The one's who survive all have some form of PTSD and have been working on their issues as the series begins and they start to reunite. "The One You Can't Forget", is the second book in the series and focuses on Rebecca Lindt, one of the survivors of a gunshot wound by the school shooter. Rebecca's assumptions about her life changed after the shooting. She thought she was focused and in love with a boy who loved her. After the shooting she realized that she was more out of control than she thought she was and they boy she was planning her life around only saw her as a friend.

Rebecca grew up and became an extremely controlled and regimented adult who doesn't allow a lot of spontaneity in her life. One day, on her walk home she is attacked and mugged and is saved by a dog and a random man. The random man is named Wes Garrett, a failed restauranteur with a connection to Rebecca that he doesn't know about.

This is a relatively intense book about two seemingly opposite people making a strong connection. They have deep conversations and visibly grow together while both acknowledging the tragedies in their past. A supremely hopeful book. Would highly recommend.

Wow!!! This 5 star story was so amazing that I had a difficult time to put it for very long.

Rebecca is a survivor from a tragic event. Years later she stills feels guilty over the event. Wes is a recovering alcoholic who’s trying to regain his dreams. Those dreams where shattered by one stupid mistake. One night while Rebecca is being mugged, a stray dog and a stranger come to her rescue. 2 trouble souls that will heal each other.

This is such an amazingly written story. I was hooked from the very first page read to the very last one. It was a captivating tale of forgiveness. Beautifully written with a seamless plot. I loved these wonderful characters. Bottomline is this is a must read.

This is the second story in The Ones Who Got Away but it can safely be read as a standalone. It does come with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.

Last year I got the chance to read an advance copy of The Ones Who Got Away, the first in this series. I really enjoyed the first in the series, and was already looking forward to the chance to read about Liv's friends. I was so excited when the second in the series focused on Rebecca!

The Ones Who Got Away focuses on a group of women who survived a high school shooting 12 years ago. The first one focused on Liv finding her way back to the man she loved all those years ago. The One You Can't Forget also focuses on reuniting Rebecca with someone she knew a few years ago, but this is not a second chance romance. Years ago, Rebecca helped Wes Garrett's ex-wife take him for all he had. But then Wes saves her during a mugging, she kisses him the first night they meet, he doesn't recognize her at first, and then they're off! 

I honestly think The One You Can't Forget was better than the first book in the series, even though we see less of the friend group as I was hoping for. Rebecca and Wes are so sweet, their banter is great, and their chemistry is off the rails. I still feel a little uneasy about the entire concept of the series, but I do love this relationship and how Roni Loren makes it work, and I'm sure I'll be reading the next one.

With a storyline that’s especially relevant now comes this emotionally intense tale about the defining moments in a person’s life. Balancing the past with making a satisfying future readers will find themselves fully immersed in this story where many of the words and deeds were like a punch to the gut. By the turn of the final page readers will be left exhausted, put through the emotional wringer, but uplifted by the sense of love and acceptance the book’s conclusion inspires.

Rebecca Lindt was the good girl in high school, successful and liked by all. Behind that facade though was a lonely girl longing to be someone else. With her mother’s abandonment, and her father’s exacting nature, she struggled to do what was expected of her and beat herself up when she couldn’t measure up. A single decision and act of rebellion though caused her her biggest moment of regret, haunting her to this day and leaving her the survivor of a school shooting. Years after the event Rebecca’s still struggling with the memories of that day, remembering her part in what happened, and living a regimented life in an attempt to make amends. It’s another single moment that irrevocably changes everything for her when an armed mugger has a stranger rushing to her rescue and setting her on a path of self-discovery. It’s a journey that’s a bit rocky at times, a bit romantic too, but definitely full of heart-wrenching emotions. When readers first meet Rebecca she’s wound tightly, walking the straight and narrow path, trying to live up to her father’s expectations. The fairytale that she once saw for her life was snuffed out, not only by the school shooter but by her parent’s failed marriage and all the other dissolving marriages she sees everyday as a lawyer. She’s grown far too accustomed to loss, is tired of putting herself through the pain, which has led to her closing off her heart. With her sexy savior, Wes, all the emotions she’s kept locked away come rushing to the forefront. He makes her question everything, fuels her passion, and has her opening her heart to possibilities she buried long ago. At the start theirs is a fun and flirty romance of friends that quickly becomes more. As the temperature heats up in their interactions so to does their emotional connectivity as she makes greater strides in opening up. Though Rebecca’s a strong-willed heroine on her own it’s Wes who pushes her to really start living and it’s their formidable support of each other that leads to such a richly rewarding conclusion.

Wes Garrett was once an up and coming chef on the cover of magazines and destined for the top until a brutal divorce left him with nothing. In a single moment he lost his restaurant, his credibility, his self-esteem, and he further humiliated himself by becoming an alcoholic. Years later he’s still trying to recover from all that he lost and longing to find something that fulfills him. When rushing to a woman’s rescue one dark night he has no idea that she’s the one who ruined him, but by the time he finds out he no longer cares in a romance that catches him by surprise. He and Rebecca start out as unlikely friends but quickly grow closer as they push each other out of the complacency that they’ve fallen into. She might want them to remain just friends with benefits but it’s clear he wants more and it’s his romantic words and deeds throughout their time together that pulled at my heartstrings. Wes is one sexy beast, rough around the edges and with a checkered past, but he has a heart of gold that endeared him to me. His self-esteem is at a low point when readers see him but by supporting Rebecca, and by her support of him, he finds the happiness that’s been alluding him since he lost his restaurant. The happiness their coupling fueled showed in his confidence in speaking out about his feelings for Rebecca and led to a heartfelt speech that was truly romantic and exactly what you want a book boyfriend to say. On a whole, he’s the highlight of this story for me and his perfect imperfections have me dreaming of him still.

This is a powerful story that focuses on the power of a single moment. How that moment defines us and affects us drives the characters in this book and easily pulled me into the narrative. The romance between Rebecca and Wes was well done with fun and flirty interludes balanced with more emotionally intense and scorching encounters. They were a formidable pair despite all their differences and it’s those differences that made them complete. The support they gave to each other helped them work past their pain to find a satisfying and cheer-worthy HEA. Surrounding this appealing main couple was a cast of compelling secondary characters, some we’ve seen before and some that are new. Rebecca’s girlfriends were on the scene for supportive girl talk and to remind readers of the painful past that binds them. To make this an even more emotional read is the introduction of an abused teen spiraling out of control who Rebecca and Wes are determined to help. Steven’s story made my heart ache as the emotional and physical abuse he endured was vividly depicted. While his story gave Rebecca a chance to redeem herself in her own mind, and showed Wes where his path was meant to go, it was a bit distracting as the book headed towards its conclusion. The message conveyed is ultimately a powerful one but its inclusion took a soap opera-ish turn towards the end. On a whole though this was another well-written romance from Ms. Loren with its timely subject matter and heartfelt romance. I’m now left with a smile on my face, courtesy of a sweet and sexy epilogue, and waiting for the next installment in this satisfying series.

3 1/2 Stars!

✦ CW: School shooting; alcoholism recovery (hero); abuse (teenage character)
✦ Divorce lawyer
✦ Chef hero
✦ She was his ex’s lawyer -- oops
✦ Emotional like book 1 but I didn’t love this one as much
✦ It was a bit slow/uneven pace for the story
✦ Slow burn, fairly hot though quick scenes
✦ I hated her father and what he was willing to do/how he treated her and her trauma
✦ Also, not very happy with how she feels guilty for "being the cause" of the school shooting all those years ago -- she embarrassed one of the shooters in front of the school and believes that set him off. Can we not?! That's not how this works. And especially after the last shooting we had, where the fucking father of the shooter tried to pull that same BS about the girl who "embarrassed and bullied" his son? NOPE. Did not like that showing up in this book. The two are not connected, of course, this book was written last year (at least) but it was a slap in the face to read about it nonetheless.


Looking forward to the next book, but for now book 1 is still my favorite by a long shot. This series won't work for everyone because it deals with a school shooting. I get that, please take care of yourself first.

3.75 stars--THE ONE YOU CAN’T FORGET is the second instalment in Roni Loren’s contemporary, adult THE ONES WHO GOT AWAY erotic, romance series focusing on the survivors of a mass shooting the night of their senior prom-Finn Dorsey, Olivia Arias, Rebecca Lindt, Taryn Landry and Kincaid Breslin. This is thirty-one year old divorce attorney Rebecca Lindt, and chef Wes Garrett’s story line. THE ONE YOU CAN’T FORGET can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend reading the series in order, or at the very least book one, for backstory and cohesion as the details about what happened are revealed in THE ONES WHO GOT AWAY.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Rebecca and Wes) THE ONE YOU CAN’T FORGET follows the building relationship between thirty-one year old divorce attorney Rebecca Lindt, and chef Wes Garrett. Rebecca is a survivor, albeit a survivor with physical and emotional scars, and it is these scars that control so much of her life. When Rebecca is mugged on the way home from work, her would-be rescuer is the man she destroyed in court a few years before. Enter chef Wes Garrett, and the man with whom Rebecca would fall in love. What ensues is the building relationship between Wes and Rebecca, and the potential fall-out as Rebecca believes she is not worthy of a happily ever after.

Rebecca struggles with the guilt and shame of surviving a shooting she blames on herself. From the outside, Rebecca is a successful attorney but looks can be deceiving as our heroine is unable to let go of the past. Rebecca battles her attraction to a man whose own demons may be a threat to their growing relationship, a threat perceived by someone in charge. Wes Garrett lost everything to divorce, a few years earlier, including the restaurant business he no longer owned. Working with at risk-youth, teaching them survival skills in the kitchen, Wes is hoping to one-day open his own curb-side business. Meeting Rebecca Lindt brought with it the painful memories of a time he wished he could forget.

The relationship between Rebecca and Wes begins when Wes becomes our heroine’s knight in shining armor. Their attraction to one another is immediate but Rebecca recognizes our hero as the man she all but destroyed a few years earlier. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

THE ONE YOU CAN’T FORGET is a story of one woman’s inability to let go of her guilt, and one man’s struggle to move on from the past. The premise is edgy, engaging and entertaining; the romance is seductive and provocative; the characters are broken, surviving, colorful and lost.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

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Loved it!
This is my first book by Roni Loren.

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: The Ones Who Got Away
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading more from this author and the other books in this series.

he One You Can’t Forget by Roni Loren is the second book in The Ones Who Got Away series following a few of the survivors of a Columbine-type school shooting at the imaginary Lone Acre High School. The One You Can’t Forget reintroduces us to Lone Acre survivor Attorney Rebecca Lindt and new character chef Wes Garrett, who should not like each other or even have the interaction they do. They have legit, real world reasons to stay away from each other—but then there would be no story. A mugging brings Wes and Rebecca together for the second time years after their first encounter so they don’t immediately recognize each other. When they do recognize each other, they have the choice to work off of past impressions or their present experiences.

Sometimes stress and chemistry can get you the benefit of the doubt, but what you do with it, is work. This isn’t just a story of opposites attract, that’s too easy. I love that Loren doesn’t go down the easy route of insta-love or even jumping on an imaginary “third date rule” to let her characters act on their chemistry. Instead she lets them get to know each other, choosing over and over to create a new relationship, to have phone conversations, and brilliantly, they share a major project together. They work together. Through this project, they are able to take their relationship from light and superficial to meaningful and substantial.

They need that trust because the fallout from the mugging presents a situation that we can see miles off. There is no hinting or foreshadowing; any intelligent reader will see it coming. Loren was so successful in getting me to like her characters, however, that instead of being tense over a plot point, I was tense wondering how they were going to handle it, how it would affect their new relationship. Loren handled it plausibly. Thank you. The story is tied up with a tidy bow in the epilogue and we have a hint to the third installment.

There are character tie-in’s to the first book which introduced the series, but The One You Can’t Forget is solidly a stand-alone book if you missed the first one. The reader isn’t left feeling like there’s large amounts of pertinent background information or gaps to try and fill-in on their own. I’m looking forward to book three.

My Rating: A, Loved It

I liked this book. But I didn't love it. It's taken me days to finally sit down and write about it because I don't have any strong feelings towards it. It was very well-written and as a first-time reader of Roni Loren I have quickly become a fan of her work. However, the subject and plot were just middle-of-the-road for me, with the typical drama that I've come to expect from a contemporary romance series. I wasn't blown away, but I wasn't exactly disappointed either.

I didn't read the first book of the series, but I don't think that greatly impacted my feelings with this book. Sure, I wish I would have had a little more background information on the characters and their past, but this book is fully capable of standing on its own.

Out of the four women in the series, I think Rebecca will be the one I feel most apathetic about. Her rigid, closed-off personality was definitely a result of past events in her life, but as a reader, I didn't find her to be very likable or fun to read about. The back-and-forth of her actions and emotions toward Wes became redundant toward the later chapters and left me a bit bored.

Wes was actually a very likable character and despite his "checkered past," he really couldn't have been more of a knight-in-shining-armor type of guy....which made the comments by his brother Marco and Rebecca's father all the more annoying. Nothing like being a grown adult and having others tell you how to live your life.

Now, their relationship. It might have been my least favorite part of the book because I'm so over the whole dynamic. It fell flat for me, maybe because I wasn't a huge fan of Rebecca. Or maybe because it was just another book beating a dead horse with this cliched romantic set-up, with nothing unique or surprising about it.

So overall, this was a decent book that fit right into this genre. The backstory concept is unique and interesting, but unfortunately, that same quality did not hold true for this specific plot. So why the 4 stars? Because the author really pulled through with her writing and although the drama is generic, the narration and dialogue are top-notch.

*I received a free ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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. 

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.

Fortuitously, I started reading “The One You Can't Forget” the same day that the school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas happened. Having read “The Ones Who Got Away” previously, I had an idea that Rebecca Lindt’s story would be heart wrenching. What I did not realize was that the real-life horror that I was watching on TV would be reflected in “The One You Can’t Forget.”

One of the survivors of the bloodiest school shooting in history, Rebecca Lindt had become a successful divorce lawyer in Austin. With therapy and a support group composed of other survivors, Rebecca believed that she had put the past behind her. Except that she had become numb inside. She did not date nor even find any man attractive enough.

But, things changed when she met Wes Garrett. For the first time in a very long time, Rebecca found herself interested in a man. And the feeling is mutual. Though their past history should have made Wes and Rebecca hate each other, they found themselves unable to resist the attraction they have for each other.

Meeting at divorce court with Rebecca as the lawyer of Wes’ ex wife was bad enough. Their present was also getting in the way. Suffering from survivor’s guilt, Rebecca continues to relive the moment of the Long Acre school shooting. And this is crux of the matter of “The One You Can’t Forget.”

Rebecca’s inner monologues will tug at your heartstrings. And because the Santa Fe school shooting was in the headlines when I was reading this book, there was a real-life pain in my chest as I thought of those who lost their lives and those who survived. Rebecca Lindt might be a fictional character, but her suffering was as real as it could be.

This was a hard subject to write about even in fiction form. Roni Loren captured the anguish, the horror and the hope that young survivors can overcome the suffering with time.

“The One You Can’t Forget” is Rated T for Teens. Parental guidance strongly advised due to subject matter.

Will soon appear at Romance Reviews Today http://romrevtoday.com/

THE ONE YOU CAN’T FORGET – Roni Loren
The Ones Who Got Away, Book 2
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978-1492651437
June 2018
Contemporary Romance

Dallas, Texas – Present Day

As one of the survivors of the Long Acre deadly school shooting fifteen years ago, lawyer Rebecca Lindt still lives with the nightmares from that terrible night. While she has built a successful career in her father’s law firm and most people think she is as cold as ice, deep down she feels guilty for having survived the shooting. One night while walking home, Rebecca is mugged and a gun is brandished, bringing forth bad memories for her of the school shooting years ago. But a stray dog and a passerby, Wes Garrett, help save her, though the dog is shot. Wes and Rebecca rush the dog to a vet to save it and it’s there that she recognizes him: she’d represented his ex in an ugly divorce case.

Wes just happened to be walking by when he heard the dog barking and saw a thug bending over a prone woman. After rescuing Rebecca (and the dog), he becomes protective as it appears she continues to need his help. There is also a sizzling awareness between them. Rebecca appears to be way out of Wes’s league, but sexual attraction knows no social boundaries. When Wes learns who Rebecca really is, he’s stunned. But there’s no denying the passion sizzles between them. Can there be any future for them?

Roni Loren brings readers back to the group of friends who share one thing in common: they all survived the Long Acre school shooting years ago. It was the night of the prom and it should’ve been a joyous celebration for the high schoolers but it ends tragically when a group of fellow students who were ridiculed by others crash the party and killed several. Rebecca was shot in her legs and survived, but she feels guilt over her actions before the shooting started. Are her feelings justified? This has led her to mostly avoid romantic entanglements but Wes has her thinking about changing her tune.

Wes hasn’t had a great life. It seems whenever he’s ready to make something of himself, he experiences a setback. This includes his divorce, where his ex deliberately set up him up to make it appear he was the bad guy and he ended up losing all the money he’d saved to open his own restaurant. Now forced to teach cooking to disadvantaged youths, he wonders if he’ll ever get back on his feet. Luckily in THE ONE YOU CAN’T FORGET, Wes finally gets a chance to explain the truth about his ex to Rebecca and she apologizes for her inadvertent role. He could’ve turned and walked away from her because there’s no chance of a future with her, but he sticks it out. Will they find love…and a happily-ever-after?

In light of the recent school shootings, THE ONE YOU CAN’T FORGET might be a difficult book for readers. But this is a romance and I’ll guarantee that by the end, you’ll be smiling. This tale proves there can be a light at the end of the dark tunnel. Watch Wes and Rebecca fall in love, then fight to keep each other in THE ONE YOU CAN’T FORGET. An unforgettable tale you won’t want to put down, grab a copy today.

P.S. The dog ends up happily-ever-after too.

Patti Fischer

we...you guys!!! This author did it again. She totally made me ugly cry. Dammit. I was so sure I wouldn't...and then BAM, waterworks.

Rebecca is one of the survivors of mass school shooting in their town. Not only was she a survivor, but she's been holding on to a lot of guilt. Why? Because of how the shooting went down. Because maybe she had something to do with it. Because, as a survivor, you can't help but ask the "what if" questions over and over again, looking for the meaning behind the tragedy. So while she's felt guilty, she's wrapped herself around her career (divorce lawyer), sacrificing a lot of herself to help her father with his career champagne and is on the verge of burn out. Now add in the fact that she's mugged, saved by a stray dog and rescued by an amazing hot guy and you can see how her life has been completely turned upside down. Or is it right side up? Because for the first time, her life seems to be falling in to place.

Wes lost everything. His wife. His dream career. He's even a recovering alcoholic. One can say he'd hit bottom. But he seemed to be doing the best he can. So on his way back from a gig, he finds himself rescuing a woman being mugged and a dog who's been shot. Good thing his cousin is a vet. Now that the rescuing part has taken place, he's noticing the woman he rescued. And it appears that she's not only being rescued by him, but she's rescuing him as well.

This is such an awesome book. Like I've mentioned in the first book's review, these stories are about surviving. Not just an incident that's tragic, but life in general. I loved the banter between these two characters. It made them falling for each other more enjoyable AND believable. The funny thing about this book was that I thought I'd be crying over the struggle Rebecca needed to deal with. Nope. I cried because something happened that I wasn't expecting. Something that made this book even....MORE.

reviewed by Chris

3.5-4 stars

I’ve been looking forward to the next book in the Long Acre crew and this was an enjoyable, if somewhat lighter offering from the interconnected characters in this series.

Rebecca is still guilt-ridden over Long Acre and she’s lived a quiet, yet ambitious life pursuing law. She remains intermittently traumatised by her experiences and meets Wes through a situation that is traumatic and triggering. Wes was from the opposite side of the tracks to Bec and her non-issue with this was a bonus to the read. I really enjoyed Wes’ background more than Bec’s. In fact, in general, he was a more interesting character. Bec fluctuated between a weak and strong personality, which could be understood under the circumstances.

The chemistry between these two was well written, with a tangible feel. Wes and Bec just worked, despite everything. The kids, the bus and Knight were lovely extras to the story and I could definitely handled more Knight in the book.

I felt there was a lot less involvement of the Long Acre friends in this book and to be honest, I missed that, having expected them to be more prominent. There was also a less intense feel to this story, but not every story is going to be the same in terms of the level of emotions.

I remain invested in this series and I’ll be anticipating the next when it comes.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

The One You Can't Forget, by Roni Loren is a contemporary romance that features tragically heart-breaking themes, while also still being sweetly romantic.

Rebecca Lindt is one of the students who got away and survived after a horrific shooting during their high school prom. This tragedy drastically changed her life, especially since she was shot and is still dealing with the ramifications from that night. Twelve years later, Rebecca (along with her classmates) returned to her hometown to assist with a special project, and she reconnected with three friends.

Rebecca is focused on her job as an attorney, and she strives to win the cases for her clients. After suffering from the viciously intense divorce, Wes Garrett is struggling after losing his dream restaurant. However, Wes re-encounters his ex's attorney, when he helps save her from a mugging. This incident leads to various complications and interactions, including Wes and Rebecca acting on their mutual attraction.

Since it's the second book in The Ones Who Got Away series, it's ideal to start reading at the beginning of the series to follow the overarching story. However, after reading the first book, I was slightly anti-Rebecca, which caused hesitancy to start this book even though I was highly intrigued to continue this amazing book series. Of course, I adored reading from Rebecca's point-of-view.

The One You Can't Forget is recommended and geared towards those who are interested in modern romances, despite the tragically heart-breaking underlying issues, yet still hopeful storyline. And I'm definitely looking forward to reading future books in the series!


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is only my second read from Roni Loren, and I'm jumping into a series already in progress. The One You Can't Forget is the second installment of The Ones Who Got Away. I haven't read the first book, and I felt like this one worked okay as a standalone. The series focuses on a group of heroines (and the hero of the first book), who are survivors of a mass shooting at Long Acre High School. The stories take place 10-15 years later, and our heroines are a close group of professional women living in Texas.

The heroine in this installment is Rebecca Lindt, a high-priced, ball-busting, cheater-hating divorce attorney. She was also highly unethical. We got off on the wrong foot, and we couldn't ever get back on the right one. See, the book starts off with Rebecca doing something highly unethical for an attorney. Because it happens in the first few pages, I'm gonna discuss it as I don't think its a spoiler. (If you disagree with that - stop reading now.) See, Rebecca is in a mediation session for a contentious divorce and the wife and her attorney step out of the room to confer. Rebecca walks over and opens opposing counsel's files and looks through them... then uses the information she learned to force a favorable settlement for her client. WTF??? As an attorney myself, I was agog. This is absolutely horrid. She has violated attorney-client privilege and the work product doctrine. I understand that you hate cheaters and they deserve everything karma has coming to them... but you should not violate your own professional ethics woman! Man, this just bothered me through the whole story and so I was predisposed to find Rebecca's every fault and flaw and not give her the benefit of the doubt. Given some of her other behavior, I just had an overall feeling that she was not a good person. And that really wasn't the case. She was a tragic heroine, a school shooting survivor that did something incredibly mean and stupid when she was a kid... but I wouldn't wish a violent act on anyone I just had a really had a hard time sympathizing with her character.

Wes Garret is our hero, who was also a somewhat tragic dude. Wes lost everything in a messy divorce, where Rebecca represented his wife and helped to ruin his life. So now he is an aspiring culinary artist without much direction, having gone from the limelight into a downward spiral that resulted in alcoholism and rehab. The recovering alcoholic aspect is not a characteristic that I really care to have in my heroes. As someone who does not have an addictive personality, I just can't relate to that battle. But it wasn't a deal breaker and I ended up liking Wes despite his faults. I totally would like to shake the spit out his ex-wife as she sounds truly vile. I liked his work with the disadvantaged students at the high school; he really seemed to be a great teacher even if that position was very far from his original ambition. Notwithstanding his recovery, I felt like his character needed less personal growth than our heroine.

The story as a whole was not bad. I liked the plot and how everything was laid out. I liked the Burnt Cheeseball and the kids. I liked the girl posse of survivors. I was glad that this book wasn't trying to bash me over the head with gun control arguments. I was very conflicted about the mugger and his potential apprehension, or lack thereof. But man, I am still just grumbling over that ethical violation in the beginning. I feel like I need to put it in my next ethics training presentation. This is why it's an occupational hazard for me to read books that delve into the legal arena - I tend to pick those aspects apart. I just can't help it.

I am interested in some of the other characters, and am curious about their stories. (Though I didn't care for Rebecca's father, and had some iffy moment's with Wes' brother.) But I may give one of the other books in this series a shot (as long as there are no more attorneys).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca.

4.5 STARS

In The Ones Who Got Away we learned about the vicious shooting that happened twelve years ago at a high school, that changed the life over everyone who was either a student or teacher and their loved ones. Rebecca Lindt is a survivor. You should think she has endured enough but when she walks home from her work as a divorce attorney one evening all her memories about that horrific day come rushing back when she is being mugged at gun point. A brave dog and a courageous man save her and this actually has the making of a great friendship. If it weren't for the fact that her savior's ex-wife was Rebecca's client and robbed him blind with her lies.

Wesley Garrett is a survivor of a different kind. He loves food and to cook and was close to fulfilling his dream of opening his own restaurant when everything was taken away from him after his divorce. It left him reeling and he fell into a hole that was filled with lots 'n lots of booze. Today he is sober, teaching culinary arts at an after-school program for teenagers who have gotten into trouble in the past. It's not what he dreamed of but it leaves him with pride to do something useful and helps those kids. When he walks home from a catering gig he is instantly attracted to the woman he saves from being robbed but...

Sorry. It’s just, I’m always busy and you’re… not my type.

Push the knife in deeper, why don't you?

But soon Bec offers Wes an irresistible opportunity, that will change the path he's on and maybe helps him finally fulfilling his dream.

I adored Rebecca in the first book of this series and I was very much looking forward to reading her story and I'm so happy to report that she didn't disappoint But not only she was a winner, so was Chef G! Ahhh these two, all the swoons!

Rebecca is a tough woman when it comes to work. Her work as a divorce lawyer shows her every day anew that love is a passing feeling and a working marriage a fluke. Yeah, she's quite the romantic. It's sexy, tattooed Wes who draws her out of that particular funk. He offers her friendship with the potential of more. And this was my most favorite thing about this story. Bec and Wes had such an easy connection, there was nothing forced or over the top. They just got along really well, had fun in each other's company and a sweet, sizzling chemistry. I loved their friendship so much and their banter was just cute. *sigh* They lifted each other's burden and just lived in the now.

I was a little scared in the beginning that Rebecca would be too stand-offish, simply because of her job and how disillusioned she was with love, which led her to be a little judgmental in the beginning but she had such a soft heart. She didn't consider herself special that she survived a tragedy and carried a lot of guilt about that day. Sharing her troubles with somebody is something she longs for but never allows herself because of that guilt. I ached a little for her - it wasn't just survivor guilt she felt, it was something she'd done before the shooting that we all have done at one point in our life. Rebecca was giving, generous, kind, simply sweet and not the tough lawyer chick I expected at all. She felt often overwhelmed with the load she'd taken on...she just felt real.

Wes was offering himself without caveats. Taking a risk he’d decided he wouldn’t take again. Telling her she was worth that risk.

Wes was perfect for her. A whole lot of mischievous, a little obsessed with her, a little troubled but all in the perfect amount. The focus with him wasn't so much on his addiction which I appreciated this time - while it was always clear that the guy struggled with it, it never distracted from the real story. We see his growth in hindsight - he'd come a long way to end up where he was now. Wes was wonderful, with the teenagers, his passion for cooking and food, the way he treated Rebecca, and with his playful attitude. He gave me the tingles with his sweetness and adoration for Rebecca.

“You are the best part of my day, Bec. I’m so glad you’re home.”

The One You Can't Forget was even better than the first in this series. We don't see as much of the other characters from the first book which is a little sad. Roni Loren's writing is beautiful, it's got a modern and descriptive tone I enjoy very much. I want more! Now I'm really curious who the next installment will be about!