Easy read with very little drama. Emotionally charged, passionate, tinged with humor and hope. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

When I read the first book in this series, I knew it was going to be a special series. I knew that in time the four girls (now women) who formed a bond during therapy after a high school tragedy all had their own demons to wrestle. I knew that for each one of them putting their past behind them was near impossible, but finding someone they trusted enough to share the load would hopefully lead them to a happier adulthood. I knew I would shed some tears and I also knew that I trusted author Roni Loren enough to know that while the journey these women take might be difficult where they end up would be spectacular and she hasn’t disappointed me yet. The One You Can’t Forget features Rebecca Lindt, the overachieving “brain” of the group, the one who excelled, the one who followed all the rules and the one who has been hiding a terrible secret that has dogged her for 10 years. This book has a powerful message that life isn’t always black and white and that everyone no matter their social class everyone makes mistakes, has regrets, and welcomes a second chance. I loved every emotional, sweet, heart pounding, life affirming, sexy moment of this book.

All her life Rebecca Lindt has done her best to make her father proud and now as she is getting closer to making partner at her father’s firm she feels it might actually happen, but walking home an incident changes her whole life in the blink of an eye.

As if a messy divorce, losing his business, and a stint in rehab weren’t bad enough now Wes Garrett feels he sunk even lower as he prepares to help out his friend as entertainment for a bachelorette party as a Shirtless Chef teaching tipsy women how to make Big, Meaty Balls and other interesting treats. On his way home he sees a mugging in process and hears a gun firing and knows that he has to do something, he just doesn’t realize that one thing is going to change his life.

This was such a multi faceted story and I love the way it all the sides fit together. On paper Rebecca and Wes are polar opposites, their backgrounds and upbringings couldn’t be more different yet there is an intensity between them, a connection that they are both quick to describe as lust but it is evident it goes much deeper. It was interesting watching them peel back each other’s layers and realize that they were way more than their outside appearance. I loved that Wes wanted Rebecca to find her passion something that made her happy and feel fulfilled like cooking did for him. I loved that Rebecca was big enough to admit there was more to Wes than what little she knew and she admired him for the work he was doing. I appreciated that Rebecca began to realize how important second chances are and how that changed her entire outlook on life. These were complicated people with so much baggage and yet this book was not filled with a lot of angst or problems contrived to make a plot work, this book was driven by these characters and the passion they had for one another and a project that meant something to both of them.

The pacing of this book was perfect and I loved everything from the way they met, to the problems they faced, and the lovely ending; The One You Can’t Forget was simply sublime.

Rebecca is a successful divorce lawyer. She’s also one of the survivors of a mass high school shooting – one she blames herself for. She keeps her guilt and secret to herself, however. The only person who knows is her father. When Rebecca is mugged one night on her way home from work she freezes when the attacker puts a gun to her head. Luckily she’s saved by a stray dog and a man who happened to be passing by.

The man, Wes Garrett, is someone that she’s incredibly attracted to, until she finds out his name and realizes that she fought against him in court when she represented his ex-wife in their divorce. She knows his story and wants nothing to do with him. Except…when she gets to know him and his story, and the truth about his ex-wife and the lies she told, Rebecca can’t help but admire him.

Wes is just getting by in life. He teaches cooking at an after-school program but that wasn’t always his life. He was opening a restaurant and the world was in the palm of his hand – until his ex-wife took it all away from him. Yes, he’s bitter but he manages to hide that bitterness from Rebecca. He sees in her someone that is kind, giving and someone he wants to emulate. The more time he spends with her the harder he starts to fall, but Rebecca doesn’t plan on ever getting into a serious relationship and Wes is no different, or is he?

I’ve loved every Roni Loren book that I’ve read, and this was no different. She has a way with characters that makes me want to get to know them better. They’re three dimensional and very real – I love that. In this story Wes and Rebecca lived imperfect lives and each had some serious issues. Working through those issues together changed both of them for the better and made this romance that much more intense.

I loved both Wes and Rebecca even though they were flawed. I felt so badly for Rebecca that she’d carried the guilt of the shooting with her all those years. She didn’t do anything worse than be a teenager – the shooting wasn’t her fault at all. Wes had to deal with his anger toward the world and see that while his life might not look how he wanted it to look, it still looked good.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the next story in the series.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This will post as a guest review on Book Binge.
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Rebecca is a successful lawyer hoping to make partner soon. She has a reputation for being the go to the divorce attorney. She is doing all she can to help her father with his campaign. Her being a survivor of a school shooting 10 years ago is a platform her father wants her to capitalize on, but no one knows what really happened and she feels like an imposter. Wes knows how it feels to lose everything. They meet the night she is mugged. Wes is outside her comfort zone and she likes it, but holds him at arms length. He teaches at risk kids to cook and his project of renovating a food truck is just the project Rebecca wants to support. They navigate their attraction and just may be what each other needs. This is book two in the series and while it does stand alone well, the first book helps this story.

that tells the stories of some of the students who survived a school shooting. I absolutely loved the first book and I enjoyed this second book a lot as well. I love the complexity of the characters and the stories. Yet, I wasn’t as blown away by this one as I was with the first. I think it was partly because I felt there was some set up in the first book for Rebecca’s character but that was mostly ignored until the end of the book. This meant it didn’t really feel as big an issue as I thought it would be. There were also some little inconsistencies that annoyed me. But it was still a very good read and I’m looking forward to book #3.

I've come to expect great things from any book by Roni Loren. She always has a strong plot with great characters who have amazing chemistry!

I was interested in learning about Rebecca's story after meeting her in The Ones Who Got Away. She had a chance to become a nuisance to Liv and Finn but she didn't. Instead, she was there to support them.

In The One You Can't Forget, Rebecca is still working long hours and helping her father with his campaign. She's a divorce lawyer who has plenty of clients and who has a good track record of winning. A decade after she became one of the survivors during the Long Acre High school shooting, she's still dealing with guilt, PTSD, and flashbacks. Getting mugged is not the way to overcome any of it. Thankfully, she is rescued by a stray dog and by Wes.

Wes Garrett is remaking his life. He lost his dream of becoming the chef in his own restaurant and all his money in an ugly divorce. This leads him to drown his sorrows in the bottle which made everything much worse for him. Now sober, he has taken a teaching job for a group of at-risk teenagers. He feels like he can make a difference in their lives and provide them with a choice to become someone productive after graduation. Meeting Rebecca wakes up a desire for a relationship. Convincing her is another matter.

I liked Rebecca and Wess together. They both had suffered losses and they were trying to move on which was hard for them. Rebecca worked too much and had no personal life but Wes was able to show her that there was more to life than spending it on the job. On the other hand, she was able to support him in his new dream. Rebecca could be feisty when it was needed but she could also be vulnerable too. Wes had learned from his past mistakes and was trying to help himself and others less lucky than him.

The One You Can't Forget is an easy read with very little drama. I liked it but I didn't love it which is a first for this author. This won't deter me from reading the next two.

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs



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

Much better than the first book, since the subplot of who attacked the heroine is organically integrated in the overall romantic plot, and it's not over the top and distracting. Full review and links to come.

This is my second book I have read by Roni Loren, first was the book before this one. Which I adored, I really loved. I wish, I really do wish I could say the same about this one. In this book we are with Rebecca, she is a fantastic divorce lawyer and works long hours, and for her fathers company. She is a Long Acre High shooting survivor. She is dealing with really bad PTSD and still has flashbacks.

Wes Garrett, is one Fiiiine male, I really liked him. I liked him a lot. He is a chef, who is divorced and has lost everything, a recovering alcoholic and he is now sober and has taken a teaching job for a group of kids who need help.

I liked Wes more then I liked Rebecca, I was glad to see it play out and how they over come there losses and moving forward. it is a fairly easy story, with hardly any drama. No cliffy, and I am eagerly waiting for the next book.

but overall something was missing for me to give it a bigger star rating, I think for it was dragged on a fair bit. like it was a decent size book. 3.85 stars

I fell in love with the first book in this series and this one just cemented that love. This author can do emotional, funny and sexy all in one story. I cannot wait to read whatever else she writes! I need MORE!

Roni Loren you brilliant author! I didn't read the first book in this series and thought this book read well as a standalone, I didn't feel like I missed out on any side stories or background. This story was brilliant.

Rebecca Lindt is a survivor dealing with survivor guilt and shutting herself off from love and relationships. Her life consists of work and sleep. Until Wes Garrett this sexy, tattooed man who enters her life. I loveeeeeeed Wes his flawed and downtrodden after losing his restaurant and money in a divorce.

They both grow so much in this book, I cried and laughed and made Wes my latest book boyfriend.

This book might have a lot of triggers to people in regards to PTSD and other aspects but as it's not mentioned in the synopsis I don't want to put any spoilers.

Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a well written, contemporary, new adult romance.

The One You Can't Forget was another good book by Roni Loren. The story keeps following the survivors of the high school shooting that forever changed their lives. It has everything that you need in a good book. It has suspense, romance, likeable characters, and a good plot. I'm anxiously awaiting the next book.

I love Wes's quick whit. He's really good at making Rebecca laugh, even when it's hard. And that's just what she needs, is a good reason to laugh. Rebecca made a big mistake about her impression of Wes. When she takes a second look, she felt pretty awful. What she does to try and make things a little better is perfect.

***ARC received for an honest review***

My biggest issue with contemporary romances is that the problems tend to arise in two arenas - either the family or all in the characters' heads. I'm not even being facetious as I ask this question - you're busy and lonely and in a dating slump. You meet a gorgeous man with whom you have amazing sex (it really is important in a relationship), whom you admire, with whom you love spending time, and you evolve this healthy respectful relationship. Good, right? But in a contemporary romance this isn't good. Some complete mindfuck of the heroine's comes along to throw a monkey-wrench in the works (between 72 and 75%) and you have to watch an otherwise sane person sabotage a relationship and then desperately repair it. And then you're expected to rejoice that this twatwaffle is happy. Ugh.

ANYHOW.

Rebecca (from the last book) is a miserable, uptight, lonely lawyer (I swear to god we are not all freakin like this). Wes is a recovering alcoholic who has blown up his own life. They meet. Their fears intrude. Their hideous families intrude (seriously, I loathed these people). And they stumble their way to happily ever after through a garden of landmines (that they'd planted themselves).

I keep saying I'm not going to read any more contemporaries, but then an amazing one comes along. (I'm looking at you Brooklynaire) So I never give up. Maybe I'm becoming as tedious as the heroines I've come to loathe...nahhhhhhhh.

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I reviewed this for the June digital edition of RT Book Reviews magazine. You can see my full review there

There's so much that's wrapped up in this story. It isn't just about Rebecca's PTSD over the school shooting over a decade ago. There's so many layers to this story that it's hard to not get enveloped in it all. Both Rebecca and Wes have been through so much in life. Not only does Rebecca have emotional and physical scars from the shooting, but she also has this crushing sense of guilt over it all. She feels like there was something she could have done, things she could have done differently that would have prevented that tragedy from happening. Wes hit rock bottom when his wife divorced him, drug his name and his livelihood through the dirt, took his future away from him, and left him with nothing. He's starting to get his feet under him when we meet him coming to Rebecca's rescue. Little do we know how entwined their past, present, and future really are.

One thing that I loved about this story is how completely different these characters are. I'm not talking about their personalities, but their current status in life. Rebecca is a highly sought after divorce lawyer who is on top of her game. Wes is just starting to pick himself up off of the ground. He's starting to get that spark of life back in his eyes, and I loved watching these two come together. Not only does Rebecca help bring him to a better place, but he helps calm her and allows her to see that there is more to life. These two were perfect for each other.

I love that this story is so much more than what the synopsis leads you to believe. I thought it was just going to be a romance that would explode at the climatic part when Wes finds out that Rebecca is the lawyer who helped his ex-wife ruin his life. Instead, that bomb is dropped close to the beginning which leaves so much more story development to take place. And trust me, there is a lot of awesome plot twists in this story. If you're looking for a well-rounded romance, then you have got to pick up Roni Loren's, The One's Who Got Away series.

What to say about this story? Loren rocked it. There was so much to this one that I can name just one thing good about it. Rebecca has PTSD from a tragic event 10 years ago. A mugging goes wrong and she ends up rescued by a man she helped destroy. Makes for some great drama but it gets dealt with earlier and there were so many other great things to develop. I just adore this new series!!! I can't get enough of Lorens' writing style.

Second in the series, Those Ones Who Got Away, surprised me for a minute. It wasn’t like the first book, and I realized I would have been disappointed if it was. These survivors are moving on with their lives and at different stages. By the second chapter I was completely swept up with Rebecca and Garrett’s story. Both had past demons and that raised their ugly head at times. Rebecca and Garrett slowly learned to lean on each other and love began to grow Learning that together, they just might make it.
Roni Loren has written another great story worthy of a five star rating and I highly recommend this series.

I was super excited when I saw this book, the first book was great so I had high hopes and I wasn’t disappointed, I thoroughly enjoyed Rebecca and Wes’ story, I loved the age old theme of opposites attracting. It’s a beautiful story full of depth and emotion. Looking forward to more of the series.

This is the second entry in a series featuring survivors of a school shooting, and I enjoyed it even more than the first book. Rebecca carries guilt leftover from the shooting, and Wes somewhat unfairly lost everything in a divorce where Rebecca represented his ex-wife. But they meet again through chance and come to realize that the future is more important than the past. I look forward to the next installment.

What I love: THIS SERIES!!! So excited to get to read the newest one!
What I like: The storyline in this one was fun. MC Rebecca is still battling those Long Acre demons...some she has NEVER voiced to anyone. I liked that this was similar to the first book, but different.
What I hated: can't say I hated anything.
A definite read if you read Book 1. You can pick this one up and read it without the first one, the author does a great job of recapping just enough that pull you into this one without needing book one. BUT, she doesn't recap so much you get bored if you did read the first one.