Tag Archives: The One That Got Away

The One That Got Away by Karina Halle-Review tour

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The One That Got Away by Karina Halle-Review tour

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Ruby Turner was never meant to be mine.

When I first met her, she was a fresh, young, American sports journalist trying to find her footing in a new life abroad. She was the one interviewing me for an article, yet I wanted to know more about her. She captivated me.
But she went home with Marco that night.
My agent.
My brother.
And I did what I could to pretend I was fine with it.
After all, I’m Luciano Ribeiro. As the captain of Real Madrid, and Portugal’s National Team, it’s my job to be cool, calm, and collected, not easily rattled.
Only what I felt for Ruby over time, shook me to my very core.
It made me do things I never imagined I would do.
It started with a stolen kiss in the middle of the night.
It led to a passionate tryst.
It created a burden of guilt that I had to carry, as Ruby came in and out of my life until she left for good, leaving her mark on me.
Now, seven years later, she’s back.
She was the one that got away.
I don’t think I’ll let her go this time.
But I might not have a choice.
Because my heart still belongs to her.
And her heart might belong to my brother.

•••••••••

REVIEW:THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Karin Halle is a stand alone, contemporary, adult story line focusing on American Ruby Turner, and Luciano Ribeiro, captain of Real Madrid European football team.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Ruby and Luciano) following several time lines and a number of years THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY follows American blogger and sport journalist Ruby Turner as she navigates life and everything it has to offer. Following a catastrophic accident that ended Ruby’s burgeoning soccer career before it started, Ruby Turner headed to Europe in an effort to jump start her journalism career where she will meet brothers Marco and Luciano Ribeiro, dating Marco before falling in love with his half-brother Luciano. Years would pass as Luciano’s football career would reach the top of his game, while Ruby meandered through Europe trying to find herself and the love that she lost. Two years, seven years, and then three more years would pass, and with each reunion and reconciliation Ruby would fall deeper in love with Luciano Ribeiro but all was not well in the Ribeiro household, and Ruby would be come the target of a vindictive man. What ensues is the back and forth, building and rebuilding relationship between Ruby and Luciano, and the fall-out as Ruby’s time in Europe comes to a dramatic close.

Ruby Turner is a free spirit; a loud-mouthed Texan who didn’t quite fit into the European lifestyle. Returning to America was never an option but falling in love with Luciano Ribeiro would break her heart. Luciano Ribeiro struggled with his on again off again relationship with Ruby Turner considering his brother was the first to date our story line heroine. But Ruby’s need to run, and continuous disappearances left Luciano wondering where everything went wrong.

The relationship between Ruby and Luciano is one of immediate attraction but Ruby started dating Luciano’s brother Marco, and Luciano refused to cross the line with his brother’s girlfriend regardless of the state of their confusing relationship. Dumped and alone, Ruby would seek solace with our storyline hero quickly realizing it was Luciano who had stolen her heart, all along. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Luciano’s half-brother Marco, and Marco’s father Tomas Ribeiro; and Ruby’s friends Julie and Elena.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY is an impassioned story of family, relationships, betrayal and loss; of heart break and pain; of reconnection and happily ever after. The character driven premise is dramatic and intense; the ill-fated romance is seductive and edgy. THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY is an energetic and reflective look love and loss.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Karina Halle is a former travel writer, music journalist & screenwriter, and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling author of over 55 bestselling novels, ranging from horror and suspense to contemporary romance. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband, and her adopted pitbull Bruce, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Root Literary Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster, Hachette & Montlake. Her work has been translated and published in 20 languages.

Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.

Connect with Karina

Website: https://authorkarinahalle.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4785031.Karina_Halle

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkarinahalle/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/912577838806567/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorhalle/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetalBlonde

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/karina-halle

 

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The One That Got Away by A.J. Pine – a Review

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The One That Got Away by A.J. Pine – a Review

 

The One That Got AwayAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo/ BAM

Description:
How far will one man go for the woman he’s loved since high school?

Jamie Kingston has been Brynn Chandler’s best friend since middle school. Only once was their friendship tested—when Brynn gave Jamie a single kiss. Since then, they’ve had an unspoken agreement never to cross that line again, and she’s ready to let go of the past and move on.

But Jamie has loved Brynn for as long as he can remember, and now that he’s ready to tell her, she has her sights set on someone else. Knowing this is his last chance, he asks Brynn to go on a two-week road trip. But their time alone brings old hurts to the surface, and Brynn has to decide if the one that got away lies at the end of the journey or if he’s been by her side all along.

Review:

The One That Got Away is book one in the Kingston Ale House series by A. J. Pine.  As high schoolers Brynn Chandler and Jamie Kingston were best friends.  Brynn has her sights set on kissing senior star athlete Spencer Matthews.  Her chance is going to come at a graduation party the following night.  But things didn’t work out as she had planned.  Brynn came down with a case of mono and all her high school dreams are crushed.  But coming to her rescue is her best friend, Jamie Kingston.  He stays with her that night while her parents are out of town and nurses her back to health.   In her time of recovery— she realizes that Jamie has always been there for her, and she risks it all to kiss him.  But Jamie who has long loved her completely and totally isn’t in a good place.  His parents are divorcing and he is sure that any relationship he pursues with Brynn will end in disaster and ruin their friendship.

Flash forward ten years and Brynn and Jamie are still best friends.  Jamie still secretly loves her, and Brynn feels the same about him.  But Brynn is currently single and Jamie is in a stable relationship even though it isn’t with the one he wants.  Their high school reunion is coming around and Brynn is bound and determined to not let this reunion go by without trying to kiss her high school crush Spencer.  It’s the night of the reunion and Brynn is seeking out Spencer.  Jamie realizes that Brynn is the one he wants and goes and breaks up with his girlfriend.  Brynn sees  Spencer and even gets some alone time with him—even almost kisses him.  But Jamie rushed in—all prepared to tell her he is in love with her and catches them together.  No kiss yet again!  Spencer is now an author and invites Brynn to California for his book launch.  Jamie knows that in order to have her he must let her try with Spencer.  Jamie now owns Kingston’s Ale House and has an opportunity to drive to California for a beer thing so he invites Brynn along with the hopes of convincing her that its he she loves and not Spencer.  Even going so far as delivering Brynn into the arms of Spencer.

What ensues is a cross country road trip that is filled with ups and downs and loads of adventures.  Jamie has ended his relationship in the hopes of winning Brynn over—but he hasn’t quite told her that part yet.  And even though they were never allowed to discuss it Brynn has been crazy in love with Jamie since the night they kissed.  But his rejection of her still hits her in the feels.  She wants to tell him how she feels about him but is in no way ready for another rejection.

This is one of the best road trip books I have ever read.  I loved the relationship of Brynn and Jamie and wanted nothing more than for the two of them to find each other and figure out how the other feels.

Hilarious adventures happen and wonderful memories are made.  But will they be enough to convince Brynn to follow her heart and tell Jamie how she feels.  Will it be enough for her to see Spencer, even kiss him maybe and make the right choice.

Brynn was a wonderful character with a stubborn mind of her own.  She is tripping over her own self.  She loves Jamie but is so afraid of rejection—because Jamie is in a relationship now.  Rejection isn’t anything she is prepared to deal with.  She is funny and good natured—most of the time.  Her relationship with her sister is funny from the moment you open the book.

Jamie is an amazing best friend who everyone in the world can see loves Brynn but her.   The friendship is amazing and their rhetoric with each other is wonderful and hilarious.  The story unwinds as the road trip continues, and from memories of high school slowly evolves into an amazing love story.  If you ever had a best friend that you had a crush on—this is the book for you.

Wonderfully romantic and hilariously funny.

Reviewed by Erin

Copy provided by Publisher

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The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase -a Review

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The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase -a Review

 

The One That Got AwayAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository / BAM

Description:
Sarina Mahler thinks she has her life all nailed down: a growing architecture practice in Austin, Texas, and an any-day-now proposal from her loving boyfriend, Noah. She’s well on her way to having the family she’s hoped for since her mother’s death ten years ago. But with Noah on a temporary assignment abroad and retired Olympic swimmer — and former flame — Eamon Roy back in town asking her to renovate his new fixer-upper, Sarina’s life takes an unexpected turn.

Eamon proves to be Sarina’s dream client, someone who instinctively trusts every one of her choices — and Sarina is reminded of all the reasons she was first drawn to him back in the day. Suddenly her carefully planned future with Noah seems a little less than perfect. And when tragedy strikes, Sarina is left reeling. With her world completely upended, she is forced to question what she truly wants in life — and in love.

Full of both humor and heartbreak, The One That Got Away is the story of one woman’s discovery that, sometimes, life is what happens when you leave the blueprints behind.

 

 

Review:

The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase is her debut novel. This is a contemporary woman’s fiction and a sweet romance. The One That Got Away belongs to Sarina, our heroine, who is the heart and soul of this story.

Sarina is a successful architect that is rising to the top. She has everything going for her; great friends, a serious boyfriend, and a fabulous career. Then one night at a party with her friends, her one night stand from 7 years before, joins them. Eamon is a famous swimmer, and he returns home to Austin and decides to stay, asking Sarina to renovate a house he is buying. Sarina has never forgotten Eamon, and the fact that he left without a word in the middle of the night, made for an uncomfortable face to face meeting. But unable to resist an architect’s dream to build a house carte blanch, Sarina accepts Eamon’s offer. With her boyfriend, Noah on assignment in Argentina for a few months, Sarina is determined to work with Eamon and not fall into any possible relationship. We know what happens to best laid plans.

Eamon knows he is falling for Sarina, as they work together, but he also respects that she is off limits because of Noah. What sets this apart from other romances is the different parts of Sarina’s life that we get to spend time with. It was fun to see Sarina at work, seeing the descriptions of her layouts, her presentations, and the competition she faces. A very nice touch, which made this story more enjoyable.

We also got to see her relationship with Noah, and his family, and what their expectations were for her, which surprised her, would begin to change things totally. Sarina having lost her mother a few years before, still kept a close relationship to her stepfather, which was heartwarming. Her friendship with Danny, her gay roommate, was fun.

Sarina’s slow to built relationship with Eamon was the crux of the story, and we found ourselves rooting for them. With all that surrounded them in this story, as well as their past, it was a slow, but nicely done process. Through it all, we didn’t know if Sarina and Eamon would be able to get together.

I thought Bethany Chase created a very nice story, with a wonderful down to earth heroine, and some great secondary characters. The One Who Got Away was very well written and a fun, emotional, sweet story.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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