Publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date of publication: January 2, 2018
It's been twelve years since tragedy struck the senior class of Long Acre High School. Only a few students survived that fateful night—a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away.
Liv Arias thought she'd never return to Long Acre—until a documentary brings her and the other survivors back home. Suddenly her old flame, Finn Dorsey, is closer than ever, and their attraction is still white-hot. When a searing kiss reignites their passion, Liv realizes this rough-around-the-edges cop might be exactly what she needs…
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.
Enjoy this excerpt:
Finn rubbed a hand over the spot where his scar was in what looked
like an absentminded gesture. “I signed up for a gun-safety course as soon as I
healed so I could deal with the fear.”
Liv rubbed the chill bumps from her arms. “That must’ve been ridiculously
hard.”
He gave a humorless laugh. “The first few weeks, all I could do was
sit there and watch other people do target practice. Listen to the sounds. Let
the panic come and force myself not to run. It sucked. But then I met this cop
who offered to help me. She pushed me, and I started to get used to handling
the gun and began to train.” He focused on a spot somewhere over her shoulder
like he was seeing the memory play out on a screen. “She taught me how to
switch off the emotion of it. It’s going to sound ridiculous, but it became
like football used to be for me. One mission. No emotion attached to it. Get
the ball into the end zone. But this time it was hit the target. It was the
only thing that helped.”
“Jumping into the fire.”
“Yeah. But it was the best thing I could’ve done. Learning from
Eileen, the officer I met, seeing how confident and dedicated she was, made me
want to do the same thing. When I eventually went into the academy, I was
ready. I had to go through simulations where people would attack me or come at
me with a weapon over and over again, in a hundred different ways. It diluted
the power of my fears because now I had the skills to protect myself and the
people around me.”
She leaned back against the headboard, impressed and a little awed.
“So no one is going to catch you off your game again.”
His lips kicked up at the corners, some of that old arrogance
breaking through. “Let’s just say it’s probably not going to go well for them
if they try.”
She laughed, his playful smirk helping some of her jittery feelings
dissipate. “Now I see it. I couldn’t picture you with a badge, but there it is.
Cocky Finn does law enforcement.”
“What? Afraid I couldn’t pull it off?” He lifted an eyebrow, his
face stern. “Ma’am, can you please step out of the vehicle? Hands where I can
see them.”
She bit her lip. Of course with his authoritative tone, her mind put
him in a uniform and some aviators. She’d never had a particular fetish for men
in uniform, especially after her own run-in with the police. But the thought of
Finn wearing a uniform and manhandling her a bit had her reconsidering. She
would definitely get out of the vehicle. Maybe even let him cuff her. And as
inappropriate as the thought was, considering the circumstances, it was a
welcome respite from her nightmare. She cleared her throat. “I think you pull
it off just fine.”
His dimple appeared beneath the stubble. “You’re blushing, Arias.”
“I am not.” She tipped up her chin. “I’m just…still flushed from all
the adrenaline.”
“Uh-huh. Or you’ve got a secret cop fetish.”
“Stop flirting.” She pointed a finger at him.
“Am I flirting?” he asked innocently.
“Yes. And that’s not allowed. You yourself said that kiss was a
mistake. So don’t come prancing around here half dressed with your Batman abs
and talking about where to put my hands. No one likes a tease, Dorsey.”
His grin turned roguish. “I said that kiss was a mistake, not a
regret.”
“Finn.”
“And Batman abs?” He grabbed the lapels of the robe like he was
going to open it and check. “These old things?”
She stretched out her leg and kicked his thigh. “Stop it. You’re
terrible.”
He lifted his palms in surrender and laughed. “At least you’re
smiling now.”
“Yeah, well, there’s that.”
Even after all the years that had passed, Finn still seemed able to get
her mind off things. When her mom was going through chemo and everything was
doom and gloom at home, Finn could somehow figure out ways not just to make her
laugh, but to do so in a way that didn’t make her feel guilty for feeling a
moment of happiness.
She leaned forward, bracing herself on one hand, and planted a kiss
on his cheek. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
She looked up, meeting his gaze, and realized how close she still
was. Close enough to see the flecks of gray in his green eyes, close enough to
kiss him. She wet her lips. “Being you. I’ve missed that guy.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed, his attention flicking to her mouth before
sliding upward again. Her heart picked up speed, and his hand closed around her
upper arm. “Liv…”
“I…” Whatever she was going to say died on her lips, because the way
he was looking at her made her forget her words. There was want in those green
depths—lust—but there was something else. Something that made her breath stall.
Need mixed with something more dangerous. A wildness.
A curl of heat went up her spine, twining with unease. So much of
her wanted to give in to it, to see what exactly was simmering between them.
Just grab him and say to hell with it all and make the sheets even sweatier
than they already were. But as much as he was drawing her in with that look, he
was also warning her off. She didn’t know how she got that sense, but it was
there, loud and clear. Push me away. Run. He wanted her to
stop this.
He’d told her outside what he had to offer—nothing but a one-night stand.
And though right now that sounded all kinds of enticing, she wasn’t going to go
there. He didn’t want this. Plus, even sober, it would be too close to how
she’d handled her anxiety in college. She didn’t need to chase away her
nightmare with a hookup she’d regret in the morning. She wasn’t that girl
anymore.
“Finn.” The word was strained.
“Yes?”
She swallowed past the dryness in her throat. “We should get my
stuff moved. It’s late.”
He stared at her for a moment, and then his grip on her arm
softened. His breath tickled her hair. “Right. Of course.”
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