Thank you to Karina Halle and the team at Valentine PR for the advance reader copy of The One That Got Away, a new standalone second chance romance novel that releases on September 20!!

I have been waiting for this book for what feels like forever. Karina announced this story awhile back and the release had to be pushed. I’ve been reading for Karina for awhile and I know that when a choice like that is made it is always for the better. When she has the time and the right headspace to create, she makes masterpieces.

Check out the Goodreads synopsis…

“*A standalone second-chance romance*

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.”

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Ruby and Luciano are the main characters of this expansive story. Ruby is from Texas and after the events of the prologue she tears off for Europe. She loves soccer or football so she runs off to Europe to become a sports journalist. She is strong, resourceful, and brave. While also being a bit impulsive, brash, and bold. She contrasts nicely with Luciano. He is a football player in Portugal, born in Cascais and when the story opens is currently playing on the team Sporting (which is my Portuguese stepdad’s team so I may be biased but I love this choice, Karina!). He is very calm, stoic, and driven. There is definitely the passionate nature that is so many European men, at first it reserved only for football but when Ruby bursts into his life she changes quite a few things. Also want to shout out there are some special cameos in the latter third of the book if you were fans of the other books Karina has written that take place on the Iberian peninsula.
• Pacing: Karina chose to deliberately write this as taking place over eleven years instead of employing the use of flashbacks. I love this choice as I have always found it easier to connect to the couple if I am along for the ride instead of if I am looking back at memories. So instead every time I finished a section and was presented with a time jump I would explain “oh my god seven years!!”
• Setting: The vast majority of this story takes place in Lisbon, Portugal. As I mentioned earlier my stepdad is Portuguese, I am very lucky that I was able to visit the country a couple of times. Karina paints it beautifully from the atmosphere of Lisbon, to the natural wonders along the coast, and to the food!! Some major Portuguese hits like bachala and Pastel de nata, two of favourites for sure. With everything going on it made me yearn to go and experience Europe again, I try not to think of it as something that I will never do again. But on my bad days, when I feel like the world will never get better, you can’t help but think you may never see the sights and family you have in Europe ever again.
• Romance: Ruby and Luciano had chemistry off the wall! I tend to commend Karina on her sex scenes, I know in some cases she spends hours getting them just right. She really knocked it out of the park with these two. Their love languages were physical touch, no doubt about that so it was torturous to have them spend more years apart than together over the course of this story. They had the kind of love that transcends time and space, this really came through with how they could spend years apart and when thrust back together could pick up their love for one another as if it was never put aside. They were soulmates and Karina did such a beautiful job in showing that to us.

The One That Got Away receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

Amazon: https://amzn.to/33vXk47

Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/TOTGAKarinaHalle

Connect with Karina

Website: https://authorkarinahalle.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4785031.Karina_Halle
Amazon: https://amzn.to/31HMztJ
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

Thank you to Karina and the team at Valentine PR for the ARC. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog. Stay healthy and safe!