{"id":54788,"date":"2020-09-20T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2020-09-20T12:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=54788"},"modified":"2020-09-20T08:06:28","modified_gmt":"2020-09-20T12:06:28","slug":"release-arc-review-the-one-that-got-away-by-karina-halle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=54788","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: The One That Got Away by Karina Halle"},"content":{"rendered":"

The One That Got Away by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling author Karina Halle is now live!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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*A standalone second-chance romance*<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Amazon Worldwide<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\n

\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Ruby Turner was never meant to be mine.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0wanted to know more about her. She captivated me.<\/p>\n

But she went home with Marco that night.<\/p>\n

My agent.<\/p>\n

My brother.<\/em><\/p>\n

And I did what I could to pretend I was fine with it.<\/p>\n

After all, I\u2019m Luciano Ribeiro. As the captain of Real Madrid, and Portugal\u2019s National Team, it\u2019s my job to be cool, calm, and collected, not easily rattled.<\/p>\n

Only what I felt for Ruby over time, shook me to my very core.<\/p>\n

It made me do things I never imagined I would do.<\/p>\n

It started with a stolen kiss in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n

It led to a passionate tryst.<\/p>\n

It created a burden of guilt that I had to carry, as Ruby came in and out of my life until\u00a0she left for good, leaving her mark on me.<\/p>\n

Now, seven years later, she\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

She was the one that got away.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll let her go this time.<\/p>\n

But I might not have a choice.<\/p>\n

Because my heart still belongs to her.<\/p>\n

And her heart might belong to my brother.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

3.5 angst-filled stars<\/b><\/p>\n

I have SO many mixed feelings about this book! On one hand, it\u2019s an epic love story \u2013 a second-chance-romance full of chemistry, passion and emotion. On the other hand, it\u2019s a story full of stupid decisions, drama and angst. The whole time I read, I was riding a fine line of mad love, heartbreak and infuriating rage. It\u2019s an emotional rollercoaster that spans 12+ years, and wow, what a ride.<\/p>\n

This book follows on from one of my fave reads from last year, The Younger Man<\/a>. Luciano was introduced in The Younger Man<\/i>, and the characters from that book make an appearance in this one, but this book easily stands alone, and you\u2019re completely safe to dive into it without having read anything else (though you should read it, because it\u2019s awesome!).<\/p>\n

After her dreams of a soccer career were shattered following an injury, Ruby has left her life in Texas behind, determined to put her demons behind her and create a life for herself in Europe. She has thrown herself into sports journalism, and is determined to make a name for herself reporting on the sport she still loves, and has arrived in Portugal to do just that.<\/p>\n

We know Luciano Ribeiro from The Younger Man<\/i> as the captain of soccer team, Real Madrid, and the captain of Portugal\u2019s national team. But here, we meet him 12 years earlier when he is dealing with his own injury, and is working hard to get his place back with Lisbon\u2019s local team. He\u2019s a man with his own demons, but his eyes are set firmly on football success.<\/p>\n

Luciano and Ruby meet when she interviews him, and they share an instant connection. They get<\/i> each other. They openly and honestly share about their lives and their pasts, and over time they become friends. But Ruby is dating Luciano\u2019s brother and agent, Marco, so nothing happens between them. But they continue to grow close, sharing their pain and their joy, truly seeing each other and not the masks that they wear in public. It has the feel of a beautiful slow-burning relationship – without the relationship – and despite their feelings they keep things strictly platonic. Until they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

I feel for him. Something. Everything.
\nIn every way.
\n\u201cI want you,\u201d I manage to say against his lips. \u201cI need you.\u201d
\nHe pauses, just enough to look me in the eyes. Fire flashes in them and I see myself in the flames, burning along with him.
\n\u201cYou have me. You always have.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s hot, intense, and super freaking sexy. But it\u2019s over before it even gets a chance to start. Over the following years, Luciano and Ruby come in and out of each other\u2019s lives. They fall in love, their hearts are broken, and through every moment, we feel their chemistry, the depth and intensity of the emotion between them, and we get to witness their steamy hot passion that is such an important part of their connection. Their love is epic, but far from easy, and this rollercoaster is an angsty ride.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all a little lost on this planet, stumbling around on cascading years, trying to make sense of it all.\u201d
\nShe glances at me, her eyes glistening in such a way that it hurts my heart. \u201cThen I don\u2019t want to do it alone. I want to be lost and stumbling with you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As much as I love angst when it works to build a story, in this case, it became overwhelming because so much of the angst was avoidable! At first, I was on board because part of Ruby\u2019s charm is that she\u2019s this vibrant, impetuous person. She\u2019s a self-declared hot mess and she\u2019s still figuring herself out, and I can absolutely relate to that. She made some bad decisions, but everybody has, that\u2019s just life. But the big conflict seemed a bit contrived, the bad guy just a little too evil, and even after that, silly decisions continued to be made that had me groaning out loud.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Spoiler<\/div>
I mean, even after everything, she came back after seven years and immediately started to date Luciano\u2019s brother again? WTF? And at any point, she could have left Europe and gotten past the whole visa thing, that was just a stupid decision and got dragged out to become a drama that didn\u2019t get dealt with until the most dramatic point possible. And, when they were waiting for their HEA, they stayed apart for three years, even when Luciano could have come to her at any point. Really? If they were so desperate for each other, surely a quick trip to visit wouldn\u2019t have been too difficult? Especially with his millions! *sigh*<\/div><\/div>\n

It could have been resolved SO much easier and quicker than it was, and I found it so frustrating!<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t even want to fix you. I want to ride your broken wings. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Luciano and Ruby are fantastic characters. They have their flaws and they make mistakes, but they\u2019re real<\/i>, and as much as they ticked me off at times, I couldn\u2019t help but love them, love with them and break with them, and I wish that their story was so much easier than the one they got. Luciano, in particular, completely stole my heart as a man madly in love. I swooned so many times, and holy hot damn, the man is sexy! He\u2019s a wonderful hero, and just the man that Ruby needs, and I did love them together.<\/p>\n

Give me your heart, Ruby. Give me your heart, because you already have mine. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s angsty, but it\u2019s an epic love. You know that these two are perfect together, and every moment that they spend together is so, so special. It\u2019s not the story that I wanted for them, but they got there in the end, and I was thankful for the happy ending.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re raw and messy and lost and found but what we\u2019ve always been is real.
\nWhat we\u2019ve always been is <\/i>us.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I loved so much about it, but this one pushed me just a little too far. 3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Karina Halle’s Interconnected Sports Romance<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/a> \u00a0\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Forbidden Man (previously released as ‘The Younger Man’)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Audio<\/a><\/p>\n

The One That Got Away<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Meet Karina<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Karina Halle is a former travel writer, music journalist and screenwriter, and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and 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.<\/p>\n

Halle is represented by the Root Literary Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster, Hachette and Montlake. Her work has\u00a0been translated and published in 20 languages.<\/p>\n

Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com<\/a> and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and\u00a0more.<\/p>\n

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Connect with Karina:<\/p>\n

Facebook\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0\u00a0Amazon\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Join her Reader Group<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Stay up to date with Karina by signing up for her\u00a0newsletter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more great reads, check out our Karina Halle Author Spotlight<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The One That Got Away by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling author Karina Halle is now live! *A standalone second-chance romance*     Amazon\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon Worldwide\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":3.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[297,9,24,58,29],"tags":[59,38,48],"class_list":["post-54788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-angsty","category-romance","category-second-chance-romance","category-sports-star","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-karina-halle","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/The-One-That-Got-Away.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-efG","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=54788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/50567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=54788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=54788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=54788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}