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THE ONE YOU FIGHT FOR – Roni Loren
The Ones Who Got Away , Book 3
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978-1492651468
January 2019
Contemporary Romance

Austin, Texas – Present Day

Taryn Landry is one of the high school students who survived a mass shooting at their school fourteen years ago. The horror still leaves her and the others with nightmares, but she is trying to move on by researching for ways to prevent future tragedies. Deep down, Taryn is still in emotional pain, and it is during one of these episodes that she stumbles into a bar. She wins the karaoke contest that was in progress but having the spotlight on her has her running out of the bar. A stranger, Lucas Shaw, comes after her to help her and the moment they meet, the chemistry between them is obvious. But Taryn isn't ready for a relationship.

Lucas is aware of the attraction that simmers between himself and Taryn, but he has a deep secret that prevents him from pursuing it: he is really Shaw Miller, the brother of one of the school shooters. To avoid notoriety, he changed his name to Lucas Shaw and keeps a low profile. A friend of his recently convinced him to go in as partners at a gym, which he plans to do for a while and then will move on. Then, Taryn comes into the gym one night looking for a workout. Things soon heat up between them and he realizes that he needs to tell her who he really is before things go too far. How will she react?

Roni Loren pens another compelling tale in THE ONE YOU FIGHT FOR, the third book in her series that features four female survivors of a shooting in Long Acre, Texas, years ago. Recently, they all got together and were interviewed for a documentary. This helped the women to reconnect after years apart and they have bonded. While the world thinks those connected to the tragedy are coping, deep down there is still a lot of emotional pain. Taryn's mother has delusions and is protective of her only surviving child. After Taryn learns that Lucas is really Shaw, she is stunned and angry. Yet, she still has feelings for him, as well as realizing he is as much a victim as she.

Letting Taryn into his life is huge for Shaw. What his brother and his friends did that night in Long Acre left lasting nightmares as things boomeranged for those affected.  Even as he finally gives in to his attraction to Taryn, there is more he doesn't tell her as deep down, he feels like he could've done something to prevent the tragedy. Meanwhile, they start an affair, one that is secret, because if people found out that Taryn was sleeping with the brother of a killer, it'd be a huge scandal. But as readers suspect happens in THE ONE YOU FIGHT FOR, what they want doesn't always happen…

As the third tale in  The Ones Who Got Away  series, THE ONE YOU FIGHT FOR is connected to the other books, but readers could easily read this as a standalone without too much difficulty. The story focuses on the romance and journey of Taryn and Shaw and is one that is compelling. An intriguing read that runs the gamut of emotions for readers, I highly recommend picking up a copy of THE ONE YOU FIGHT FOR.

Patti Fischer

 
   
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