The One That Got Away

“They say, Ruby you’re like a song, you just don’t know right from wrong. And in your eyes I see heartaches for me.”

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1. THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Karina Halle

SYNOPSIS

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.

BOOK REVIEW

Karina Halle’s writing is always intriguing and captivating, never leaving any doubt about a good reading experience. But this time around, I have so many mixed feelings about The One That Got Away, which I’ve been anticipating for a really long time (ever since The Forbidden Man). While this second-chance-romance was very emotional and full of angst, it was also a rather messy love story, overly dramatic to my liking. This rollercoaster of never-ending poor decisions that spanned across more than ten years was infuriating, to say the least. So, yeah…

What happened to the carefree girl who never got attached, who never caught feelings, who soared from place to place like a bird without a flock?

Ruby Turner was a complicated character. At first, I did enjoy the charm and vibrancy of the heroine, as well as appreciated her determination to figure herself out, all while fighting the demons of her traumatic past. However, as time went by, the self-destructive hot messiness of Ruby just started to get on my nerves…

I feel for him. Something. Everything. In every way. “I want you,” I manage to say against his lips. “I need you.”
He pauses, just enough to look me in the eyes. Fire flashes in them and I see myself in the flames, burning along with him. “You have me. You always have.”

Luciano Ribeiro was exactly what was lacking in Ruby’s life. He didn’t want to fix her because he valued Ruby with all her flaws and imperfections. All he wanted was to just ride her broken wings... But his self-depreciation and reluctance to be at least a little bit selfish were standing in the way to the two being together. Just like Ruby, he was also dealing with his own traumas, but unlike her, the man knew exactly what he wanted and needed in his life—football (soccer, for my non-European friends) success.

I love the way he fucks me, like I’m art, but the abstract kind, like I’m something chaotic and wild and imperfect. No straight lines or precision, just colors that are bright and scattered and real.

The chemistry between Ruby and Luciano was instant and palpable. The depth and intensity of their emotions were such an important part of their connection. And the sexual tension was crazy hot. But much more than smut, I absolutely loved how open and honest they were with each other, sharing about their life problems and insecurities. As the two continued to grow close, Ruby and Luciano managed to truly see each other for who they were and not the masks that they basically forced themselves to wear in public.

“We’re all a little lost on this planet, stumbling around on cascading years, trying to make sense of it all.”
She glances at me, her eyes glistening in such a way that it hurts my heart. “Then I don’t want to do it alone. I want to be lost and stumbling with you.”

Ruby and Luciano were raw and messy and lost and found but what they’d always been was real. They were almost perfect together, and every single shared moment was indeed special. Although their relationship was very complicated and unnecessarily dramatic, I enjoyed following their story. I honestly thought that the main conflict was a tad bit contrived. And the way it was resolved could have been so much easier and obviously quicker! I mean, why did it have to take more than ten years for them to finally realize that the decisions they kept making were stupid and overly repetitive? I still don’t understand… But anyway, the book was a good one to check out, even if to see our favourite characters from The Forbidden Man and Love, in English.