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The One That Got Away Kindle Edition

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 979 ratings

An epic standalone sports 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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Angst. Swoon. And more angst. The One ThatGot Away by Karina Halle is one of those stories to rip my heart out and leaveme all raw and bleeding. But at the same time it was a soul searching, beautiful andinspiring journey. The words were magical and the romance was epic in thetruest sense." - PP's Bookshelf

"TheOne That Got Away is
packed with all the feels. The angst in this book will have you clutching your chest.Luciano and Ruby's story is an uphill battle, they'll have to fight to finallyhave time work in their favor. This story and Luciano and Ruby were everythingand one I won't forget." - Ness Reads

"Lucianoand Ruby are EVERYTHING!
Their romance put my heart through the grinder, but it was such a delicious kind of ache... Karina holds nopunches with this couple, but believe me, their long and at times heartbreaking journey to thehappy ending will fill your heart to the brim! " - Little Steamy Reads

"Myheart was happy. It was just such a great ending for them. I was emo. It waspainful but
I loved every single second of these two's story, truly. Luciano and Ruby are a couple Iwon't soon forget. I love them." - Bookish Aurora

"
A roller coaster ride...Forbidden,angsty, dramatic, sexy, romantic and full of ups and downs, The One That GotAway is second-chance romance gold!" - Alba and her Secrets

"Thislove story is an
emotionally charged one...real, raw, sexy AF and heartbreaking, all wrapped up into a beautiful messy bow. At times I hadto put down my kindle and just breathe because my heart couldn't take it."- Reading Until the Break of Dawn

"Y'all,you are NOT READY for this book! Karina Halle BROUGHT IT in The One that GotAway.
The angst, tension, SO MUCH HEAT I'm speechless! " - Dragonfly Reads

"Alltwists, ups and downs,
made me breathless till the last page of this book. The One That Got Away was veryemotional" - Marta Bo

"
The intensity of the emotionsis engulfing, powerful, and ardent. Even though sports is not my thing, this tale goes beyondthe sparkling glamour of championships and fame to tackle on the uncertaintiesof life, the sense of being lost in this big bad world, and the deep impactpeople close to us can have in our happiness." - Babel Reads

"Karinabrought the angst back with this baby. This is
an epic love story, spanning over a decade of love, passion, and bad timing. Highly recommended if you enjoyangst, passion, love, second (3rd and 4th) chances, redemption, HEAs, and/orcrying while you read." - Romance Reviewed

"Iwoke up today at 5am to read this book and I finished it in 3 hours beforework!
boy what a roller coaster!! I wasn't expecting all the twists and turns! I just couldn't putit down, Miss Halle outdid herself with this one." - The Book Lover

About the Author

Samantha Cook is a bookaholic obsessed with novels about strong, sexy, smart women. Audiobook narrating was as natural a choice as breathing. When not recording in her LA studio, she can be found wandering the museums of Paris, imagining herself as a Degas dancer, Chateaubriand's Atala, Canova's Psyche, David's Josephine, or Venus (preferably with arms intact).



Karina Halle, a former travel writer and music journalist, is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty wild and romantic books, including Love, in English; Dirty Angels; and the Artists trilogy. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia.



Jeremy York is a lyricist and narrator of audiobooks. His readings include More Than This by Jay McLean and Captivated by You by Sylvia Day.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08FBMD1YF
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (September 20, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 20, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5.4 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 392 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 979 ratings

About the author

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Karina Halle
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Karina Halle is a screenwriter, former music & travel journalist, and the New York Times bestselling author of Grave Matter, Blood Orange, & The Royals Next Door, as well as 80 other romances across all sub-genres, ranging from spicy rom coms to gothic horror and dark fantasy. Needless to say, whatever you're into, she's probably written an HEA for it. When she's not traveling, she, her husband, and their pup Perry, split their time between a possibly haunted 120 year-old house in Victoria, BC, and their condo in Los Angeles.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
979 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book an emotional rollercoaster with passionate and angsty content. They describe it as amazing and brilliant. The writing quality is described as beautiful and easy to read. However, some readers found the pacing crude at times and boring. There are mixed opinions on the character development, with some finding them great and relatable, while others felt they were underdeveloped and had a hard time connecting with them.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

48 customers mention "Emotional content"36 positive12 negative

Customers find the book emotionally engaging and passionate. They describe it as a captivating love story with heartfelt moments that resonate through the pages. Readers find the story compelling and draw them into the characters' lives.

"...The Luciano of The Forbidden Man is the same. He is stalwart and strong and handsome and $exually adept. He’s incredibly internal and it grounds him...." Read more

"...Luciano is intrigued by the free-spirited journalist. He feels an immediate attraction and opens up to her more than he ever has with another person..." Read more

"...This love story is an emotionally charged one that left me feeling a bit of pain and wondering what these characters did in the years between...." Read more

"...But true love is true love and if it's meant to be it will be. These two test every aspect of love...." Read more

18 customers mention "Readability"16 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find the story engaging and romantic, with an emotional journey. The characters are described as brilliant and addictive. Overall, readers describe the book as a great read that is worth reading.

"...It was real, raw, sexy AF and heartbreaking, all wrapped up into a beautiful messy bow...." Read more

"...Anyway, it was still a good read. I just got bored halfway through and had to force myself to finish." Read more

"...This story, these characters? Brilliant and oh, so addicting!! An amazing read." Read more

"...as you read this decade long love story but I assure you, it was so worth it! Another great read from this author!" Read more

9 customers mention "Writing quality"7 positive2 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book. They find the writing beautiful and easy to read. Readers mention that the author is good at writing travel romances and that the book reads as a standalone.

"...My feelings are torn on this book because Karina writes amazing books and this is no exception except that I can’t get over the semi-love triangle/..." Read more

"...This book reads as a complete standalone!" Read more

"...writing so you can picture yourself right there, the easy flowing writing and the build up to that first kiss from a hero in Luciano that makes you..." Read more

"...However, it’s sometimes difficult to read because you, the reader, know there are better choices. But…that’s life, right?..." Read more

11 customers mention "Character development"4 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development. Some find the characters engaging and realistic, while others feel the characters lack depth and are not relatable. The main female character is described as flighty, selfish, and irresponsible.

"...First, the characters were extremely underdeveloped, so I didn't feel invested in them. Mild spoilers here:..." Read more

"...This is definitely something to read in one sitting. I loved the main characters (as well as all the familiar faces) and the setting...." Read more

"...She didn't seem likable or smart and I found few redeeming qualities in her personality, so why did Luciano fall in love with her, after just a few..." Read more

"...n’t know if it’s a wrong book at the wrong time or just that the heroine bugged me...." Read more

5 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive5 negative

Customers find the book's pacing slow. They also find Ruby crude and unlikable from the start. Many readers describe the book as boring, unrealistic, and not believable.

"...I don't know, it was just lacking. Ruby also was extremely crude at times and I found that off putting...." Read more

"...Karina Halle puts out, but geez, i Ruby....well Ruby was unlikable from the get go. I just could not connect with her character at all...." Read more

"...The wasted time between them was also annoying and not fun. And the brother Marco was just awful!..." Read more

"...She’s sassy with nothing to back it up, brings nothing to the table and the chemistry between her and the main male character is not well described...." Read more

4 customers mention "Time lapse"0 positive4 negative

Customers dislike the time lapse. They find it disjointed and chaotic with the time jumps. The wasted time between characters is also annoying. The book starts slowly and then the characters hit roadblocks.

"...The wasted time between them was also annoying and not fun. And the brother Marco was just awful!..." Read more

"...It felt disjointed and a bit chaotic with the time jumps. It also felt overly dramatic, at times, to advance the storyline...." Read more

"...Too much time lapse... haven't seen you in several years but still madly in love, that did not work for me...." Read more

"Love this author but this was a tough one for me to get through. Started slow and then the characters hitting every roadblock possible kind of got..." Read more

Karina Halle BROUGHT IT in The One that Got Away
5 out of 5 stars
Karina Halle BROUGHT IT in The One that Got Away
“I don’t even want to fix you. I want to ride your broken wings.”Y’all, you are NOT READY for this book! Karina Halle BROUGHT IT in The One that Got Away. The angst, tension, SO MUCH HEAT I’m speechless!With a good amount of romantic suspense as well, The One that Got Away hit all the marks for me! Luciano has been an enigma since we met him in The Forbidden Man and now we know why! His epic romance with Ruby spanning a decade had me REELING! Their love for each other was fast but with so many road blocks before they could have their HEA.*This book reads as a complete standalone!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2020
    Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2

    If you read Karina Halle’s The Forbidden Man, then you know Luciano Ribeiro. The reliable, stalwart captain of Real Madrid makes an impression on you in that book. When Karina Halle announced that she would be writing a story for this team captain who is a soft place for Alejo to land in that book, I was “over the moon.” This man needed his own story. When she teased that the story would be a journey, with Alejo’s love knitted from afar, I KNEW this book would steal a little part of my heart. And guess what? It did. However, it isn’t for the reasons that I thought. The One That Got Away is a journey of two souls fated for each other from the day they meet except that journey is a windy road with many paths. The foundation of that journey, though, is the belief that Halle’s Luciano and Ruby will find their way to each other even though the journey isn’t linear and plotted. It’s that truth that steals your heart and takes a piece of your soul.

    Usually, I’ll spend time in a review working through the details that the author crafts on the page. I’ll talk about the prose or the characterizations. I’ve written reviews for Karina Halle before, in that vein. However, this time, it’s important to note that this book isn’t about that. If you love stories that feel epic and deep, then you will want to read The One That Got Away. This is not an easy read. This is not a quick jump into bed for her hero and heroine. Halle’s book takes you for a ride, one with potholes and cracked roads. If you love stories where it’s clear from the start that the hero and heroine must be together, then you’ll want to read this romance. One of the frustrations with this story is Ruby. To be fair, though, she makes choices in her youth that make sense. For her. Halle does a beautiful job of helping you understand why she does what she does. However, it’s sometimes difficult to read because you, the reader, know there are better choices. But…that’s life, right? We all make poor choices, and we all live with regret. I think, with Ruby, Halle is reminding us that our decisions don’t have to define us in the long term. That there is always a choice in the future that can lead us back to where we wanted to be. There’s beauty in that truth. There’s beauty in failure and heartbreak, and that’s clear in The One That Got Away. Even when Luciano and Ruby are separated, there is a significance to that part of their journey because when they come back together, they know their place, they know where they belong. For me, that understanding was my favorite part of this story. I love that Luciano and Ruby are messy people with messy lives. I love that their love is difficult even though they are “two sides of the same coin.” Halle has Luciano think: “she is me and I am her.” This goes far towards telling you that Luciano and Ruby will find each other and live happily ever after. But life has to intercede and make it difficult, and it’s poetic. What it does is make the epilogue the best part of this book, and it is.

    I know that I’ve spent most of this review talking about Ruby. Yet, the depth and gravity of Ruby’s character are impossible without Luciano. The Luciano of The Forbidden Man is the same. He is stalwart and strong and handsome and $exually adept. He’s incredibly internal and it grounds him. Underneath that exterior lies a man who simply needs love. In the fulfillment of his relationship with Ruby, that is revealed to him. Halle unfortunately doesn’t make it easy for him. Yet, in making it difficult, it breeds a story that burrows deep, entrenching its truth in you. Does this book have the same forbidden, edge-of-your-seat feeling as The Forbidden Man? No. Instead, it feels like Luciano: deep, internal, and beautiful. I love the story Karina Halle wrote for Luciano and Ruby in The One That Got Away. Honestly, it feels like a memento of 2020, and its ending reads like a promise for all of our 2021s.
    17 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2020
    Wow, this book was an uber angsty emotional rollercoaster. My heart still hasn’t recovered days later from reading it. Luciana is a sexy dream. I loved him...he was a good man haunted by a horrible family dynamic but who always tried to do the best for his family. I admit that I didn’t like Ruby much…she seemed incredibly immature & selfish. How she handled everything towards the end made me want to scream & possibly smack her a little. My feelings are torn on this book because Karina writes amazing books and this is no exception except that I can’t get over the semi-love triangle/cheating angle here especially since Luciano and Marco are brothers. But overall, I just have to love a book that brings forth so much emotion from the reader…whether that be complete joy or you want to scream at the characters.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2020
    Ruby had a soccer scholarship and her sports future mapped out until an accident forced her life into a different direction. Fast forward a few years and Ruby is now trying to break into sports journalism with her first interview of the rising soccer star in Portugal, Luciano. Luciano is intrigued by the free-spirited journalist. He feels an immediate attraction and opens up to her more than he ever has with another person, let alone during an interview. But when his agent (and brother) Marco appears, it's obvious the two have already shared some sort of connection before Luciano met Ruby. So he takes a step back and tries to be the big brother by not taking action on his interest. But fate obviously has other plans.

    I struggled with this one. Badly. For me, any book that fuels strong emotions shows an author has talent and has penned a story worthy of a read. So I don't regret reading this book but it certainly frustrated me and made me angry. That being said, when I read a high angst romance, there needs to be one critical ingredient for me: a glimmer of hope. Even with "epic" stories that span decades and a boatload of heartache, I need to feel as if there's still longing and a spark of hope that *both* individuals want and are fighting to be together but can't because life is destined to keep them apart. But I didn't feel that here. With each time period, it seemed that hope would get crushed. And while Luciano deeply loved Ruby, I didn't get that same level of devotion from Ruby through her actions.

    Ruby...frustrated me. I initially loved her exuberance and truly believed she just happened to be a victim of a bad twist of fate. Until time passed and she continued to be irresponsible and almost every choice showed an incredible lack of maturity. Ultimately, she was a runner so I was frustrated because I was totally team Luciano and he wanted to fight for a chance at a future. Luciano was absolutely amazing and everything you hope for in a devoted man with dreams and determination and a mountain-sized heart of gold. And it devastated me every time he got crushed. Because he was smashed into bits, repeatedly. By his brother, his hateful step-father Tomas, and by Ruby.

    Do they finally get their HEA? Yes. But it took nearly 9/10th of the book to get there. And it was a painful and heartbreaking "epic" journey that could have easily lessened the torture of their hearts had Ruby made an effort to think of Luciano first for once. They get an epilogue that finally shows them together and happy, but after so much pain, it didn't feel as if it were enough to offset the immense amount of pain endured to reach that happy ending. I wanted more for Luciano.
    9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Cliente Kindle
    4.0 out of 5 stars Loved Luciano!
    Reviewed in Brazil on September 25, 2020
    I DNF the other book, The Forbidden Man, so I was a bit skeptical about this one, but the blurb really got me interested.

    I enjoyed The one that got away very much, especially, Luciano. He’s sweet, focoused, a nice guy. For Ruby, I can’t say the same. And she seems to be the main problem for those who didn’t like the book. It’s very hard to relate with her character, since she makes some really questionable decisions, especially about Marco. We don’t see her character growing through the years. When she’s 30yo, she acts as when she was 22yo.

    Even though I’d a hard time accepting her attitudes, I enjoyed how the story developed. Luciano really saves this book! As a brazilian, I loved the quotes in portuguese and how they were correctly translated. Karina Halle has a nice writting, fluid, with the right amount of descriptions.
  • A Grand Romance
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Love That Withstands The Tests Of Time
    Reviewed in Canada on September 21, 2020
    On the very first page of The One That Got Away we are told that Ruby Turner loves to do things that she shouldn’t do. She tells us this and reminds us that, “History has been made and lives forever altered because someone broke the rules and crossed a line, just to see what would happen.” This sets the stage for everything that happens in the ensuing 13 years, in her life, in her relationships with Luciano Ribeiro and his family. Every choice she makes leads them on their twisty angst-filled journey. However, not all can be placed at her feet. Much has to do with the twisted family ties of both Ruby and Luciano.

    When Ruby first meets Luciano for her interview with him for her sporting blog they have an instant connection neither of them wants to acknowledge. She chooses to date his brother Marco as she later admits he is the “safer bet” and she won’t risk her heart with him. There’s no danger of falling in love with him for Ruby. Even so, Luciano and Ruby become closer. Ruby and Luciano share the same parental neglect, hatefulness and detachment that makes them see a kindred soul in one another.

    “We’re the same. That’s why I know you and you know me. You may be a famous footballer here and I may be nothing at all, but we are the same.”

    After Marco breaks up with her and sends her on her way with a plane ticket to Barcelona, Ruby and Luciano find their way to one another beginning the passionate, angst-filled off-and-on journey of their relationship for the next decade.

    “I feel like I’m this swirling, tumbling galaxy, always moving, always searching, and he’s the sun. He stays in place, bright and burning and powerful, while I spin around him to no avail.”

    Luciano’s stepfather is horrible to him (and to Ruby) in such brutal ways that the ultimate reason for it might seem a little anticlimactic to some, but if recent events have taught us anything it should be that people can have no good reason to be hateful and evil.

    Luciano is such a good man. Passionate, charming, gorgeous, kind. I’ve been looking forward to his story since reading him in The Forbidden Man. Especially knowing that Karina Halle’s muse for him was Oscar Isaac. I really enjoyed the Oscar Isaac movie The One That Got Away provided my imagination. Luciano’s unwavering love for Ruby was beautiful; his passion was heart-stopping; his sorrow was so heartfelt.

    Ruby is a self-described hot mess. She’s trying to figure out her life after she loses everything she was working towards in an accident. She’s drifting and escaping her family. She’s unsure of herself. She makes mistakes. She gets taken advantage of. She guards her heart a little too much. She struggles and makes missteps. She’s a very real character. She finally has to pay the price and face everything and in the end, she gets her reward.

    I cried several times reading this book but the majority were happy tears. The trials that Ruby and Luciano go through are daunting but that only gives their happily ever after that much more satisfaction.

    “We’re raw and messy and lost and found but what we’ve always been is real. What we’ve always been is us.”

    Finally, I’ve been to Portugal and this book really made me miss it. The wine (the wine!), the seafood, the grittiness and grace of Lisbon. Karina has given us three books this year that have personally helped me to travel to other places in my mind. I’m so grateful.

    The One That Got Away is:
    ✔ Second Chance Romance
    ✔ Complete Standalone
    ✔ Sports Romance
    ✔ A love spanning years
    ✔ Forbidden love
    ✔ Angst! But worth it

    WRITING STYLE: 5/5
    PLOT: 5/5
    WORLD-BUILDING: 5/5
    CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5/5
    ROMANCE: 5/5
    HEAT: 5/5 !!!!
  • chaitaly
    5.0 out of 5 stars OMG!! So bloody good
    Reviewed in India on November 3, 2020
    The genre is familiar and the story line but OMG the treatment, the characters are so good damn good. Brilliant writing,the emotions so strong and literally falling off the book. Loved loved the story. Ruby and Luciano beautiful souls.there's hope for us yet
  • Gala Loncke
    5.0 out of 5 stars My new favorite author!!!
    Reviewed in Canada on November 25, 2020
    This book was so moving, so well written and so intense that I actually had physical manifestations while reading it! My heart raced, I was sweating and I binged it and barely slept 😂 Yes, it’s that good.
  • AK
    1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the while...
    Reviewed in Germany on January 2, 2021
    I usually like Karina Halle’s stories, but this is hands down one of the worst storylines I’ve ever encountered: completely unrelateable with one dimensional characters and no twist to the plot whatsoever - I even skipped pages ever so often, because they were neither necessary to the plot nor interesting to read. Sorry Karina, major disappointment :(

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