The One You Fight For

This is such a compelling series, I love the bond between Liv, Rebecca, Taryn & Kincaid, survivors of the Long Acre School tragedy, who are like sisters since they reconnected while filming for the documentary about the shooting. Taryn's sister, Nia, was killed in the shooting and ever since she has dedicated her life to getting a program into schools to prevent this happening again, whilst trying to keep her parents happy too. Her Mother especially has been completely paranoid about something happening to Taryn since her sister's death, wanting to know where she is all the time and make sure she is 'safe'. Both Taryn and her Father are always trying to keep her calm, but it was very, very smothering for poor Taryn, I really felt for her, her whole life revolved around this program and she had hardly any social life with all the pressure put on her. Then with a couple of chance meetings Taryn met Lucas/Shaw, who turned out to be opening an extreme gym nearby with his best friend River. Sparks flew between them and they started to get closer. But then Lucas/Shaw suddenly realised who Taryn was and their relationship changed again after he admitted who he actually was to her. This was a big deal to him as he had kept his true identify a secret for a long time. They knew their relationship had no chance... didn't it? But decided to enjoy it while they could, until Lucas/Shaw was outed by the press and decisions had to be made. Although this book is about a school shooting the story doesn't dwell on the details, so it's not as harrowing as it may have been. It's more about the lives that are affected by the original act, not just the victims families, but also the shooters families who had no idea what their sons were capable of, yet blamed themselves for their acts their whole life, as Lucas/Shaw had done. I'm really enjoying this series and can't wait to read Kincaid's story in the next book. Highly recommended.

5 AMAZING Stars Review by Leah Late Night Reviewer Up All Night w/ Books Blog Wow, just wow! Talk about a book that opened my eyes. We always think we are looking at the big picture and then, it hits you. The One You Fight For by Roni Loren is a book about heartache, strength, courage, love, and loss. I have never been in that situation but reading this book is gut-wrenching thinking that this is happening. Taryn is a forensic psychologist professor researching violent crimes and is trying to figure out how to stop them before they happen. She has a fantastic support system in her friends that everyone needs. Those ladies have her back to the point of walloping Shaw “Lucas” right upside the head. As serious as the subject is for this book, the trio of friends keep it light enough that you are not bursting out in tears every chapter. Taryn’s mother and father started to frustrate me throughout the book. But, keep reading, it will be worth it. Shaw “Lucas” Miller has lived with a ghost in his closet he cannot release. The struggle he has because of the tragedy is so hard. I could not imagine being in his shoes. What the media does to him is a crime. Living under the pseudo-name Lucas, he lives a hidden life and that is not a way to live. He has given up on making connections, on having any strings that could tie him back to his past. Then, Taryn comes in and throws everything in the air. I love how this author portrays Taryn. How she sees the bigger picture. How there are more victims than meet the eye of the media. The relationship between Taryn and Shaw “Lucas” is perfect. I usually do not read stories that could pop out of the news in the morning, but this one I am so glad I did.

Another very emotional story. I could just about copy and paste my review for book 2, The One You Can't Forget, and it would be accurate, but I'll try not to do that. The One You Fight For is book three in The Ones Who Got Away series but it can be read as a standalone. I highly recommend reading at least book one though, just so you have all of the back ground on the four women who became friends due to a horrible tragedy at their high school prom. Each of them will get their own story. I can't say enough good things about this series and this book. It's not an erotic romance like Roni Loren's Loving on the Edge series but it has plenty of heat. It also has characters that seem very real to me. All of the four women who because friends as a result of the tragic school shooting lost something that day but Taryn also lost her sister. That loss compelled her to choose a different path than the one she thought she would follow before the shootings. She has dedicated her adult life to researching the reason these horrible acts get committed and to developing a program for schools that can help identify children with problems so they can get help before they do something awful. We already know from the book's blurb that Taryn's love interest will be Shaw, the brother of the shooter, but getting to know the man behind the infamous name puts a new spin on things and helps us to realize that the survivors and people who died on that horrible day weren't the only victims. This story seemed so authentic and real to me. Ms. Loren must have done a boat load of research for this story for it to come out and feel this way to this reader. Taryn is such a strong character that she seems able to cope with almost anything but when she has to make a very painful choice her strength may not be enough to help her hold everything together. Like the other books, this story ripped me up and then put me back together again. Roni Loren is a master story teller who knows how to write moving stories that engage all of your emotions. I was totally invested in the outcome for these characters and I desperately needed them to find peace (especially Shaw) and their HEA. There is simply no way for me to do justice to this book with anything that I'd write. I can't wait for the next book to come out but I will also be sad because it will be the last one for this series. A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.