The Only One: A One Love Novella

Ahh LB never disappoints. I enjoyed these characters Gabriel and Penny they are sweet and even though she doesn’t tell him right up front that yes they do in fact know each other from before I still enjoyed their story.

I like that they have their history but also that they are learning who they are now. Their chemistry is explosive but I think it’s more destiny that plays its role.

Ahh the narration, I enjoy both of these narrator immensely I was disappointed that Andi did the French accent for Gabriel and Zachary didn’t. I almost wished this was all narrated by Andi. Normally I don’t really mind but his French accent is kinda a big part in the book so he should have had it throughout.

I’m giving it a 3.5 meh stars. The story was cute. I honestly don’t think it was my favorite, but I still liked it. I found myself putting it down a lot in the beginning. I just thought some things in the book a little silly. This is just a me thing, everyone else may absolutely love it.

I was very happy to hear that Gabriel and Penny were getting a novella. After reading THE SEXY ONE and WELL HUNG, I was intrigued and curious if Lauren would give them a story and she did! THE ONLY ONE is a standalone (and spinoff) novella following characters first introduced in THE SEXY ONE (Gabriel) and WELL HUNG (Penny). It is part of the 1,001 DARK NIGHTS series.

Penny Jones, owner of “Little Friends” animal rescue, is organizing a “Picnic in the Park” to raise money for a coalition of local animal rescues. Currently, she is in desperate need of finding the perfect restaurant with a menu that is both sophisticated and informal, so that it will help encourage the guests to donate to the shelters. Her assistant sets up interviews with a couple restaurants and after some duds, she comes upon her last interview at “Gabriel’s”. “Even now, years after my valiant attempt to erase that man from my history, his name alone does something to me.” Penny. The man she was completely dazzled by and given her virginity to over a decade ago, was here in Manhattan. The last time she saw him was in Spain when he promised to meet her at the fountain in Manhattan…but he never showed. Now, ten years later, she’s coming face to face with her “international man of mystery” and she doesn’t know how to react. She wants to move forward with her life, but how can she when she has so many questions about their past? Why didn’t he show? Was she imaging their connection? She’s grown and changed in the ten years that have passed, but the minute she sees Gabriel, she knows her heart (and libido) haven’t forgotten…they still very much want Gabriel, even though he broke her heart that fated day many years ago.
Gabriel Mathias is the owner and chef at Gabriel’s. He is a rising “rock-star” chef who now runs in cookware, cookbooks, and more. He’s been coined as the “ladies man of the kitchen”. And with his new restaurant opening in a few months, he’s been looking to make a splash. He has the potential to cater for a “Picnic in the Park” fund raiser for local animal rescues, which could be just the splash he needs. With the life he’s lived, he knows that fortunes can turn on a dime, so he is seeking any opportunities he can. Upon his interview with the owner and organizer of the picnic, he has this sense of déjà vu. He feels like he knows this woman he is meeting with, but she doesn’t quite fit his beloved Penelope he knew 10 years ago. “This woman is more…sophisticated.” –Gabriel. He finds himself completely drawn to this Penny woman. It’s been 10 years since he’s felt this kind of attraction. And when he does finally put two and two together and realizes WHO she is, the attraction is undeniable.

“My head spins, dizzy with desire that’s lived through the years. Set on a low flickering flame, like a blue light, it’s now hot and fiery once more.” –Gabriel. All that pent up desire combusts. But there’s been 10 years in between their first encounters to now. A lot has changed for them both. Can Penny move past the hurt of being left behind? Can Gabriel live with the fact that his Penelope had a whole life without him, when he always thought of her as HIS?

“Sure a decade has passed. Maybe we’ve both changed and grown. But some things remain the same. The chemistry that ignited us in Barcelona is even more powerful ten years later in New York.” –Penny.

These two were passionate, witty, and sexy throughout the whole novella. They both had to get passed their own hang ups, as a result of Barcelona, in order for them to fully come together as a couple. ”The “one that got away” aspect in a storyline is always a joy to read and Lauren wrote that element wonderfully. Lauren did what she does best and made these two characters perfectly compatible and entertaining. I love second-chance romances because of the “how do they find their way back to each other?” question. Penny and Gabriel have a sad story on how things ended after Barcelona, but fate plays a key part in their lives and tells them when the time is right and Barcelona wasn’t their time…but ten years later was. And even though, this was a novella, I felt the flow and speed was perfect. Gabriel and Penny’s story was short and sweet and I feel a longer novel would’ve been too much and drawn out for their story.

4 stars