Finding the One is book 7 in the River Rain series. Blake the FMC in this book is Alex's sister. While the book is part of the series none of the series main characters play much of a role in this book save for Alex and Rix. This book takes place mainly in England and Scotland. Dairy the MMC is Scottish. Like most Kristen Ashley books I find reading 9ne of her stories comforting. They are always warm and predictable. I wasn't sure how I would feel about Blake or whether I would believe in her redemption but I did. Dairy isn't my favourite KA hero but he and Blake fit. If you love a typical KA st9ry and find comfort in her writing you will love Finding the One.

Finding the One by Kristen Ashley brings us the next story in the River Rain series. Blake and Dair, two people who were thrust together their whole childhoods, cross paths again in this wonderfully romantic story. Blake, the former prissy, high on her horse girl, who has broken hearts all around her comes face to face again with her obnoxious, bully boy from her childhood. They both had past hurt and relationships that left them both scarred, but for some reason, Dair and Blake start to fall for each other but when secrets of the past come to light, feelings are hurt and decisions need to be made as to whether they can get past this. I loved seeing these characters fall for each other, especially as we have met them in prior books (mostly with Blake and her past wedding debacle). Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

was i love in love with this book? yes yes yes i was. did i get far to invested in the characters and plot. yes yes yes i did. am i sad about it? me emotions might be and i might be, but only because this book has finished. and i swooped through it in one sitting. i was in.
Blake has been hurt. hurt by someone who was meant to love her.Dair is also dealing with his own 'stuff'. they new each other once. and lets just say those younger years weren't a particularly love in for the pair. and that is how Blake remembers Dair, she definitely doesnt want to be around the boy he was. no way. turns out people grow up ha. and they both see that. they BOTH SEE that.
as a reader i had my own thoughts going in. but Kristen completely took me by the hand and so "no wait. just read" and told me these guys real story,fleshed out who they were. and she totally got me invested and caring abut them and yes my views were for the changing. because Blake is the playbook for 'doing the work on yourself' and she has done just that. its doesn't help that she has been battle scarred by heart ache though. and so for this book she is helping with her sisters wedding. and of course now all the family and family drama moments that come with that. not least her mother and her expectations.
but it is grown up Dair that shows her and sees her the most. he can see through the hard edges she has up to protect herself. he can see through the biting remarks. and he can see through the behaviour through trying to be someone she is not. hes softer, grown up, and there. hes there with his family of course but boy is he there for Blake. and he definitely want to be. he sticks by an ever calming presence. hes cheeky of course but that was a given right?
and slowly we all melt. we all wait. we all watch and we all put down our own walls and are in love lol. these pair are magic. and this book is full of all kinds or sorcery which meant i could step away.
there is so much more to this book. for me to say it would mean i truly would become a bore. but i adored this book!
loved it.

I love everything by Kristen Ashley. She always picks me up with her books and I have to have them all.

Finding the One is a Fantastic read. I love Blake and Dair so much. The emotions run high in this one. If you've read this series then you know how much Blake has changed. She went from a mean girl to one with a big heart. She has this way about her you will love even when she does not see it herself. Dair is an ex rugby player and so close with his mom and sister. There is history between Dair and Blake and that just pulls them closer as the truth of her mother and his father comes to life. I love the pull between Blake and Dair. As the walls fall you have this beautiful love forming and Dair is there along with the rest of the River Rain series friends and family when Blake needs them the most. I could not put this down. I loved this one so much. If you haven't read the River Rain series yet do so now. Go one click this today and fall hard for Dair and Blake.

I absolutely Adored this book. I wasn't sure if Blake was going to have a full redemption after her acting like a shrew, but KA and her ways have done it again and made me fall in love with another great couple. Dair could not have been more perfect for Blake. I loved Dair from the first moment and seeing Blake evolve was just beautiful.

I can not wait for more from this series and this author. By far KA is my most favourite author.

It's been a while since I've read a new Kristen Ashley book. I love her early books and re-read them from time to time. Her early books are full of action and spunky heroines and the ultra masculine heroes who try to keep up with them.

But somewhere down the line, the author developed a different style. The action got less and less, the heroines got less spunky, and the heroes became more controlling.

I took a chance on this book, because I love the older books and I was hoping that this one would be more reminiscent of her original style or at least something other than the style I mentioned above.

Sadly, that was not the case. Very little actually happens in this book. The couple get together in the first couple of chapters (because the hero says so) and after that, not much else happens. Just a bunch of internal drama. It's like watching other people go to therapy.

Also, even with the Scottish-isms peppered in, the characters all still talk exactly like her other characters. Maybe it's a midwest dialect, but they all have a certain way of phrasing things that I can't properly describe, but isn't something I hear anywhere else.

Recommended for those who love Kristen Ashley's current books, as for me, I'll stick to the Rock Chicks.

Blake and Dair have known each other since they were little kids, their family's are friends(well kind of) so they have known each other all their lives. Now Alex Blair's sister is getting married and Blair is going to make sure everything is perfect. She isn't the same person and making this day perfect is part of how she is different. So when Dair and his family shows up to the intimate small rehearsal dinner Blair isn't having it. Dair was a bully all their childhood and nothing will ruin this day.

Dair has very different memories of their childhood that Blair and can't understand why she is so mad he and his family are attending an event they were invited to. Then Blake and Dair get and eyeful of they why. This event throws many peoples lives for a loop changing everything. But Blake starts to see Maybe Dair isn't who she through he always was. As they navigate their new normal, getting to know who the other truly is and maybe falling in love many events and people step in to try to ruin them but also show them how much they are loved.

I loved this story from beginning to end THIS is why I keep coming back to Kristen Ashley books, this right here. I loved the conflict between between Blake and Dair. I have a soft spot for books with relationships where the hero and heroine have known each other since they were kids, I love seeing the back story. I think it just give you so much more for the characters and seeing who they are and why they fell in love so I loved that aspect of this book. And throw in that they didn't get along when they were younger and I couldn't be happier. I didn't want to put this one down, I woke up with way too little sleep after not being able to stop reading his one.

I was actually pretty surprised with one of the storylines in this book, I wouldn't have expected it but it aded so much to this book and their story's. Dair is a Kristen Ashley hero through and through but thats one reason I love Kristen Ashley books. Blake was assumed to be someone but in this book you see who she truly is and a lot of why she was who she used to be. I loved all the side characters they added so much to this book. I could have been happier reading this one. It was again why I lobe Kristen Ashley books.

*Thank you Netgalley and Blue Box Press for this ARC

Kristen Ashley writes the most epic romance books and the best Scotsmen!

Finding the One is my first read in Ashley’s River Rain series but I could not pass it up after reading the book summary and knowing that she was going to make me fall for a Scotsman with the best brogue.

What I love most about Kristin Ashley books is how perfect her writing is, how fully dimensional her characters are and how each romance feels like an immersive experience beyond just falling for the main characters and love story.

Finding the One will absolutely captivate because of the intense chemistry between Blake and Dair. I love that these two have a past, having grown up spending a week over the summer with each others’ families, but who now find themselves all grown up and unable to deny their attraction.

Meeting at Blake’s sister’s wedding, it appears that they are two opposites with Blake pegged as a controlling socialite and Dair as the roguish brute who likes to push her buttons but it becomes apparent pretty quickly how perfect they are for one another.

Because I didn’t read any prior books in the series, particularly book three which was Blake’s sister’s story, I did feel like I was plopped right into an existing story but you get caught up pretty quickly and just go along for the ride.

And because Ashley crafts such epic romances, Finding the One was not only about Blake and Dair falling for each other and trying to make it work, but it also looked at Blake’s relationship with her mother and family members and her evolution as a person as well as Dair’s own hang ups when it comes to trust in relationships.

If you love romance books with hot Scotsmen then you are in for a real treat with Dair. I loved his dialogue when the brogue would creep in. He is such a strong but tender alpha male who is the perfect match for Blake.

It had been some time since I read a Kristin Ashley book but this one felt like coming home to her work. Now to circle back and read the previous books in the series!

*I received an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

4 stars
Kristen Ashley does it again. She has not steered me wrong yet and this is another hit in her long history of book wins. Loved Blake and Dair. I'd been looking forward for Blakes book since Alex and Rix's and it totally lived up to any and all hype I expected in my mind. It was another Alpha romance with childhood "enemies" to lovers trope. Loved that we got to see things from her perspective and how she hid nothing, she was who she was and her history was heartbreaking but made her all the same. Dair, the rugby guy was fun to read too. Their romance and family dramas all worked together to make it a great story full of heart, drama and love, as one would expect from a Kristen Ashley book.

You know that feeling when you pick up a book you're really excited for... and it just delivers? That was Finding the One for me. It's been a few days now since I've finished this book and I cannot tell you how many times I've already gone back and reread my favourite scenes and chapters over and over again just to take those moments in. I wouldn't be surprised if I reread this whole book again before it officially releases, because hands down, Finding the One is the best story of this series so far.

It follows Blake Sharp who, if you've read this series - most specifically, the third book, Taking the Leap - then you know who she was. She was selfish, a mean girl, spoilt, a brat, and just an outright bully who craved attention. But she was also the woman who exposed her cheating fiance at the altar on their wedding day, and walked away forever changed. Between that book and this one, you catch glimpses of the new and improved Blake Sharp and see she is far from who she used to be in Taking the Leap. And Finding the One just introduces you to who Blake really is.

She's still flawed, and has her moments where the mean girl comes out again - and trust me, those moments were warranted. But overall, she was real and vulnerable, and strong and loyal, and she found her perfect match in Alasdair Wallace.

Not just anyone can be the person for Blake, but Dair is not just any person. He is brutally honest, fiercely protective, genuinely loving and an Alpha Male (yes, with the capital A and M - I'd even go so far as to say he is the most alpha of the men of this series, and could rival other KA men too), and by God I loved every single second of watching this man win Blake over time and time again. He knows what he wants and will not hesitate to go after it, and when he's reunited with Blake and sees her in a way he's never seen her before - selfless, and nice - he knows without a doubt that he wants her.

Taking place on both US and UK soil, Finding the One explores the topics of love and loss, grief and forgiveness, family secrets revealed, and found family. And with the added tropes of childhood (semi) friends to lovers, redemption, and with a golden retriever (it bares repeating again) ALPHA hero with a (near enough) black cat heroine, Finding the One is going to be a book that you will not want to put down. If KA ever wants to do another slice of life novella like she did with releasing Sharing the Miracle, then PLEAAAAAAASE write one for Blake and Alasdair; I don't think I'll ever get enough of them, and I hope to see more of them in future books of this series.

I didn't expect my heart to break, but it did. I didn't expect to cry crocodile tears but I did. I didn't expect to fall in love with Dair and his silver tongue but I did. I expected to like finding the One, but I didn't think it would be come a favorite in the River Rain series.

Finding the One gives Blake and Dair a chance at a future. They had a past, but it wasn't always pretty. For many years Blake had been under her mother's thumb. Breaking away was her way of finding freedom. Watching Blake shine filled me with joy. I could only hope others would give her the chance to prove she is better. She is worth loving.

Blake finds herself in awkward situations and Dair is by her side. Lucky for this obsessed River Rain fan, past characters are all intertwined allowing me to enjoy those that I opened my heart to in the past. They were very inspirational. They accepted Blake's past. They loved her present. I loved every page as she continued to grow.

I flipped page after page gleefully as I devoured this slow build romance. My heart beat faster with every swoony word that passed Dair's lips. The book is riddled with family drama. Oh man, is there a lot of drama. It was very entertaining for me, for the characters not so much. I fumed when Blake's life came crashing down. I didn't know how she would survive. I didn't know if she would get the happily ever after that she earned and deserved. I do know I couldn't wait to find out.

This is a typical Kristen Ashley in the best way possible. I'm so glad that Blake got her redemption arc!

Kristen Ashley’s newer books haven’t worked for me - they are too left leaning and follow the same formula. This was a pleasant surprise.

So I’ve read ALL of Kristen Ashley’s books, which means I have read all of the River Rain series. I had doubts going into this book because the way Blake had treated Alex in Taking the Leap was absolutely horrible.

Let me just say, she has redeemed herself. Admitting her faults and accepting them was such a profound thing. She turned herself around and definitely became who she was meant to be.

Dair was, of course, swoon worthy. Obviously, as with every KA book, there was a dilemma, but he redeemed himself as well, as they always do.

I still believe I love Alex’s book a bit more, but I believe that’s because Rix was an A+ hero.

This was an excellent installment in the River Rain series and I am sincerely hoping we get a book about Rhys. 🤞🏻

Beautifully written love story! A favorite book for the year, with its wonderful mix of drama, suspense, powerful emotions and romance and steam. It hit all the heartstrings. Really enjoyed from beginning to end!

This is the latest installment of the River Rain series, titled "Finding the One." This book will take you on an emotional rollercoaster that you
won’t forget!

In this story, we delve deeper into Blake’s character than ever before. While she made her first appearance as a “mean girl,” this book provides a complete understanding of her backstory and the reasons behind her behavior. It really makes you ponder how many other so-called "mean girls" out there might have their own complex stories.

The plot thickens during her sister's rehearsal dinner when some unexpected guests—childhood family friends from Scotland—arrive. They were anticipated for the wedding but not for this special occasion, adding an exciting twist to the narrative!

Enter Dair, a charming former rugby player turned sports announcer, who is the perfect opposite to Blake. He brings humor and life to the table,
encapsulating everything you'd expect from a ruggedly sexy athlete. The dynamics during the rehearsal dinner unfold quickly, leading to
surprising developments that affect family relationships and romantic interests.

Throughout the book, we experience a whirlwind of tragedy, romance, and heartache. Blake finds her voice for the first time, standing up to her mother and fiercely protecting her sister. It’s a captivating journey from start to finish, and I found myself sad when it was over. To my surprise, I ended up loving Blake's character more than I expected, and I’m thrilled about it!

I believe you'll really enjoy the depth and emotion of this story, just as I did!

Review: 4.5 stars

Thank you to @blueboxpress for the eARC via Netgalley.

I have been reading Kristen Ashley’s books for years. The River Rain series is such a comfort read with diverse characters, a complicated family tree and wonderful romance full of heart and emotions.

Finding the One is the 7th book in the River Rain series. The female lead is Blake Sharp and she was introduced in Taking the Leap where she was an unlikeable character to start off as she was an awful person. She has since redeemed herself over the course of the series and I was so very much looking forward to her HEA.

Blake has found herself but still has deep insecurities and trauma due to her relationship with her unloving mother. She is always ready to lend a helping hand to others but would rarely put herself first. We are introduced to Dair Wallace, a childhood “friend” who she has a thorny relationship with given that his family is a family friend of her mum’s. Given that they have history there, their relationship starts off at a very interesting note.

It is not lost on Dair that Blake has changed and he is more attracted to her than ever. Their relationship is sweet where Dair made it clear that he wants to be with her. Given Blake’s insecurities, it took her a while! When they finally got together, their relationship was sweet, cute and lovely. Dair is exactly the perfect male lead to ground Blake’s nature and give her the stability that she needs and he is willing to listen and support her in every way. Their relationship is one of mature adults where they understand each other's vulnerabilities and take pains to care for each other.

I love that they got together early in the book with minimal drama and fuss. But as this is a classic Kristen Ashley book, things come into light where the later half of the plot focuses more on Blake’s growth as she is forced to come to terms with some things as unexpected circumstances happen, leaving her to deal with the afteraffects. This leads to a 3rd act break-up which was so painful to read but so worth it when they got back together and overcame the issues they faced.

I also love that we got peeks into the previous characters lives we know and love such as Alex and Rix. It’s always a joy to read about how the characters are doing after their HEA.

I would always be a fan of Kristen Ashley’s books - she knows how to bring the emotions, the feels and humanize her characters to make them so relatable and this book absolutely does this and more. Can’t wait for the next one and am super excited to see who she will feature next.

Finding the One is the latest edition to the River Rain series by Kristen Ashley which follows the romantic entanglements and dramas of the extended family and friend group of Hollywood actress Imogen Swan and billionaire Duncan Holloway, the couple from the first book in the series. This the seventh installment of the series features American-Brit Blake Sharp and her childhood nemesis turned retired rugby player Alasdair "Dair" Wallace.

Blake and Dair run into each at Blake's sister's wedding, Alex from book three, and basically fall instantly in love with each other. I was hoping for more of an enemies-to-lovers plot as the synopsis points that way but alas the enemies lasts for about three chapters before Blake folds like cheap cardboard to Dair essentially deciding that they're a couple once he discovers Blake is no longer a New York Mean Girl ™ anymore. There's the typical Kristen Ashley family drama and monologues telling off badly behaved characters, and that's the most plot this book has to offer. It's really just hot romance vibes with our favorite characters from the series making appearances. Honestly not the worst Kristen Ashley I've read, but not the best either.

This is an amazing story! I had a really hard time putting it down when real lives got in the way!
Yes, it’s a typical KA love story, but it had some fun factors not seen in every story. Of her newer stories, I can definitely say it’s my absolute favorite!

Blake and Dair have known each other their whole lives. Blake has had a crush on him for as long as she can remember, but she’s hoping that’s gone away when she sees him and his family showing up to her sister’s wedding events even though she knows they were not on the invite list. It’s worth repeating - they were not invited. Her sister wanted a small wedding! But when Dair’s married dad walks away with her mom to continue their affair, he’s there to help her make sure no scene is made. Because she wants today to be perfect for her sister.

So now Dair decides they are gonna become a couple.
I just gotta say, I love how many chapters of this story from his POV. We get to see how his mind works!
I’m not gonna ruin this one for you…. But I already know you’ll love it!!!