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Just Once

by Karen Kingsbury

2023 · 336 pages · Simon and Schuster

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Love TriangleSecond ChanceForbidden Romance
4.4Goodreads
4.8Amazon
4.4romance.io

Ratings link to their original sources; spice is sourced from romance.io, Hotlist readers, or clearly marked estimates.

Spice🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️· via romance.io ↗
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⭐ Highly rated across the board

About this book

When Pearl Harbor shatters Irvel Ellis's quiet world in 1941, she's already carrying a secret that could tear apart the family she loves—she's dating one brother while hopelessly in love with another. As Sam ships off to fight in Europe and Hank stays behind, the undeniable pull between Irvel and Hank grows impossible to ignore, even as they both know crossing that line would be unforgivable. But when tragedy strikes and forces Hank's hand to enlist, Irvel finds herself caught between duty, heartbreak, and a love that feels both inevitable and devastating. In this sweeping WWII romance, Karen Kingsbury explores whether some loves are worth fighting for—and whether the heart can survive the losses of war.

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Soft acoustic ballads and tender folk melodies capturing wartime longing, impossible choices, and the ache of loving someone you can't have. Think Bon Iver, Iron & Wine, and Mumford & Sons—bittersweet, restrained, deeply emotional.

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Book Review: Just Once by Karen Kingsbury - Sincerely Stacie

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