the third installment of the bachelor brotherhood series finds matt osborn running into the one woman who got away and broke his heart. anna fischer, now annaliese robbins, is a mom of a sweet five-year-old boy who happens to be best friends with matt's five-year-old nephew, ethan.

while their initial encounter is less than warm and fuzzy, the more time matt and anna spend together it's clear that the spark between them hasn't fizzled out even with time and distance. in spite of everything, anna is still the one for matt. and one of the things that i love about this in always you is that his feelings are never in doubt. neither are hers. she loves matt, she always has, but life is complicated. and there are plenty of obstacles and reasons to keep them apart.

but matt let anna go without a fight once before, and he's spent twelve years regretting it. this time, he's going to pull out all the stops. he wants, no, he needs anna in his life. that's the only way he will find happiness. he'd rather make the commitment now and work out the logistics later. and it's so refreshing to see someone who is all in. i loved it.

**always you will publish on november 28, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/grand central publishing (forever) in exchange for my honest review.

The third book in the Bachelor Brotherhood series, Always You is a standalone and a second chance romance novel.

Matt Osborn gets more attention than he wants as the coach for his nephew's soccer team. Since taking of the role, he's got used to the mothers eyeing him up at practice as they wait and watch their kids run around the pitch. When a new boy turns up for practice, he's shocked when the mother speaks to her son, because it's a voice Matt recognises and it belongs to a woman who broke his heart.

Back home in the US to look after her father, Anna Robins is also juggling life as a single mum, whilst working remotely for a UK finance company. When she takes her five-year-old son to soccer practice she's shocked to find her son's best friend Ethan is the coaches' nephew. He's also the man she walked away from to pursue her career in London.

It took a little while to get into the narrative. I was a little bit distracted in the beginning as I wondered if I'd read this novel before. Once I'd established I hadn't, the protagonists' back-story didn't keep my attention the whole time, especially the chaotic football practice scene. Yet, once I passed that mark, Matt and Anna's journey to a happy ever after begins earnestly.

With lots of feels, I was delightfully surprised by the emotion packed into the pages as the author reveals the depth of the issues that surround the protagonists. It's heartbreaking for the pair, but what really tugs at the heartstrings is the effect on the ones closest to them.

Much emotion and heartbreak are evident as two people who have always had feelings for each other, try and navigate the complexities of their current lives to try to find a way to be together. Love and sacrifice in equal measures, with unconditional love and devotion, Matt Osborn is every woman's dream and he has to convince this woman again, to take a chance on him. Anna, who has done the opposite of what she said she'd do and now living with the consequences, has to live up the reality that she can't have what she wants with the man she's always loved.

The secondary characters and fun, specifically the children. Their behaviour adds not only a fun element but a serious one too, as the little people have the most to gain and lose as the adults look for a compromise for all. The "villain" is played well too and while he's not a likeable chap, his portrayal was well done.

Overall, after a slow start Always You is an enjoyable novel with a heartfelt ending.

4 stars

***arc received courtesy of Forever via NetGalley***

Always You is a wonderful second chance romance that will absolutely steal your heart. Anna and Matt were destined to be together, but many things came between them and years later fate has brilliantly intervened!

This book had a bunch of moving pieces that Denise Grover Swank weaves together into a beautiful tapestry of family, friendship and community.

But ultimately this about a love interrupted between two people whose hearts were connected by a magnetic force that years and hurt feelings could not break.

I am reading this series out order, but most certainly intend to go back and read the first two books in the series. These characters have wedged their way into my heart and I can’t wait to immerse myself in their world just a little bit more.

Always You is a great addition to an already great series. One of the reasons I wanted to read Always You is the fact that it's a second chance romance and is a single parent romance which combines two of my favorite types of stories. Denise does an amazing job of blending the two in a story that I didn't want to put down. There is the right amount of humor to balance out all of the emotions this book brings out. Always You is a great small town story that will suck you in and make you wish you were a resident there too.

Anna and Matt went separate ways after a rejected proposal. 12 years later, Matt, filling in as a coach for his nephew's soccer team, is reunited with the one woman he thought he'd be with forever. As their lives once again become intertwined I found myself rooting for Matt to get the girl. I loved every second of this book and am so glad I took the time to read it.

‘Bachelor Brotherhood’ series is my second series from Denise Grover Swank and just like ‘Wedding Pact’ series I really enjoyed reading it. ‘Always You’ is the third and last book of the ‘Bachelor Brotherhood’ series. Kevin, Tyler and Matt are best friends, who got really unlucky with the women they date so they decide to make a pact to avoid women and relationships. However, their bachelor brotherhood pact doesn’t stand a chance when they start finding their true love. After Kevin and Tyler finding the love of their lives, Matt is the last of the bachelors to stick with the pact.

Matthew Michael Osborn, aka Matt, is sensitive, protective and loyal. He will do anything for the people he cares about. After her failed marriage Matt’s sister Abby decides to go back to school and study medicine. Because it will be hard to take care of a five year old and go to med school, she leaves her son Ethan in Matt’s care. Matt is also coaching his nephew Ethan's soccer team and when he agreed to coach the team he wasn’t aware that he would be fighting from the mothers attention.

‘‘ But all the moms on the team like you. I heard one of them say she’d like to bring you home for a playdate, and the other mom said she had some toys for you to play with…’’
Matt always dreamed of having a family but getting his heartbroken by his college sweetheart and keep dating the wrong women, he is far behind the life he envisioned having. Annaliese Fischer, aka Anna, is sweet, smart, strong and confident. After her dad’s accident, she takes six weeks leave from her job in London and comes back to the small town she grew up to take care of his father. She knew being back with her five-years-old son Toby and taking care of her father will not be easy but she never imagined that her college boyfriend would be her son’s soccer coach and complicate her life this much. When Anna shows up at Ethan’s soccer practice with her son Toby, Matt is having a hard time to control his emotions. Even though 12 years past since the day he proposed to Anna and got rejected because she doesn’t want to get married and have children, his wounds are still fresh. Also, seeing the woman, who rejected him because she didn’t want children, with her son is a hard pill to swallow for Matt. Despite their best efforts to avoid each other Toby and Ethan being best friends keeps bringing them together. Ethan and Toby makes this story more adorable and sweet, I absolutely loved them. It was also great to see the rest of the ‘Bachelor Brotherhood’ gang Kevin, Tyler, Holly and Lanie. Their banter and friendship is hilarious and sweet. Even Matt and Anna are the one for each other will they move past the old heartbreak? What will happen after six weeks when Anna has to leave for London? Will they be able to overcome all the obstacles they face? Because I don't want to spoil the story for you guys that is all for you to find out :)

‘Always You’ is heartwarming, sweet, funny and amazingly perfect second-chance romance. This is my favorite book in the series. Even though it is the third book of the series, it can be read as a standalone. Once you start reading it, you won’t be able to put it down.

Would I recommend this book: Yes.
Would I re-read this book: Yes.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes.

A long lost dream becomes a real life fantasy. When Anna broke Matt's heart, she never thought she'd see him again. Amazing how time and regret can shape a life and give a person the maturity they once lacked. Matt has never gotten over the girl who broke his heart. Can he forgive the girl and accept the woman and mother she has become? Always You is a what - if story of second chances and lasting romances. A little laughter and a heartwarming happily ever after.

I read the first book in this series, Only You, not too long ago and really enjoyed it. It was my first Denise Grover Swank book and her writing is a mix of romance, humor, and family and I knew I had to read more from her.

Always You follows the last man standing from the Bachelor Brotherhood, an agreement Matt and his two best friends made to give up on relationships after they all had terrible breakups. His two friends have found love and Matt has resigned himself to being single. He’s always wanted a family and is happy to have his 5 year old nephew, Ethan, living with him while his sister attends medical school out of state. He’s coaching Ethan’s soccer team when he finds out Ethan’s new best friend is the son of his old college girlfriend, Anna. The girlfriend who turned down his marriage proposal twelve years ago because she didn’t want to get married or have kids.

As you can imagine, Ethan and Anna reconcile. It took me a little while to get on board with their romance. I love a good Second Chance Romance story, but I felt like things happened just a little too easily. Matt had spent more than a decade being bitter about how Anna left and he completely thaws after just a couple of interactions. Now, I am all for forgiveness. And I can really appreciate that he realizes Anna wasn’t the only one to blame in their breakup, but it didn’t feel realistic for them to just pick up where they left off like they did. That said, I did eventually get on board and I liked them together. I also really liked the new family unit they made up with Ethan and Anna’s son, Toby. They were all so cute together and Matt was so, so sweet with the boys. I wasn’t sure about having Ethan and Toby be such a big part of the story at the beginning (I’m not a kid person, sorry), but they eventually won me over, as well.

One thing that really bugged me, though, was Anna’s issues with her ex-husband, Phillip. There were a lot of legal issues that needed to be worked out and for most of the book she was just resigned to not doing anything about it. She was a pretty strong, smart, and independent character in so many aspects, but she was such a doormat when it came to Phillip and I just didn’t understand it. She does eventually seek some help (with a fun cameo from one of the author’s previous series), though.

Overall, I enjoyed Always You. Matt is definitely one of the sweetest male leads I have read and I wish he was real. While it did take me a little bit to get into the romance and to like the kids, I did eventually get on board with all of it. There were several humorous parts, including a scene in Chuck E. Cheese that made me laugh out loud. I definitely plan on reading more books from Denise Grover Swank.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars

Make an appointment with your dentist, as Always You is so darn sweet it will give you a toothache!

This is my first Denise Grover Swank read, and even though this is book 3 in a series it did not affect my enjoyment.

This is a sweet and tender second chance romance, as we all have that one that got away, and we are full of what ifs, right.

Matt has got to be the sweetest, most patient guy I have ever read. I know that if things played out in my life like they did in his, I would not handle it as good as him.

Anna is adorable too, with a lot of baggage she is carrying around in her head and her heart.

I do like Matt and Anna together, but to me it felt a bit rushed how they got back together. I mean, after all that happened it felt like "hi, you're back, let's get together" -but this could just be me.

There are great secondary characters, a story that flows and makes your heart fill with hope.

I will now need to go back and read the first 2 books in this series.

I'm always a sucker for a second chance romance story and this is one of my favorites. Matt's world has already had a drastic change with him taking in his nephew recently. But then Anna, his college sweetheart, "the love of his life", "the one who got away", shows up unexpectedly and his whole world is thrown for a loop. You can tell from the moment they see each other again, that they both still have strong feelings lingering.

This story is touching, heartwarming, a little sexy, while being humorous also. Add kids to the story and you have so many laugh out loud moments that are just so real to life. I went through all the emotions when reading this story, tearing up in a few touching scenes. Denise always pulls you into the story and makes you feel as you are right there with the characters. Fantastic ending to the series!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book.

I am such a sucker for second chance romance. This is my favorite trope in any book and Denise gave me everything I love in. Always You is the final book in the Bachelor Brotherhood series and hands down my favorite book of the series. It was full of charm, laughter and tears and I loved every minute of it.

Matt and Anna met and fell in love in college. Both had their own plans for the future, but each failed to discuss with the other. As a result of youthful folly, both said things they would later regret and each left with a broken heart. When Matt and Anna meet up over a decade later, old feelings begin to surface but can they both forgive each for past wrongs in order to finally be together.

I loved how Denise wrote these two characters. Even though Matt and Anna were still hurting over their failed relationship they refused to act like children over it. Instead they dealt with the situation in a mature way. There talks and self-introspection was refreshing and not often seen in books today.

Matt and Anna were still young when they fell in love and they both made mistakes as they were just trying to find there way in the world. Their mistakes lead them to lose the one person they loved most. When fate gives them a second chance, they will have to learn to forgive each other.

As Matt and Anna reconnect and try to find a way back to each other, Anna's past comes crashing in looking to derail her only chance at happiness. These two will have a decisions to make. Will the repeat the mistakes of the youth and run or will they fight for the love they always wanted.

*********Received a review copy from Netgalley********

This is an endearing look into a second chance love that now has family complications. Well written and hits all the notes that a rom com should - makes you tear up, smile, laugh, and cheer. If I had one complaint the intimate scenes are not as descriptive as some romances, and there aren't many. But for a lot of people this is a positive! Otherwise really well written and does exactly what a rom-com should.

The one-that-got-away trope can be difficult to embrace. If a couple is so right for each other, why did they break up in the first place? If the reasons were legitimate at the time, are they sufficiently and believably resolved? Always You tackles these issues head-on.

Matt Osborne stayed in Kansas City after he graduated from college. He’s made a good life for himself—the only thing missing is a life partner. He even has a family, sort of—he’s his nephew Ethan’s guardian while Ethan’s mother attends medical school on the West Coast. Ethan’s the reason that he volunteered to coach soccer. It seems that more than five-year-old soccer players think Matt’s a terrific guy.

Standing at the edge of a grass soccer field, Matt stared into the sea of parents’ faces and resisted the urge to groan. Obviously, word had spread after last season that Coach Matt was relatively good looking, somewhat successful, loved kids, and most important, was single.

It’s a crazy first practice, full of naughty word-play on “balls,” uncomfortable leers from some of the soccer moms, and blood and gore on the sidelines. Ethan is upset that his best friend Toby Robins is late for the first practice. Toby’s from London, England and according to Ethan, “he’s never played soccer before, and he’s scared.” Finally, Toby shows up, visibly upset that his mother “was late. Again.” Matt reassures him.

“That’s okay. You haven’t missed much.”

“I don’t know how to play football,” the boy said with a frown.

Ethan chortled. “I told you it’s not football. It’s soccer. Uncle Matt says I’m too little to play football, isn’t that right, Uncle Matt?

Toby’s mother slowly makes her way across the grass—her high heels don’t help her progress but Matt can’t “help noticing that her legs were sexy as hell.”

And the way her golden blond hair fell across her face as she stared down at her shoes sinking deeper with each step made him think of after-sex bed head. Focus.

“Toby,” she said. “I told you to wait. We don’t know if it’s your team or not.”

Her voice sounded familiar, too. That stirring feeling inside him turned a bit uneasy. Surely he was just hearing things. . .

The practice continues to tank. A few kids start kicking balls at the coach’s head, saying, “It’s just like Angry Birds!” A ball hits “the back of his head with enough force to make his teeth rattle.” Matt is down for the count.

Sucking in a breath, he told himself he’d been wrong to think these kids didn’t have enough force to do serious damage.

He must have a traumatic head injury that included hallucinations, because he was staring up into the face of the only woman who had ever broken his heart.

Two best friends who play on the same soccer team—what unlikely Cupids, because, of course, Matt’s not wrong. He once knew Anna Field, Toby’s mother, very well indeed.

He's only loved one woman-his college sweetheart-but she never shared his dream of a family, preferring to focus on her career and maybe get married someday. With neither budged on their decisions, they agreed it was best to part ways.

What a difference twelve years make! Anna is divorced from her English husband: she has a very successful career. She’s back now “to care for her widowed and ill father,” and she’s juggling her family responsibilities with a remote work assignment. Inevitably, the two former lovers are thrown together frequently and sparks begin to fly. Like when Anna teaches Ethan to play skeeter ball and Matt can’t stop looking at her.

Holy Mother of God.

The way she was looking at him—a mixture of warmth and fire, friendliness and longing—he was ready to fuck it all and walk over and kiss her.

What was he thinking?No! This was crazy.

Crazy or not, some things are meant to be and Matt and Anna, now that they’re all grown-up, have so much in common: two loving hearts shot through with lust and longing. Anna only plans to stay in the United States for five more weeks—Matt begs her for “five weeks to get to know you again.” When he begs her to stay, how can her answer be anything but yes? They make a delightful couple and wonderful addition to Denise Grover Swank’s Bachelor Brotherhood series.

Prefect end to the series! I adored this book...Matt and Anna's story was a delight to watch unfold.

This is a second chance book. And it was set up just right to make it hard to put down. Sometimes romantic books feel forced and don't have a very good back story for the characters, but this was set up with some amazing ones.

Truly the best book out of the Bachelor Brotherhood Series!

Such a great and cute story.The story of Matt and Anna finding each other again, after over a ten year separation was heartwarming. I found every character likeable and original.Denise Grover Swank writes an awesome romance, with some twists and turns.

Unfortunately the book was not for me, no review was publicly posted on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads or Twitter etc, so no ratings were affected in relation to it.

Unfortunately the book was not for me, no review was publicly posted on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads or Twitter etc, so no ratings were affected in relation to it.

It’s always a little risky picking up a book that forms part of a series, and the final book at that, but Denise Grover Swank is an author I’ve wanted to read for a while now and I do love a second chance romance so it was a risk I was prepared to take. And it paid off because Always You was a well-written family-feel romance which brought that small-town atmosphere I have a soft spot for.

“You and I are ancient history. I can keep it in the past.”

Whilst the general storyline is one which has been done before, the strong cast of endearing characters made this the story it was. And when Anna returns from England to Blue Springs, Missouri to help care for her injured dad, she soon discovers her five year-olds new best-friend is the nephew of the kids soccer coach, and man whose heart she broke when she left.

“You and I were never a mistake.”

Anna and Matt are a couple waiting for their right place, right time and whose hearts never stopped beating for one another. Anna may have made some mistakes—doesn’t everyone whilst they’re young—but on the flip side everything happens for a reason as she now has the most amazing little boy. And Matt was lovely, he wears his heart on his sleeve, he’s doing an amazing job raising his nephew but when Toby and Ethan become inseparable it knocks him off his stride, forcing him and Anna to be civil to one another and he soon realises that he can’t let the love of his life leave again without her knowing just how he feels about her. But with her life back in England, they have some tough decisions to make and my heart went out to them.

“…let’s have tomorrow. And as many days as we can before you go.”

With some absolutely hilarious moments counterbalancing the romantic aspect, Always You was a feel-good romance with a great cast of secondary characters and some drama thrown into the mix heading towards the end. Some of it felt a little speedy at times as Matt and Anna navigate the path towards true love all over again, but that can be forgiven as this was an enjoyable introduction to the author’s writing and I plan on rewinding and reading Tyler and Kevin’s books.

“Never underestimate a man in love.”

This in my opinion is not the best book of hers I've read. I did enjoy reading it a lot and I will post a full comprehensive review on release date.

Lovely second chance romance that will melt even the coldest hearts. Perfect blend of romance, heartache, laughter, tears, and finding your way back to love despite life’s many setbacks and curveballs. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. Now here's your honest review.

3 stars

Those looking for a Jill Shalvis read-alike will feel right at home with this book. I adore Jill Shalvis and often chuckle at her blog posts, but her books just don't hit the right notes for me. I can't put my finger on it. The same rings true with this book. There is nothing particularly wrong about this book, but it didn't emit any sparks for me. I found it to be rather predictable, which can be fine, especially when you're looking for something uncomplicated and enjoyable. That's essentially how this can be described.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I struggled in the middle and took a chance and skipped a bit--[gasp!]. I think it helped. I jumped in at a good part and found that the ending was really well done. I actually ended up liking the book more by the end.

I had a hard time reading this book. I put it down a few times and picked it back up. I could not get into it. At all.