This one was so sweet! I loved the budding romance in this book and also felt that it had strong autistic representation (which makes sense since it's #OwnVoices).

OMG, Ren and Frankie are two of my favorites! Loved this book so much. Ren is a hockey star hunk, although he has always pined after the standoffish Frankie. Frankie is the team's social media director, slinking around, taking photos of the guys, but always putting them in their place. She also is autistic *and* had rheumatoid arthritis, so she walks with a cane. After someone breaks into Frankie's house while the team is at a playoff game, she comes to live with Ren (as well as her adorable dog) and the sparks fly. It's hard to deny the chemistry between the two. I love the way Frankie is written (I understand this is an #ownstories book) but I especially love that Ren, the hunky hockey player, has never had a girlfriend, let alone lost his virginity. It's sweet and unexpected vs. the various hockey hunk tropes you see with all the sweaty alpha males. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for this honest review

Oh my, what a romance novel! Always Only You is perfect for fans of Talia Hibbert and Helen Hoang (a.k.a. me). It's an opposites-attract romance about Ren, a nerdy, late-blooming and hunky Swedish-American hockey player; and Frankie, his team's tough cookie social media coordinator. Told from both perspectives, I'm going to list all the reasons why I loved this book.

1. Firstly, it's an #OwnVoices book for its portrayal of autism by an autistic author. Frankie is also not only autistic - she has rheumatoid arthritis and uses a cane to get around in day-to-day life. But she doesn't let either of these diagnoses get her down, which made her a very enjoyable character. There's a scene where she's smoking medicinal marijuana that made me laugh out loud.

2. Ren is also a very likeable protagonist. I mean, he's a drop-dead gorgeous hockey player and a gentle giant that loves Shakespeare, can cook and lives on Manhattan Beach. Where can I find my own Ren, seriously?

3. At the beginning of each chapter is a song and artist that "provides another means of emotional connection." I followed the Spotify playlist and absolutely loved this concept!

4. There's more to come! Always Only You is the second book in a series that follows the Bergman siblings (five brothers and two sisters). I cannot wait to devour this entire series.

So, if you like your romance novels to be refreshingly unique, with a side of witty dialogue and steam, do yourself a favour and read Always Only You immediately.

I actually really liked this book! It’s 3.5 stars for me. The voice of the author really shined through and it seem believable. I think we could be friends in real life.

Loved it. I read the first book in the Bergman Brothers series and totally fell in love with the characters. It was my first book by the author and I was more than happy that I got a ARC of the second book too. I loved every second Ren and Frankie's love story. A forbidden office romance is just the thing I needed to read. If you like sports romance with good characters, great characters and awesome chemistry then I highly recommend you read this. I hope you all like it as much as I did.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review the ARC.

I picked up this book because of the blurb, wondering how autism would be handled, I found this book wonderfully written! I laughed, I cried and my heart melted. Frankie with her dry sense of humor, Ren's huge heart that showed his beauty inside and out and the hilarious banter among all the characters makes this as entertaining as it is heart felt! I enjoyed the writing so much I am delving into her other works.

Always Only You is the second installment of the Bergman Brothers series. It is an opposites-attract, forbidden love sports romance with two characters who are impossible not to fall in love with. Ren is hunky, nerdy and sweet and inexperienced while Frankie is tough, sometimes blunt and guarded. Full of humor, emotional moments and steamy scenes, it is a story of how two opposites fall in love.

I read the first book in the series, Only When It's Us, and absolutely fell in love with Willa and Ryder. I also fell in love with Chloe Liese's writing and I was so excited when I was approved for the second book of the series. The writing is impeccable and I love how she sprinkles references from other books and writers such as Shakespeare into her stories. Chloe is also able to balance humor, emotion and sexy times into a story that is not only captivating but also realistic. Frankie and Ren are incredible characters and I found myself rooting for them and their budding romance. I also really enjoy reading about the Bergman family and seriously can't wait for more!

#Ownvoices stories, and particularly romances, are so important and Chloe Liese absolutely knocked it out of the park. Frankie's autism and rheumatoid arthritis were portrayed in a thoughtful, accurate and honest way which is so needed in fiction. I also liked that Frankie wasn't the only character on the spectrum. We need more characters like Frankie and we need more stories like Always Only You.

Thank you Netgalley for providing the arc of this book. I picked this one up for the #letsreadownvoices readathon in Instagram.
Ren and Frankie have known each other for three years and they have been secretly attracted to each other for just as long. But work policy forbidding their relationship meant never acting on their attraction. But now finally, they might have a chance at moving forward but are they prepared for a relationship? Read to find out. 😉
I loved Ren amd Frankie!! Ren is a bag of sunshine and one of the sweetest cinnamon rolls in fiction!! He’s so adorable, with his dorky Shakespeare curses and patient understanding. Frankie is a sarcastic, witty grump who makes the perfect match for Ren and both of them together is like the bestest!! They are sooo adorable together that I just can’t...Their budding friendship and slow burn romance was just amazing and also soooo sooo sweet without ever being cheesy. I loved it soo much!!
The portrayal of Frankie chronic illness and autism was an eye opener after reading mostly stereotypes all these years. The scene between Frankie and Ziggy, where they open up about it had me on the verge of tears but was also really really informative. This is exactly why we need more #ownvoices books!
I would have rated this 5 stars if not for a few things that bothered me. The transitions from scene to scene in the initial chapters were quite abrupt and I had a difficult time trying to orient myself. It became better in the later chapter but the beginning had me reeling to figure out the where and when. Another thing that bothered me was the HP references. There was a sort of disclaimer given about JKR and her transphobic views in one of the early chapters but the constant Hp references in the book did make me feel uncomfortable.
But overall it was an adorable rom com that also manages to burst some myths about neurodivergence. Looking forward to more from this author.

One of my favorite books of the year. I truly loved this book and was so excited when I got the arc. The dual point of view added to the story and I liked getting to see both of the main character's side of the story. Ren and Frankie both were amazing characters. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I absolutely adored Always Only You. This book is fun, smart, and super sexy, bringing all the steam through slow burn buildup. And I love that Chloe weaves in characters living with disabilities including autism and chronic illness. Not only does this book provide disability and neurodiverse representation, it encourages able-bodied readers, like myself, to think critically about potential biases we may have or ableist structures we may be unconsciously upholding. ⁣⁣
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This can be read as a stand-alone but if you’re planning on picking up Always Only You, I’d highly recommend reading Only When It’s Us first for background and context on a number of characters and storylines that appear in AOY. ⁣⁣
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Thank you @netgalley and @chloeliese for the advance copy. ⁣⁣
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Frankie is the strong independent woman. Working her loved job as social media PR for the LA Kings hockey team, she loves what she does and she does it well. She also enjoys getting to spend time and stare at the beautiful Ren Bergman, although he is totally off limits.

For Ren, it’s the same. The beautiful and quirky Frankie with him daily at work is amazing, but he can’t stop imaging having her daily at home too. She’s worth the wait, and although she is off limits now, she won’t always be.

Frankie is delightful. She’s a strong woman who doesn’t let her rheumatoid arthritis or autism define her. She works, socializes and lives a normal life. She’s a fantastic character. Ren is a god of a man. A beautiful gingery athlete with a heart of gold. They are lovely together.

I felt like I started this book somewhere in the middle. There was no lead up, no watching the two line for each other, just immediate falling into place to outline their real relationship. Therefore, I found myself not as invested in their love, I didn’t get the long awaited, years of being in love with someone who is off limits. They were just two people in love now.

Overall cute with good characters.

If you like romances, go buy this one!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to @netgalley for a copy to read and review! I loved the hockey references in this book and it goes along well right now!
Frankie and Ren work together, he’s a hockey star and she works in the offices (PR or something I forget 😬😬). Ren has been in love with her for years.when she gets accepted to school to be a lawyer, will he tell her his feelings??? Ren was such an amazing character. I dare say he was perfect! I related to Frankie many times during the story, while I don’t share all her medical issues many times I have had similar feelings to her. For example, I also tend to fixate on things and then talk about it incessantly!

“What most people alder is ...incomplete.” Always Only You by Chloe Liese

4 stars! The second book of the Bergman siblings series is a slow burn book, that feels light and yet isn’t quite. It tackles disability rather frankly (hehehe, like Frankie) and is honestly a great look into that kind of POV.

I love Frankie. I wish she was my friend. And I really do like her references to Harry Potter (her cane is her elder wand!) and her enjoyment of books. Ren is sweet and a nerd who is a jock too. His family is really great.

I found myself wanting to ask the author what online shop Frankie was telling Ziggy about. I also kept wondering if this is how the people I know who have autism thinks and feels too. But autism is different for each person. I learned that early on.

I just love this book because it you don’t read a lot of stories with the hero/heroine having autism. Well, I don’t know of them. This is probably my 2nd or 3rd book with that kind of hero/heroine. If you guys know of any, do let me know.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Chloe Liese for letting me have an arc of this book. I do enjoyed it. This book will be our Aug 4, 2020.

I’m really looking forward to the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this review copy. This was my first book by Chloe Liese but it won’t be my last. Having a female protagonist with a chronic illness is rare within the genre but having such a believable character raised this novel up far beyond many of the other generic type romance novels that I have read.

I thought this was a little long, but that wasnt even a fault. I love close proximity, forbidden romances. This was so wonderful. The diversity was so unique. I've never read anything quite like it. I didn't realize this was a series, so I look forward to going back and reading the first one!

"the guy’s a nonstop-scoring, smiling, six-foot-three hunk of happy, who makes my job much easier than it otherwise would be. But there’s only so much sunshine that a grump like me can take. And for three years, Ren has been pushing my limit."

From the moment Ren met Frankie he knew that behind all her grump and hilarious deadpan deliveries was a girl with a heart of gold that was just wait for the right guy to show her that her heart would be safe. However working together made Frankie 100% off limits, but a girl like Frankie was made for much greater things and Ren was willing to wait until they no longer worked together.

••

"All I see is Frankie, Frankie who’s staring back at me, and it’s like free-falling through time and space, lost in the vortex of her gaze."

As much as everyone thinks she is all grumps Frankie really isn't all that grumpy, she has kind of just gone with it. But one thing is for sure no one should be as chipper as Ren! And to make things more annoying the constant ray of sunshine is actually a really nice guy. But have lived for so long with her condition Frankie has learned it's just safer not to let people in, but will Ren be able to knock down her walls?

••

"And while most of us like to comfort ourselves with the delusion that love is bliss, it’s not called falling in love for nothing . We love, entranced by the breathtaking view, and we fall, not knowing where we’ll land."

This book was everything! I so need my own Ren! This guy is the perfect hero ever, and his love for Shakespeare only makes him cuter. But really I loved Frankie, I love a good grump and to have it as the female lead, bonus points! But really the thing I liked the most about Frankie was how real she was and that she faced real problems that are not often shown in novels. On that note I have to give Liese huge props for bring autism to the forefront and that she didn't sugarcoat the challenges faced while living with autism.

••

“‘ Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle’s compass come; Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom.’”

I have to say my favorite part of the book was when Frankie and Ren played house and they played with her pup on the beach. Oh and their hilarious quest to find nicknames for each other, this had me laughing out loud. I absolutely loved this slow burn, opposites attract, hockey romance I promise you will fall instantly in love with both Ren and Frankie and their beautiful journey to finding each other all while laughing out loud constantly

I adored this book! The Bergman Brothers series is one of my favorites of 2020. Ren and Frankie's story was a great one. I loved both characters so much. What made this book even more special is that it is an OwnVoices novel. Chloe Liese is one of my new favorite authors. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Always Only You by Chloe Liese is the 2nd book in the Bergman Brothers romance series, and another fun addition. This book was easy to read and perfect for an escape from hot weather or the pandemic. I will be reading more books by this author, I highly recommend this book if you enjoy romances.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Always Only You, follows Frankie Zeferino, social media extraordinaire for the Los Angeles Kings. Frankie has her routine and masks she wears, but finds that mask slipping around the team superstar, Ren Bergman. This story is an opposites attract, forbidden-love between a late blooming hockey superstar and the tough cookie who keeps her soft side and autism diagnosis to herself. This is an #OwnVoices story, for its portrayal of autism by an autistic author.

I am a sucker for books that show both point-of-views for those involved. I love knowing what’s going through everyone’s mind! I picked up this book because I am a lover of sports and even though I’m a SJ Sharks fan, I absolutely loved the sports dynamic this story told. Søren (his name alone is swoon-worthy!) is such a sweet and sensitive soul and I love his love for Frankie. He respects her independence and need to not be a hinderance, but his torture of wanting to just sweep her off her feet is adorable. Frankie is a wonderful character, it was captivating to read through the eyes of someone with autism. To see the everyday obstacles she faces to find comfort in her routine and interactions was eye-opening. The entire dynamic between Frankie and Søren was a twist on a love story I didn’t know I needed. As soon as I finished this story, I immediately downloaded book one in the series, Only When It’s Us. I can’t wait for Chloe Liese’s future stories on the whole Bergman brood!

This review will appear at All About Romance closer to the release date.

Always Only You (Bergman Brothers #2)
Chloe Liese
August 4, 2020, CR/#ownvoices
Self-pubbed, 480 pages, Amazon ASIN B08BZNQN7X
Sensuality: Warm
Grade: B

I gave Always Only You a B at All About Romance .

I’ll be honest, I knew very little about this book when I requested it. I saw the lovely cartoon cover featuring a hockey player (I like them, btw), read the blurb, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Friends, the risk paid off. I mostly enjoyed Always Only You, the second novel in the Bergman Brothers series, and I have every intention of backtracking and reading the first book in the series, too. The author, recently diagnosed on the autism spectrum, has crafted an #ownvoices story that’s romantic, inspirational and educational. The novel features an autistic heroine trying – and mostly succeeding – at the game of life, and a virgin cinnamon roll hero who hopes to one day earn her love. Always Only You is a funny, sexy, low-angst romance focused almost entirely on the relationship between its two principal characters, and I liked it very much.

Francesca – Frankie – Zeferino is the In-Game Social Media Coordinator for the Los Angeles Kings hockey franchise. She’s great at her job, and despite her clubhouse nickname “Frank the Crank,” she’s a softie who cares about the team, its players, and their reputations. Being tough is part of her job, and it’s easier for her if the players assume she’s a hard ass all the time. She dresses the part, too – unrelenting black and white clothing, black sneakers, and a silver walking cane she refers to as the Elder Wand (she needs it because her rheumatoid arthritis sometimes makes it difficult for her to get around).

The whole look is very Wednesday Adams, with a similar and intended repelling effect. People leave me alone. Which is how I like it.

But Frankie has a big secret. She’s autistic and her clothing and attitude are part of the armor that helps her get through days that are physically and mentally challenging and exhausting. Fortunately, one player makes her job easier, Søren – Ren – Bergman, the sunshine to her rain cloud.

Handsome, fit, kind, generous and good, Ren is a ginger haired dreamboat. He prefers book club meetings to parties – as evidenced by his membership in an ultra-secret Shakespeare book club – he’s always willing to lend his time and smile to a good cause, and he never seems to have a bad day. He’s also a terrific hockey player and his teammates love him. Frankie knows he’s off limits, but can’t seem to stop noticing him whenever he’s around. And he’s around a lot. Unbeknownst to Frankie, Ren purposefully seeks her out so he can spend time with her. Ren sees the softer, sweeter side that Frankie thinks she keeps hidden, and since the moment he met her three years earlier, he’s wanted her. But therein lies the rub. Because they work together, Frankie is forbidden. For three years, Ren has waited, wanting Frankie and hoping for his chance – and when Always Only You gets underway, he finally gets it. After someone breaks into her house, Frankie has to temporarily move out. Ren offers her a place to stay, and then discovers Frankie is making plans to leave the team. An ‘accidental’ kiss convinces him it’s time to make his move, and he gets to work winning Frankie over. Forced proximity, as everyone in Romancelandia already knows, wreaks havoc on ‘platonic’ friendships between people secretly in lust with each other.

Spoiler alert: Close proximity - LIVING TOGETHER! - changes everything.

Always Only You is a lovely ode to the opposites attract trope, and Ren and Frankie fall fast and hard for each other. Frankie grew up feeling like a burden or a problem for her family to deal with, and she moved across the country to break free of their smothering love. Fiercely independent, strong, and tough, Frankie doesn’t need or want someone to fight her battles for her, or to treat her with kid gloves. She’s also avoided romantic entanglements after watching past boyfriends flee the moment she revealed any sort of weakness, and she doesn’t want Ren to break her heart, too. She falls for him, but tries to keep him at a distance. Ren wants to protect and support Frankie, and struggles to prove to her that she isn’t a burden or problem he’s trying to solve. Raised in a big family and exposed to lots of different personalities and temperaments, very little throws Ren off his game – on the ice or off it. When Frankie confesses she’s autistic, Ren is surprised – but not for the reason Frankie imagines – he just can’t believe he didn’t guess it on his own. His response:

“my little sister is on the spectrum. So, while everyone’s unique, and I’m no expert, I love someone who’s autistic. And I hope you know I’m a safe place for you to be you,”

is yet another reason why Ren is nearly irresistible.

Always Only You doesn’t feature a secondary plot (although the author introduces a villainous character at the start and then largely forgets about him); the evolving romance between Ren and Frankie IS the story. Mostly this works – when these two are figuring out how to love each other, the story shines. The characterization of both principal characters is excellent, although frankly Ms. Liese, Ren is too good to be true. Discovering that super hot and sexy Ren was an adorkable nerd in high school, is still a virgin, swears like a Shakespearean sailor, and perfectly intuits how to give a woman an orgasm despite a seeming lack of experience all feels a bit like gilding the lily. Leading men can have flaws and still be great partners! Frankie is similarly well-realized, and Ms. Liese does a terrific job showing readers the effects of RA and autism on Frankie’s everyday life, although she occasionally grows pedantic. It sometimes feels like the story is less about Frankie specifically, and more like a TED talk about autism. Regardless, Frankie – despite the challenges she faces – is formidable and extremely likeable. It’s easy to see why Ren falls for her.

While I mostly liked the book, the author has some peculiar idiosyncrasies. Whenever Frankie is surprised by something Ren-related, her expressions are completely bizarre: Mary Mother of Jesus Riding on a Donkey (after spotting Ren’s hair in the moonlight); Preschool Jesus with a Carpentry Awl (after Ren licks ketchup off his thumb); Jesus Tossing Tables in the Temple (when Ren appears wearing fitted joggers); or Jesus Skipping through the Resurrection Garden (when Ren scowls at a bad driver) - and that's not even all of them! I don’t know if the author does this in real life or… honestly, I simply don’t know. It’s just weird. And while Ms. Liese is a self-described Harry Potter fan and makes Frankie one, too, the explicit references to Frankie’s wet or soaked Harry Potter themed panties are just plain yuck. Why Ms. Liese? Why?!

Finally, one last quibble. If you aren't a hocky fan IRL, you probably won't notice these issues: Ren is a hockey player, but there isn’t a ton of hockey in this story, and a few of the game references (made the lamp glow red instead of ‘lit the lamp,’ and a chest pump in lieu of a group hug after a score) are just plain wrong. These errors...

Read the rest of this review at: All About Romance.