A surprised laugh spills out of me, and Ren’s ben widens, brighter than the California noontime sun. But for once, that sunshine smile doesn’t bother this grump one bit.

Always Only You

Ren

The moment I met her, I knew Frankie Zeferino was someone worth waiting for. Deadpan delivery, secret heart of gold, and a rare one-dimpled smile that makes my knees weak, Frankie has been forbidden since the day she and I became coworkers, meaning waiting has been the name of my game—besides, hockey, that is.

I’m a player on the team, she’s on staff, and as long as we work together, dating is off-limits. But patience has always been my virtue. Frankie won’t be here forever—she’s headed for bigger, better things. I just hope that when she leaves the team and I tell her how I feel, she won’t want to leave me behind, too.

Frankie

I’ve had a problem at work since the day Ren Bergman joined the team: a six foot three hunk of happy with a sunshine smile. I’m a grumbly grump and his ridiculously good nature drives me nuts, but even I can’t entirely ignore that hot tamale of a ginger with icy eyes, the perfect playoff beard, and a body built for sin that he’s annoyingly modest about.

Before I got wise, I would have tripped over myself to get a guy like Ren, but with my diagnosis, I’ve learned what I am to most people in my life—a problem, not a person. Now, opening my heart to anyone, no matter how sweet, is the last thing I’m prepared to do.

I loved the first book in the Bergman Brothers series, Only When It’s Us, so I had high hopes for Always Only You. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. 

Always Only You is the second book in the series and follows Ren Bergman, a hockey player with a heart of gold, and Frankie Zeferino, his team’s grumpy social media manager. Rem has been in love with Frankie for years, but because they work together, she’s been off-limits. But when Frankie applies for a Master’s program, the thing keeping them apart suddenly is no longer an issue. 

I adored this story. Grumpy/sunshine is one of my favorite relationship dynamics, so this was already guaranteed to check that box for me, but I especially loved how Chloe Liese turned the trope on its head by swapping the roles. I also loved the combination of steamy and slow-burn. From the beginning, Ren and Frankie’s chemistry is so palpable that I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for them to finally act on it.  

But I think the main reason I loved this book is because of how much it resonated with me. Frankie is autistic, and this is the first book I’ve read where a character is shown to be neurodivergent. I am not autistic myself, but I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was very young, and there is a lot of overlap between the two. So many of Frankie’s struggles and coping mechanisms felt familiar to me—the constant masking and the hyper fixation on Harry Potter—so it felt really good seeing even part of my daily life reflected in media in a way that felt authentic. 

I would definitely recommend reading Always Only You. Ren is a total sweetheart, and despite her externally grumpy nature, so is Frankie. I loved all the nerdy pop culture references to Harry Potter and Shakespeare and the neurodivergent and disability representation.