Review: Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chloe Liese

 

Once Smitten, Twice Shy (Wilmot Sisters #3) by Chloe Liese

Publication Date: January 14th 2025 by Berkley

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Juliet has been burned by love and is wary of jumping back into the dating pool. Will is awkward and shy and so he has trouble navigating romance. They meet and end up confiding in each other, deciding to enter into a practice romance to help each other prepare to find love.

 

Once Smitten, Twice Shy was a sweet and spicy romance brimming with chemistry! There was a great foundation of friendship first making their connection more profound. Both Juliet and Will were likeable characters and so thoughtful with each other. It made my heart swoon! I also appreciated there was no third act breakup!

 

As a side note I love the beautiful cover! It perfectly depicts Will and Juliet in a scene from the book. The same with the other covers in the series. 

4 Stars

Book Description:

Star-crossed lovers learn that practicing romance leads to the perfect happy ending in this steamy reimagining of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Since heartbreak entered the scene, Juliet Wilmot, once a hopeless romantic, has sworn off love. But when she's presented with the chance to revisit romance-purely for practice-with the gorgeous, off-limits guy she keeps serendipitously running into, it feels like a sign from the universe.

Quiet, shy Will Orsino knows happily-ever-after isn't on his horizon. Problem is, for the sake of the family business, marriage is. Resigned to the inevitable, but with no confidence he can woo a wife, he can hardly say no when fate hands him the alluring, unattainable woman he keeps crossing paths with, offering to help him learn the ropes of romance.

Neither of them looking for love, Jules and Will agree they're the perfect pair to practice romance. Except that practicing to perfection leads to an irresistible attraction. Their once smitten hearts, though still twice shy, might have happily-ever-after written in the stars for them, after all.

Review: If Only You by Chloe Liese

 

If Only You (The Bergman Brothers #6) by Chloe Liese

Publication Date: February 20th 2024 by Berkley Reprint & Tantor Audio

Pages: 384

Narrators: CJ Bloom and Nelson Hobbs

Audio Book Length: 11hrs

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Sebastian Gautier, a professional hockey player, needs to shed his bad boy reputation since he’s on thin ice with his team, and rapidly losing sponsors. Ziggy Bergman is the youngest on the National Soccer team, and is tired of being seen as the naïve, squeaky-clean girl. She wants to be recognized as the smart, capable woman she is. A recent run in with Seb, Ziggy’s brother’s best friend, has her thinking that they could help each other out by faking a friendship. By association Ziggy could polish Zeb’s reputation make it seem like he’s cleaning up his act a bit, and Ziggy might be taken more seriously and treated less like a little girl when seen with an edgy male.

Ziggy and Seb were very opposite: where one was weak, the other helped with a fresh, different perspective, assisting each other to grow in positive ways.  Of course, being so close the fake friendship soon turns into a real one. Each feels the pull of attraction sparking between them as they get closer.  

If Only You was a fun fake-friends-to-more romance! I enjoyed the clever banter and bits of humor that made me giggle more than a few times. I really appreciated that there was no third act drama and I enjoyed the neurodivergent and chronic illness representation that Ms. Liese included here, as she does with many of her romances, portraying characters with real-life problems, making them more relatable. I absolutely love the new covers Berkley has released for the whole series, but I especially love the one for If Only You with its vibrant, spring vibes!

I alternately read an e-copy and listened to an audio of If Only You and I recommend either version. CJ Bloom and Nelson Hobbs bring Ziggy and Sebastian to life with their wonderful performances. They definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the story. I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

4 Stars

Book Description:

The TikTok sensation, now with new exclusive content!

A longtime good girl and unapologetic bad boy score the love of their life when they least expect to in this swoony, slow-burn sports romance.

Ziggy Bergman is tired of being underestimated. Sure, she’s the youngest player on the National Soccer team and the baby of the family, but that doesn’t mean she still deserves to be treated like a kid. It’s time for her angelic image to get a makeover. What better way to do that than hanging out with trouble incarnate and her brother’s best friend, Sebastian Gauthier?

Sebastian has hit rock bottom. His hockey career and sponsorships are in jeopardy of ending if something doesn’t give. Seb’s not willing to actually change his destructive ways, but he’s happy to pretend he’s a reformed reprobate by faking a friendship for publicity with sweet, shy Ziggy Bergman.

When faking starts to feel real, Ziggy and Seb discover an unexpected friendship they’re happy to hold on to. At least, until their once-fake friendship becomes the most loving, empowering relationship they’ve ever known, and the end goal—for both of them—changes.

Review: Always Only You by Chloe Liese

 

Always Only You (Bergman Brothers #2) by Chloe Liese

Publication Date: December 12th 2023 by Berkley & Tantor Audio

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher & Library Audio

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Libro.fm | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Frankie Zeferino is the social media coordinator for the hockey team Ren Bergman plays for, therefore he’s off limits. Not that she’s attracted to his perpetual sunniness or anything, lol. She totally is!

 

Frankie has the reputation of being a no-nonsense, take-no-crap kind of girl, and she completely encourages that perception. First of all, as a woman in the hockey world she wants to be taken seriously and second, she has trouble deciphering social cues sometimes so it’s easier to be thought of as grumpy in her reactions than clueless. Plus, she is kind of grumpy at times since on top of being autistic she’s deals with chronic pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

Ren is the sunshine to Frankie’s grump, and he’s been secretly pining for her for the last three years. Knowing their job dynamics make it impossible for them to date, he’s been biding his time. Fortunately for Ren the wait is just about over.

 

It was refreshing to have a heroine dealing with real life struggles. It made Frankie easy to relate to and I admired how she made an effort to not them steal her joy. She found ways to manage and help her conditions. Ren was an absolute cinnamon roll sweetheart! With his position and fame, he could’ve been a conceited jerk, but he was the exact opposite. I loved how caring and considerate he was with Frankie, while at the same time not being a push over.  These two were sweet and extra spicy together!

The Bergman family was a big, loud, boisterous bunch and I’m looking forward to getting to know a few more of them! This is my second time through Always Only You, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first. I love the new covers Berkley has designed for the series! Frankie and Ren are illustrated perfectly!

4 Stars

Book Description:

It’s an office romance on the ice rink in this heart melting story about love’s power not in spite of difference but because of it.

Ren has known Frankie Zeferino was a woman worth waiting for since the moment they met. She’s a master of deadpan delivery, has a secret heart of gold, and a rare one-dimpled smile that makes his knees go weak. But as long as Frankie’s the team’s social media manager, she’s off limits.

Frankie is a self-admittedly blunt, grumbly grump, but even she isn’t immune to sunshiney Ren Bergman. Who could be, when he’s a six-foot-three hunk of happy with a hockey player’s physique? Maybe in the past, Frankie would have gone for a guy like him, but since being burned too many times by people who learn about her diagnoses and see a problem, not a person, she’s wised up.

After waiting years for the right time to make his move, Ren learns Frankie plans to leave the team to pursue a new career. But what he didn’t anticipate is how hard he’ll have to work to convince her to let him have his shot at winning her heart.

Review: Better Hate than Never by Chloe Liese

 

Better Hate than Never (Wilmot Sisters #2) by Chloe Liese

Publication Date: October 10th 2023 by Berkley

Pages: 360

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Enemies-to-lovers can be a tricky romance trope. It’s hard to wipe out the negative if the characters are super hateful to each other, but I didn’t think Christopher or Kate crossed over the line. They were more in the habit of being contrary to each other, each for different reasons. Kate lashed out, because she felt hurt and rejected by Christopher over and over, and Christopher wanted to keep her at arm’s length, to counteract his attraction to her. He had no idea that his words and actions truly hurt Kate’s feelings.

I can’t write this without mentioning the absolutely yummy sounding doughnuts in the story! Sentences like this: “tart apples and cinnamon, pumpkin and pungent nutmeg, warm vanilla and rich maple syrup” made me crave a doughnut or five, and that wasn’t the only batch mentioned!

Better Hate than Never was a fun reimagining of Taming the Shrew. Ten Things I Hate About You is one of my all-time favorite movies and there’s a few nods to the film in the story. I liked that there was no over-the-top, last-minute drama once Kate and Christopher sorted out their adversarial relationship and acknowledged their sizzling chemistry. Chloe Liese built the tension between these two which resulted in some hot stuff! I loved the family connections and support as well.

 4 Stars

Book Description:

Childhood enemies discover the fine line between love and loathing in this heartfelt reimagining of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.

Katerina Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio shared backyards as kids, but as adults they won't even share the same hemisphere. That is, until Kate makes a rare visit home, and their fiery animosity rekindles into a raging inferno.

Despite their friends' and families' pleas for peace, Christopher is unconvinced Kate would willingly douse the flames of their enmity. But when a drunken Kate confesses she's only been hostile because she thought he hated her, Christopher vows to make peace with Kate once and for all. Tempting as it is to be swept away by her nemesis-turned-gentleman, Kate isn't sure she can trust his charming good-guy act.

When Christopher's persistence and Kate’s curiosity lead to an impassioned kiss, they realize "peace" is the last thing that will ever be possible between them. As desire gives way to deeper feelings, Kate and Christopher must decide if it’s truly better to hate than to never risk their hearts—or if they already gave them away long ago.