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Bergman Brothers #3
Ever After Always
Buckle up for an emotional journey of hijinks, heartache, and a hot slow-burn in this marriage-in-crisis romance about going the distance to make love last.
Aiden
I’ve spent twelve years loving Freya Bergman and twelve lifetimes won’t be enough to give her everything she deserves. She’s my passionate, tender-hearted wife, my best friend, and all I want is to make her happy. But the one thing that will make her happiest is the one thing I’m not sure I can give her: a baby.
With the pressure of providing and planning for a family, my anxiety’s at an all-time high, and I find myself pulling away, terrified to tell my wife how I’m struggling. But when Freya kicks me out, I realize that pulling back has turned into pushing too far. Now it’s the fight of a lifetime to save our marriage.
Freya
I love my cautious, hard-working husband. He’s my partner and best friend, the person I know I can count on most. Until one day I realize the man I married is nowhere to be found. Now Aiden is quiet and withdrawn, and as the months wear on, the pain of our growing distance becomes too much.
As if weathering marriage counseling wasn’t enough, we’re thrown together for an island getaway to celebrate my parents’ many years of perfect marriage while ours is on the brink of collapse. Despite my meddling siblings and a week in each other’s constant company, this trip somehow gets us working through the trouble in paradise. I just can’t help worrying, when we leave paradise and return to the real world, will trouble find us again?
Ever After Always is a marriage-in-crisis, opposites-attract romance about a sensitive, fierce-loving woman and her resilient husband who has anxiety disorder. Complete with island vacation antics, a sibling prank gone wrong, and a steamy slow burn, this standalone is the third in a series of novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.
Aiden
I’ve spent twelve years loving Freya Bergman and twelve lifetimes won’t be enough to give her everything she deserves. She’s my passionate, tender-hearted wife, my best friend, and all I want is to make her happy. But the one thing that will make her happiest is the one thing I’m not sure I can give her: a baby.
With the pressure of providing and planning for a family, my anxiety’s at an all-time high, and I find myself pulling away, terrified to tell my wife how I’m struggling. But when Freya kicks me out, I realize that pulling back has turned into pushing too far. Now it’s the fight of a lifetime to save our marriage.
Freya
I love my cautious, hard-working husband. He’s my partner and best friend, the person I know I can count on most. Until one day I realize the man I married is nowhere to be found. Now Aiden is quiet and withdrawn, and as the months wear on, the pain of our growing distance becomes too much.
As if weathering marriage counseling wasn’t enough, we’re thrown together for an island getaway to celebrate my parents’ many years of perfect marriage while ours is on the brink of collapse. Despite my meddling siblings and a week in each other’s constant company, this trip somehow gets us working through the trouble in paradise. I just can’t help worrying, when we leave paradise and return to the real world, will trouble find us again?
Ever After Always is a marriage-in-crisis, opposites-attract romance about a sensitive, fierce-loving woman and her resilient husband who has anxiety disorder. Complete with island vacation antics, a sibling prank gone wrong, and a steamy slow burn, this standalone is the third in a series of novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.
358 pages, Paperback
First published January 12, 2021
About the author
Chloe Liese
18 books9,214 followersChloe writes romances reflecting her belief that everyone deserves a love story. Her stories pack a punch of heat, heart, and humor, and often feature characters who are neurodivergent like herself. When not dreaming up her next book, Chloe spends her time wandering in nature, playing soccer, and most happily at home with her family and mischievous cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,519 reviews
October 19, 2021
Oh boy, I’m addicted to this series! Each book is genuine , honest, heartwarming, funny, smart, memorable!
Chloe Liese is brave and skilled author to bring life to neurodiverse, unique, quirky but connectable and adorable characters! You don’t just like them or feel sympathy for them, you feel like they’re huge part of your family or your real close friends. You just want to hug them tight, knitting colorful Christmas sweaters for them!
Ms. Liese reflects their lives, their flaws, mistakes, their antics, character defaults so genuinely! You quickly accept all of them, yearning for their happiness!
This time she wrote about long time married couple which was not an ideal topic choice for romance books because we get used to read the marriage at the end of those novels as if marrying with someone is the finish line, a satisfying epilogue, true end of fairy tale with happily ever after cliches! But as we know in true life, marriage is not the ending ! It is the just the trailers you watch before the real movie starts!
The story of Freya and Aiden is about long time married couple suffering from estrangement and communication problems! Aiden wants to give his energetic, kind hearted wife the beautiful life she deserves, he wants to give her a baby she has been yearning for! But bringing a new life to world comes with its cost! Aiden has to plan everything financially! This is a huge step for their lives! He tries to deal with his anxiety issues, throwing tantrums because he wants to provide financially fulfilled life to his family. He starts to build more walls between him and his wife! Freya finally thinks enough is enough, kicking him out!
Marriage counseling didn’t fix their problems when two of them reject to talk about real issues! Joining the celebration of Freya’s parents longtime marriage at the island is the last resort to save their marriage! Freya needs to bring out the big guns if she really wants to save her marriage: she needs her brothers’ intervention!
Yassssss! My favorite characters are back! They’re all set to save these lovely people from miscommunication and ruining their marriage!
I loved both Aiden and Freya! I truly invest in their relationship. Their undeniable, sweet chemistry was probably the best thing to give you hopes they never fall out love!
The blurb’s definition as All your perfects meets Bromance Book Club is partly true! But I have to confess, I liked Bergman brothers more than bookish boys’ series! Okay, I admit it! And even though “All your perfects” was one of my favorite Colho novels, I found Aiden and Freya’s story more realistic, hopeful, heartwarming, honest! There was no unnecessary angst or extra drama! That’s what I easily resonated both of them!
As like the other books I’m giving five blazing Swedish, great sense of humor, we don’t need HEA, we just need stability and better communication stars!
I bought these books to all my friends and kept pushing them to read for creating a huge fan circle for Bergman brothers! ( this time sister)
I cannot wait to read the next installment! I hope they never end!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for sharing this amazing arc copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
Chloe Liese is brave and skilled author to bring life to neurodiverse, unique, quirky but connectable and adorable characters! You don’t just like them or feel sympathy for them, you feel like they’re huge part of your family or your real close friends. You just want to hug them tight, knitting colorful Christmas sweaters for them!
Ms. Liese reflects their lives, their flaws, mistakes, their antics, character defaults so genuinely! You quickly accept all of them, yearning for their happiness!
This time she wrote about long time married couple which was not an ideal topic choice for romance books because we get used to read the marriage at the end of those novels as if marrying with someone is the finish line, a satisfying epilogue, true end of fairy tale with happily ever after cliches! But as we know in true life, marriage is not the ending ! It is the just the trailers you watch before the real movie starts!
The story of Freya and Aiden is about long time married couple suffering from estrangement and communication problems! Aiden wants to give his energetic, kind hearted wife the beautiful life she deserves, he wants to give her a baby she has been yearning for! But bringing a new life to world comes with its cost! Aiden has to plan everything financially! This is a huge step for their lives! He tries to deal with his anxiety issues, throwing tantrums because he wants to provide financially fulfilled life to his family. He starts to build more walls between him and his wife! Freya finally thinks enough is enough, kicking him out!
Marriage counseling didn’t fix their problems when two of them reject to talk about real issues! Joining the celebration of Freya’s parents longtime marriage at the island is the last resort to save their marriage! Freya needs to bring out the big guns if she really wants to save her marriage: she needs her brothers’ intervention!
Yassssss! My favorite characters are back! They’re all set to save these lovely people from miscommunication and ruining their marriage!
I loved both Aiden and Freya! I truly invest in their relationship. Their undeniable, sweet chemistry was probably the best thing to give you hopes they never fall out love!
The blurb’s definition as All your perfects meets Bromance Book Club is partly true! But I have to confess, I liked Bergman brothers more than bookish boys’ series! Okay, I admit it! And even though “All your perfects” was one of my favorite Colho novels, I found Aiden and Freya’s story more realistic, hopeful, heartwarming, honest! There was no unnecessary angst or extra drama! That’s what I easily resonated both of them!
As like the other books I’m giving five blazing Swedish, great sense of humor, we don’t need HEA, we just need stability and better communication stars!
I bought these books to all my friends and kept pushing them to read for creating a huge fan circle for Bergman brothers! ( this time sister)
I cannot wait to read the next installment! I hope they never end!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for sharing this amazing arc copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
January 12, 2021
5 stars
This may be the best marriage in crises story I’ve ever read! I rarely pick second chance romances because I’m such a cynical human being and I kinda don’t believe in them, but this book made even a cynical like me feel things! And oh how I felt every single emotion! That’s why Chloe Liese became an auto read author for me. To write a book like that? She’s just amazing. Seriously if you haven’t picked this series yet, do yourself a favour and check it out!
I’m not even in a relationship and I’ve learned so much from those characters. This couple is my goal. My idols. I wanna be them when I grow up. I wanna have that. That special kind of communication they reached. How both of them owned their mistakes instead of just blaming the each other. How they were not perfect, but still they were willing to actually try instead of just being stubborn, saying I’m done, or keep on hating each other. How neither of them was actually wrong, they just weren’t on the same wavelength for some time and that’s okay. All their problems came from really good intentions. And even in their lowest times, I could still feel their love.
The representations were just perfect. How Aiden talks about his anxiety. I felt that on a deeper level. He was just so good and so vulnerable and I just wanted to set and hug him for hours. I loved him. And how Freya talked about her body and her feelings. She’s just so freakin amazing. i loved seeing them willing to try to make things work. Everything about this book is so relatable and so real and just so beautiful. The whole series is nothing less than perfect. Oh and I loved seeing the whole Bergman family again!! This family is the best!
I almost cried when I read that we’re finally getting Axel’s book next!!! And that last scene? I’m already jumping from excitement!!
Huge Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this copy.
This may be the best marriage in crises story I’ve ever read! I rarely pick second chance romances because I’m such a cynical human being and I kinda don’t believe in them, but this book made even a cynical like me feel things! And oh how I felt every single emotion! That’s why Chloe Liese became an auto read author for me. To write a book like that? She’s just amazing. Seriously if you haven’t picked this series yet, do yourself a favour and check it out!
”We can’t possible hope to always live ‘happily’. But ‘ever after’? That we can hope for and choose. Because ‘ever after’ isn’t an idea. It’s a person—an imperfect person who’s perfect for you.” Her eyes search mine as she gives me one soft, tender kiss.
“You’re that person, for me. You’re my ever after.”
I’m not even in a relationship and I’ve learned so much from those characters. This couple is my goal. My idols. I wanna be them when I grow up. I wanna have that. That special kind of communication they reached. How both of them owned their mistakes instead of just blaming the each other. How they were not perfect, but still they were willing to actually try instead of just being stubborn, saying I’m done, or keep on hating each other. How neither of them was actually wrong, they just weren’t on the same wavelength for some time and that’s okay. All their problems came from really good intentions. And even in their lowest times, I could still feel their love.
The representations were just perfect. How Aiden talks about his anxiety. I felt that on a deeper level. He was just so good and so vulnerable and I just wanted to set and hug him for hours. I loved him. And how Freya talked about her body and her feelings. She’s just so freakin amazing. i loved seeing them willing to try to make things work. Everything about this book is so relatable and so real and just so beautiful. The whole series is nothing less than perfect. Oh and I loved seeing the whole Bergman family again!! This family is the best!
I almost cried when I read that we’re finally getting Axel’s book next!!! And that last scene? I’m already jumping from excitement!!
Huge Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this copy.
January 14, 2021
5 stars
Last year I read both of Chloe Liese's 'Bergman Brothers' books and I was hooked. I knew I would devour anything and everything she wrote. I couldn't wait to get another Bergman story and I was happy to find out that this one was Freya and Aiden's.
Freya and Aiden have been married almost ten years but recently, something has changed. They used to have such an easy love, and now things are difficult. So difficult that Freya asks Aiden to leave for a bit and give her some space. This is hard for Aiden. He loves his wife so much, but is having trouble expressing himself without hurting her. I completely felt for both of them. Marriage isn't always easy and I love reading books about what happens after. After the hea, after the wedding, etc.
Though Aiden is swamped at work and Freya is still hurt with how much time he's been spending there, they go on a family vacation. Aiden knows this is his chance to make things right. Before the trip they see a marriage counselor and while on the beach, they see if they can make the necessary changes and reignite their spark.
I loved the romance between this couple and how even though they had their problems, I never felt like they didn't love each other or wouldn't make it. I also think the author did an incredible job with Aiden's anxiety rep and normalizing therapy is always a win. The biggest issue was miscommunication, which I think is pretty normal for a marriage in crisis book. I liked the way things worked out between them and I was fully invested in their story.
I love this family and this series so much! Always Only You was in my top 10 of 2020 so this had some big shoes to fill, and though it wasn't as good as Ren and Frakie's story for me, I'm so glad that it was still a 5 star read that I loved. Ever Always After is my first 5 star of the year. I love the family dynamic, the romance, the way the author handled Aiden's anxiety and the emotion. I can't recommend checking out this series enough.
Last year I read both of Chloe Liese's 'Bergman Brothers' books and I was hooked. I knew I would devour anything and everything she wrote. I couldn't wait to get another Bergman story and I was happy to find out that this one was Freya and Aiden's.
Freya and Aiden have been married almost ten years but recently, something has changed. They used to have such an easy love, and now things are difficult. So difficult that Freya asks Aiden to leave for a bit and give her some space. This is hard for Aiden. He loves his wife so much, but is having trouble expressing himself without hurting her. I completely felt for both of them. Marriage isn't always easy and I love reading books about what happens after. After the hea, after the wedding, etc.
How do you fix something when you don’t even know what’s broken?
Though Aiden is swamped at work and Freya is still hurt with how much time he's been spending there, they go on a family vacation. Aiden knows this is his chance to make things right. Before the trip they see a marriage counselor and while on the beach, they see if they can make the necessary changes and reignite their spark.
I loved the romance between this couple and how even though they had their problems, I never felt like they didn't love each other or wouldn't make it. I also think the author did an incredible job with Aiden's anxiety rep and normalizing therapy is always a win. The biggest issue was miscommunication, which I think is pretty normal for a marriage in crisis book. I liked the way things worked out between them and I was fully invested in their story.
I love this family and this series so much! Always Only You was in my top 10 of 2020 so this had some big shoes to fill, and though it wasn't as good as Ren and Frakie's story for me, I'm so glad that it was still a 5 star read that I loved. Ever Always After is my first 5 star of the year. I love the family dynamic, the romance, the way the author handled Aiden's anxiety and the emotion. I can't recommend checking out this series enough.
“You’re my ever after.”
January 12, 2021
Happy publishing day!!
The second chance marriage story that I have been waiting for!
This amazing book had:
🌴A marriage in crisis,
🌴Slow burn lurrrve,
🌴Anxiety rep,
🌴A curvy goddess,
🌴Forced proximity on a family holiday, with meddling siblings! 🙌
Ever After Always is the third book in the Bergman series by Chloe Liese, and it was my favourite one so far! I apologise if this is a rambly mess, I couldn't even read my notes 😂
Freya and Aidan deeply love each other, but their relationship is in trouble, can they work it out? Can their marriage survive?
I've read a few second chance marriage romance books in the last year, and I didn't like them because they felt unrealistic, put too much blame on one person, or had wacko counsellors. This book, well I just want to shout about it from the rooftops! It made me feel so emotional, it felt real, and yet still managed to be heart-warming, and full of hope.
I've not hidden the fact that I love this fictional family, every character is fully fleshed out, flawed and so loveable! I love them all, and want them to live their best lives ha ha! They have so much great banter, and love and support each other, and it brings me so much joy to be a fly on the wall in their lives! This book is about the eldest sibling, Freya, and her husband of almost 10 years, Aidan.
As much as I enjoy books about characters falling in love, I have been yearning for a book which looks at what happens after the happily ever after, and this one was written so well. I've been married for five years, but have been with my husband for 16 years, and I can tell you that it is hard work. Even if you are totally in love, because people are always growing and changing, plus there are external influences like having children, or changing jobs etc. The key I guess is to try to be honest with each other, and to communicate, but it's not always that straight forward. I liked that this book explored this, and also that it's healthy to take time together, but also apart, having your own hobbies.
In EAA, Aidan loved his wife so much, and wanted to provide for her, but his anxiety made him actually pull away, bottling everything up. Anxiety can be so crippling for many people, and Aidan going over every single thing he did or said at night when he was in bed really struck a chord with me. The insomnia, the having to plan everything out to have control over situations, the way he blew things up in his mind, making himself sick, are all things that I have done. Not in regards to my relationship as such, but in other areas of my life. I am a worrier. I worry about my kids, my husband, work, my to do list, my mind is buzzy annoying place, and seeing Aidan try to deal with his anxiety brought up a lot of emotions for me! Anxiety is the worst! I am not on medication like Aidan, but this book made me think about how I handle things, and I'm going to try to do better, and communicate my anxiety to my loved ones more. Being in Aidan's mind hurt sometimes, because even though he knew he was on a destructive path, he couldn't stop himself. The rep felt so good, and it was great to see it on the page. Chloe Liese is a master at writing about underrepresented characters!
Freya, an actual curvy girl, not just a skinny girl with big boobs, yess! Also she loved her body, dressed sexily and owns her curves, I loved her! I loved her singing, her independence, her strength and positivity. She was an awesome character.
Freya and Aidan together were adorable! They had great chemistry, were so sweet and devoted to each other, plus there were some very steamy moments! Throughout the book, they worked hard at communicating with each other, and owned up to their mistakes, which is so difficult to do! Even when they were both at their lowest, I could feel the love between them, and I loved seeing them grow.
In EAA, my faves were all back! Ryder and Willa, Ren and Frankie, Ziggy, the twins, mama and papa Bergman plus Axel and Rooney! It was so good to read more about the characters who I had already met, and to spend time with those whose story is still to come. I am so happy that the next book will be about Axel!! *Jumps up and down*
Other mentions:
*The Bergman brothers quest to help was just adorable!
*Men reading romance was definitely a theme in 2019/20!
*Fab Spotify list again!
*When can I get to Hawaii?
I highly recommend this series, especially his book, I devoured it! It wasn't an easy read, but it was a beautiful and rewarding one. It wasn't all heavy, there were some really fun moments, but it is a reminder that sharing your life with another person takes work, that you have to be there for each other in the dark times, not just the good ones.
Ever After Always is available now on KU, and I can't wait to reread it!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARC received, thank you so much Chloe!
The second chance marriage story that I have been waiting for!
This amazing book had:
🌴A marriage in crisis,
🌴Slow burn lurrrve,
🌴Anxiety rep,
🌴A curvy goddess,
🌴Forced proximity on a family holiday, with meddling siblings! 🙌
Ever After Always is the third book in the Bergman series by Chloe Liese, and it was my favourite one so far! I apologise if this is a rambly mess, I couldn't even read my notes 😂
Freya and Aidan deeply love each other, but their relationship is in trouble, can they work it out? Can their marriage survive?
I've read a few second chance marriage romance books in the last year, and I didn't like them because they felt unrealistic, put too much blame on one person, or had wacko counsellors. This book, well I just want to shout about it from the rooftops! It made me feel so emotional, it felt real, and yet still managed to be heart-warming, and full of hope.
I've not hidden the fact that I love this fictional family, every character is fully fleshed out, flawed and so loveable! I love them all, and want them to live their best lives ha ha! They have so much great banter, and love and support each other, and it brings me so much joy to be a fly on the wall in their lives! This book is about the eldest sibling, Freya, and her husband of almost 10 years, Aidan.
As much as I enjoy books about characters falling in love, I have been yearning for a book which looks at what happens after the happily ever after, and this one was written so well. I've been married for five years, but have been with my husband for 16 years, and I can tell you that it is hard work. Even if you are totally in love, because people are always growing and changing, plus there are external influences like having children, or changing jobs etc. The key I guess is to try to be honest with each other, and to communicate, but it's not always that straight forward. I liked that this book explored this, and also that it's healthy to take time together, but also apart, having your own hobbies.
In EAA, Aidan loved his wife so much, and wanted to provide for her, but his anxiety made him actually pull away, bottling everything up. Anxiety can be so crippling for many people, and Aidan going over every single thing he did or said at night when he was in bed really struck a chord with me. The insomnia, the having to plan everything out to have control over situations, the way he blew things up in his mind, making himself sick, are all things that I have done. Not in regards to my relationship as such, but in other areas of my life. I am a worrier. I worry about my kids, my husband, work, my to do list, my mind is buzzy annoying place, and seeing Aidan try to deal with his anxiety brought up a lot of emotions for me! Anxiety is the worst! I am not on medication like Aidan, but this book made me think about how I handle things, and I'm going to try to do better, and communicate my anxiety to my loved ones more. Being in Aidan's mind hurt sometimes, because even though he knew he was on a destructive path, he couldn't stop himself. The rep felt so good, and it was great to see it on the page. Chloe Liese is a master at writing about underrepresented characters!
Freya, an actual curvy girl, not just a skinny girl with big boobs, yess! Also she loved her body, dressed sexily and owns her curves, I loved her! I loved her singing, her independence, her strength and positivity. She was an awesome character.
Freya and Aidan together were adorable! They had great chemistry, were so sweet and devoted to each other, plus there were some very steamy moments! Throughout the book, they worked hard at communicating with each other, and owned up to their mistakes, which is so difficult to do! Even when they were both at their lowest, I could feel the love between them, and I loved seeing them grow.
In EAA, my faves were all back! Ryder and Willa, Ren and Frankie, Ziggy, the twins, mama and papa Bergman plus Axel and Rooney! It was so good to read more about the characters who I had already met, and to spend time with those whose story is still to come. I am so happy that the next book will be about Axel!! *Jumps up and down*
Other mentions:
*The Bergman brothers quest to help was just adorable!
*Men reading romance was definitely a theme in 2019/20!
*Fab Spotify list again!
*When can I get to Hawaii?
I highly recommend this series, especially his book, I devoured it! It wasn't an easy read, but it was a beautiful and rewarding one. It wasn't all heavy, there were some really fun moments, but it is a reminder that sharing your life with another person takes work, that you have to be there for each other in the dark times, not just the good ones.
Ever After Always is available now on KU, and I can't wait to reread it!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARC received, thank you so much Chloe!
September 29, 2024
dnf @ 36%
so far the heroines of this series just ain’t it for me :/
idk if this is an unpopular opinion, but man i didn’t like Freya at all lmao. the privilege oozing from this woman was nauseating as fuck for me.
everything and i mean, everything was always Aidan’s fault. the breakdown of their marriage. the miscommunication. the one to actively fix things.
and i understood it in the beginning, to a certain degree. the man slowly neglected his wife to focus on work to provide a stable financial environment for the child they were planning to have. he failed at being honest, telling her how his work endeavours were going, always late home and to family function. he fucked up.
BUT.
once he explains to Freya, their therapist and to us, the readers, that his recent furious work ethic stems from his experiences with traumatic childhood poverty, i understood this man so well. so completely.
but Freya did not🙃
she kept throwing everything in his face, in my opinion, saying it was his ego or toxic masculinity while the man kept reiterating that his struggles with poverty as a child were why he needed financial security for themselves before bringing a child into the world.
Freya was so ignorant to it all bcos she’d never experienced anything like Aidan had but never even tried to fully understand him. like the moment she said: And I understand this [his insecurities], abstractly at least: poverty is traumatic. my mind instantly went 🚩🚩🚩
it really gave me Vanessa Hudgens saying “But like, it’s a virus, I get it. I respect it, but at the same time, like – even if everybody gets it... Like, yeah, people are gonna die.”
understanding childhood poverty is traumatic “abstractly” but then refusing to understand how this trauma impacts your husband (of ten years) and his anxiety disorder in relation to his PTSD? girly was so immature and selfish. she felt a lil spoilt, low-key. like the daddy’s girl who is the apple of her family’s eye and can do no wrong... since her brothers all intervened and put a monumental amount of pressure on Aidan i didn’t believe he deserved.
in my opinion, Freya was just as bad as Aidan about communicating and articulating their issues. i mean she packs his bags for him, with a plane ticket attached without once articulating her issues and pain?!! completely blindsiding him?
it’s like she expected him to be a mind-reader? it felt like she was just putting way too much pressure on him, way too hard on a man who was struggling and yes, he didn’t articulate these struggles at first, totally on him. but once he did and she STILL didn’t listen? i truly don’t know wtf you want from this man, girly?
bcos back to the daddy’s girl spoilt princess vibes... after Aidan actively seeks her out to go to marriage counselling, they go and Freya storms out when Aidan admits how is trauma has impacted his relentless work ethic and how he was ashamed/embarrassed to tell Freya.
truly, and i repeat, what the fuck did Freya want from this man? it’s like nothing was good enough for her. he tried and tried and every time, she wanted something else and nothing was good enough.
so i had to stop bcos i refused to watch this poor man “grovel” when instead he needed empathy and understanding from the people around him. not just more pressure and accusations thrown at him.
i couldn’t read about a lovely man being ripped apart by this annoying fucking cow-bag.
so far the heroines of this series just ain’t it for me :/
idk if this is an unpopular opinion, but man i didn’t like Freya at all lmao. the privilege oozing from this woman was nauseating as fuck for me.
everything and i mean, everything was always Aidan’s fault. the breakdown of their marriage. the miscommunication. the one to actively fix things.
and i understood it in the beginning, to a certain degree. the man slowly neglected his wife to focus on work to provide a stable financial environment for the child they were planning to have. he failed at being honest, telling her how his work endeavours were going, always late home and to family function. he fucked up.
BUT.
once he explains to Freya, their therapist and to us, the readers, that his recent furious work ethic stems from his experiences with traumatic childhood poverty, i understood this man so well. so completely.
but Freya did not🙃
she kept throwing everything in his face, in my opinion, saying it was his ego or toxic masculinity while the man kept reiterating that his struggles with poverty as a child were why he needed financial security for themselves before bringing a child into the world.
Freya was so ignorant to it all bcos she’d never experienced anything like Aidan had but never even tried to fully understand him. like the moment she said: And I understand this [his insecurities], abstractly at least: poverty is traumatic. my mind instantly went 🚩🚩🚩
it really gave me Vanessa Hudgens saying “But like, it’s a virus, I get it. I respect it, but at the same time, like – even if everybody gets it... Like, yeah, people are gonna die.”
understanding childhood poverty is traumatic “abstractly” but then refusing to understand how this trauma impacts your husband (of ten years) and his anxiety disorder in relation to his PTSD? girly was so immature and selfish. she felt a lil spoilt, low-key. like the daddy’s girl who is the apple of her family’s eye and can do no wrong... since her brothers all intervened and put a monumental amount of pressure on Aidan i didn’t believe he deserved.
in my opinion, Freya was just as bad as Aidan about communicating and articulating their issues. i mean she packs his bags for him, with a plane ticket attached without once articulating her issues and pain?!! completely blindsiding him?
it’s like she expected him to be a mind-reader? it felt like she was just putting way too much pressure on him, way too hard on a man who was struggling and yes, he didn’t articulate these struggles at first, totally on him. but once he did and she STILL didn’t listen? i truly don’t know wtf you want from this man, girly?
bcos back to the daddy’s girl spoilt princess vibes... after Aidan actively seeks her out to go to marriage counselling, they go and Freya storms out when Aidan admits how is trauma has impacted his relentless work ethic and how he was ashamed/embarrassed to tell Freya.
truly, and i repeat, what the fuck did Freya want from this man? it’s like nothing was good enough for her. he tried and tried and every time, she wanted something else and nothing was good enough.
so i had to stop bcos i refused to watch this poor man “grovel” when instead he needed empathy and understanding from the people around him. not just more pressure and accusations thrown at him.
i couldn’t read about a lovely man being ripped apart by this annoying fucking cow-bag.
Read
June 10, 2022It’s been quite the journey—not just for Freya & Aiden—finally, EVER AFTER ALWAYS is here! This is my first Bergman Sister romance about two people who love each other deeply yet struggle against life’s currents pulling them apart. Writing this book was an emotional challenge but ultimately a joy, much like Freya & Aiden’s marriage. A marriage in crisis isn't the most popular trope, but I believe it's an important one. What drives my writing is the belief that everyone deserves a love story and deserves to see themselves in romance; that includes folks who've already found their happily ever after. This story is for everyone who's fought for their long-term love, who's struggled and ached to rediscover, reconnect, to find intimacy and trust and hope again with that person they want forever with. It can be a hard path to walk, a precipitous and exhausting climb, but it can also be one of life's greatest gifts, and I hope that truth is affirmed in this story.
Dive in if you’re ready for meddling family, eccentric but heartfelt marriage counseling, a trouble-making parrot, overly aggressive pick up soccer, pizza & ice cream reminiscing, seriously hot longing & all-the-feels romance.
Paperback, e-book, and audiobook are available for purchase from major retailers and also for request from your library!
Enjoy book playlists? Like all the Bergman books, EVER AFTER ALWAYS has a playlist, one song per chapter. Listen with Spotify.
Dive in if you’re ready for meddling family, eccentric but heartfelt marriage counseling, a trouble-making parrot, overly aggressive pick up soccer, pizza & ice cream reminiscing, seriously hot longing & all-the-feels romance.
Paperback, e-book, and audiobook are available for purchase from major retailers and also for request from your library!
Enjoy book playlists? Like all the Bergman books, EVER AFTER ALWAYS has a playlist, one song per chapter. Listen with Spotify.
May 9, 2021
I literally listened to this entire audiobook in one day because I was so obsessed and couldn't put it down. This is a marriage in trouble romance and I have been looking forward to this ever since we met Aiden in the first book. This family is my absolute favorite and I cannot get enough of their family moments. They all end up going on vacation together and every moment they have together is just the best. I'm obsessed with them and hope we get a book for all of the siblings!
As for the romance, I loved it. We come into the story when Freya and Aiden are already at a rocky point in their relationship that has to do with them having kids. They decide to go to a counselor and I loved how they had honest conversations with each other. They both are holding back some insecurities, which they eventually share by the end, but having open communication is important to them working through their problems. And I loved how completely attracted they were to one another and how annoyed they get with themselves for wanting to be physical when they're so frustrated with one another. While they had serious issues to work through, it was so cute how things about each other still made them attracted even after ten years of marriage.
Freya is a curvy heroine and I loved her relationship with her body. She isn't ashamed of her curves, but she does have moments of doubt, which were realistic and not too negative or overbearing. Aiden also has anxiety and, while I do not have anxiety myself, I loved the discussions surrounding his anxiety and how he had to work to finally let Freya in about what he was going through.
If you can't tell, this book was perfect. I loved everything about it and am already dying for the next book!!
As for the romance, I loved it. We come into the story when Freya and Aiden are already at a rocky point in their relationship that has to do with them having kids. They decide to go to a counselor and I loved how they had honest conversations with each other. They both are holding back some insecurities, which they eventually share by the end, but having open communication is important to them working through their problems. And I loved how completely attracted they were to one another and how annoyed they get with themselves for wanting to be physical when they're so frustrated with one another. While they had serious issues to work through, it was so cute how things about each other still made them attracted even after ten years of marriage.
Freya is a curvy heroine and I loved her relationship with her body. She isn't ashamed of her curves, but she does have moments of doubt, which were realistic and not too negative or overbearing. Aiden also has anxiety and, while I do not have anxiety myself, I loved the discussions surrounding his anxiety and how he had to work to finally let Freya in about what he was going through.
If you can't tell, this book was perfect. I loved everything about it and am already dying for the next book!!
March 18, 2021
Other than the last conflict that happened which felt so unnecessary and dramatic, that then steered into too much cheese, I loved this book. Really, I did. I just wish that conflict didn’t happen. And that more therapy sessions were incorporated on paper.
So let’s gush about the great:
• Aiden and Freya. Their relationship. Everything about it. Full stop.
• Marriage/relationship in crisis trope is THE romance trope. I have no need for any other trope.
• Aiden struggling with his anxiety. This hit me so hard. Too hard. His fear was palpable.
• Their vulnerability and the intimacy that developed over time.
• The fact that my eyes couldn’t stop leaking.
• Couples therapy and how acceptable that was.
• The Bergman family. The brothers are grown idiots and I love them.
• AXEL AND ROONEY 😍
I was expecting this to be a favourite, and even though it wasn’t, I still loved it overall. I appreciated how honest and real this was. As great as happily-ever-afters are, it’s even better reading about a couple who decide to work on their relationship and show up for themselves and each other. The angst, the longing, the intimacy that develops once they do open up, SO GOOD! I was rooting for them through and through.
So let’s gush about the great:
• Aiden and Freya. Their relationship. Everything about it. Full stop.
• Marriage/relationship in crisis trope is THE romance trope. I have no need for any other trope.
• Aiden struggling with his anxiety. This hit me so hard. Too hard. His fear was palpable.
• Their vulnerability and the intimacy that developed over time.
• The fact that my eyes couldn’t stop leaking.
• Couples therapy and how acceptable that was.
• The Bergman family. The brothers are grown idiots and I love them.
• AXEL AND ROONEY 😍
I was expecting this to be a favourite, and even though it wasn’t, I still loved it overall. I appreciated how honest and real this was. As great as happily-ever-afters are, it’s even better reading about a couple who decide to work on their relationship and show up for themselves and each other. The angst, the longing, the intimacy that develops once they do open up, SO GOOD! I was rooting for them through and through.
December 27, 2020
Me November 2019: I don't like the trope when the couple is already established and married. I like to see the developement of a relationship, how two people meet for the first time, form a connection and not when the couple is already together for years and try to fix their marriage.
Me December 2020: After reading several marriage-in-crisis books and loving them all (You Deserve Each Other, All Your Perfects & Happily Ever Ninja). It's save to say that this trope is one of my favorite tropes to ever exist. There is just something beautiful about two people who have marriage trouble trying to fix it. The angst, hurt and longing of still loving the other person, but not knowing how to fix the problem. Give me all the pain.
the clownery 🤡
***
RTC closer to release date
Me December 2020: After reading several marriage-in-crisis books and loving them all (You Deserve Each Other, All Your Perfects & Happily Ever Ninja). It's save to say that this trope is one of my favorite tropes to ever exist. There is just something beautiful about two people who have marriage trouble trying to fix it. The angst, hurt and longing of still loving the other person, but not knowing how to fix the problem. Give me all the pain.
the clownery 🤡
***
RTC closer to release date
April 28, 2023
Ever After Always is, next to the fourth installment of the same series, the book in my TBR I had the most ridiculous expectations for. Maybe that’s why I waited so long to read it: I was terrified after how much my brain hyped it. Now I’m so grateful I waited because I can’t think of a better way to finish 2021!! yes, I'm a bit late reviewing it
I find the marriage crisis the most difficult romance trope to write. But when it’s well done, it’s also my favorite. And Chloe Liese? She has made the best one I’ve ever read.
“Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you won’t know how much a person you love is hurting because that person doesn’t want to hurt the people who love them.”
Ever After Always is the story of Freya, the oldest of the Bergman Brothers, and her husband Aiden. After almost ten years of marriage, they are falling apart by trying to protect the other instead of expressing their worries, making the wall between them higher and higher. Until Freya is done, and they have to face the reality: they love each other, but their marriage is dying.
Aiden stole my heart since the first chapter by showing his pure love for Freya. After experiencing in his own flesh how hard it is to live in poverty, he doesn’t want the baby they are planning to have to ever starve. So he decides to show Freya his love by working hard on a new project that could make money for their kids, making his anxiety worse in the process. Only that he forgot to explain his anxiety to her, or what he is working on, or that Freya needs him by her side, instead of him working twenty-four-seven and always on the phone.
Of course, he is not the only one to blame. Freya, who always carries her heart on her sleeve, forgot that expressing feelings is not as easy for other people. Forgot to tell him she was hurting, that she needed him.
Reading this book was as heartbreaking as it was hopeful, because you could see how much they loved each other, even if they weren’t talking to each other, and wish they solve their differences so that they could be together again.
“We can’t possibly hope to always live ‘happily’. But ‘ever after’? That we can hope for and choose. You're that person, for me. You’re my ever after.”
Every feeling, thought and problem felt so real I was completely absorbed by the story. While I liked Freya, Aiden’s anxiety and fears were the ones that touched me the most. I could see how everything his brain was telling him was wrong, how he was showing love the wrong way, all his flaws and insecurities, and only made me want to hug him and make Freya to forgive him because damn, it hurted so much. He was just trying to do what he thought was best.
“What if I put it on your mind, showed you how invested I was, then I failed?”
“Then you’d have pursued a dream and tried and failed and learned something, and I’d be there for you.”
But not every part of the book was angsty and emotional. Chloe Liese masterfully balanced the marriage-crisis with happy scenes of them before and loads of Bergman family content. I loved both sides of the book so much I wanted to highlight the whole book. The dynamics between the Begmans are so good I’d read books only about them, not romance needed, just them being the loudest, craziest, best family ever. My only problem is that choosing a favorite is mission impossible. Ren is perfect (probably too good to be true, but if he was real I’d marry him in a heartbeat), Frankie’s dry humor is unbeatable:
Ren stares at babies like I stare at burgers -like there’s never enough of them and they’re vital to existence.
Ziggy’s love for books would make her my best friend, Axel and Ronney’s chemistry and sexual frustration is killing me and Viggo comes quoting Lisa Kleypas and making all his brother shut up with his words:
Struggling will never make you less of a man or less of a husband to Freya. Struggling means you’ve been brave. It means you’re showing up to life and trying. And that’s enough, man.”
Now it’s when I try to be objective and find possible critics to the story... Sorry, I can’t think of any. If you love the Bergamn Brothers, marriage crisis trope and a realistic romance with fun and hard parts, I don’t know how you won't enjoy this one.
↬ Series:
1. Only When It's Us: 4.25 stars
2. Always Only You: 5 stars
3. Ever after Always: 5 stars
4. With You Forever: 3 stars
5. Everything For You: 3.5 stars
6. If Only You: 3.75 stars
I find the marriage crisis the most difficult romance trope to write. But when it’s well done, it’s also my favorite. And Chloe Liese? She has made the best one I’ve ever read.
“Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you won’t know how much a person you love is hurting because that person doesn’t want to hurt the people who love them.”
Ever After Always is the story of Freya, the oldest of the Bergman Brothers, and her husband Aiden. After almost ten years of marriage, they are falling apart by trying to protect the other instead of expressing their worries, making the wall between them higher and higher. Until Freya is done, and they have to face the reality: they love each other, but their marriage is dying.
Aiden stole my heart since the first chapter by showing his pure love for Freya. After experiencing in his own flesh how hard it is to live in poverty, he doesn’t want the baby they are planning to have to ever starve. So he decides to show Freya his love by working hard on a new project that could make money for their kids, making his anxiety worse in the process. Only that he forgot to explain his anxiety to her, or what he is working on, or that Freya needs him by her side, instead of him working twenty-four-seven and always on the phone.
Of course, he is not the only one to blame. Freya, who always carries her heart on her sleeve, forgot that expressing feelings is not as easy for other people. Forgot to tell him she was hurting, that she needed him.
Reading this book was as heartbreaking as it was hopeful, because you could see how much they loved each other, even if they weren’t talking to each other, and wish they solve their differences so that they could be together again.
“We can’t possibly hope to always live ‘happily’. But ‘ever after’? That we can hope for and choose. You're that person, for me. You’re my ever after.”
Every feeling, thought and problem felt so real I was completely absorbed by the story. While I liked Freya, Aiden’s anxiety and fears were the ones that touched me the most. I could see how everything his brain was telling him was wrong, how he was showing love the wrong way, all his flaws and insecurities, and only made me want to hug him and make Freya to forgive him because damn, it hurted so much. He was just trying to do what he thought was best.
“What if I put it on your mind, showed you how invested I was, then I failed?”
“Then you’d have pursued a dream and tried and failed and learned something, and I’d be there for you.”
But not every part of the book was angsty and emotional. Chloe Liese masterfully balanced the marriage-crisis with happy scenes of them before and loads of Bergman family content. I loved both sides of the book so much I wanted to highlight the whole book. The dynamics between the Begmans are so good I’d read books only about them, not romance needed, just them being the loudest, craziest, best family ever. My only problem is that choosing a favorite is mission impossible. Ren is perfect (probably too good to be true, but if he was real I’d marry him in a heartbeat), Frankie’s dry humor is unbeatable:
Ren stares at babies like I stare at burgers -like there’s never enough of them and they’re vital to existence.
Ziggy’s love for books would make her my best friend, Axel and Ronney’s chemistry and sexual frustration is killing me and Viggo comes quoting Lisa Kleypas and making all his brother shut up with his words:
Struggling will never make you less of a man or less of a husband to Freya. Struggling means you’ve been brave. It means you’re showing up to life and trying. And that’s enough, man.”
Now it’s when I try to be objective and find possible critics to the story... Sorry, I can’t think of any. If you love the Bergamn Brothers, marriage crisis trope and a realistic romance with fun and hard parts, I don’t know how you won't enjoy this one.
↬ Series:
1. Only When It's Us: 4.25 stars
2. Always Only You: 5 stars
3. Ever after Always: 5 stars
4. With You Forever: 3 stars
5. Everything For You: 3.5 stars
6. If Only You: 3.75 stars
January 25, 2022
#1 Only When It’s Us — 4.25 stars
#2 Always Only You — 3.5 stars
#3 Ever After Always — 4.5 stars
𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙞 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙞 𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 😭😭
but first...
idc what you say — marriage in crisis is the new sheriff, ✦the ultimate, utmOsT sUpeRioR✦ trope in Romancelandia and you need to get behind it A S A P. its uP there with marriage of convenience for me. the main theme here wasnt relevant to me seeing as i’ve never been married, but thats why it was so good.
this book felt like being in a marriage counsel. well, the characters did go to one, and i loved that it was included and explicitly showed. this was pretty heavy but refreshing, swoony, and entertaining all at once. i’ll just forget book 2 exists, and consider my faith in the Bergman family fully restored! 📈✨
btw, the plot twist! i totally guessed that about the janitor. cmon, who wouldnt??? *eyeroll*
similar recommendation:
↠ The Bromance Book Club
(read as an audiobook)
April 19, 2024
Wee edit because I'm lowkey chuffed with my #lazybookstagrammer pic & hyper condensed thoughts for this...maybe in future I should lead with booksta and minimize the waffle that makes it to GR 🤔🙈
-------------
Ok, so first thing's first #callback to my pre-review & acknowledgement of my heartlessness - I did not cry! 😱
Didn't even tear up, I am not surprised tho...I've always known I have a 🖤
🤭
So with that out of the way it is no secret how much I enjoy this series & love this fam - this book has only fueled that fire even tho my rating may be a little lower than I had anticipated and I'll address that straight away by saying that's prob purely personal preference and wee soap opera/telenovella type occurrences that I could have done without 🤷♀️
I won't mention them here, as likely only a me issue but happy to share in spoiler tagged comment if anyone cares lolz
Now on to what you're here for; this is absolutely a book about love...unlike "typical" romcom reads this is not a story about finding or falling in love but fighting for the love you may have seemingly lost or that has unexpectedly morphed along the way. This is a book I hope to refer back to should anyone turn my head and/or be stubborn enough to put up with my nonsense some day 🤗
This second chance romance doesn't play so much on misunderstanding/miscommunication tropes - there is some lack of communication at the start which did annoy me a little. It is a starting block, it 100% feeds into the things our characters have to embrace, learn to overcome and the communication this leads to leaves even a cold hearted cynic like myself to believe in love. The love shared by these two is never in doubt - which makes their struggle to get back on the same page so much more 💔 & 🥰 simultaneously
To say our MCs are not what I expected is an understatement. From the little glimpses we've had of them in the earlier books I thought I had an idea of what might be coming but I was so wrong.
Aiden - the charming matchmaking professor from the first book is as deep and layered as his famous ocean coloured eyes and;
Feisty Freya feels so much! I know we have addressed my heartlessness above, but she got to me (no tears but still stirred - emosh)! I dunno if that is due to some warped sense of kinship through also being the oldest sibling...doubtful, tbh, i think it is purely down to the wonderfully rounded characters being shared by Ms Liese 😍
What's not to love about seeing characters in their 30s realistically struggling with society's and their own expectations...I feel SEEN & would absolutely adore to see more sexy romcoms featuring characters in their 30s - not everyone finds an OTP in their teens/twenties & seeing healthy relationships getting together, dissolving and finding better fits as we age is never a bad thing & I'm all for more rep on that front (even if that's not exactly what we have here, just making my case I guess) 🙃
I feel a bit weird saying I "enjoyed or appreciated" the anxiety/curvy rep. I cannot truly speak to how either topic was tackled as I do not particularly experience such feels other than anyone who ages and finds their body softening and/or filling out differently than before 😅
In saying that I could FEEL how these issues affected the characters and completely empathised with them. In fact it deffo helped getting me invested in Aiden's character growth in particular seeing how his anxiety manifested and affected his day to day life was eye opening and tactfully handled. I guess I was just biased to Freya's awesomeness all along because I may suffer some similar messy/bottling issues to "protect" others. But seeing/hearing her thoughts on society's perception of curvier ladies is so valid and I am so glad this was addressed - more of this please. I just adored her strength and beliefs in herself and those around her!
I need to start wrapping this up because as usual this is getting ridiculously wordy 🙊 But I cannot NOT talk about this fab fam *dreamy-sigh*
The Bergman Bro'ventions were priceless if verging on a little OTT at times - but unlike the Unhoneymooners fam which was way too much for me, I dunno if having gotten to know many of these characters in the last 2 books meant they were just that bit more endearing in their meddling? 🤔 You could tell it came from places of love and not straight up busy body'ness.
I am so so so glad we got to see a bit more of the Man Cubs. They were lowkey missing puzzle pieces for me in the earlier books so it was fun to see them start to come into their own a little more in this book. Even if Romance reader Viggo's mini-rants came across as a little on the nose considering the target readership of these books - kind of preaching to the choir, altho obvs he's not wrong...but it did grate just a smidge 🤷♀️
Ollie is still a little behind the door revelations wise, other than he's a bit of a prankster and likes to eat (his reason for permanently scavenging is so relatable btw 🤣). Maybe he'll come into his own a little more in the next book as each release has revealed a little more about different family members - I am obvs looking forward to any and all tidbits 🤩
The sister bonding between Freya & Ziggy, plus the potential future in-law bonds between all the gal pals are *chef's kiss* and I am 100% pulling for a parental bind up of short stories or novella type gathering of snippets of their life together too...I cannot get enough of ANY of this fam - but this is not news to anyone
Which "just" leaves us with Axel and to say I am beyond ready for his & Rooney's outing is an almighty understatement - they have been circling each other for three books, so have been building for a few years(?)...it had better be explosive & smexy as heck when they collide - pretty please 🤞
I am so curious to see what Chloe does with their story & what classic she may draw inspiration from. I adored how the classics have been woven into the stories; Pride & Prejudice inspired frenemies-to-lovers, Sense & Sensibility inspired friends-to-more and now Persuasion for second-chance-romance. Whatever it is, please let Axel be reading it! 😉
Couple final bullet points because I have verbal vomited way too much already 🤮🤐
- Karaoke & grovelling *swoon*
- Horseradish & Pickle 😻😻
- Hawaii 🌴 ☀️ ⛱
- Flirty 🐦
- Dr D with her games & rules 😎
-
- Charades, the chain & 😇 investments...my heart was so full 🥰🥰
In a surprise to no one I am utterly biased, have zero impartiality or chill when it comes to this fam & this series however, if you'd like less gushing & a more rounded review please check out the following fab offerings from
Fran
Em
Julia
Now please excuse me while I go back to book 1 (again) and reread this series while listening to Chloe's amazing vibe playlists 🎵🎶
4.25 - 4.5*
***************
Fran reckons this'll make me cry - taking bets 😆
(Dunno what happened to my initial pre-review thoughts, super sad that they seem to have been eaten 😕)
-------------
Ok, so first thing's first #callback to my pre-review & acknowledgement of my heartlessness - I did not cry! 😱
Didn't even tear up, I am not surprised tho...I've always known I have a 🖤
🤭
So with that out of the way it is no secret how much I enjoy this series & love this fam - this book has only fueled that fire even tho my rating may be a little lower than I had anticipated and I'll address that straight away by saying that's prob purely personal preference and wee soap opera/telenovella type occurrences that I could have done without 🤷♀️
I won't mention them here, as likely only a me issue but happy to share in spoiler tagged comment if anyone cares lolz
Now on to what you're here for; this is absolutely a book about love...unlike "typical" romcom reads this is not a story about finding or falling in love but fighting for the love you may have seemingly lost or that has unexpectedly morphed along the way. This is a book I hope to refer back to should anyone turn my head and/or be stubborn enough to put up with my nonsense some day 🤗
This second chance romance doesn't play so much on misunderstanding/miscommunication tropes - there is some lack of communication at the start which did annoy me a little. It is a starting block, it 100% feeds into the things our characters have to embrace, learn to overcome and the communication this leads to leaves even a cold hearted cynic like myself to believe in love. The love shared by these two is never in doubt - which makes their struggle to get back on the same page so much more 💔 & 🥰 simultaneously
To say our MCs are not what I expected is an understatement. From the little glimpses we've had of them in the earlier books I thought I had an idea of what might be coming but I was so wrong.
Aiden - the charming matchmaking professor from the first book is as deep and layered as his famous ocean coloured eyes and;
Feisty Freya feels so much! I know we have addressed my heartlessness above, but she got to me (no tears but still stirred - emosh)! I dunno if that is due to some warped sense of kinship through also being the oldest sibling...doubtful, tbh, i think it is purely down to the wonderfully rounded characters being shared by Ms Liese 😍
What's not to love about seeing characters in their 30s realistically struggling with society's and their own expectations...I feel SEEN & would absolutely adore to see more sexy romcoms featuring characters in their 30s - not everyone finds an OTP in their teens/twenties & seeing healthy relationships getting together, dissolving and finding better fits as we age is never a bad thing & I'm all for more rep on that front (even if that's not exactly what we have here, just making my case I guess) 🙃
I feel a bit weird saying I "enjoyed or appreciated" the anxiety/curvy rep. I cannot truly speak to how either topic was tackled as I do not particularly experience such feels other than anyone who ages and finds their body softening and/or filling out differently than before 😅
In saying that I could FEEL how these issues affected the characters and completely empathised with them. In fact it deffo helped getting me invested in Aiden's character growth in particular seeing how his anxiety manifested and affected his day to day life was eye opening and tactfully handled. I guess I was just biased to Freya's awesomeness all along because I may suffer some similar messy/bottling issues to "protect" others. But seeing/hearing her thoughts on society's perception of curvier ladies is so valid and I am so glad this was addressed - more of this please. I just adored her strength and beliefs in herself and those around her!
I need to start wrapping this up because as usual this is getting ridiculously wordy 🙊 But I cannot NOT talk about this fab fam *dreamy-sigh*
The Bergman Bro'ventions were priceless if verging on a little OTT at times - but unlike the Unhoneymooners fam which was way too much for me, I dunno if having gotten to know many of these characters in the last 2 books meant they were just that bit more endearing in their meddling? 🤔 You could tell it came from places of love and not straight up busy body'ness.
I am so so so glad we got to see a bit more of the Man Cubs. They were lowkey missing puzzle pieces for me in the earlier books so it was fun to see them start to come into their own a little more in this book. Even if Romance reader Viggo's mini-rants came across as a little on the nose considering the target readership of these books - kind of preaching to the choir, altho obvs he's not wrong...but it did grate just a smidge 🤷♀️
Ollie is still a little behind the door revelations wise, other than he's a bit of a prankster and likes to eat (his reason for permanently scavenging is so relatable btw 🤣). Maybe he'll come into his own a little more in the next book as each release has revealed a little more about different family members - I am obvs looking forward to any and all tidbits 🤩
The sister bonding between Freya & Ziggy, plus the potential future in-law bonds between all the gal pals are *chef's kiss* and I am 100% pulling for a parental bind up of short stories or novella type gathering of snippets of their life together too...I cannot get enough of ANY of this fam - but this is not news to anyone
Which "just" leaves us with Axel and to say I am beyond ready for his & Rooney's outing is an almighty understatement - they have been circling each other for three books, so have been building for a few years(?)...it had better be explosive & smexy as heck when they collide - pretty please 🤞
I am so curious to see what Chloe does with their story & what classic she may draw inspiration from. I adored how the classics have been woven into the stories; Pride & Prejudice inspired frenemies-to-lovers, Sense & Sensibility inspired friends-to-more and now Persuasion for second-chance-romance. Whatever it is, please let Axel be reading it! 😉
Couple final bullet points because I have verbal vomited way too much already 🤮🤐
- Karaoke & grovelling *swoon*
- Horseradish & Pickle 😻😻
- Hawaii 🌴 ☀️ ⛱
- Flirty 🐦
- Dr D with her games & rules 😎
-
- Charades, the chain & 😇 investments...my heart was so full 🥰🥰
In a surprise to no one I am utterly biased, have zero impartiality or chill when it comes to this fam & this series however, if you'd like less gushing & a more rounded review please check out the following fab offerings from
Fran
Em
Julia
Now please excuse me while I go back to book 1 (again) and reread this series while listening to Chloe's amazing vibe playlists 🎵🎶
4.25 - 4.5*
***************
Fran reckons this'll make me cry - taking bets 😆
(Dunno what happened to my initial pre-review thoughts, super sad that they seem to have been eaten 😕)
January 14, 2021
If you know me, you’d probably know that the marriage-in-crisis trope is one of my all time favorite tropes! Or basically any time an established couple go through a rough patch and they try to find their way back to each other, because while the happily ever after or better yet, as Freya called it the ever after always is still there but you get to see what relationships are like once you get past that honeymoon phase and i love how real it feels!!!
THAT QUOTE!!! This was one of my favorite quotes in the whole book, because besides the fact that it’s so beautiful!! it simply describes Freya and Aiden perfectly. More towards the end than at the beginning, but watching them go from trying to hide things from the other to protect them to reaching the “we’ll do it together” is so beautiful i loved watching them grow so much!! You can see how much they care and love each other from the start and the fact that them being in a fight never stopped that for them is just aaaaaaaa so beautiful!
Also get you a person who’ll read a book out loud to you and cry with you when the book gets too sad!!!!
I loved the family moments, I love how much the bregman brothers tried to make Aiden feel like one of them and that they are here for him, every bonding day was so hilarious and so sweet!!
I can’t wait to get the rest of the family’s stories. There’s not anyone i dislike or i think has a very surface lever character, Chloe liese makes sure to include snippets here and there of each side character that they feel very real!!
The representation was great!! Especially Aiden’s because it’s the one I can personally speak for. How he talks about anxiety or when he tries to explain what it feels like just made me feel so seen. I loved how he’s surrounded by people who love him and are so understanding without making him feel guilty for it. I also loved Freya’s talks about her body image and her feelings about how she has to be extra vocal about how much she loves her body or other people think that she doesn't like it or trying to lose weight.
The next book is Axel and Rooney’s!!!! I feel like I've been waiting forever for their book!! I'm so excited for it!!!
thanks to netgalley for approving me for the arc!!!
I’ve learned that the measure of your love isn’t how “okay” you both are or how quickly you hit the curveball that life throws at you. Love’s true test, the measure of its strength, is its bravery to be honest, its willingness to face the hardest moments and say, Even though there’s nothing to be done, at least i have you.
THAT QUOTE!!! This was one of my favorite quotes in the whole book, because besides the fact that it’s so beautiful!! it simply describes Freya and Aiden perfectly. More towards the end than at the beginning, but watching them go from trying to hide things from the other to protect them to reaching the “we’ll do it together” is so beautiful i loved watching them grow so much!! You can see how much they care and love each other from the start and the fact that them being in a fight never stopped that for them is just aaaaaaaa so beautiful!
Also get you a person who’ll read a book out loud to you and cry with you when the book gets too sad!!!!
I loved the family moments, I love how much the bregman brothers tried to make Aiden feel like one of them and that they are here for him, every bonding day was so hilarious and so sweet!!
Somewhere along the way, you forgot the day you became Freya’s, you became ours, too
I can’t wait to get the rest of the family’s stories. There’s not anyone i dislike or i think has a very surface lever character, Chloe liese makes sure to include snippets here and there of each side character that they feel very real!!
The representation was great!! Especially Aiden’s because it’s the one I can personally speak for. How he talks about anxiety or when he tries to explain what it feels like just made me feel so seen. I loved how he’s surrounded by people who love him and are so understanding without making him feel guilty for it. I also loved Freya’s talks about her body image and her feelings about how she has to be extra vocal about how much she loves her body or other people think that she doesn't like it or trying to lose weight.
The next book is Axel and Rooney’s!!!! I feel like I've been waiting forever for their book!! I'm so excited for it!!!
thanks to netgalley for approving me for the arc!!!
September 27, 2021
✰ 5 Stars ALL THE CONSTELLATIONS ✰
-ˏˋ All the - initial - Feels ˎˊ-
Ever After Always rejuvenated my damn soul while simultaneously causing me to feel my intense singledom straight down to my bones.
This series, and author Chloe Liese are truly something special. Not only has every book in the series been better than the last, but you can visibly see the time, effort, heart, and emotions, that CHLOE LIESE pours into each book. Each story has brought something new to the table, and in my personal opinion the Bergman Brothers series includes some of the most romantic heroes this genre has to offer. I've been taken with Ryder's grumpy affection, dazzled by our resident Shakespearean redhead, and crushed hard on Aiden's entire being. Essentially my main takeaway from both EVER AFTER ALWAYS , and the BERGMAN BROTHERS series as a whole is this -
I kid, I kid, kinda. The true realization I had about this series was about how romantic and heartfelt it is. Don't come into this series expecting asshole heroes, or drama for dramas sake. Instead come into this series ready to get your emotions slapped around, be prepared to feel eternally single, and sit back and bask in the adoration and romance the Bergman brothers emit.
-ˏˋ The Plot - grovel baby grovel ˎˊ-
Another book, another husband who done goofed. EVER AFTER ALWAYS focuses on Freya Bergman and Aiden MacCormack. Freya and Aiden have been wildly in love for 12 years and from the outside looking in their marriage is seemingly solid. However, over the past six months the cracks have begun to show, and Freya has had enough.
Both Aiden and Freya realize the only way to fix their marriage is to fight for it. That fight combined with a slightly unorthodox marriage counselor, meddling brothers, an impromptu family vacation, and a whole lotta romance, and maybe, just maybe, these two can save their happily ever after.
-ˏˋ What I ADORED ˎˊ-
✧✦ Character Spotlight - Aiden "Bear" MacCormack ✧✦
Aiden, Aiden, Aiden, oh Aiden. Did I say that Ren Bergman owned my heart? Clearly I spoke too soon because there's another Bergman who has my heart, and his name is Aiden MacCormack. CHLOE LIESE does such a great job fleshing out her heroes because my god Aiden MacCormack felt like a real person. The care that she put into creating his character was outstanding. Aiden was so multidimensional. He was a man who deeply loved his wife, a bit of a matchmaker, very confident, yet at the same time he grappled with extreme anxiety, he struggled to share his fears with his wife, and he's extremely focused when it comes to things that are important to him. Watching him really fight to save his marriage was one of the most romantic and beautiful things I have ever seen. LADIES & GENTS, find you a man who looks at you like Aiden MacCormack looks at his wife.
In the end, the reason I truly loved Aiden - seriously i love this man, he is my new husband - was because of the way he worked to fix his mistakes. While Aiden (partially) causes the breakdown between Freya and himself, he never points fingers, he takes an honest introspective look at himself, and he genuinely fights to be better not just for Freya, but for himself.
✧ Happily Ever After, After ✧
Not only did CHLOE LIESE write one of the most romantic books of the year, she also wrote a deep thought provoking book about what love and marriage means. Throughout EVER AFTER ALWAYS we see MS. LIESE play with the concept of "happily ever after". We the readers can visibly see what this pressure does consciously and unconsciously to the titular couple. Now only do these two find their way back to each other, but they realize that marriage is hard. They see that communication can break down in an instant, they realize that things are not always going to be perfect, and they stop beating themselves up for not adhering to this myth of "happily ever after".
Watching Freya and Aiden learn to re-communicate, reconnect, and refresh their marriage was tear inducing. Through this book we see that even the most fairy-tale picture perfect marriage takes time, effort, and a whole lotta of fight to be successful. It was a romantically honest depiction of what it takes to make a marriage work.
✧ The Bergman Family - adopt me please✨ ✧ I have to be honest usually when an author creates a giant ass family for the sole purpose of having a bunch of siblings to pair off, I'm not a fan. The brothers start to blend together, the banter and "jokes" get annoying, and each book either seems the same or to deteriorate in quality. There are a few exceptions, but usually I'm very meh about it. However, that is SERIOUSLY NOT the case with the Bergman Family. Each sibling brings something to the table, each brothers (and sisters) book feel unique and necessary, and the love this family has for each other leaps off the page. Due to a majority of EVER AFTER ALWAYS taking place during a family vacation we really get to see the Bergman family dynamics in full force.
The way these brothers rally around Aiden and view him wholeheartedly as a brother BROUGHT ME TO TEARS. there were a lot of tears while reading this book. I like that each brother is similar enough that you can tell they were raised by the same amazing parental unit, but different enough that they don't blend together during a group scene. The way these brothers (+Ziggy & Freya) love each other felt so real. They were always there ready to support each other, defend each other, make the other one laugh, and be there when they were emotional. One of my favorite moments was towards the end when each of the brothers invested in Aiden's app.
Not only did it show how much these guys supported Aiden, but it showed how much they cared and loved him. It was such a beautiful gesture, and CHLOE LIESE wrote Aiden so well that I knew this gift meant the world to him. Overall, the Bergman family is one of the most special fictional families I have had the pleasure of reading about. Oh and CHLOE LIESE needs to write a novella or novel about the Bergman Parents. I will give you my whole left kidney MS. LIESE , just please, PLEASE, make it happen!
✧ The Grand Gestures, Grovel, & Romance ✧
Nope, you didn't read that wrong, I Julia, hater of grand gestures, LIKED A GRAND GESTURE. I know. I know. I'm shocked, dismayed, and pleasantly surprised? When I said that Aiden pulled out all the stops to save his marriage, I mean ALL the stops. This led to an intimately romantic, and really beautiful book. The romance between Freya & Aiden felt warm and comforting, while still seeming fresh and new. The way Aiden groveled was purposeful, actually romantic, and the grand gestures he pulled out of his pocket were meaningful and had significance to them as a couple. For example, there's one scene where Aiden gets up on stage and sings/dedicates a song to Freya.
Fun fact! I've had a song dedicated to me and it was awkward. However, when the song and significance of the act have meaning, well then the gesture is romantic as fuck. I loved that all the "grand gestures" Aiden did actually meant something. He wasn't just being romantic for the sake of it. He was doing it because it meant something to him and Freya.
The groveling was on point. The grand gesturing was done RIGHT. And as I've said the romance? Fucking fantastic. Personally I loved how romantic EVER AFTER ALWAYS got. Usually too much romance makes me want to crawl out of my skin, but here? Man I ate that shit up. CHLOE LEISE used this book to demonstrate that romance comes in many different forms. We got to see the straightforward declarations of love, actual sweet grand gestures, truly beautiful groveling, healthy communication, and acts of forgiveness.
✧ Freya & Forgivness ✧
Even though I didn't give Freya her own character spotlight I want you all to know that I adored Freya almost as much as Aiden. Not only was this woman so fucking relatable -
But she also ended up surprising me multiple times throughout this story. See I thought that Freya was going to spend the whole book trashing on Aiden, or at least putting all the blame on Aiden. While a good portion of the issues stemmed from Aiden, Freya also played a part in their marriage breakdown. However, her reasons for kicking him out were extremely valid and she had a lot time to build up resentment. Due to that, I was so happy to see that Freya wasn't afraid to exercise those forgiveness muscles. While she does let it all out and blow up at Aiden multiple times, she also isn't afraid to offer forgiveness when the moment calls for it.
I loved that she was not only a seemingly confident, independent woman, but she was also a woman who didn't see love and forgiveness as a weakness.
✧ Multiple Aspects of Representation ✧
The BERGMAN BROTHERS series not only has romantically swoon-worthy heroes, but it also incorporates meaningful, and WELL RESEARCHED , representation. Each book has subtly dealt with or included a disability/mental illness that normal everyday people go through. It is so refreshing to see characters who, oh I don't know, truthfully represent things that are present in our society. Her characters are real because of how multifaceted they. In this book we get to see not only a heroine who happens to be on the curvier side, but we get a hero who seriously struggles with anxiety. The representation felt meaningful, purposeful, and I personally thought it was incorporated wonderfully.
-ˏˋ The Wrap Up ˎˊ-
EVER AFTER ALWAYS is not only one of my favorite books of 2021, but it is also my favorite of the series so far. This book was something special and I implore all of you to check this book, and series, out. This book has everything my somewhat romantic heart could want. It has achingly romantic moments, declarations of love, meaningful grand gestures, a wonderfully relatable heroine, my new husband, and a family that needs to adopt me ASAP. To me this book is perfect, and I think it's safe to say that CHLOE LIESE has become a new favorite author for me.
┍━━━━☟✿━━━━┑
𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗚𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦
ᴮ¹. 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗨𝘀 ~ 𝟯.𝟱 ★
ᴮ². 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂 - 𝟰.𝟱 ★
ᴮ³. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 ~ 𝟱 ★
ᴮ⁴. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 ~ 𝟰.𝟲 ★
┕━━━━☝︎✿━━━━┙
“How have you never groveled?” “Because before Freya, no one was worth groveling for,” I mumble.
-ˏˋ All the - initial - Feels ˎˊ-
Ever After Always rejuvenated my damn soul while simultaneously causing me to feel my intense singledom straight down to my bones.
😭✨ please hold for intense sobbing due to my eternally single status 😭✨
This series, and author Chloe Liese are truly something special. Not only has every book in the series been better than the last, but you can visibly see the time, effort, heart, and emotions, that CHLOE LIESE pours into each book. Each story has brought something new to the table, and in my personal opinion the Bergman Brothers series includes some of the most romantic heroes this genre has to offer. I've been taken with Ryder's grumpy affection, dazzled by our resident Shakespearean redhead, and crushed hard on Aiden's entire being. Essentially my main takeaway from both EVER AFTER ALWAYS , and the BERGMAN BROTHERS series as a whole is this -
✨🧘♀️clearly i need to limber up and start doing Yoga✨🧘♀️
I kid, I kid, kinda. The true realization I had about this series was about how romantic and heartfelt it is. Don't come into this series expecting asshole heroes, or drama for dramas sake. Instead come into this series ready to get your emotions slapped around, be prepared to feel eternally single, and sit back and bask in the adoration and romance the Bergman brothers emit.
-ˏˋ The Plot - grovel baby grovel ˎˊ-
Another book, another husband who done goofed. EVER AFTER ALWAYS focuses on Freya Bergman and Aiden MacCormack. Freya and Aiden have been wildly in love for 12 years and from the outside looking in their marriage is seemingly solid. However, over the past six months the cracks have begun to show, and Freya has had enough.
Six months of slow, silent decline. It wasn’t one big, awful argument. It was a thousand quiet moments that added up until I realized I didn’t recognize him or us or, shit, even me.
Both Aiden and Freya realize the only way to fix their marriage is to fight for it. That fight combined with a slightly unorthodox marriage counselor, meddling brothers, an impromptu family vacation, and a whole lotta romance, and maybe, just maybe, these two can save their happily ever after.
-ˏˋ What I ADORED ˎˊ-
✧✦ Character Spotlight - Aiden "Bear" MacCormack ✧✦
“I know you said you’re not sure if this can be fixed, Freya,” Aiden says quietly. “But I’m here to tell you I will do everything I can to make it right. I promise you that.”
Aiden, Aiden, Aiden, oh Aiden. Did I say that Ren Bergman owned my heart? Clearly I spoke too soon because there's another Bergman who has my heart, and his name is Aiden MacCormack. CHLOE LIESE does such a great job fleshing out her heroes because my god Aiden MacCormack felt like a real person. The care that she put into creating his character was outstanding. Aiden was so multidimensional. He was a man who deeply loved his wife, a bit of a matchmaker, very confident, yet at the same time he grappled with extreme anxiety, he struggled to share his fears with his wife, and he's extremely focused when it comes to things that are important to him. Watching him really fight to save his marriage was one of the most romantic and beautiful things I have ever seen. LADIES & GENTS, find you a man who looks at you like Aiden MacCormack looks at his wife.
“Why are we dancing?” she asks. I press a kiss to her temple. “Because you love to dance, and I love to hold you.”
In the end, the reason I truly loved Aiden - seriously i love this man, he is my new husband - was because of the way he worked to fix his mistakes. While Aiden (partially) causes the breakdown between Freya and himself, he never points fingers, he takes an honest introspective look at himself, and he genuinely fights to be better not just for Freya, but for himself.
✧ Happily Ever After, After ✧
All I’ve wanted since the day I married you… I’ve just wanted to give you your happily ever after.”
Not only did CHLOE LIESE write one of the most romantic books of the year, she also wrote a deep thought provoking book about what love and marriage means. Throughout EVER AFTER ALWAYS we see MS. LIESE play with the concept of "happily ever after". We the readers can visibly see what this pressure does consciously and unconsciously to the titular couple. Now only do these two find their way back to each other, but they realize that marriage is hard. They see that communication can break down in an instant, they realize that things are not always going to be perfect, and they stop beating themselves up for not adhering to this myth of "happily ever after".
“We can’t possibly hope to always live ‘happily.’ But ‘ever after’? That we can hope for and choose. Because ‘ever after’ isn’t an idea. It’s a person—an imperfect person who’s perfect for you.” Her eyes search mine as she gives me one soft, tender kiss. “You’re that person, for me. You’re my ever after.”
Watching Freya and Aiden learn to re-communicate, reconnect, and refresh their marriage was tear inducing. Through this book we see that even the most fairy-tale picture perfect marriage takes time, effort, and a whole lotta of fight to be successful. It was a romantically honest depiction of what it takes to make a marriage work.
✧ The Bergman Family - adopt me please✨ ✧ I have to be honest usually when an author creates a giant ass family for the sole purpose of having a bunch of siblings to pair off, I'm not a fan. The brothers start to blend together, the banter and "jokes" get annoying, and each book either seems the same or to deteriorate in quality. There are a few exceptions, but usually I'm very meh about it. However, that is SERIOUSLY NOT the case with the Bergman Family. Each sibling brings something to the table, each brothers (and sisters) book feel unique and necessary, and the love this family has for each other leaps off the page. Due to a majority of EVER AFTER ALWAYS taking place during a family vacation we really get to see the Bergman family dynamics in full force.
Viggo pins me with his sharp stare. “Somewhere along the way, you forgot the day you became Freya’s, you became ours, too.”
The way these brothers rally around Aiden and view him wholeheartedly as a brother BROUGHT ME TO TEARS. there were a lot of tears while reading this book. I like that each brother is similar enough that you can tell they were raised by the same amazing parental unit, but different enough that they don't blend together during a group scene. The way these brothers (+Ziggy & Freya) love each other felt so real. They were always there ready to support each other, defend each other, make the other one laugh, and be there when they were emotional. One of my favorite moments was towards the end when each of the brothers invested in Aiden's app.
“Angel investors,” Oliver says brightly, handing me the envelope that Aiden held loosely in his hand. “Meaning the Bergman brothers now have a vested interest in our brother’s work. God help you, Aiden.”
Not only did it show how much these guys supported Aiden, but it showed how much they cared and loved him. It was such a beautiful gesture, and CHLOE LIESE wrote Aiden so well that I knew this gift meant the world to him. Overall, the Bergman family is one of the most special fictional families I have had the pleasure of reading about. Oh and CHLOE LIESE needs to write a novella or novel about the Bergman Parents. I will give you my whole left kidney MS. LIESE , just please, PLEASE, make it happen!
✧ The Grand Gestures, Grovel, & Romance ✧
"[. . .] Marriage is messier and much more complicated than anyone warned us. You can want to rip off his nuts and miss him so bad, it feels like you can’t breathe.”
Nope, you didn't read that wrong, I Julia, hater of grand gestures, LIKED A GRAND GESTURE. I know. I know. I'm shocked, dismayed, and pleasantly surprised? When I said that Aiden pulled out all the stops to save his marriage, I mean ALL the stops. This led to an intimately romantic, and really beautiful book. The romance between Freya & Aiden felt warm and comforting, while still seeming fresh and new. The way Aiden groveled was purposeful, actually romantic, and the grand gestures he pulled out of his pocket were meaningful and had significance to them as a couple. For example, there's one scene where Aiden gets up on stage and sings/dedicates a song to Freya.
Aiden’s eyes hold mine as he strums and plays from memory. And when he hits the chorus, singing a promise that nothing will stop him from finding the woman he loves, I feel the earth tip beneath me.
Fun fact! I've had a song dedicated to me and it was awkward. However, when the song and significance of the act have meaning, well then the gesture is romantic as fuck. I loved that all the "grand gestures" Aiden did actually meant something. He wasn't just being romantic for the sake of it. He was doing it because it meant something to him and Freya.
“It’s called grand gesturing. And groveling.” A surprised laugh jumps out of me. “What?” “Music speaks to you, Freya. It makes you feel. And it’s something we used to share, a way we connected. I wanted…I wanted to show you what you mean to me. I wanted you to feel that again.”
The groveling was on point. The grand gesturing was done RIGHT. And as I've said the romance? Fucking fantastic. Personally I loved how romantic EVER AFTER ALWAYS got. Usually too much romance makes me want to crawl out of my skin, but here? Man I ate that shit up. CHLOE LEISE used this book to demonstrate that romance comes in many different forms. We got to see the straightforward declarations of love, actual sweet grand gestures, truly beautiful groveling, healthy communication, and acts of forgiveness.
✧ Freya & Forgivness ✧
“I think there’s something wrong with me. I’m so pissed at him that I’ve fantasized about sticking chocolate pudding in his business shoes [. . .] He’d think it’s cat shit. Pickles gets diarrhea when she eats my houseplants.”
Even though I didn't give Freya her own character spotlight I want you all to know that I adored Freya almost as much as Aiden. Not only was this woman so fucking relatable -
If I wear something that no one would think twice about a skinny person wearing, it automatically makes me a body-positivity warrior, instead of just a woman wearing what she damn well pleases.
But she also ended up surprising me multiple times throughout this story. See I thought that Freya was going to spend the whole book trashing on Aiden, or at least putting all the blame on Aiden. While a good portion of the issues stemmed from Aiden, Freya also played a part in their marriage breakdown. However, her reasons for kicking him out were extremely valid and she had a lot time to build up resentment. Due to that, I was so happy to see that Freya wasn't afraid to exercise those forgiveness muscles. While she does let it all out and blow up at Aiden multiple times, she also isn't afraid to offer forgiveness when the moment calls for it.
“But I never wanted the world, Aiden. I just wanted you.”
I loved that she was not only a seemingly confident, independent woman, but she was also a woman who didn't see love and forgiveness as a weakness.
✧ Multiple Aspects of Representation ✧
It took me a long time—and lots of therapy hours—to accept that my anxiety makes life harder, but it doesn’t make me wrong or damaged or…well, anything bad. It just…is.
The BERGMAN BROTHERS series not only has romantically swoon-worthy heroes, but it also incorporates meaningful, and WELL RESEARCHED , representation. Each book has subtly dealt with or included a disability/mental illness that normal everyday people go through. It is so refreshing to see characters who, oh I don't know, truthfully represent things that are present in our society. Her characters are real because of how multifaceted they. In this book we get to see not only a heroine who happens to be on the curvier side, but we get a hero who seriously struggles with anxiety. The representation felt meaningful, purposeful, and I personally thought it was incorporated wonderfully.
-ˏˋ The Wrap Up ˎˊ-
EVER AFTER ALWAYS is not only one of my favorite books of 2021, but it is also my favorite of the series so far. This book was something special and I implore all of you to check this book, and series, out. This book has everything my somewhat romantic heart could want. It has achingly romantic moments, declarations of love, meaningful grand gestures, a wonderfully relatable heroine, my new husband, and a family that needs to adopt me ASAP. To me this book is perfect, and I think it's safe to say that CHLOE LIESE has become a new favorite author for me.
“About that word, fair…the idea of ‘fair’ in a marriage, any relationship, I mean it’s impossible. No marriage is fair. It’s complementary. The idea of ‘fair’ is absurd at best, ableist at worst.”
┍━━━━☟✿━━━━┑
𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗚𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦
ᴮ¹. 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗨𝘀 ~ 𝟯.𝟱 ★
ᴮ². 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂 - 𝟰.𝟱 ★
ᴮ³. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 ~ 𝟱 ★
ᴮ⁴. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 ~ 𝟰.𝟲 ★
┕━━━━☝︎✿━━━━┙
December 14, 2020
5 STARS
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
“It’s a choice, a belief, I choose you, my Ever After, believing our love will sustain us, always. Ever After Always.”
The marriage in crisis trope is god tier and severely underrated.
Aiden and Freya have been married for almost ten years and whilst they both unendingly love each other, from the stresses of trying for a baby and Aiden’s attempts to prepare for that resulting in crazy work hours and constant absence, Freya is sick of their relationship not being prioritised and hence has kicked him out. Their marriage is in crisis but with some marriage counselling, a Hawaii getaway and some meddling brothers they might be able to get it back on track.
This series owns my entire heart and the third book smashes it out of the park all over again it’s a rarity that 3 books deep into a romance series I will have given each book 5 stars but here we are. I will say this is the first time that I have cried upon seeing I was approved for a book. This book was one of my most anticipated for next year so what a blessing it was.
The reason I love a good marriage in crisis book is that whilst everyone loves a good meet-cute and falling in love story this trope explores the hard work and dedication that comes after the love story and supposed happily ever after. Because relationships take work, and they grow and evolve and looking at it through the lens of dedicating oneself to bettering themselves for the good of their relationship and partner is so romantic in such an underrated way. The portrayal of the relationship throughout the book all felt so very real, they had struggles and issues to deal with but eventually were able to find a way to work through things in such a healthy way. Though there were also moments where they had setbacks and messed up again because they are human and that is what people do and how relationships work.
You can feel Aiden’s internal struggle throughout the book in which he can clearly start to see the issues that are occurring in the relationship but he doesn’t know how to fix it. He feels stuck at a crossroads of repairing the damage or continuing down the destructive path he feels a duty to be on. Which is what makes the portrayal of his anxiety in the book feel so very real, the thoughts you see Aiden go through and the way his panic attacks are described felt so authentic it hurt a little.
The strength of this trope and the way it is presented in this book is that it is a slow burn and almost a second chance romance within their own relationship. I adored both Aiden and Freya. You could clearly see their devotion and understanding of one another, there are just other issues that have gotten in their way. In reading a book about a couple who have been together for nearly ten years you can see the little things they’ve accumulated over time in understanding one another. Like how Freya doesn’t complain that even though they are fighting Aiden has to triple check her seatbelt on a plane to calm his anxiety or how he knows that she’s been feeling down because she hasn’t been humming around the house so goes out of his way to give her the chance to sing.
ALL OF IT JUST WARMS MY HEART.
I love a series which takes you through a whole family and I love the Bergman family with my whole heart. It's so good seeing the couples we have already met and the ones which are to come. The family have such a fun dynamic and there seriously isn't one character which is written badly they're all so strong in their own right. It was emotional seeing the way the Bergman brothers had adopted Aiden, someone who didn’t have much of a family of his own into their family and treated him as their own brother.
This series is everything to me and I cannot wait for the next one.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
“It’s a choice, a belief, I choose you, my Ever After, believing our love will sustain us, always. Ever After Always.”
The marriage in crisis trope is god tier and severely underrated.
Aiden and Freya have been married for almost ten years and whilst they both unendingly love each other, from the stresses of trying for a baby and Aiden’s attempts to prepare for that resulting in crazy work hours and constant absence, Freya is sick of their relationship not being prioritised and hence has kicked him out. Their marriage is in crisis but with some marriage counselling, a Hawaii getaway and some meddling brothers they might be able to get it back on track.
This series owns my entire heart and the third book smashes it out of the park all over again it’s a rarity that 3 books deep into a romance series I will have given each book 5 stars but here we are. I will say this is the first time that I have cried upon seeing I was approved for a book. This book was one of my most anticipated for next year so what a blessing it was.
The reason I love a good marriage in crisis book is that whilst everyone loves a good meet-cute and falling in love story this trope explores the hard work and dedication that comes after the love story and supposed happily ever after. Because relationships take work, and they grow and evolve and looking at it through the lens of dedicating oneself to bettering themselves for the good of their relationship and partner is so romantic in such an underrated way. The portrayal of the relationship throughout the book all felt so very real, they had struggles and issues to deal with but eventually were able to find a way to work through things in such a healthy way. Though there were also moments where they had setbacks and messed up again because they are human and that is what people do and how relationships work.
You can feel Aiden’s internal struggle throughout the book in which he can clearly start to see the issues that are occurring in the relationship but he doesn’t know how to fix it. He feels stuck at a crossroads of repairing the damage or continuing down the destructive path he feels a duty to be on. Which is what makes the portrayal of his anxiety in the book feel so very real, the thoughts you see Aiden go through and the way his panic attacks are described felt so authentic it hurt a little.
The strength of this trope and the way it is presented in this book is that it is a slow burn and almost a second chance romance within their own relationship. I adored both Aiden and Freya. You could clearly see their devotion and understanding of one another, there are just other issues that have gotten in their way. In reading a book about a couple who have been together for nearly ten years you can see the little things they’ve accumulated over time in understanding one another. Like how Freya doesn’t complain that even though they are fighting Aiden has to triple check her seatbelt on a plane to calm his anxiety or how he knows that she’s been feeling down because she hasn’t been humming around the house so goes out of his way to give her the chance to sing.
ALL OF IT JUST WARMS MY HEART.
I love a series which takes you through a whole family and I love the Bergman family with my whole heart. It's so good seeing the couples we have already met and the ones which are to come. The family have such a fun dynamic and there seriously isn't one character which is written badly they're all so strong in their own right. It was emotional seeing the way the Bergman brothers had adopted Aiden, someone who didn’t have much of a family of his own into their family and treated him as their own brother.
This series is everything to me and I cannot wait for the next one.
Read
December 14, 2021💫 ”At some point, every love is a tragedy. It just doesn’t have to stay that way. We choose our endings. That’s Aristotle’s point. Tragedy is built—it has a structure. And if that’s not the ending you want, then you get out of that trajectory. You change the narrative.”
really wanted to love this, but it rlly took me forever to finish, it was just boring
”Ah.” Dr. Dietrich lifts her hand. “About that word, fair…the idea of ‘fair’ in a marriage, any relationship, I mean it’s impossible. No marriage is fair. It’s complementary. The idea of ‘fair’ is absurd at best, ableist at worst.
Because saying a relationship has to be ‘fair’ implies only a certain balance and distribution of skills and aptitudes is valid. It upholds an arbitrary, damaging idea of ‘normal’ or ‘standard’ as requisite for fulfilling partnership. When in reality, all you need is two people who love what the other brings and share the work of love and life together.”
1) for a love-in-trouble trope, I expected a lot of angst, but there wasn’t enough of that here. 2) didn’t feel enough chemistry between the mcs somehow. dunno how that works for a married couple, but that’s the truth. aiden was sweet, freya was eh whatever
I turn and face them. “I’m not your brother. Don’t you want to do this stuff, you know…without me?”
They all fold their arms across their chests and tip their heads the same direction. It’s beyond weird. And also…shit, it’s kind of endearing.
“So that right there,” Oliver says, “is exactly why we need today.”
Viggo pins me with his sharp stare. “Somewhere along the way, you forgot the day you became Freya’s, you became ours, too.”
Ah, man. My eyes blur with tears.
one thing i really loved tho, was the brothers. and also, viggo quoting Lisa Kleypas? an icon. (we're just gonna ignore the fact that i havent read any of her books yet)
June 1, 2024
“At some point, every love is a tragedy. It just doesn’t have to stay that way. We choose our endings. That’s Aristotle’s point. Tragedy is built—it has a structure. And if that’s not the ending you want, then you get out of that trajectory. You change the narrative”
September 24, 2024
3.5 Stars
A solid second chance romance regarding an established couple!
This installment focuses on the oldest Bergman, Freya. She and her husband Aidan are on the outs, not because of some specific event but a gradual buildup of internal pressure and non communication that has resulted in a slow slide of disengagement. When Freya has had enough of being ignored, she and Aidan are forced to dig deep into their psyches for mutual understanding and problem solving.
I won’t bore you with the ins and outs of their issues and how they solve them. Just know again, that I’m impressed with how Liese unfolds her romances. Both Freya and Aidan have very valid issues, and despite them being an established couple, I felt their hurts and fears, as well as the UST and longing.
Small niggles revolved around a short lived 3rd act “breakup” and this being a bit long for my impatient self. Points for the anxiety rep, for remaining nicely smexy, and not overly devolving into sappiness like the previous installments did.
Know that I don’t go for, or avoid, second chance romances either way. However, this was a standout one for mostly being grounded in reality, for the great character development and growth, for showing the painful trials that ensue when a marriage is on the rocks. Every emotion and action/reaction between Freya and Aidan was spot on and rang true, and in order for them to have a triumphant success story here, they know they have to work at it, that they have to choose each other every day. I had no problem cheering them onto their second go at a happy ever after!
Bergman Brothers Series
1. Only When It’s Us - 3.5 Stars
2. Always Only You - 3.5 Stars
3. Ever After Always - 3.5 Stars
4. With You Forever - 4.5 Stars!
5. Everything for You - 5 Stars!
6. If Only You - 4 Stars
7. Only and Forever - 5 Stars!
A solid second chance romance regarding an established couple!
This installment focuses on the oldest Bergman, Freya. She and her husband Aidan are on the outs, not because of some specific event but a gradual buildup of internal pressure and non communication that has resulted in a slow slide of disengagement. When Freya has had enough of being ignored, she and Aidan are forced to dig deep into their psyches for mutual understanding and problem solving.
I won’t bore you with the ins and outs of their issues and how they solve them. Just know again, that I’m impressed with how Liese unfolds her romances. Both Freya and Aidan have very valid issues, and despite them being an established couple, I felt their hurts and fears, as well as the UST and longing.
Small niggles revolved around a short lived 3rd act “breakup” and this being a bit long for my impatient self. Points for the anxiety rep, for remaining nicely smexy, and not overly devolving into sappiness like the previous installments did.
Know that I don’t go for, or avoid, second chance romances either way. However, this was a standout one for mostly being grounded in reality, for the great character development and growth, for showing the painful trials that ensue when a marriage is on the rocks. Every emotion and action/reaction between Freya and Aidan was spot on and rang true, and in order for them to have a triumphant success story here, they know they have to work at it, that they have to choose each other every day. I had no problem cheering them onto their second go at a happy ever after!
Bergman Brothers Series
1. Only When It’s Us - 3.5 Stars
2. Always Only You - 3.5 Stars
3. Ever After Always - 3.5 Stars
4. With You Forever - 4.5 Stars!
5. Everything for You - 5 Stars!
6. If Only You - 4 Stars
7. Only and Forever - 5 Stars!
March 11, 2021
I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK! Like next level, utterly obsessed, totally enamored with EVERY WORD! It was angsty and intense and tender and breathtaking. My ABSOLUTE FAVORITE of the series. So full of depth and heart! GAH!!!!! I can’t get enough of this series and these characters and Chloe Liese’s writing! It’s PERFECTION!!!!!!! FIVE STARS!
PS: In my opinion this series is best read in order. I know they're all standalones, but the romances are so interconnected. The family dynamic is a HUGE part of these characters. It's just best to start with the first book, Only When It's Us, then move on to book 2, Always Only You, and then book 3, Ever After Always! Each book is absolutely fantastic. Truly MUST READ ROMANCE!
PS: In my opinion this series is best read in order. I know they're all standalones, but the romances are so interconnected. The family dynamic is a HUGE part of these characters. It's just best to start with the first book, Only When It's Us, then move on to book 2, Always Only You, and then book 3, Ever After Always! Each book is absolutely fantastic. Truly MUST READ ROMANCE!
April 19, 2021
Ever After Always is awesome! Miss Liese outdid herself. The story of struggle romance is usually not my favorite trope. But I have to say, I changed my mind after reading this.
Aiden and Freya has been struggle to keep the romance alive on their marriage life. Once, a couple who can not get their hands off each other, now practically just roomate. I do love how Miss Liese peeling every aspect of love/marriage/ family one by one. The sex scenes are not much. Instead there are a lot of heart to heart talk.
I love specially about the Greek mythology. About trust and fear. I am really floored.
Overall this is a perfect book.
5 stars
Aiden and Freya has been struggle to keep the romance alive on their marriage life. Once, a couple who can not get their hands off each other, now practically just roomate. I do love how Miss Liese peeling every aspect of love/marriage/ family one by one. The sex scenes are not much. Instead there are a lot of heart to heart talk.
I love specially about the Greek mythology. About trust and fear. I am really floored.
Overall this is a perfect book.
5 stars
January 20, 2022
man on man! this book was just a bundle of pain and bittersweet joy! freya & aiden we’re literally a roller coaster ride to witness but i wouldn’t trade it for the world!
December 21, 2020
This is the third book in this series and so far, I am absolutely loving them. These books just feel so honest, the characters feel so real, their struggles so valid and realistic. It truly is a pleasure to read about the Bergman family and their love stories.
This particular book follows the oldest Bergman sibling, Freya, as she and her husband Aidan try to desperately bring their marriage back from the brink of collapse. And I gotta say, I really like romance novels told from the point of view of married couples. As much I live for the angst and the drama of two people getting together and falling in love, there is something so wonderful and interesting about a love story that happens after the 'happily ever after'.
My favorite thing in this book was the characters. All of them were so great and I love their entire family. But more than that, it was how the characters felt human to me and not just two-dimensional caricatures. We got to see more of the siblings in this one than in the previous two books and I am really glad about it. I really want to read about Viggo and Oliver when their time comes.
But enough about them, let's talk about Freya and Aiden. Their relationship wasn't perfect, of course, that's the whole point of the novel. And yet, they were so perfect for each other. The love the two held for each other was so obvious and so strong and while it did take a couple of hits, it never broke and it never left.
One of my least favorite things in romance novel is the unnecessary conflict for the sake of conflict. I am glad to say that this book did a great job of making the conflicts seem realistic and reasonable.
Another thing I hate in romance is when all the blame for the falling out is put on one character, while the other cruises by. Thankfully, this book had none of that either. Both Freya and Aiden are flawed and both had a hand in their marriage failing. They both had to work on their relationship and both learn to depend on the other when they needed it most.
Another thing I loved about this book is how it went about certain topics such as anxiety and body image.
Aiden suffers from anxiety and it has a prominent, negative effect on his life. That said, he is not defined by it. And yet, his anxiety is such a driving force for all of his actions and it is written in such an honest way. I like that the author also went into the less talked about effects of anxiety, and how it isn't always a wave that comes and goes, but a dark cloud that constantly looms above you as you live your life, building up until it finally pours down.
I also like the mention of Freya's concerns with body image. She wasn't defined by her body or her thoughts about it. In fact, she mentions feeling like she isn't allowed to simply be and simply have the body she does. The world expects her to aggressively love herself and show it, or else they'll think she hates her body and is trying to lose weight.
I think the author did a great job of representing all the character's struggles in realistic and sensitive ways.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I am looking forward to reading more about the Bergman's and can't wait to see what other adventures they'll go on. Plus, I have been waiting for Axel and Rooney's story since reading Only Ever You, so I'm definitely excited about that one.
Also, let it be known that I read this in one day. I am so thankful that I work from home because I completely ignored all my responsibilities while reading this.
Do be warned, this book has a character that experiences severe anxiety, in case that might be a trigger for any of you.
**I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**
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This particular book follows the oldest Bergman sibling, Freya, as she and her husband Aidan try to desperately bring their marriage back from the brink of collapse. And I gotta say, I really like romance novels told from the point of view of married couples. As much I live for the angst and the drama of two people getting together and falling in love, there is something so wonderful and interesting about a love story that happens after the 'happily ever after'.
My favorite thing in this book was the characters. All of them were so great and I love their entire family. But more than that, it was how the characters felt human to me and not just two-dimensional caricatures. We got to see more of the siblings in this one than in the previous two books and I am really glad about it. I really want to read about Viggo and Oliver when their time comes.
But enough about them, let's talk about Freya and Aiden. Their relationship wasn't perfect, of course, that's the whole point of the novel. And yet, they were so perfect for each other. The love the two held for each other was so obvious and so strong and while it did take a couple of hits, it never broke and it never left.
One of my least favorite things in romance novel is the unnecessary conflict for the sake of conflict. I am glad to say that this book did a great job of making the conflicts seem realistic and reasonable.
Another thing I hate in romance is when all the blame for the falling out is put on one character, while the other cruises by. Thankfully, this book had none of that either. Both Freya and Aiden are flawed and both had a hand in their marriage failing. They both had to work on their relationship and both learn to depend on the other when they needed it most.
Another thing I loved about this book is how it went about certain topics such as anxiety and body image.
Aiden suffers from anxiety and it has a prominent, negative effect on his life. That said, he is not defined by it. And yet, his anxiety is such a driving force for all of his actions and it is written in such an honest way. I like that the author also went into the less talked about effects of anxiety, and how it isn't always a wave that comes and goes, but a dark cloud that constantly looms above you as you live your life, building up until it finally pours down.
I also like the mention of Freya's concerns with body image. She wasn't defined by her body or her thoughts about it. In fact, she mentions feeling like she isn't allowed to simply be and simply have the body she does. The world expects her to aggressively love herself and show it, or else they'll think she hates her body and is trying to lose weight.
I think the author did a great job of representing all the character's struggles in realistic and sensitive ways.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I am looking forward to reading more about the Bergman's and can't wait to see what other adventures they'll go on. Plus, I have been waiting for Axel and Rooney's story since reading Only Ever You, so I'm definitely excited about that one.
Also, let it be known that I read this in one day. I am so thankful that I work from home because I completely ignored all my responsibilities while reading this.
Do be warned, this book has a character that experiences severe anxiety, in case that might be a trigger for any of you.
**I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**
Follow Me Here Too: My Blog || Twitter || Bloglovin' || Instagram || Tumblr || Pinterest
December 14, 2021
Trigger Warnings:
A HUGE THANK YOU TO TEESHA AND JULIA ✿FOR RECOMMENDING THIS BOOK. I had a LOVELY time buddy reading this with my amazing friend Bookishly Baking😁, we did fail the buddy read in the end but I still had fun. It took me forever to finish this because of exam season but I adored this book. This was my first Chloe Liese book and I adored it and cannot wait to read more by her! I really liked this book, I love marriage in trouble books because it shows that even after marrying, marriage isn’t easy. Seeing two people who were so fulla love fall outta love and back into love is such an emotional rollercoaster. I liked how it had realistic bodies, bodies with stretch marks and how normal the characters were, it was realistic. The problem was that it didn’t have enough of the couple together, it’s very family driven, if something happens between the characters, you immediately cut to a chapter with the main characters with other side characters. I still rate it 5 stars though. I adore the family in this, the Bergmans are bloody amazing, they all made me cry a ton, they constantly remind their loved ones that they are loved and they don’t want anyone to forget that. I didn’t read the first two books so this can be read as a stand-alone but I lowkey wish I read the other two books since the couples are in this and their past is referenced, I missed out on inside jokes and stories so I’m definitely going back to read this in order. This book did have grovel but I didn’t feel like the grovel was needed at points, which is CRAZY because I am obsessed with grovel. I’ll explain in my spoilers but this wouldn’t be on my satisfying grovel list.
Freya and Aiden have been married for a decade and love each other so much. But for the past couple of weeks or even months, Aiden has pulled away, he’s become quieter and he hasn’t been as attentive as he once was. Because of this, Freya also pulled away, slowly becoming distant. Being fed up with this, Freya kicks Aiden out because she needs space and they both come to the realization that their marriage is in trouble. Whether they wanna fight for their marriage or let it crumble is up to them.
Undeterred, Viggo clears his throat and reads from his book. “In the words of the inimitable Lisa Kleypas, ‘Marriage isn’t the end of the story, it’s the beginning. And it demands the effort of both partners to make a success of it.’”
“That’s beautiful,” Ren says.
“Who the hell is Lisa Kleypas?” I ask.
Oh Aiden, you are missing out. A book with characters who read romance books, this book is bloody amazing.
Now for spoilers
I can’t wait to get back into this universe later and catch up. I’m gonna read it in order though. Anyway, stay safe folks!
A HUGE THANK YOU TO TEESHA AND JULIA ✿FOR RECOMMENDING THIS BOOK. I had a LOVELY time buddy reading this with my amazing friend Bookishly Baking😁, we did fail the buddy read in the end but I still had fun. It took me forever to finish this because of exam season but I adored this book. This was my first Chloe Liese book and I adored it and cannot wait to read more by her! I really liked this book, I love marriage in trouble books because it shows that even after marrying, marriage isn’t easy. Seeing two people who were so fulla love fall outta love and back into love is such an emotional rollercoaster. I liked how it had realistic bodies, bodies with stretch marks and how normal the characters were, it was realistic. The problem was that it didn’t have enough of the couple together, it’s very family driven, if something happens between the characters, you immediately cut to a chapter with the main characters with other side characters. I still rate it 5 stars though. I adore the family in this, the Bergmans are bloody amazing, they all made me cry a ton, they constantly remind their loved ones that they are loved and they don’t want anyone to forget that. I didn’t read the first two books so this can be read as a stand-alone but I lowkey wish I read the other two books since the couples are in this and their past is referenced, I missed out on inside jokes and stories so I’m definitely going back to read this in order. This book did have grovel but I didn’t feel like the grovel was needed at points, which is CRAZY because I am obsessed with grovel. I’ll explain in my spoilers but this wouldn’t be on my satisfying grovel list.
Freya and Aiden have been married for a decade and love each other so much. But for the past couple of weeks or even months, Aiden has pulled away, he’s become quieter and he hasn’t been as attentive as he once was. Because of this, Freya also pulled away, slowly becoming distant. Being fed up with this, Freya kicks Aiden out because she needs space and they both come to the realization that their marriage is in trouble. Whether they wanna fight for their marriage or let it crumble is up to them.
Undeterred, Viggo clears his throat and reads from his book. “In the words of the inimitable Lisa Kleypas, ‘Marriage isn’t the end of the story, it’s the beginning. And it demands the effort of both partners to make a success of it.’”
“That’s beautiful,” Ren says.
“Who the hell is Lisa Kleypas?” I ask.
Oh Aiden, you are missing out. A book with characters who read romance books, this book is bloody amazing.
Now for spoilers
I can’t wait to get back into this universe later and catch up. I’m gonna read it in order though. Anyway, stay safe folks!
February 13, 2021
Once in awhile an author comes along and takes me by storm. Chloe Liese has done that with her Bergman series. She tops every book and Ever After Always is just perfection.
The marriage in trouble trope is a catnip of mine and here I get everything I could ever ask for. It also helps that I’m completely obsessed with every character since book one and I’m deeply invested in everyone so Freya and Aidan’s story was bound to be a winner. It was! It hooked me from page one.
What truly makes this the perfect book is Freya and Aidan’s story arc and growth. How they’re so far apart in the beginning and slowly find their way back to one another. It’s a story that takes its time but it’s done with an ease and with characters that made this story rich and alive. Every conversation and action mattered. It’s an authentic portrayal of a marriage in crisis and how they have to prioritize, communicate and work to save it.
It’s a slow burn where the heat simmers beneath the surface never doubting that this couple has chemistry cause it’s so damn palpable. Freya and Aidan gave me and made me feel so much thanks to this author and her flawless storytelling. What a strong couple.
Last but not least. The Bergman Family and all its members were there and I wouldn’t want it any other way. So much heart and soul in every character. Thank you Chloe Liese.
Next up Axl and Rooney. It’s about time and I’m so freaking excited.
5 Beautiful Ever After Stars
The marriage in trouble trope is a catnip of mine and here I get everything I could ever ask for. It also helps that I’m completely obsessed with every character since book one and I’m deeply invested in everyone so Freya and Aidan’s story was bound to be a winner. It was! It hooked me from page one.
What truly makes this the perfect book is Freya and Aidan’s story arc and growth. How they’re so far apart in the beginning and slowly find their way back to one another. It’s a story that takes its time but it’s done with an ease and with characters that made this story rich and alive. Every conversation and action mattered. It’s an authentic portrayal of a marriage in crisis and how they have to prioritize, communicate and work to save it.
It’s a slow burn where the heat simmers beneath the surface never doubting that this couple has chemistry cause it’s so damn palpable. Freya and Aidan gave me and made me feel so much thanks to this author and her flawless storytelling. What a strong couple.
Last but not least. The Bergman Family and all its members were there and I wouldn’t want it any other way. So much heart and soul in every character. Thank you Chloe Liese.
Next up Axl and Rooney. It’s about time and I’m so freaking excited.
5 Beautiful Ever After Stars
August 22, 2021
3.5 Stars
Wow. Reading this made me feel so mature like I would know exactly what to do and not to do if I ever face my own marriage-in-crisis in the future LMAO (although I have no idea how realistic everything in this book is because I have no experience 😂)
What worked for me
(1) The Bergman family.
(2) The Bergman family.
(3) THE BERGMAN FAMILY.
I can’t express how much I love them. I swear they have to be my absolute favorite right now because that ending? DJFAHUWEFHJSNADFUAWELH MY HEART CAN’T TAKE IT I LOVE THEM SO MUCH
Other thanmy eternal love for this family that, this book did great on the reconnecting part, so much better than the last marriage-in-crisis book I’ve read (which ironically was also my first read for 2020, and lookie here, starting my reading year with yet another marriage-in-crisis story).
It explained Aiden's and Freya's struggles in more detail and also dove into Aiden’s past more than the other book, which helped explain so much of his motivations and way of thinking. IMO, Chloe Liese did an excellent job on his character, every confession of him, every show of emotion and vulnerability made my eyes tear up.
What didn't work for me
I never felt the chemistry tbh but then I never do with the few marriage-in-crisis books I’ve read. I also lost interest after they decided to give it another go, and sometimes the dialogue got way too mushy for me.
***
↳At first I wanted to round up to 4 stars because I just loved all the scenes with the Bergman brothers so much but then after thinking about it for some time I decided to round down because, even though the brothers played a relatively big part, the family scenes just weren't the focus of the story itself and it didn't feel "right" to me anymore to round up.
**ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Wow. Reading this made me feel so mature like I would know exactly what to do and not to do if I ever face my own marriage-in-crisis in the future LMAO (although I have no idea how realistic everything in this book is because I have no experience 😂)
What worked for me
(1) The Bergman family.
(2) The Bergman family.
(3) THE BERGMAN FAMILY.
I can’t express how much I love them. I swear they have to be my absolute favorite right now because that ending? DJFAHUWEFHJSNADFUAWELH MY HEART CAN’T TAKE IT I LOVE THEM SO MUCH
Other than
It explained Aiden's and Freya's struggles in more detail and also dove into Aiden’s past more than the other book, which helped explain so much of his motivations and way of thinking. IMO, Chloe Liese did an excellent job on his character, every confession of him, every show of emotion and vulnerability made my eyes tear up.
What didn't work for me
I never felt the chemistry tbh but then I never do with the few marriage-in-crisis books I’ve read. I also lost interest after they decided to give it another go, and sometimes the dialogue got way too mushy for me.
***
↳At first I wanted to round up to 4 stars because I just loved all the scenes with the Bergman brothers so much but then after thinking about it for some time I decided to round down because, even though the brothers played a relatively big part, the family scenes just weren't the focus of the story itself and it didn't feel "right" to me anymore to round up.
**ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
July 24, 2023
wow wow wow. So beautiful. Forgiveness, healing, patience and love is really the cure.
review to come! 🖤
tropes: marriage reconciliation, slow burn, forced proximity, and groveling
review to come! 🖤
tropes: marriage reconciliation, slow burn, forced proximity, and groveling
December 31, 2020
It is the third book in the Bergman Brothers series. I expected this to become my new favorite, but unfortunately, it did not live up to my hopes. This story is about Bergman's sister Freya and her husband Aiden. After almost ten years in marriage, they have fallen apart while being busy with work, worries, and future planning. While on vacation, they are working to figure out if they love each other strong enough, to admit struggles, and to relay to each other going forward.
I was looking forward to reading this. I have been married to my husband for over seven years, and I understand how much work is required to keep a connection and find time and devotion to keep the spark alive. A story like that always feels very realistic to me.
Unfortunately, I got annoyed at the very beginning of this book because I do not understand how a married partner can ask a significant other to pack and leave a home that they share. Or as in this book, pack a bag and leave it at the front door (for the partner to get a hint). Who does that?
And I found it very annoying that the husband was the one that had to make all the grand gestures and grovel, while obviously, it takes two to create and hold a relationship.
The ending was good, the story had some great messages, and in my opinion, anxiety was portrayed fairly, but overall this was a miss for me.
Thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: January 12th.
I was looking forward to reading this. I have been married to my husband for over seven years, and I understand how much work is required to keep a connection and find time and devotion to keep the spark alive. A story like that always feels very realistic to me.
Unfortunately, I got annoyed at the very beginning of this book because I do not understand how a married partner can ask a significant other to pack and leave a home that they share. Or as in this book, pack a bag and leave it at the front door (for the partner to get a hint). Who does that?
And I found it very annoying that the husband was the one that had to make all the grand gestures and grovel, while obviously, it takes two to create and hold a relationship.
The ending was good, the story had some great messages, and in my opinion, anxiety was portrayed fairly, but overall this was a miss for me.
Thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: January 12th.
October 18, 2022
“Aiden can only push so far.
Freya can only take so much.
Before something breaks. Badly.”
This book bruised my heart so good. The realness. The vulnerability of this couple. The writing. Love is a choice. Marriage is based on that love, but it is work and as you grow things should be talked over and reevaluated. Communication is so healthy and I will always be an advocate for this. When you start keeping things from each other, that’s when sap sucking aphids invade your greenhouse. (Haha, I work in a greenhouse).
I loved that the hero had anxiety issues and how the author explored those issues hindering his sex drive.
I loved the heroine was not skinny and owned her body, but was also real about her confidence being a false front at times.
I love this series so much. These characters. The humor and realness. Just wrap me in a blanket of Bergmans.
Freya can only take so much.
Before something breaks. Badly.”
This book bruised my heart so good. The realness. The vulnerability of this couple. The writing. Love is a choice. Marriage is based on that love, but it is work and as you grow things should be talked over and reevaluated. Communication is so healthy and I will always be an advocate for this. When you start keeping things from each other, that’s when sap sucking aphids invade your greenhouse. (Haha, I work in a greenhouse).
I loved that the hero had anxiety issues and how the author explored those issues hindering his sex drive.
I loved the heroine was not skinny and owned her body, but was also real about her confidence being a false front at times.
I love this series so much. These characters. The humor and realness. Just wrap me in a blanket of Bergmans.
July 26, 2022
i freaking love second chance romances, because the groveling and them falling in love all over again is amazing.
right ill make this review quick because i have shit to do before i go to school.
First off i wanna say that I love this author. She has such diverse characters in her stories and its an accurate representation.
Also love how she showed that marriages are not all smooth sailing. There can be rough patched that need to be sorted out.
Right, I love Aiden. Aiden was just perfect, we got his POV quite a lot which i liked because you could see how much he loved Freya and how he wanted to fix the marriage but he didnt know how to. His anxiety was also accurately shown. Good job Chloe.
I loved Freya as well, the dynamic between her and her siblings was so cute i love the Bergman clan.
I also wanna say that if your looking for a light hearted romance, this is not it. It deals with child poverty and abandonment, anxiety, and working through your problems together when there are a lot of rough patches.
right, im sorry how rushed and messy this review is but it is my honest thoughs
i gotta go now
peace
right ill make this review quick because i have shit to do before i go to school.
First off i wanna say that I love this author. She has such diverse characters in her stories and its an accurate representation.
Also love how she showed that marriages are not all smooth sailing. There can be rough patched that need to be sorted out.
Right, I love Aiden. Aiden was just perfect, we got his POV quite a lot which i liked because you could see how much he loved Freya and how he wanted to fix the marriage but he didnt know how to. His anxiety was also accurately shown. Good job Chloe.
I loved Freya as well, the dynamic between her and her siblings was so cute i love the Bergman clan.
I also wanna say that if your looking for a light hearted romance, this is not it. It deals with child poverty and abandonment, anxiety, and working through your problems together when there are a lot of rough patches.
right, im sorry how rushed and messy this review is but it is my honest thoughs
i gotta go now
peace
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