Reviews: EVER AFTER ALWAYS & WITH YOU FOREVER

Hey everyone!  I hope your week is going well and that you’re finishing the month with some amazing reads.  I had a pretty great reading month and one of the major highlights for me was continuing to read the Bergman Brothers series.  This one had been on my TBR for a few years, but it wasn’t until Berkley started re-releasing the books with these gorgeous new covers that I was convinced to finally take the plunge.

Ever After Always (The Bergman Brothers #3) Goodreads

Author: Chloe Liese

Publication Date: Originally published January 12, 2021, Rereleased on January 2, 2024

Publisher: Berkley

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

I started reading Chloe Liese’s Bergman Brothers series late last year and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite romance series.  I reviewed the first two books in the series over on my instagram account but wanted to spread my love for the series here as well, especially since books 3 and 4 are my favorites so far.

Ever After Always actually features Freya, a Bergman sister.  We meet Freya and her husband Aiden in the earlier books and learn so much more about them here.  I loved their relationship in those earlier books so my heart sank when I started reading this one and realized they actually have a marriage in crisis.  I thought Liese did a fabulous job in this book of giving accurate portrayal of the fact that marriage is hard sometimes no matter how much a couple loves each other.  I found all of the struggles that Freya and Aiden went through to be very realistic and relatable, and the range of intense emotions both of them experience felt so authentic.

After seeing Aiden play the fun matchmaker in the first book, my heart especially broke for him in this story. We learn that Aiden grew up poor and when he and Freya start talking about having a baby, it triggers a deep fear within him that he will not be a good provider for a growing family.  Instead of talking to Freya about his fears, Aiden chooses to keep them all bottled up, which then puts a tremendous strain on their relationships because Freya can tell he’s keeping something from her.  The lack of communication was frustrating but again, very realistic.

I also thought it was fabulous that Liese has them actually choose to go to marriage counseling and that we get to sit in on one of their appointments.  I loved that they were both willing to put in the work to try to get their relationship back on track. I’ve not seen marriage counseling in a romance novel before and again, I really appreciated the authenticity.

One last highlight for me is, of course, the whole Bergman family.  I adore this family and Liese has brought them to life so vividly that I feel like I actually know them.  I just love how they have accepted Aiden as one of their own, and they aren’t letting his marriage fall apart without a fight.

If you’re a fan of marriage in crisis stories and second chance romances, you’ll definitely want to take a chance on Ever After Always.  4.5 STARS

With You Forever Goodreads

Author: Chloe Liese

Publication Date: Originally published September 14, 2021, Rereleased on January 23, 2024

Publisher: Berkley

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

I’ve probably said this with every book I’ve read in this series so far, but I’m saying it again. I’m obsessed with the Bergman Brothers!

I just love how heartfelt each of the stories in the series are, but that they are also infused with a bit of humor. With You Forever definitely falls on the less humorous end of the scale, but wow, did it have my whole heart! I really liked Rooney Sullivan and Axel Bergman when we first met them in earlier books, but fell head over heels for them here.

Rooney is an outgoing ray of sunshine even in spite of the fact that she is dealing with an often debilitating chronic illness. Axel is her polar opposite in many ways, quiet, reserved and a bit broody. But he’s also sweet and gorgeous and Rooney has had a secret crush on him forever. When Rooney needs a quiet getaway and ends up staying at the Bergman’s cozy A-frame, right next door to Axel, it soon becomes clear that he also has a crush on Rooney. When Rooney overhears that Axel can’t inherit money he desperately needs for his business unless he’s married, Rooney volunteers to help him out with that.

Watching Rooney and Axel spend more and more time together as they pretended to be a couple truly melted my heart since it was so obvious how much they really did care for one another. I especially loved when Axel confesses to Rooney that some of the reason why he’s the way he is is because he’s autistic and when Rooney shares with him the details of her chronic illness and how it impacts her life. The two of them are so gentle with one another and so respectful and understanding that I actually cried more than once because they were just so freaking perfect together.

I don’t want to give away anything else, but if you’re a fan of grumpy sunshine, opposites attract, marriage of convenience, and/or forced proximity romances and also love when an author does a wonderful job with autism rep and chronic illness rep, please go read this book. It’s amazing! 5 STARS