I’m loving these new covers, and EVER AFTER ALWAYS is another hit for me from author Chloe Liese. This is the third book in the Bergman Brothers series, about navigating struggles in a marriage. The story follows Aiden and Freya, (Bergman sister this time), as they have trouble with communication and secrets that are putting cracks in their ten year relationship.

*many thanks to Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This was the third installment in the Bergman Brother series (although technically about a Bergman sister). This was a different one as it was about a marriage in trouble. I enjoyed reading about a couple who had been together for almost 10 years and the struggles as they tried to repair their marriage. I also think this one could have been a little shorter.

Wonderful to see a romantic comedy about a married/already established couple and appreciate Liese’s thought in portraying neurodivergent rep.

I Love reading and rereading these books about the Bergman family.
The are so funny, loving and relatable, they’re written as though anyone can immediately get along with them and feel at home.
And I love reading stories about the real struggles of marriage and the hard work and choices that it takes to make a marriage work.
All to say, I really enjoyed this book.

(I say 4stars because I’m not a huge fan of smut)

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

We are back with the Berman family for this one - this time following Aiden and Freya as their marriage gets tested. Aiden and Freya have been together for ten years and secrets and miscommunication are starting to come between them. While these two are on rocky ground the Bergman family surprises Freya's parents with a family trip to Hawaii. Aiden and Freya decide to pretend everything is all right for the sake of the trip. Thanks to the meddling Bergman brother's Aiden spends the trip trying to win Freya back but will all be lost when they head back to reality?

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with arc for an honest review.

I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by this author so far and this one was no exception. I am excited to continue with this series and also what’s not to love about this cover!!

I was unsure going into this book as someone who is a fair bit younger than Freya and Aiden and in a different stage of life if I would enjoy it or take the full message from it but Chloe Liese just writes such real characters that although I may not connect to all aspects of them, I could to some and I found myself rooting for them nonetheless.

A heart-warming story of two people working on their marriage.

Freya and Aiden have been together for over a decade, but now things aren't so good for them. Aiden is quiet and withdrawn and Freya feels like he's never around. All Aiden wants to do is make his wife happy, but he's not sure he can provide for their family well enough if they have a baby. The pressure is making his anxiety the worst it has ever been. Then just as they decide to start marriage counseling, Freya and Aiden are thrown into a Bergman family Hawaiian holiday. Will this be an opportunity for them to get their spark back or will it be the final straw that destroys their marriage?

The Bergman Brothers series (or in this case, a Bergman sister with Freya) is full of deeply emotional stories with flawed characters facing challenges. Aiden faces his anxiety and throws himself into his relentless pursuit of success to counteract his difficult childhood, and Freya sometimes struggles to understand him with her own very different upbringing. Chloe Liese does a great job of making it both painful to read about the couple struggling but also making you feel their love so strongly even when they are mad at one another. This book has a major emotional impact. I definitely laughed and teared up and really felt so many things along with the characters.

To me, I think one of the biggest strengths of this book, but also a potential drawback for newer Chloe Liese fans, is that Freya and Aiden are extremely embedded in the lives of their family members. This means that you really need to have read the previous books in the series to fully understand this story, even though it can technically be read as a standalone. The emotional impact will be so much less without the additional context.

Overall, I always recommend Bergman Brothers books, and this one is no exception. The additional epilogue from this new edition adds even more to the story and I love seeing another snippet of Freya and Aiden's day-to-day life. As should already be clear, this is not necessarily an easy, light-hearted book, so definitely read the content warnings at the beginning, but it is so good and impactful.

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.

I liked this book a lot, although it’s sad in places. It’s rare to find a romance book that honestly discusses the difficulties marriages face, especially when making the decision to bring children into the world. They’re obviously very much in love but keeping that love alive can get lost in the day to day business of living.
4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars! This book was so special and hit so many real issues that people have in relationships. Freya and Aiden have been married for 10 years and Freya feels like her husband has changed and she’s not sure why. Aiden has been distant towards Freya and he’s afraid to tell her why. Because of this their marriage is in jeopardy and Freya can’t deal with him and decides she needs a break from him so she packs his bag and asks him to leave.

Aiden doesn’t want to lose her, so he tries his best to let her know that it’s not her, it’s him but Freya doesn’t any to hear it. Aiden recommends counseling and she agrees, and this is the start of them working on their marriage. During this time they are invited on a weeklong trip to Hawaii to celebrate Freya’s parent’s anniversary. Will their relationship survive?

I’ve learned so much about how some men perceive relationships and how they hold back their emotions and why they do so. Also, how our childhood trauma can affect us as adults. Also, how people with anxiety deal with it and work through it. It is a beautiful love story and I enjoyed taking the ride with Freya and Aiden. I definitely recommend this book and will be reading it again in the future.

Marriage in crisis is my all time favorite trope, and this book did not disappoint! I absolutely loved Freya and Aiden - they were so obviously meant to be together and getting to see them fall back in love with each other was SO satisfying and adorable. Definitely my favorite of the series so far!

The Bergman Brothers series has been so much fun to read. After seeing Aiden's meddling ways in the first book I could not wait to see what would be in store for him and Freya! The couple has been married for a while but they find themselves in a rough patch. Communication has broken down and Freya has made it clear that she needs space. Aiden is determined to make things right and prove to his wife that he still desires her but work and his anxiety have been getting in the way. Freya's brothers have Aiden's back and do what they can to help, even if some of their attempts are a bit misguided.

Freya and Aiden have been married for some time but the two are slowly drifting apart. Aiden wants to get past his own anxiety and give Freya a baby. He recognizes this is something that she wants but he has to make sure it is perfect timing. Freya has her own insecurities to contend with but she desperately wants to fix things with her marriage. Can the two make it work?

This is not my first book in the series but this one left me slightly annoyed. Normally, I love when I get to see what’s going on with characters from previous books. I like the big family vibes. The way the author placed the previous characters in the story didn’t work. They were too involved in the marriage. I have a thing about being involved in people’s relationship. They were nosy and I get it but there is a time for all of that.

The main characters were also kind of meh. I think Aiden was a pushover. Yes, he loves Freya and he wants to give her the moon. He is super hard on himself and frets entirely too much. I need a more alpha like male character. He just doesn’t cut it. His anxiety issues also took on a life of their own and became a bit heavy for me personally.

Freya is very entitled. She is a little prickly and cold. I think she is very quick to point fingers in their marriage. I wanted her to try to sympathize with Aiden more. I think she could have resolved the issues in her marriage earlier if she was more open to assessing her role in the dissolution of the marriage. I just didn’t take to her as much as I had hoped.

Nonetheless, I still rooted for this couple. They had chemistry and when they slowly started to turn things around, it showed. Even through the issues, readers can tell that the two were meant to be together and that makes the second chance romance much sweeter.

While this may not have been my favorite in the series so far, I’m invested. I love this family and I can’t wait for more.

~ Samantha

Read if you like:
📚 Stand-alones in a series
💍 what happens after the wedding
2️⃣ second chances
🗣️ talk therapy rep

This one is another solid romance from Chloe Liese and she has quickly become one of my favorite romance authors over the last year!

I love that Chloe always includes characters with disabilities whether mental health or neurodivergent representation in her books. I truly love how vulnerable she wrote Aiden to be because I related so much to his struggles with separation of anxiety from how he was raised to his present day situation where he is married and how sometimes despite our best efforts to prevent something we experienced we create a new problem for ourselves and our partners.

I loved the journey to getting back to a good place and the dual pov that we get from both Aiden and Freya to truly understand how Aiden’s anxiety truly impacts more than just himself when he was hyper fixated on trying to not let history repeat itself with how he grew up in poverty.

All in all, if you are looking for some romances with some depth to them, I highly recommend Chloe and her Bergman brother series as they are truly all so well done for the ones I’ve read so far!

Thank you berkley for my ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Continued series of Bergman universe, good characters, good foundations continued stories throughout

Ever Afrer Always by Chloe Liese is a stunningly deep & emotional marriage in trouble romance that will show one inexplicable journey. Can a married couple of ten years repair the broken foundation & reunite from the strangers they’ve become?! Read this story to find out!

This is book #3 in The Bergmans series, but it could easily be read as a standalone. Although love this series & this family so much that I recommend all of them.

Ever After Always is perfect for fans of
💙Marriage In Trouble
💙Second Chance Romance
💙Anxiety Representation

Marriage in trouble is a trope that I haven’t read many of but I don’t think this could have been done better. It makes the reader’s heart tug in pits of despair & then it will make one dance with joy. It is one heck of an emotional rollercoaster & such a phenomenal romance.

This is one of the most achingly honest & heartbreakingly realistic love stories I’ve ever read. It is such a beautifully authentic romance that simultaneously feels like a gorgeous portrait of real life.

If you’re looking to read one of the best romance series of all time, I highly recommend reading The Bergmans by Chloe Liese.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

I liked getting a point of view from the eldest sister in the Bergman family, Freya. and that it wasn’t a new relationship but a marriage where the couple has sort of lost their way with each other and desperately want to find their way back.

I also loved the mini cameos from the family and of course mama Bergman. Looking forward to reading more about mysterious Axel!

3.5/5

4.25 Stars
I loved this realistic and honest take on marriage (marriage is a lot of work lol especially as a neurodivergent person with BPD) and how the MCs worked through their issues in a healthy way. The tension between Aiden and Freya was sizzling and I definitely teared up throughout their story. I did think the conflict was a bit underwhelming though. Overall, an enjoyable, relatable, second chance romance with a sprinkle of spice.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC!