I laughed and I cried at the awesomeness of this book. The Bergman family is my favorite. The love and respect they have for each other is beautiful and then the pranks and jokes make you fall completely in love with them.

Aiden and Freya ripped my heart out and then put it back together again. The pain they both felt in trying to protect the other hurt. The anger and fear they had to get through to come together made me that much happier when they started to try to make things work and found that level of love and intimacy again.

Chloe Liese is an amazing author, each book in this series becomes my favorite.

Freya and Aidan have been married for a decade, but recently Freya has felt Aidan pulling away. Tired of going through the motions, Freya packs Aidan's bags and asks for some space.

I really felt for these characters and their emotional pain that they both are keeping close to the vest. The communication breakdown in the marriage is the hurdle that both Aidan and Freya must learn to overcome.

Aidan suggests marriage counseling after not being able to open up to Freya about his out of control anxiety. Chloe Liese beautifully illustrates Aidan's struggles and how anxiety is a constant battle that can become unmanageable even after taking the necessary steps to cope on a daily basis. My heart broke for Aidan trying to juggle so many things while fighting his worry over the future because of his past.

Freya is hurt that Aidan has become so closed off. She doesn't know the reason for his sudden need to work all the time and why their intimacy has come to an abrupt halt. In order to protect herself from further emotional harm, she tells Aidan that enough is enough and she's not willing to live this way.

I understood her frustration with Aidan and how closed off he became, but I wanted her to extend a little olive branch once she understood the reason behind Aidan's odd behavior. Headstrong heroines are Chloe Liese's go-to types of characters, but I needed to feel like Freya was willing to make the marriage work while still letting Aidan know that it wasn't an instant fix, and one session of counseling does not a healthy marriage make.

During a family vacation, the Bergmans are aware of the strain of Aidan and Freya's marriage and want to help. There were some beautiful moments of advice from Freya's parents and an insightful observation from Freya's younger sister, but the overall family interference was a little too much.

I wanted to see how Aidan and Freya would move forward, but the family felt like they needed to arrange things for them to speed things up. I would have loved to see less of Freya and Aidan talking to each Bergman individually, and more of Aidan and Freya slowly rebuilding the trust and openness in their marriage. Alone (with counseling of course). I had a similar problem with one of my favorite families in romance (The Winstons) being a little too heavy-handed with matchmaking that retracted from the actual chemistry of the couple.

Overall I really enjoyed the way that CL handled Aidan's backstory and the realistic way that marriage was portrayed - not sunshine and roses all of the time. I'm excited for the next couple which was teased at the end.

I was SO excited to read Ever After Always as the second book in the Bergman Brothers series, Always Only You was one of my favourite romance reads of 2020. This one focuses on Freya (a Bergman sister) and her husband, Aiden. Approaching their 10-year wedding anniversary, this is a marriage-in-crisis romance, featuring a Hawaii vacation, family hijinks and a steamy slow burn.

Liese is an expert at writing about complex, flawed characters that you will immediately fall in love with and cheer for as they find their way to their ever after (always 😉). I also adore her writing style - it's raw, it's witty, it's descriptive... it's perfection. In this book, I particularly loved the honest dialogue surrounding counselling and anxiety, as well as the Bergman family appearances. Seriously, couple and family goals right there. I also have to give a final shout-out to the accompanying Spotify playlist.

If you're looking for a romance novel with incredible character depth, honest conversations and a side of steam, I highly recommend Ever After Always (and this series in general, let's be real). As you can imagine, I can't wait for book four.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Chloe Liese for the ARC - all opinions are my own.

Loved this!
I really enjoyed the first 2 books in the Bergman Brothers Series. This series really is about the whole family
In book 3, Ever After Always, the heroine, Freya is one of two sisters in the family. She's the eldest sibling.
She's been married to Aiden for 10 years.
Aiden is a college professor- who was also in book 1. He has a very different role in this book.. Their marriage is in trouble. Aiden is desperate to save their marriage.
Freya is about to leave Aiden and file for divorce.
Aiden is devastated. He and Freya go to marriage counseling. The counseling sessions dealt with big issues, but it was funny and cute at times. I loved the marriage counselor. I felt bad for Aiden. He's not a bad guy. He did feel like he was failing- big time. Aiden also has an ongoing issue dealing with a dad who abandoned his family. There are other issues that Aiden needs to work through.
Aiden comes off very lovable and I really saw how hard he was trying. I wanted Freya to be patient and not condemn Aiden so easily. There are circumstances that I could sympathize with.
They held back a lot from each other. This seemed very natural. Aiden had been dealing with a lot without confiding in Freya..
Freya's brothers try to get in Aiden's face. They really like Aiden, and want him and Freya to be happy.
I should also mention Freya's parents: Drs Bergman. They are so special-I want them to adopt me.
They can take one more can't they?
I grabbed the ARC copy from Netgalley, but I want to get the audio when this comes out.
I love this trope and want this couple to make it.
5 ever after stars

Every year, I discover new-to-me authors that I can add to my favorite authors list. While I discovered plenty of wonderful storytellers in 2020, it's Chloe Liese who is the most memorable for me. With just two books, she's managed to turn me into a fan who will read anything and everything she pens. As a fan of the Bergman Brothers series, I was obviously anticipating Ever After Always as I do every installment of the series. However, the promise of a marriage-in-crisis love story meant that my expectations were sky-high. I had complete faith in the author and she delivered with an emotional and beautifully-written story that I will be recommending for the rest of eternity.

I think the reason that I am so drawn to marriage-in-crisis as a trope is because it's an excellent way to get a good dose of realistic angst from a romance novel. Chloe Liese writes the trope with a lot of layers and nuance. She tugs at your heartstrings with her words but also manages to present the story without veering into manufactured drama. At the heart of Ever After Always are Freya, a Bergman sister, and her husband Aiden. These two loved each other deeply but issues had emerged in their relationship creating a mile-wide rift between them. In an attempt to protect each other, they've inadvertently hurt each other. Both Freya and Aiden are hurting and they know that they have to work on their marriage to save it. Most of their troubles were rooted in their inability to openly express themselves while trying to have a baby. Aiden's anxiety, aggravated by growing up in poverty, plays a significant role in Ever After Always. He has a stable job and as does Freya, but he knows that a new family member means another mouth to feed. Given his upbringing, his concerns made sense for the character. I thought the author wrote his anxiety truthfully and thoughtfully. You feel so much for Aiden and his sadness, but you also feel immense pride in him as he begins to take the first steps to work on his marriage.

Enter marriage counseling. I think this is the first relationship-in-trouble book I have personally read that shows the potential importance that counseling can play. Aiden and Freya knew that communication was something they struggled with and their decision to seek professional help was refreshing. It doesn't magically solve all their problems, but it provides them with the necessary tools they need. I was glad that Freya to was open to Aiden's idea. I think it also gave her room to think about how she could have made things better in their relationship too. Neither of these two characters is perfect, but what they are is real and endearing. They just want to be better for each other and damn it if I wasn't all about that. It just makes their journey towards fixing their marriage one that is wholeheartedly satisfying.

As always, I also loved the role that the Bergman family plays. They've fully embraced Aiden as one of their own and don't hesitate to tease him, but also teach him how to grovel for Freya's affections. We see them a lot in this book because they are all on a vacation celebrating their parents' anniversary. I loved all their scenes (I mean I loved ALL the scenes in this book), and especially loved the insight into the next couple - I can't wait!

I aggressively loved Ever After Always and it's probably ruined me for relationship-in-trouble books. I'm not quite sure how Chloe Liese keeps doing it, but every book of hers I read seems to be better than the previous one. Now, can I just have the next book already???

4.5 stars! This is definitely my favorite of the series. I love my romances with back stories and this did not disappoint. I could see myself in both Aiden and Freya, and as someone with anxiety seeing that represented here was so validating. I was rooting for them to work out their troubles and to communicate, and it wasn’t too easy on them like it sometimes feels in marriage on the rocks romances. Can’t wait to see Rooney’s story next!

*3.5 stars
Most of the reasons I didn't like this book are completely personal preference. I knew going in that the premise of this book isn't something I would typically pick up, but because I love the other Bergman books, I wanted to give this a go. Maybe because the tropes in this book aren't my cup of tea, I wasn't ever really invested in Freya and Aiden's relationship. The characters are well developed and compelling on their own and they certainly have chemistry, but I never really cared about their relationship. Because I was already distanced from the story, I was completely turned off when <spoiler>Aiden blew up at Freya.<spoiler> I understand why it happened and it made sense narratively, but that is something I am very sensitive too and I checked out after that. However, the only real critique I can give this book is that the ending conflict was resolved way too quickly. I think this book will work really well for it's audience, but it's just not for me.
Looking forward to the next book in the series, though!

[Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced reading copy, scheduled for release on 01/12/2021].

The third novel in the Bergman Brothers series, "Ever After Always" is a romance about what happens after 'I do.' Together for a dozen years, married for nearly ten, Freya and Aiden always thought that a happily ever after was nothing less than guarantee for them, not something they had to worry themselves about. Somewhere along the way, they went from #couplegoals to #marriagecounseling. With a distance between them as wide as the Grand Canyon, is there any way they could find themselves back to their former love?

I am all in on marriage-in-crisis tropes but this was not my favorite in the series. There was a potential discrepancy early in the novel and for a few chapters, it was all I could think about it. I thought there was a lag in the middle chapters, and I found myself skimming some of it. That said, the author does a wonderful job of tackling real-life issues that both characters struggled with (anxiety! body issues! therapy!) and delving into the minutia of re-building a marriage. The vulnerability was wonderful.

I still enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more in the series.

When I started reading Only When It's Us (Bergman Brothers #1), I didn't expect to finish all three of the books in the series in the following two weeks. But that's what happened! Ever After Always was my favorite of the three without question. Liese is very good at the typical rom com, but I loved her slight departure here for the "what happens after" story. Freya and Aiden have been married for almost 10 years, but in recent months have drifted apart for many reasons and have stopped placing priority on each other and their relationship. I loved seeing them work through their problems with each other while simultaneously discovering more about themselves. I also loved seeing this wonderful family meddle incessantly in the lives of two people they care so much about. I think the story of a marriage in crisis is harder to tell than the story of two people just starting out - there is so much backstory and deeper feelings involved. Liese did a wonderful job.

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I devoured this book in just a few hours, completely swept up in Freya and Aiden's story! This is a romance with a twist: we meet Freya and Aiden not as their romance is beginning, but at a time in their lives when it is on the brink of ending, which to me made it so much more meaningful! Watching them in pain, trying desperately to win back the love they felt for each other, by opening themselves up to truth and honesty and openness and vulnerability took my breath away!! What a fantastic couple they are, and what a passionate and deeply emotional book this is! I haven't read the first two books in this series, but enjoyed this book wholeheartedly without knowing the entire back story. However I now want to go back and read the first two books, and can't wait to read more of these fantastic stories to follow!

I was a little nervous, to be honest, about reading a story about a couple trying to fix their marriage. - sometimes those stories hit nerves and are really hard to read. So much of romance is focused on the newest part of romance. Meeting and finding the one - they fade out long before the couple faces money trouble or post-partum depression or personal loss. This book takes a deep dive into what happens after that "honeymoon" period is over. Freya and Aiden have been happily married for 10 years - they decided to become parents and that triggered Aiden in a very big way. He has generalized anxiety disorder and a very strong drive to be financially secure after a childhood spent in poverty. So Aiden has dived deeply into work and launching a new app - while trying to shield Freya from his massive anxiety. Freya feels abandoned by Aiden and worries that he is being unfaithful. And neither of them communicates well about what is going on. So when Freya asks Aiden to leave - he feels blindsided and she feels betrayed at his shock.

Chloe Liese handles their relationship in such a beautiful way. She doesn't shy away from showing how freaking hard things are or how much work they have to put in to sharing with each other and being vulnerable. Even after 10 years. At one point Freya tells their counselor that she thought intimacy was just a natural part of their relationship - not something that needed work - and the counselor laughs and talks them through it. You hear it said that sometimes love isn't enough - and stories like this show that it totally isn't. Because Freya and Aiden clearly love each other very deeply - but even with all that love - still can't be totally vulnerable with each other.

The book also does a great job of showing how this is not a one-sided thing. Aiden has pulled away and been very self-focused, but Freya hasn't done a great job of sharing herself with Aiden either. She didn't tell him about a promotion at work - Aiden found out by seeing that her paycheck was bigger than usual. She also immediately jumps to thinking there is no way to fix things and that counseling won't help - before she even talks to Aiden about what is wrong. She also keeps picking at Aiden and lashing out - when she keeps on about how much he is working in a kind of mean way - I just wanted her to stop and lay off. Aiden definitely struggles with his own vulnerabilities and pride - not being a breadwinner for his family, his anxiety consuming his every thought, and sexual dysfunction issues. He is also slow on the uptake about taking his own advice about business and accepting that Freya's family loves him.

Overall - even though I was nervous about this one - I really can't recommend it enough. I just adore everything Chloe Liese writes and the Bergman family is so special. This is an emotionally charged love story that you shouldn't miss. If for nothing else - for gems like this:

"I'm saying 'happily ever after' doesn't exist. Not because lifelong love is impossible, but because, as we've learned, no couple can live 'happily ever after.' People whose love lasts, whose love grows and endures, choose each other in unhappily ever after, the dark moments, not just the dazzling ones."

I was extremely luck to receive this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own. I can't wait for Axel's story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars
Publication Date: 1/12/21

I cannot express just how much I love this series and Ever After Always is my favorite one yet. This installment follows Freya and Aiden, who realize that their marriage is in crisis after months of communication problems and loss of trust. This being the third in the series, you have seen Freya and Aiden in previous books and they appeared to have the perfect marriage. Now they are trying to hide their marital troubles from Freya’s family, which gets complicated when they are forced to go on a family vacation to Hawaii.

I love a second chance romance novel when it is done well (see Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams and You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle) and this may be the best one I’ve read. I loved the nods to Persuasion by Jane Austen throughout the novel, as well as the Bergman brothers trying to get Aiden to read romance novels for tips. Aiden’s storyline about his anxiety was also highlight (even though it would sometimes cause me anxiety to read about his anxiety. A vicious cycle.).

Of course, the best part was the romance. I didn’t think Ren and Frankie could be topped, but Freya and Aiden beat them. I was so invested from the prologue and then dreaded the inevitable third act miscommunication because I just wanted them to be happy. As excited as I am to finally read Axel’s story, I hope we get plenty of Freya and Aiden in the next installment.

Overall, Ever After Always is an emotional, sweet, and swoon-worthy addition to an excellent romance series.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a great read and an awesome addition to the Bergman Brothers Series! This time, we get a Bergman sister story that follows Aiden and Freya in their marriage on the rocks redemption story.

I appreciate Chloe Liese not backing down or away from portraying marginalized groups in her novels. This one touches on anxiety, parental issues, body issues and fertility struggles. She tackles these tough topics with grace and respect. I will read EVERY future Bergman novel she comes out with because I'm just in love with the honesty and poignancy. Plus, they're darn entertaining and steamy to boot!

I was fortunate to get my hands on an ARC of Ever After Always, the third book in Chloe Liese’s Bergman Brothers series.

Ever After Always is Liese’s angstiest book yet. (This is good. I love the angst.) It’s also hilarious! (Viggo is my new favorite Bergman).

Ever After Always is about Freya, the oldest daughter in the Bergman family, and her husband, Aiden. At the start of the book, Aiden and Freya are keeping secret what a mess their marriage has become. Add five meddling brothers and one surprise extended-family trip to Hawaii, and you’ve got a story with a little bit of everything (including a foul-mouthed parrot).

What I loved most about this book was how it didn’t shy away from the hard work of marriage, the stress that deciding to expand your family can induce, and what “happily ever after” really looks like.

As always, Liese writes with care, heart, and skill. Thanks to Netgalley and Chloe for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

The last time I wrote a review for a book by Liese it was the first book of hers that I had read (the first of this series), and since then I have made sure to catch up on everything I had missed out on. Chloe's style of writing is so incredibly addictive. I don't think I've read a single book of hers without staying up stupidly late because I just can't stop reading.

Ever After Always was no different! I was hooked straight away and absolutely loved the story. Although this book can be read as a standalone novel, I would highly recommend reading the rest of the series too! Mainly because it's amazing and on the plus side you'll get to know some of the side characters in much more detail!

Can't wait for the next book in the series!

Freya and Aiden are married for the last ten years. Their relationship is facing new challenges while Aiden's work is keeping him very busy, Freya feels neglected which resulted in asking him to leave the house.

In order to save their marriage they must both make step to reconnected and prioritize each other. They visit a counselor in order to rebuild their trust and learn from their mistakes. In the middle of it and also have to attend a family vacation where they keep their problems from Freya's parents, but not from her siblings who are very willing to help them by meddling.

The book is very emotional. Aiden has an anxiety disorder that affects every moment of his life, while he is trying to be better and communicate about his feelings, his anxiety sometimes gets the better of him.

Freya is ready to add to their family, she wants a baby but she feels alone and left out, her relationship isn't as it was, but she wants to keep fighting for her marriage and her love.

I like how they both work together to come closer and reconnect once again by prioritizing their relationship even when things were difficult.

The Bergmans are such a fun group, it was so fun to see them all together helping them and showing their love the best way they know how.


*I received an ARC through Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.

The first Bergman sister story!
Freya and Aiden have been married almost 10 yrs and married life is getting in a rut...a bad one. And they aren’t sure if their marriage can survive. Freya is craving love and affection and trying to get pregnant is making her an emotional wreck. Aiden is under extreme anxiety at work, doesn’t want to dump any more emotion on Freya and is trying to keep it together with a thread.
When Freyas huge family announces a Hawaiian vacation to celebrate their parents anniversary- it couldn’t come at a worse time to fake their happiness.
Cue a potty mouth parrot, brother bonding time and extreme groveling to get this couple on track...but will it be enough?

3.5. Chloe Liese is a skilled writer, and I think the characterization is a little more balanced than the second book in the series, but there's something about the second-change/marriage trope that doesn't appeal to me. This is less fun than Always Only You, and it's heavier by virtue of its topic (generalized anxiety / its toll on the decade-long marriage of Aiden and Freya). It took a while for me to get through this one. If you're a fan of second-chance romance, this one's for you.

5/5 ⭐️

TW: anxiety and alcoholism

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING! Chloe did it again, wrote a book I couldn’t put down because the characters were that amazing and the story line is perfect! 👏🏻

This marriage in crisis book follows Freya (the oldest Bergman sibling) and her husband of almost 10 years, Aiden. Freya and Aiden are both going through things personally and they are not connecting in their marriage and this story explores what happens when they let others in and share their vulnerabilities. ❤️

This book has steam, intimacy and honesty and it made me cry and smile so big! I haven’t read many marriage in crisis books but this one put the bar high for me. 🔥😭🥰

I LOVED that Aiden suggested marriage counseling and it was so beautiful so see his courage! As a firm believer in counseling- this made me so happy!

What happens after the "happily ever after"?  Is there even such a thing?  The newest installment of Chloe Liese's Bergman Brothers series explores just that as we dive deeper into the story of Aidan and Freya.  The two have been married for nearly ten years and are suffering.  They have lost their way both individually and with one another.  This book is heart wrenching and hopeful at the same time.  Liese has such a way of writing about what can be very difficult and hurtful in such an approachable way.  The acceptance in this book is gorgeous.  The world that Liese has created in this series where it's okay to not be okay and where challenges of autism, anxiety, self-doubt and physical differences are not debilitating or "less than" but just part of the fabric of what makes people human.  This is a world where love and acceptance is not despite who one is but because of it.  
As someone who has been married for nearly 20 years (and without getting too personal) I found this book hit me super close to home.  Marriage is work and it's something that very few people talk openly about.  The romance and all that leads up to the wedding is fun and sexy and exciting.  But the real beauty of marriage is when those hard times hit and the changes come.  Love is a choice and Liese writes about this through Aidan and Freya that broke me at times and then built me back up along with the main characters.  In addition, as someone who deals with anxiety, I love how she wrote about Aidan and his struggles, feelings, and triumphs.  I love that there's never the idea that someone needs to be "fixed".
And while this deals with some heavy issues at times, it is still at its core a Bergman novel.  There is laughter and love and family and fun.  The chemistry is hot and we get to revisit the characters you fall in love with in the previous two books.  I both found it hard to put down and wanted to slow down and savor it.  I already know on January 6th, this is a top book of the year.  It's that good.
And as if the book wasn't fantastic enough already, I encourage you to read the entire acknowledgements section.  Liese writes one of the most beautiful notes to the reader I have ever read.  I have made no secret about the fact that I am a super-fan but every time she surprises me more with how stunning she is with words.
Pre-order this one.  You will not be sorry.