It has been over a year since I read a book in the “Bergman Brothers” series by Chloe Liese. That was Always Only You and unfortunately I didn’t like that book as much as I’d hoped. So, I took a break and after reading so much fantasy lately and slumping on literally everything I’ve read, I decided to give the next book in this series, Ever After Always, a go. The approach of this story is much different from the first two books, which really spoke to me. Did this book pull me out of my long-lasting reading slump?

About the book

• Title: Ever After Always
• Author: Chloe Liese
• Series: Bergman Brothers #3
• Publication date: January 12, 2021
• Publisher: Independently Published
• ISBN: 9798575450733
• Number of pages: 358
• Genre: Contemporary, Romance

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 Now Aiden is quiet and withdrawn, and as the months wear on, the pain of our growing distance becomes too much.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

My review

Characters

Instead of an actual Bergman brother, we follow a Bergman sister. This book is about Freya Bergman who has been happily married to Aiden for about 10 years. However, their marriage is in deep, deep crisis. It’s even that bad in fact, that a divorce might be on the table. The timing is not that great as the 35-year wedding anniversary of the Bergman parents is fast approaching. As a gift, they go on holiday as a family. Freya and Aiden need to either solve their problems in time, or act like nothing is wrong. These characters got so much on their plate in the past, especially Aiden. His dad left him when he was very young, so it was his mom and him against the world. His mom had multiple jobs to be able to succeed fninancially, but that didn’t avoid the extreme poverty Aiden grew up in. Due to his upbringing, he developed an anxiety disorder. Now, this can probably cost him the love of his life. Why? He buries himself in his work, because he’s afraid of being financially unstable. He doesn’t want Freya and a potential child to experience the circumstances he ever had. However, he never communicates with Freya. Freya therefore has the feeling Aiden doesn’t love her anymore. She barely can look him in the eye. Throughout the story, they have to learn that communication is key in a marriage. Deep down their unconditional love for each other is still visible, but they’ve lost one another along the way. Aiden shows the most character growth in this book though, but Freya has a lot of work to do as well.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere in this book is both lighthearted and serious at the same time. Lots of this story has a serious tone of voice because of the problems the characters are facing. However, the holiday trip and the interaction between the family members provides the lighthearted tone the story needs for a change. This mixture off both seriousness and playfulness works really well here. Fortunately, Freya and Aiden experience some lighthearted moments too, even though their marriage is crumbling and at stake.

Writing style

The writing style of this novel is inviting, investing and accessible. Liese uses multiple POVs to tell this story. Therefore, you get to know the characters really well and get a good glimpse of their feelings and emotions. This made me want to keep continuing reading as I wanted to find out whether this marriage was beyond saving or not.

Plot

I stated before that this different approach is really interesting. Usually in romance books, we find two people accidentally (or not) bumping into each other and finding their way to each other. This book however has a married couple as main characters. This is interesting for a change and also leaves room for depth and character development. As the book is character driven, there’s not much to say about the plot. It’s there as some kind of support system for the characters and their growth. The author succeeded well in this, because for this book the plot should have had no bigger role than it has right now.

Intrigue

I was hooked by this book right from the start and it didn’t change any moment. It never went downhill somewhere or whatsoever. The pacing was good and constant, there was room for character development and the writing was engaging. I just couldn’t stop reading because I wanted to know what would happen.

Logic

All events in this novel are logic. The book starts with the marriage crisis visible as Freya is heartbroken, lying in bed with her cats, drinking wine and talking to her best friend on the phone sobbing. Afterwards, Aiden apears and the tension between them is undeniable. It’s obvious that they don’t know how to be around one another anymore. It’s time to work on finding their vibe back, because their love is still there. This process knows ups and downs, which is exactly how it is in real life. It would be unrealistic if the author didn’t put those in the story.

Enjoyment

Ever After Always by Chloe Liese was exactly the breather from fantasy I needed. I felt myself getting into a reading slump again and this book thankfully avoided this for me. The plot does a good job in supporting our main characters in their character development. The writing is inviting, investing and accessible. I wanted to know what would happen next and I just couldn’t stop reading. I truly liked the approach of this romance, it’s not your standard love story and that’s refreshing. I will definitely pick up the other books within this series sometime soon.