A marriage in trouble is one of my favorite tropes in romance although it's somewhat hard to find since most romance writers prefer to focus on the exciting beginning of a relationship, rather than what happens after the first blush of attraction wears off. This book has plenty of feels as it focuses on Freya and Aiden, who had that exciting start to their relationship, and seemed to be able to keep those strong feelings going for a long time, but now, after 10 years of marriage, Aiden is pulling away, Freya feels abandoned and betrayed by her best friend/lover, and she knows she has to do something radical to reset the pattern they've fallen into.

When Aiden comes home from a business trip, he's blindsided by a packed bag, and a request from Freya that he spend some time at her brother's cabin to give them both a chance to pause and reflect. Aiden suffers from fairly severe anxiety, while Freya is extremely attuned to the emotions of those she loves. Since they are both caretakers to their core, they've both fallen into the trap of trying to shield their partner from the worst of their mental spinning and emotions which has led both of them to pull away in different ways. Chloe Liese did a great job of depicting how they were both spiraling in negative directions and that they were both equally responsible for the breakdown of their communication. The book was realistic in showing that they both not only had to recognize and acknowledge their own issues, they both also had to want and be willing to work for a solution that would carry them forward. Although they are already married, the book is still very sweet and romantic as they find their way back to each other. Freya's family is also a big part of the book and of their lives, and I'm looking forward to going back and reading the first two books in the series.

Ever After Always is the third installment in the Bergman Brothers – excuse me – Sisters Series. It is a romance that takes place ten years after a romance. What is it about second chance romances that draw us in? Is it because we all crave second chances in our own lives? That we play out in our minds the one thing we wish we said, or did, that might have changed our present-day life for the better? Chloe Lisle is no stranger to challenges. She takes characters that would be categorized as unlikeable or unreliable in mainstream publishing and makes us root for their happily ever after’s. There is considerable skill in her work that is almost lost behind the effortless banter she wields skillfully to counter some of the more difficult subjects she tackles in her romances. Ever After Always is the story of a marriage ten years in. If you don’t think that can be sexy, read this book. The connection between the two main characters is so hot your fingertips will be singed. But chemistry can only get you so far. Lisle reminds us that a relationship is work. That love is unwieldy and tiring and a marriage can leave us vulnerable in the most intimate of ways – but the payoff of this work, of this opening to vulnerability – is priceless. It’s the stuff that dreams – and healthy families – are made of.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I’m am seriously crying. Like happy years crying because this book was so absolutely beautiful. I just felt everything so deep within my soul. Aiden’s anxiety, Freya’s feeling unloved and both feeling lost. This book just showcases that marriage is not a walk in the park, but when you find your ever after, that you will do anything and everything to fight for them. I loved this book so ridiculously much. It also had humour and suspense and surprises along with the heartache/ break, but by the end your heart it warmingly stitched up again.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly January New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

Lives that look perfect on the outside never turn out to be quite what you expect. Book Three of The Bergman Brothers novels primarily tells the story of Aiden and Freya. The couple, previously believed to have the perfect relationship by the rest of their family, is coming unraveled on their family vacation and finding it harder and harder to hide the cracks beneath the surface. I thought this was a really interesting book of a couple (and their family) doing what they can, and trying whatever they can, to make a relationship work. Although this was part three in the series, I've never read parts 1-2 and I don't think they're necessary before jumping into the story (although they would probably help develop the character history a bit more).

3/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite book of 2020! GO. READ. THIS. BOOK! Preorder it now, set a reminder for release day, whatever you do, just read it!
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This book is real and raw and full of so much emotion I lost count of the number of times I cried. I felt every one of Freya and Aiden’s emotions as they tried to repair their marriage. The genuineness of these characters and their feelings is incredible! ⁣
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The Bergman antics are still alive and well in this book, not to worry! There was a laughter/tears balance throughout the book. The Bergman brothers definitely stuck their noses where they didn’t belong but you just can’t help but love them for it. ⁣
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This book made me feel seen in a way I haven’t before. I saw myself in this book. I saw myself in Aiden’s anxiety and worry. I saw myself in Freya’s loneliness, in her thoughts about her body and how it changed over the years, in her frustration at being shut out. Marriage is hard, y’all! As much as I love reading romance for the happy endings, I loved reading this book because it validated that fact! Most books end with the couple getting married for their HEA. But this book started there and took us through the sometimes reality of marriage. The struggle and the work and THEN...the happily ever after. Or in this case, the Ever After Always. ❤️⁣
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Thank you, Chloe for allowing me to read the arc and for writing such a beautiful story! 💕⁣ I can wait until this is on my shelf! If I could give this one more than 5 stars, I would!

Ever After Always is a complex story woven with the utmost care, compassion, honesty, and maturity. So many elements of this book felt so real that I related instantly and felt as though I was learning a little something too. The importance of commitment and the honor one holds when they take their marriage vows was omni-present and so refreshing. I saw the book described as a "marriage-in-crisis" story and while that is perfectly apt the book really is so much more. It encompasses the hardships and trials of marriage and long-term relationships without ever devaluing the institution or the everyday effort lasting love requires. It's refreshing to read the slow burn angst of a committed couple. It's what I imagine comes after "the end" of many coupling for the first time stories. Chloe Liese does a magnificent job showcasing the many intricacies of the two well-developed main characters, both on their own and as a couple that make this book a truly compelling read. I love the secondary characters and the depth they bring this couple and their story. And I love the simple plot and how it flows seamlessly with the complexity of the troubled couple. There's plenty of fun and light hearted moments that make you smile. There's teary and troubling moments that you make you pause. And while there is trouble in paradise the thread of love that holds these people together is far from frayed. A well written, honest, engaging tale of ever lasting love.

Author’s writing style was hard for me to get into as she jumped write into the story without any character build-up. The pacing drags for so long. For example, we jump into Freya throwing out her husband, but *why?* We were told they hit a rough patch, but what was the impetus? What was the inciting incident?

ARC provided by netgalley

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.

I’m a sucker for authentic books about marriage. So many out there contain infidelity, divorce, etc. Give me a marriage in crisis romance with a couple who are in it for the long haul and I’ll read it any day! Especially when it confronts the nitty gritty of married life and long term relationships! Ever After Always was so relatable and raw, I loved every second of it!

In this installment of the Bergman family series, we get Freya and Aidans story. While it works as a stand alone, you should be reading the other books! I love how @chloe_liese crafts neurodiverse characters and writes them in such a genuine way. I also love how each book focuses on a character but there’s a continuation of their story in subsequent books. In this installment, Aidan has generalized anxiety disorder. His story is written in such an honest and thoughtful way. The writing is spectacular in these books but the way the author tackles the complicated webs and messiness of human emotions is where these books shine. Her insight into the human heart and her representation of neurodiverse characters is extraordinary. Always Only You continues to be my favorite in the series, because it’s an #ownvoices. However, book 3 is a close second! I loved Ever After Always! My thanks to @chloe_liese and @netgalley for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I've been dreading writing this review because I don't think I can properly put into words how much I loved this book. And for different reasons than the other books in this series.

If you loved The Bromance Book Club because of the marriage in distress aspect, this is for you. If you love a big, loud, sometimes obnoxious, but mostly loveable family, this is for you. If you want to be schooled on long term relationships - even if you feel like yours is just fine - this is for you. If you suffer from anxiety and you want to be seen, this is for you. If you want to swoon like crazy, this is for you. This was so perfect for me.

I can't even tell you how many pages I highlighted in this book because I felt like it had so much to say about marriage. Things that I never even considered that completely changed my way of thinking - especially when a relationship feels off-balance because one person suffers from an illness (mental or physical).

Yes, there is miscommunication and yes it is so frustrating, but as someone who suffers from anxiety and has lost friends because I was considered "flakey" for changing plans last minute or having to leave abruptly or coming off as rude because I was spiraling into a panic attack... the miscommunication made perfect sense to me.

I love what Chloe Liese is doing with her novels. I love that she is placing a spotlight on things that otherwise get overlooked. I think her bio describes it perfectly, "Chloe writes inclusive romance because she believes everyone deserves a love story. Portraying underrepresented experiences, her romances embrace humor, heart, and heat, with a dash of nerdiness for good measure." I think, particularly when we talk about diversity in books, we can't forget about disabled voices in that conversation.

Chloe Liese has quickly become one of my favorite romance authors. Normally, second chance romance is not my favorite. But this book is genuine, honest, heartwarming, funny, and smart. Honestly don't even think about it: it if it's written by Chloe Liese, pick it up. You won't be disappointed.

I had been waiting months to read this book as I loved the first two in this series! This book did not disappoint, I loved it! Freya and Aiden's story is heart-wrenching at times but inspiring. If you've been married for a length of time I think it really is something many couples can relate to, losing touch and finding your way back to each other. I enjoyed getting to catch up with the rest of the family! The playlists add to the book, I love listening to the songs as I read each chapter. Can't wait for Axel and Rooney's story!!

THIS BOOK. I have loved the first two Bergman Brothers books, so I was prepared to love this one as well, but it really blew me away. There are just so many passages I have highlighted. Such good perspective on long-term relationships. Aiden and Freya have been married a long time, and they are going through a rough patch just like many couples. Their sex life has dwindled, they've stopped communicating. But they still really love each other, and this is where Chloe Liese as a writer really excels. Aiden is such a good and also deeply flawed man. He's insecure, and has good reason to be. How many of us don't have baggage from the way we grew up? I love the way Chloe writes this couple as people truly are--they are testy, unreasonable, sensitive, and deserving of love. The sex scenes are hot, so that doesn't hurt either. Read this book. Highly recommend.

These characters worked so hard for their HEA, and I wasn’t always sure they were going to make it. There’s just so much angst in Freya and Aiden’s story - I felt it physically at times, like a weighted blanket without the comfort. Fortunately it was angst for good reasons: I wanted them to work it out, I wanted them to work on themselves and their relationship. This is a truly beautiful family series, inclusive of and representing many different types of people. But I have to admit to hoping that the next book of the series is a touch more light hearted.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book had all the ingredients to make me fall in love. Written by an author I have come to love, with an amazing hero who just burrows into your heart with all his vulnerabilities, an angsty romance and a wonderful bickering family of side characters. But unfortunately, even with all of that, I couldn’t really get into this book. One of the reason is Freya, who I just couldn’t connect with. The other main reason is the angst which was supposed to fill me with all the feels but failed to deliver. Aiden is the one who made me finish the book because he’s such a brilliant brilliant character. I felt sooo much for him and he was just the best!! Chloe Liese did a wonderful job bringing Aiden and his anxieties and his vulnerabilities to life. I would still recommend this book to romance lovers because I feel like this one didn’t work for me primarily because I wasnt in the right mood for this. So check it out when it comes out. Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for providing me an early copy to review

So I feel like I highlighted this whole ebook. I had full body chills for all different reasons. And I cried... (Edit a lot)
I found myself reading slower than usual so I wouldn't miss anything cause there is so much. I feel like the tough parts of relationships get glossed over a lot in romances this made it so real. It was so authentic to how those relationships evolve and how the people in them grow and evolve with them. In ten, twenty, fifty years you will both be different people as you should but you have to make room for those new facets of each other in your relationship.
I think I listened to all the songs of each chapter 10 times, I was reading so slow to capture all the emotions and words. Seriously, can everyone do this. I need a curated playlist I loved all of these songs. I feel more with music. And I don't think I listened to music in 2020 except Dua Lipa and Who Let the Dogs Out, don't ask.
Viggo is the best and I will take all his book recommendations! I will also read any additional Bergman brother books and especially little sister Ziggy (I love her!). Ok I just saw that Axel is next and I'm so excited to get inside his grumpy head! That setup was amazing! You got me wanting more.
Things I love:
- Song/chapter pairings
- Disability rep with Frankie, Ryder, Ziggy, Alex and Aiden.
- The vulnerabilities of real long term relationships after the honeymoon first love period
- Exploring men's emotions, actually giving them a full range of human emotions. It's refreshing. But also having them be sexy as hell as they work through these feelings. These things are sexy! Being vulnerable and open is sexy and healthy!
- Normalizing not completing
- Normalizing mental health
- Talking about how all these stressors can affect everything
- Adding gorgeous sweet little babies to the mix that some couples want and the stress skyrockets. Having a baby is an easy decision for some, easy to conceive, easy to give birth, easy to raise and afford. But others it's impossible but that doesn't mean that couple didn't try or want with all of their love to have that family.
- Book boners

This book was so heartbreaking then it was so heartwarming, then it was so steamy. They luckily had the support they needed to not give up on their relationship and try. Communication is always key. That's the rule in my marriage. Even though my poor hubby hears everything in my head, he listens to the important bits I'm sure.

This book was cathartic for me. I feel the same way Freya does about her body. I came from a loving family with two parents who loved eachother fiercely. Luckily my husband's parents are still together too. You can't walk ever really walk in someone's shoes. A lot of seemingly small things to a person is a huge thing to another. We need to be more caring and understanding of our fellows around us. Be more willing to give second chances when we make the wrong decisions in fear of failure or rejection. We would be a better society if we weren't so quick to judge. (If you are in an abusive relationship do not give a second chance seek help, and I am always here if anyone needs to DM, good or bad)

Thank you @netgalley for the arc copy for my honest and voluntary review! ☺️🌴

After nearly ten years of marriage, Freya and Aiden’s relationship is in trouble. The discussion of having a baby throws Aiden’s anxiety into a catastrophizing tailspin. Meanwhile Freya struggles with the sense her husband is pulling away from her and cannot understand why. Between his long work hours and lack of communication, she cannot take the loneliness anymore and begins to suspect the worst. When Aiden misses an important family function and refuses to tell Freya why, it just might be the last straw.

I don’t usually love the marriage in crisis trope, but goshdarnit Chloe Liese proved me wrong with this one. I was invested by page one I basically didn’t move from my couch until I finished. My favorite part about this book (and the two before it) is that Liese writes with such vivid sensory language. I can always see and feel and hear what’s going on in a scene in a cinematic way. It makes me incredibly engaged with the story. The book was structured well with good pacing without slow spots. These characters had to work hard for their HEA, and their problems were complex and challenging. Overall, it was emotionally heart-wrenching all the way to the very end

I love that this book started with Aiden’s perspective. His voice is so different than the other Bergman protagonists, and the opening was absolutely fantastic. His is the best opening of the series so far in my opinion. You can feel Aiden’s anxiety in such a tangible and believable way in his POV sections.

Freya is a fascinating character too. I love seeing her perspective on how a partner’s anxiety impacts a marriage and her empathy makes it hard to know how to cope with it at times. Her struggles are raw and real. It’s all compounded by her role as the oldest sibling who’s trying to keep it all together despite the fact her life is crumbling. It’s very relatable.

I adored how we could see how much the two characters loved each other and wanted to protect each other even as they were so angry! I was so invested I could not stop reading! There was a potential medical terminology error that took me out of the story a bit, but that probably won’t bother most people.

One of my favorite parts about this book is that the secondary characters feel real to me. We spend so much more time with the family in this book, and I loved it. With the other romances, it’s more focused on just the couple at the beginning of a relationship. But, when a long-standing marriage in trouble, the whole family is involved for better or for worst—especially when it’s a tight-knit family like Bergmans. Seeing Aiden and Freya with their parents helped me understand so much about their histories and what insecurities and fears they were struggling with. The dynamic between the Bergman siblings/significant others was sweet and genuine. All of them make mistakes, but you understand each character’s motivation and how their intentions are good. I’m rooting for all of them.

As I said, I couldn’t put this book down. I’ll definitely be re-reading it and getting the audiobook version as well, I cannot wait for the next one about Axel!!!

I’ll be posting my review to my goodreads account now. I’ll be posting to my instagram @andiewritesandreads on 1/12/21 and amazon on that date as well. Thank you so much to netgalley and Chloe Liese for providing me with this gifted arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ever After Always, the third book in the Bergman Brothers series, features a marriage in crisis, and it realistically and successfully charts the highs and lows inherent in “fixing” a marriage within the confines of a 250+ page romance novel. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the principal couple are both invested in making the marriage work, and neither one suggests they make the split permanent by uttering the word “divorce,” in any of their respective PoVs.

She’s (Freya) miserable because she misses her husband - who’s there, but emotionally and physically distant from her; he’s (Aiden) miserable - because of everything else happening in his life but not because of her - and he’s trying to hide his stress and anxiety and worries, which in turn has made her miserable. Communication, or the lack thereof, is the major impediment to this pair overcoming the troubles and problems in their marriage, and fortunately, they seem to know this. They just aren’t sure how to remedy their lack of communication or inability to understand what their partner needs - that might be different from what they need - and they turn to a helpful therapist to show them the way. The therapist makes several realistic, helpful appearances, but after that first session they’re already on their way to happily ever after.

Unfortunately for these two, the Bergman family notices things like marital strife and they also want to help. Of course they do. AND there’s an anniversary vacation/celebration that falls smack dab in the middle of their attempts to make the marriage work. It's an excellently used plot device. I'm here for it. I liked the forced proximity and how this convenient vacation keeps the marriage from foundering any further; I also liked the necessarily compressed, slow burn pace of this couple falling in love with each other all over again.

Freya, the eldest Bergman sibling, is a voluptuous free spirit. Professionally successful, comfortable in her body, and self-confident in general, she found her soulmate in Aiden after a competitive game of co-ed club soccer. Aiden was wowed by Freya the moment he saw her, and fell head over heels for her shortly after she nailed him with a soccer ball straight to the face. To each his own. Freya doesn’t really come to the union with much baggage, aside from her busy-body family (although in this series, the big ole Bergman family is heavily marketed as a plus). They love her, they support her, they show her what a happy family life looks life. Aiden isn’t quite so lucky. His alcoholic father bailed shortly after he was born, and his mother worked long hours to pay the bills. Theirs was often a hand-to-mouth existence, and the legacy of that childhood manifests itself as generalized anxiety about “having enough” and providing for his family.

Aiden’s anxiety sometimes overwhelms him and has started to affect his health, and when this story begins, he’s lost control of his control. The couple talked about trying to get pregnant, and the stress of providing and caring for his family - ensuring his childhood can never be repeated - triggers Aiden into sabotaging behaviors. Overworked, secretive, and overwhelmed, he begins to unravel. And he doesn’t share his stresses with Freya; he shuts her out. Freya is well aware Aiden is “somewhere else.” Their union takes a backseat to something - she doesn't know or understand because he won't let her, and his absence and silence magnify the cracks in their relationship. So she kicks him out.

Ever After Always charts the one step forward, two steps back progress of this marriage in trouble. The pacing is good, and the slow burn between our madly in love principal characters is well executed. I believed this pair belonged together, and the author painstakingly shows us why. It’s a rocky road, but they’re both committed to working through their problems. I thought Aiden got a bit too much of the blame, but since it was his anxiety that seems to have triggered their initial communication problems, I guess he deserves a bigger share? I don’t know; the author seems content to make Freya the “better” one, but she has her own come to Jesus moments related to the breakdown...so, I think it was a fairly balanced portrayal overall. I liked their chemistry, their affection, and their deep love and respect for each other; I’m glad they work it out.

But.

I’m on the fence with the grade - much like I was with the Bergman Brothers book that preceded it, Always Only You . I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I think this author does a terrific job pulling on my heart strings, lovingly crafting principal characters and couples I can’t help but root for, and presenting a realistic journey for these couples to work through on their way to happily ever after. It’s all the bonus material that gets in the way of the higher grade.

Lots of things come to mind when I refer to “bonus,” but the premise of the series itself, the Bergman family - 7 kids (5 boys bookended by 2 girls) with parents who are madly in love with each other, too - is the biggest that comes to mind. The Bergman’s (and their respective spouses/girlfriends) are a little too perfect and oh so twee, and because the extended family seemingly includes (it’s inclusive!!!!) every character type you might possibly expect to meet in a full length novel, the whole thing is slightly ridiculous vs. wonderful. Younger male siblings tbicker and tease and get up to all sorts of hijinks but not-so-secretly love the shit out of each other; older and wiser sibling who the others look up to for advice and life lessons are always ready and willing to provide said lessons (unless it's marriage advice and theirs is currently in the shitter); and the youngest is wise, but still young and grossed out by all the loved upness of her family. They're attractive! They're funny! They're comfortably well off! They're great athletes! And don’t get me started on the loved up parents - I mean, come one. Happy anniversary! - I’m stoked for them and their seven kids, but long married couples don’t also have to be madly in love, omniscient, and adored by their children to reflect what a happy marriage looks like. The author simply can’t help gilding the lily every single time she possibly can. People can be odd. Annoying. And bicker. And still be in a happy marriage.

I thought Freya's relationship with her best friend Mai was great until Mai squeezed her tits in a restaurant because they do that as a form of greeting. WTF. And the secret identity plot line was obvious from A MILE AWAY. Was it supposed to be?

So. If not for the uber perfect extended Bergman clan and the titty grab, this couple gets 4.5 stars. With them? 4.

I was drawn to this book because of how much I enjoyed its prequel, Always Only You, and the "marriage in crisis" trope in The Bromance Book Club. There's something about that kind of happily ever after that is especially heart-warming to read.

Freya and Aiden are married, but falling apart. Their love runs deep, but stress and insecurity has put distance between them. A Bergman Family vacation takes them to Hawaii, where they must figure out if their “ever after always” is worth fighting for.

Chloe Liese writes with an honestly that’s both touching and uplifting. Even though the characters are on the brink of collapse, there’s a warm and hopeful tone to the narrative that I really appreciated. It encourages you, as a reader, to route for Freya and Aiden’s marriage.

The characters are diversely complex. Aiden's anxiety was a really interesting layer to his character and I love the way Liese portrayed his mindset. Like many people who were raised by struggling single parents, he has a constant fear of financial uncertainty. His mental state wasn't wrapped in an extensive paragraph of psychology jargon, but represented in a realistic and relatable manner. The same goes for Freya’s insecurities around her image. And alongside that, the author breaks down toxic masculinity and its effect on men today. But every depth is explored with sensitivity that makes it enjoyable to read.

Marriage and commitment is a major theme in this novel, and it's broken down really well. Imperfect people will always clash at some point, but the author does a great job at balancing the voices in this novel. Both Freya and Aiden have strengths and flaws, and I could see both sides without leaning one way or the other.

While I did find the pace to be a little slow in the beginning, the trip to Hawaii and the charm of the characters ended up making Ever After Always an endearing and engaging read.