A huge thanks to NetGalley and Chloe Liese for my advance reading copy!

Chloe Liese NEVER disappoints.

After reading both Ryder and Ren’s stories, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Freya’s story. (It was about time we got a Bergman SISTER story!) These Bergman siblings are just the best. Knowing that this was a marriage in crisis story, I came prepared with tissues because this is a tender trope for me; thankfully my partner has been willing to fight with me for our marriage, just like Aiden and Freya fight for theirs.

Somehow both hilarious and achingly poignant, Ever After Always hits every note just right. To say I saw myself in this story would be an epic understatement. In my marriage, the spouse with anxiety is flip-flopped (I’m the one who struggles), but man--this one packs an emotional punch. (Just be prepared!) I love how naturally Liese weaves in curvy rep without making it a body-positivity anthem. I love how autism, physical disabilities, and mental health aren’t major plot points, wielding agendas, but just a part of the characters’ lives--a part of them, but not the whole.

If you’ve never read a Liese romance, what are you even doing with your life? Start at the beginning or don’t, the order isn’t terribly important (since you know the HEA is guaranteed)--but be prepared to fall in love with the Bergmans.

Another fabulous Bergman Brothers book by Chloe Liese! Ever After Always is chicken soup for the soul mixed with a bit of spice, rich advice, and a healthy dose of steam.

I have absolutely adored every Bergman Brothers book and Ever After Always is no different. I especially loved how this one follows the oldest sister, Freya, and her husband. The first half of the book sets the scene between Freya and Aiden. Their marriage is struggling and we see firsthand just how important communication is in a relationship. The second half of the book is a delicious slow burn packed with the typical Bergman family antics, and Freya and Aiden learning and speaking each other's love languages.

Besides the relatable characters, deep storylines, and steamy scenes, what I love about most about Chole's books is that she write inclusive romance stories. She tackles real-life scenarios with grace and care. Anxiety, autism, rheumatoid arthritis... it's all vital to the story and it's beautiful.

I feel like I should pay Liese for the marriage advice she dispersed throughout the book. I'm making my husband read this one.

Ever After Always is the third book in the Bergman Brother's series, and while it can be read as a standalone, you will want to read the books in order to get the full Bergman family background. Can they please adopt me?

I can't wait for the next book that follows Axel and Rooney!

As a general rule, I don’t read marriage-in-crisis books. They rarely work for me. The exception is when it’s an author or series I really love - Sarah MacLean’s Day of the Duchess and Tessa Bailey’s Love Her or Lose Her come to mind. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of @chloe_liese’s Ever After Always - I loved the first two Bergman Brothers books so much that I knew I could trust her going into this trope, and this book DID NOT DISAPPOINT. It was so so so good! The writing was excellent and the characters were so real and dealt with each other so well. I love Liese’s neurodiverse characters so very much - in Ever After Always, she very accurately captures what it’s like to be married to a man with anxiety. I related to so much about Freya, and I can already tell this will be a book I revisit over and over, along with the rest of this series. I’m already looking forward to the next book - Rooney is a treasure. Thank you @chloe_liese and @netgalley for the ARC! Ever After Always releases January 12, 2021 and you can read the first two books in this series (Only When It’s Us and Always Only You) now on Kindle Unlimited!

Chloe Liese is an author that should be on everyone’s auto-buy list. She writes OwnVoices stories that are witty, heartfelt, and so amazing. In this book we follow along the oldest Bergman sibling, Freya and her husband, Aiden. Freya and Aiden have been married for nearly a decade and are having major marriage problems. Throughout the story, we follow along with them learning how to fix their marriage and learn to love and trust each other again through their problems.

Freya is a plus size woman with so much fire in her and she was such a beautiful character to read about. Aiden deals with an anxiety disorder and through this story, we follow along with his struggles with his anxiety stimulating from his past about money struggles, family life, and everyday situations. Aiden was a character that I personally related to with my own struggles with anxiety disorder and it was so great to see such a relatable character in a romance book. Chloe writes strong and compelling characters that make you want to root for them from the very start. I have enjoyed every book from the Bergman Brothers series and I know without a doubt, I will continue to cherish these books that allow anyone to relate to and feel like they are apart of.

Freya and Aiden's story was one of the hardest reads to get through for me in a long time! The raw, honest, heartbreaking reality of how hard marriage can be just smacked you in the face with the turn of every page. You could just tell that the author reached within her deepest depths to write this book with as much crippling and emotional content as she did. My heart broke over and over again, with every painful situation this couple found themselves in. With each avoided conversation. With each missed touch. With each night spent apart. It was grueling! But, as I knew she would, the author used all of that pent up emotion and used it to help steer this couple into greener pastures. Used their strife to help them realize what was at stake of being lost and help them reconnect and recommit to their love and each other.

I laughed a ton during this book, because the entire Bergman clan is a riot. But I also got weepy eyed too. Aiden's character truly splintered my heart into a million pieces. The anxiety he was suffering through alone wrecked me. And the plot twist at the end? Talk about a shot to the heart!!! Chloe Liese put my emotions in a vice grip. I couldn't breathe until I got to the Ever After Always that I was worried may never come.

It's so hard to read books where the couple is already married. You miss out on a lot of that initial spark, the getting to know one another, the fall and the ILYs. But the author did a magnificent job jumping back in their timeline to give glimpses of those experiences, while writing authentically about a couple that had been married for a decade. Aiden and Freya were far from the honeymoon stage. But that love and spark was still there, just dimmed a little. Hidden by omissions.

Mental health was a major focus in this read. There were some seriously triggering topics and subsequent fall out from experiences that the main character went through. There was the necessity of talk therapy, couples/marriage counseling and medication. I appreciated very much the author's approach to such a sensitive topic and how realistic the character was while going through their heavy emotions and treatment.

Ever After Always ended on such a high note. I just loved the way the story wrapped up and the direction and realizations that the couple came to. I was so happy for them in the end. If anyone deserved happiness, it was certainly Aiden and Freya!

This book blew me away! I love this series in a way I cannot describe, Chloe Liese has a beautiful voice and she once again wrote a beautiful story. I love the way she handled Aiden and Freya's story and every issue she tackled in this book. I CANNOT wait for the next book to continue seeing the Bergman family and highly recommend reading the previous books in this series!

Want to know what I did the SECOND I finished this book? Grabbed the first two books in the series, because this was OUTSTANDING. It’s a love letter to marriage, best understood by those who’ve been in one, but no less powerful if you haven’t. It’s difficult and heart-wrenching, raw and real, and the progress this couple makes is so powerful. The storyline probably won’t be for everyone, but the journey is absolutely worth it - especially because of how good you'll feel by the end. This is my first time reading something by this author, and you can guarantee it won’t be the last.

The story follows Freya and Aiden, a married couple who have been together for over a decade. Their once-solid relationship seems to be crumbling, and things have gotten so bad that all communication has broken down. Aiden doesn't realize that his marriage is even in jeopardy until his wife packs his bags. It's a startling wakeup call that makes him a little desperate to put the pieces back together. But no matter how much love there is between them, there's no fixing this marriage until all of their cards are on the table. When a family vacation forces Freya and Aiden to come together, they realize that they've got to put in a whole lot of work if there's any hope of a future for them.

I loved how honest this is. It takes two people to make a marriage work, and love is not enough to keep things going. Freya and Aiden are both genuinely good people who love each other - and I'm talking about the kind of deep love that only comes from years spent getting to know someone. I felt for both of them, and I really appreciated that neither one was "at fault" for bringing them to this point. They've both got things they need to work on, and they've let those things spiral out of control, but there's nothing that's insurmountable. The build in intimacy is a thing of beauty, and the author does an excellent job showcasing that. There's a subtlety that works, and I loved all of those quieter moments. It's the kind of slow burn that's necessary, building back up the emotional connection before things turn physical - though there are plenty of sexy moments on the way there.

I'm definitely going to read the first two books in the series now. It's not necessary to read the series in order, but there are some great family scenes that would make more of an impact with a better understanding of each character's personality. I was lucky enough to receive an early copy via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review of this marriage in trouble romance.

This book is one of my top favorites this year and one of my favorite romances ever. It was so good. Yes, it did continously break my heart and put it back together, but I loved it. It made me so emotional in the best way. I'll try to talk a little about each of my favorite parts.

1- The absolutely lovable characters

I just love love love them all. Both main and side characters. Chloe makes you slowly fall in love with them and their beautiful bonds. They're complex and layered and wonderful, and while I was able to relate to other characters in the past two books when it came to a few things, Freya is the one most like me, and it made this book even more delightful.

She is a free spirit, a loving fiercely protective momma bear to her loved ones, and I absolutely adored her. And I love how she talks about and deals with her emotions because I can relate so much to everything she says, being the type of person whom the world constantly tells their feelings are too much.

It just felt so so good reading about this badass wonderful character that I can see parts of myself in❤️❤️❤️
Then there's Aiden who you also can't help but love him, for the wonderful resilient man he is, and for how much he loves Frey and his mother. He's been though so much, and it's very hard on him to talk about his anxiety and how it affects him and his past, but he continously tries to be a better man, a better husband. And even when things got too hard for him and he made choices that badly affected his marriage, he tried his best. He admitted his mistakes and got down to working on it. You can see him struggling but still trying. Groveling and doing whatever it takes to fix what happened between him and Freya.

I was always rooting for him, for both of them, which brings me to my next favorite thing.

2-Chloe's approach to the marriage-in-crisis

From the very beginning it was two people who loved each other but ended up hurting each other while trying to protect the other from life and what it throws at you. Aiden pulling back started it but as they worked things out Freya also admitted there were things she could've done differently. They both struggled and wanted to work this out in a healthy way . To do better, now that after a decade of marriage, they found themselves becoming estranged. Together but not. And they committed themselves to that, to each other and their marriage. There was no pride getting in the way, no toxic masculinity or trying to prove a point , they both talked about how they felt, both admitted their mistakes and what they've been doing wrong in the relationship, and constantly chose each other and vowed to do better. To be dedicated and put in the work. It wasn't easy, it was full of tears and hurt and anger and messy contradicting emotions and fear of what comes next, but it was also very heartwarming, seeing them come together again.

"I love someone who’s shown me that love doesn’t give second chances because we’ve earned them. Love gives second chances because it believes the best in who we are."

Chloe really gets into it and doesn't shy away from how hard it could get . She also constantly corrects the unrealistic expectations and thoughts culture and society engrave in us, and truly shows what relationships require. The relationship /marriage advice and the topics they get into are truly something . They make this book unique and unforgettable, and one I'll always recommend. It'd also be amazing to read with a partner!!

I also loved that even when they're fighting , when it got to the point where they want to run sometimes, you still see them being understanding of what the other went/goes through, empathetic , and you see the little signs of their love like making sure the other person is up for eating something or doing something to ease their anxiety, or realizing they're no longer doing something that brings them joy like singing and humming and trying to bring them back. I just loved it all, it was the perfect story for these two and my favorite marriage in crisis story ❤️❤️❤️❤️

3- It was still very fun and swoony.

And I'm not just talking about the last parts of the book after they've worked on things . Throughout the whole book Chloe finds a balance between the angst and emotional moments and the fun moments with the Bergman shenanigans. And it was still full of swoons. Aiden and Frey had me burying my face in my pillow several times because my heart couldn't take all the angst, but also because of the wholesome adorable moments between them, whether in flashbacks to some moments in their ten years they've been together, or the sweet soft moments we get as they talk more and more and work on their marriage and things start to get better and their comfort and intimacy return.

4- The Family/Brothers bonds

The family bonds in this series make me so happy and enjoy the books so much(along with the adorable romances of course) , and as with the first two books you have all the Bergmans with their love and mischief, but there's an added bonus of seeing how the brothers dealt with Freya and Aiden's marriage crisis. There was meddling, of course , as they were trying to figure out how to help in their own way, and it lead to some hilarious moments, but there's also the sweet emotional moments where they remind Aiden that they're there for him too, that they love him and he's theirs as well as Freya’s, and some of them had me clutching my heart in tears. It was so beautiful, especially with how much it means to Aiden.

5-The Representation
If you've read any of Chloe's Bergman books then this probably isn't a surprise for you. She's keen on giving us many reps with neurodiverse characters, disability rep, etc. And I absolutely love that.

In this book we have Aiden who has anxiety and with the way Chloe portrayed it I could recognize some of the things I've seen a loved one with anxiety struggle with in him and I hope that others with anxiety could see themselves well represented in this book.

Another thing I personally truly appreciated was having an amazing curvy heroine.

I love that lately I've been seeing more diversity in this beloved genre, how inclusive it's becoming, and I hope this only grows. Because love is for all, and everyone deserves to be seen and heard and see characters like them as heroes of their own story, finding their own happy ending.

And so for someone who's been plus size almost her entire life, and midsized at her lowest, I'll always love and appreciate having characters like Freya. I can't tell you how many times I started at that cover 😍

This book was an absolute delight❤️

4.5 stars rounded up to 5🌟❤️

This book brought me out of my comfort zone- I don’t often read books with tough topics like marriage troubles but only Chloe Liese could still convince me fo pick up a book about it! I fell in love with Aiden and Freya and was rooting for them the entire book. Their journey to surviving their rocky marriage was tough to read and I’m glad that Chloe portrayed counseling and anxiety in such and honest and truthful way.

I'm going to start this off by immediately saying this is Chloe Liese's BEST BOOK YET. Ever After Always is a book that anyone in a long term relationship can relate to (if anyone says they can't they're lying to you). This isn't a book where you'll be picking sides. You will feel Freya's pain. You will feel Aiden's Pain. Period. Aiden's anxiety is something I felt DEEPLY in my soul as I read this. Chloe portrayed the power and manipulation anxiety can have over someone's life perfectly. Freya feels invisible and unloved by her partner which is just so...REAL. It happens. Relationships are raw, rocky, and sometimes painful. This book is about powering through those moments and coming out on the other end stronger because of them. Romance authors tend to steer clear of writing about these rough moments in a relationship but I love that Chloe tackled them head on and nailed it. There is so much power in love and Ever After Always will prove that to you. Also...THE. STEAM. WAS. PERFECTION. I know you all are wondering about that. My opinion, Chloe Liese writes her absolute best sex scenes yet in this one. She turned up the heat and I'm so here for it.

I can't wait for the next book, Chloe!!! BRAVO!!!!

I absolutely adored this book. After reading Frankie and Ren's book, I am not surprised in the slightest. Liese knows exactly what she is doing. This was the most realistic second chance/salvage marriage book that I have read. The issues they discussed were the true issues that a marriage faces, especially a marriage where both people desperately love each other but have grown apart. The development and progression of Aiden and Freya's relationship and their ups and downs were extremely realistic. The issues the book discussed were very real and very touching. I also really appreciate Liese tackling issues such as poverty, anxiety, abandonment, etc. Leave it to Liese to give us a romance that deals with the real issues of the world. I adored their therapist, she was a realistic depiction of what a marriage counselor actually should be like.

As expected, the Bergman family was adorable. Seeing Aiden finding a true family in the crazy yet welcoming Bergmans made me tear up, especially that scene at the end. And the brothers' meddling and antics to get Freya and Aiden closer made me laugh.

This book was described as The Bromance Book Club meets All Your Perfects, and this was all that and more! (It even has an adorable romance reader who pushes his brothers to read romance too and the mention of book boners)

I loved this book and recommend it to anyone looking for a realistic and heartwarming romance with scenes that will make you tear up only to make you laugh 2 minutes later.

- 5 stars -

Thank you to NetGalley, Chole Liese, and the publisher for a copy of the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book broke me. Wow!!

If you're looking for a happy go lucky rom com. This book is not for you. This book is raw, beauty and courageous. This books explores marriage and shows the difficulties some marriages face! This shows us the good, the bad and the ugly!

The Bergman brothers are back, bringing their funny pranks with them.

I loved the vulnerability of these characters. Like the rest of Chloe Liese books, she shows us the power in vulnerability. Freya is such an amazing powerful character however she is completely "normal". She has her self esteem issues.
Aiden has a lot his own issues. Chloe has an amazing writing ability that allows us to feel their sadness and empathise with the characters.

Thank you to the author for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

So this is the third book in the Bergman Brother's series and we are actually following the oldest Freya (one of the sister's) and her husband Aiden as they are coming up on their 10th wedding anniversary. I love romance stories that are about an established couple dealing with normal issues and trying to resolve them, as someone who has been with her husband for 21 years, I love stories I can relate to in this way. I also loved that one of the main characters had anxiety and was dealing with that on top of everything else. I related to this so much and saw myself in this character! This series is great and I think everyone should add her to their auto buy list! I just want to say that I had a family emergency happen while reading this one and I think that impacted my reading experience with the last 25% of this book. I was not in the best head space to be reading but really needed to be doing something with my time. But I still highly recommend this book to everyone!!

In the third book of the Bergman Brothers series, Chloe Liese portrays Freya and Aiden as a married couple who are willing to fight to stay together. She has written a poignant and heartfelt narrative that addresses anxiety disorder and marital disconnect honestly and sensitively. I connected with this book on so many levels, and while the subject matter was emotionally hard to read at times, I had the utmost faith that the author would take us on a worthwhile journey. What I appreciated most about this book is that marriage is portrayed as messy; it's not the happily ever after, but the "ever after always" that matters, and isn't that the truth.

4.5 stars rounded up. / Rated: R
ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Content warning: anxiety disorder, marital troubles

Chloe Liese's newest book has once again floored me. I cannot get enough of her witty banter, realistic storylines, and characters that truly come to life.

The newest installment of the Bergman Brothers sucked me in deep. I read the whole book in one night! Aiden and Freya's marriage is on the rocks, and neither knows what to do. Keeping one secret from each other after another, heavy workloads, and the possible stress of starting a family is just too much. Will the original Bergman marriage survive? Or will it end in disaster?

Family dynamics and real-life scenarios make this one her strongest book yet. I cannot wait for the next book in this amazing collection!

My favorite thing about Chloe Liese and her books is that she is so unafraid to tackle hard or complicated issues. She is so good at it and handles them with such thoughtfulness and care. Every book of hers that I read, I come away with a new perspective, a little more knowledge, and a warm heart. Ever After Always is a story of a marriage in crisis. I was so nervous to read it as a wife of 18+ years. It just felt so personal and relatable and I was a little bit afraid of the rawness and honesty that I knew Chloe would put in the book.

What I found was exactly what I expected. But it was written with fun Bergman family dynamics. It was loaded with personal growth (my FAVE!). It was filled with steam and connection and tension and communication that is hard to find in a good rom com. Ever After Always is beautifully written and so well done. It is the perfect next step in this family series. I love the way that we get small bites of future stories so that we are always left satisfied with the story we got, but ready for more of the next.

Thank you, Chloe, for letting me read and review.

Chloe Liese does a fantastic job with the 3rd book in the Bergman Brothers (Sister) series. This book focuses on Freya, the oldest Bergman and her husband Aiden.

I loved this book. It's honest and such a beautiful love story of two people trying to live all the craziness that is life. This is heartbreaking and human as Freya and Aiden hit some difficult times after 10 years of marriage. Liese brilliantly captures the struggle with anxiety and how it impacts your life and your relationships.

I love this family and their playful banter, their boisterous gatherings and so much love!!

Can't wait to get Viggo's story 💗

I simply don’t have enough words for all the feelings this book made me feel! Without a doubt one of my top 5 reads of 2020. Not only did this book touch on a relationship in crisis but it also very accurately portrayed what it’s like to live with anxiety. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Ever After Always is the third book in the Bergman Brothers standalone series and it tells Freya and Aiden's story. Freya is the oldest Bergman sibling and her marriage to Aiden is falling apart. She has always felt that they were that couple that still had that spark years into their marriage, but their marriage has slowly been unraveling for the past six months. Their marriage is in crisis and Aiden and Freya will have to find their way back to one another before it's too late.

I am quickly becoming a big Chloe Liese fan. I really like that she writes romance books with underrepresented experiences. Aiden is a man who struggles with debilitating anxiety and grew up in poverty. Freya has her own demons and although she does her best to support Aiden, maybe it's not always enough. That's a tough pill to swallow and it certainly may seem like it isn't a sexy backdrop for a romance book. I really like that Liese's stories are real, honest, and raw. They show the not-so-pretty side of these underrepresented experiences but with a glimmer of hope and in a positive light. She balances heavy topics with some fun Bergman family times and of course some really steamy scenes.

Aiden and Freya's story is intense from the beginning. The book starts right after Freya has kicked Aiden out and my stomach was in knots hoping that they get back together. I loved seeing glimpses of the early stages of their relationship, especially how they met. The lessons of love and relationships in this book are insightful and inspiring.

I can't wait to read about Axel and Rooney's story in the next book! That has been brewing since before Book 2!

This is definitely one of my favorite books I've read this year. First of all, I love a good marriage in trouble trope. And it is HARD to pull off, but Chloe Liese does it with such care and consideration for her characters. Like most real life marriages, the one between Aiden and Freya just starts to buckle under the pressure of life and work. And like real life, one counseling session doesn't magically make everything better. They struggle and misstep and fall into old/bad habits, and yet they keep working their way through. Having the point of view of both characters conveys the frustration, loneliness, and longing they both feel, and how hard it is for both of them to let go and trust each other again. It's one of those stories that just hurts so good. It tears you apart and then the redemption is twice as sweet. But even though this story is emotionally hard to read sometimes, it also was full of laughter and love and happiness, just like life can be.

The Bergman family really shines here. I love how each book draws us deeper into the family circle. While this can easily be read as a stand alone story, please don't deny yourself the pleasure of the previous books. The brothers provide plenty of brotherly shenanigans that add levity to a pretty intense story. I adore the father, Alex. He always comes in at the right moment with fatherly wisdom, and hugs, and love and humbleness. This is a family that loves and accepts each other for who they are, and it's just the most wonderful feeling to get wrapped up in a Bergman family book hug.

Never have I felt a more personal connection to a book before. And I suspect if you don't find a version of yourself in this book, then you might in one of the other Bergman Brothers books. Chloe Liese tells us that everyone deserves a love story, and what a wonderful and powerful idea that is.