Bergman Brothers Archives

Book Review: Everything for You by Chloe Liese

May 12, 2022

Everything for You (Bergman Brothers #5) by Chloe Liese

Pages: 354
Publish date: May 10, 2022
Publisher: –
ASIN: B09ZT45LS2
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Gavin

We’ve been teammates for two years, but it feels like a lifetime that Oliver Bergman’s been on my last nerve. A demanding captain and veteran player, I’m feared and friendless, while he’s the beloved rising star, all sunshine smiles and upbeat team spirit. To make matters worse, he’s obscenely attractive. In short: he’s genetically designed to get under my skin.

Avoiding Oliver has been my survival tactic on and off the field. But when Coach drops the bomb that we’re now co-captains, avoiding him becomes impossible, and keeping the truth from him–let alone my distance–is harder than ever.

Oliver

Life was great until soccer legend Gavin Hayes joined the team and proved he’s nothing like the guy I grew up idolizing. Instead, he’s a giant–albeit gorgeous–grump who lives to rain on my parade. I’ve sworn off pranks since entering the public eye, so rather than settle our differences the Bergman way, I’ve had to settle for killing Gavin with kindness. There’s just one problem: killing him with kindness is killing me.

To make matters worse, Coach gives us an ultimatum: put an end to our enmity or say goodbye to being captains. I’m prepared to be miserable while we meet her demands and make nice, but the last thing I expect is to discover an explosive attraction we can’t help but act on, and worse yet, to realize the man hiding beneath Gavin’s gruff exterior is all I’ve ever wanted.

Everything For You:

Trigger and Content Warnings: Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Sports Injuries, Sexual Content, Homophobia.

I received an e-arc of Everything For You by Chloe Liese via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. And when I tell you I couldn’t keep a smile off my face while reading this, I’m not lying.

Everything For You by Chloe Liese follows Oliver Bergman as he tries to navigate his life changing especially now that he has become co-captain with the one and only Gavin Hayes. Ever since Gavin has joined the team, his hate for Oliver is very much know. Now that they are thrown together in more than one circumstance, well it’s going to be fun. But there are a lot of emotional struggles that both Oliver and Gavin been through and that is just scraping the surface.

Photo by Fancy Crave on Unsplash

Oliver is a fantastic protagonist. We’ve seen him grow a little throughout the series so far, but this book is his time to shine. I took a liking to Oliver right away, and this book really cemented that. He is charming, funny and just put a massive smile on my face throughout the whole book. But he also has his struggles. Oliver has his doubts, his anxieties and they do play a lot of the way that he lives his life.

Gavin was such an interesting protagonist and love interest. I didn’t know what to make of him at the start, but as soon as we got into his perspective. It was just fantastic. He is grumpy and wants to be by himself most of the time. But like Oliver he has his insecurities and with him feeling like his body is giving up on him. He feels like he is failing.

Photo by Egor Myznik on Unsplash

Everything for You is a fantastic grumpy-sunshine romance that also has a little dislike to hate. And it was so well done. I wouldn’t call it real hate to love romance. But it doesn’t get past anyone that Gavin has a major dislike for Oliver. But this led to some amazing scenes between these two. From prank wars to sneaky friends these two don’t know what hits them.

The romance was just fantastic. I adore the way that Chloe Liese writes her couples and there is nothing different here. Oliver and Gavin have a lot of tension between them. Gavin was the person that Oliver looked up to when he was younger. Not just as a soccer player, but as someone who was out to the public. But then Oliver meets him and things aren’t that great. I think one of my favourite things about these two is while they are very different from one another together, they fit perfectly.

Most of the Bergman family make an appearance throughout Everything for You and gosh I loved seeing that so much. To see where they are now. What is happening in their lives? It just made me so happy. They also got up to a lot of mischief in this book and I’m so glad that it was in there. It also made me really excited for the last two books in this series.

The only thing I have to note here. I wasn’t able to tell how long it had been between books. Working out how much time had passed is something I struggle with a lot. And there were times when I was confused here.

Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash

One of the main reasons why I love Chloe Liese’s books so much is the quality of disability rep that she has in her books. It’s not just thrown in there and adding nothing to the book. It’s part of their characters, their lives, and their story. It doesn’t take over who they are, but it makes them, them. It just makes for such a good read.

Overall, Everything For You by Chloe Liese is just fantastic. I smiled the whole way through it and I didn’t want it to end. Oliver and Gavin were fantastic together and their character arcs were just spot on. This is a brilliant sports romance that highlights mental health and also explores changes in life. If you have read the rest of the Bergman books you are going to love this one. If you haven’t, I beg you to start the series.

Have you read Everything For You yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read any of the books in the series? Let’s chat!

Also, you can check out my reviews of Only When It’s Us, Ever After Always and With You Forever.

Book Review: With You Forever by Chloe Liese

Jul 25, 2021

With You Forever (Bergman Brothers #4) by Chloe Liese

Pages: –
Publish date: September 14th 2021
Publisher: –
ASIN: B092TJXSND
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Axel
Rooney Sullivan is sunshine incarnate. Warm, bright, always smiling, she’s everything I’m not and the last person I have any business desiring. Desperate to hide a hopeless attraction, I’ve done everything possible to keep my distance…until a charades game gone wrong brought that to a grinding halt.

Since then, steering clear of Rooney has been impossible. In a matter of months, she’s kissed me speechless, commandeered my art career, and infiltrated not only my dreams but my home. The woman who was once avoidable has become the last thing I needed: temptingly within reach.

Rooney
Axel Bergman is a gorgeous grump who doesn’t have the time of day for me. Thankfully, I’ve kept my crush under wraps…well, until I kissed him. Charades got away from me, okay? It was an accident! I haven’t seen him since, which is for the best. My life is a mess, and the last thing I need is to embarrass myself further with the man who avoids me like that’s his job rather than painting modern masterpieces.

It seems the universe, however, has a different plan. When Axel and I unexpectedly find our paths—and problems—converging, a marriage of convenience proves the perfect solution. At least, until I’m facing my most serious problem yet: a once-loveless marriage of convenience that’s inconveniently become a love match, after all.

With You Forever:

I received an earc of With You Forever by Chloe Liese via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

It’s shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that I love this series. I picked it up for the first time last year and each time there has been a book out since I jump on it. As soon as I heard who this book was going to be about, I knew that I needed it even more. And let me tell you, it’s fantastic and I wasn’t disappointed.

With You Forever by Chloe Liese follows Axel Bergman, a brother that I feel we don’t know too much about till this point. But we know how the last book ended and I have been hanging to know what happens next. Rooney’s life isn’t what she thought it would be. It’s a mess. And after the charades game that leads to the kiss between Axel and Rooney, she doesn’t want to see him any time soon. But that doesn’t go to plan. Then one thing leads to another and now a marriage of conveniences is where Axel and Rooney find themselves landing.

Photo by Dai Nguyen on Unsplash

Axel is a grumpy pants and I love it. He has a lot going on in his life as well, and sadly, he cannot deal with it all. I have always found Axel really interesting throughout the series, but we never knew too much about him for me to get to really know him. But throughout the whole of With You Forever, the reader gets to slowly see him. Axel likes the quiet, he likes to be alone. So when Rooney breaks this quiet life he lives, it shakes him up. But it’s in a good way. While he doesn’t change who he is, he comes out of his shell a little and lets those around him help a little. I adore that he is an artist and the reader gets to see him not only struggle to create but also get to see him live through his art.

Rooney, I would say, is quite the opposite to Axel and I think that is why they fit perfectly with one another. But her life has currently been shaken and she doesn’t know who she is anymore or where she wants to go. After life-changing health news not only does Rooney need time to recover, but also figure out what she wants to do with her life now. I really enjoyed seeing Rooney grow throughout the novel. At the start, she feels weak and like she doesn’t know herself. But after spending some time with herself, Axel and just relaxing – we see that she can find herself again.

Photo by nine koepfer on Unsplash

I adored the romance in this one. I mean I’ve loved the romances in all the series but there is something about Axel and Rooney that just makes me so happy. When Axel finds out that it’s going to cost way more money than he has to fix his families getaway house he knows that there is only one way. But it comes with a cost – and then Rooney just happens to rock up. And a marriage of convenience is born. It’s one of my favourite romance tropes and it’s done so well here. Both Axel and Rooney have a history with one another and we get to see this tension. It’s fantastic. We get to see them go from friends to lovers and gosh it hits.

Another reason I adored this book so much, is the conversations about consent. It was just so fantastic and made me smile even more. They both cared about one another just so much, but not only that they cared about each others health and the limits that they both had.

This whole series has been fantastic in regards to disabilities and it hits the spot again here. But characters are living with different disabilities and health issues, some new ones and some older. I always find it so interesting to see how both the author and then therefore the character deal with health news that changes the way someone lives. And I think the way that Rooney dealt with it was fantastic.

Photo by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash

Overall, With You Forever by Chloe Liese is the perfect addition to the Bergman Brothers series. I absolutely adore the romance, the plot was fantastic and the writing was just as great as always. This is a fantastic marriage of convenience, grumpy hero, friends to lovers romance. It just made me smile so much. If you haven’t picked up any books in this series please do. Each book explores disability in many forms as well as having sweet a spicy romances.

Have you read With You Forever by Chloe Liese yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read any of the books in this series? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese

Sep 7, 2020

Only When It’s Us (Bergman Brothers #1) by Chloe Liese

Pages: 380
Publish date: April 1st 2020
Publisher: –
ASIN: B085B9LFG2
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Ryder

Ever since she sat next to me in class and gave me death eyes, Willa Sutter’s been on my shit list. Why she hates me, I don’t know. What I do know is that Willa is the kind of chaos I don’t need in my tidy life. She’s the next generation of women’s soccer. Wild hair, wilder eyes. Bee-stung lips that should be illegal. And a temper that makes the devil seem friendly.

She’s a thorn in my side, a menacing, cantankerous, pain-in-the-ass who’s turned our Business Mathematics course into a goddamn gladiator arena. I’ll leave this war zone unscathed, coming out on top…And if I have my way with that crazy-haired, ball-busting hellion, that will be in more than one sense of the word.

Willa

Rather than give me the lecture notes I missed like every other instructor I’ve had, my asshole professor tells me to get them from the silent, surly flannel-wearing mountain man sitting next to me in class. Well, I tried. And what did I get from Ryder Bergman? Ignored. What a complete lumbersexual neanderthal. Mangy beard and mangier hair. Frayed ball cap that hides his eyes. And a stubborn refusal to acknowledge my existence.

I’ve battled men before, but with Ryder, it’s war. I’ll get those notes and crack that Sasquatch nut if it’s the last thing I do, then I’ll have him at my mercy. Victory will have never tasted so sweet.

Only When It’s Us:

The second book in the series is the one that caught my eye first. But I wanted to read it in order. And I’m so glad that I did because Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese was a fantastic read. As soon as I read the synopsis I knew that this book was for me. It’s a sports romance that also concludes disability! Hell yeah.

CW: terminal illness, death of a parent.

Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese follows Willa and Ryder as they make their way through college and life. Ryder doesn’t like Willa Sutter. Ever since she sat next to him in class and left with death glares, Ryder has held a small grudge again Willa. He doesn’t need her in his tidy life. And then they get paired together for their Business Mathematics assessment. And things are about to get interesting. Willa anger towards Ryder steams from him ignoring her when she asked for help. But she isn’t one to be messed with. And then the truth comes out.

Photo by Jonathan Petersson on Unsplash

Willa was such an interesting female protagonist. She isn’t someone that you can like instantly. But as the novel goes on the reader can understand her. She has been thought quite a bit and she uses her anger as a mask. And this slowly starts to slip and she and Ryder become closer. One of the rare moments that we see the true Willa is when she is with her mother. I like that Willa wasn’t particularly “nice.” She kept her guard up and sometimes that did make her hard, but that also made her interesting. I also loved that she was the athlete in the book. It just made me happy.

Ryder is the grumpy lumberjack type and I loved it. He just made my day. I loved that on the outside he was this tough, sometimes mean looking male. But on the inside, he was a soft muffin. He tried to be mean and rude, and honestly, sometimes he was. However, the reader can tell that he doesn’t mean any of it. The last few years for Ryder have been tough and his life had to change dramatically. And that isn’t easy.

The romance in Only When It’s Us was excellent. It was a hate to love romacne that was a blast. Both Ryder and Willa have misconceptions of one another and when they are strategically thrown together for the assessment things heat up. I enjoyed the back and forth between the two, however, I do wish that they communicated more. It would have made for less unnecessary friction. In saying all this, Willa and Ryder were fantastic together. The banter between the two was fun to read and I loved seeing them both surprise each other and break down each other’s walls.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Ryder’s disability is another major focus of Only When It’s Us. However, it doesn’t overshadower the novel. It explores Rydner’s deafness in a way that is honest. It explores the struggles and tribulations that he as had to go through. But also explores how it doesn’t affect the way that he wants to live his life. Ryder became deaf later in life after a case of meningitis. Not only was he left deaf, but there were other complications that affected the way that he lives his life. Ryder communicates through sign language, reading lips and through written communication. Ryder also chooses not to speak after losing his hearing, but as the novel goes on he learns to overcome his hesitation to speak. I think that the representation of disability throughout the book was fairly accurate. I, however, can’t talk about the representation of being deaf.

Family is a massive theme throughout Only When It’s Us. The Bergman family are a delight. I loved how they interacted with one another. The reader can see from the start how much they love one another and would do anything for each member. I can’t wait to read more about each brother for sure. It’s going to be interesting. I also loved that they were all there for Willa when she needs them.

Willa’s relationship with her mother was nicely written. And the reader could see how hard her mother’s health hit them both in different ways. I feel that a lot of Willa’s walls were built because of her mother’s health and how scared and hurt she is. Willa just didn’t want to feel more pain.

Only When It’s Us is an emotional read. There are many ups and downs for both Willa and Ryder. I did cry several times, especially towards the end It’s not an easy read at times, but it’s also beautiful. It explores grief and loss. But also explored life.

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

Overall I love reading Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese. It’s emotional and heartbreaking at times, but it’s uplifting, funny and made me smile a whole lot. I love that we get to see the female lead as the athlete and disability is so present throughout the novel. Not only is this fantastic to see in general, but in romance. Willa and Ryder are fantastic together. They bicker and fight, but you can they love each as well. This is just a fantastic romance and I can’t wait to read more from Chloe Liese.