Only When It's Us (Bergman Brothers Book 1)

Product Information

and how I almost cried when I read that there would be 5 books in this series following the Bergman brothers (that's how you know you're committed to this ish) Chloe Liese is my favourite romance author. I love her Bergman Brothers series. All of these brothers are absolute cinnamon rolls. And I love sweet, caring and supporting heroes. The tropes which this book uses aren't my favourites. Specially the fake marriage trope. But Chloe Liese can never do anything wrong. Of course I loved this book. We never had the chance to to know much about Alexis until we finally got his story. The oldest Bergman brother always seemed so mysterious and distant. I was so glad to get to know him finally. Axel is just a precious grump. I loved Rene too. The romance was swoony and very well written. Overall it was a wonderful read. It’s true that Ryder and Willa didn’t start with the right foot. At the beginning, their fights were so epic that sometimes I was afraid they would end up killing each other before they had even kissed.

Since the very interaction they’d shared in Only When It’s Us, Rooney Sullivan and Axel Bergman had me wanting them to be a thing. And to my happiness and surprise of no one, they had been secretly crushing each other for years, but since a kiss they shared during a family’s game, it’s been impossible for them just to hide it—and therefore, to be close to each other. Now, under uncommon circumstances, they end up sharing the Bergman family’s vacation home, which surprisingly leads them not just to a very weird marriage of convenience but also to find a perfect love match. Ryder was alright, but also super unrealisic as a character, he was written to be essentially flawless and it was obvious he was the author's wet dream - homeboy cried when he saw Willa naked for the first time, because she is so beautiful and perfect and he loves her so much................... I always love reading books about characters who have some kind of history prior to the events of the book. Axel and Rooney know each other through their sister-in-law/best friend, Willa. In the last Bergman Brothers book, they also happen to share a surprisingly steamy charades-induced kiss. Now, they are both pretending like that kiss never happened until the universe decides to force them into proximity through a marriage of convenience. Why she hates me, I don't know. What I do know is that Willa Sutter is the kind of chaos I do not need in my tidy life. Wild hair, wilder eyes. Bee-stung lips that should be illegal. A temper that makes the devil seem friendly. And she has turned our Business Mathematics course into a gladiator arena. . .

I just really appreciated how the author took time to establish that as part of his identity without taking away from who he was as an essential character. 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. Axel is my second fave Bergman so far. I love how grumpy he is but is secretly a sunshine. The way he went out of his way to care for Rooney was adorable and I loved all of their interactions together. I loved every bit of this story. Like how we got glimpses of the family and some hints about the next book. Then there is that lovely little girl of Axel's friends. Speaking of his friends, that was wonderful friend support. Romance is especially delightful. All the pinning and slow build-up gave me damn butterflies.

Willa and Ryder are as fun and feisty as ever, their story still as hot as it is heartfelt. These two hold a special place in my heart; through the journey that began with them, I've learned so much and grown both as a storyteller and as a person. I'm grateful that I was able to take what I've learned, how I've grown, and work with both an authenticity reader as well as my professional support system to make their story its best self. You know what? From now on I’ll give any Chloe Liese book five stars without even reading them especially that book belongs to freaking amazing Bergman series! Axel French braiding her hair! (I’m sorry but this scene here meant something to me) I mean a normal person would’ve made a ponytail? A bun? But he just have to be so extra!!Cochlear implants leads to my last point, the thing that upset me most about this book: Ryder's speech. I thought it was great that (at some points) he would talk to people through notes or texts, because I do this constantly! But it made me wildly uncomfortable when he began speaking purely for the other MC's benefit. It came across like: "This deaf character needs to alter himself and begin using verbal communication or else he can't engage in a successful relationship." Damn. That was my tipping point into a one-star rating. And this book… well… this one is so cuuuteeee! The romance, the intimacy, the conversation blended in sweet, sexy, smart banters we’re adorable! One of my favorite things about this book was how soft Axel was for Rooney. When they started to truly know each other you just saw a different side of both of them and it was beautiful. And I also have to shout out that Chloe does an amazing job with being inclusive in her writing. One of my closest friends has the same chronic illness as Rooney and I’ve heard some of the same stories/struggles from her. A stunning mix of hilarious tropes, swoony romance and lovable, relatable characters. A must read for every romance lover!!' Ali Hazelwood, author of The Love Hypothesis

im also disappointed we didnt get to see more of the Bergman family. but i guess since we saw so much of them in the last book, maybe the author wanted us to not be overwhelmed or get bored by them?? thankfully, the new side characters (the Hs friends) were a great company to have around. i really adored the woodsy, cabin-y setting, and the romance was just most wholesome. the h’s stomach condition had me caught between wanting to laugh or sympathize with her plight. 🙈🤣 Axel & Rooney may have toppled Frankie & Ren from the peak of my Bergman 🥰 pyramid ... I am mush for these two and cannot wait to enjoy this even more on reread while indulging in Chloe Liese's ever inspiring playlist. I could read the next book in this series but it's gonna be more of the same so I'm not sure if it's really going to be my cup of tea anymore. I just wish that Liese would write characters that were more than whatever it is she's defining them by because while it's great she's having her characters represent all these different communities and voices, it still feels like she's writing them under a stigma and preconceived notions. I don't know, maybe it's just me. But there are so many ways this series and this book in particular could be so much better and it's a massively missed opportunity. I liked Willa and her 'mama's' relationship, it was them against the world. But I really loved the Swedish American Bergman family, and kinda want to live with them! I cant wait to read more of these books, about Ryder's brothers, the next one being about Ren.And we have Rooney, a sunshine 24 year old law student with a chronic illness (ulcerative colitis) who has recently needed to take a leave of absence from school due to a recent, severe flare up. She needs rest and no stress so her best friend Willa offers the use of the Bergman A Frame house.