Only and Forever: Bergman Brothers, Book 7

What's not like about the Bergman Brothers tale of hope, love, and laughter. At the start, in book one, the stage is set: all the HEA couples meet during separate stories as lonely drifters...and then their direct opposite apppears causing a definitively unique meet-havoc. All the while searching for the "one", the Bergman boys fall hard for 'wrong' individual---who with time turns out their perfect match--- and all chaos turns upright with each new partner being embraced into this amazingly generous and compassionate family. Love grows and all Bergmans are delightfully paired off with the exception of Viggio...the most romantic of them all. It's so fitting that he is the final Bergman to fall...and I hate to play favorites, cuz I loved this entire series, but Viggio is at the heart of all great romances. His story ties the bow on the Bergman bundle of friends, family, kiddos and animals galore. Enjoy this slice of heaven. p.s. lots of sexy, steamy build up too!! 😍🤩🤩

This felt like a hug - warm, soft, tender, and everything I could want from the conclusion to this beloved series. I loved the roommates to lovers situation, which allowed our couple to slowly deepen their emotional connection and let down the walls around their hearts. They could not be more different in their views on love, so I adored that they were able to find some common ground without compromising themselves. Viggo is this hopeless romantic who has been holding out for butterflies, and I'm so glad he finally found them in Lula. It's a definite black cat/golden retriever situation, and the softest, quietest love story ever. Sure, they have plenty of chemistry (and a few smokin' hot scenes!), but it's such an understated romance. I wasn't itching to get back to the story when I set it down for the day, but I was wrapped up in it whenever I was turning the pages. I'm sad to see the series go, but this was just what I wanted from the finale.The story follows Tallulah, a writer who can't seem to get the relationship dynamic in her latest book right. She has never experienced true love or intimacy, so she's having trouble putting it on the page. When Tallulah runs into Viggo, a guy she knew in college, it brings back some feelings she buried long ago. Viggo is a sunshine sweetheart of a man who unapologetically loves romance novels, and the two are poplar opposites in every way. But when they realize that they're both struggling, they strike up a deal - Viggo will help Lula with her book, and she'll help him get his new bookstore ready to open. Suddenly, they're roommates and working together every day. It's impossible to deny the spark of attraction that flickers between them, but there's no way two people with such different views of love could ever find their way together... right?I've been a longtime fan of Liese, but this is my favorite book of hers since Ever After Always and Always Only You. The series as a whole has been a little uneven, but each book excels in immersing the reader in these quiet, tender vibes. What I loved about this one is that the characters were both complex, but their health conditions were not their whole personality. Viggo has ADHD and Lula has diabetes, but that didn't define them. The story is much more personality-based, and I loved that. Tallulah is the kind of heroine whose walls are up sky high, and it would take a guy who is as lovable as Viggo to even have a chance of scaling them. He is the ultimate cinnamon roll sweetheart, just this adorable man. They had some fantastic chemistry, and I loved the slow burn to sizzle situation. But they really did connect on an emotional, intimate level, which was exactly what they needed. As I was reading, I was thinking that I wouldn't mind if the tension was dialed up another notch, but then it would risk losing its understated, gentle feel. All in all, this wrapped up the series in a bow and delivered a very solid love story, which is exactly what I wanted. I received an early copy, and am voluntarily leaving a review of this tender romance.

I’ve long been anticipating Viggo Bergman’s story, so I was very excited to get my hands on this one – though it’s always bittersweet to reach the end of a series. Viggo was one of the Bergman siblings I was most eager to see have his own story unfold – being the hopeless romantic of the group. (Sidenote – I’m loving these gorgeous new covers!)I loved seeing some great representation of both mental health and chronic illness. It’s always great to read representation that feels authentic and relatable to life, and that let’s others get a sense of insight. In this case, we got a glimpse of this via Viggo’s experience with ADHD and Tallulah’s with Diabetes.On a characters level – I really enjoyed getting to see some old friends in cameo’s throughout the book. Viggo was an easy favorite and I appreciated getting more insight into and rounding out of his character, as we’ve had glimpses of him in the other books in the series. He was unapologetically himself, but also struggled with finding his place and his confidence in his dreams. And who can resist a hero who’s a rescue animal person? I found him to be very sweet, and I so wanted him to find his HEA.Tallulah was a bit more prickly, as the grump to his sunshine. I had some mixed feelings regarding her character / growth over the story. I appreciated that she had a real figure and seemed to be self confident, assured, and independent. However, given her backstory and where she starts in her thoughts on love, commitment, etc – the story felt a bit rushed for her revelations.For me, the timeline of the story felt a bit too rushed for some of the elements that were at play (revised life outlooks, therapy, relationship build, etc). I think it would have made more sense to have the story take place over 6 months or a year rather than 2 months – or I think some of the story would have felt more realistic for me in that regard. I also would have liked a bit more transition in seeing a shift from platonic to romance.As a final nitpick / preference note for me, I didn’t love the spicy bits. Although I’ll read different types of romance, I tend to prefer a less is more approach in the spice area personally. In this case though, the spice felt a bit awkward and cringy for me. It didn’t feel like it was unfolding in an organic way and kind of pulled me out of the story each time. I think I would have enjoyed the story more without it, or with just a fade to black implication.I did enjoy the story overall – it was heartwarming, charming, and had some elements and tropes I really appreciated at work: slow burn romance; representation of neurodivergence and chronic illness; sunshine grump trope; a “room”-mance; and opposites attract to name a few. A lovely wrap to the series, and it was nice how at the end we got a final mini Bergman reunion and update of sorts 😊