Discussion + Short Take Reviews: Ever After Always & With You Forever by Chloe Liese

So here's the thing: I've read all four books in Chloe Liese's Bergman Brothers series, with varying degrees of success. And after four books I'm still on the fence if I actually enjoy her writing. Her books fall into the good-not-great range for me and there are some elements of her writing style that just don't work for me. 

My main issue are the lengthy monologues (both internal and spoken) that Liese gives her characters. This is the most emo group of people I have ever read about and they all talk, ad nauseum, about their every feeling and emotion and want and need in a way that just doesn't ring true. I find most of the characters likable, but every time one of them starts spilling their guts with another long-winded speech I feeling like rolling my eyes and checking out. I love romance, but this oh-so-introspective kind of dialogue (can dialogue be introspective?) does not work for me. People do not engage like that (at least no one I know!) and reading it is consistently jarring and pulls me out of the story. (The #1 culprit is Viggo and, while he is seemingly good-intentioned, if/when he gets his book I know I'll have to skip it. I can't take a whole book of him.)

Then there are all the ISSUES. Every single character seems to have An Issue to be addressed. I mean, everyone. (Well, maybe not Ren. He seemed to be getting along okay.) It's like, no one in the family (including their partners) are just chugging along, doing life, and generally okay. Yes, I get that there needs to be conflict to have a story, but conflict can be created in many ways. It doesn't always have to be with physical and/or mental health. But I feel with Liese it has become a check-the-box laundry list of physical/mental health issues throughout the series. Anxiety, hearing impairment, arthritis, autism (at least three characters that I can think of), IBS... it's a lot.  I do believe that representation is important, but each book feels riddled with representation in a way that feels forced with the sheer amount of it. I feel like I'm going to get some push-back on this and that's okay, please do share your thoughts.

I know this sounds like a lot of hating on Liese's writing, but there are plenty of aspects I enjoy. I mean, I've stuck with the series through four books so obviously there's more positive than negative, right? But I am left with this dilemma: Do I continue to invest time in a series/author that usually falls in the "okay" range, or do I move on and devote my reading time to other books/authors than are better suited to my particular taste? (Spoiler: if I have to ask I probably already know the answer.)

Have you ever come across characters that felt "too emo?"

Have you ever quit an author/series due to an issue with the writing style?

Let me know in the comments! And now on to the reviews...

EVER AFTER ALWAYS
Chloe Liese

Series: Bergman Brothers #3

Aiden

I’ve spent twelve years loving Freya Bergman and twelve lifetimes won’t be enough to give her everything she deserves. She’s my passionate, tender-hearted wife, my best friend, and all I want is to make her happy. But the one thing that will make her happiest is the one thing I’m not sure I can give her: a baby.

With the pressure of providing and planning for a family, my anxiety’s at an all-time high, and I find myself pulling away, terrified to tell my wife how I’m struggling. But when Freya kicks me out, I realize that pulling back has turned into pushing too far. Now it’s the fight of a lifetime to save our marriage.

Freya

I love my cautious, hard-working husband. He’s my partner and best friend, the person I know I can count on most. Until one day I realize the man I married is nowhere to be found. Now Aiden is quiet and withdrawn, and as the months wear on, the pain of our growing distance becomes too much. 

As if weathering marriage counseling wasn’t enough, we’re thrown together for an island getaway to celebrate my parents’ many years of perfect marriage while ours is on the brink of collapse. Despite my meddling siblings and a week in each other’s constant company, this trip somehow gets us working through the trouble in paradise. I just can’t help worrying, when we leave paradise and return to the real world, will trouble find us again?

*****

What I Liked:

·      The Bergman clan en masse is great. The parents are wonderful and I enjoy the family dynamics. The love and respect they all have for each other is remarkable.

·      Aiden was likable and the descriptions of his anxiety felt realistic and made him empathetic.

·      I enjoy a marriage in crisis story since it delves into what happens after the happily ever after. Also since it typically means the characters are a bit older.

·      Slow burn. It seems odd to consider a story about a married couple as a slow burn, but circumstances ensured it was just that. And it was done so well.

·      More Ziggy. I really love this girl and feel a kinship with her.

·      The Axel-Rooney teaser!

But Not So Much:

·      Both Aiden and Freya were suuuper introspective and it was a lot of being in the heads of two people who were unhappy.

·      The reconciliation felt very one-sided. Freya seemed to hold none of the responsibility for their issues and Aiden was the one who had to make all the effort.

·      The final conflict concerning Aiden’s father was so unnecessary. And it’s not as if the foreshadowing was subtle. (I mean, who didn’t see that coming a mile away?)

·      All the intense, heartfelt/emo talks between Aiden and the brothers did not ring true. They didn’t feel plausible or realistic to me.

·      The oh-so-meta aspect of Viggo pushing the romance novels. *cringe*

·      All the pranks. *more cringe*

Rating: 3.5

WITH YOU FOREVER

Chloe Liese

Series: Bergman Brothers #4

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.

*****

What I Liked:

·      Grumpy-sunshine romance

·      Mutual pining ♥

·      Character-driven story. Not a lot happened – it’s basically Axel and Rooney together in the woods – but I was totally okay with that. I always choose characters over plot.

·      Axel and Rooney were so likable and easy to pull for. Axel, in particular really stood out for me. He loved his family but showed it in quiet ways he was comfortable with. And seeing that extend to Rooney warmed my heart.

·      This was such a tender-hearted romance and it gave me all the feels.

·      Loved the fall vibes, the PNW setting, the cozy cabin in the woods, the holidays.

But Not So Much:

·      There was a marriage-of-convenience, which is usually fun, but nothing came of it. They never had to pretend to be married, none of the family ever found out, so there were no stakes. It made the marriage-of-convenience feel like nothing more than a handy plot device.

·      It was just a little too perfect – the oh-so-open and healthy discussions about sexual consent and boundaries, the adorable animals that brought them closer together – it made the story feel very aware of itself.

·      The uncle’s letter at the end was not necessary. It was too coincidental how his story mirrored Axel’s. 

Rating: 4

HAVE YOU READ EITHER OF THESE BOOKS?