Tag: chloe liese

Book Review: Only and Forever (Bergman Brothers #7) by Chloe Liese

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Chloe Liese
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: April 2nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It’s a room-mance for the books in this tender, steamy story about unexpectedly finding love and being brave enough to let it revise life’s narrative in the final book in the beloved Bergman Brothers series.

Viggo Bergman, hopeless romantic, is thoroughly weary of waiting for his happily ever after. But between opening a romance bookstore, running a romance book club, coaching kids’ soccer, and adopting a household of pets—just maybe, he’s overcommitted himself?—Viggo’s chaotic life has made finding his forever love seem downright improbable.

Enter Tallulah Clarke, chilly cynic with a massive case of writer’s block. Tallulah needs help with her thriller’s romantic subplot. Viggo needs another pair of hands to keep his store afloat. So they agree to swap skills and cohabitate for convenience—his romance expertise to revive her book, her organizational prowess to salvage his store. They hardly get along, and they couldn’t be more different, but who says roommate-coworkers need to be friends?

As they share a home and life, Tallulah and Viggo discover a connection that challenges everything they believe about love, and reveals the plot twist they never saw happily ever after is here already, right under their roof.

IT’S OVER.

I thought that overall, this was a good conclusion to the series. This family is one of my favorites and I love all of their dynamics and the way they take care of each other. There’s such hope and tenderness in the Bergman family that soothe something in my soul every time.

The romance was better for me in the second half. I felt the chemistry was lacking a bit in the start and it took me awhile to love Viggo and Tallulah together. I enjoyed them as separate characters and I wish the lust aspect wasn’t so heavily leaned on. The themes of jumping into scary things and being open to new experiences and relationships was beautifully woven in. I loved the therapy conversations and how Viggo and Tallulah truly found each other.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 4+ open door; moderate innuendo

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Book Review: Better Hate than Never (The Wilmot Sisters #2) by Chloe Liese

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Rating: ★★★★
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 360 pages
Author: Chloe Liese
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: October 10th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Childhood enemies discover the fine line between love and loathing in this heartfelt reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Katerina Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio shared backyards as kids, but as adults they won’t even share the same hemisphere. That is, until Kate makes a rare visit home, and their fiery animosity rekindles into a raging inferno.

Despite their friends’ and families’ pleas for peace, Christopher is unconvinced Kate would willingly douse the flames of their enmity. But when a drunken Kate confesses she’s only been hostile because she thought he hated her, Christopher vows to make peace with Kate once and for all. Tempting as it is to be swept away by her nemesis-turned-gentleman, Kate isn’t sure she can trust his charming good-guy act.

When Christopher’s persistence and Kate’s curiosity lead to an impassioned kiss, they realize “peace” is the last thing that will ever be possible between them. As desire gives way to deeper feelings, Kate and Christopher must decide if it’s truly better to hate than to never risk their hearts—or if they already gave them away long ago.

I THINK I LIKED THIS.

I will say what I loved the most in this would be the mental health rep, and the migraine rep. Those both stood out to me as well written and I deeply connected with many facets of that storyline.

And I will say, this was absolutely enemies to lovers. THE HATE Y’ALL. But alongside that was some great angst and tension. I loved the dancing and paint ball and taking care of each other when sick. Many delicious moments that ramped things up.

I struggled in the second half where I felt the plot was kind of dropped to the side and the spice took over the story. It went from 0-100 real fast and then never stopped.

Honestly though, I did enjoy this. It had a fantastic fall atmosphere and all of these soft nuggets that I love about Chloe Liese’s storytelling.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 4+ open
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: chronic migraines, death of parents recounted

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Book Review: If Only You (Bergman Brothers #6) by Chloe Liese

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 376 pages
Author: Chloe Liese
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 11th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Brace yourself for longing, laughter, and a swoony slow-burn in this brother’s best friend sports romance about scoring the love of your life when you least expect to.

Ziggy

I’m the youngest player on the National Soccer team, the baby of my family, and thoroughly sick of being underestimated, so I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. Which is where my brother’s best friend and teammate, the infamous Sebastian Marchand, comes in. 

Seb needs to rehab his reputation. I want to give mine an edge. So I propose a fake friendship with real benefits: spending time in the public eye, my good-girl image and his bad-boy notoriety rubbing off on each other. He’s my devious, dark-haired fantasy come to life, but his destructive ways make it easy to keep him in the (fake) friend zone. Or so I thought, until I start to see the heart of gold he’s been hiding beneath that sinister surface…

Sebastian

Like any self-respecting reprobate, I’ve been spiraling downward, and finally I’ve hit rock bottom. My hockey career and sponsorships are in jeopardy, and while I’m not ready to actually reform my ways, I’m happy to pretend that I have, to secure the life I’m on the brink of losing. 

So when my best friend’s sister, Ziggy Bergman, proposes a public “friendship” to revamp our reputations, it’s an offer I can’t refuse. Up till now, I’ve stayed away from Ren’s sweet, shy little sister to avoid any risk of ruining my one good friendship. But I reassure myself there’s no risk in our scheme. I’ll fake a friendship with Ziggy, fix my reputation, and get back to hockey, the one and only thing I love. At least, it was, until what began as a transactional arrangement became the most loving relationship I’ve ever known.

​If Only You is a brother’s best friend, (fake) friends with benefits to friends to lovers romance about a bighearted, quietly fierce soccer star on the autism spectrum, and a thoroughly unprincipled, almost irredeemable hockey player who has celiac disease. Complete with an absurd level of mutual pining, meddling family and friends, and a spicy slow burn, this standalone is the sixth in a series of novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.

I AM SOFT FOR THESE TWO.

Goodness gracious I binged this book so fast. Who knew I would love this take on fate dating?? I loved the fake friendship vibes. It was perfect and created all sorts of angst and tension and build. Had me absolutely wrapped up in Sebastian and Ziggy’s life.

I was smitten with the soft tender moments as Sebastian realizes just how much he loves Ziggy and the way that he works so hard to be the man he wants to be for her. But also how Ziggy balances that with showing him that that man is already there. I love that this was a slow burn and really gave time for the friendship to develop before bringing in a full relationship.

As usual, loved all of the side characters and familial moments. Loved the setting, the whole plot. All of the friend moments, sports moments and everything in between.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Sports Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open, explicit
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: parental abandonment recounted, emotional child abuse recounted, anxiety, chronic illness & pain (celiac disease), alcohol consumption, emesis

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Book Review: Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 326 pages
Author: Chloe Liese
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: November 22nd, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Opposites become allies to fool their matchmaking friends in this swoony reimagining of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.

Jamie Westenberg and Bea Wilmot have nothing in common except a meet-disaster and the mutual understanding that they couldn’t be more wrong for each other. But when the people closest to them play Cupid and trick them into going on a date, Jamie and Bea realize they have something else in common after all—an undeniable need for revenge.

Soon their plan is in place: Fake date obnoxiously and convince the meddlers they’re madly in love. Then, break up spectacularly and dash their hopes, putting an end to the matchmaking madness once and for all.

To convince everyone that they’ve fallen for each other, Jamie and Bea will have to nail the performance of their lives. But as their final act nears and playing lovers becomes easier than not, they begin to wonder, what if Cupid’s arrow wasn’t so off the mark? And what if two wrongs do make a right?

I AM ANNOYED.

I was heading towards a decent four star in this one. Not too shabby.

BUT THEN.

I’m stuck on the third act break-up. It was a travesty. The whole book is centered around communication and healing and listening to one another. And then all of that gets completely thrown out the window???? And at 90ish% which just adds fuel to my flames. I am not happy with that at allllllllllll.

I was enjoying the romance between Jamie and Bea. They worked hard to be together even when they acted liked they didn’t want to. It was endearing and they both had opportunities to take care of each other and I adored those sweet moments. The steam was a bit eh. Most shoved in there to call it spicy, so I had to skip more than I expected. Not to mention, I thought the innuendo felt awkward throughout too. I liked the fake dating shenanigans and the intensity between them at least.

This just didn’t have the same vibes from her indie series. I don’t know if that’s a traditional publishing difference or what, it was missing that same air I originally loved. I’m on the fence about continuing the series.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open; high explicit
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: ableism, abusive relationship, anxiety

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