Viggo is a romantic seeking his own happily ever after; he is struggling with being the only single person left in his family, constantly surrounded by his six happily coupled-up siblings. Viggo is also in the process of opening his own romance bookstore, but becomes overwhelmed with all of his commitments. Meanwhile, Talullah doesn’t believe in romance; she’s a thriller writer struggling with the concepts for her next book whilst helping her sister prep for her upcoming nuptials. When Talullah needs a place to stay, Viggo offers up his spare bedroom, and the pair strike a deal—Talullah will help Viggo with the store while Viggo helps Talullah with her writer’s block. Viggo and Talullah appear to be total opposites, but their chemistry is undeniable. Can Viggo convince Talullah to open her heart to romance?
Only and Forever is the seventh and final installment of the Bergman Brothers series. Viggo and Tallulah’s story features the forced proximity/ roommates, friends to lovers, workplace romance, and grumpy x sunshine tropes. Themes and topics present include diabetes, self doubt, divorce, love and heartbreak, ADHD, family, communication, fear of failure, appearance versus reality, romance, and intimacy. Only and Forever would be perfect for fans of books like Wildfire by Hannah Grace, The Wrong Mr. Right by Stephanie Archer, Breakaway by Grace Reilly, Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison, Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood, or any of the other Bergman Brothers books by Chloe Liese.
It was ironic that Viggo, who is obsessed with historical romance books, was the last of the Bergmans to find his own happily ever after, but his story was worth the wait and lived up to expectations! Fellow romance readers will really love Viggo’s bookish energy, including all his quirky book-themed shirts and of course his romance bookstore (Bergman’s Romance Books & More)—can someone please open this in real life? Tallulah will also be intriguing to fellow bookworms since she is a writer struggling with the concept for her next book, plus all of Viggo’s cute pets, including two rescue dogs and five adopted kittens were adorable and a welcome addition to the story. The appearances of all the other Bergman family members throughout the book was fantastic and even though this was the last book in the Bergman Brothers series (cue sad tears), I’m hopeful that there could potentially, hopefully, be a spin-off series featuring the next generation of Bergmans (like Aiden and Freya’s daughter Linnea). Lastly, even though there was a fair amount of “will they, won’t they” in Only and Forever, I appreciated that there was no third act break-up (my least favourite trope).
The only minor issue was that a good portion of the plot revolved around Tallulah’s complicated family dynamics and her sister Charlie’s upcoming nuptials and personally, I would have preferred if some of this subplot was excluded in favour of more Bergman family content since I love Viggo’s family so much. Additionally, one other small thing was that I found both Viggo and Talullah’s thoughts seemed a bit repetitive to me (e.g. longwinded inner monologues denying or grappling with their feelings for each other).
Overall, Viggo and Tallulah’s story was enjoyable and thought that it was a perfect conclusion to the Bergman Brothers series. Only and Forever (and all seven books in the Bergman Brothers series) is perfect for fans of interconnected steamy contemporary romances.
Only and Forever is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of April 3rd 2024.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
