Only and Forever is the seventh and last book in Chloe Liese’s Bergman Brothers series. I’ve been reading it over the last year, picking up books on a whim in no particular order. Liese has done a good job of creating each story as a standalone romance so I haven’t felt any qualms about reading out of order. That being said, having been introduced to brother Viggo before, I was ready for him to meet his forever love.

Viggo has a lot going on in his life, but it hasn’t stopped him from hoping to meet ‘the one’. Definitely a true romantic at heart, he’s a rabid reader of romance novels (with the t-shirt collection to prove it) who runs a book club and has been working on setting up a romance-themed bookstore on the side (a secret endeavour he’s kept from his family). Truthfully his life is a bit chaotic, his ADHD diagnosis contributing to that chaos, so it’s not surprising he hasn’t met the girl of his dreams.

At a family gathering, he reunites with family friend, Talullah Clarke, who happens to be his unrequited crush from university. Any history between them is definitely one-sided as Talullah had snubbed him in class and hasn’t had the time of day for him since. But a morning coffee at the Bergman cottage has them now, seven years later, actually connecting.

Talullah is stuck. Stuck in writing the sequel to a bestselling thriller, stuck trying to find a place to live after her ex kicked her out, stuck with a toxic parent. But some early morning sharing with Viggo and his insightful thoughts inspire her to make some changes and move forward, and cements the start of a friendship between them.

A year later, Viggo has got his bookstore ready and told his family about it, and they’ve joined him for a soft-opening as he prepares to actually open his business to paying customers. Talullah shows up, the woman who has been in his thoughts but whom he hasn’t spoken with since that family gathering. As they reconnect, Talullah shares that she’s still having some trouble with her second novel, in particular the relationship between the married couple whose relationship is on the rocks. And Viggo admits that he’s feeling stressed with all the things he’s trying to do with the bookstore, including setting up a cafe with homemade treats for customers. During their discussions, they realize there’s a way they can help each other out;Talullah could work with him at the bookstore and Viggo could help brainstorm ways to fix Talullah’s relationship story issues. As they work together to fix each other’s problems, will their closeness lead to something more?

Viggo is such a sweetheart! If you like gentle giant heroes who fall first, this is definitely a read for you. He’s smitten with Talullah, and even more so when she explains her attitude in university and why she was so closed off to him back then, and her opening up to him now just makes him fall harder for her. I really enjoyed these two characters, with Talullah’s acerbic wit and Viggo’s ability to banter with her and make her feel genuinely cared for. They have genuinely honest conversations about many things, including Talullah’s diabetes and Viggo’s ADHD struggles.

It’s not long before they give in to their mutual attraction, which leads to some sexy scenes. Talullah, who has been crashing at her sister’s due to difficulties with her last landlord, ends up living in the spare bedroom at the back of Viggo’s shop where he has a two-bedroom apartment that came with the store. There’s an end date involved in her stay, meaning that when they sleep together, Talullah is able to convince herself that it’s just while they’re roommates. She doesn’t believe in happy endings after seeing her parents’ relationship, the fallout from which has scarred all three of their children. Viggo has his work cut out for him convincing her that what they have is real.

The close-knit Bergman family is heavily featured in the story (no surprise since it’s the seventh book of the series) and I loved seeing all of the couples and siblings together (even for the books I haven’t read yet). Talullah gets a chance to see what a loving family is really all about, and it goes a long way to healing her own heart, especially with their warm-hearted welcome into their family. Chloe Liese has the formula down pat for having realistic characters who have mental and physical struggles get their well-deserved happy endings and I’m happy to recommend this opposites-attract romance.