Only When It's Us

Bergman Brothers, Book 1

De: Chloe Liese

Narrado por: CJ Bloom, Nelson Hobbs

Revised and Expanded 2021 Edition

Prepare for an emotional roller coaster brimming with laughter, tears, and slow-burn sexiness in this new adult romance that tackles the vulnerability of love with humor and heart.

Ryder: Ever since she sat next to me in class and gave me death eyes, Willa Sutter's been on my shit list. Why she hates me, I don't know. What I do know is that Willa is the kind of chaos I don't need in my tidy life. She's the next generation of women's soccer. Wild hair, wilder eyes. Bee-stung lips that should be illegal. And a temper that makes the devil seem friendly. She's a thorn in my side, a menacing, cantankerous pain-in-the-ass who's turned our business mathematics course into a goddamn gladiator arena. I'll leave this war zone unscathed, coming out on top.... And if I have my way with that crazy-haired, ball-busting hellion, that will be in more than one sense of the word.

Willa: Rather than give me the lecture notes I missed like every other instructor I've had, my asshole professor tells me to get them from the silent, surly, flannel-wearing mountain man sitting next to me in class. Well, I tried. And what did I get from Ryder Bergman? Ignored. What a complete lumbersexual Neanderthal. Mangy beard and mangier hair. Frayed ball cap that hides his eyes. And a stubborn refusal to acknowledge my existence.

I've battled men before, but with Ryder, it's war. I'll get those notes and crack that Sasquatch nut if it's the last thing I do, then I'll have him at my mercy. Victory will have never tasted so sweet.

©2020, 2021 Chloe Liese (P)2021 Tantor

Insightfully Delightful

I love that this story takes into consideration, a disability perspective. This is a beautiful love story with insight into the nuances of a relationship with one able person and one person with a handicap and how they support each other through their relationship journey. So good!!

Only When

This book hits all the feels. The love that grows between Willa and Ryder, her Lumberjack. It hit a little close to home for me, with Willa's mom and her illness. as well as Ryder dealing with his own type of loss and grieving that. I don't want to give anything away, yet you will want tissues because I bawled my eyes out, it wasn't helped by my own personal experiences that mirrored too closely Willa's and Ryder's. Ahem, speaking mirrors, you will want ear buds in for that scene.

CJ Bloom and Nelson Hobbs did a fantastic job of presenting the emotions of loss, grief, acceptance as well as the open door intimate scenes. Their timing was perfect, without belaboring the emotions or over presenting them. as I feel some narrators do. Now I am off to listen to the 2nd book in the series, with the same narrators, thank goodness!

Goal-Worthy Romance

Contemporary romance isn’t usually my go-to, and I had never read a soccer romance before, but this quickly became one of my favorite reads in a long time. I normally shy away from enemies to lovers, yet this one was so much fun and completely won me over. The inclusivity was refreshing and the slow burn felt natural. Such a cute and heartwarming story!

circles

this book wants to be a slow burn 10 hour listen but every other conversation is just a chopped up version of the last one. there are VERY HARD topics that are hit on and they are done AMAZINGLY. but outside of those topics and even those scenes are a bit repetitive i was able to predict almost the exact wording the fmc was going to say. the book probably shouldd have been a 5 hour listen

A love/hate relationship

I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I love a good relationship blossoming story that delves into controversies by both protagonists and this book nailed that. However, I was a bit put off by the constant “in your face”, random sexual innuendos. I get it, their in their super early 20s and hell I was the same way when I was that age but every chapter was at least 2-3 “I need to cum” “I’m bulging” blah blah blah and it just kinda felt forced.

Another thing that was grinding my gears was the major lack of communication. Yes, that is the whole point of the book but once again, it felt forced. There were blatant times that some situations could have been resolved by someone just speaking their mind and telling the truth. But that makes this book and I understand why information was withheld in certain situations.

Overall, it’s a sweet, easy to listen book that gives a lot of emotions - which I truly enjoy.

I do recommend this book for someone who is a fan of Abby Jimenez (I think this book pays a few tributes with the playlists), Ashley Poston and Emily Henry.

7/10