Only and Forever is the last book in the Bergman Brothers series by Chloe Liese. It follows the last brother, Viggo, who has helped all of his siblings find their true love, but hasn't found his own.
When he decides to open a romance-based bookstore, he makes a deal with Tallulah Clarke, he will work on his dream bookstore if she finishes her next novel.
When a year passes without seeing each other, they meet again when Tallulah's sister is planning her wedding. Tallulah is still struggling to write, especially since she isn't sure about adding romance to her mystery novel. This is when she asks Viggo for help, in return, she will help him with his new store.
When their plan ends up with them being roommates and working in close quarters, they start to realize they have feelings for each other that surpass the 'roommate' situation. As they start to navigate their new feelings and self control, Viggo wonders if Tallulah is his 'forever' girl, while Tallulah wonders if she can love.
Tallulah Clarke is the character with Type 1 Diabetes within this story, and (as you can see on the cover), one of the first times I've seen the sensor VISIBLE on the cover. This made it so I had to buy the book immediately, even when I haven't read all the Bergman Brothers books yet.
Tallulah's Diabetes isn't hidden and even then she never makes big deal of it. She treats it as a normal thing and doesn't spend too much time explaining it to the people around her. I liked that there wasn't paragraphs explaining the ins and outs of diabetes to the people around her. Viggo is the one that takes the time to educate himself about Diabetes, making sure to know what she needs and making it available when she moves in. He makes her baked goods and writes the carb count on them, he even tries to make them sugar free before she tells him its no big deal.
Like the other books I reviewed for Diabetes rep, Viggo makes an active effort to make sure he understands (to the best of his ability) what Tallulah is going through. When her sugars go low during the night and he hears her sensor beeping to alert her, he rushes into help. He helps her get her snacks, make sure she is comfortable, and even stays with her because she just needs someone. I found this endearing because he doesn't see it as a problem.
During one of their more 'spicy' scenes, he is careful of her pod (omnipod insulin pump) and makes sure he isn't going to hurt her or pull at the things that keep her alive. Its the break to care about these kind of things that I really like within these stories.
I also like that though Tallulah is Diabetic, there is never that 'I'm not worthy' thought because of it. Her aversion to love comes from her family, not her illness and I really liked that.
Overall, I'm so excited to see Diabetes rep happening more, and currently in media. Maybe next we need a male protagonist with it, since all have been female recently.
Also, I think Chloe Liese does a really good job of always having different rep throughout her Bergman brothers series. I've only read a few, but with the character being mentioned in the subsequent books you can tell there is care taken in making sure everyone feels seen and I really enjoy that.
Do you have any books with Diabetic characters you would recommend? Or even like to see me review? Comment below!
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