#ren bergman

[rockinginneverland]

If Lucien Vanserra could just show up and give me forehead kisses and cuddles as well as rub my back and whisper sweet words to me that’d be awesome cause heaven knows I need it rn

Also if Ren Bergman can also be here to give me big tight hugs and tell me he’s here that’d be also great cause he is my safe space and heaven knows I need that rn

And why not have Cassian and Azriel show up too cause they’re comfort and heavens knows I need them rn

Why not have all my comfort characters show up while we’re at it.

Idk I just truly need that comfort rn.

[dawnlibrary]

Two in one, Chloe Liese edition

If Only You (Bergman Brothers #6)

Summary:

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.

It was lovely to read someone finding confidence in who they are and being loud about it.

***

Everything for You (Bergman Brothers #5)

Summary:

Gavin We’ve been teammates for two years, but it feels like a lifetime that Oliver Bergman’s been on my last nerve. A demanding captain and veteran player, I’m feared and friendless, while he’s the beloved rising star, all sunshine smiles and upbeat team spirit. To make matters worse, he’s obscenely attractive. In short: he’s genetically designed to get under my skin. Avoiding Oliver has been my survival tactic on and off the field. But when Coach drops the bomb that we’re now co-captains, avoiding him becomes impossible, and keeping the truth from him–let alone my distance–is harder than ever. Oliver Life was great until soccer legend Gavin Hayes joined the team and proved he’s nothing like the guy I grew up idolizing. Instead, he’s a giant–albeit gorgeous–grump who lives to rain on my parade. I’ve sworn off pranks since entering the public eye, so rather than settle our differences the Bergman way, I’ve had to settle for killing Gavin with kindness. There’s just one problem: killing him with kindness is killing me. To make matters worse, Coach gives us an ultimatum: put an end to our enmity or say goodbye to being captains. I’m prepared to be miserable while we meet her demands and make nice, but the last thing I expect is to discover an explosive attraction we can’t help but act on, and worse yet, to realize the man hiding beneath Gavin’s gruff exterior is all I’ve ever wanted. ​ Everything for You is a grumpy-sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, age gap sports romance about an upbeat rising soccer star with anxiety and his curmudgeonly veteran teammate who lives with chronic pain. Complete with nosy senior citizens, nosier siblings, and a meddling coach, this standalone slow burn is the fifth 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.

Oh, Gavin made me angry several times, but over all I enjoyed this one.

~

Yes, I read book 6 before book 1... and then went backwards and read book 5, again, before book 1... things happen.

It seemed like I was in a sports romance roll for a few days because I read a few of those and then stumbled upon these ones and I enjoyed them.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: The TikTok sensation, now with new exclusive content! It’s an office romance on the ice rink in this heart melting story about love’s power not in spite of difference but because of it.

Ren has known Frankie Zeferino was a woman worth waiting for since the moment they met. She’s a master of deadpan delivery, has a secret heart of gold, and a rare one-dimpled smile that makes his knees go weak. But as long as Frankie’s the team’s social media manager, she’s off limits.

Frankie is a self-admittedly blunt, grumbly grump, but even she isn’t immune to sunshiney Ren Bergman. Who could be, when he’s a six-foot-three hunk of happy with a hockey player’s physique? Maybe in the past, Frankie would have gone for a guy like him, but since being burned too many times by people who learn about her diagnoses and see a problem, not a person, she’s wised up.

After waiting years for the right time to make his move, Ren learns Frankie plans to leave the team to pursue a new career. But what he didn’t anticipate is how hard he’ll have to work to convince her to let him have his shot at winning her heart.

Review:

He's the sunshine hockey player whose been secretly in love with his grumpy PR manager but when he finds out that she's leaving soon it might finally be the time to woo her because they are no longer strictly coworkers, that is, if he can convince her to let him have a chance! Ren Bergman is the sunshiney, sweet, and gorgeous hockey player who has a secret, he's been in love with Franke Zeferino since she came to work with the team but has held off because she's the team's social media manager and that makes her off limits. Yet when he discovers that she's leaving the team to pursue a new career, Ren knows it's time to finally woo the woman he's been head over heals for, the only question is where to start and if she'll even give him a chance. Frankie Zeferino is a self admittedly blunt and grumpy person, she doesn't really do relationships ever since shes been burned too many times by people who learn about her autism and arthritis. Yet she isn't immune to the gorgeous and sweet viking hockey player that is Ren. When Frankie's home is broken into and Ren offers her a place to stay, both of them get to spend more time together, and the chemistry is off the charts. Can these two make it work after all this time? This was such a sweet and charming story, and REN OH MY GOSH, WHAT A SWEETHEART. I adored this book so much and the love story between Ren and Frankie was everything!!

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[azuisreading]

“Francesca, pay attention. This is important. […] You need a masky thing-a-ma-bob. I have a fever. And I keep touching you. And breathing near you. Dr. Amy!” he hollers.

“Ren.” She laughs. “Right here, buddy. What’s up?”

“This here Francesca is…” He frowns. “Ah, I can’t think of the word right now. But it means her medicine makes her body very friendly towards the germs. She needs something so she’s safe from my plague.”

Amy grins at me, then directs herself to Ren. “While that’s very considerate of you, I’m confident your fever isn’t due to anything plague related. When I was assessing you, I noticed signs of a sinus infection. Remember, I told you I was going to give you some antibiotics?”

He stares at her. “I do not remember that.”

She pats his good arm. “That’s because you got your head knocked nicely. You told me you’d had a cold recently, and I told you it seems like you developed a secondary bacterial infection in your sinus cavity from it. That’s why you’re fevered.”

He squints at her one-eyed. “Can you maybe condense that to smaller words? I’m not following.”

“What I mean to say is,” she says gently, “that you aren’t contagious. You won’t get Frankie sick.”

“Oh, good.” Ren sighs and lets his eyes fall shut. “So, she can keep holding my hand, then, and I won’t give her the plague.”

“I should go anyway,” I tell him. “Time for you to sleep, Zenzero.” Slowly, I start to pull my hand away, but Ren clamps down on it, and his eyes pop open.

“That’s it. That’s what I wanted to ask you.” He tries to sit up and falls back, grimacing. “Forgot about that,” he groans.

“Easy. You know I’m always around. We can talk tomorrow.”

“No.” He stares at me seriously. “I need to know this. What does zenzero mean?”

“Well, it’s silly,” I say, lowering my voice. “It’s just Italian nonsense.”

“Nonsense.” He frowns. “You call me nonsense?”

“Dammit, Bergman. No,” I whisper. “It means ginger, okay? Because you’re…” I wave my hand in the general vicinity of his face. “You’re a ginger. It’s cute.”

Ren’s smile is so bright, its voltage could power a city block. He cranes his head toward Amy. “Hear that, Dr. Amy? She thinks I’m cute.”

But before I can say a word in my defense, he shuts his eyes on a soft sigh, drifting off, his hand locked tight around mine.

Always Only You by Chloe Liese.

[coollovebibliophilethings]

Always Only You by Chloe Liese

Always Only You by Chloe Liese

Title: Always Only YouAuthor: Chloe LieseSeries: Bergman Brothers #2Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romancePace: MediumFormat: eBook, NovelYear: 2020 Hints of the depths of Ren’s unrequited love rear their head in Only When It’s Us, so I pretty much immediately dived straight into the novel. I mean, I loved the first story…

[inge-universe]

#nuaanhetlezen met @leesmetonsmee Chloe Liese - Bergman-broers 2 - Het wachten waard @chloe_liese #chloeliese #chloeliesebooks #chloelieseauthor #bergmanbrothers #bergmanbroers #bergmanbroersserie #hetwachtenwaard Wie heeft dit boek / deze serie gelezen? Wat vond je er van? Vond deel 1 erg leuk. Deze is ook leuk 🥰 Hoewel ik 1 leuker vond. ............ Bedankt voor het #recensieexemplaar #leesexemplaar @uitgeverijvolt @voltromance @lovebooks.nl ............ Inhoud: Slow burn vol humor en verlangen. Tweede deel in de Bergman-broersserie. Alle delen los van elkaar te lezen. Ren Bergman is een succesvolle ijshockeyspeler met een prachtige lach en een warme persoonlijkheid. Hij is al langere tijd weg van de pr-manager van zijn team, Frankie Zeferino, maar omdat ze collega’s zijn is het hem niet toegestaan haar mee uit te vragen. Frankie is een expert in sarcasme en bijtende humor. Sinds haar diagnose houdt ze iedereen op afstand, omdat ze bang is dat als mensen erachterkomen ze haar anders zullen behandelen. Frankie valt steeds meer voor de goedlachse Ren, maar zal ze haar hart ooit echt voor hem durven openstellen? ‘Het is een bijzonder cadeautje om een boek te lezen met een vrouwelijke hoofdpersoon met autisme, geschreven door een mede-romanceauteur met een autismespectrumstoornis. Het wachten waard doet daar nog een schepje bovenop door een heerlijk, eigenzinnig leuk boek te zijn.’ Helen Hoang @helenhoang ............ #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #bookstagramnl #bookstagrammers #boekstagram #instabook #dutchbookstagram #instaboek #dutchbookstagrammers #dutchbookstagrammer #boekenwurm #booktrovert #feelgood #bookaholic #diversiteit #diversiteitinboeken #bookmail #boekenpost #bookpost #ikhouvanboeken https://www.instagram.com/p/CeGoZ0pANZ8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[maddiesflame]

Always Only You headers

like/reblog if saved © maddiesflame

[renecdote]

Max Bergman?

“I must say,” Max says when their coffees are down to dregs and lunch has been thoroughly picked apart, “I was surprised to get your call.”

“You’re ohana, Max. You think I wouldn’t come visit if I was in the area?”

There is pleased edge to Max’s smile, like he needs the reassurance that he’s family, as if it’s some kind of contract that lapsed after he left Hawaii. But he shakes his head, denying that that’s the bit he had stumbled against. “It is more that you were in the area that surprised me.”

Send me a character and I’ll give you some words from my unfinished wips

[primaveren]

if i was sent to live in a beachside cottage with a beautiful woman who refused to speak i would simply not become emotionally enmeshed with her

[eliminatetheswearing]

Indiscreet // The Last Jedi

[sleemo]

Rian Johnson on His Favorite ‘Last Jedi’ Joke, Loving Kylo Ren and Arguing With Mark Hamill

— Newsweek | Dec 19, 2017

A long time ago, before they entered a galaxy far, far way, The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson and producer Ram Bergman began their own epic journey as filmmaking partners. It started with Brick, the 2005 teen noir starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Though now regarded as a cult classic, that film made just $2 million at the box office. Johnson and Bergman went on to make two more feature films—the quirky indie romance The Brothers Bloom in 2008 and 2012’s Looper —before they were handed the keys to the Star Wars kingdom. Now, Johnson, 44, and Bergman, 47, are celebrating a $220 million opening weekend for The Last Jedi. The duo spoke to Newsweek about, among other things, finding their way in the mega-franchise.

Star Wars is a huge franchise—very different from other films you’ve made together. What were the key differences?

Rian Johnson: The most bizarre thing about this whole process was how it didn’t feel very different from the process on our other films. Once I delivered a script that everyone was excited about, we were all on the same page about the movie we were making. Disney and [Lucasfilm president] Kathleen Kennedy stepped back and let us make it, which was extraordinary given the size of this movie.

Ram Bergman: Rian delivered the first draft so far in advance, which doesn’t ever happen—like 13 or 14 months before we started filming, so we were able to prep. Rian knew exactly what he wanted, so they trusted him.

Did any of that trust come from your experience with Looper, which was a pretty ambitious sci-fi film?

Bergman: 100 percent.

Johnson: I wouldn’t want to speak for Kathy, but I have a feeling Looper was the thing that sent her our way. And it gave me a little [confidence]—if she likes what we did there, then maybe we can step in and find what’s personally interesting to us.

And what was personally interesting to you about the Star Wars franchise?

Johnson: My connection to it goes back to when I was a kid, so the thing as a whole. But I had to find the story and each of the individual characters—something that I could emotionally engage in. I think Kathy and Disney recognized that the reason the original movies had such a beating heart is because they were personal to [George] Lucas. They were his story.

As a young Star Wars fan, were you playing with the action figures and making up your own stories?

Johnson: Most of the stories I made up as a kid were probably terrible. [Laughs.] They probably would have ruined Star Wars. There would have been G.I. Joe crossovers involved. It would not have come out well.

Who was your favorite character in the original films?

Johnson: Luke Skywalker was always my guy. The way Lucas built the hero’s journey into the original movie… The hero’s journey is really just about growing up. It’s about finding your place in the world. As a kid, seeing Luke go from this very small world into a very big adventure, and feeling like you’re on the cusp of that—it’s scary! These movies give you a roadmap: It’s going to be scary, but it’s going to be OK. That was my entry point.

I read that you and Mark Hamill had different interpretations of Luke. Who was Luke to you, as a character for The Last Jedi specifically, and where was Mark coming from?

Johnson: I had to go from The Force Awakens, where the one big thing we know about Luke is that his friends are fighting the good fight and he’s isolated himself on an island. He’s taken himself out of the fight. So I had to figure out why, and it had to be consistent with Luke as I knew him. He was a hero. That meant he has to believe he’s doing the right thing by removing the Jedi from the equation.

And Mark—this character’s been part of his life for the past 40 years. He’s had a lot of time to think about what Luke would be if he came back. There’s no way that what I came up with was going to line up with what he had in his head. So we got into it, we talked about it, we argued, we went back and forth. I had to justify the choices I made to him. It’s not like there was ever a point where he said, “OK, that all makes sense to me.” But he got to a point where he said, “I can understand why you’re doing these things. I’m going to choose to trust you and go on this journey with you.” Which was incredibly generous of him creatively.

His first scene with Rey [Daisy Ridley] takes an unexpected direction. He throws away the lightsaber she is offering him. It’s a funny moment. What was the thinking there?

Johnson: I thought that's what Luke would do. He's made a purposeful choice to walk away from everything, and he's made a Herculean effort to do so. He's taken himself to, as he says, this unfindable place. And then this kid shows up, a symbol of everything he’s left behind. She holds [the lightsaber] out to him as if to say, “Here you go, here's what you've been waiting for.” And he tosses it and walks off. I knew it would be a moment that might be unexpected, but I wrote it because it felt like—honestly, what else would happen?

There’s a lot of humor in The Last Jedi. Do you have a favorite comedic moment?

Johnson: There’s a moment between Kylo and Hux [actor Domhnall Gleeson], when they’re in the shuttle at the very end. Kylo gives an order, and then Hux very loudly repeats it as if everyone in the room can’t hear him. Adam just gives him this look. We came up with that on the day. It’s a little moment, but I love it. I like finding situational humor in unexpected places.

Humor has always been a big part of these movies to me, and especially for this one because I knew we were going to some darker places. I also knew we were going to be sitting on an island discussing religion for a big chunk of time.

Is there a character in The Last Jedi that you particularly identify with?

Johnson: One of the more interesting for me was Kylo Ren, especially his notion of moving forward cutting off his past. That’s something that all of us can relate to. As you get older you realize that behavior might feel appealing and cathartic, but if you think that’s progressing—by throwing away what came before—you’re probably fooling yourself. The past is there, and it’s always going to be there. That’s the lesson.

And Adam [Driver] is such an incredible actor! That’s part of the reason I wanted to get the mask off him so early—to be able to see those eyes, to use everything that was there.

How much did fan theories influence you when you were writing?

Johnson: I started writing this while they were filming The Force Awakens, so the movie wasn’t out there yet. It was really nice because I didn’t have to deal with how the world reacted to that film.

Bergman: You can’t get deep into the fans and all that stuff. Clearly, you read here and there, but at some point, you really don’t pay attention.

Have you seen the reactions on Twitter?

Johnson: Star Wars fans are a passionate bunch, and whether it’s positive or negative, they’re gonna react really passionately. Weirdly, I feel able to personally disconnect and see it as all part of how much people care about these films. They care about the specific things they want from them, and whether they get them or not.

Can you give us any hints about your new Star Wars trilogy?

Johnson: One word would be “possibilities.” That’s the only word I have right now! Honestly, we’re starting with a blank slate. That was our pitch to Disney and to Kathy: Blue sky. New story, new characters, new places, and right now I’m just at the beginning of what it’s going to be. The potential is what seems so exciting.

— Newsweek

[uomo-accattivante]

Il materiale di origine: @fanthatracks (Instagram) / “So we were sat 4th row in the #royalpremier for #starwars #thelastjedi and as Will n Harry turned up they brought all the principle cast on stage”

[autistic-voices]

In light of Sia’s horrible movie that was released in February, may I present to you Twenty-Nine Characters That Did It Better (Without Even Trying*):

*Only two are canon-confirmed; the rest are headcanons but they are still infinitely better than Sia’s ableist movie.

Matthew (The Chosen)

Max Bergman (Hawaii Five-0 [2010])

Steve McGarrett (Hawaii Five-0 [2010])

Temperance Brennan (Bones)

Zack Addy (Bones)

Donald “Ducky” Mallard (NCIS)

Eve Baxter (Last Man Standing)

Jack Starbright (Alex Rider TV series)

Leo Fitz (Agents of Shield)

Ron Stoppable (Kim Possible)

Raven (Teen Titans)

Zuko (Avatar: the Last Airbender)

L (Death Note)

Oreki Houtarou (Hyouka)

Nanase Haruka (Free! Iwatobi Swim Club)

Natsume Takashi (Natsume’s Book of Friends)

Lie Ren (RWBY)

Hiro Hamada (Big Hero 6)

Peter Parker (MCU)

Michelle Jones (MCU)

Eustace Scrubb (Chronicles of Narnia)

Richard Gansey III (The Raven Cycle)

Matthew Freeman (The Power of Five)

Scott Tyler (The Power of Five)

Evan Hansen (Dear Evan Hansen)

22 (Pixar’s Soul)

Renee (Pixar’s Loop)

Eugene Meltsner (Adventures in Odyssey)

Wooten Basset (Adventures in Odyssey)

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb; 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.

ZiggyI’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 Gauthier, 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…

SebastianLike 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.

Review:

A absolutely delightful and romantic story about the bad boy who need’s his reputation fixed and his best friend’s sister who definitely is going to sweep him off his feet. Ziggy is the youngest player in her National soccer team, she’s the baby of the family, and she is constantly being overlooked, babied, and underestimated. Ziggy wants nothing more than to be seen, she needs a change, and after a run in with her brother’s best friend, the handsome bad boy and hockey player, Sebastian, Ziggy knows he’s the right person to turn to for help. Sebastian is a great hockey player, yet his lifestyle isn’t so great, after a childhood that left him with scars he’s now turned to alcohol, excess, and just anyway to misbehave... yet his latest stunt has his career in jeopardy and he needs an image change immediately if he wants to keep his career. Suddenly Ziggy, the one person he’s sworn that he would stay away from is at his door and offering to help him fix his reputation if he helps her fix his... by pretending to be friends. Sebastian has promised himself that he would keep his hands off of Ziggy, the gorgeous sibling of his best friend, yet the more time he spends with her the more he is completely thrown off by just how absolutely loving and caring she is. What starts off as fake friendship soon turns into something very real as Sebastian and Ziggy both face their own difficulties and support each other. This was an utterly heartwarming and super sweet story, I had so much fun reading it and getting to see them fall in love was AMAZING. I adored how caring and supportive they were of each other, how empathic and communicative they were about their needs and feelings. Seriously this book is perfection! Also the representation was so great!! We have characters who identify as pansexual and bisexual as well as having celiac disease and identifying on the autism spectrum!

*Thanks Netgalley and Chloe Liese for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[azuisreading]

Always only you by Chloe Liese

Ren The moment I met her, I knew Frankie Zeferino was someone worth waiting for. Deadpan delivery, secret heart of gold, and a rare one-dimpled smile that makes my knees weak, Frankie has been forbidden since the day she and I became coworkers, meaning waiting has been the name of my game—besides, hockey, that is. I’m a player on the team, she’s on staff, and as long as we work together, dating is off-limits. But patience has always been my virtue. Frankie won’t be here forever—she’s headed for bigger, better things. I just hope that when she leaves the team and I tell her how I feel, she won’t want to leave me behind, too. Frankie I’ve had a problem at work since the day Ren Bergman joined the team: a six foot three hunk of happy with a sunshine smile. I’m a grumbly grump and his ridiculously good nature drives me nuts, but even I can’t entirely ignore that hot tamale of a ginger with icy eyes, the perfect playoff beard, and a body built for sin that he’s annoyingly modest about. Before I got wise, I would have tripped over myself to get a guy like Ren, but with my diagnosis, I’ve learned what I am to most people in my life—a problem, not a person. Now, opening my heart to anyone, no matter how sweet, is the last thing I’m prepared to do.

Review

I found this book unexpectedly, but my interest grows so big I had to read it. I didn’t know it was a second book until later, so much later in the story, and I’m more than up to reading to know the rest of the Bergman brothers. 

I hadn’t finished it when I found out it would be part of my comfort readings, not that I, surprisingly, have a read list with that kind of book. At least I didn't have one until now. And it’s that Frankie, an autistic and chronically ill woman, makes me believe that I can be loved too. Not that I’m an autistic person myself, but I’m starting to admit that I’ve been chronically ill for a long time. 

It’s a sensitive book, a whole romantic one, and it took me by surprise that is also spicy. I usually don’t like the last type of book, I felt... uncomfortable, and this wasn’t the exception, but even with those scenes, that I understand don’t matter who the person is or what they have, they also deserve to live and experience things like those, this book doesn’t stop to feel comforting for me. 

Taking care of the person you love, even when they aren’t by your side. Making them see you. Being loved by the person you love, that‘s some sort of a miracle. Showing them that no matter their circumstances, difficulties, or obstacles, they’re loved, they deserve to be loved, and such things don’t diminish that. That’s what I like to see. 

Phrases that I liked so much that I marked them while reading 

«If I weren’t a freakishly coordinated athlete, I would have crashed the car.»  — Chapter 3. 

«This is one of the disadvantages of having reddish hair. You can’t hide your emotions to save your life –you wear them on your skin.»  — Chapter 3. 

«"'Love goes by haps; Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps.’”»  — Chapter 3. 

«No one this wonderful should feel so unsure of himself.»  — Chapter 5. 

«"Plotting world domination?”  “But of course.”»  — Chapter 6. 

«"Give me six to ten feet, Frankie. I’m serious. If I get you sick, I’m going to get cranky.”  “That’s not a disincentive, Bergman. I’d pay a lot to see you get cranky.”»  — Chapter 7. 

«"Francesca, pay attention. This is important. […] You need a masky thing-a-ma-bob. I have a fever. And I keep touching you. And breathing near you. Dr. Amy!” he hollers.  “Ren.” She laughs. “Right here, buddy. What’s up?”  “This here Francesca is...” He frowns. “Ah, I can’t think of the word right now. But it means her medicine makes her body very friendly towards the germs. She needs something so she’s safe from my plague.”  Amy grins at me, then directs herself to Ren. “While that’s very considerate of you, I’m confident your fever isn’t due to anything plague related. When I was assessing you, I noticed signs of a sinus infection. Remember, I told you I was going to give you some antibiotics?”  He stares at her. “I do not remember that.”  She pats his good arm. “That’s because you got your head knocked nicely. You told me you’d had a cold recently, and I told you it seems like you developed a secondary bacterial infection in your sinus cavity from it. That’s why you’re fevered.”  He squints at her one-eyed. “Can you maybe condense that to smaller words? I’m not following.”  “What I mean to say is,” she says gently, “that you aren’t contagious. You won’t get Frankie sick.”  “Oh, good.” Ren sighs and lets his eyes fall shut. “So, she can keep holding my hand, then, and I won’t give her the plague.”  “I should go anyway,” I tell him. “Time for you to sleep, Zenzero.” Slowly, I start to pull my hand away, but Ren clamps down on it, and his eyes pop open.  “That’s it. That’s what I wanted to ask you.” He tries to sit up and falls back, grimacing. “Forgot about that,” he groans.  “Easy. You know I’m always around. We can talk tomorrow.”  “No.” He stares at me seriously. “I need to know this. What does zenzero mean?”  “Well, it’s silly,” I say, lowering my voice. “It’s just Italian nonsense.”  “Nonsense.” He frowns. “You call me nonsense?”  “Dammit, Bergman. No,” I whisper. “It means ginger, okay? Because you’re...” I wave my hand in the general vicinity of his face. “You’re a ginger. It’s cute.”  Ren’s smile is so bright, its voltage could power a city block. He cranes his head toward Amy. “Hear that, Dr. Amy? She thinks I’m cute.”  But before I can say a word in my defense, he shuts his eyes on a soft sigh, drifting off, his hand locked tight around mine.»  — Chapter 7. 

«"I should get better at escaping that kind of situation.”  “What’s your usual tactic?”  “Making up an excuse for why I need to leave.”  “Ah. And you didn’t leave this time because...”  “Because I was waiting for you. Of course, I didn’t leave.”  “You could have waited in your car, Ren. You didn’t have to deal with that for my sake.”  “What do you say you let me worry about how and where I wait for you, Francesca?”»  — Chapter 10. 

«"I’d be flattered if someone thought you were with me.”»  — Chapter 10. 

«"We’re not done with this conversation,” he says firmly.  I pat his shoulder reassuringly and stifle my grin. “Whatever you say, dear.”»  — Chapter 10. 

«She leans against the wall, with a smile that’s so dangerously beautiful, I’m worried my heart’s going to beat right out of my chest. At least I’m at a hospital. Someone could probably do something about that here.»  — Chapter 11. 

«That's Ren’s Give-me-grace-Jesus-I'm-trying-not-to-beat-the-shit-out-of-somebody face.»  — Chapter 13. 

«"And then once I set you down, I’m going to murder my brother.”»  — Chapter 13. 

«"Who I do or don't spend time with outside the rink has nothing to do with my professional performance, which is the focus of this press conference. While we’re on that subject, I’ll be returning for Thursday’s game. Next.”»  — Chapter 13. 

«But why is she hurting? Aren’t her meds supposed to manage that? A fierce surge of worry and protectiveness blasts through me. I want to wrap her up and kiss it all better. I want to take everything inside her that hurts and put it in my body. I’m big. Solid. Someone like me should have this, not someone like Frankie. It’s unfair. Patently unfair.»  — Chapter 21. 

«When you live with chronic pain, you get used to living through it. You just do life, until you collapse.»  — Chapter 22. 

«"I know that. I just want to stay with you.”»  — Chapter 22. 

«"I've been told in no uncertain terms that you’re to come to Ziggy’s family birthday party, and if I don’t bring you, I’m not welcome.”»  — Chapter 23. 

«"You're perfect,” I tell her.  Snorting, she laughs. “I’m far from perfect, but if you mean I’m appropriately dressed, then I’ll take it.”»  — Chapter 28. 

«"Thank you, honey cakes.”  “They get worse and worse,” Frankie mutters.»  — Chapter 28. 

«"I was here with you. I’m the one who had half an eye on you and caught you before you nearly cracked your head on the concrete. I’m the one who knew what to do. I’m the one who wouldn’t let anything come between you and me until I knew that you were okay and that you were going to wake up.”»  — Chapter 29. 

«"I understood becoming a couple to mean that, among other things, when either of us was hurting, we were no longer alone in that. So, I have a relationship to your pain. It’s not mine, and I don’t get to tell you what to do with it, but I get to choose to love you through it. And if and when you need care and comfort —which, like it or not, the past forty-eight hours, you did— I get to be the person who gives it to you. That’s basically the point of a relationship. Isn’t it?”»  — Chapter 29. 

«"Yes, you’re going to be all right. And yes, you can handle this. But guess what?”  “What?”  She smiles. “You don’t have to do it alone.”»  — Chapter 29. 

[inge-universe]

#nuaanhetlezen met @leesmetonsmee Chloe Liese - Bergman-broers 2 - Het wachten waard @chloe_liese #chloeliese #chloeliesebooks #chloelieseauthor #bergmanbrothers #bergmanbroers #bergmanbroersserie #hetwachtenwaard Wie heeft dit boek / deze serie gelezen? Wat vond je er van? Vond deel 1 erg leuk. Deze is ook leuk 🥰 Ik wl verder lezen maar moet me inhouden. Vanavond weer bespreking. ............ Bedankt voor het #recensieexemplaar #leesexemplaar @uitgeverijvolt @voltromance @lovebooks.nl ............ Inhoud: Slow burn vol humor en verlangen. Tweede deel in de Bergman-broersserie. Alle delen los van elkaar te lezen. Ren Bergman is een succesvolle ijshockeyspeler met een prachtige lach en een warme persoonlijkheid. Hij is al langere tijd weg van de pr-manager van zijn team, Frankie Zeferino, maar omdat ze collega’s zijn is het hem niet toegestaan haar mee uit te vragen. Frankie is een expert in sarcasme en bijtende humor. Sinds haar diagnose houdt ze iedereen op afstand, omdat ze bang is dat als mensen erachterkomen ze haar anders zullen behandelen. Frankie valt steeds meer voor de goedlachse Ren, maar zal ze haar hart ooit echt voor hem durven openstellen? ‘Het is een bijzonder cadeautje om een boek te lezen met een vrouwelijke hoofdpersoon met autisme, geschreven door een mede-romanceauteur met een autismespectrumstoornis. Het wachten waard doet daar nog een schepje bovenop door een heerlijk, eigenzinnig leuk boek te zijn.’ Helen Hoang @helenhoang ............ #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #bookstagramnl #bookstagrammers #boekstagram #instabook #dutchbookstagram #instaboek #dutchbookstagrammers #dutchbookstagrammer #boekenwurm #booktrovert #feelgood #bookaholic #diversiteit #diversiteitinboeken #bookmail #boekenpost #bookpost #ikhouvanboeken https://www.instagram.com/p/CeB_UDTLr3-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=