Tag: Bromance Book Club

Spoiler Free Review: A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

Title: A Very Merry Bromance

Author: Lyssa Kay Adams

Pub. Date: November 1st 2022

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Format: eARC

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 368

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☆☆ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review☆☆╮

The fifth installment in the Bromance Bookclub romance series gives us a pinch of The Grinch and a dash of ​the Ghosts of Christmas past. This time around big time country music star Colton Wheeler is going through the motions after a year of not hearing from Gretchen Wheeler, the woman who stole his heart and never looked back. Gretchen is an immigration lawyer with a grinchlike approach to Christmas, how can anyone celebrate and buy lavish gifts when there are families being torn apart. Her clients are marginalized people who are just trying to survive while putting food on the table. When her wealthy family comes calling for her to make an appearance at their estate, Gretchen begrudgingly gives in and goes to see why they’re looking for her. A deal is presented to her, get Colton Wheeler to be the new face of their family owned/renowned whiskey and she’ll be given a seat on their charity board. An opportunity to give back to the community she works in and with is something she can’t turn down even if it means swallowing her pride to talk to Colton. Colton agrees only on the condition that she go on three dates with him leading up to Christmas, the holiday she is accustomed to work on. This Grumpy/Sunshine Christmas romance had a little of everything including the found family vibes we’ve all come to look from these books. 

What I loved? Colton’s optimism and holiday spirit, found family vibes, seeing the club members and their wives, the deep dive into Gretchen’s childhood/trauma and finally the emphasis on self worth/self care. These books gift us with fictional men who actually care about working through toxic masculinity and maintaining healthy relationships with the women they are dating. This is the fifth book in the Bromance Bookclub series so we’ve seen the guys meet and fall in love with women from all walks of life. Some are repairing/salvaging marriages they want to stay in and none of them are quick to throw in the towel. I love when character’s are well fleshed out and their careers/hobbies are further explored. Colton’s music career is on the line when he has a bit of writers block and isn’t able to compose music to the standard that made him a big country star. Gretchen could’ve taken the easy route and stepped into a role in the family business, instead we see an immigration lawyer who is very empathetic and actively looking for ways to make a difference in marginalized communities. I follow Lyssa Kay Adams on Goodreads and see that the next release will be a Historical Romance companion to the Bromance Bookclub slated for Summer 2023, something to look forward to! 

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Spoiler Free Review: Isn’t It Bromantic? by Lyssa Kay Adams

Title: Isn’t It Bromantic?

Author: Lyssa Kay Adams

Pub. Date: July 20th 2021

Genre: Contemporary/Sports Romance

Format: eGalley

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 350 pages

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Who else has been counting down the months for the release of The Russian’s story arc?!?! I couldn’t wait, I just knew there was more to him than the comedic scenes we saw him in when reading the other Bromance Book Club books. Happy to report that there is Book Lovers! Vlad aka The Russian is perhaps the ultimate hopeless romantic in the club but he’s running out of that hope that has kept him in a marriage of convenience to Russian journalist Elena Konnikova. Vlad is a famous hockey player who has done well for himself in the United States, marrying Elena who was his childhood best friend was something he was happy to do at the time. Life for Elena in the states has been a mix of both good and not necessarily bad but definitely a big adjustment mixed in with a yearning for home. Vlad takes the approach of giving her space to find her way in her new normal which includes at one point going to Chicago in order to pursue her degree in journalism. The time away from each other doesn’t really help either of them come together in their marriage. We see them stumble through interactions while trying to learn each others boundaries. This changes when Vlad suffers a sports injury and Elena sees this as an opportunity to show him gratitude for all that he’s done for her. In the background we also learn that Elena is actively investigating the mysterious disappearance of her father who was also a journalist. She decides to pick up where he left off with his story on a sex trafficking ring but as we’ve seen in the other installments in this series, things get a bit dark and complicated along the way. 

Vlad and Elena’s story is not just a marriage of convenience, it’s also friends to lovers and SUPER slow burn. I would say around the 52% mark is when we see our characters really start to make progress in their feelings towards one another. It’s not filled with cute moments or steamy scenes, instead we get their backstory in Russia and the childhood memories that pretty much makes their love story feel destined to be. Elena can be a bit stand offish and is self aware that she’s not as warm as other women she comes across. However, if I had to take a guess at her love language I’d say it’s a combo between acts of service and physical touch. The latter posing an issue since Vlad is SUPER respectful of Elena and would NEVER think to even kiss her for fear of pushing her away. As for acts of service, my girl Elena LOVES to cook and bake all of Vlad’s favorite Russian dishes and just so happens to have learned them from his own mother! I was fully invested in their love story and would go as far as saying that it is the most fleshed out from the other couples in the club simply because they share so much history. The fellas reconvene to help The Russian who is adamant about NOT being their next project but eventually gives in because he still has hope for his own love story. Also, Vlad has a project of his own he’s keeping under wraps (won’t say what cause SPOILERS) but I was both surprised and cheesy smiling when reading about his passion. What I didn’t love? I always find the subplots in these books to be very interesting, having the potential to cover some hard hitting topics. That being said, I always end up feeling like the subplots aren’t quite as developed as the romance. The sex trafficking ring we learn about in this book sucked me right in but it quickly wraps up at the end of the book. I would’ve like to see Elena’s journalistic skills come into play some more. What I loved? the healthy dose of our fellas in action, comedic relief, the continued efforts towards fighting toxic masculinity, supportive male AND female friendships as well as our couple in the kitchen cooking together. I’m NEVER quitting the Bromance Book Club!

Book Lovers I’m usually good at guessing whether we’ll get another book and who the love interest would be…this time I have no clue! Taking any guesses and/or info you may have on Lyssa Kay Adams next book <3’s!

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Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bromance Book Club #3) by Lyssa Kay Adams

Title: Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bromance Book Club #3)

Author: Lyssa Kay Adams

Pub. Date: October 27th 2020

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Format: eGalley

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 352 pages

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🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review🖤

Alexis and Noah have really solidified in my corner why I love & truly enjoy reading romance books with the friends to lovers trope. We’re first introduced to Alexis in Undercover Bromance (Bromance Book Club #2) where she is the victim of a celebrity chef’s sexual harassment. Noah is the hacktivist we also meet in book 2 who so happens to have been recruited by the Bromance Book Club to help bring down the dirt bag celebrity chef. Since then, Alexis and Noah have become very good friends who speak every day & spend most nights having dinner at home. They also have one thing in common, both have lost a parent at a young age and find comfort in each other over their shared loss. Is there non-platonic chemistry? ABSOLUTELY! but both are super protective of their friendship to rush into anything. We see Noah play it safe because he saw Alexis deal with sexual harrasment & the last thing he wants is to infringe on the trust she has in him. Alexis on the other hand never really looked at Noah as anything more than a friend up until some awkward physical encounters occur.

We follow Alexis as she manages her Cat Café…Yes, a café where cats are saved and Alexis finds them their forever home. She also hosts Yoga at night for victims of sexual harassment/domestic violence. In the background, the Bromance Book Club is busy with a wedding underway. Mack from book 2 is marrying Liv who has solely left him and the guys in charge of wedding planning. Mack has detected Noah’s predicament aka Friend Zone status & sets out to make him a member of the Bromance Book Club.

Alexis aka Lexa- exudes vintage 60’s style fashion, bakes & cooks, over feeder, master home/holiday decorator, cat savior and a safe haven to survivors of sexual harassment/domestic violence. Lexa and her HIGHLY Sus (haha!) cat Beefcake are now faves in this corner.

Noah- a Hacktivist in his younger years has now turned himself into a very low key wealthy owner of a security firm. When he isn’t providing services to members in the Bromance Book Club who are of high profile, he is grabbing tacos *heart eyes* for Lexa. Noah does have some baggage stemming from the loss of his dad in the war that took place in Iraq. Like Lexa, he has some boundaries that make their friendship more of a comfort zone that neither want to leave. Side note: Noah is by far the hottest Bromance Bookclub member I’ve pictured in my head!

It’s safe to say that at this point I’m deeply invested in this series & its characters. I enjoyed the first installment, however I’ve noticed my enjoyment levels significantly increase with each new book. As of this moment, Crazy Stupid Bromance is my absolute favorite. The friendship at the core of this book is well developed, we get the back history and the shared grief. I was cheering these two on all along and also hoping their friendship would remain intact. These books offer humor while also tackling some serious subject matter, the perfect balance between the two. I LIVED for the scenes between Beefacake & Noah, truly frightened yet entertained haha! The Bromance Bookclub is back together again & the book they’ve chosen is a slam dunk! I enjoy seeing my faves back on the page because Lyssa Kay Adams has given each such an authentic unique voice. Their personalities are intact including those of the supporting cast, which only piques my interest for our next couple in crisis. Could we finally be getting “The Russian”?!?! I Hope so!

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