Isn't It Bromantic? (Bromance Book Club #4) by Lyssa Kay Adams
Publication Date: July 20th 2021 by Berkley Books
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher & Audio Purchase
Rating: ★★★★
My
Thoughts:
To be honest, when I picked up the first book in this series
I wouldn’t have considered Ivan (aka “The Russian”) to be a love interest as he
was more the butt of bathroom jokes due to his intestinal issues. It was funny,
but as Ivan said, it’s not funny when the joke is about you. Poor guy! I was
happy Ivan went to the doctor, discovered he had a gluten allergy and got a diet
tailored to help.
In the last book I saw a different side to Ivan, his emotional
pain seeing his estranged wife and I knew Ms. Adams would have a story and I
was all in!
Ivan’s been married for six years to the only woman he’s
ever loved, but he assumes Elena only married him so she could escape Russia
and move on from the grief of losing her father. He hopes for more, but on
coming to America, Elena immediately decides to attend collage in Chicago and
moves away. He’s crushed, but Ivan’s not about to force her to stay in Nashville
with him. Seeing all his Bromance Book Club besties find happiness and fall in
love inspires him to reach out to Elena telling her he’d like to try a real
marriage now that she’s done with school. Unfortunately, Elena informs him that
she’s going to move back to Russia and wants a divorce. Ouch!
My heart went out to Ivan. He was such a kind, emotional
soul and being a professional hockey player hottie, he had his pick of women
but he always held out hope that something would work out with Elena. When she
announces she’s going back to Russia it crushes him. However, when Ivan gets
injured and needs care, Elena puts her plans on hold and moves back to help him
heal.
This is one of those romances where a simple conversation to
clear up miscommunications, misconceptions would’ve saved both Ivan and Elena a
lot of heartache. This is even joked about when the Bromance Bros, connoisseurs
of the romance genre, meet up to discuss romantic strategy. It was a little
frustrating to be honest, and I think Elena annoyed me more here than Ivan, but
when things came out, I could see her point of view.
With that said, I still had a lot of fun with the story. The
Bromance guys were hilarious, and I was charmed by “The Loners”, a group of
women either widowed or on their own for other reasons that made themselves
Ivan’s girl posse. I really appreciated that both the Bromance guys and The
Loners decided to try and be supportive, and welcomed Elena in (all except Claude,
at first) when they could’ve been mean and defensive over Ivan.
These stories wouldn’t be complete without a cute animal or
two, and I was delighted to “see” Hazel, a sweet chicken who made friends with Ivan
in Undercover Bromance, again! Neighbor Cat and Neighbor Dog were cute
additions, too, flocking to Ivan the softie.
4 Stars
Book Description:
With his passion for romance novels, it was only a matter of time before Vlad wrote one.
Elena Konnikova has lived her entire adult life in the shadows. As the daughter of a Russian journalist who mysteriously disappeared, she escaped danger the only way she knew how: She married her childhood friend, Vladimir, and moved to the United States, where he is a professional hockey player in Nashville.
Vlad, aka the Russian, thought he could be content with his marriage of convenience. But it’s become too difficult to continue in a one-sided relationship. He joined the Bromance Book Club to learn how to make his wife love him, but all he’s learned is that he deserves more. He’s ready to create his own sweeping romance—both on and off the page.
The bros are unwilling to let Vlad forgo true love—and this time they’re not operating solo. They join forces with Vlad’s neighbors, a group of meddling widows who call themselves the Loners. But just when things finally look promising, Elena’s past life intrudes and their happily ever after is cast into doubt.
You are the first to bring it up, but yes, all of this could have been avoided with a simple conversation. What I will say is that Adams did build a case for why it took so long for that conversation to happen.
ReplyDeleteYeah, lack of communication/miscommunication is frustrating. Still, the story was enjoyable.
DeleteGlad this one was so fun. Though I do always get a little annoyed when a simple conversation is all it would take to fix the romance...and it takes them far to long to have it.
ReplyDeleteYes, me too. It still was a fun read, though. :)
DeleteExcellent review! Malcolm says it best in his romantic read pet peeve.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart
Yes! I laughed about that.
DeleteI've been wanting to read this series. Great review, I really want to read it now!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great series, full of humor.
DeleteMUST get book 1
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that was my favorite one.
DeleteI didn't click well with the first book so I never continued the series, but it's great to see that it's still so enjoyable for you after four books in!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's hard to set that aside and pick up the next after that.
Delete