Isn’t It Bromantic? | Review

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.

I love Vlad so much. Sweet sweet Vlad. I couldn’t start this review without first pointing that out. I really liked this book! I wasn’t sure what to expect from Vlad and his mysterious wife whom we hadn’t met, but it was so sweet and wholesome. It was all about healing from emotional and physical wounds, and contained years of pining!

I gotta start by saying Vlad’s cheese addiction is unparalleled. And the fact that it brought in an actual new character and became a thing in this book is so genius.

As I mentioned, this book has years of pining so you know the romance was explosive. These two have been married but separate for years, living under the false knowledge that the other was not in love with them. When I tell you I wanted to smoosh these two together and never let them separate. They’re so good for and with each other and I loved all the meddling from new and old friends that it took to get them to their happily ever after. Plus, Vlad had a little secret I didn’t expect.

Something I didn’t expect from this book was the opportunity to get to know Colton better. I didn’t realize Vlad and Colton were such good friends, but it helped leading into book 5, which is Colton’s.

I had hoped for a couple more things from this book that we didn’t quite get. One, I thought Elena’s journalism was going to be more prominent in this book. It seemed to be big at the beginning and the end of the book, but where was it in the middle? Two, I wanted more of Vlad’s silly-ness in this book. I wanted the man who cuddles chickens and signs to them. Who shouts “grand gesture” at inappropriate times. Some silly-ness was still here (i.e. cheese plot), but I wanted more honestly.

Overall, I loved this book. I loved Vlad and getting to know Elena and Colton better. This series is everything to me. The feminism, the romance, the tackling of toxic masculinity, all of it. I really wish this series would never end!

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Lyssa Kay Adams, go to her Goodreads profile or their website.