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Bromance Book Club #2
Dragoste sub acoperire
Braden Mack crede că cititul romanelor de dragoste îl face expert în iubire, dar curând descoperă că viața reală este mult mai palpitantă decât ficțiunea!
Liv Papandreas lucrează ca patiser pentru cel mai renumit restaurant din Nashville. Din păcate însă, proprietarul, un celebru chef, e fermecător doar în fața camerelor de filmat sau a clienților, căci în bucătărie e un adevărat monstru.
După ce-l prinde hărțuind o tânără angajată, Liv are curajul să îl înfrunte, dar este concediată și jură răzbunare. Va avea însă nevoie de ajutor ca să îi vină de hac puternicului bucătar.
Din nefericire, asta înseamnă să apeleze la Braden Mack. Când Liv este exclusă din branșa restaurantelor, carismaticul proprietar de cluburi de noapte se oferă să o ajute cu darea în vileag a fostului ei șef, dar tânăra se îndoiește că Mack ar avea intenții onorabile. Iată o problemă numai bună pentru Clubul de Carte Secret al Domnilor!
La fel de inspirați de cărțile pe care le citesc, membrii clubului pun la cale o acțiune sub acoperire pentru a-l doborî pe bucătar, ajutându-l totodată pe Mack să-și dea seama care e drumul spre inima lui Liv, chiar dacă tânăra e hotărâtă să stingă cu orice preț focul iubirii.
Liv Papandreas lucrează ca patiser pentru cel mai renumit restaurant din Nashville. Din păcate însă, proprietarul, un celebru chef, e fermecător doar în fața camerelor de filmat sau a clienților, căci în bucătărie e un adevărat monstru.
După ce-l prinde hărțuind o tânără angajată, Liv are curajul să îl înfrunte, dar este concediată și jură răzbunare. Va avea însă nevoie de ajutor ca să îi vină de hac puternicului bucătar.
Din nefericire, asta înseamnă să apeleze la Braden Mack. Când Liv este exclusă din branșa restaurantelor, carismaticul proprietar de cluburi de noapte se oferă să o ajute cu darea în vileag a fostului ei șef, dar tânăra se îndoiește că Mack ar avea intenții onorabile. Iată o problemă numai bună pentru Clubul de Carte Secret al Domnilor!
La fel de inspirați de cărțile pe care le citesc, membrii clubului pun la cale o acțiune sub acoperire pentru a-l doborî pe bucătar, ajutându-l totodată pe Mack să-și dea seama care e drumul spre inima lui Liv, chiar dacă tânăra e hotărâtă să stingă cu orice preț focul iubirii.
384 pages, Paperback
First published March 10, 2020
1018 people are currently reading
40688 people want to read
About the author
Lyssa Kay Adams
14 books5,963 followersLyssa Kay Adams is the pen name of an award-winning journalist who gave up the world of telling true stories to pen emotional romances. She’s also a diehard Detroit Tigers fan who will occasionally cheer for the Red Sox because her husband is from Boston.
Lyssa lives in Michigan with her family and an anxiety-ridden Maltese who steals food and buries it around the house and who will undoubtedly be a character in a future book.
Things Lyssa loves: Baseball pants, mashed potatoes, and that little clicking sound that scissors make on the cutting table at fabric stores.
Things she doesn’t love: Mean people, melting ice cream cones, and finding food in her underwear drawer.
Keep up with Lyssa on Twitter at @LyssaKayAdams. Please note: She mostly tweets about baseball pants and mashed potatoes.
Lyssa lives in Michigan with her family and an anxiety-ridden Maltese who steals food and buries it around the house and who will undoubtedly be a character in a future book.
Things Lyssa loves: Baseball pants, mashed potatoes, and that little clicking sound that scissors make on the cutting table at fabric stores.
Things she doesn’t love: Mean people, melting ice cream cones, and finding food in her underwear drawer.
Keep up with Lyssa on Twitter at @LyssaKayAdams. Please note: She mostly tweets about baseball pants and mashed potatoes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,866 reviews
April 4, 2022
Let me hear you sing with me: ‘BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN! BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN!”
My favorite book club members are finally back. Good to see Gavin and Thea, having a stronger marriage but now, you gotta get ready to read Mack and Thea’s sister Liv’ story.
I loved those boys carry their big, golden hearts behind those muscularity and muscles. When they focus on something and team up to achieve an important mission, they turned into amateurish, humorous, clumsy agents. And this time they were determined to help Liv who was unfairly fired from her job because she witnessed her douchebag boss/ famous chef harassing her colleague. ( She also dropped a cupcake cooked with real golden into Mack’s date’s lap but it was not intentional!) So Mack is stubborn enough to help Liv to fight against this woman predator and bring out his entire book club crew to the war.
My thoughts:
-I loved Braden Mack, his emotional backstory, his charms, boyish but also honest manners ( he reminded me of wiser kind of Joey Tribbiani and I waited him to ask Liv how she is doing!), his heroism, caring, protectiveness. He is amazing book-boyfriend and book reader boyfriend.
-I loved the smart dialogues between Mack and Liv. Their slow-burn romance, growing attraction put them at complex situations. (Poor Mack hardly survive when he collects the eggs and being abused by rooster.)
-I loved RUSSIAN, a great addition to the book club who shouldn’t be fed with cheese, judging the restrooms of the city and giving them points, giving awkward reactions to the situations makes you laugh so hard. (Yes he stole the show and needs a book ASAP!I’m already chanting Russian! Russian! Russian! Taking a few more Smirnoff shots!)
-This book is sweet, swoony, emotional and tha characters’ suffering from traumatic father issues and finding themselves to connect with each other. This ia absolutely a hot and entertaining enemies to lovers story. I also appreciated the message about women’s stand up for themselves to fight against the harassment and abuse at their work places!
And I also loved ex Vietnam veteran Hop and his contribution to the boy’s club. It seemed like watching Dirty Harry reading romance novels which gave me more hard and long laughs!
Only one thing really really really disturbed me so much ( See! I wrote “really” three times) that was surprise, surprise, surprise (another 3 times): heroine!
I want to scream at Liv to get her head out of her ass!!! She was acting like underage spoiled brat, too stubborn, too pretentious, keep telling: “I can do by myself! I don’t need anybody’s help blablabla yada yada yada” too many times which make me fantasize to slap her several times!
Especially after the big revelation about Mack’s past, she acted like a biggest Ahole so yes I didn’t like her at the first book and now I still detest her. Hero and his gang overshadowed this obnoxious heroine! Score for: Mack!
Another detail: I have to disagree with Mack, I think “Protector” was most dislikable novel of Jodi Ellen Malpas (Second and third books of This Man series will always have special place in my heart)
Overall: 4 shining, entertaining, enjoyable, fantastic stars! It could be five gazillion stars for the boys! Blame it on dislikable heroine!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for sharing this wonderful ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review and I have to congratulate to Lyssa Kay Adams to enlighten my day with her talented work...
And special request: Please write about RUSSIAN!
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My favorite book club members are finally back. Good to see Gavin and Thea, having a stronger marriage but now, you gotta get ready to read Mack and Thea’s sister Liv’ story.
I loved those boys carry their big, golden hearts behind those muscularity and muscles. When they focus on something and team up to achieve an important mission, they turned into amateurish, humorous, clumsy agents. And this time they were determined to help Liv who was unfairly fired from her job because she witnessed her douchebag boss/ famous chef harassing her colleague. ( She also dropped a cupcake cooked with real golden into Mack’s date’s lap but it was not intentional!) So Mack is stubborn enough to help Liv to fight against this woman predator and bring out his entire book club crew to the war.
My thoughts:
-I loved Braden Mack, his emotional backstory, his charms, boyish but also honest manners ( he reminded me of wiser kind of Joey Tribbiani and I waited him to ask Liv how she is doing!), his heroism, caring, protectiveness. He is amazing book-boyfriend and book reader boyfriend.
-I loved the smart dialogues between Mack and Liv. Their slow-burn romance, growing attraction put them at complex situations. (Poor Mack hardly survive when he collects the eggs and being abused by rooster.)
-I loved RUSSIAN, a great addition to the book club who shouldn’t be fed with cheese, judging the restrooms of the city and giving them points, giving awkward reactions to the situations makes you laugh so hard. (Yes he stole the show and needs a book ASAP!I’m already chanting Russian! Russian! Russian! Taking a few more Smirnoff shots!)
-This book is sweet, swoony, emotional and tha characters’ suffering from traumatic father issues and finding themselves to connect with each other. This ia absolutely a hot and entertaining enemies to lovers story. I also appreciated the message about women’s stand up for themselves to fight against the harassment and abuse at their work places!
And I also loved ex Vietnam veteran Hop and his contribution to the boy’s club. It seemed like watching Dirty Harry reading romance novels which gave me more hard and long laughs!
Only one thing really really really disturbed me so much ( See! I wrote “really” three times) that was surprise, surprise, surprise (another 3 times): heroine!
I want to scream at Liv to get her head out of her ass!!! She was acting like underage spoiled brat, too stubborn, too pretentious, keep telling: “I can do by myself! I don’t need anybody’s help blablabla yada yada yada” too many times which make me fantasize to slap her several times!
Especially after the big revelation about Mack’s past, she acted like a biggest Ahole so yes I didn’t like her at the first book and now I still detest her. Hero and his gang overshadowed this obnoxious heroine! Score for: Mack!
Another detail: I have to disagree with Mack, I think “Protector” was most dislikable novel of Jodi Ellen Malpas (Second and third books of This Man series will always have special place in my heart)
Overall: 4 shining, entertaining, enjoyable, fantastic stars! It could be five gazillion stars for the boys! Blame it on dislikable heroine!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for sharing this wonderful ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review and I have to congratulate to Lyssa Kay Adams to enlighten my day with her talented work...
And special request: Please write about RUSSIAN!
blog
May 12, 2020
3.75* or maybe 3.5 not sure yet!
December 9, 2025
Liv Papandreas worked (past tense) at one of Nashville's hottest restaurants.
"You've read too many romance novels."
"And you haven't read enough."
She witnessed her boss taking advantage of a fellow worker, and Liv immediately confronted him. And is promptly kicked to the curb.
"I always win, Olivia. Always."Blacklisted and jobless - Liv has only one thought in her head...revenge.
"I should've kicked you in that shriveled-blob fish dick of yours when I had a chance,"Braden Mack is a proud founder of the Bromance Book club - he's realized for a long time that there's a reason women love romance...and he's saved one relationship after another thanks to his handy books.
And while he knows all the right moves and can pick up any girl he's ever wanted...he's always had trouble keeping them.
When he hears of Liv's plight - and (honestly) he's inspired by his latest romantic suspense book - Mack immediately joins Liv in taking down her former boss.
"I hate that motherfucker, and that was before I knew I actually had a reason to. So I want in on whatever you plan to do."But as the stakes raise and the threats get ever nearer, Mack wonders if he's finally gotten in over his head...
"If we're not careful, you're going to fall in love with me. And I just can't have that on my conscience."Ahhh! This one was such a cute book.
I absolutely LOVE this concept.
The big, burly men analyzing romance books with the attention and fire of a newly-graduated English teacher - all symbolism and subtext.
The way the guys would meet up for their book club - half-afraid anyone would recognized, half-defiant little spitballs. But above all, they cared for each other and did their best to help out their fellow book club members.
"You are not yourself today, Mack. Talk to us. Book club is about more than books. You know that."One of my favorite scenes was very early on when the book club was psyching each other up for entering into a book store and buying a romance book - in front of other people - and if any one asked, they would say it was for themselves.
I also loved the dynamic between Mack and Liv - it felt like such a fun twist on the typical romantic tropes.
There would be times where Liv would snap at him to man up and Mack would counter with how comments like are sexist and inspire fragile masculinity.
I think the whole going after the ex-boss did come off as a little over-the-top social justice warrior but it wasn't overwhelmingly distracting.
All in all, this was SUCH a fun book. I really enjoyed the various characters and cannot WAIT for the next one!
"Is it grand gesture time?"With thanks to the author and Berkley Publishing for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All quotes come from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change upon publication.
"...It's grand gesture time."
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
December 16, 2023
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I think the most important take away here is that The Russian got a name reveal. 2.5 stars
I have some complex feelings about this one, I feel like the complete love and adoration I felt for the first book made my expectations for this one super high. I personally had issues with Liv and I understand that some of her characterization is completely intentional so that the author can give her some character delevopment as the story goes on and she becomes a more empathetic person with the ability to appreciate the nuanced complicated reactions some women have to assault. However, I found her off-putting, she was so judgemental and I think it made this intense assault plotline harder to swallow because initially Liv is incredibly judgemental towards survivors. Beyond that, which she does grow out of over the course of the novel, largely I just didn't connect to her overall and as a result I couldn't see what Mack was talking about when he mentioned how much he loved her or found her personality inticing. Mack was cool though and I liked him well enough. I always appreciate a male romantic and it was cool to see how him being "in love with love" kind of hindered him from creating deep genuine connections.
Another critique I had was the fact that the "manual" the book club was reading didn't play a large role in this installment in the series. I liked how the excerpts from the "manual" in the first book directly paralleled certain scenes and for me that aspect was sorely missed. I wished the book club got more page time and the members a bit more depth because they all blend together.
As far as the plot goes I think the book was tonally strange as well because we're dealing with this really intense subject matter but then it's also a romantic comedy and it's full of cheesiness and hilarious absurdities, so I think the dichotomy between the light hearted nature of the writing and the sexual predator plotline made it hard to fully invest in the story for me. I wasn't engaged until about 60% in. Despite this as weird as it may sound this book was enjoyable and funny in some ways so I didn't hate it but the concept is highly questionable. This is a strange review because I kind of thought it was a cool read but I had a lot of compliants and concerns. Some things shouldn't be a romcom.
Cw: workplace sexual harassment, assault
I think the most important take away here is that The Russian got a name reveal. 2.5 stars
I have some complex feelings about this one, I feel like the complete love and adoration I felt for the first book made my expectations for this one super high. I personally had issues with Liv and I understand that some of her characterization is completely intentional so that the author can give her some character delevopment as the story goes on and she becomes a more empathetic person with the ability to appreciate the nuanced complicated reactions some women have to assault. However, I found her off-putting, she was so judgemental and I think it made this intense assault plotline harder to swallow because initially Liv is incredibly judgemental towards survivors. Beyond that, which she does grow out of over the course of the novel, largely I just didn't connect to her overall and as a result I couldn't see what Mack was talking about when he mentioned how much he loved her or found her personality inticing. Mack was cool though and I liked him well enough. I always appreciate a male romantic and it was cool to see how him being "in love with love" kind of hindered him from creating deep genuine connections.
Another critique I had was the fact that the "manual" the book club was reading didn't play a large role in this installment in the series. I liked how the excerpts from the "manual" in the first book directly paralleled certain scenes and for me that aspect was sorely missed. I wished the book club got more page time and the members a bit more depth because they all blend together.
As far as the plot goes I think the book was tonally strange as well because we're dealing with this really intense subject matter but then it's also a romantic comedy and it's full of cheesiness and hilarious absurdities, so I think the dichotomy between the light hearted nature of the writing and the sexual predator plotline made it hard to fully invest in the story for me. I wasn't engaged until about 60% in. Despite this as weird as it may sound this book was enjoyable and funny in some ways so I didn't hate it but the concept is highly questionable. This is a strange review because I kind of thought it was a cool read but I had a lot of compliants and concerns. Some things shouldn't be a romcom.
Cw: workplace sexual harassment, assault
April 3, 2020
in comparison, i didnt enjoy this as much as the first book, but its still a really cute story. i actually think i would prefer it more if this had been written as a standalone and not as part of a series.
the bromance bookclub, what i found to be super endearing (albeit cheesey) in the previous book, seems to have lost a little bit of its charm. it doesnt really play any part in this story and, when it does appear, the scenes are not as impactful as i would have liked.
but i think the story between liv and mack is adorable. i love a good enemies to lovers plot, so i was totally rooting for them from the beginning. i also really appreciate how this story handles the subjects of gender equality, sexism, and harassment.
overall, i found this to be really entertaining and likeable. i wish the bookclub had played a larger role, but beggars cant be choosers.
↠ 3.5 stars
the bromance bookclub, what i found to be super endearing (albeit cheesey) in the previous book, seems to have lost a little bit of its charm. it doesnt really play any part in this story and, when it does appear, the scenes are not as impactful as i would have liked.
but i think the story between liv and mack is adorable. i love a good enemies to lovers plot, so i was totally rooting for them from the beginning. i also really appreciate how this story handles the subjects of gender equality, sexism, and harassment.
overall, i found this to be really entertaining and likeable. i wish the bookclub had played a larger role, but beggars cant be choosers.
↠ 3.5 stars
March 11, 2020
This book wasn't perfect, but it was a still a fun read and I definitely think that if you enjoyed the first book in the series, you'll most likely enjoy this one as well! However, I do feel like this one was missing some of the ~magic~ that The Bromance Book Club had. In that first book, I was completely invested in Gavin and Thea because they were already in a pre-established relationship and I was eager to see them work through their marital struggles. In this book, however, we don't really feel as much chemistry between Mack and Liv and it definitely hurt the reading experience a bit for me. As I said before, this was still a very fun read and I fully intend to carry on with the series, but it just wasn't *quite* everything I was hoping for.
TW: sexual assault, victim blaming, gaslighting, domestic abuse
TW: sexual assault, victim blaming, gaslighting, domestic abuse
June 25, 2020
Lyssa Kay Adams could write another 10 books featuring a different bro and I'd be totally okay with that.
Liv works as sous chef for one of the best chefs in the country. It's the job of her dreams. But after catching her celebrity chef boss harassing a coworker, Liv confronts him and loses her job. She wants revenge, but she needs help and so she turns to Braden Mack, the infuriating friend of her brother-in-law, who offers to help expose her ex-boss.
Braden and the guys from the Bromance Bookclub help Liv with taking down her boss and at the same time help Braden try to win Liv's heart.
“There’s no force on Earth as strong as a woman who is good and fed up.”
I was not the biggest fan of Liv in book one, but getting to know her better in Undercover Bromance warmed me up to her. I finally understood why she is the way she is and there were still parts where she said things that made me mad, however, I loved her determination and her unwillingness to give up.
Mack. Oh Mack. Precious and sweet. Even though Mack is not really my type, (the guy winks way too much for my liking) I couldn't help but fall in love with him. He is the guy everyone in the Bromance Bookclub relies on, so it warmed my heart to see them all be there for him.
Not for the first time, he felt on the outs. The odd man in the group. The man who could save a hundred marriages but was doomed to never find his own happy ending.
I liked the message this book was telling. It did not overwhelm the romance (which tbh is what I was there for 👀😏) and the way everything was executed with a lovely dose of humour was just *chef's kiss*
I wish we had more scenes of the bookclub together. I lived for those parts! I honestly cannot get enough of these books.
[The lovely gals I was reading this book with agreed that we need Russian to have his own story. Lo and behold Lyssa Kay Adams announced that he will be getting one! Our excitement is unreal!!]
Buddy read with three favessss: Ameerah, May and Warda
____
My review for:
Bromance Book Club
“What are we doing?” he repeated, looking at the guys. “We’re going to buy some goddamned romance novels in public.”
Liv works as sous chef for one of the best chefs in the country. It's the job of her dreams. But after catching her celebrity chef boss harassing a coworker, Liv confronts him and loses her job. She wants revenge, but she needs help and so she turns to Braden Mack, the infuriating friend of her brother-in-law, who offers to help expose her ex-boss.
Braden and the guys from the Bromance Bookclub help Liv with taking down her boss and at the same time help Braden try to win Liv's heart.
“There’s no force on Earth as strong as a woman who is good and fed up.”
I was not the biggest fan of Liv in book one, but getting to know her better in Undercover Bromance warmed me up to her. I finally understood why she is the way she is and there were still parts where she said things that made me mad, however, I loved her determination and her unwillingness to give up.
Mack. Oh Mack. Precious and sweet. Even though Mack is not really my type, (the guy winks way too much for my liking) I couldn't help but fall in love with him. He is the guy everyone in the Bromance Bookclub relies on, so it warmed my heart to see them all be there for him.
Not for the first time, he felt on the outs. The odd man in the group. The man who could save a hundred marriages but was doomed to never find his own happy ending.
I liked the message this book was telling. It did not overwhelm the romance (which tbh is what I was there for 👀😏) and the way everything was executed with a lovely dose of humour was just *chef's kiss*
I wish we had more scenes of the bookclub together. I lived for those parts! I honestly cannot get enough of these books.
[The lovely gals I was reading this book with agreed that we need Russian to have his own story. Lo and behold Lyssa Kay Adams announced that he will be getting one! Our excitement is unreal!!]
Buddy read with three favessss: Ameerah, May and Warda
____
My review for:
Bromance Book Club
September 1, 2023
How can I decide what to rate this book when these characters are awful but good at the same time???
Let’s start with Liv:
She annoyed me so much and I wanted to yell at her so many times because she judged victims quite a lot in this book and even though she “grew” it took her way too long to understand why some women do not come forward right away.
On top of that she freaked out when Mack’s secret was revealed but not because of the secret. I’m sorry but I think it’s pretty fucking normal to not tell people about this right away Bc I wouldn’t either.
That’s not just an easy thing to reveal about yourself.
I also am extremely confused about her personality because she acted so rude sooo many times.
Now Mack… honestly I like that he reads romance novels and that he knows a lot of things BUT he growled and was very very fast/ insta lovey especially with the epilogue.
Overall I liked the storyline but I do think that Liv was not the best main character bc she judged women HARD and made them feel ashamed
Let’s start with Liv:
She annoyed me so much and I wanted to yell at her so many times because she judged victims quite a lot in this book and even though she “grew” it took her way too long to understand why some women do not come forward right away.
On top of that she freaked out when Mack’s secret was revealed but not because of the secret. I’m sorry but I think it’s pretty fucking normal to not tell people about this right away Bc I wouldn’t either.
That’s not just an easy thing to reveal about yourself.
I also am extremely confused about her personality because she acted so rude sooo many times.
Now Mack… honestly I like that he reads romance novels and that he knows a lot of things BUT he growled and was very very fast/ insta lovey especially with the epilogue.
Overall I liked the storyline but I do think that Liv was not the best main character bc she judged women HARD and made them feel ashamed
March 12, 2020
I’m gonna need Lyssa Kay Adams to keep on writing about The Bromance Book Club members. I cannot and will not ever get enough of them.
————————
Retuuurn of the Mack!
Buddy-reading with some pretty amazing people! Azrah, Ameerah aaaand May
————————————
Mack was the best side character in the first book. I’m so glad his dramatic ass is getting his own story now.
————————
Retuuurn of the Mack!
Buddy-reading with some pretty amazing people! Azrah, Ameerah aaaand May
————————————
Mack was the best side character in the first book. I’m so glad his dramatic ass is getting his own story now.
January 19, 2023
#1 The Bromance Book Club — 4.5 Stars
Undercover Bromance follows “the manuals” that all romance books live by too . . . rigorously? It’s lost its appeal. How ironic it is that the book is titled “Undercover Bromance” but there’s nothing (sans the book club) subtle or ingenious about every single aspect of the story. What worked in the first book simply stopped working. Ultimately, this is just a romance you’re going to categorize as “same olds.”
Mack is delightful, but Liv is hard to like—which has always been the case since book 1. I wasn’t as opposed to Liv’s hostile personality as I was to their banal love story. I enjoyed their banter, but their romantic development holds no momentum. From them having similar daddy issues, them withholding secrets about their own past, their “sexist vs. feminist” arguments, to their HEA. It’s all so . . . premeditated.
I didn’t read the blurb, so I didn’t know this book was going to tackle such delicate issue. The fact that it’s handled under this bubble of lighthearted rom-com seems a little insensitive. I didn’t mean to underappreciate what the book was trying to accomplish, but it bothered me quite a bit. Not to mention, the characters use the oldest tricks in the book to carry out their mission. This book barely has any plot twist.
Overall:
Undercover Bromance is cute, entertaining, and fun to read—as it should. The romance is formulaic, and the plot is generic despite the seriousness of the topic it deals with. These are made even more glaring by the clichéd writing. It’s true that the humor saves the book from being too bland. The book club and its members is the most unique thing about this series, but it shouldn’t have to shoulder everything on its own.
(Read as an Audiobook)
Undercover Bromance follows “the manuals” that all romance books live by too . . . rigorously? It’s lost its appeal. How ironic it is that the book is titled “Undercover Bromance” but there’s nothing (sans the book club) subtle or ingenious about every single aspect of the story. What worked in the first book simply stopped working. Ultimately, this is just a romance you’re going to categorize as “same olds.”
“There was just something satisfying about two people discovering that what makes them fight is also the thing that makes them perfect for each other.”
Mack is delightful, but Liv is hard to like—which has always been the case since book 1. I wasn’t as opposed to Liv’s hostile personality as I was to their banal love story. I enjoyed their banter, but their romantic development holds no momentum. From them having similar daddy issues, them withholding secrets about their own past, their “sexist vs. feminist” arguments, to their HEA. It’s all so . . . premeditated.
“I hate that motherfucker, and that was before I knew I actually had a reason to. So I want in on whatever you plan to do.”
I didn’t read the blurb, so I didn’t know this book was going to tackle such delicate issue. The fact that it’s handled under this bubble of lighthearted rom-com seems a little insensitive. I didn’t mean to underappreciate what the book was trying to accomplish, but it bothered me quite a bit. Not to mention, the characters use the oldest tricks in the book to carry out their mission. This book barely has any plot twist.
Overall:
Undercover Bromance is cute, entertaining, and fun to read—as it should. The romance is formulaic, and the plot is generic despite the seriousness of the topic it deals with. These are made even more glaring by the clichéd writing. It’s true that the humor saves the book from being too bland. The book club and its members is the most unique thing about this series, but it shouldn’t have to shoulder everything on its own.
(Read as an Audiobook)
March 10, 2020
ouch. I enjoyed the first one, but this was a miss in basically every single way.
Most damning: these fools use sexual assault victims as an excuse to have like...an adventure? I just read Catch and Kill, so I know how tremendously difficult it is to get sexual assault victims to come forward, and the way this book ends just elides right over that. Suddenly a handful of women magically come forward just when the main characters need them to---HOW?
I think a book can have the best intentions of tackling a big subject like sexual assault, but then to have it actually feel like it does more harm than good? The paternalistic implications that a bunch of men are just here to save sexual assault victims from themselves? yikes.
I've seen several other reviews that say that readers were able to get past these issues and just enjoy the book for what it was. I am glad for those people, but that never happened for me. I read the entire thing in sort of a fugue state of disbelief: what is going on here? what are these people doing? why is everyone so fucking reckless with the lives of sexual assault survivors? I would honestly say that I finished more as a public service than anything else.
Most damning: these fools use sexual assault victims as an excuse to have like...an adventure? I just read Catch and Kill, so I know how tremendously difficult it is to get sexual assault victims to come forward, and the way this book ends just elides right over that. Suddenly a handful of women magically come forward just when the main characters need them to---HOW?
I think a book can have the best intentions of tackling a big subject like sexual assault, but then to have it actually feel like it does more harm than good? The paternalistic implications that a bunch of men are just here to save sexual assault victims from themselves? yikes.
I've seen several other reviews that say that readers were able to get past these issues and just enjoy the book for what it was. I am glad for those people, but that never happened for me. I read the entire thing in sort of a fugue state of disbelief: what is going on here? what are these people doing? why is everyone so fucking reckless with the lives of sexual assault survivors? I would honestly say that I finished more as a public service than anything else.
July 30, 2021
This is the second book in the Bromance Book Club series, following the love story of Braden Mack, the founder of BBC and Liv Papandreas, Thea's loyal and interfering sister from the first book.
True to her nature, Liv lands in a soup trying to confront her boss for harassing her co-worker, who repeatedly asks her not to butt in! Good intentions aside, she had no job pushing her bestfriend and other victims to report the issue. And when they didn't comply, she turned condescending and judgemental. No matter what she had to prove, this should have been on their terms, not hers. I kept muttering "Girllll come on, they've been through so much, give them a freaking break." But yeah, she did manage to bring the perp down but I couldn't stand her victim-blaming attitude. And her commitment phobia became tiring after a while. As much as I loved her interactions with Braden, she was super snarky for atleast 60% of the book. Normally I do stan a sarcastic, outspoken heroine, but Liv seemed dangerously close to crossing the line of bitchy at times. That too to my baby boy!!!!
Now where do I start with him? Very rarely do we come across characters who grab on to our hearts and never let go, making us wish they were real. To me, Mack was it. He was a proud reader of romance, confident in his masculinity, extremely charming, quite vocal in his advocacy of gender equality and a momma's pet! Doesn't he just sound like the perfect specimen??! He offers to help Liv in her quest not because he likes her or wants to prove something, *like someone we know* but to bring a sexual predator to justice. He's ready to hire the harassed for a non existent job without even taking a minute to mull it over, just to get her away from her asshole boss. King shit, seriously!
The way he keeps showing Liv how she can lean on him and trust him to love her was just so pure. Eventually she does come around, but not before getting on the nerves of everyone around her. (and mine!!)
This book confirms my theory that you can't go wrong with enemies to lovers trope. The BBC's intervention and Mack's grand gesture turned my heart to mush. And the ending was super sweet.
Not just the leads but the writer gives adequate background and development for secondary characters as well. Hop and Rosie's story was so adorable. And fiery! (I'm pretty sure I've never used that word in reference to "old people")
And the Russian. Damn, he was hilarious. I sincerely hope there's a whole ass book dedicated for that guy and his love for cheese.
This was such an entertaining read and I was so sorry to see it end. To think the next book is not even published yet.. ughh, waiting is so not my thing!
True to her nature, Liv lands in a soup trying to confront her boss for harassing her co-worker, who repeatedly asks her not to butt in! Good intentions aside, she had no job pushing her bestfriend and other victims to report the issue. And when they didn't comply, she turned condescending and judgemental. No matter what she had to prove, this should have been on their terms, not hers. I kept muttering "Girllll come on, they've been through so much, give them a freaking break." But yeah, she did manage to bring the perp down but I couldn't stand her victim-blaming attitude. And her commitment phobia became tiring after a while. As much as I loved her interactions with Braden, she was super snarky for atleast 60% of the book. Normally I do stan a sarcastic, outspoken heroine, but Liv seemed dangerously close to crossing the line of bitchy at times. That too to my baby boy!!!!
Now where do I start with him? Very rarely do we come across characters who grab on to our hearts and never let go, making us wish they were real. To me, Mack was it. He was a proud reader of romance, confident in his masculinity, extremely charming, quite vocal in his advocacy of gender equality and a momma's pet! Doesn't he just sound like the perfect specimen??! He offers to help Liv in her quest not because he likes her or wants to prove something, *like someone we know* but to bring a sexual predator to justice. He's ready to hire the harassed for a non existent job without even taking a minute to mull it over, just to get her away from her asshole boss. King shit, seriously!
The way he keeps showing Liv how she can lean on him and trust him to love her was just so pure. Eventually she does come around, but not before getting on the nerves of everyone around her. (and mine!!)
This book confirms my theory that you can't go wrong with enemies to lovers trope. The BBC's intervention and Mack's grand gesture turned my heart to mush. And the ending was super sweet.
Not just the leads but the writer gives adequate background and development for secondary characters as well. Hop and Rosie's story was so adorable. And fiery! (I'm pretty sure I've never used that word in reference to "old people")
And the Russian. Damn, he was hilarious. I sincerely hope there's a whole ass book dedicated for that guy and his love for cheese.
This was such an entertaining read and I was so sorry to see it end. To think the next book is not even published yet.. ughh, waiting is so not my thing!
February 24, 2020
4 stars
Last year when I read The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams, I knew I had to know more about Braden Mack. I was so happy to hear that his book would be next in this series. I'm happy to say, Undercover Bromance was just as great as the first book for me.
Braden Mack is the leader of the Bromance Book Club. He's an unapologetic romance lover and I adored him and his fun loving personality. Mack always gets the girl, but he never seems to keep her. When Mack is on a date with his current girlfriend (that isn't going great) he see's Liv again. Liv is Thea's sister and Gavin's sister in law (the couple from book 1).
Liv is a tough nut to crack. She's got trust issues when it comes to men and she's a bit snarky and headstrong. When Liv witnesses her boss sexually harassing another employee and gets fired for it, she decides to she needs to take him down. And Mack decides to help.
Instead of a historical romance, this book follows a romantic suspense, which went perfectly with the theme of Mack and Liv's story. I loved these two together and I especially loved Mack. I enjoyed learning about his past and seeing all the things that make him tick. He and Liv are a bit of opposites attract, but it works for them. Even though she's hesitant to be with him, when she finally gives in, it's magical.
If you're looking for a fun book that will make you laugh out loud, this book is for you. I loved all the crazy antics, the book club aspects, and the farm that Liv lived on. I also loved that amongst the lighter aspects of the book, it tackled a few serious topics as well. This book has so much heart, is entertaining, funny, and steamy and I truly love this series! I'm looking forward to the next one!!
Last year when I read The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams, I knew I had to know more about Braden Mack. I was so happy to hear that his book would be next in this series. I'm happy to say, Undercover Bromance was just as great as the first book for me.
Not for the first time, he felt on the outs. The odd man in the group. The man who could save a hundred marriages but was doomed to never find his own happy ending.
Braden Mack is the leader of the Bromance Book Club. He's an unapologetic romance lover and I adored him and his fun loving personality. Mack always gets the girl, but he never seems to keep her. When Mack is on a date with his current girlfriend (that isn't going great) he see's Liv again. Liv is Thea's sister and Gavin's sister in law (the couple from book 1).
Liv is a tough nut to crack. She's got trust issues when it comes to men and she's a bit snarky and headstrong. When Liv witnesses her boss sexually harassing another employee and gets fired for it, she decides to she needs to take him down. And Mack decides to help.
Instead of a historical romance, this book follows a romantic suspense, which went perfectly with the theme of Mack and Liv's story. I loved these two together and I especially loved Mack. I enjoyed learning about his past and seeing all the things that make him tick. He and Liv are a bit of opposites attract, but it works for them. Even though she's hesitant to be with him, when she finally gives in, it's magical.
“Don’t you think it’s high time you and I fell in love?”
If you're looking for a fun book that will make you laugh out loud, this book is for you. I loved all the crazy antics, the book club aspects, and the farm that Liv lived on. I also loved that amongst the lighter aspects of the book, it tackled a few serious topics as well. This book has so much heart, is entertaining, funny, and steamy and I truly love this series! I'm looking forward to the next one!!
March 24, 2020
This book was cute. It didn’t have the same magic that Bromance Book Club had, but I still think it’s a really cute romance novel that I would still recommend. This story follows Liv and Mack, Liv is Thea’s sister (from the first book) and Mack is one of the guys in the book club.
This story is a lot more serious than the first book because Liv works in the restaurant industry as a pastry chef, and she witnessed this guy who is the owner of the place sexually harassing this girl, and she decides she wants to take him down, so she needs the help of Mack and the Bromance Book Club hang in order to do that. This storyline took up a lot more of the story than I thought it would, and for most of it I didn’t mind it but towards the end I kind of wanted less of Royce in the story and more of Liv and Mack.
I absolutely adored Mack and Liv as characters. Their banter was freaking on point and they had me grinning from ear to ear for most of this story. I love that Liv is independent and feisty and she has that I don’t need a man attitude. And I love that Mack is surprisingly sensitive and he has the biggest heart. I do feel like the conflict that happens at the end kind of gets drawn out for way too long. Like I don’t think it was that big of a deal and they kind of made it a big deal which was annoying. I also feel like the epilogue was kind of cheesy as hell but what romance with an epilogue isn’t? Am I right?
This story is a lot more serious than the first book because Liv works in the restaurant industry as a pastry chef, and she witnessed this guy who is the owner of the place sexually harassing this girl, and she decides she wants to take him down, so she needs the help of Mack and the Bromance Book Club hang in order to do that. This storyline took up a lot more of the story than I thought it would, and for most of it I didn’t mind it but towards the end I kind of wanted less of Royce in the story and more of Liv and Mack.
I absolutely adored Mack and Liv as characters. Their banter was freaking on point and they had me grinning from ear to ear for most of this story. I love that Liv is independent and feisty and she has that I don’t need a man attitude. And I love that Mack is surprisingly sensitive and he has the biggest heart. I do feel like the conflict that happens at the end kind of gets drawn out for way too long. Like I don’t think it was that big of a deal and they kind of made it a big deal which was annoying. I also feel like the epilogue was kind of cheesy as hell but what romance with an epilogue isn’t? Am I right?
November 9, 2020
3 stars
He loved a little danger with his romance, and he especially loved an enemies-to-lovers story. There was just something satisfying about two people discovering that what makes them fight is also the thing that makes them perfect for each other.
Why enemies to lovers romance are so enjoyable to read? Well, Mack couldn’t have said it better!!
I was so nervous about reading this book, because I wasn’t such a huge fan of Liv in the previous book. But I loved the bookclub so much and I was so interested in reading Mack’s story. And man I love him!
“I’m just a man with a heart, and you’re breaking it.”
The dialogue was so freakin entertaining in this book!
The banter? Hilarious! Oh how I loved when these two start to picker and push each other.
Mack? He’s such a sweet big man with the softest romantic heart ever. He’s too good to be true!
Liv? You could get used to her, I think. It took some time to get over how freakin judgmental she was. I mean I get that some people could be judgmental, but you don’t have to be so verbal and insensitive about it! I understand how it was so hard for her to trust. Maybe I don’t completely agree with her way, but I think I can understand?
This book didn’t have “that thing” that the first book had tho. I think that this series is unique and the idea behind it is so adorable and original. Now I’m really looking forward to reading Alexis and Noah’s book. I already love these two.
Song recommendation:
Not a bad thing by Justin Timberlake
Power by Isak Danielson
Papercuts by Illy ft. Vera blue
He loved a little danger with his romance, and he especially loved an enemies-to-lovers story. There was just something satisfying about two people discovering that what makes them fight is also the thing that makes them perfect for each other.
Why enemies to lovers romance are so enjoyable to read? Well, Mack couldn’t have said it better!!
I was so nervous about reading this book, because I wasn’t such a huge fan of Liv in the previous book. But I loved the bookclub so much and I was so interested in reading Mack’s story. And man I love him!
“I’m just a man with a heart, and you’re breaking it.”
The dialogue was so freakin entertaining in this book!
The banter? Hilarious! Oh how I loved when these two start to picker and push each other.
Mack? He’s such a sweet big man with the softest romantic heart ever. He’s too good to be true!
Liv? You could get used to her, I think. It took some time to get over how freakin judgmental she was. I mean I get that some people could be judgmental, but you don’t have to be so verbal and insensitive about it! I understand how it was so hard for her to trust. Maybe I don’t completely agree with her way, but I think I can understand?
This book didn’t have “that thing” that the first book had tho. I think that this series is unique and the idea behind it is so adorable and original. Now I’m really looking forward to reading Alexis and Noah’s book. I already love these two.
Song recommendation:
Not a bad thing by Justin Timberlake
Power by Isak Danielson
Papercuts by Illy ft. Vera blue
October 21, 2022
Cliches can be annoying but, as in this case, they can also be a powerful weapon.
Yes, because you may think a book - or even a series - based on cliches, which explains cliches and even end in the most cliches way possible might be the least satisfying thing to read. But you're wrong.
Undercover Bromance is the second book of The Bromance Book Club series, soon-to-be five books with different stories but the same characters, as in a bunch of friends who read romance to help with their marriages and with finding the right person.
If you don't read them in the right order nothing is gonna happen, but you may find spoilers. For example, this is the story of Mack and Liv, sister of Thea, one of the main characters of the first book. I haven't read that yet but I'm happy to know she's happily married now that her husband Gavin, a friend of Mack, has joined the book club.
But we're talking about Mack and Liv, so what can I say? Classic enemies-to-lovers, with a plot twist for which you can't be mad and then a big gesture scene to make up for that, and then happily ever after.
With the double pov and the sliding narration, it's over before you'll see it - and want it.
Definitely a worthy reading with only two traits that I hope will get better with the other books: more information in the epilogue and better-described sex scenes. That's everything a girl can ask.
↠ 4 stars
Yes, because you may think a book - or even a series - based on cliches, which explains cliches and even end in the most cliches way possible might be the least satisfying thing to read. But you're wrong.
Undercover Bromance is the second book of The Bromance Book Club series, soon-to-be five books with different stories but the same characters, as in a bunch of friends who read romance to help with their marriages and with finding the right person.
If you don't read them in the right order nothing is gonna happen, but you may find spoilers. For example, this is the story of Mack and Liv, sister of Thea, one of the main characters of the first book. I haven't read that yet but I'm happy to know she's happily married now that her husband Gavin, a friend of Mack, has joined the book club.
But we're talking about Mack and Liv, so what can I say? Classic enemies-to-lovers, with a plot twist for which you can't be mad and then a big gesture scene to make up for that, and then happily ever after.
With the double pov and the sliding narration, it's over before you'll see it - and want it.
Definitely a worthy reading with only two traits that I hope will get better with the other books: more information in the epilogue and better-described sex scenes. That's everything a girl can ask.
↠ 4 stars
February 25, 2020
Just like I anticipated, MACK's story was even better.
Don’t you wish toxic masculinity could just disappear? Well, The Bromance Book Club and Lyssa Kay Adams get us one step closer.
And this time Mack is here to make us swoon. Like, swoon real hard. Because if Mack could crack open the tough cookie that was Liv, trust me, he can do anything. Even convert the male population to avid romance readers (if one is allowed to dream).
This instalment of the BBC follows Mack and Liv while they join forces to bring down Liv’s boss, who has been harassing some of his female employees.
Allow me to be clear, if I thought TBBC was a good book - a great book, okay - this one turned out to be even better. If I thought I loved Mack in TBBC, now I am simply head over heels for him. If I thought TBBC tackled toxic masculinity, this one nailed that on the head, plus such a serious issue as sexual harassment in the workplace so Lyssa: 👏🏼
In other words, PULL OUT YOUR CALENDAR and circle down March 10th 2020 because you *do* *seriously* need to read Undercover Bromance. Trust me. Take my book blogger word.
What? Don’t believe me? Check this:
“This. This was what it meant to be kissed. This was what it meant to get lost in light and sound and sensation until everything disappeared but his lips, his taste, his scent, him. This was what she’d been missing without even knowing it.
It was also how mistakes were made.”
Now swoon.
*Huge thank you to the publisher for sending me an early copy <3
Don’t you wish toxic masculinity could just disappear? Well, The Bromance Book Club and Lyssa Kay Adams get us one step closer.
And this time Mack is here to make us swoon. Like, swoon real hard. Because if Mack could crack open the tough cookie that was Liv, trust me, he can do anything. Even convert the male population to avid romance readers (if one is allowed to dream).
This instalment of the BBC follows Mack and Liv while they join forces to bring down Liv’s boss, who has been harassing some of his female employees.
Allow me to be clear, if I thought TBBC was a good book - a great book, okay - this one turned out to be even better. If I thought I loved Mack in TBBC, now I am simply head over heels for him. If I thought TBBC tackled toxic masculinity, this one nailed that on the head, plus such a serious issue as sexual harassment in the workplace so Lyssa: 👏🏼
In other words, PULL OUT YOUR CALENDAR and circle down March 10th 2020 because you *do* *seriously* need to read Undercover Bromance. Trust me. Take my book blogger word.
What? Don’t believe me? Check this:
“This. This was what it meant to be kissed. This was what it meant to get lost in light and sound and sensation until everything disappeared but his lips, his taste, his scent, him. This was what she’d been missing without even knowing it.
It was also how mistakes were made.”
Now swoon.
*Huge thank you to the publisher for sending me an early copy <3
December 1, 2020
"Fear was a powerful motivator. But so was love."
Before I start my review, I just want to thank my friend, Miranda for sending me her ARC of this book!!! I seriously can't express how grateful I am! <3
So, what's this book about?
Undercover Bromance follows Mack and Liv.
Mack, the founder of the Bromance Book Club, has never met a woman he couldn't woo... except for Liv. She is seemingly immune to his charm. In fact, she almost seems to—*gasp*—dislike him. 😱
Liv generally avoids Mack and his annoying romance but she finds herself in a pinch when she discovers her co-worker is being harassed by her boss, she finds herself enlisting Mack's help to take down the abusive a-hole.
Full disclosure - I didn't love this book as much I did The Bromance Book Club. That's not to say I didn't like it.... It's just... sometimes you strike gold and then you strike a slightly smaller but equally amazing piece of gold.
There was... a lot going on in this book. Like A LOT and I'll get into all of it in a bit. I want to start by saying this book felt vastly different from book one. That wasn't a bad thing. It was just different. Whereas the first one felt a lot more intimate, this one was a classic enemies-to-lovers romance.
I must admit I found it quite hard to root for Liv because I personally—in both book one and this book—found her to be quite irritating and even sexist at times.
Conversely, I absolutely LOVED Mack. We saw bits and pieces of him in book one but I loved being able to see even more of his character and learning that he's actually a big softie. My heart....
In The Bromance Book Club, the overall theme was honesty. In this one, it was trust which is a great topic to write about, no matter the genre. Liv struggles with trust and abandonment issues which really touched my heart because that's something I struggled with (and still do) for a lonnnnnnnnnggggggggg time.
But something my mom's therapist said to me really sums up trust, in my opinion. She said:
"It's dangerous to trust but it's even more dangerous not to."
-Dr. Therapist Lady
Basically, yes it is risky and scary to put your trust in another person but it's even more dangerous not to. Because if you never try, you'll never meet anyone. You'll be lonely. And I get it. You don't want to trust someone because it feels safer and easier to just stay in your shell. But guess what. That shell gets pretty lonely very quickly.
Also, this book was less steamy than book one. (I feel like I comparing this book to book one a lot but oh well) It took a good 50% before we got to any steaminess which was just a bit of a let down considering how steamy the first book was but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment.
Overall, this book was a heartwarming, lovable romance although only slightly less better than it's predecessor.
Bottom Line:
4.5 Stars
Age Rating - [ R ]
Content Screening (Mild Spoilers)
Educational Value (0/0)
Positive Messages (4/5) - [Trust, Bravery, Analyzing emotions]
Violence (3/5) - [Bar fight, Characters get mildly injured multiple times throughout the novel]
Sex (4/5) - [Sex scenes, Sexual themes, Sexual innuendos, Sexual harassment, Discussion of animal genitalia]
Drinking/Drugs (3/5) - [Alcohol consumption, Alcoholism, Scenes in a bar]
Trigger and Content Warnings - Sexual Harassment, Bar fight, Abuse, Anxiety
NOTE: This is an adult romance with sex scenes. It should not be read by young readers.
Publication Date: March 10th, 2020
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group (an imprint of Penguin Random House)
Genre: Romance/Contemporary
➵ The Bromance Book Club (#1) - ★★★★★
➵ Undercover Bromance (#2) - ★★★★☆
--------------
4.5 stars! review to come!!
--------------
Thank you Miranda for mailing me an ARC!!!!!!!! <3
--------------
when you're desperately trying to get an ARC but none of the Berkley publicists are responding:
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May 10, 2020
It’s the return of the bromance book club! Time to rescue another failing relationship through the magical power of the romance novel!
I just love the concept of this series! It’s positively hilarious watching these men, many professional athletes, discreetly slipping into a bookstore and leaving with the latest romance novel in tow.
Braden Mack just can’t seem to find love! Even as a charter member of the bromance club, love has eluded him. Maybe he’s just been pursuing the wrong kind of woman? Or, is it possible she’s been in front of him the entire time.
A fun and heartwarming romantic comedy that will have you cheering, laughing and just maybe shedding a tear or two. Even though this read didn’t quite hold up to Lyssa Kay Adam’s previous release, The Bromance Bookclub. I still enjoyed it immensely and am looking forward to reading the next installment!
A Rom-Com weekend buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for an ARC to read and review
I just love the concept of this series! It’s positively hilarious watching these men, many professional athletes, discreetly slipping into a bookstore and leaving with the latest romance novel in tow.
Braden Mack just can’t seem to find love! Even as a charter member of the bromance club, love has eluded him. Maybe he’s just been pursuing the wrong kind of woman? Or, is it possible she’s been in front of him the entire time.
A fun and heartwarming romantic comedy that will have you cheering, laughing and just maybe shedding a tear or two. Even though this read didn’t quite hold up to Lyssa Kay Adam’s previous release, The Bromance Bookclub. I still enjoyed it immensely and am looking forward to reading the next installment!
A Rom-Com weekend buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for an ARC to read and review
August 12, 2020
4 Stars
Bring it On! Sassy, Sweet and Oh So Sexy!
Braden Mack is a bachelor. He is also a member of the Bromance Book Club. He has been reading romance novels since he was a child and is an expert at wining and dining a woman. The only thing he isn’t an expert at is relationships.
Liv Papandreas is a sous chef at a very popular restaurant in downtown Nashville. After witnessing her boss, the hottest celebrity chef in town, sexually harassing an employee, and trying to put an end to it, Liv is terminated. For Liv, this means war, which means that she’s going to need help.
Enter Braden Mack and the Bromance Book Club.
Liv dislikes everything Mack stands for, yet she desperately needs help and if she’s honest with herself, she can’t take her eyes off him. Good thing Mack loves a challenge and finds Liv irresistible.
Hello Sparks! Ping Ping, Pow Pow!!
“Undercover Bromance” by Lyssa Kay Adams is one rom com that had my attention immediately. I absolutely adored the characters of Mack and Liv. Mack is one guy that will bring a smile to your face, regardless of the mood you’re in and he’s oh so easy on the eyes. What’s not to like?! While I thought the first book in the series, “The Bromance Book Club” held a few more laughs and was a little more original, the characters in this novel felt more real to me than Thea and Gavin, the main characters in the first book. Regardless, both books in this series are a great distraction from real life and are must reads!
This was another buddy read with Ms. Kaceey and it gave us both lots of laughs when we needed it.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Lyssa Kay Adams for the arc.
Published on Goodreads on 5.10.20.
Bring it On! Sassy, Sweet and Oh So Sexy!
Braden Mack is a bachelor. He is also a member of the Bromance Book Club. He has been reading romance novels since he was a child and is an expert at wining and dining a woman. The only thing he isn’t an expert at is relationships.
Liv Papandreas is a sous chef at a very popular restaurant in downtown Nashville. After witnessing her boss, the hottest celebrity chef in town, sexually harassing an employee, and trying to put an end to it, Liv is terminated. For Liv, this means war, which means that she’s going to need help.
Enter Braden Mack and the Bromance Book Club.
Liv dislikes everything Mack stands for, yet she desperately needs help and if she’s honest with herself, she can’t take her eyes off him. Good thing Mack loves a challenge and finds Liv irresistible.
Hello Sparks! Ping Ping, Pow Pow!!
“Undercover Bromance” by Lyssa Kay Adams is one rom com that had my attention immediately. I absolutely adored the characters of Mack and Liv. Mack is one guy that will bring a smile to your face, regardless of the mood you’re in and he’s oh so easy on the eyes. What’s not to like?! While I thought the first book in the series, “The Bromance Book Club” held a few more laughs and was a little more original, the characters in this novel felt more real to me than Thea and Gavin, the main characters in the first book. Regardless, both books in this series are a great distraction from real life and are must reads!
This was another buddy read with Ms. Kaceey and it gave us both lots of laughs when we needed it.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Lyssa Kay Adams for the arc.
Published on Goodreads on 5.10.20.
February 23, 2022
*4.5
Bem melhor que o primeiro eu tô AAAAAAAAA
Bem melhor que o primeiro eu tô AAAAAAAAA
March 19, 2020
Amusing, heartwarming, and dreamy!
I absolutely fell in love with The Bromance Book Club and could not wait to read this book. I thought this was just as amazing as the first book and thoroughly enjoyed Mack & Liv’s love story just as much as I did Gavin & Thea’s.
UNDERCOVER BROMANCE (Bromance Book Club #2) by LYSSA KAY ADAMS is a charming, delightful, fun, sweet, witty, adorable, romantic, and brisk read that was absolutely unputdownable. Even though it was mostly a lighthearted read with plenty of laugh out loud moments it also tackles an important topic of sexual harassment in the workplace which was a little maddening and tough to read at times. Royce’s character really irked the heck out of me.
LYSSA KAY ADAMS delivers quite the exciting, entertaining, and sexy story here that has so much heart and is packed full of swoon-worthy awesomeness. I loved the book club aspect and the addition of the farm where Liv lived was such a delight to read. The secondary characters were just as important to the storyline as the main players were.
I absolutely loved the enemies to lovers trope here with Liv and Mack. Both of their characters were so entertaining and I loved the dynamics between the two of them that had me rooting for them all the way to their happy ending.
Norma’s Stats:
Cover: Fun, eye-catching, relevant, appealing, bright, intriguing and an effective representation to storyline.
Title: Intriguing, clever and I loved how meaningful it was in relation to the storyline.
Writing/Prose: Well-written, fresh, clever, engaging, captivating, humorous, fluid and charming.
Plot: Steamy, fun, delightful, adorable, lighthearted, fast-paced, absorbing, enjoyable and highly entertaining.
Ending: A swoon-worthy, happy and satisfying ending.
Overall: 4.5 Stars! A romantic comedy that is packed full of heart and absolutely unputdownable. I had so much fun reading this extremely engrossing, enjoyable & entertaining book. I also really appreciated the message here about us women standing up for ourselves and fighting against sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace! Let me tell you it isn't all that easy to do and this definitely struck a chord with me because I have personal experience with sexual harassment in the workplace. Would highly recommend!
Thanks so much to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for my gifted copy of this fabulous book to read! It was an absolute pleasure spending time with this one!!
Review can also be seen on Traveling Sisters Book Reviews blog:
https://travelingsistersbookreviews.com/
I absolutely fell in love with The Bromance Book Club and could not wait to read this book. I thought this was just as amazing as the first book and thoroughly enjoyed Mack & Liv’s love story just as much as I did Gavin & Thea’s.
UNDERCOVER BROMANCE (Bromance Book Club #2) by LYSSA KAY ADAMS is a charming, delightful, fun, sweet, witty, adorable, romantic, and brisk read that was absolutely unputdownable. Even though it was mostly a lighthearted read with plenty of laugh out loud moments it also tackles an important topic of sexual harassment in the workplace which was a little maddening and tough to read at times. Royce’s character really irked the heck out of me.
LYSSA KAY ADAMS delivers quite the exciting, entertaining, and sexy story here that has so much heart and is packed full of swoon-worthy awesomeness. I loved the book club aspect and the addition of the farm where Liv lived was such a delight to read. The secondary characters were just as important to the storyline as the main players were.
I absolutely loved the enemies to lovers trope here with Liv and Mack. Both of their characters were so entertaining and I loved the dynamics between the two of them that had me rooting for them all the way to their happy ending.
Norma’s Stats:
Cover: Fun, eye-catching, relevant, appealing, bright, intriguing and an effective representation to storyline.
Title: Intriguing, clever and I loved how meaningful it was in relation to the storyline.
Writing/Prose: Well-written, fresh, clever, engaging, captivating, humorous, fluid and charming.
Plot: Steamy, fun, delightful, adorable, lighthearted, fast-paced, absorbing, enjoyable and highly entertaining.
Ending: A swoon-worthy, happy and satisfying ending.
Overall: 4.5 Stars! A romantic comedy that is packed full of heart and absolutely unputdownable. I had so much fun reading this extremely engrossing, enjoyable & entertaining book. I also really appreciated the message here about us women standing up for ourselves and fighting against sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace! Let me tell you it isn't all that easy to do and this definitely struck a chord with me because I have personal experience with sexual harassment in the workplace. Would highly recommend!
Thanks so much to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for my gifted copy of this fabulous book to read! It was an absolute pleasure spending time with this one!!
Review can also be seen on Traveling Sisters Book Reviews blog:
https://travelingsistersbookreviews.com/
December 31, 2019
After reading the first book in this series I needed instant gratification with a book 2. I LOVE these Romance reading book club boys. Braden Mack is the founder of this little club that of men that get in touch with their and their women's feelings by reading the romance. The porny parts are just icing on the cake.
Braden is the typical he-man pretty boy of the group. He owns several nightclubs in Nashville and seems to be able to have all the ladies. They just don't stay with him. He is wining and dining his latest lady love when the pastry chef drops a thousand dollar cupcake on the date's lap.
The pastry chef just happens to be Thea (from book one's) sister Liv. Liv is a fighter. She believes in standing up to evil men and the evil man she is dealing with is her boss famous chef Royce. He is a dingleberry who just pays women hush money after he does the feely feely to them or destroys their careers if the do not play along.
He a douche.
So how did this story go for me? I honestly didn't like it as much as book one. It just felt kinda rushed and I didn't really ever get mad enough at the douche chef. I know he an asshole but it just never felt personal enough that I wanted to jump in and punch his face.
There were a few times when I kinda thought it was over the top with the men in the bookclub being almost too mushy also.
I mean I know they were planning strategies but I wasn't feeling it.
And dare I say it? I didn't really like Liv a whole lot. We wouldn't be besties.
Now for what I did love...and I DO like this series and will happily read any more that I can get my hands on.
Love number one...and probably enough to count as number two also.
The Russian
Love number three:
The chicken vagina discussion
I just snorted thinking about those things.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
Braden is the typical he-man pretty boy of the group. He owns several nightclubs in Nashville and seems to be able to have all the ladies. They just don't stay with him. He is wining and dining his latest lady love when the pastry chef drops a thousand dollar cupcake on the date's lap.
The pastry chef just happens to be Thea (from book one's) sister Liv. Liv is a fighter. She believes in standing up to evil men and the evil man she is dealing with is her boss famous chef Royce. He is a dingleberry who just pays women hush money after he does the feely feely to them or destroys their careers if the do not play along.
He a douche.
So how did this story go for me? I honestly didn't like it as much as book one. It just felt kinda rushed and I didn't really ever get mad enough at the douche chef. I know he an asshole but it just never felt personal enough that I wanted to jump in and punch his face.
There were a few times when I kinda thought it was over the top with the men in the bookclub being almost too mushy also.
I mean I know they were planning strategies but I wasn't feeling it.
And dare I say it? I didn't really like Liv a whole lot. We wouldn't be besties.
Now for what I did love...and I DO like this series and will happily read any more that I can get my hands on.
Love number one...and probably enough to count as number two also.
The Russian
Love number three:
The chicken vagina discussion
I just snorted thinking about those things.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
October 11, 2021
Trickle me red!! Is it hot in here or is it just me after reading Undercover Bromance. Lyssa Kay Adams turns up the heat here in this story in more ways than one.
Things get heated here between Liv and her formal celebrity chef boss after she witnesses him harnessing an employee. When Mack and members of the Bromance Book Club find out they assist her in bringing down the chef for his actions.
Things also get heated in a different way between our enemies to lovers Mack and Liv. The banner between them left me laughing out loud, cringing with exhaustion at times with the bickering and then blushing like a red velvet cupcake. I myself had a love-hate relationship here with the dynamics between them.
I can be one tough cookie when it comes to rom-com and the lighter side of some important issues used, and that overthinker in me takes over. The sexual harassment storyline missed the mark for me and I struggled with letting that go as I was reading it.
Overall I really enjoyed Uncover Bromance and recommend it to readers looking for a fun, entertaining read with a little steam it. I look forward to the third book Crazy Stupid Bromance.
I received a copy from the publisher.
Things get heated here between Liv and her formal celebrity chef boss after she witnesses him harnessing an employee. When Mack and members of the Bromance Book Club find out they assist her in bringing down the chef for his actions.
Things also get heated in a different way between our enemies to lovers Mack and Liv. The banner between them left me laughing out loud, cringing with exhaustion at times with the bickering and then blushing like a red velvet cupcake. I myself had a love-hate relationship here with the dynamics between them.
I can be one tough cookie when it comes to rom-com and the lighter side of some important issues used, and that overthinker in me takes over. The sexual harassment storyline missed the mark for me and I struggled with letting that go as I was reading it.
Overall I really enjoyed Uncover Bromance and recommend it to readers looking for a fun, entertaining read with a little steam it. I look forward to the third book Crazy Stupid Bromance.
I received a copy from the publisher.
November 9, 2020
As someone who loved The Bromance Book Club, I was very much disappointed to find so many issues with this book.
Initial thoughts:
📌 The whole storyline is driven by Olivia's need to "save" female victims of sexual assault from her former boss. In retrospect, that synopsis alone should've sent alarm bells ringing in my head, because damn, did Undercover Bromance miss its mark.
📌 While I recognize that Olivia was deliberately written to be unlikable, I don't think it was the author's intention for her to be... the human embodiment of internalized misogyny.
- For the most part of the book, Olivia's desire for revenge and holier-than-thou attitude led to her constantly victim-blaming and gaslighting other women (e.g. "...that makes you no better than any of men who’ve covered up for him"). Although she did get called out occasionally, I don't think she ever fully realized that the problem wasn't her own insecurities, but the internalized misogyny that she refuses to unlearn.
- For someone who supposedly hates men and patriarchy, she sure does believe that the only form of strength is rooted in being 'masculine', that is, being assertive and being able to 'tough' things out like a 'real' man.
- Relatedly, she constantly made patronizing comments about "manning up", especially whenever she interacted with Braden Mack.
📌 There's a side romance between a radical feminist hippie and a conservative former military soldier who participated in war crimes. Probably not the best choice when you're writing a supposedly "progressive" romance novel.
📌 Speaking of absurdly problematic things in a supposedly progressive romance novel, there's a sex scene with extremely dubious consent. For context, Liv literally voiced out that she hadn't consented to having sex with Mack again. His response? Oral sex isn't sex. And without a pause, he kept going. Yikes.
📌 This started out with so much promise! I loved Mack's first chapter. However, things quickly went downhill.
📌 I was also disappointed that the bromance book club served little to no purpose in this installment. Especially the manuals! Where were the romance novels? WHERE WERE THEY.
📌 This was an extremely pitiful take on enemies-to-lovers. The source of Olivia's animosity towards Mack is the fact that he... once ate her Chinese takeout without permission. It's ridiculous.
📌 Undercover Bromance is also disgustingly heteronormative (see, for example, the comment about oral sex not being real sex). There's a subtle premium placed on male and female genitalia, everything is viewed from a binary lens, and it's pretty gross. And of course, whenever "progressive" conversations happen, it's like queer people don't exist. Similarly, there are no LGBTQIAP+ characters in this book.
📌 The feminism advocated in this book is literally "LET MEN HAVE MANICURES" and honestly, it really doesn't sit well with me.
📌 Moreover, the way that this book handles victims of sexual harassment is also embarrassingly heavy-handed. They're just tools to advance the plot for Olivia and Mack's love story.
Not recommended!
🌻🍃 More bookish content on Shut up, Shealea 🍃🌻
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Initial thoughts:
📌 The whole storyline is driven by Olivia's need to "save" female victims of sexual assault from her former boss. In retrospect, that synopsis alone should've sent alarm bells ringing in my head, because damn, did Undercover Bromance miss its mark.
📌 While I recognize that Olivia was deliberately written to be unlikable, I don't think it was the author's intention for her to be... the human embodiment of internalized misogyny.
- For the most part of the book, Olivia's desire for revenge and holier-than-thou attitude led to her constantly victim-blaming and gaslighting other women (e.g. "...that makes you no better than any of men who’ve covered up for him"). Although she did get called out occasionally, I don't think she ever fully realized that the problem wasn't her own insecurities, but the internalized misogyny that she refuses to unlearn.
- For someone who supposedly hates men and patriarchy, she sure does believe that the only form of strength is rooted in being 'masculine', that is, being assertive and being able to 'tough' things out like a 'real' man.
- Relatedly, she constantly made patronizing comments about "manning up", especially whenever she interacted with Braden Mack.
📌 There's a side romance between a radical feminist hippie and a conservative former military soldier who participated in war crimes. Probably not the best choice when you're writing a supposedly "progressive" romance novel.
📌 Speaking of absurdly problematic things in a supposedly progressive romance novel, there's a sex scene with extremely dubious consent. For context, Liv literally voiced out that she hadn't consented to having sex with Mack again. His response? Oral sex isn't sex. And without a pause, he kept going. Yikes.
📌 This started out with so much promise! I loved Mack's first chapter. However, things quickly went downhill.
📌 I was also disappointed that the bromance book club served little to no purpose in this installment. Especially the manuals! Where were the romance novels? WHERE WERE THEY.
📌 This was an extremely pitiful take on enemies-to-lovers. The source of Olivia's animosity towards Mack is the fact that he... once ate her Chinese takeout without permission. It's ridiculous.
📌 Undercover Bromance is also disgustingly heteronormative (see, for example, the comment about oral sex not being real sex). There's a subtle premium placed on male and female genitalia, everything is viewed from a binary lens, and it's pretty gross. And of course, whenever "progressive" conversations happen, it's like queer people don't exist. Similarly, there are no LGBTQIAP+ characters in this book.
📌 The feminism advocated in this book is literally "LET MEN HAVE MANICURES" and honestly, it really doesn't sit well with me.
📌 Moreover, the way that this book handles victims of sexual harassment is also embarrassingly heavy-handed. They're just tools to advance the plot for Olivia and Mack's love story.
Not recommended!
🌻🍃 More bookish content on Shut up, Shealea 🍃🌻
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October 29, 2022
4 stars!
Pastry chef Liv Papandreas gets fired from her job when she drops a thousand dollar cupcake on a customer and then walks in on her boss sexually harassing an employee. Her boss proceeds to black ball her in the restaurant industry and Liv sets out to take him down. Her unlikely ally is Mack, friend of her brother in law, who wants to help Liv take down her old boss. But they will both need help from the entire bromance book club.
How sad is it that while reading this book, it felt like a fairy tale that men would believe women when they were harassed and immediately leap to their defense, no questions asked? I know there are good men out there, but I was shocked by this in the book and that made me sad that I even have that doubt.
I thought Liv and Mack were excellently paired, the jaded pastry chef and the romantic hero at heart. Their banter was a lot of fun and the build up of their romance and relationship worked really well. I also enjoyed the side characters a lot, except maybe I am sensitive but all of the torture jokes from The Russian were not funny to me at all, it felt like an insensitive caricature of a culture. And I worry about that man’s intestines with all the cheese/farting incidents he has.
Filled with humor and heart warming moments, the bromance book club series is turning out to be a win for me and I am excited to read the rest of the series.
Pastry chef Liv Papandreas gets fired from her job when she drops a thousand dollar cupcake on a customer and then walks in on her boss sexually harassing an employee. Her boss proceeds to black ball her in the restaurant industry and Liv sets out to take him down. Her unlikely ally is Mack, friend of her brother in law, who wants to help Liv take down her old boss. But they will both need help from the entire bromance book club.
How sad is it that while reading this book, it felt like a fairy tale that men would believe women when they were harassed and immediately leap to their defense, no questions asked? I know there are good men out there, but I was shocked by this in the book and that made me sad that I even have that doubt.
I thought Liv and Mack were excellently paired, the jaded pastry chef and the romantic hero at heart. Their banter was a lot of fun and the build up of their romance and relationship worked really well. I also enjoyed the side characters a lot, except maybe I am sensitive but all of the torture jokes from The Russian were not funny to me at all, it felt like an insensitive caricature of a culture. And I worry about that man’s intestines with all the cheese/farting incidents he has.
Filled with humor and heart warming moments, the bromance book club series is turning out to be a win for me and I am excited to read the rest of the series.
March 12, 2020
These clever rom coms are such a pick-me-up! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Liv worked at a hot restaurant in Nashville. The reason she no longer works there is because she saw her boss, the chef, taking advantage of another employee, and when she spoke up, she was fired. Liv doesn’t walk away easily though. She wants revenge.
Braden is a founder of the Bromance Book Club. Liv asks for help, and he obliges and calls upon his other book club friends. They intend to get revenge on the chef. And along the way, there's love.
The revenge plot is based on the book the club is reading. How fun is that?! The characters were brilliant. It was a bit dramatic, but it was so entertaining I didn’t care. I loved it all. I needed a book that would have me smiling and laughing, and this was most definitely it!
I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Liv worked at a hot restaurant in Nashville. The reason she no longer works there is because she saw her boss, the chef, taking advantage of another employee, and when she spoke up, she was fired. Liv doesn’t walk away easily though. She wants revenge.
Braden is a founder of the Bromance Book Club. Liv asks for help, and he obliges and calls upon his other book club friends. They intend to get revenge on the chef. And along the way, there's love.
The revenge plot is based on the book the club is reading. How fun is that?! The characters were brilliant. It was a bit dramatic, but it was so entertaining I didn’t care. I loved it all. I needed a book that would have me smiling and laughing, and this was most definitely it!
I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
April 8, 2020
Page 245. Fear is a powerful motivator, but so is love.
One of the reasons I dislike this book other than Olivia being a horrible human being, is that I really miss the Bromance Bookclub. Yes the guys were all there, even invited a new member. Earl Hopkins aka Hop a Vietnam veteran and retired state detective. But even with everything going on I didn’t feel the same Bromance Connection because all of the manuals were missing. There was one mention and part of a romance novel. In a book series called Bromance Book Club there was one book mention. The first book had excepts and they talked about them. And I really missed the guys.
I also absolutely loathed the main character Olivia “Liv” Papandreas and her sister Thea. Liv was awful and put so many women in danger. She was judgmental, a bully, victim blamed the whole time, and out for revenge. She was doing something “good” by trying to take down the villain from the story but she wasn’t doing it to help the other women. She was doing it out of pride. She wanted to take him down as a vindictive tactic. She wanted revenge and even told a victim that’s why she was doing it. I honestly didn’t find her at all likable. So many people grow up in shitty situations at home. Very similar to her situation in fact. And none of them intentionally hurt other people because of it. She had this entitlement that came from her suffering. Like she could hurt anyone she wanted and get a free pass because someone hurt her. Like she was owed something. She was such a victim about everything.
Another thing I really disliked was the “humor” in this story. In the beginning when Liv witnesses the awful act of Royce And Liv is constantly insulting Mack’s masculinity. Again, as if joking. Like it was funny. It wasn’t funny. And don’t get me started on all the fart and poop jokes at the expense of the lactose intolerant Russian hockey player. There’s medicine for that now. A small pill he can take before ingesting lactose. Also, he was probably in pain and it’s not that funny.
Not even Mack could save this story for me because frankly he deserves better.
One of the reasons I dislike this book other than Olivia being a horrible human being, is that I really miss the Bromance Bookclub. Yes the guys were all there, even invited a new member. Earl Hopkins aka Hop a Vietnam veteran and retired state detective. But even with everything going on I didn’t feel the same Bromance Connection because all of the manuals were missing. There was one mention and part of a romance novel. In a book series called Bromance Book Club there was one book mention. The first book had excepts and they talked about them. And I really missed the guys.
I also absolutely loathed the main character Olivia “Liv” Papandreas and her sister Thea. Liv was awful and put so many women in danger. She was judgmental, a bully, victim blamed the whole time, and out for revenge. She was doing something “good” by trying to take down the villain from the story but she wasn’t doing it to help the other women. She was doing it out of pride. She wanted to take him down as a vindictive tactic. She wanted revenge and even told a victim that’s why she was doing it. I honestly didn’t find her at all likable. So many people grow up in shitty situations at home. Very similar to her situation in fact. And none of them intentionally hurt other people because of it. She had this entitlement that came from her suffering. Like she could hurt anyone she wanted and get a free pass because someone hurt her. Like she was owed something. She was such a victim about everything.
Another thing I really disliked was the “humor” in this story. In the beginning when Liv witnesses the awful act of Royce And Liv is constantly insulting Mack’s masculinity. Again, as if joking. Like it was funny. It wasn’t funny. And don’t get me started on all the fart and poop jokes at the expense of the lactose intolerant Russian hockey player. There’s medicine for that now. A small pill he can take before ingesting lactose. Also, he was probably in pain and it’s not that funny.
Not even Mack could save this story for me because frankly he deserves better.
May 10, 2021
*3.5
February 13, 2020
After reading and LOVING The Bromance Book Club last year, I was so excited for Liv and Mack's story. Mack was so endearing in book one and I was so ready for this hate to love romance.
When this book started, I knew we would have a more serious storyline with Liv trying to take down a boss who sexually harasses his employees. Unfortunately, though, I feel like that storyline really took over the plot and we didn't get as much connection to the romance as I wanted. Liv and Mack fight so much and their romance is really slow, but not necessarily slow burn. I didn't really feel the chemistry between them and was missing that connection. Liv was a very closed off person, but I felt like she was way too hard on Mack, especially near the end where she was mad at him for keeping secrets. She was hypocritical and I wasn't a fan how that was used to spur on the conflict.
Because so much of the plot was focused on the guy that Liv and Mack were trying to bring down, I also think this book dragged too much at the end. We were already at 280 pages and things were dragged out another 60 and I was ready for the story to end. I wish there was more to Mack and Liv's romance and that there was more with the book club like in the first book. They only read one small snippet from a romantic suspense and didn't correlate the fake book to their current situation as much, which is something I had loved from book one.
While I still did enjoy this book, I was left more bored than not and just wanted more. I am definitely still excited about the next book and being back in this world of lovable and adorable characters.
When this book started, I knew we would have a more serious storyline with Liv trying to take down a boss who sexually harasses his employees. Unfortunately, though, I feel like that storyline really took over the plot and we didn't get as much connection to the romance as I wanted. Liv and Mack fight so much and their romance is really slow, but not necessarily slow burn. I didn't really feel the chemistry between them and was missing that connection. Liv was a very closed off person, but I felt like she was way too hard on Mack, especially near the end where she was mad at him for keeping secrets. She was hypocritical and I wasn't a fan how that was used to spur on the conflict.
Because so much of the plot was focused on the guy that Liv and Mack were trying to bring down, I also think this book dragged too much at the end. We were already at 280 pages and things were dragged out another 60 and I was ready for the story to end. I wish there was more to Mack and Liv's romance and that there was more with the book club like in the first book. They only read one small snippet from a romantic suspense and didn't correlate the fake book to their current situation as much, which is something I had loved from book one.
While I still did enjoy this book, I was left more bored than not and just wanted more. I am definitely still excited about the next book and being back in this world of lovable and adorable characters.
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