Isn't It Bromantic? — Books, Beauty, & Buys

By: Lyssa Kay Adams
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 350

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): With his passion for romance novels, it was only a matter of time before Vlad wrote one.

Elena Konnikova has lived her entire adult life in the shadows. As the daughter of a Russian journalist who mysteriously disappeared, she escaped danger the only way she knew how: She married her childhood friend, Vladimir, and moved to the United States, where he is a professional hockey player in Nashville.

Vlad, aka the Russian, thought he could be content with his marriage of convenience. But it’s become too difficult to continue in a one-sided relationship. He joined the Bromance Book Club to learn how to make his wife love him, but all he’s learned is that he deserves more. He’s ready to create his own sweeping romance—both on and off the page.

The bros are unwilling to let Vlad forgo true love—and this time they’re not operating solo. They join forces with Vlad’s neighbors, a group of meddling widows who call themselves the Loners. But just when things finally look promising, Elena’s past life intrudes and their happily ever after is cast into doubt.

First Impressions

I have loved the first 3 Bromance Book Club books and was so excited when I saw that The Russian, one of my favorite side characters, was going to be getting his own book.

What I thought

This book was everything I wanted it to be. I flew through it and enjoyed every minute.

Vlad, The Russian, is a hockey player in the NHL. He is also married yet hasn’t seen his wife in 6 years. She currently lives in Chicago and they don’t. He has recently decided to use his book club knowledge to win his wife back, until she surprises him and asks for a divorce. Then he gets injure and she comes to take care of him as a last payback for everything he’s done for her.

What I loved about this book was that it was about two people rediscovering each other and falling back in love. I don’t tend to read that trope very often, so it was refreshing to me. A lot of the time exes to lovers tropes bother me because people break up for a reason, and so many of those stories don’t address why they broke up the first time. This was different since Elena and Vlad had never truly been together in the first place.

Vlad is one of my favorite people. He is kind hearted and emotional and doesn’t apologize for it. Elena drove me a little nuts at first but I feel like her character gets explained very well and made me end up falling in love with her.

The side characters, as always, were one of the best parts of this book. I loved getting the see the previous book club men and I liked getting to know Vlad’s neighborhood friends. I don’t have to much to say about this book because it was just sweet and enjoyable. I don’t have any issues with it, but it’s not going to be life changing.