Undercover Bromance

Liv Papandreas works at Nashville’s hottest restaurant with the country’s hottest celebrity chef. Problem is, Chef Royce is significantly less charming in real life than he is on television. Like sexual assault less charming. After she is fired for confronting him, Liv begrudgingly turns to Braden Mack, her brother-in-law’s nightclub-owning book club buddy, for help. Inspired by their romantic suspense novel, The Bromance Book Club sets in motion a plan to take down Chef Royce and help Braden Mack win Liv’s heart in the process.

My review for this book is basically the same as book one, The Bromance Book Club – the book club scenes were the absolute highlight. This group of men are hilarious and charming and I look forward to reading each of their stories. I literally laughed out loud during every book club scene.

However, Liv and her sister Thea, the heroine of book one, are just awful. I was hoping this book would endear each of them to me a little more, especially Liv; but I really do not like her or find her sympathetic at all. I understand her behavior is a coping mechanism for past hurt, but she did not seem to grow or soften at all in this story. She was judgmental, rash, and obnoxious. Look, I get we are trying to be woke and feminist with stories about men reading romance novels. But Liv was just too much – she literally could NOT accept help and the blow up with Braden was entirely her “I need a man like a fish needs a bicycle” fault. If you’re gonna spend the whole book talking about how you don’t need help or any man, you need to show growth if you’re gonna end up with one. And she did not.

Braden was fine and likable enough. What made book one better for me was, even though I disliked Thea,I loved her husband Gavin so much. Braden was not dynamic enough to rescue the story for me, so the issues I had overpowered him. But I will definitely continue to read the series, especially because we will finally get away from these two sisters, and because these books always make me laugh.

DNF 85%

I bought this book at a price I normally would not pay, but I wanted it so badly. Now, I am a bit bummed.

Liv is such annoying person to me. And she has no real reason to be like she is. At least, not in my eyes. The way she needed to bring down the bad guy, without a real reason in my opinion, is what made me roll my eyes several times during my read. And how she treated Mack also annoyed me – a lot. The reason she pushes him away near the end is pathetic. Show some empathy woman!

To be nice: the writing style is good. It is just the storyline I really did not like. I missed the bookclub also. Suddenly they were a club of men with connections instead of real advice. And Liv…. ugh. Grow up!

This book featured Braden Mack and Liv Papandreas, two characters I despised in the first book. In Undercover Bromance, Liv came across as a very sympathetic character, and I thought her character here was consistent with her character in the first book. Mack, while sympathetic in Undercover Bromance, seemed as odds with his character in the first book. In the first book, Mack came across as an unlikeable individual, who seemed to have little respect for women, and he dated women once! No commitment, nor any interest in developing relationships. It seemed much of his behavior was in the book for laughs. And I still can’t get over how he hit on the wives of his friends!!! In Undercover Bromance, Mack is sympathetic because of his history (revealed as the book goes along), interested in developing a relationship with a woman, and respectful of women!! I couldn’t reconcile the two different Braden Mack characters.

While the first book quoted extensively from the Regency novel used as the “playbook” for Gavin, here the romantic suspense book was barely quoted. I missed that feature.

I did enjoy Undercover Bromance, and I did root for Liv and Mack. Also, the seasoned romance between Rosie and Hop, the takedown of the bad guy Royce, the better usage of the Russian, and the introduction of the two characters who become the focus of book 3 were all positives. And “toxic masculinity” was cited only once, a welcome improvement from the first book.

I do recommend Undercover Bromance, and have high hopes for the next book in the series.

Undercover Bromance, book 2 in the Bromance Book Club series by Lyssa Kay Adams was just utter PERFECTION! I fell head over heels in laughter and love with Braden Mack in book 1, The Bromance Club, and once again Lyssa did not disappoint with this novel.

Braden Mack is the hilariously charming bachleor among the club. He’s single and ready to find love like the rest of the guys. One wrong date proves he’s doing things wrong… That is until he joins forces with Liv to bring down her former narcissistic boss whose harassing his employees.

Liv Papandreas was first introduced to us in book 1. She’s Thea’s baby sister and she’s headstrong, snarky, and a bit sassy. She detests liars and cheaters. It all centers from her father abandoning them. She isn’t quick to fall for Mack’s charm but the more time they spend together the harder it is to fight the attraction.

Liv and Mack are total opposites which was the ideal enemies-to-lovers, love/hate relationship trope we all love and crave. Such witty banter and oh so sweet moments between these two characters and I just couldn’t get enough of it!

Secondly, the beauty of this book was that it wasn’t just a romance story. Their was so many issues and backstory that was brought up and handled in a respectable manner. I lived for those laugh-out-loud lines, especially when the Bromance Club was involved.

Undercover Bromance quickly become a top read of the year for me. Wit and heart went into this book and these characters felt like one big family. I cannot wait for more books in this series. I’m really hoping the Russian is next!

2.5 stars
When I was reading the first book I was hating so bad Liv, was a surprise to me that she was the main character in this one.

I got mixed feelings with these books. Is like i like them but I hate them at the same time. Well no hate is a strong word. But I rolled my eyes many many times.

I did not stand Liv at all. She has zero empathy, she is just a black and white person, surely is the kind of people that needs to seek psychological therapy. She thinks that is a strong female, but she is not. The sexual harassment situation that is on the book is so BAD developed, specially Liv attitude she blames the victim ALL THE TIME. As well when a situation with Mack was revealed she just made a major drama she put herself in the victim role, like GIRL is about HIM not YOU.

Liv is just childish and immature with serious daddy issues. She constantly compare Mack with her dad. It’s like “seriously, girl? Chill out.

Another thing that made so angry in this book, all the females MUST have a partner. There was a character, Rosie, which I really like, she was feminist, she was involved in marchs fighting for women rights and against the patriarchism. She ended up IN A RELATIONSHIP because “is never too late” come on, so a lady cannot decide being alone for the rest of her life per her choice? Yes or yes must have a man next to her?

About Mack he thinks that is that prince charming type with wide knowledge about female feelings and psychology, provided by romance books, but he is not he is like Will Smith in “Hitch”

Another thing that I really did not like about these books (in the first one as well) is the constantly bullying against “The Russian” who is lactose intolerant, I mean, is it funny for you??
They constantly say mean things to him also treating him like he is an idiot.

Overall the story is alright, is entertainment but that it is.

Cuando estaba leyendo la primera parte de Bromance book club, pens que iba a ser otra cosa, me imaginaba una comedia tpica de fin de semana en un canal de cable, que te hace reir, y eso. Pero no.
Con sta historia me pas algo parecido. Las situaciones no me llegaron a convencer.
Mack como el prncipe azul perfecto se me hizo imposible, Liv es absolutamente insoportable. Cuando la lea en el primer libro trataba de saltar donde apareca porque realmente me daba repeluz.

Desafortunadamente para mi es la prota del segundo libro
NO LA SOPORTO, es demasiado infantil, altanera, jura que es una mujer independiente y poderosa y lo que es una grosera de manual, cero emptica, la tpica que se cree mejor que todos.
La autora en mi opinin cree que sabe plasmar una mujer, pero no. Porque al final son bobaliconas y dependientes de un hombre para todo.
En todo el tema del acoso sexual que plantea no est muy planteado la verdad, toda la situacin e incluso la actitud de Liv, por favor, todo el tiempo echndole la culpa a la vctima. Con cero empata. Qu piensa que los hombres son basura, pero bien que se muere por Mack.

Todas las mujeres en sta historia, si o si tienen que tener una pareja. Rosie, el personaje que ms prometa como mujer independiente, no. Al la autora la hace enamorarse, porque si no, no es una mujer feliz.

Otra situacin que me pareci horrenda, es como como “The Russian” quien es intolerante a la lactosa es el constante foco de burlas por su condicin, lo tratan realmente mal y como si fuera idiota. Eso me puso de los nervios.

En fin resumiendo, es una historia que est bien para pasar el rato, pero que la verdad en muchos momentos se me hizo super inverosmil, pens que me iba rer ms con situaciones de comedia, pero fueron pocos los momentos “graciosos” y no me dieron gracia.