REVIEW: The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

In The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams, Baseball player Gavin Scott has evidently hit a new low in his life even as his career is gaining momentum. Finding out that the magic he thought was happening in the bedroom has been faked–at least on his wife Thea’s part–has brought about what might be the end of his marriage. Gavin turns to his Nashville Legends teammates for help. And they are more than willing to give him some advice. He just never expected it to be in the form of a bodice ripper romance set in the 1800s–or that the guys have based an entire book club around such romances to help them be better boyfriends and spouses. Can a historical romance really have any useful advice? Gavin is willing to give it a try if it will save his marriage.

“First rule of book club?”
They finished in unison. “You don’t talk about book club.”
What. The. Fuck.
Gavin looked around for a hidden camera. This had to be a prank.
“A book club? That’s your grand plan for saving my marriage?”

Asking Gavin for a divorce was proof to Thea that she had reached the point of no return in their struggling marriage. Feeling brushed aside, forever taking care of their beloved twins, the house, and everything else while Gavin travels and practices for ball games, Thea is set on taking back her life. She wants to finish her college degree, start a career, and feel like a wanted, beautiful woman again. Simply going through the motions in her life with Gavin isn’t enough anymore. But when he starts reminding her of just how much love and passion they had between them early on in their relationship, Thea begins to wonder if there is something worth salvaging between them after all.

‘Who the hell did he think he was? He didn’t get to march in here and kiss her like that after all this time. As if she’d just melt and forget everything that happened.’

Hilarious but full of heart and a whole load of memorable characters, The Bromance Book Club was the perfect start of a new series by Lyssa Kay Adams.

“I’m not going to let you push me away again. Not without a fight.”
Her breath caught. “Why are you doing this?” she rasped. “What do you possibly get out of this?”
“I get the best prize of all,” Gavin murmured, dragging his finger down the nape of her neck. “I win you.”

This is my first time reading Lyssa Kay Adams but I am not going to be a stranger to her work in the future. (I really can’t wait to read book two in the series in March 2020!) She had a stellar idea for the setup of this story–*and* she pulled it off quite nicely. Adams had a lovely flow to her writing. And the pacing of this book was on point. But honestly what really caught my attention was that she also wrote “chapters” from a fictional historical romance/bodice ripper called Courting the Countess. The book that the big manly alpha baseball players were all a fan of. So kudos to Adams for having to write both a modern romance *and* a historical romance, all in one book!

This is where I’m going to have to be honest about the characters. In a nutshell: The guys? Yay!! The ladies? Not so much… Okay, so I loved, loved, loved the baseball players and Gavin, our hero, right along with them. They were an absolute riot. I won’t get into the many scenes that had me almost crying with laughter, so you can experience it for yourself. (Although I can say the nicknames Gavin came up with in his head for the hero of Courting the Countess was some of my favorite moments, lol.) I think what I enjoyed most about the guys was their willingness to help Gavin and how they were open and honest about problems they’ve had in the past as well as how reading romances helped them understand the woman in their lives better. Yes, they were a bit clueless sometimes. Particularly Gavin. But he really did love Thea and wanted to do right by her. If only she would let him…

Thea and her sister Liv were the naysayers in the story. Boy did they give Gavin and the rest of the guys a difficult time. I could understand why Thea was feeling left in the dust with Gavin always on the road and with his career taking off. But honestly…what did she think life with a baseball player was going to be like? I warmed up to Thea when she started to really look at what Gavin was trying to communicate to her and when she began to remember what drew them together in the first place. But her sister Liv? Yikes. She was a tough one to like, although I could appreciate how adamantly she stuck up for her sister.

A refreshing take on modern marital woes and the old fashioned advice that helped one couple find their mojo again, The Bromance Book Club was a laugh out loud novel that was a pleasure to read.

Book Info:

Publication: Published November 5th 2019 | Berkley | Bromance Book Club #1

The first rule of book club:
You don’t talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville’s top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it’ll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.