Audiobook

Narration was pleasant and enjoyable to listen to! I loved the story of Vlad and his rekindling love for his wife. Thankfully the love match worked for me which is why I gave it 3 stars. Unfortunately, there is something so off about the authors writing and the things she has the men say. A few times made me cringeeeee! You could tell she put her own feminist flare into the way these men thought and acted but their actions otherwise and they stuff they said just didn’t match up. I probably won’t pick up any more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, & Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

It wasn't bad, it wasn't good, it just ... was. A lot of suspended belief to make this one work, and while I appreciate the messages the author is trying to convey with her plots and characters, they're starting to get unrealistically heavy handed. Hoping for the best for the next installment, but kind of felt like I was reading this one so I could continue with the series.

I've been waiting for Vlad's story! And Lyssa did not disappoint!

Vlad and Elena's marriage of conveince is running out of time. Living in a one sided marriage has Vlad feeling lonely and deserving of more. Elena is used to staying in the shadows, out of the lime light (which is hard to do with a pro Hockey player for a husband). But when the Bromance Bookclub decided to step in and shake things up, Vlad and Elena's relationship just might become a true love story.

I loved this latest novel in the Bromance Book Club Series. Vlad is completely lovable and a big marshmallow. Seeing his relationship with Elena grow was perfect. The added air of suspense from Elena's family was a nice touch too and not too overwhelming!

Highly recommend!

Vlad is the ideal cinnamon roll hero and I adored him with Elena.
Lifelong friends to lovers is my jam.
I will never tire of the guys and their friendship. The way they support each other is just *chefs kiss*

I just wish that a majority of this book wasn't wasted on miscommunication or complete lack thereof. So much time wasted for this beautiful couple. They still made it all worth it in the end.

I can't wait for Colton's book!!

*I received an early copy from NetGalley for voluntary/honest review

The Russian getting his own book was cause for celebration since, his unfortunate gastrointestinal distress aside, he was the most emotionally mature of the Bros in this romance series. While I eventually got to enjoy his HEA, I did struggle to get there with him. Now, I can down with unrequited longing in romances and there’s plenty to be had here. I just wish it flowed a little better than it did.

But I’ll tell you why - the story hinges greatly on miscommunication or no communication at all, which is one of my great pet peeves. When obstacles could be resolved with one good conversation, that’s not my fave. The story drags a lot in the beginning and when the story begins, the chemistry is subtle, at best. The walls between Vlad and Elena are huge and I struggled to connect to either of them without wanting to slap them both upside the head. The suspense portion of this plot was a thin thread that felt obviously inserted strictly for tension. It could have been completely removed and their emotional issues been enough to drive the narrative.

But to end on a positive note, what truly saved this book for me was the friendships. The men correcting themselves when toxic masculinity reared its head, really were shining moments and their bond grows deeper with each book. New friends join the party, though clearly to give some chance for a continuation to this series, and they helped liven up this tale. This may not be my fave entry, but the friendships are what’s keeping me coming back for more. I’d recommend it for fans of the series and for those who don’t mind Big Mis type obstacles in their romances.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Bromantic series so far. I did not enjoy this one as much as the others. I think the author tried to do much with Elena and Vladimir's story. Lyssa Kay Adams is still humorous through out the book, but this story just doesn't deliver like the others in the series.

I LOVE THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB!!! In addition, I adore the Russian! Vlad is the biggest sweetheart and I love him! I really enjoyed this book!

Pros:
-Love Vlad's loyalty to his wife even though it was a marriage of convincing.
-Him writing a romance novel of his own and the guys helping him with it.
-the ladies that also join I the help him with his marriage.
-all the characters we were introduced to for potentially more Bromance books!!!

I don't have much to complain about just that I am getting the feeling that all of the author's heroines are kind of nagging and bratty. Elena would complain to Vlad about everything and at the end of the day he's really done nothing but love her and help her on her way-- whether it was with him or not. Still an awesome read and I can't wait for more!!!

Another fun installment in the Bromance series. I'm quite enjoying how the guys work together to help their friends.

4.5🌟

I didn’t think I’d enjoy a story about the Russian aka Vlad because previously he seemed a bit oafish on precious books but this was a story we all needed!

Gimme all the Cheese Man & the underground cheese market (does this exist in real life?), the Loners, the Bromance men.

I never want this series to end. Let’s add more members eh?

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

You just can't go wrong with this loveable series! This is the fourth novel in the Bromance book club series, and it follows the Russian, who is quite the character if you have read the other books. This book has the romance trope of childhood friends and a marriage of convenience which are always fun. I don't think he is my favorite amongst the men in the book club which made this book feel a bit more lackluster to me, but it's still a fun series!

I am absolutely obsessed with this series, and The Russian is probably one of my favorite characters. I love the softness and tenderness that Adams brings to this series as well as her humor and wit. Fans of the other boys in this series certainly will not be disappointed with Vlad's story.

The was a great addition to the world that Adams has created. I loved hearing more of the Russians story and meeting Elayna. Their journey is so sweet and handled with such care. I loved how wonderful it is, it’s a fun story with a big heart. Would recommend.

Bestselling author Lyssa Kay Adams returns with the fourth entry in her Bromance Book Club series, ISN’T IT BROMANTIC?, featuring fan-favorite Vladimir, aka the Russian.

Readers of the series have eagerly rooted for the Russian, the group’s big, lovable enforcer who is always ready with a bear hug or a quippy one-liner. But until last year’s CRAZY STUPID BROMANCE, little thought was given to Vlad’s own love life, or his wife, Elena. All of that changed when Braden Mack and Liv Papandreas tied the knot, and Vlad showed up to the wedding with a jaw-droppingly gorgeous woman --- his wife. After a tense encounter, Elena left the wedding in tears, and Vlad practically fell off the face of the earth, leaving the Bromance Book Club and his friends behind.

Now, in ISN’T IT BROMANTIC?, Vlad shares his love story for the first time. He explains his reasons for joining the exclusive club of famous, trendy and desirable men who read romance novels to improve their love lives and understand the women around them better.

Vlad and Elena Konnikova have spent six years in a marriage of convenience. Back in Russia, Vlad’s parents treated Elena like their own daughter while her journalist father was out chasing the next big story and putting himself in harm’s way. When Elena’s father disappeared, and Vlad made it big as a professional hockey player for the NHL in America, he proposed, hoping not only to make his lifelong love for Elena legitimate, but to save her from falling down the same path as her father.

Unfortunately, Elena’s arrival in the United States was not the romantic time that Vlad had anticipated, as she spent the night crying alone in his spare bedroom. When she later asked to go to college in Chicago, miles from their home in Nashville, Vlad agreed to pay the way, hoping that she would see his gesture as a confession of love and use her schooling to start to feel secure in America and their marriage. But now six years of estrangement have passed, and Vlad, sick of seeing his friends find their happily-ever-afters, is ready for his own love story. The problem is that his wife is the only woman he desires, and she wants nothing to do with him.

ISN’T IT BROMANTIC? starts with a tragedy when Vlad is involved in a freak accident on the ice that breaks his tibia and puts his career on hold. Although Elena is readying herself to divorce him and return to Russia, she feels she owes him for the time he has spent caring and paying for her, so she agrees to come home to help nurse him back to health. After a disastrous and hilarious bathing incident with the Bromance Book Club, Vlad confesses his darkest secret: he and Elena have never consummated their marriage, nor done anything that counts as intimacy. Enter Gavin, Del, Mack, Malcolm, Noah, Colton and Yan. They’ve successfully used their shared knowledge of romance, women’s minds and their own failings to save and create their own relationships, and now they’re ready to do the same for the guy who has always had their backs.

Adams reminds her readers that love is a two-way street, and while it is difficult to imagine the Russian with any flaws (and easier still to see Elena as a heartless villain), both characters have a lot of growing to do at the start of the book. Though Vlad has always supported and protected Elena, he has overcorrected and tamped down his own feelings for fear of scaring her away. Sure, he has encouraged her to go off and attend college, and become the woman she has always dreamed of being, but he has never explicitly told her how much he wants her to come home and why their budding romance is worth fighting for. At the same time, Elena has long dealt with her own guilt at trapping Vlad in a loveless marriage, all while knowing that she couldn’t live without him. Using Vlad’s own historical romance manuscript as a plot device, Adams (and the Bromance Book Club!) pushes Vlad to explore his own romantic failings, and examine where his fears of being open and honest with Elena began.

ISN’T IT BROMANTIC? is yet another successful, swoon-worthy and hilarious entry in the series. Adams’ characters not only learn to become better lovers, they take great care to battle their own toxic masculinities and break down stereotypes about men, women, romance and sex. I have been waiting for Vlad’s story ever since I read THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB, and I am delighted to say that this book delivers in every way imaginable. Having adored the Russian for his one-liners, misunderstandings and love of kissing scenes, I appreciated getting to see the “real” him, and Adams does his story --- every single part of it --- total justice. It was difficult at first to sympathize with Elena, but seeing her through Vlad’s eyes, and watching him fall for the small gestures and moments that make up his wife, I found a heroine to really root for, someone terrified of being vulnerable but desperate for a real connection.

Combining the beloved wit and heart of the previous books with one of its most lovable characters and a hearty dose of Pushkin’s poetry, Lyssa Kay Adams reminds readers why they have come to love her bestselling series with ISN’T IT BROMANTIC?, my second-favorite installment to date. I cannot wait to see which member she focuses on next. I’m rooting for Colton!

I’ve enjoyed every book in this series so far, and this book was no exception. However, Vlad seemed to be a completely different character than how I had pictured him based on him from the previous books.

Vlad and Elena were childhood friends who entered into a marriage of convenience so that she could move to the states after her journalist father disappeared. Vlad is a hockey player in Nashville, and Elena goes off to college in Chicago after they are married. They have only every kissed once during their wedding (and we later learn Vlad is actually a virgin still). 6 years later, Vlad tells Elena he wants this to be a real marriage. She pined for him for too long and has given up on him, so she tells him that she wants a divorce and to move back to Russia. She wants to go finish figuring out what her dad was investigating, and find out what happened to him.

Vlad breaks his tibia in a hockey game, and the team managers call Elena. She moves back in with him to help take care of him. The Bromance Book Club rallies around Vlad and does everything they can to help him win her heart. Instead of the club reading a book together in this story, Vlad is actually writing a book. It correlates to what is happening in his relationship, and the guys use this book to help Vlad see what he is doing wrong, and how he really feels. There is some suspense at the end with the story that Elena has continued to dig into. While I liked this part of the plot, I felt like it needed to be fleshed out a little bit more. It happened so suddenly, without a ton of build up to it.

This book was light on the steam, but I loved how sweet Vlad was. He was much more of a cinnamon roll than I expected him to be.

4 stars
I received this book for free in return for an honest review.

Another great installment in the Bromance Book Club series! I've been eagerly waiting to read the Russian's story, and this one did not disappoint. Such a fun, escapist book!

Loved it! I have loved each of Adam's books in this series but I think this may have been my favorite so far. I really appreciated learning way more about the Russian as a character and thought his second chance at love story was excellent.

The Russian!!!!!! I’m so excited we got his story, and it certainly did not disappoint! I love love love Vlad, and I think this may have been my favorite Bromance Book Club book yet! They just keep getting better and better!

This was the best one of the bunch and I absolutely adored the Russian. I loved the marriage of convenience trope and the cameos from all our favorite people. The mutual pining in this one also killed me and it was so (wonderfully) painful to watch this two do so much for the betterment of the other without ever expressing their feelings. I truly never thought it was going to end but their happily ever after is definitely worth the torture.

Isn't it Bromantic? is one of those books that I was so excited to read that I kept putting off reading it. I even bought myself a finished copy, even though I had the eARC waiting for me on my kindle. I finally got to reading it and I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. The Bromance Book Club was a really good, original book, but the next two in the series I wasn't a fan of. Finally we get to learn more about Vlad and his story and it did not disappoint. This book was honestly everything. It had some hilarious moments and some sweet moments. This book was just so, so good. This is definitely one of those books that I can read again and again and never get sick of!