When Elena showed up at Mack's wedding in search of Vlad aka "The Russian," there was no way I could have dreamt up the story behind their romance. Lyssa Kay Adams is an expert at weaving a story within a story and the bro-support in this book is at its best. Get ready to laugh out loud, tear up, be on the edge of your seat and even learn a little Russian in this latest installment of the Bromance Book Club.

Yesss!!! Yesss!!! And yesss!!! We got the best book of the series! Vladimir a.k.a Russian, my favorite member of the bromance book club, our sweet teddy bear, gentle and emotional giant finally had his own book! At the ending of my each reviews, I kindly requested, chanted for him to have his own love story and I’m so happy Ms. Adams listened to Vlad’s fans and made their wishes come true!

Vlad is giant Russian, a star hockey player but he’s unconventional hero: first of all don’t get fooled by his intimidating appearance! He is sensitive man: he cries at the weddings, he loves to hang out with stray cats, dogs, even with chickens at his house. He’s addicted to cheese even though he’s suffering from serious gluten intolerance ( we saw the ugly and smelly results when he ate wrong kind of food at the previous books) He’s like a cheerful, gold hearted child trapped in a man’s body! He’s still sweet, honest, a little immature and mostly stubborn!

He only loved one woman in his life, his wife Elena and he attended to the book club to win her heart by reading romance books and learn the ways how to make his own wife fall for her!

Yes, their marriage of convenience to help his wife stay in the states when she had troubled time after her father’s killing in Russia. He supported her education and he patiently waited for her to complete her degree in Chicago and come back to him! But she never did. And when he offered her to stop pretending and trying to have a real marriage, she rejects his offer, telling him she’ll return back to Russia, breaking his heart into millions of pieces!

After this back story, I was a little biased about Elena because she truly hurt my lovely giant! ( I truly agree with the Loners at first, our lovely giant deserves better!) She keeps secret from him, investigating her journalist father’s death who gained so many political enemies, chasing his last unfinished story about sex trafficking, planning to finish it as a tribute to his memory!

But Vlad’s unexpected injury at his last hockey match brings two of them together! Elena offers to take care of him! Vlad doesn’t want her feel responsible to look after him reluctantly and Elena feels rejected! Finally these two ultra stubborn and prideful people decide to live together till Vlad gets healed!

Vlad’s neighbors : a group of senior citizens, meddling widows act so protective around him and judge Elena a little harshly at the beginning. But Vlad’s backup team: our delicious boys club save the day by working on a romantic plan to solve unresolved issues and misunderstandings of the lovers ( there are tons of them!)

Finally when I learn Elena’s side of story, I stopped hating her! She was also sensitive, resilient, insecure but still likable character and I loved their childhood romance as well!

At the previous books, we saw the funny side and special sense of humor of Vlad. He’s natural, unique, childish, sweetheart! And this book helps us to see very romantic side of him!

Some parts of the book are truly entertaining. Especially the secret speak-cheesy operations of Vlad and his cravings made me laugh a lot!

Overall: I was so sure this would be the best book of the series and I planned to give five million stars before I started the book! I’m so happy I trusted my intuitions! They never disappoint me!

I love these boys! I love this series! But mostly I love Russian! That’s my truly favorite book of the series!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions. And special thanks to Lyssa Kay Adams to give my favorite character his own book!

Vlad, aka the Russian started a marriage of convenience to protect his childhood friend, and bring her out of Russia. But they have spent 4 years in different cities, and he's ready for more. He wants his own happily ever after, and all his study in the Bromance Club has prepared him to ask for what he wants. Elena's father fought corruption as a Russian journalist until he disappeared. She came to America with Vlad, but she's also pursued her education to become a journalist too. When Vlad's injured they have a second chance to start their marriage.
Vlad's support group includes the Bromance Bros, a neighborhood groupd of widows, and a couple of stray pets... and with luck he can convince Elena that they can be her support group too.

Why I started this book: I jumped at the chance to read Adam's latest addition to her Bromance Book Club... I was so eager to cheer for the Russian, and marriage of convenience is one of my guilty pleasures genre reads.

Why I finished it: Charming, goofy and it surprised me into laughing out loud, this book was a delight to read. What a blessing to have so many people ready to help you be your best self; to cheer you on, and demand that you do better. Vlad and Elena's romance was good, but I am here for the friendships, the Bromance Club and all their craziness. Plus, I need to find a Russian restaurant near me because everything sounded delicious.

Sometimes ARCs sit on my kindle until right up to or after release day ... but I am obsessed with this world and characters that inhabit it. So I read it as soon as the ARC dropped onto my account.

When I found out that book 4 was going to be about The Russian, I was mildly skeptical about how it was going to work. Up until this point, I felt like his character was a running gag. Simply there in the background to bring the fart jokes and the levity. So I was unsure about how this all was going to go with him being a main character.

To my complete joy (and relief), I loved this just as much as the previous three. This effortlessly transitioned Vlad from the chuckle eliciting secondary character to an emotionally vulnerable hero seeking out his own happily ever after. Vlad has probably eclipsed Noah as my favorite hero brought forward by this series so far.

The story also brings about a fresh twist on the interspersed romance novel chapters we have seen in previous volumes.

And now even though this doesn’t even release until July, I will sit in quiet vigil as I await (impatiently) an announcement of a book 5.

❤️

❣️Isn’t it bromantic? by Lyssa Kay Adams

Vlad and Elena have been best friends since childhood. Following Elena’s father’s mysterious death, she and Vlad agreed to a marriage of convenience so she could escape danger and leave Russia for the United States. After years of miscommunications, their marriage of convenience is heading for trouble. Vlad will need to rely on the bromance book club and his meddlesome neighbours for help.

This is the forth instalment of the Bromance Book Club series. If you haven’t read yet, what in the world are you waiting for!? I’ve been waiting for Vlad’s (the Russian’s) book ever since the first bromance book! I had no idea what kind of story precious Vlad would have, and let me tell you, it’s everything! 😍

Here are just a few things I loved:

💓The relationship between the bros is always the highlight for me. Their banter never fails to put a smile on my face. There were so many laugh out loud moments 🛁

💓Vlad is the softest, most precious hero you’ll ever read. He’s the true hero of the club and pushes the hardest for everyone else to get their HEA, which is why he was SO easy to root for. He and Elena’s relationship hit me with the feels. And Elena is perfect for him 😭

💓The Loners killed me 🤣

💓The animals!!! There’s always an animal in these books and they’re amazing.

💓 Cheese (if you know, you know)

💓As always, these books are feminist A F, challenging gender stereotypes and serious subject matter in a meaningful way while still being entertaining and hilarious.

I cannot wait for everyone to read this and for the next instalment! Seriously it’s so good 🤩 Massive thank you to @berkleyromance, @netgalley and @lyssakayadams . This book really made me smile.💓

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for this eARC.

I am a little surprised this worked so well for me. I was worried that "the Russian's" book was going to be one long poo joke based on my least favorite parts of the previous books in the series. Plus, this series skirts the line of being a little too self-aware of the meta-commentary on romance novels and conversations about gender (these parts of the book are often correct, but not exactly how people talk most of the time). AND YET, they work and I like them. They have a lot of heart and found family at their core, and really do value kindness. It's nice! I will continue to read the series, I am sure, and I guess maybe Michelle is next?

Vlad may have started in this series as comic relief, but the story of his enduring love to Elena and the modern day complications of their “marriage of convenience” is surprisingly touching. Throw in some side plots that range from hilarious to harrowing (Cheese Man is truly the star of this book), and you’ve got another perfect addition to the Bromance Book Club series.

This is exactly the story that Vlad deserved and Elena is the perfect match for him. Most of the tropes used in this book are not the ones that I gravitate towards, but they are executed so well that I was in love from page one.

Adams has an incredible way of combining comedy with serious topics and beautiful relationships - both platonically and romantically. One of the best part of these books are the healthy friendships that breakdown all of the gender stereotypes. The conversations that the men have with each other and the love they have for each other is just so healthy.

CW: death of parents, mentions of sex trafficking

Tropes: marriage of convenience, marriage in trouble, second chance, childhood friends to adult love

I am forever grateful to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.