I adore the bromance series, and I thoroughly enjoyed A Very Merry Bromance! This is a great book for all the grumpy/sunshine trope lovers out there! The Christmas setting only makes the story more magical!

Another great addition to the series!!

I really enjoyed that Colton, the hero, was the sunshine and Gretchen, the heroine, was the grumpy in this grumpy/sunshine romance. At first I was a little worried that Gretchen was a little too much grump and her reluctance to give Colton a chance was a little frustrating. However, after diving into her family history, her reluctance to made more sense. Speaking of Gretchen's family history, I absolutely loathed her family, except for her uncle Jack. I could see her mother being redeemable but her father and brothers were the absolute worst. I do wish that THAT part of the plot would have been more fleshed out but, at the same time, I'm glad I didn't have to deal with her family any longer than necessary.

I'm usually not a fan of romances about famous actors/musicians but I absolutely adored Colton and how he really tried to stay true to himself and his music. I love that he gave really solid advice to the aspiring musician at the bar he frequented and how he even went a step further and asked to work with him to help them both. I also enjoyed Colton's friendship with the bartender who didn't show any special treatment and never held back his opinions.

Of course the best part of the story is the friendship between all of the Bromance Book Club members and their families and how supportive and close they all are to each other. I'm not sure I could ever get tired of reading about them.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

3.5 stars

A Very Merry Bromance was a fun grumpy + sunshine holiday romance. The series has been hit and miss or me, but this one was really cute! I loved the contrast between happy go lucky Colton and straight laced Gretchen. Even thought things started hot and heavy, I appreciated that the characters took their time the second time around to really get to know each other. The drama with Gretchen's family was a bit over the top and I don't think it was fully fleshed out, especially her trauma from Evan. We get a recap of sorts at the end, but there was so much to unpack that it felt too rushed. I also wasn't a fan of the final conflict, but thankfully it didn't last long and the epilogue was very sweet. Seeing all the previous couples was a highlight and I'm always a fan of found families.

I both read and listened to this book and the narration by Andrew Eiden was wonderful. His voices work well for all the different characters and I had no trouble distinguishing between characters.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 3.5 stars

Tropes: found family, grumpy + sunshine, opposites attract, ONS, friends to lovers, holiday romance

CW: gaslighting, emotional, and physical abuse from a sibling (past and on page), toxic relationship with family and estrangement, housing and financial insecurity (past), fighting, arrest, blackmail, discussion and mentions about immigration and separation of families

✨𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐖✨

𝐀 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐲𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐬

The Bromance Book Club is back (for the 5th time) & I actually do still love all of these characters 🙌🏼 This story focuses on Colton, the country music star of the group, and Gretchen, the grumpy Scrooge who has a really crappy wealthy family.

👍🏼: I loved diving back in with these characters & well-loved couples. Each couples story has a similar, light- hearted, fun vibe but is unique with their own struggles and breakthroughs as individuals and a couple. I enjoyed the Christmas spin with all the friends coming together to celebrate the holiday & rally for Colton & Gretchen in their time of need. These books are so fun & I have truly enjoyed each one so far 🫶🏼📖

👎🏼: At this point, it has been trickier for me to keep track of each couple from the bromance book club series & remember their stories when mentioned throughout this book. I also could’ve used a little more holiday festivities for a holiday romance read, but there was so much drama to fit in 😂

As I said, I have truly enjoyed each book in the series so far. I loved Colton & Gretchen’s story, especially the holiday spin for this time of year. Thanks to @berkleypub & @netgalley for the gifted copy! This one is out now & would be a perfect December read ☺️🎄🎅🏼

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’re a romance reader and haven’t read the Bromance Book Club series, you need to add it to your list immediately. This series is one of my all time favorites, so I was incredibly excited to learn that the 5th installment was a Christmas romance.

I was not disappointed.

I freaking loved this book. It was everything I wanted in not only a romance book, but in a Christmas one. I loved the grumpy sunshine trope was flipped with the main female, Gretchen, hating Christmas (for a very good reason). I loved that Colton loved her for her intelligence and that even though they were opposites separately, they fit together. I loved that Adams dove into the trauma of long term abuse, emotionally and even a bit physically (not sexually though) when Gretchen was young.

I just loved it. All of it.

I love a Christmas romance, add a Bah Humbug type and a sunshine type and I am done for.
This is a second chance romance with Colton and Gretchen. I loved Colton so much. Gretchen, meh wasnt my fav of the Bromance ladies. Her family drama just didnt vibe with the whole Christmas feel and her brother was THE WORST! I loved that the whole Bromance crew was in it.

You can read this book as a standalone but it is fun to get invested in all the characters. Overall a solid, just good Christmas read.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC

I was scared going into this book since the previous couple in the series were definitely not books I enjoyed all that much.

This one is probably the second best in the series so far (the first one being the first book). Thankfully, this one wasn't as heavy in the "socially political correctness" crap as the last few books. That means, there was a lot less eyerolling and annoyance on my part.

I was happy to see more of the bromance book club itself in this book. A few of the books veered from the meetings and setup for the club like the first book did. (Admittedly, the previous book had plenty of book club scenes too.) Those scenes make the books part of the series.

Colton and Gretchen are so sweet and fun in this book. I enjoyed their story with all of the ups and downs. For the most part, this book was exactly as it should be.

🔊Song Pairing: Christmas in the Country - Thomas Rhett (hello it’s about a music artist in Nashville - had to use Thomas Rhett)

💭What I thought would happen:

At this point I’d only read the first in the bromance series. I was curious as to what advice the boys would have for the latest victim of love. Oh and obviously here for the Russian!

📖What actually happens:

Colton is a famous rockstar who happens to belong to the notorious bromance book club. As Colton is the most recent test subject of the group, the men are trying to supply him with tips as to how to treat a woman. Gretchen has a hard outer shell, is determined, closed off and an heiress to a whiskey fortune who has since relinquished her rein to the family wealth.

Colton is trying to attempt to a) try to convince Gretchen that he is the man for her and b) that Christmas is a time to celebrate and be merry. What Colton doesn’t realize is that Christmas is for family time…Gretchen’s parents and brother are the furthest thing from the Von Trapp family.

🗯Thoughts:

This book was full of the drama I long for. I requested a front row ticket to all of the action. Yes please! It was my first of the 2022 Christmas reads. How sad is it that it was the best one 🤦🏼‍♀️

One complaint not about the book itself but the narrator. This is not my first time with this guy and ugh I think I’ll try to avoid from here on out. He has this magical “skill” of making any intelligent woman sound like a ditzy, blithering idiot with a deviated septum. Stick to voicing your own gender bucko.

Overall, this book didn’t offer anything I haven’t read before - stuck with the romantic algorithm and I enjoyed it mighty fine. Would recommend for those who are fans of romance, Hallmark Christmas movies and men attempting to get into the female psyche.

I absolutely loved it!! This is one of my all time favorite series and this book didn’t disappoint!! I’ll admit I wasn’t a fan of Gretchen at the beginning of the book (though I loved her appearance in Mac’s book) but I loved the push and pull between her and Colton. And it’s impossible not to love Colton! Lyssa Kay writes amazing nontoxic male characters who are always a breath of fresh air!

***. ADULT READ *** I really enjoyed this story, definitely a Bromance in a way I didn’t expect. It was nice to see true male friendship, backing each other up, giving real advice, being what it means to be a family. And it didn’t hurt that they had their own romance book club! Makes me want to read the whole Bromance series now! It’s the perfect book to get you in the reading mood. Not a bad start to my holiday reading1 Gretchen was a tough cookie but Colton brought out the soft side of her, showing her that family didn’t mean blood, it meant people who are there through thick and thin. Grab a copy today!!

I just love the boys and it was fun having a holiday themed adventure. I really like that Adams really digs deep with the romantic relationships as well as the friendships. Another great instalment in a really fun series.

<i>ARC Provided by NetGalley<i>

I love the Bromance series, but this one didn’t do it for me. I thought both characters had a lot of toxic tendencies that were romanticized, and as a reader I was frustrated by how aggressive Colton came on, both bribing Gretchen to go on dates with him and trying to strong-arm her into doing things she expressed that she hated. Typically these books take toxic relationship traits and work to fix them through their friends and the book club, but this relationship felt more cringe that the rest to me and it made the book hard to get through. The Christmas element was nice but didn’t feel as magical because of the way it was being forced onto Gretchen. I wouldn’t recommend this one, but I do still enjoy the series and will read the next ones.

Upon its announcement, I had high hopes for the next installment of the Bromance Book Club, and I have a penchant for reading cozy Christmas-inspired romance. So this had a lot of hype to live up to, which it successfully did not disappoint. For fans of the series, I'm glad to say that this was a wonderful addition to the existing stories and characters.

An excellent addition to the Bromance series! I liked this one and really enjoyed the holiday plotline this time.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Net Galley for this review copy!

I am obsessed with these books. I love Lyssa Kay Adams' Bromance books with my whole heart, and the fact she found a way to do a Christmas one is the absolute best. This is a whole sunshine/grumpy trope, which is honestly one of the best ones. You have the country star Colton who hasn't been able to write a hit since he met and had the best one-night stand with lawyer Gretchen. Well, he didn't want it to be just one night, but she sure did and he respected her wishes.

A year later, Gretchen's family (who is apparently like SUPER rich) wants Colton to be the face of their company and he will only do it if Gretchen is the one who works with him.

Things go on from there and it is wonderful. Completely predictable (it's a rom com, after all), but wholly enjoyable. Recommend these books who love a little steam with their comedy and who love HEAs.

A very merry bromance
rating: 4.5⭐️
genre: contemporary romance
read this if you liked: Book Lovers

The boys are back in the fifth installment of the Bromance Book Club series! If you haven’t started this series yet, just trust me and start it ASAP! It’s one of those feel good series where you root for and love every character and this book is no different! This book focuses on Colton Wheeler, a big time country music artist, and his search for love. His hookup with Gretchen last year has left a lasting impression that he can’t seem to shake, so when he gets the opportunity of a second chance with her, he’s up for the challenge. But is Gretchen? There’s more than meets the eye with her and it’s up to him to figure out how to woo her, with the help of the guys, of course! Like the other books, this one is such a delight - there’s plenty of banter, witty comebacks, and fun to be had with the guys! I enjoyed the sunshine-grumpy trope surrounding the Christmas holiday. This one leaves you feeling good and in the Christmas spirit! P.S. While you don’t *have* to read these in order, it’s best to so that you can know the characters well!

This was a cozy, cute read but I wasn’t blown away. For me, the first Bromance book is exceptional and the rest just haven’t had that same spark. This starts out with a one night stand and then the relationship moves rather quickly. I just didn’t feel the connection between the couple although I liked each character individually. Though it wasn’t my favorite in the series, it is nice go back to the Bromance world and see what happens to all the characters.

😊liked || 💋some steam
🤟celeb romance, opposites attract, funny
📚The Bergman Brothers series
🎶All the Lights by By the Cost

This book was fantastic!!!! I loved everything about it, it was smart and fun and witty. The perfect Christmas Romcom! I will read all of Lyssa Kay Adams books from now on!

I finally read one of my most anticipated holiday books this season, A Very Merry Bromance! It absolutely lived up to the hype. I love these boys and their shenanigans.

The 5th book in the series follows Colton, our favorite country singer. He had one magical night with Gretchen Winthrop after Mack’s wedding and she left him early the next day. Now a year later, Gretchen’s family business wants her to ask Colton to be the spokesperson for their family whiskey. Only they haven’t spoken in so long and once they do, they both immediately feel their chemistry. Because of Gretchen’s cold family, she also hates Christmas and Colton takes on the responsibility of showing Gretchen the magic of the season.

This book was so genuine and Colton is so swoon worthy. Gretchen works hard and for a good reason as an immigration lawyer, but she needs some help loosening up and enjoying the lighter side of life. She has seen what money can do to people and it makes her not trust people who have it. I felt terrible for her with her family situation. And Colton’s family is picture perfect and so kind.

As always, the book is extremely genuine and hilarious. My only complaint would be not enough of the other boys in the book club! Not nearly enough for me. But I loved all the talk about the friends being their own family. I also love the reverse grumpy sunshine where Colton was all Christmas spirit and Gretchen was the Scrooge. I cannot wait for the next book!

Thank you so much to @berkleyromance for my netgalley copy. I also used my PRH points to get a hard copy I just knew I was going to love this one!

I have been a fan of this series since the first book, so it was an absolute must-read when this became available. I am not typically a "holiday" romance reader. I am one of the few people I know who don't usually enjoy Hallmark movies...I know...gasp!

But Lyssa Kay Adams has this cast of characters that I absolutely love even more with each book!

This book, a stand-alone, features Colton and Gretchen. A grumpy/sunshine with a twist. In most books of this trope, the male character is the grump, but this book has the female lead, Gretchen, as the grump.
They are opposites but had an unforgettable one-night stand that ended is Gretchen ghosting Colton. Colton is a country music star, so that doesn't happen to him. But of course, their paths cross, and they are "put" together in a few situations that lead to them having to reconnect. There are definite ups and down, but Lyssa Kay Adams gives you lots of laughs and steam with this book.

I suggest you read this entire series because it's one of my favorites!