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

Lyssa Kay Adams has hit a homerun with this fun and clever story. This was a second chance romance with a unique angle. A married couple on the brink of divorce trying to heal (well at least Gavin was). Gavin is a big-time professional baseball player who is hitting grand slams on the field and striking out in the bedroom. After the game of his life Gavin discovers that his wife of three years Thea has been faking it. Gavin’s ego and pride are wounded so he moves into the guestroom and that ultimately leads to Thea asking him to leave. Gavin does not want a divorce, so after a night of drinking several of the best known men of Nashville including some of his teammates approach him with an answer to his problems. The Bromance Bookclub, A group of alpha men reading romance and learning the secrets of what women truly want.

Told from the perspectives of both Gavin and Thea, I have to admit I found Gavin the more empathetic character. I mean the guy was trying so hard. I just found him to be such an endearing character I loved how he was this big strong athlete and yet he was so vulnerable and insecure. I was thinking hey if Thea won’t take you back, I will! Thea was hard to understand, I know she had some major daddy issues and like to be the martyr, but she needed to accept some responsibility in the breakdown of this marriage. And her sister Liv did not help at all. A tiny niggle I had with this book was the age of the twins, I could never put my finger on how old these girls were supposed to be. Three? They acted much older than that, but I couldn’t make the math work any other way. Not a big deal, but it does seem to be a common problem in Books. The best part of the story really was bookclub itself, it was so hilarious listening to these men discuss romance books.

This book in emojis: ⚾️ 📚 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

I loved the premise of a group of guys helping each other out in the relationship department by reading romance novels. There were some funny moments and I appreciated that the men were serious and saw the value in loving their women. It took Gavin awhile to accept the advice and follow in the hero's footsteps to win back his wife Thea. For her part, Thea didn't know if she could trust Gavin, but his earnestness won her over. He understood what he did wrong and was willing to change. Fun and heartwarming, recommended read.

Lindy's Thoughts:

The Bromance Book Club was a story that I wanted to get my hands on from the moment I read the book synopsis. It flowed quickly and seamlessly, and I was able to read it in two sittings. I loved the fact that the story had a unique premise, and was unlike anything that I had ever read before.

Gavin Scott's marriage fell apart on the same day that he had the biggest accomplishment of his baseball career; a grand slam! His wife of three years admitted that she had never had an orgasm with him, and in fact had been faking it their entire marriage.

Gavin and Thea get in to a huge fight and he ends up moving out. After Thea tells him that she wants a divorce Gavin is devastated and doesn't know how to fix his marriage, because no matter what he does or says, he only manages to make things worse. Enter his best friend Del who indoctrinates Gavin in to a secret book club where several alpha men use historical romance novels as manuals to fix their relationships; by giving them insight in to what women need and want most!

The Bromance Book Club was a fun read! I enjoyed the plot, characters, and pearls of wisdom throughout this story. I loved that it was about an already established married couple. The story felt real and was relatable in the aspects of raising children, trying to balance career, family, individual needs, and that of your partner.

My favorite parts of the story included the interactions between the men in the Bromance Book Club, as well as that of Gavin with his twin daughters and wife Thea. I'm looking forward to continuing this series, and hope to see Gavin and Thea, as well as all of the beloved secondary characters in the next story.

If you enjoy a story that feels authentic, has fun and entertaining characters, and a unique premise, I recommend checking out The Bromance Book Club!

4.5 Stars

I haven't had this much fun with a book in a very long time! The Bromance Book Club is the sort of book that has you laughing your butt off, but also trying to gather yourself after you've crumbled into a puddle because of all the swooning. Lyssa Kay Adams' debut novel was one of my most anticipated romance debuts of the year and she leaves no stone unturned with this amazing story!

The Bromance Book Club solidifies my desire for more marriage-in-trouble romances. There's just something about a good groveling session that just gets to me, particularly if it comes from the hero. In the process of building up his career as a very famous baseball player, Gavin Scott has neglected his wife. Now Thea is asking for a divorce, but Gavin is not ready to let her go just yet. Unfortunately for him, he has absolutely no clue how to win her affections back or even where to begin with his wooing. Enter the Bromance Book Club, a book club with a bunch of men reading romance novels to learn more about women. Gavin is initially very wary - I mean, to a very manly guy, it sounds ridiculous that he could learn something about how to seduce his wife - but once he starts his assigned reading, he gets an idea or two ... I loved Gavin so much! He is undeniably a knucklehead at times - romance heroes I tell you! But he is absolutely a hero who is endearing with his utmost devotion to wanting to win Thea's love back again. He falters quite a bit in the process, but he is so determined and unf, I love a good grovel and Gavin is an expert at it.

Thea is an equally excellent protagonist. She is fierce and very confident, sometimes to a fault, but you can't really blame her for it. While also dealing with her failing marriage, she's also facing an identity crisis. She wants to find herself and wants to put herself first for once in her life. Thea could be stubborn, especially when it came to forgiving Gavin, but her feelings are understandable. I loved both her soft and hard moments. She is a what I would call a well-rounded character and a perfect partner for Gavin once they work through their issues.

The Bromance Book Club wouldn't have worked had it not been for the amazing chemistry Thea and Gavin shared. I needed to believe that there was a connection there forcing these two back together and Lyssa does a stellar job at showcasing that connection. All the wooing and the romancing had this girl swooning. It's such a good romance, you guys! I couldn't get enough! I also need to mention Gavin and Thea's twin daughters! These two girls could not have been more different in terms of their personalities and their feelings for their parents. They play an important role in the book and I loved how the author included them without them being an impediment to the romance. Of course, I also have to mention the hilarious book club members. My goodness, these guys, were a complete riot. They had me laughing out loud. This is definitely the kind of book you want to be reading in public if you don't want to attract any weird looks. :) I'm really excited to get to know everyone better in the next book, which will feature one of my favorite side characters from this book! I can't wait to see what goodness Lyssa Kay Adams will deliver.

Anyways, this book epitomizes everything that I love in a good fun romantic comedy - lots of laughs, lots of swoons, and lots of emotions. Read it, friends!

4.5 stars,

Oh, how I love the idea of Men learning from romance books! If only the Real Men in Life would. This was a terrific read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The setup and the way it was presented worked.

I am not sure what took me so long to request/read this book. I could not put it down. I justified for every paragraph a wrote for a grad school paper I could read a chapter. I am not sure if it was equivalent but I did finish the book (In a little over 24 hours) and still need to finish the paper! Here I am writing a review instead of finishing the paper.

Gavin is in deep trouble. After finding out his wife has been faking it in bed (after his walk-off grand slam to bring the playoff series to game 7 no less) he leaves and his wife wants a divorce. His teammates and friends let him in on a little secret. Their marriages have been in trouble too, which is why they invite him to their book club. A book club that reads romance novels. He makes a deal with his wife to keep him until Christmas because a divorce before the holidays would be horrible for their kids. She agrees under some conditions. Will he be able to woo her back by taking advice from these romance novels?

Steamy and funny. This felt like a new twist for me, and I like that it's about what happens after the wedding, instead of before.

This was a nice surprise, I was excited about it!It was refreshing and so cute. Thea and Gavin were great characters!I loved this second chance romance in marriage.It's the second book I'm reading about a marriage couple and I loved it!!

I loved the friendship Gavin and his guys have and how they helped him!It was fun and sweet.Generally I devour it, it was fast paced,lighthearted and so fun!I enjoyed every minute of it!

I cannot wait to read more books from this author!

Funny, heartwarming, second chance romance! I will say the conceit of the heroine having faked it in bed for three years struck me as a little farfetched at first, but the way the story used it as a jumping-off point to have the couple address their long-running lack of communication felt real and authentic. Can’t wait for the next book!

This was super cute! I'm usually not a big fan of second-chance romances but I've been reading a lot more lately and really enjoying them. I liked Gavin and Thea and I really enjoyed them getting to know each other again and falling in love. It's nice reading about a man who actually tries to get his wife back. Side characters were fun. I would read more books by this author!

4.5 stars

When I went into this book, I was crossing my fingers that the execution of it and the writing style matched how great the synopsis was. I'm so glad the book held up to how good it sounds, and it's definitely a memorable romance I'll be recommending!

My primary concern about this book was that since it's about a married couple with kids, I wouldn't be able to relate to it or enjoy it since they're several years ahead of me on the maturity scale. Attached to that, I was hoping this wouldn't become a women's fiction book about fixing a marriage with no steamy scenes. Quickly, both of my fears became obsolete. The fact that this book follows characters who are already in a relationship makes it so much more real. Rather than two characters living out a dolled up romance, this is about a relationship that's dead and both characters having to fight to reanimate it. It's different than anything I've ever read and was so interesting and realistic and human. In addition, the scenes of Gavin and Thea interacting with their kids were SO wholesome.

I jokingly told my friend while I was reading this that it reads like what a Nicholas Sparks book would be if Nicholas Sparks books were actually good. It talks about family issues--both in their current relationship and in their childhood trauma--while also being a cuddly romance about two adults rediscovering each other through honesty. This book was SO soft because Gavin was making an effort to be attentive to Thea's needs and insecurities, and watching them reblossom to one another was so heart warming and emotional.

The writing of this book is spectacular in all areas except one. I loved when the author would delve into the character's backstories and they way she wrote their dialogue and all the humor that was folded into the Bromance Book Club. I especially loved how this book was a mix of real-time action with scenes interspersed from the regency romance book the men were reading. The reason I took off .5 stars, however, was there were moments in this book where the characters would randomly get on a soapbox about feminism that didn't match the context of the conversation at all. There were seriously some paragraphs that read like an essay for a women and gender studies class rather than a romance book because it wasn't subtle at all. The men in the book club are self-aware about feminism and toxic masculinity, which is good, but it wasn't subtle at all and ended up sounding like fan service to other women reading the book because those random feminism rants didn't sound authentic to the men's voices at all. But a part of the book I did like is that Thea, the wife, was strident in her independence and her feminism, which I enjoyed way more than when the characters went off on tangents about the male gaze and the patriarchy.

But overall, this book was so addicting and enjoyable. It was quick and sweet but also the perfect amounts of meaningful and realistic. I love any romance book that takes the shininess away from relationships and delves into real human lives, and this book definitely fits that category. I can't wait to pick up a copy when it comes out!

Now, we have all read the stories of a woman trying to get her man back, and her friends all helping, right?

Well, this refreshing story from Lyssa Kay Adams is a wonderful role reversal with our guy Gavin desperately trying to win back his woman, with the help of his fellow male friends - and romance books.

Add the fact that they are married with children, it just added a whole other layer to their story.

We are so used to the perfect sports stars with the perfect everything, it endeared me more to Gavin that he has a stutter. When I thought I couldn't adore him anymore, I learned that and realised I could!

Thea - man at times I just wanted to tell her to wake up and smell the roses and stop chastising Gavin for past mistakes, and see the man who is front of her. I got frustrated at her that she blamed Gavin for everything, when she had been hiding behind fake for so long and never said anything to him.

Oh, and please, do NOT get me started on her sister Liv. I wanted to jump into the book and tell her "why are you still here? Just be quiet for goodness sake". However, I am looking forward to her story in the next book, and I hope I will like her more.

Gavin's teammates were funny, wonderful men. They made me laugh, they made me sigh. It was great to see their take on things from the books they are reading to how they are relevant today.

I just really enjoyed The Bromance Book Club, and look forward to more.

I really enjoyed this one! I don't normally read a lot of contemporary romanced but the cover of this really caught my eye and I figured I would give it a try. I enjoyed all the characters and the premise was very realistic and not over the top dramatic which I liked.

Strike out at 30%/NR

I baseball punned!

This is my first experience with this author and I want to stress that her writing is not bad. This is a case of it's not you, it's me. Clichéd, I know but in this case it's true.

I requested this and went into it truly believing it would be comedic. A bunch of baseball players reading romance in secret in their man caves to keep their partners happy? Comedy gold, right?

Not... exactly. At the 30% mark, not even a snicker from me.

But, if you are looking for a second chance/rekindling the romance in a marriage that's seen better days then I highly recommend it. The tone was far more serious than I expected and I simply wasn't able to temper my expectations.

That coupled with the fact that Gavin doesn't have much meat on his fictional bones character-wise, nothing I could sink my teeth into at any rate, and his estranged wife Thea wasn't a likable character all added up to my interest waning.

I also found the historical novel within a contemporary novel concept odd and somewhat jarring.

However, as always my opinions are my own and YMMV.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Overall, the premise (marriage in trouble, guy friends all talk openly about masculinity and the ability to show emotions, strong friendships and family relationships) is amazing. I loved the characters, the setting, and there was a lot of really great dialogue that was laugh-out-loud funny. I even enjoyed the book-within-a-book, Courting the Countess, that the guys' book club was reading to help Gavin relate better to his wife.

My one minor quibble (and it's truly minor) was sometimes when the book club would get together, the dialogue between the men to discuss the issues was unbelievable. Malcolm, in particular, sounded more like Gloria Steinem giving prepared remarks than a man discussing life with his bros. It was a little off-putting since it didn't seem natural.

Otherwise, I loved it. I can't wait for the next book in the series. It reminded me a lot of Man Hands by Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby. It has a light, fun plot that's still mired in real emotions. Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book! I loved both Thea and Gavin, I thought their motivations and characterizations were both really fleshed out. The resolution to their problems also developed in a realistic and believable way. I can't to read the next one!

The Bromance Book Club is great fun - a sweet, easy read spiced with some hilarious scenes. This is the first book in a series featuring a group of Nashville alpha males determined to save their relationships through an outrageous plan - reading romance novels to better understand their wives.

Gavin Scott plays second base for the Nashville Legends. He is having a terrific year - until his wife Thea confesses that she has been faking it in bed. Gavin is angry and moves into the guest room, refusing to speak with Thea for weeks. The way she sees it, this is just one more situation where they are unable to communicate, unable to see each other. She kicks him out and asks for a divorce. Gavin is devastated.

Enter Gavin’s best friend, Del , who’s got a plan to save Gavin’s marriage. He takes Gavin to a secret meeting where Gavin is tossed a book:

“Courting the Countess,” Gavin read slowly. He ground his molars and looked up. “Is this a joke?”

“No,” Del said.

“This is a romance novel... I can’t believe you assholes. My life is falling apart, and you’re making fun of me.”

“I thought the same thing when Malcolm brought me in,” Del said. “But it’s not a joke. Sit down and listen.”

Gavin returned to his chair. “You guys read romance novels?”

“We call them manuals,” the Russian said.

The fellas explain to Gavin that they read romance to learn to “be more comfortable expressing ourselves and to look at things from their [the women in their lives] perspective.” Gavin is not convinced until the others tell their stories of marriages rescued from the abyss, so he decides to take home Courting the Countess and see what he can learn. The book club agrees to coach him as he courts Thea and tries to save his marriage.

Gavin and Thea married three years earlier, after quickly falling in love (and conceiving twin girls). Thea dropped out of art school and immersed herself in motherhood and with the wives and girlfriends of the other team members. It has not been easy for her, what with struggling to keep her own identity and single-parenting while Gavin travels with the team. Thea is done making concessions for others, done changing herself to fit the expectations of a team wife. When Gavin starts to court her after coaching from the book club, she is mad and confused. He gets her to commit to trying again for a few months, until the holidays. She agrees but doesn’t see much hope.

The Bromance Book Club is one of the funniest books I’ve read this year. Turns out it’s pretty hilarious reading about alpha men reading (and studying) romance novels, and the author does a wonderful job writing the scenes with the book club members. Ms. Adams deftly interweaves chapters from Courting the Countess into the story so we get to see Gavin’s reactions to a regency romance and his attempts to mimic some of the hero’s moves. It’s funny stuff.

But there are also some serious sides to the story. Thea and Gavin rushed into marriage and parenthood and Thea was not prepared for the requirements of being a team wife - she didn’t even know how to play baseball. Gavin loves Thea but seems to be fairly oblivious to her struggles, and he has a way to go to be a true partner for her. Thea has issues still lingering from her own broken childhood and has a hard time believing Gavin would rather stay and fight for their marriage than just be free.

The book is not without some flaws. For one, the twins can only be about two-and-a-half and yet, their speech is much more like that of four- or five-year-olds.  I was also disappointed that Thea never took responsibility for her part in her and Gavin’s bedroom issues. It’s 2019 and she should have spoken up right away and done some coaching of her own.

Flaws and all, it was still a fun, clever story that I’m delighted to recommend. There are more stories to come from The Bromance Book Club series and I’ll be picking those books up too!

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I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I enjoyed this book so much! I wouldn't say that I loved it, but I was a fan of it and will be recommending it to others who I know will love it! I'm not big on second chance romances or contemporaries, but there has been so much hype with this book that I felt like I needed to get in on the ground level. It has such a good premise!
I think this book's strengths are its characters. I think that Gavin and Thea both have very valid motivations behind their actions and feelings, and I think the author did a good job of showing us just enough of their pasts to help us understand that. You root for them to get back together, you get frustrated when they JUST WON'T KISS ALREADY. The side characters helped the story as well, and I found many guys on the baseball team to be hilarious. I can't wait to see if books come out about them.
Something I didn't like as much as I wanted to was the excerpts of the romance novel within the book. I kind of felt myself skimming those to get back to the real story, even though I know that the book is meant to mirror what is happening in the story. I liked the book overall, and maybe it was because this is a contemporary or maybe it was because I can't personally relate to these characters, but something held me back from completely loving the book. Don't get me wrong, my Kindle is filled with highlighted quotes from the book, but I know that this book wasn't necessarily meant for me. That being said, I know plenty of people who will love this book and I will definitely be spreading the word.

OMG this was everything!

I don’t know if I fully have the words to describe just how perfect this book was for me, but I will surely try.

Married couple Gavin and Thea have been having a rough time with their relationship. Gavin, a professional baseball player, has been absent lately due to his career, leaving Thea home alone to raise their young twin daughters alone. Add in the fact that one passionate night leads Gavin to discover that Thea has been faking it in bed, and a whole other slew of issues unravels that leads to Thea asking for a divorce. Down on himself, Gavin luckily gets a little intervention from a group of his buddies that let him in on their little secret; they have their own book club where they read romance novels to help them understand women better, allowing them to be more present in their relationships. Shenanigans ensue, including a bargain, a courtship, and a whole lot of swooning.

I just really loved this book. Gavin was so sweet and willing to try and do anything to get his wife back, and all of the guys in the book club were funny and likeable in different ways, that it is very clear there will be companion novels. Thea was also a great heroine. She’s strong and knew what she wanted and she wasn’t going to take any crap from Gavin or anyone else in her life.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that this book had an established relationship. Established relationships are one of my favorite tropes in any novel, especially romance novels, because while it’s nice to see how a relationship forms, it’s also so nice to just be thrust into one that already exists and see how the dynamic effects the rest of the plot. I love that Gavin and Thea started out so rocky, but after some discussion and some interesting terms, they both decided to work on their relationship. I love that Gavin wanted to win her back so badly because he truly loved her and wanted to be better for her and their kids. I also loved that Thea wasn’t so easy to give in and Gavin had to really work hard. It showed growth in their relationship and it really allowed them to talk about things that matter and get to know each other again.

Really, this was just the perfect, emotion filled read that had angst and fluff and laughter and I CANNOT WAIT for the next book in this series!

*Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Oh, I loved this so very, very much. I loved that it's a romance between married people, and that Gavin has to learn how to be a good partner to his wife. I love that there's a group of men who have recognized the power and importance of the romance novel, and instead of disparaging them, have realized that there is good information about relationships to be gleaned from these stories and are using them as research tools. Somehow this book managed to be both steamy and have scenes featuring hard and even just average days in parenthood and marriage, and they fit together perfectly. This was just so good, and I can't wait for the next.