I enjoyed this one as a rom-com, but did not enjoy the serious stuff going on. It is hard to do a romantic comedy and have serious issues. This author did it well, but I read to escape reality and I would have just liked the comedy part of things. This is all based on a bromance book club, which kind of takes a back seat in this story. I loved Mack and Liv and their relationship. Liv does not trust men and Mack has a big secret he has not told anybody. I liked that Mack and Liv both had insecurities and they had to learn to trust each other and to take the chance at love.

"Not for the first time, he felt on the outs. The odd man in the group. The man who could save a hundred marriages but was doomed to never find his own happy ending."

"I just like the idea of having someone to lean on sometimes."

"I used to think I knew what I was doing with women, Liv," he whispered. "But then I met a certain pastry chef, and my whole world turned on its head."

*Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*

Undercover Bromance is a suspense-romance lite following Liv Papandreas and Braden Mack, two side characters in The Bromance Book Club. After Liv gets fired by her sleazy, sexually harassing boss, she teams up with Mack to take him down.

I've always wanted a romance novel about Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn 99, and this is it. Liv Papandreas is tough and biting and funny. I desperately wish the author wrote physical descriptions of her female characters - from all I can pick up she has curly hair. I understand why an author would veer from physical descriptions, but I just want to know.

Office place harassment is talked about in detail here, which I'm on board with. Much like in BBC, Mack dispels many platitudes about toxic masculinity, which I'm also on board with even though it felt a bit preachy at times. The tiniest bit. Still, I love reading a series about men fully aware of the power of romance novels.

I know this is a small-ish thing, but because I'm a sucker for continuity I just wanted to mention Gavin (main character BBC/side character UB). In Gavin's story, his stutter was a big plotline, but it disappeared here? Granted, this is an early copy. Also, maybe it only pops up in times of stress, and he has it pretty good right now. I don't know, but the Bromance Book Club has a lot of male characters that blend into one Background Hot Guy for me (I can't pick up on Malcolm or Del's personalities, for instance). I'll take any defining feature, especially if it was a big deal before.

To my own surprise I loved this just as much, if not MORE, than The Bromance Book Club. Lyssa Kay Adams absolutely knocked it out of the park. She took a really serious and tough topic, sexual assault, and addressed it with respect and poise. Braden Mack might be my new favorite romance hero ever and might also single-handedly overturn toxic masculinity by himself. There was just so much to love about this- the main romance was perfect, the side plot was so good, and ALL the characters are hilarious and heartwarming.

A fun follow up to the Bromance Book Club. It was not as emotionally engaging as the prior book but still funny and entertaining.

Since the moment I finished reading The Bromance Book Club, I’ve been excited to jump into the sequel but I was prepared to wait for months. Imagine my surprise when I got approved for the ARC (Berkley rarely does) and I knew I had to read it as soon as possible. And it lived up to all my expectations and then some.

The writing in this book is as much fun as it’s predecessor was and I couldn’t put the book down at all. It’s not exactly an enemies to lovers kinda story, but more like two bickering people who don’t want to fall for each but just can’t help it. This leads to a lot of amazing banter and dialogue in the book and I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions. If the first book tried to tackle one form of toxic masculinity, this book tries to shine some light on sexual harassment in the workplace and the power imbalance even in seemingly consensual actions. The author also doesn’t shy away from pointing out that powerful men get away with their despicable actions because other “supposedly” good men look the other way. I also appreciated the message that not all survivors of harassment are in a position to fight and we shouldn’t judge them for whatever decisions they make for their own physical, mental and financial well being.

I was really excited to read Mack’s story because he was a total charmer in the first book and I wanted to get to know him better. It was really fascinating to get into the head of a man who is kind, totally considerate, a bit extra protective, always there to help, and an unapologetic believer of the power of romance novels. There is a whole backstory to why he reads romance and why the book club started and it was heartbreaking to get to know that. But he is a total charmed and he has completely made me fall in love with him and he is definitely the latest addition to my list of book boyfriends.

I won’t say hated but I really disliked Liv in the first book and I wasn’t sure if the author could make me like her this time around. And I have to say the author tried and while I could sympathize with Liv most of the times, she is still mostly arrogant and judgmental and doesn’t think of consequences before taking any actions or saying what comes to her mind. Everyone around her was very supportive of her efforts to take down a serial sexual predator despite her not appreciating any of their help. I also hated how she judged the other survivors and only could see her perspective as the right one, and it took multiple people explaining and yelling for her to realize she was in the wrong. Her trust issues run deep and I totally could see how much she didn’t want to be vulnerable, but I didn’t appreciate her hurting others in the process. She does realize all of it eventually but it just wasn’t convincing enough for me.

If I liked the book club in the first book, I completely fell in love with them here. They are all so much fun, taunting and teasing each other but also having each other’s back, having thoughtful discussions about the book they were reading and also the wider implications of the story, about harassment in general and what they could do about it. They never once hesitated about helping Liv in her endeavor. They are also such amazing friends to Mack and were there whenever he needed them, even when he didn’t know it. I think every guy needs such a gang in his life. While I like all of them, the Russian was a delight this time around (read the book to find his name 😜) and we have a new addition in Noah who I hope becomes a permanent part of the group. We also meet another bickering elderly couple Rosie and Hop and they were just the characters we needed to round out this amazing book.

In the end, I just want to say that I had so much fun reading this book and I would love to reread it soon. If you like prickly but vulnerable heroines with daddy issues and a thoughtful group of guys who rely on romance novels to understand women better, you should totally checkout this series because it’s the perfect antidote to toxic masculinity. If you already enjoyed The Bromance Book Club, pick this up as soon as it releases because I promise you that you will be utterly charmed by both Mack and the whole delightful gang. And now I’m quite interested in knowing who the next book is going to feature and what sub genre of romance the book club decides to choose.

I loved the first book so much but this one is even better. It has my fave love to hate troupe! It brings back all my favorite characters from the previous story. It was so fun to watch them interact in different ways. I loved that even though this is sequel the plot wasn't repetitive. Undercover Bromance is sexy, fun and highly addictive!

Anyone who knows me can tell you that The Bromance Book Club was one of my favourite reads in 2019, so obviously I was beyond excited that Adams was releasing a sequel starring Mack and Liv (my two favourite characters).

I figured I’d love Undercover Bromance just as much as The Bromance Book Club, but I was wrong. I loved it SO MUCH MORE! I was unexpectedly blown away with this. This book was wow. Just wow. No other word can explain. WOW!

Just going by the synopsis you can tell this was going to be a vastly different story from the first book. But one way it differs is that there is less “focus” on the book that the club is reading. We don’t get excerpts like we did in the first book, but I feel like if we did, it would have thrown off the story. It wasn’t necessary to the narrative like it was for Gavin and Thea.

Instead we got a very emotional story. I cried several times in the second half because I could completely feel the pain of the memories that Mack and Liv were experiencing. This book broke my heart and put it back together in a new and beautiful way.

And don’t worry. While it is emotional, the book is also completely hilarious. Adams has a way with words. I loved this story and I hope we get to see more of everyone’s favourite book club.

Now for some potential spoilers. If you don’t want any plot points spoiled, stop reading now:

As mentioned in the synopsis, Liv witnesses her boss sexually harassing her colleague. I’m bringing this up because it has a potential to be a trigger warning.

Adams takes care with bringing attention to sexual harassment in the workplace and handles the topic of toxic masculinity in a very affective way.

I really enjoyed "The Bromance Book Club' so I had high hopes for this one and it totally delivered! While Liv was a little bit frustrating at times I loved her sass and I loved Mack's heart. At times I found myself laughing out loud, between their banter and the Book Club's interactions. I hope to read more books in this series!

This book. Oh, man. This book.

This book is why you should NEVER judge a book by it's genre, and why people should really just stop giving romance books the cold shoulder for no other reason than they are shelved in the "romance" section. A genre does not define a book, at least not by the standards most people associate with those genres. Most of the (well-written) romance books I have read have had so much heart and so much grit and have way more depth than most people would think they do, and this novel is no exception.

Not only is this one a stellar sequel and quite often laugh out loud hilarious, but it tackles some really hard hitting topics and it does it so damn well. It's not a spoiler, because it's in the synopsis, so let's just say that the way Lyssa Kay Adams talks about sexual harassment/abuse is so freaking powerful I was in awe of her. It's so not a cut and dry thing - it's not black and white, no two people's experiences are the same, and it's just so damn hard to find the way out or to make the "right" decision when you're in the middle of it. I will say, as someone who has gone through it, I do fall in the camp of needing (eventually, when you can, in a safe way) to tell someone - because a predator is a predator and they should absolutely be held accountable for their actions, if only to make it clear that those sorts of actions are not to be tolerated in our society. One of the best parts of this book for me is when two women were talking about a predator - essentially, one woman was in the camp of "How dare you ask me to do anything about this, I am literally trying to cope and it's so damn hard and f*ck if I owe you anything" and the other woman was in the camp of "How dare you NOT tell someone and hold him accountable?" - and the hardest and best part about it is, to me, they were both right. There is NO right answer, it's all SO difficult, and even though the emotions of grief, guilt, sadness, and heartache are similar from one abuse/harassment to the next, the way of moving forward is rarely similar.

It took me 11 years after I was first abused to say no, and three more years to go to an authority figure to attempt to bring him to justice. I was lucky, I know that - with no real evidence my case was taken on by very good lawyers and we were able to move forward and he pleaded guilty rather than face the trial (something that, in it's own way, I've had a lot of trouble with - he spent 2 years in jail for stealing 11 years of my life, as opposed to the thirty+ he was facing had I gone through the trial, which admittedly would have been a harrowing experience). All of this is to say ... this book is powerful, and good, and heartbreaking, and REAL. It doesn't preach to you the right answer for these kinds of situations, because, let's face it - there aren't any *right* answers.

In related news, as previously mentioned, it's laugh out loud funny, has really powerful characters, and is just such a dang good book. I finished it in a day and had a quite cathartic cry, and felt so keenly the power of books and stories and authors. I will forever be grateful to Lyssa Kay Adams for this story and this book. I cannot wait for the sequel, and I implore you to give this one and it's predecessor a shot, even if they are not your normal "genre". Romance is for everyone, y'all.

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

Since the first book in this series was my FAVORITE romance of the year, I was more than happy to get the ARC of Undercover Bromance! This series is such a fresh take on romance and romantic comedies. I tell all of my friends about these books from the male perspective that gets relationship advice from romance novels! This installment lives up to the hype! Maybe a contender for favorite romance of 2020...

Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams is a cute and funny romantic comedy. This is the follow up book to The Bromance Book Club.

Liv is working as a pastry chef at a popular restaurant until the night Mack walks in with his date. By the end of the night she has been fired. Liv cannot stand Mack but he seems intrigued by her. They decide to work together to take down her boss. The cupcake she dropped was not the only reason he fired her. Can they work together?

Mack was great in the first book and I loved him being a main character in this one. Liv is seen in a different light as her background comes out. She's strong but she's also insecure. I liked her so much more in this book. There are laugh out loud moments as readers get to know more about the members of the book. I love this series and look forward to the next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.

***I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Romance
Release Date: March 10, 2020

This is a wonderful second book in the Bromance Bookclub Series. I found myself rooting for Mack more than I have for any other rom-com hero. Adams is a fantastic writer; she keeps the story fresh, fun, and current.

“I’m just a man with a heart, and you’re breaking.”

The founder of The Bromance Book Club has met his match.

Braeden Mack may have founded The Bromance Book Club and has helped his friends save their relationship, but the master has now become the student. It takes Olivia Popandreas to show him he’s not as knowledgeable as he thinks when it comes to women, relationship, or romance.
He was tired of watching his fiend live happily ever after while he fruitlessly searched for the future Mrs. Mack- someone he could spoil, grow old with, and cherish…He was the founder of the damn book club but the only one who’d never experienced the real thing. So, yeah, he was working extra hard this time to stick with it because, dammit, he wanted his own happy ever.

It’s rare you find a book where the lead male character is a true romantic, but that is just what you get with Mack. He loves love and isn’t afraid to say it. He just can’t seem to find it. He wines and dines women like the best of them but after a few months his relationships fizzle out. Now Mack is determined to find a relationship that lasts, and Liv seems to be the one he wants, but she wants no part of him. Especially since she considers him part of the reason she lost the one job that could make her dreams come true.

When Liv discovers how horrible her former boss really is, she sets out to expose him. Mack is not about to let her take this ride alone so she reluctantly partners with him.

The two set out on a “catch him in the act” adventure that brings them closer than Liv is comfortable with. During their time together Mack’s attraction to Liv grows and Liv isn’t completely immune to him; but the self-proclaimed man hater isn’t about to let him cozy up to her and feed her dreams full of lies.
Mack quickly learns that there is a story behind Liv’s cold heart and he’s going to get to the bottom of it.
I really enjoyed this book and the chemistry between Mack and Liv was amazing. The banter was hilarious. It had me laughing out loud more than once. Each gave as well as they got.

Hop nodded at Mack. “He eating with us?” Live and Mack spoke at the same time. “no.” “I’d love to.” Liv glared at him. “You’re ot staying for dinner.” “What’re we having?” “Whatever you’re allergic to.” CLASSIC!! 😊
While I really liked Mack, I wasn’t a huge fan of Liv. I don’t know what it was, but it took me a long time to really time to warm up to her. She has “Daddy issues” with a capital “D”. I think she was just a little too jaded/guarded/cynical for me; but I guess I can understand why.

With that being said, there were times when you could see Liv’s hard exterior cracking and the desire to actually want to have a special someone in her life.
“Maybe you should tell me what else happens in this fantasy of yours.” “We talk.” “Dirty talk?” “Boring talk. How our days went, movies we want to see, weird thins customers ordered at the restaurant, stupid things that happened at the bar.” “I could fill up an entire day with that.” She laughed. His chin rested on the top of her head. “Why is this your fantasy?” “I don’t know.” “Must be a reason.” “I just like the idea of having someone to lean on sometimes.” She hadn’t really meant to admit that but something about the warmth of his skin and he thud of his heart had lulled her into an unguarded moment that she would surely regret later. “The night I got fired, I wished I had someone to lean on.” Beneath her ear, his heart raed. 
What did you do instead?” “Watched TV and cried.”

Liv isn’t the only one with issues. We learn the reason behind Mack’s obsession with romance novels and the secrets he keeps about his childhood.
Definitely a good read. Characters from book one, where we first met Mack and Liv, have returned which added to the charm of this book.

Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams is the second in the Bromance Book Club series and this one follows Liv and Mack. If you’ve read Bromance Book Club you’ll remember Liv as Thea’s sister who has been hurt one too many times and sworn off men. Braden Mack is the founder of the book club and has helped saved dozens of marriages and relationships despite never being in one himself.

When Liv is fired from her job, no thanks to Mack — she discovers something horrifying about her former boss and vows to take him down. Mack wants to help her but Liv is determined to proceed on her own. Until she realizes that Mack may have access to vital resources for her plan. And not at all because she starts to see glimpses of the real him. While Mack is used to dating women who are head-over-heels for him, but somehow he can’t stop thinking about their verbal sparring and her feisty one-liners. As they work together to take down one of Nashville’s most powerful men, might they see that what they’ve each been searching for is right in front of them?

I loved this one!! The banter was EVERYTHING! Liv was so firey and Mack was hilarious and watching the two volley back and forth was just pure comedic joy. I was chuckling to myself the whole time and I think my family thought I was a borderline lunatic. This one is a slow burn but does have a little bit of 🔥 played out which was just perfect for me. I loved getting to revisit this group of guys and the entire book club and I hope another book is in the works because I have come to enjoy this world so so much! The way Adams takes on toxic masculinity in all of these books just deserves ALL. THE. CLAPS. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 You’ll have to exercise a little patience as Undercover Bromance doesn’t release until March 10 but it is well worth the wait so get those preorders in now!! // ☕️☕️☕️☕️ 1/2

This book made me laugh so f**king hard. Oh my goodness can Adams write funny dialogue. Without going to any spoilers it does follow Liv and Mack trying to take down the bad guy for sexual harassment and how they get to know each other better. I thought this book handled sexual harassment and assault very well and the conversations told between all the characters about the matters of it.
Also toxic masculinity is touched on by Mack with Hop (older farmhand) about how it seem like nobody "can't take a joke or teasing" but Mack tells "bad guys get away with it because the good guys look the other way.
Really can't wait for more books in this series and I HAVE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE RUSSIAN HOCKEY PLAYER WITH DIGESTIVE ISSUES!!!

I've been looking forward to this sequel ever since I finished reading The Bromance Book Club, and it was just as great as I hoped it would be.

This time the focus is on book club founder Mack and Thea's sister, Liv. They begin to fall for each other Liv vows to take down her serial sexual harasser former boss, and Mack agrees to help her do it. One of the best parts of this series is that the characters within the romance novel talk about romance novels, so there are points where the characters are talking about how great it is that in romance novels the hero and heroine always end up together and the villain gets what they deserve and how real life is more complicated, while they're in a romance novel where the hero and heroine are going to end up with each other and the villain is going to get what he deserves. I thought it did a nice job of addressing the ways in which the real world works differently, while still providing the satisfying ending you want in a romance.

Liv Papandreas has gutted it out as a sous chef with a temperamental boss, but when she catches him sexually harassing a young hostess, she confronts him and is fired. Her NDA means that she can't tell anyone why she needs to avenge these wrongs. In addition to exposing this monster, she needs to find a new job and her brother-in-law's book club friend, Braden Mack keeps showing up. He's got enough juice as a nightclub owner to help, if she can only trust his motives and discretion. Braden calls in reinforcements: the Bromance Book Club. He needs all the help he can get to convince Liv that there are happy endings and that not all guys are scum.

Why I started this book: The first was charming, with strong supporting characters and I wanted to see more of the Bromance Club in action. Netgalley is a great resource for impatient readers...

Why I finished it: Once again the support characters shine more than the main couple. Oh, don't worry, Liv and Braden are good, but the Bromance Club steals the show... and they are picking up more members. Once again, I finished the book smiling and marking my calendar for the next installment of this series.

✨ALL THE STARS!✨

"Braden Mack thinks reading romance novels makes him an expert in love, but he’ll soon discover that real life is better than fiction."

Undercover Bromance, book 2 in the Bromance Book Club series by Lyssa Kay Adams was just utter PERFECTION! I fell head over heels in laughter and love with Braden Mack in book 1, The Bromance Club, and once again Lyssa did not disappoint with this novel.

Braden Mack is the hilariously charming bachleor among the club. He's single and ready to find love like the rest of the guys. One wrong date proves he's doing things wrong... That is until he joins forces with Liv to bring down her former narcissistic boss whose harassing his employees.

“I used to think I knew what I was doing with women, Liv,” he whispered. “But then I met a certain pastry chef, and my whole fucking world turned on its head.”

Liv Papandreas was first introduced to us in book 1. She's Thea's baby sister and she's headstrong, snarky, and a bit sassy. She detests liars and cheaters. It all centers from her father abandoning them. She isn't quick to fall for Mack's charm but the more time they spend together the harder it is to fight the attraction.

“I just want to wake up next to you,” he said quietly. “Is that all right with you?”

Liv and Mack are total opposites which was the ideal enemies-to-lovers, love/hate relationship trope we all love and crave. Such witty banter and oh so sweet moments between these two characters and I just couldn't get enough of it!

Secondly, the beauty of this book was that it wasn't just a romance story. Their was so many issues and backstory that was brought up and handled in a respectable manner. I lived for those laugh-out-loud lines, especially when the Bromance Club was involved.

Undercover Bromance quickly become a top read of the year for me. Wit and heart went into this book and these characters felt like one big family. I cannot wait for more books in this series. I'm really hoping the Russian is next!


*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley Romance through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

Was I worried about second book syndrome? Yes. Was this just as good if not better than the first? Yes! I just adore this entire concept. The Bromance Book Club won me over with its humor and take on toxic masculinity and the romance genre as a whole. Undercover Bromance tackled even more in such a tasteful way. While this still touches on the same type of story (ie dudes learning how to romance from romance books), it also addresses things like workplace harassment and sexual harassment. I love this entire series and can’t wait to see where she goes next!

I thought the first book in this series was wonderful, but this one was even better. Braden Mack takes center stage in this book and is about to fall in love for the first time in his life. Sure, he has had plenty of girlfriends and he is always helping out the guys in the Bromance Book Club with advice when they have problems with their wives, but he has never been in their shoes. That all changes in this book! So there is the romance aspect of the book which is great, but the bigger issue tackled in this book is workplace sexual harassment. I had so many emotions while reading this book. I cried, I laughed, I was rooting for things to work out, and scared that things would go horribly wrong. This was an excellent read that I couldn't put down, but also didn't want to end.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.