Undercover Bromance (Bromance Book Club, #2) in 2-3-4 Challenge

Feb 09, 2023 Jonetta rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: group-read, 2023-audiobook-challenge, audiobook, publisher-review-request, contemporary-romance, 3500-2022, 2023-beat-the-backlist

the setup…
Braden Mack considers himself an expert in relationships, especially in his self-appointed role as chief advisor of the Bromance Book Club. He’s yet to find a partner for a committed relationship but thinks he’s found the one. When he takes her to the hottest restaurant in town to declare himself, it turns into a disaster that takes pastry chef Liv Papandreas down with him. She loses her job as a result, compounded even more when she catches her boss, celebrity chef Royce Preston sexua the setup…
Braden Mack considers himself an expert in relationships, especially in his self-appointed role as chief advisor of the Bromance Book Club. He’s yet to find a partner for a committed relationship but thinks he’s found the one. When he takes her to the hottest restaurant in town to declare himself, it turns into a disaster that takes pastry chef Liv Papandreas down with him. She loses her job as a result, compounded even more when she catches her boss, celebrity chef Royce Preston sexually harassing the unwilling hostess. Determined to make it up to Liv, Braden teams up with her to expose Royce but finds his heart equally at risk as he falls for this prickly woman.

the heart of the story…
I was still out of sorts with Liv from the last story so I didn’t have high hopes here and I wasn’t impressed with the slick Braden either. Fortunately, having their individual points of view provides a fresh perspective and I ended up adoring Braden. Liv was still a hard bargain but once I learned of her sad childhood experiences, she became much more likable and the walls she constructed made sense. I liked how their romance evolved, with Braden working hard to knock down those walls, brick by brick. And, there’s a lot more substance to him than I’d imagined.

the narration…
I’m enjoying Andrew Eiden as the voice of the series, particularly the humorous aspects as there are many of them. He sets the right tone and pace for the stories.

the bottom line…
I’m pleasantly surprised that I ended up enjoying this romantic pairing when I had such low expectations. Both Liv and Braden have more complexities than I’d imagined and the serious overtones related to workplace harassment gave this story heft. This was enjoyable, despite Liv’s stubbornness and prickliness, and the inclusion of the Bromance members brought the fun. This is turning out to be the series I’d hoped it to be.

Posted on Blue Mood Café

(Thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.) ...more

48 likes · Like · see review

Jun 12, 2020 Robin rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-book, 2020, contemporary-romance

Liv Papandreas has been working at her dream job as a sous chef at the swanky Savoy Restaurant. But when she accidentally dumps a $1,000 cupcake onto a customer's lap, she knows her days may be numbered. Planning on begging for her job, she arrives at her boss's office in time to see him harassing a female employee. When she confronts him, he fires her. Out of a job and blackballed from finding another, Liv turns to Braden Mack, a friend of her brother-in-law, who is offering her a job. Liv does ...more

15 likes · Like · see review

Mar 25, 2020 Sandra Hoover rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: humorous, contemporary-romance, romance, romance-humor

I'm loving this series and think I may love this book even more than the first! I'm happy to say the book club is still meeting, still trying to save other guy's relationships with their woman of chose. Such an unique approach to romance. I love the snark, romance, and drama. It's blended just right to deliver a delightful reading experience. I'm enjoying the audiobook version of these books. It's a great experience, drawing me right into the lovable characters' lives. Highly Recommended! ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Apr 07, 2020 Anita rated it really liked it

I loved the first book in this series, this one - not so much. The enemies to lovers trope is one of my favorite, if done right. This one isn't, done right, that is. Wrap that up in a plot that includes sexual harassment and this one just doesn't do it for me. Add to that, this one doesn't have the lighthearted fun of the passages from the "book" the club was reading and I really missed that.

Liv Papandreas had a less than ideal childhood. She has hid the pain behind a ball busting, take no priso ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Mar 12, 2020 Sunny rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: a-contemporary

Undercover Bromance is book two in the Bromance Book Club series.

The best part of this book is the author’s writing style. It is perfect for those times a reader wants crisp dialogue, fun side characters and hot romance. Lyssa Kay Adams delivers these things in style. The men of the Bromance Book Club are back. I think it is fun as they try to understand the nature of women through romance novels. The way they try to apply nuggets of truth is very amusing. I enjoy parts of this book so much, bu Undercover Bromance is book two in the Bromance Book Club series.

The best part of this book is the author’s writing style. It is perfect for those times a reader wants crisp dialogue, fun side characters and hot romance. Lyssa Kay Adams delivers these things in style. The men of the Bromance Book Club are back. I think it is fun as they try to understand the nature of women through romance novels. The way they try to apply nuggets of truth is very amusing. I enjoy parts of this book so much, but am also uncomfortable about certain aspects of the main plot line. Whereas the previous book, The Bromance Book Club, was a light-hearted revelation, Undercover Bromance, includes the topic of workplace abuse including sexual harassment and assault.

Liv Papandreas is working for one of Nashville’s celebrity chefs. Unfortunately, he is also an abusive egomaniac who likes to take credit for other people’s work. Liv gets in his crosshairs and is fired, but she finds out that his abusiveness extends to sexual harassment and assault. Liv engages in a crusade to reveal his outrageous behavior and Braden Mack (of the Bromance Book Club) is the perfect person to help her do this. My biggest concern is although Liv wants to help these women, ultimately, she is at the center of her own story. She wants to help them in the way that she wants to help them, not give them what they may need or even give them more options for help. Ironically, I think this is the point. Liv needs to let go of her own judgment of her friends and coworkers that were exploited by this chef. I’m just not sure that I fully got there.

My other critique is that this book is missing some of the charm of the original book. Maybe it is because Braden comes across as too cocky about his knowledge about women because he reads romance novels. I missed the vulnerability of the main character. I also missed the story-within-the-story technique. I thought that was a unique feature that allowed the reader to infer more depth into the characters and situations.

In a nutshell, I still love the premise of this series. It has great promise for more fun and sexy stories. I don’t give this one my highest recommendation, but it does have appeal.

...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2023 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I'm giving a romance book a 5 star. Not many people give romance books high ratings and I can understand why but this author managed to write books that put smiles on people's faces and she was able to bring me such joy while reading a book from a genre that usually get a rating of 3 stars and not much higher then that sadly. She brought love and anger, she brought me a lot of laughs (view spoiler) ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 14, 2020 Carla rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: humour, romance, audio, library, social-issues

I loved The Bromance Book Club and was happy when my library got the audiobook of Undercover Bromance. I enjoyed this one very much, but there was not as much humour in this one. This one actually dealt with a rather serious issue, but it was still a very enjoyable story. This is the story of Mack and Liv. If you read the first book, you will remember that Liv is Thea's sister and Mack is Gavin's friend who brought him into the Book Club in the first place.

Liv is working at a well-known restaur I loved The Bromance Book Club and was happy when my library got the audiobook of Undercover Bromance. I enjoyed this one very much, but there was not as much humour in this one. This one actually dealt with a rather serious issue, but it was still a very enjoyable story. This is the story of Mack and Liv. If you read the first book, you will remember that Liv is Thea's sister and Mack is Gavin's friend who brought him into the Book Club in the first place.

Liv is working at a well-known restaurant and is called out to serve the signature dessert to a customer. That customer is Mack and the woman he is trying to impress. Liv is not impressed with Mack and when he ends up upsetting the owner by paying attention to Liv, it causes a chain reaction that results in Liv getting fired. She also walks in on her boss sexually harassing one of the employees and she wants to stop his behaviour. With Mack helping her, she works toward finding the evidence to stop him and save the other women that could become his victims.

Undercover Bromance is an enjoyable read with fun, sweet, humour, romance, and a quest for justice. Even though it was mostly a lighthearted read with many laugh out loud moments it also deals with the topic of sexual harassment in the workplace. Royce’s character was a real piece of work. He is an entitled, rich man, who thinks he can have whatever he wants. A "Me Too Moment" if I ever read one. This has the well-known trope of enemies to lovers and it was done well. I found myself rooting for Liv and Mack to accept the feelings they had and fall for one another. There are some rather sexy scenes that some may not prefer, but they are an integral part of the story. Once again, the book club plays a role and the other characters in the club help with "the Sting". Overall, another pleasant story where all the characters play a role. I am looking forward to seeing whose story shows up in the next book. The audiobook was narrated by Andrew Eiden. I don't listen to a lot of books with a male narrator, so this was quite enjoyable once I got used to it. Told from a male POV, it was a perfect fit. ...more

1 like · Like · see review