Review: Isn't It Bromantic? by Lyssa Kay Adams

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Another day, another romance review! I LOVED The Bromance Bookclub back in 2019. It was a huge reason I got so into romance in the first place! We’ve had Lyssa Kay Adams on Read It Or List It twice and I simply adore her. So when The Russian’s book came out, it was an automatic read for me.

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Synopsis:

“Elena Konnikova has lived her entire adult life in the shadows. As the daughter of a Russian journalist who mysteriously disappeared, she escaped danger the only way she knew how: She married her childhood friend, Vladimir, and moved to the United States, where he is a professional hockey player in Nashville.

Vlad, aka the Russian, thought he could be content with his marriage of convenience. But it’s become too difficult to continue in a one-sided relationship. He joined the Bromance Book Club to learn how to make his wife love him, but all he’s learned is that he deserves more. He’s ready to create his own sweeping romance—both on and off the page.

The bros are unwilling to let Vlad forgo true love—and this time they’re not operating solo. They join forces with Vlad’s neighbors, a group of meddling widows who call themselves the Loners. But just when things finally look promising, Elena’s past life intrudes and their happily ever after is cast into doubt.” —Amazon

What I Liked:

  1. The Ending—The ending was so incredibly sweet and made me smile from ear to ear. The Russian is such a lovable, gentle giant and his story affirmed that.

  2. The Bookclub—The best part of this series is the scenes with the guys. I was happy to see more of them in this one!

  3. The Balance of Heart and Humor—As is typical with The Bromance Bookclub, there’s a lot of humor and a lot of emotions being processed. I thought this one had a nice balance!


What Didn’t Work:

  1. The Pacing—The first 200 pages were so slow and I didn’t feel the same normal tension that I’d except from from a slow burn romance.

  2. The Trope—A marriage of convenience is…not my favorite. I think if there had been more tension akin to Daphne and the Duke in Bridgerton, MAYBE I would have liked it more, but it just felt like a whole lot of miscommunication which is my least favorite thing characters can do.

Content Warnings:

Kidnapping, Loss of a parent

Character Authenticity: 3/5 Steam Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 3.75/5