The first rule of book club: You don’t talk about book club.Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride … he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.
Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.
Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville’s top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it’ll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.
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Oh. My. Good. God. I LOVED this book. Clever, funny, emotional and hot. It’s a romance for readers and writers and I couldn’t put it down.
Gavin Scott and his wife Thea are splitting up. They fell pregnant with twin girls a few short months into their relationship, and their marriage has been under strain ever since, not helped by the fact that he’s a baseball star and always on the road. Things come to a head when Gavin discovers Thea has been faking her orgasms throughout their marriage. He freaks out and leaves, then she asks for a divorce.
Desperate to win her back, his alpha male friends stage an intervention. They initiate him into a secret reading group for men, where they read romance novels to help them understand their women and become better partners and lovers. They give Gavin a copy of ‘Courting the Countess’, a regency bodice ripper, and he attempts to use it as a manual for saving his marriage.
What he and Thea discover is that they have to open their hearts and souls in order to come back together. Both of them have demons they don’t want to face, but if they don’t, then there’s no way back. This is one of the many strengths of the book, the depth to which their emotional scars are explored and they find healing.
The book also contains chapters from the fictional book ‘Courting the Countess’ and this was a stroke of genius. The writing style and tone changes, and you really believe you’re reading a book within a book. This was such a wonderful conceit and fabulous to read. The two plots mirrored each other in subtle ways and showed just how much fiction can help us make sense of our lives and problems.
The Bromance Book Club is slick, the humour laugh out loud, the emotions raw and honest and the sex hot. I just loved every page and really hope you do too.
Gavin was the best character out of everyone. That should be enough said but this book annoyed me so much that I just have to rant.
To start off, Thea was one of the worst characters I have ever read/been inside the head of. I literally skipped some of her monologues because she got under my skin so much. She was selfish and Gavin honestly deserved better. She went on and on every chapter, she had that she couldn’t let Gavin back into her, and the twins live because of “that night.” Every time Gavin tried to work things out with her, she’d push him away. Every. Time. She didn’t try to work on things AT ALL. She just wanted a divorce after “that night.”
I never grew up like Thea but wouldn’t you want to be a better person or not like the parent that wasn’t in your life? She was honestly, to me, acting like a child the whole book. It was unbearable to read from her POV.
Gavin’s friends, Dear God. They didn’t act like friends at all; seeming to take Thea’s side for everything. The conversations they had seemed forced; unnatural. The conversations in the secret book club didn’t seem real; like the author was writing what she thought guys’ would talk about behind closed doors.
The twins seemed older than their said age and it seemed like the author wrote them without knowing how kids (preschoolers) act.
Honestly, Gavin was the GOAt and needed new friends and wife. Sorry not sorry.
Equal parts laugh-out-loud funny and heartwarming, The Bromance Book Club had me hooked until the very last line.
This was the first book I’ve read by this author & I’m hooked!! She’s been added to my favorite authors list!! What a fantastic book with such wonderful, funny characters!! There’s a group of men that started the Bromance Book Club to help their relationships & this is Gavin Scott’s book & the Bro’s let him join the club to save his marriage after his wife Thea asks for a divorce. It’s a different twist on men & their friendship with each other in such a funny, entertaining way!! It’s emotional, hysterical, heartbreaking at times & heartwarming. I can’t recommend this book & author enough!! I went on to read the rest of the series & am looking forward to her next book!!
I don’t know how, but this book made me laugh SO HARD, and yet still managed to bring tears to my eyes also.
I looked absolutely crazy while reading in the car, laughing and crying like I didn’t know what end of the rollercoaster I was on.
This was highly recommended to me by so many people, and there’s a reason why.
It was an incredible read!
Men learning the language of love from romance novels and their jock buddies? It had no choice, it had to be an excellent read.
I cannot wait to continue the series.
What a wonderful take on a relationship that is having troubles. Every marriage goes through up’s and down’s, and it’s so great to see a love story about working through those . The relationships between the men in the book club is hilarious and so cute. Both narrators did a great job. Andrew Eiden’s performance, with the stutter, was endearing and sweet. I especially liked it when the narrators went back and forth as if in a conversation.
If I say in few words…This book should be compulsory read for everyone
I loved this book. The pacing was terrific, and I never felt bored. I loved the premise, very rarely do you see a romance couple that have issues in bed. The writing was equal parts funny, and emotional (those scenes where they finally talked about the issues got me). My favourite part however was the character development. The story was all about learning the importance of communication. Both characters had insecurities that prevented them in very different ways from providing and/or receiving communication. The blame for their issues was not solely placed on one person, both had to come to terms with the role that they played in the breakdown of the relationship. I thought Gavin’s development was better than Thea’s just because it was given more time to occur whereas she had more of a singular moment of realization. Gavin began the novel with the same attitude of Ross from FRIENDS when he says “WE WERE ON A BREAK”. However, throughout the course of the story he begins to take accountability, and starts to ask himself ‘why didn’t I notice’ instead of ‘why didn’t she tell me’.
I would definitely recommend this is you’re looking for a quick read, that will make you laugh, while also giving you all the emotional feels.
Quite fun. Enjoyed the sports angle. And the Memphis setting. And the supportive male group and the supportive sister.
I read this story last year but in the craziness that was 2020 I didn’t submit a review and I really wanted to add to my list of stories I love.
Gavin, Thea and The Bromance Book Club drew me in and took me on a ride. I love the ‘Grand Gesture’. I loved the emotions it evoked. There was more than once when i was swiping at a tear. This story conveyed to me how if you really want something, with a little work, you can have/keep it and make it more. HEA
I had no idea I needed the “marriage in crisis” trope, but I do! And this book was an amazing entree into that trope for me. I inhaled the others in the series and cannot wait for the release of “The Russian”‘s book.
Does anyone else love a book within a book? I know I do, and that was only one of the many things I loved about The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams. This was such a fun and refreshing romance, and I would honestly love to see it on screen because I think it would make for a really funny movie. The antics of Gavin and his teammates, all while he is trying to win Thea back, had me laughing really hard at times. What I also loved, is that even though this book is a light read, there are also so many truths in the plot, and it makes you think a bit as well. There is some steam of course, and I was happy that it didn’t scare me away or I would have missed a very enjoyable story!
I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Andrew Eiden & Maxwell Caulfield, and even though I wish there had been a female narrator for Thea’s viewpoint, I still really enjoyed it. Both of these guys did an excellent job narrating, and I especially loved the narration for the parts from Courting the Countess. I think The Bromance Book Club took a very good look at what it means to work at a marriage, and how women want actions more than words. I loved how realistic the book was, and Adams’s writing is very engaging and concise. I’m so glad I finally started this series, and I can’t wait to read more of them!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I wish this book club actually existed! The Bromance Book Club was such a pleasant surprise and a refreshing take on relationships from a male perspective. Watching Thea develop a backbone for the first time was the highlight of the story for me. This was a well-written story of second chances and learning to love again. I’m so excited to continue this series and can’t wait for the next one!
I wish I could give this book 10 stars. So far this is the best book for me. I laughed so hard I cried during multiple scenes….Mack in his disguise and getting his nails done were priceless. The spunk that lives inside Thea is enough to motivate me not to bend to anyone’s expectations and to just be myself. Plus I need her gran gran’s wisdom in my life. My favorite line in the whole book comes on page 145 when she is talking to another Wag. She states,” thank you for the accurate recitation is the timeline of our relationship, Rachel. Can we hire you to write our Wikipedia page?” I literally put the book down and gave her her props for that one. Lyssa is an amazing author and I am just sad I have to wait until March to read the next book in this series. Bring on Mack’s story!!! Also check out some more sad books https://www.readhowyouwant.com/blog/24-best-sad-romance-novels-that-will-make-you-cry/
I loved this book so much! Gavin and Thea’s story was just soo good! It really kept my attention. I loved the idea of the athletes getting together for romance book club. Such a cute idea for a book series!!
This book was everything I love about romance stories! The characters, laughter, and love were the perfect balance. There was heartbreak, but also so much hope. And did I mention laughter? The Bromance group of guys were fantastic!
I also love that the couple was already married. I don’t see that often in romances (which I get), and when I come across them I usually adore them. Love, passion, and heartbreak doesn’t end once a couple is married and I love that this was shown with this story.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves rom-coms
The Bromance Book Club
(Bromance Book Club #1)
Written by: Lyssa Kay Adams
The title of this book should make you smile, even before you’ve read one word.
At least that is what it did for me. I saw the title and the cover and thought this one is the one I need right now! Once I opened the book I knew for sure I had made the right choice.
Gavin Scott is a major league baseball player who thinks he has it all, a beautiful wife and sweet four-year-old twin girls. Until the night his world falls apart. When his friends find him in a hotel room drunk and heart broken, they sober him up and introduce him to the Bromance Book Club. A tried and true men’s book club that use Historical Romance books to understand their wives and help them fix their marriages.
This book makes you laugh, makes you go awe and shows you one heck of a wonderful read. Everyone learns something in this book.
I’m heading over to get the next book in the series because I know the time will come that I’m going to need the happy that Lyssa Kay Adams can give.
A Rom-commy unique twist on how much blood, sweat, and tears go into saving a marriage when it’s on the rocks. I liked how when a miscommunication blows up into a big deal even when the husband and wife love each other. But they don’t let each other know it. And there lies the rub. I liked how the husband’s friends developed their own book club to read romance novels to learn how to understand their spouses and win them over when the going gets tough. The narrative is witty and humorous and although at times it felt like the guys were unrealistically a little contrived, being overly in touch with their take on how women think, but I overlooked it because the story was so much fun. Second chance romance tropes are fun and this one delivers that. If you’re looking for a lighthearted take on fixing a marriage, this is the one. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams, Narrated by Andrew Eiden, Maxwell Caulfield
What do smart guys do when their love lives are on the rocks? They turn to romance novels for advice. When second baseman Gavin Scott of the Nashville Legends discovers his wife has been faking it in the bedroom, he is hurt and angry, his pride destroyed. He behaves badly. When his wife Thea asks for a divorce, he realizes he must do something, anything to get her back.
He is desperate and willing to listen to anyone who has a plan. When his friends show up and take him to a meeting of book club, he is skeptical but with nothing left to lose agrees to read the book to get ideas on how to reach his wife. At first Gavin’s goal is to just stop his wife from divorcing him but it soon becomes more. He realizes he needs to get to know his wife.
One of my favorite parts of the story is when Gavin starts thinking and arguing as a Regency Count.
Every man needs to read this book!
Every woman needs to read this book,I laughed myself silly!
See my Amazon review, Loved this Novel!