Braden Mack thinks reading romance novels
makes him an expert in love, but he’ll soon discover that real life is
better than fiction.
Liv Papandreas has a dream job as a
pastry chef at Nashville’s hottest restaurant. Too bad the celebrity
chef owner is less than charming behind kitchen doors. After she catches
him harassing a young hostess, she confronts him and gets fired. Liv
vows revenge, but she’ll need assistance to take on the powerful chef.
Unfortunately,
that means turning to Braden Mack. When Liv’s blackballed from the
restaurant scene, the charismatic nightclub entrepreneur offers to help
expose her ex-boss, but she is suspicious of his motives. He’ll need to
call in reinforcements: the Bromance Book Club.
Inspired by the
romantic suspense novel they’re reading, the book club assists Liv in
setting up a sting operation to take down the chef. But they’re just as
eager to help Mack figure out the way to Liv’s heart... even though
she’s determined to squelch the sparks between them before she gets
burned.
3.5 Stars
Overall, I liked this book even though some things didn’t work for me.
Undercover Bromance
is an enemies-to-lovers story (one of my favorite tropes) with a
bit of romantic suspense (my favorite trope) thrown in for good measure.
Braden and Liv are the featured characters in this story.
Braden Mack, night club owner and the founder of the Bromance Book Club,
is back with his romance challenge. Liv Papandreas, Thea Scott’s sister
from book one, has always dreamed of being a pastry chef. She believes
that her current job working for a celebrity chef is her stepping stone
to owning her own place. Unfortunately, she is fired when she calls
Royce Preston out for harassing the hostess. Liv is now on his
blacklist, and her chances of getting another job are nearly zero.
“Mack”
wants a committed relationship but shoots himself in the foot whenever
he gets close. Mack’s background is shared in this story which explains a
lot. It also explains why he wants to help Liv. By the end of this
book, I really loved Mack. He is always prepared to go the extra mile
for his friends. I love how he is ready to take on Liv’s former boss,
regardless of the impact on him.
Liv is mostly ugh. I wasn’t a big fan of hers in book one.
Undercover Bromance
doesn’t do too much to redeem her in my eyes. I do understand her
better. However, she still has that “poor me and my past” attitude, so
watch me strike back at everyone, especially men. I did feel bad and a
little teary when she revealed a comment her father made to her. It had
to hurt, but does it explain enough? I’m not sure. I’ll admit that my
feelings towards Liv started to change, and then she struck out at Mack
for a stupid reason. It knocked her back to where she was at the start
of this book. I wasn’t too crazy about how she treated her best friend,
either. Unless you walk in the shoes of another, be careful judging
their actions, Liv.
Liv aside, my biggest complaint is that Lyssa
Kay Adams has her heroines react badly to the "secrets" the hero has. I
understand why Mack did what he did. It made sense, and Liv's reaction
was ridiculous. It is one of my pet peeves about so many romance books.
Maybe Liv works for many readers, especially if they are younger
readers. For me, Liv’s reaction to Mack is over the top, and the fact
that she wouldn’t talk to him put me off...AGAIN. My heart broke for
Mack, yet he still didn’t give up.
Everyone, including authors,
should know that good communication is necessary for a strong
relationship. Maybe the next book in the series will have a better
conflict now that Liv is out of the picture…I hope.
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