Narrated by Andrew Eiden
I had mixed feelings about The Bromance Book Club the novel that introduced readers and listeners to a group of guys who get together a few times a week to discuss the romance novels they’re reading, viewing them as a way to understand the female psyche and learn to look at things from the female perspective. It was a clever, funny marriage-in-trouble story that I mostly enjoyed, even though I did have reservations about some elements of the plot and wasn’t wild about the heroine. But I’d listen to Andrew Eiden read the phone book, so when the chance to review the follow up, Undercover Bromance, came up, I decided to take it and see if I might like it more than the first book. Again, I have mixed feelings. The narration is excellent – no surprises there. There were some aspects to the story that I liked more than the first book, and the plot feels more cohesive, perhaps because there’s no ‘story-within-a-story’ element to this one. But – and also again – the heroine – the sister of Thea from book one – bugged me. That didn’t really surprise me either, seeing as I didn’t like her very much in The Bromance Book Club, where she was obnoxious and pushy, and continually interfering in Gavin’s attempt to save his marriage.
Two years on, Liv is no less stubbornly self-righteous. When we meet her again, she’s working as a pastry chef at an upmarket restaurant owned by a famous TV chef, who is all charm and smarm with his wealthy patrons but treats his staff like shit. Liv has a plan though; stick it out for a bit longer and then move on, having got some more experience under her belt, together with the kudos of having worked for Royce Preston. But that plan goes out the window when she overhears Royce propositioning one of the younger staff members in such a way as makes it very clear he’s done it before. Liv does the only thing she can do – she bursts into the room all guns blazing, telling the girl – Jessica – that she’ll back her up when she files a complaint… only for Jessica to tell her she’s not going to be making one. Liv is immediately fired but determined not to let Royce get away with what he’s done – even if it means having to ask irritating nightclub owner Braden Mack for help.
Mack is the founder of the Bromance Book Club, but is the only one of the original group who is still single. He’s been reading romances for years; he enjoys them, and through them, has learned how to be the ‘hero’ and to be the guy who gets the girl. The trouble is, he might get the girl, but he isn’t able to keep one, and while that hasn’t really bothered him all that much before, it’s starting to bother him now. He wants to settle down, but it’s just not happening, and he doesn’t know why – until his most recent girlfriend explains that while she knows lots of things about him, she doesn’t really know him – and that while he’s great in bed, “…no woman wants to feel like she’s just been sexed up according to an instruction manual. Eventually she wants it to feel real.”
I liked the way the author sort of turned the tables there; in the previous book, Gavin needed to take a few pointers from the romance novel he was given to read, whereas here Mack has taken on board so much from those he’s read that he’s just going through the motions.
When he learns Liv has been fired, he wants desperately to help her in some way, but Liv refuses his offer of a job for herself, and instead asks if he’ll hire Jessica. He’s a bit confused until he learns the real reason Liv wants to get Jessica away from the restaurant, and insists he’ll help her take down her boss. Liv says she doesn’t want his help (although she clearly needs it.)
As I said at the beginning, I liked some aspects of the plot and storytelling in Undercover Bromance more than the first book, but once again I had problems with the heroine. In fact, I found her pretty hard to like. I completely understood her outrage at the situation and her need to expose Royce for the scumbag he was, but Jessica kept telling Liv to leave her alone and Liv just ignored her. Sure, Liv had the best intentions, but she was so pushy that it felt like she was harassing Jessica just because the other woman wouldn’t do what Liv wanted. And her continued “I don’t want any help, I can do it by myself!” was just dumb; what did she think she –an out-of-work pastry chef – was going to be able to do ON HER OWN to a man with money and influence? Again – she acts from the best of motives and as we’ve seen in real life, it is possible to bring these sorts of sexual predators to justice. But no one woman has done it alone.
Mack, on the other hand, I liked a lot. He’s a decent guy but he’s lost sight of the fact that he doesn’t have to be the perfect hero. I can’t say that I felt much chemistry between him and Liv though; the romance progresses fairly slowly, which made sense, especially given Liv’s ‘I hate men’ vibe, and their verbal sparring is entertaining, but I didn’t feel much of a connection between them. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what Mack saw in Liv, other than a challenge.
In fact, the best relationships in the book are those between Mack and the other guys in the book club. The author has created a real feeling of camaraderie between them, and a real sense that they’d do anything to help one another out. Ex-Vietnam vet Hop is a great addition to the group – he’s very old school; I saw one review on Goodreads that said reading Hop was like “watching Dirty Harry reading romance novels” which is such a perfect description that I really can’t improve on it.
The author handles the difficult topics – sexual assault and the after-effects for survivors – sensitively, and also skilfully explores the personal issues Mack and Liv have to overcome. We’re familiar with Liv’s past from the previous book, and knowing her history makes it easier to understand her attitude. But she’s a woman in her thirties and needs to grow up a bit and learn to let go of her bitterness before it destroys her; plus I didn’t appreciate that she was so judgmental of Mack near the end, especially considering he wasn’t the only one with hang-ups.
The narration was easily the best thing about Undercover Bromance. Andrew Eiden completely nails it – not that I expected anything else – and delivers a thoroughly enjoyable performance that drew me into the book despite my issues with the heroine. His delivery is completely naturalistic, his pacing is just right, and he differentiates effectively between a fairly large secondary cast, providing clearly distinct voices for male and female characters. I was especially fond of Hop’s gravelly tones and The Russian’s accent (is he going to get his own book at some point?), but the obvious warmth and affection the guys of the BBC have for one another comes through really strongly. When it comes to the principals, Mr. Eiden doesn’t disappoint, giving Liv’s voice a slightly abrasive edge that perfectly conveys her prickly nature, her gutsy determination and her deadpan humour, and Mack’s deep tones are smooth and sexy and everything a listener could want to hear in a romantic hero. Braden Mack and Andrew Eiden made this audiobook for me; it’s always hard to get into a romance where you feel one protagonist doesn’t really deserve the other, and I think Liv, although on the right path by the end of the story, could perhaps have done with some character development earlier on to convince me that she did belong with Mack. Even so, the narration is great and the storyline is well done, making Undercover Bromance definitely worth a listen.
Caz
Buy Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams on Amazon
