Isn’t it Bromantic? by Lyssa Kay Adams

Narrated by Andrew Eiden

Isn’t it Bromantic?, the fourth book in Lyssa Kay Adams’ Bromance Book Club series is my favourite of the set so far. (I admit I missed book three, but I listened to and reviewed the first two). The series premise – a group of guys read romance novels in order to try to more fully understand and appreciate the women in their lives – is a lot of fun and provides the opportunity for some inside jokes and meta commentary about the genre. Up until this book though, I haven’t felt as though the author has quite hit her stride; while the first two instalments had some interesting and original plotlines and a couple of thoroughly likeable heroes, I found the heroines hard to like (especially Liv in Undercover Bromance) and there were some glaring plot holes that rather took me out of the stories. I’m pleased to say, however, that Isn’t It Bromantic? is a step up from those books; the hero is adorable, the heroine is more likeable and the story feels much more cohesive – at least, it does until around the ninety percent mark, when the author shoves in a last-minute suspense plot that feels a bit jarring. But by then I was sufficiently invested in the characters and their HEA to want to find out how it all played out.

Professional hockey player Vlad “The Russian” Konnikov is one of the founder members of the Bromance Book Club and has been a fixture throughout the series. I have to say here that I always felt a bit uncomfortable about the way he was used as comic relief because of his unpredictable digestive system (he’s finally had a diagnosis of gluten allergy), and at the fact that the only non-American in the group was hardly ever (if at all) called by his name. Still, I liked him as a character even if I wasn’t wild about his treatment; he’s a total cinnamon roll and while he might not have been the most talkative of the group, he’s provided valuable insight and has always been there to lend his support to the guys physically and morally when needed. He isn’t the only one of the men who is married, but he’s the only one whose wife hasn’t been in the picture – until she puts in an unexpected appearance at Mack and Liv’s wedding reception. Vlad is delighted to see her; up until now she’s been living in Chicago while studying at the university there – but his pleasure is abruptly quelled when Elena tells him she wants to return to Russia once she’s finished her course in six months’ time.

Vlad and Elena have been friends since childhood, and after the disappearance – and probable murder – of Elena’s investigative journalist father, Vlad saw the chance to offer her a better life and asked her to marry him and go to America. He’s been in love with her for years; he never saw their marriage as one of convenience, but they’ve been living separately for the past six years, partly because Elena has been studying at the University of Chicago and partly because Vlad has been trying to give her the space he thinks she needs while waiting for her to be ready to come to him. Unfortunately however, Elena DOES believe Vlad only married her so she could leave Russia, so he’s devastated when she tells him she wants to return.

Vlad – being Vlad – wants Elena to have whatever she wants and do what’s right for her – which Elena interprets as not wanting her around. I did want to bang their heads together at this point; it’s fairly clear that Elena has feelings for Vlad as well, but they’re both so bad at reading each other and their pride and fear of rejection won’t let either of them make the first move. Fortunately for them – although not for Vlad in other ways – an accident on the ice lands him with a broken leg, and Elena realises that after he’s discharged from hospital, he’s going to need someone at home to look after him. Deciding that this is the perfect way to repay him for everything he’s done for her, she delays her departure and moves in to Vlad’s – their – house, intending to stay as long as he needs her…while wishing he needed her in other ways as well.

There’s a lot to like about this story, not least of which is Vlad, a big man with a big heart he wears mostly on his sleeve, a dyed-in-the-wool romantic who loves poetry, is writing a romance novel of his own and who has remained a virgin (despite many opportunities and offers) because the only woman he really wants is Elena. (The scene where he finally blurts that out to the guys is a hoot!) There’s a fun subplot about a black-market cheese operation (yes, really!) run by a guy making a stand against Big Dairy, and the descriptions of the various traditional Russian dishes Elena cooks will make your mouth water. Vlad’s novel is one of my favourite parts of the book – it’s a story set during WW2, between a war correspondent and his photographer – and not only should it be an actual romance novel, it affords some great opportunities for a bit of meta commentary about character and relationship development and for the guys of the book club to help Vlad to work out whether he can use his own experience to give his characters their HEA.

On the downside, the book is overrun with secondary characters – in addition to the guys of the BBC, who now number around six or seven (?) there are Vlad’s nosy (female) neighbours, all widows and divorcées, who just pop up at inconvenient times and really don’t add much to the story. Then there’s the plot issue I mentioned at the beginning; Elena wants to go back to Russia so she can find out what happened to her father and finish the investigation into a sex trafficking ring he was working on before he died. The plotline is poorly integrated into the story and feels like it’s been tacked on to pad things out a bit. The serious tone of the last few chapters doesn’t fit at all well with the mostly fun and light-hearted style of the rest of the book.

Delivering yet another excellent performance, Andrew Eiden continues to show exactly why he’s one of the best narrators of contemporary romance around. He’s got one of those voices that is just so easy and comforting on the ear, and he pulls the listener into the story and the world the author has created so effortlessly that listening to him is always a pleasure. Pacing, characterisation and differentiation are all spot on, and his portrayal of Vlad is superb, bringing out all the character’s genuine warmth and vulnerability, the deep affection and longing he feels for Elena all apparent in his voice. He distinguishes clearly between the members of the book club by adopting a variety of different timbres, pitches and accents, and is equally good when it comes to the secondary female characters, who are all easy to identify in group scenes. The accents adopted for Vlad and Elena are believable and well-sustained throughout, which is also true of the regional accents he gives to some of the secondary characters. He plays up the comedic value of the underground cheese plotline nicely, and adds plenty of tension to the chapters featuring the suspense elements, and once again expertly conveys the affection and camaraderie between the guys of the BBC, which continues to be one of my favourite things about this series.

While I did have issues with some aspects of Isn’t It Bromantic? (and I’m not a big fan of romances in which other people have to point out the obvious to the H/h) it’s easily the best of the series so far. Vlad is an absolute sweetheart and his and Elena’s romance is nicely done with a strong sense of underlying affection and plenty of sexual tension. Andrew Eiden pulls it all together brilliantly, making this an audiobook that’s worth checking out if you’re in the mood for some light-hearted summer fun.

Caz