{Release Day Review} The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams (@LyssaKayAdams @BerkleyRomance)

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 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.

​Gavin Scott is a spectacular baseball player. It’s being an equally great husband that he could use some lessons in.  
 
When his marriage takes a header because of trouble in the bedroom, his friends come together to initiate him into a secret book club.  It’s a place where they drop all the societal norms at the door and use romance novels as a guide to make their relationships better. And they are on a mission to help Gavin get his wife back.

“Good. First rule of book club?” 
They finished in unison. “You don’t talk about book club.”
What. The. Fuck. 
Gavin looked around for a hidden camera. This had to be a prank. 
“A book club? That’s your grand plan for saving my marriage?” 
Del nodded at Mack, who rose on one hip and pulled a book from his back pocket. He tossed it at Gavin.
It nailed him in the face. 
“Nice reflexes. Hope you’re better at shortstop.” 
Gavin bared his teeth. “I play second base, asshole.” 
Mack shrugged. “Isn’t that basically the same thing?” 
Gavin ignored him and retrieved the book from the table where it fell. He blinked at the cover. A woman from, like, the 1800s or some shit was leaning on a couch with a dude in one of those old-timey suits standing behind her. His shirt was open. 
“Courting the Countess,” Gavin read slowly. He ground his molars and looked up. “Is this a joke?” 
“No,” Del said. 
“This is a romance novel.” 
“Yes.” 
Gavin shot to his feet. “I can’t believe you assholes. My life is falling apart, and you’re making fun of me.” 
“I thought the same thing when Malcolm brought me in,” Del said. “But it’s not a joke. Sit down and listen.”

​Thea Scott is used to people walking out on her.  It happened with her father and now history is repeating itself once again with her husband.  
 
Maybe it's because she never felt like she fit in with the other WAGs because she wanted to have something that was just for her – apart from just being a wife and mother.  Or maybe the reason goes far deeper.
 
Finding herself means finding her way back to Gavin.  Because this time, love really is strong enough.

​“Son,” Malcolm asked, as if he weren’t only a year older than Gavin, “what do you know about the G-spot?” 
Gavin sputtered and coughed. 
“Listen,” Malcolm said. “Your wife doesn’t want you to say I love you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t express it.” 
Yan nodded. “You just can’t use those exact words. They’re not part of her language anymore. Hell, maybe they never were.” 
“You have to tell her you love her in a way she wants,” Del said. “A way that makes her feel good and safe. A way that will break through her walls and her fears.” 
“Wh-what does this have to do with the G-spot?” 
Malcolm smiled broadly. “You’re going to find and stroke her emotional one.” 
“Every woman has one,” Del said. “A place somewhere deep inside her that only the right man can reach.” 
Del’s voice trembled. He paused to press his hand to his mouth. Mack patted him on the shoulder. “It’s cool, man. Let it out.” 
“We all have a void,” Del said a moment later. “Something that’s missing in us. Something we need but don’t want to admit or don’t even know we’re missing until we find it in that other person. If you want to fix this thing with Thea, figure out what she’s missing inside. Stroke that broken part of her until it doesn’t hurt anymore. That’s how to say I love you to Thea.”

​The Bromance Club is not only laugh-out-loud funny, it’s also surprisingly relevant. Lyssa Kay Adams addresses what it really means to really be “masculine” in the modern world with quick wit and with understanding. She does it in such a subtle way that her characters instantly become more real – more relatable.  
 
I found my respect for Thea, for Gavin and for every member of the Book Club growing with every page.  Their ability to overcome long-held hurts and fight for something as elusive as love gives me hope for the future. And that's no small feat!
 
Oh and even after all of that, this book still has the power to leave you with an epic Book Boner...

Read Lyssa's essay about why she chose to write about toxic masculinity with humor - It's AH-MAZING!

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