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janagaton's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the first installment more, but I love the character of the guy we follow in this one, Braydon Mack. He's a huge softie & I absolutely adored the part where he's crying and his friends join in on a huge bromantic group hug haha. I loved the discussions on feminism for sure, as well as those on victim-blaming & several other injustices towards women. I think the hate to love trope is done really well, and the book performs a good balance among romance, emotions, plot, and social commentary. I will definitely still be continuing the series, I just didn't think there was anything too special about this one aside from the humor, cast of characters, and overall premise about the Bromance Book Club, which were all part of the first book as well.
petra_d's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
meghana_stories's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
chaitai00's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
4.0
Liv Papandreas is a chef at one of Nashville’s hottest restaurants. Of course, anyone who has worked in the restaurant industry knows that chefs have a reputation of being a bit temperamental at times. But Liv’s boss Royce Preston takes this to an extreme—verbally abusing his staff, taking credit for their recipes, and most recently, sexually assaulting the hostess, Jessica. Liv unfortunately witnesses the sexual assault and confronts him, leading him to fire her. Afterwards, she makes it her mission to shine a light on Royce’s abuse.
Brayden Mack, a friend of Liv’s brother-in-law Gavin, becomes an unlikely ally in her quest to take down Royce. Mack is fired up when he learns about Royce’s predatory and abusive actions towards his staff (and particularly women) in his restaurant. Mack brings in some of the bros from book club to help out. Nothing turns up the heat like collaborating on revenge, and Liv and Mack find a bit of time to pursue a no-strings-attached fling. But what will happen when real feelings become involved?
I was pleasantly surprised by this book, since Liv was the sister of the main female lead in the first book of the series and I had a fairly negative reaction to her. She was combative and her efforts to be protective sometimes crossed a line. But her fiery spirit is perfect to be the female lead in this story. She needed a growth arc to be a rootable heroine, and she gets one in Undercover Bromance.
The topic of sexual assault in the work place and the power that men in leadership positions hold is at the forefront of the workplace conflict. This book doesn’t purport to be the most nuanced portrayal of a #metoo story, and leans into the stark portrayal and revenge plot that felt like it kept a very heavy topic from flipping the book in a bad way.
Mack is another interesting figure as the leading male. We learn that he has always failed in love, and perhaps that is because he leans too much into trying to be the male hero from a romance book and isn’t authentically himself. Mack is fiercely protective over those in his life—a pattern we also know is characteristic of Liv. It was easy to see why these two just may end up being meant to be after all.
The romance part is slower since the revenge plot is central to the book. This kept it fresh and made it so that the issue of sexual assault didn’t feel like it was thrown in gratuitously. As always with this series, there are plenty of humorous moments particularly with the side characters (the bromance book club always delivers the laughs). Every time I read one of these books I get excited for the characters who may become leads in the future!
Brayden Mack, a friend of Liv’s brother-in-law Gavin, becomes an unlikely ally in her quest to take down Royce. Mack is fired up when he learns about Royce’s predatory and abusive actions towards his staff (and particularly women) in his restaurant. Mack brings in some of the bros from book club to help out. Nothing turns up the heat like collaborating on revenge, and Liv and Mack find a bit of time to pursue a no-strings-attached fling. But what will happen when real feelings become involved?
I was pleasantly surprised by this book, since Liv was the sister of the main female lead in the first book of the series and I had a fairly negative reaction to her. She was combative and her efforts to be protective sometimes crossed a line. But her fiery spirit is perfect to be the female lead in this story. She needed a growth arc to be a rootable heroine, and she gets one in Undercover Bromance.
The topic of sexual assault in the work place and the power that men in leadership positions hold is at the forefront of the workplace conflict. This book doesn’t purport to be the most nuanced portrayal of a #metoo story, and leans into the stark portrayal and revenge plot that felt like it kept a very heavy topic from flipping the book in a bad way.
Mack is another interesting figure as the leading male. We learn that he has always failed in love, and perhaps that is because he leans too much into trying to be the male hero from a romance book and isn’t authentically himself. Mack is fiercely protective over those in his life—a pattern we also know is characteristic of Liv. It was easy to see why these two just may end up being meant to be after all.
The romance part is slower since the revenge plot is central to the book. This kept it fresh and made it so that the issue of sexual assault didn’t feel like it was thrown in gratuitously. As always with this series, there are plenty of humorous moments particularly with the side characters (the bromance book club always delivers the laughs). Every time I read one of these books I get excited for the characters who may become leads in the future!
courtdawg's review against another edition
2.0
This was rough. I had a hard time with the characters, their actions felt forced into such a short time period that it didn’t feel like they would have naturally made those decisions. Ultimately, I enjoyed finding out where the story was going, but the fact that I had to read the phrase, “she let him plunder her mouth,” in the epilogue knocked a star off for me.
cruthe's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Sexual harassment
bissetsbookishbliss's review against another edition
4.0
More serious than the first book. I liked how it all played out though, and there were some funny moments too.
Love the great big manly hug huddle
Love the great big manly hug huddle
freadomlibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Trigger warnings: sexual harassment; mentions of domestic violence, child abuse, murder, rape
I read a few spoiler-free reviews of this sequel before I picked it up and I think that might've been why I enjoyed it more than other people have. I went in with the expectation that it was going to be pretty different from the first book in this series which allowed me to reserve some skepticism over the "spy/undercover" elements. It made it easier to get swept up by the romance since I wasn't paying as much attention to the unbelievable plot.
As far as the couple goes, I liked them okay. I really enjoyed Mack as a character in the first book and seeing some of his background was really interesting. I loved how he was placed under the spotlight within the book club since he'd always been the one to give the advice, not take it. I would've liked Liv to have been a little softer a lot earlier. I understand a lot of her reasoning for her personality but it almost felt like she took too long to gain awareness of herself and the things she needed to work on.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read though not a favorite. I'm excited about the next installment as I enjoyed the introduction of the main characters in this book and can't wait to get to know them more!
I read a few spoiler-free reviews of this sequel before I picked it up and I think that might've been why I enjoyed it more than other people have. I went in with the expectation that it was going to be pretty different from the first book in this series which allowed me to reserve some skepticism over the "spy/undercover" elements. It made it easier to get swept up by the romance since I wasn't paying as much attention to the unbelievable plot.
As far as the couple goes, I liked them okay. I really enjoyed Mack as a character in the first book and seeing some of his background was really interesting. I loved how he was placed under the spotlight within the book club since he'd always been the one to give the advice, not take it. I would've liked Liv to have been a little softer a lot earlier. I understand a lot of her reasoning for her personality but it almost felt like she took too long to gain awareness of herself and the things she needed to work on.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read though not a favorite. I'm excited about the next installment as I enjoyed the introduction of the main characters in this book and can't wait to get to know them more!