I would firstly just like to say a big thank you to NetGalley who very kindly forwarded me an arc copy of this book, for my Kindle, in return for my honest review.

This is actually book number five in the ‘Bromance Book Club’ series but can very easily be read as a stand alone with no problems at all.
A Very Merry Bromance is a wonderful second chance romance and is full of some great characters and is also full of Christmassy goodness too - which i really enjoyed!
I also loved the two main characters, Colton and Gretchen, and really enjoyed getting absorbed in their story too.
I really enjoyed this book as it is full of funny moments, emotion, sauciness, is heartwarming and romantic and will definitely make you swoon…….

A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams is the story of Colton Wheeler, a famous country music singer thinks he's met the woman for him when he meets Gretchen Winthrope, an immigration lawyer, but she runs away from him.  A year on, he's struggling with his career, and she's trying to make a big decision.

I found this story to be enjoyable, with the right level of Christmas, found family, and family.  There was some spicy scenes, some talk about tropes in romance novels and a good amount of serious moments amongst the romance.

One of the themes of this series is that the men have a friendship group where they read romance novels to learn how to do romance right!

This is the fifth book in the series, but I didn't feel I was confused by anything.  I enjoyed this book so much that I'll be looking for more in the series!

I keep a list of authors whose books I really enjoy and I keep an eye out for!  Lyssa Kay Adams is going on that list!

A Very Merry Bromance was published on 1st November 2022, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Lyssa Kay Adams on Instagram and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Headline Eternal.

I love spreading a bit of light and cheer wherever possible, so if you’re feeling a little gloomy today, you’re in luck as the latest in the gorgeously heartwarming Bromance Book Club series is VERY nearly here!

While this is the fifth book in the series, these books are companions to each other rather than direct sequels. However, they do follow a chronological order, so later books may have slight spoilers for earlier ones. Therefore, I do recommend reading them in order to get the full, feel-good, romantic experience.

In A Very Merry Bromance, big time country rock star Colton Wheeler is still reeling from the effects of his night of passion with beautiful immigration lawyer Gretchen Winthrop. She seemed to be able to just leave the next morning without a second thought for him but Colton has since struggled to write good songs. Gretchen hates the excess of the festive season, as it just reminds her of how desperate her clients are. When her wealthy, estranged family offer her a place on the charitable foundation board of their whisky brand, it comes at a price -Gretchen needs to convince Colton to become the new face of the company. But Colton has conditions too. Gretchen must go on three dates with him before Christmas before he’ll sign a thing because he knows the spark is still there. Can he prove it to her?

There is always a reminder of the Bromance Book Club and what it entails near the beginning of every book in the series, so, you can just jump into this book even if you’ve not read the others. However, it’s much more fun to absorb the love stories of every member as they unfold, as it gives you a better understanding of the characters and the group dynamics.

The humour in these books is very much at the laugh-out-loud level. I love how Adams has managed to keep up the funnies throughout the series and not allowed the comedy to peter off in the later books. I think the comedy is somehow enhanced as you get to know the characters too. By book five, I really feel like these guys are my silly goofball friends and I laugh a lot harder with them.

Gretchen has a lot of issues around attachment and despite being beautiful and successful, she is painfully insecure in some ways. She believes that because her family are all money-driven and not particularly kind that she must also truly be like that. She seems to forget that her job is entirely revolved around making life better for those less fortunate than herself and still believes she is inherently bad. This is the main barrier between her relationship with Colton developing because she doesn’t think she deserves him. It was really beautiful watching Colton insist that she does and never giving up on her.

Due to the fact that Gretchen is ‘the grumpy one’ and Colton is ‘the sunshiny one’, their conversations are fraught with sexual tension disguised as bickering. They have such an easy conversation flow, even though they appear to be such different personalities but they clearly have a lot more in common than Gretchen would perhaps like to admit. Although the romance appears to be enemies-to-lovers, they definitely never actually hated each other. However, if that’s your bag, it does have that vibe at the beginning.

I love spending time with the women in this novel. The series is chiefly about the book club members (the bros), so the women aren’t really the focus but they somehow take starring roles. Liv and Alexis, in particular, are so cosy and I love spending time with them. Adams is very good at writing women who simply accept the other women that present themselves in the lives of the bros. These are outspoken, loyal, kind-hearted women that other women want to be friends with and hopefully, want to emulate.

One of my favourite things about these books is the regular references to romance novels, their tropes and how they manifest in real life. It’s almost a wink to the reader that says ‘I know I’m a romance novel’, giving it a witty, playful personality. It demonstrates the very thin lines between real life and the plots of romance novels, which could come across as saccharine and sickly but because it’s done with a slight tongue-in-cheek charm, it really works. In this book, we get some chapters of the Christmas romance novel that the book club is reading alongside the main chapters of the book. Of course, we can see clear parallels between both romances and this illustrates the connection between fiction and reality even clearer.

A Very Merry Bromance is an adorable rom-com that has its festive moments but doesn’t overdo the Christmas aspect. It’s set at Christmas but it’s not a very heavy feature of the book. It’s much more about the wonderful friendships, found family and of course, the sizzling romance. There are some definite sexy bits in these books and they’re served in just the right portions for me. Pick this series up for a unique, funny, light-hearted time!

I love this series and this one is added to the collection! Well written and loved the characters. It has all the elements a romance needs! Love, laughter and friendship! A perfect Christmas read .

“You should know, honey, that I’d rather be insulted by you than be fawned over by anyone else.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved The Bromance book club, it was one of the first books that I ever reviewed on my page, so it will always have a special place in my heart. I didn’t quite love A Very Merry Bromance as much, but it is very close! I am so, so happy that Colton got his own story, I love reading about famous people in the music industry so I was especially excited for this one.

A year ago, Gretchen and Colton had a one night stand, the only issue? Gretchen is Colton’s best friends ex and she bolts the morning after. Colton can’t stop thinking about the one that got away and thinks all of his Christmases have come at once when they meet again, but when Gretchen asks Colton to be the face of her family’s Whiskey brand, Colton takes his chance and agrees… if she will go on a date with him. As they get to know each other more, Colton comes to realise that Gretchen hates Christmas, and shows her all of the amazing things about it.

I love the friendship between the guys in the bromance book club, the way that they are always there for each other and always help with grand gestures or are just there to call their friends out for being idiots never fails to warm my heart or make me laugh. Lyssa Kay Adams is a genius in my eyes, she makes you love the characters within mere pages, the banter between Gretchen and Colton was unmatched, her writing is so comedic, I was literally belly laughing during points in this book.

Read if you love:
💙 Second chance romance
💙 Reverse grumpy/sunshine
💙 A famous MC
💙 Dual POV
💙 Strong/supportive friendships
💙 Guy falls first

TW: Abuse, gaslighting.

(Thank you to Headline Eternal for the physical copy of this book!)

💙

Aww finally Coltons story and I was so ready for this one, him being one of my favourite characters.
Gretchen had a one night stand with Colton a year ago, but ran out not wanting to drag him in to her family troubles, Colton however just wants to be with Gretchen.
So, when Gretchen is bullied into asking Colton to be the face of the Whisky company, Colton uses the opportunity to ask for some date time.
I just loved these two together, the banter and the chemistry and gosh Gretchen back story was heartbreaking (CW on this part)
But Colton came through and my heart is feeling all warm and fuzzy.

Back to the Book Club Bromance we go and in time for Christmas!

Colton is next in line, the famous country musician has been suffering from a writer's block for some time now, his new songs aren't what his record company expects and he has one month to decide his next step.

Gretchen and Colton spend one night together and even though they share the same group of friends they haven't seen each other since.

When Gretchen's family is making her contact Colton for a bussiness proposition he counters it by asking for a date, he makes it his mission to make her love Christmas as much as he does.

But of course one date isn't enough and the bussiness of it is lost between kisses and shared time with each moment they spend together.

This is a grumpy heroine, sunshine hero Christmas romance and it was spectacular. There is pining, so much delicious pining and the romance will make you go all heart eyes you guys!

There is some family drama that has do with with her family. Which was one more thing that brought them closer.

Colton was a sweetheart, he even brings her a Christmas romance to read, because the manuals are always part of the bromance book club. He was just so swoon worthy in everything he did in regards to Gretchen.

The book club boys and their significant others make more than one appearance as always, you got to love a close friend group who are essentially a found family, and I certainly do.

This was fun, romantic and wonderful all around.

* I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

Oh. Wow.

Where to start with this book? I was so excited to read this book as I’ve loved every single book in this series. I love the ‘bromance’ club and how they all joke and tease each other, but also how they all love and support each other. As a country music fan I was really keen to read Colton’s story and boy did this book not disappoint. Several times I had to stop reading as I was so emotional, when you can’t see the words on the page for the tears in your eyes you know you’ve got a good book. Gretchen and Colton are a fantastic couple and they complement each other. Hearing her back story about her childhood and then learning that it was all covered up and glossed over just to keep up the privileged cover story was heartbreaking, as was Colton’s, where he took it upon himself to protect his brother and sister from the hardships of their lives and trying to should some responsibilities from his parents who were so loving and tried so hard to give them everything.
Colton and Gretchen, the kind of love where they give up everything for love, including the person they love the most. Simply beautiful.

I'm so happy we have finally been able to learn Colton's story. I have loved him throughout the series and having seen even more of him now, well I'm sad the book had to end as he was being the perfect book boyfriend.

I do love a country music star (at least in books), and there is just something about Colton that I couldn't help fall for.

And it was good to get to know Gretchen a lot better too, and what a backstory she has. Every time you think her family can't get any worse, they sink significantly lower!

I am loving this series so much, the whole bromance book club is a great concept and I really do love all the men in it. And the fact we have a bit of a Christmas back drop to this story is a welcome addition. Especially with Colton loving Christmas and Gretchen hating the season.

I do love a bit of conflict, and seeing how Colton tried to change Gretchen's mind about the season was really heartwarming.

But even more warming than that was the heat between our two leads. The chemistry and connection was off the charts, even if Gretchen is determined to ignore it. I loved all of their dialogue and the heated scenes when they came were ridiculously hot and steamy - I loved it so so much.

I couldn't get enough of this story, I read most of it in one sitting, as I was enjoying it so much. It is a romance but with a fair bit of depth and character development and just hit all the right notes for me. I just hope this isn't the last book in the series, as I definitely want to read more.

Thank you to Headline Eternal and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Thank you Headline Eternal and Netgalley for this advanced copy.

I loved reading about Colton and Gretchen in this Christmas romance. I’ve enjoyed all the books in The Bromance book club series and this one might be my favourite. It is a fun, lighthearted easy romance that still covers some serious issues and dynamics with its characters. I loved the found family aspect to this book and enjoyed getting to see the characters from the other books play their part.
Overall this is a fun Christmas read that I really enjoyed.

Colton Wheeler (country music star) has a one-night stand with immigration lawyer Gretchen Winthrop at their mutual friends' wedding. He was enthralled but she ghosts him and refuses to return his calls for a year.

Gretchen's family own a hugely successful whisky distillery and are looking for a famous person to be the 'face' of their whisky, when they hear that Gretchen knows Colton, they offer her a seat on their charitable foundation in return for approaching him to take the role. Even though she detests her family, Gretchen can't turn down the opportunity to do some real good for her clients, so she accepts the task. Imagine her surprise when Colton says he'll consider it, if she goes on three dates with him.

Gretchen's family are all about appearances, but nothing of substance, so Christmas to her is just a commercial event, whereas Colton is slightly obsessed by all things Christmas and bought a huge house in Nashville just so that he can host his entire family for the holidays. Can opposites attract?

I'll be honest, the Bromance Book Club has grown very stale to me. It's like a kid who keeps repeating the same joke over and over again until you want to scream. I thought the first book was clever, but the concept has become increasingly ridiculous and now there is this other romance which is interwoven with the story (a book which Colton suggests Gretchen reads), it doesn't go anywhere and just confused me when I picked the book up after a couple of days. I just wish Lyssa Kay would write her romances and ditch the Bromance Book Club, that brand of slapstick comedy leaves me cold.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I’ve only read the first book of this series and although I liked it, it wasn’t one of my favourite books ever. This one, however, I loved. I am all for a christmas romance but what I liked about this is that it didn’t feel overwhelmingly christmassy. Does that even make sense? It wasn’t force fed to you on every single page.

Each christmas tradition or christmas-themed scene served a purpose, and it was all about unlocking Gretchen and Colton’s chemistry. Well, opening Gretchen’s eyes to it and knocking her walls down, anyway. The whole book just felt incredibly wholesome.

Colton was super protective but I liked that Gretchen was, too. She could absolutely take care of herself, but Colton still stepped in when he felt it was warranted, and it resulted in some high-drama scenes and some grand gestures. Who doesn’t love a grand gesture?!

This book has the grump x sunshine trope, but the female MC is the grump. I rarely read books like that, so it was super refreshing, but Gretchen wasn’t annoying. She was focused, independent and had a traumatic past that made her defensive and made her want to run (literally, like, fully run away) but her backstory was explained properly and those moments she started to cave to Colton’s charm were golden.

I just wanted to wrap them both up in a blanket and protect them.

The found family trope in this book was a standout for me, just like it was in the first one. It helps you feel super connected to the story and to the character’s lives, and honestly just made it feel much more personal.

Also, Vlad. I love, love, love Vlad. Yes, I will be going back to read the rest of the series just for him.

Thank you to Net Galley and Headline for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The boys are back! Oh, it's been too long, and while the book club is only in a small portion of this book, they are flipping wonderful, and so is A Very Merry Bromance.

I really enjoyed reading about Colton; I didn’t know if I would like this book as much because he was such a new character in the last book, but gosh, is he swoony. That accent, that hair, that voice! Swoon. And Gretchen. I loved her! Intelligent, sarcastic, sexy, and brave. This woman is a badass, and I am so glad she got everything she deserved.

I never met a grumpy sunshine trope that I didn’t like, and A Very Merry Bromance didn’t disappoint; and for a Christmas-themed romance, there wasn’t too much Christmasiness which was a balm to my grinchy heart.

I would have loved there had been more meddling from the book club during the development of Colton and Gretchen’s relationship, but otherwise, I loved everything. There is mention of past abuse and trauma in this book, and there will be characters you want to punch in the face (Go Colton!), but as I said, this book was wonderful.

Why do I get the feeling that the cheese man will be getting a book soon?

After having absolutely loved the first book in the Bromance Book Club series, I was ecstatic to see the newest release. And it certainly didn't disappoint. As I read more and more of the books from the series, my love for each of the characters grows. Each of the light-hearted romance warms my heart. Especially with this being set at Christmas (my all-time favourite time of the year). This book gave the sunshine meets the grump trope.

I'll also be posting a review of this on my Instagram account at @blondesbooknook

Many thanks to NetGalley for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my opinion.

I love this series and have been anxiously waiting for this book. I missed the guys and the book club shenanigans, plus I love a good grumpy x sunshine trope, so I was over the moon when I was sent this book. It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster but it was worth it in the end!

After spending an amazing night with Country music’s golden boy, Colton Wheeler, Gretchen runs away and ghosts him. One year later, their paths cross once again, when Gretchen’s family offers her a chance to better serve the community in exchange for getting Colton to agree to be the new face of her family’s whiskey brand. Wanting to explore something the spark between them, Colton agrees to consider the opportunity in exchange for three dates before Christmas and sets out to prove her that they could be great together.

I loved Gretchen and Colton. Gretchen was so so strong; I genuinely wanted to get into the book to give her a big hug. Her awful family and all the trauma she endured as a child (and throughout her adult life, as well) can’t have been easy to deal with and while some of her decisions/actions did piss me off at times, I can’t judge her. I loved seeing her find love and, just as importantly, find a family, a group of people who loved and supported her unconditionally and who showed her the affection she deserved. Colton obviously played a bit role in this; with the help of the book club and our beloved romance books and tropes, he slowly began to understand Gretchen and try to find the best ways to show her what she meant to him. Even though he had his own issues, with his career at risk, he put her and them first and didn’t hesitate to do whatever needed to be done to be with the woman he loved.

I’m not going to lie, I shed many tears while reading this book; I really couldn’t stay indifferent to Gretchen’s story. Seeing her find happiness was incredibly heartwarming. The found-family trope was very strong in this book and it’s perhaps my favourite thing about it.

I will say though, that I found that the pace was a bit too slow at first, but it eventually picked up and I had a hard time putting it down. I also wish we’d seen the book club in action a few more times; I really do love those guys and their dynamic, and was a little bit disappointed to see they weren’t there as much as I’d hoped.

All in all, this was a great book, with very well-written characters and a fantastic mix of both emotional and sweet scenes. If you’re looking for a good Christmas read, make sure to check out this one.´


★ 3.5/5 Stars ★

I loved this - this is the first time I have read any of the books in The Bromance Bookclub series however after having read this I will be immediately reading the rest of them!

I loved Colton and Gretchen - their chemistry and their personalities were written beautifully.

I laughed and cried - what a fantastic piece of escapism!

BOOK REVIEW: A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

3 Stars

I was really looking forward to this book as I love this series and have loved Colton in the previous books so was excited for his story. Unfortunately though, this didn't live up to my expectations and although I liked it, I didn't love it.

My main issues were that I didn't connect with the lead female Gretchen and although she did have reasons for how she is, I didn't feel she was good enough for Colton. I saw his love for her but didn't really see hers in return. So I just couldn't get behind the relationship and route for them like I wanted to.
I also really missed the rest of the guys in this book! In previous books, they had more scenes but because they were missed, I felt the humour was really lacking.
The storyline was a little all over the place and I didn't love the ending. I thought it was a bit OTT and silly. I also didn't see the point in including parts of the book that Gretchen was reading. It didn't add anything to the story in my opinion and in fact took me out of the flow of the book a few times.
Despite this, the book is well written and I still love the group and Colton's character. I also thought the sexy scenes were decent and there were a few moments between the lead characters that were really sweet and I did enjoy the sunshine vs grumpy dynamic.

Overall, it wasn't my favourite in the series but it was a nice easy read. I am sad it didn't live up to expectations but look forward to the next book.

Please note that I was #gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars
Absolutely adore this series and this is just another hit!
The perfect Christmas/winter book to cosy by the fire with.
It's also a reverse Grumpy x Sunshine which is my absolute favourite trope!
Definitely worth the read
Thankyou NetGalley and Headline for the ARC

Another home run for Lyssa Kay Adams! This book is like a cozy hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire while it snows outside. Colton and Gretchen are the grumpy/sunshine romantic pairing of my dreams and I suspect an annual re-read is going to become a Christmas tradition ...

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

🌟 🌟 🌟

If you like the Bromance Series you'll love this. A heartwarming escape.

Usually it's the man who is the grumpy one but in this the roles were reversed. I love the fact it has a seasonal twist to it so if your looking for a Christmas read definitely give this one a go!