The Bromance Book Club has quite the interesting premise. Men who are experiencing trouble in their relationships get together to read romance novels, so they can better understand their women and strength their relationships. Ha! Gavin is in this exact position. He and his wife Thea are having trouble in their marriage, and he will do anything to save them.
There's a lot that I liked in here. Gavin is a sweet and well-meaning husband, though a little clueless and makes a lot of mistakes. When he realizes his relationship is in trouble, he makes the pledge that he'll do whatever it takes to win her back, including reading romance novels. His gestures and words are kind and endearing. And I have to say it was interesting to read a romance book from a man's perspective for a change. The story also includes some blurbs from a Regency romance thrown in, which is a genre I've never read before, and I found it all to be great fun.
But unfortunately, I had a lot of issues with Thea's character. She doesn't meet Gavin halfway. She has this attitude that since he messed up, well tough luck, she's done. She lies to him for years and then complains that he doesn't know what she's thinking. I couldn't connect with her at all, and I found the parts written from her perspective to be considerably less compelling. Also she and her sister Liv spend a lot of time bashing Gavin behind his back. It was all very whiny and childish.
Overall, this was a bit of a mixed bag. I found Thea to be grating, but I liked Gavin enough to keep going. Having men read romance novels to improve their relationships is an interesting concept, but for me, the overall story didn't quite hit the touching or charming notes it should have.
Still, I'm excited this book introduced me to Regency romances, which I can't believe I've missed till now.
Readaroo Rating: 3 stars
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