Jonetta's Reviews > Isn't It Bromantic?

the setup…
Vlad Konnikova, known affectionately as The Russian to his friends, is the romantic in the Bromance Book Club, even though they’ve never seen his wife. When Elena unexpectedly shows up at the wedding of one of the club members, she shocks not only his friends but Vlad, too. His heart soars as he believes she’s finally returned home from Chicago where she’s been in school, ready to change their marriage of convenience to one based on true love. But, Elena has other ideas and is there to tell him she’s returning to Russia. His heart breaking, Vlad plays his professional hockey team’s last regular season game and gets severely injured. So, Elena decides she’ll stay for awhile to help with his recuperation...body and heart?

the heart of the story…
I couldn’t wait to learn more about Vlad, the emotional, big-hearted member of the Bromance Club who also had some serious gastrointestinal issues that’s brought hilarity in previous stories. I didn’t know about Elena until she was introduced at the end of the last book so I was highly intrigued. Their story was much more than I’d imagined, one with lots of layers considering that Vlad and Elena had known each other since childhood and were close friends when they’d married. And, instead of the guys giving Vlad a romance novel to help with the cause, they help him with the ending of the one he’s been writing as he’s stuck on the ending (but, of course!). Elena was studying to be a journalist, following in her father’s footsteps, primarily to figure out the story he was working on when he suddenly disappeared. Between Vlad’s recuperation, the dangerous story Elena was working on and the stubbornness of these two to actually share their true feelings with each other, there was so much that hooked me here. And, Vlad was also the adopted member of a group of meddling widows called The Losers who were a riot.

the narration…
The narrator was challenged to manage the Russian accents beyond a few simple dialogue exchanges as in previous stories and he was wonderful! And, I loved his voice for the crankiest member of The Losers. Listening to this series is a great experience.

the bottom line…
I was hoping Vlad’s story would be a good one and it surpassed my highest hopes. I was a little leery of Elena at first but came to like her and believe she was a worthy mate for one of my favorite characters. The only thing that detracted from my enjoyment was the plethora of communication issues between the two that didn’t always ring true to their natures. Still, this was a fun, interesting and often exciting story that was befitting for this beloved character. And! His gastrointestinal issues? Solved.

Posted on Blue Mood Café