Out of all the characters from the “Bromance Book Club”, The Russian a.k.a. Vlad, was the one that was usually in the background in the other books and when he was more involved in certain scenes he was usually the butt of the joke. In addition, while Vlad was a kind character, he wasn’t necessarily my favorite from the bunch (sorry!). Despite that, he was always the sweet, tough, cuddly teddy bear that all the guys loved and cherished. I was surprised to see that this book was going to centered on Vlad and his marriage, but I went into the book with an open mind to give Vlad’s story a chance. 

Like always, I highly recommend you read the books in order as each book highlights significant details that play a role in the next book pertaining to the next couple, in this case it was Vlad and Elena. In the last book, Colton (country music singer & fellow Bromance Book Club member) believed that Vlad’s “wife” was just a figment of his imagination or just Vlad laying about being married since no one had ever met her, but by the very end of the last book, “Crazy Stupid Bromance”, at Liv and Mack’s wedding reception, Elena, Vlad’s wife surprised everyone by showing up, and then promptly running away from Vlad. I gotta admit even from the very beginning, I was also curious as to why Vlad’s wife never made an appearance in the previous books, but in this book we got more of an explanation as to why, and so much more.

When Vlad and Elena mentioned that their marriage was… a marriage of convenience I was a little bit shocked, but also excited since that is one of my favorite tropes. You would think with it being a marriage of convenience that maybe both people in the marriage held secret feelings for each other, but nope. After a couple of years being married to each other, it seemed that only Vlad was the one who had strong feelings for Elena, whereas Elena only saw Vlad as her childhood friend, whom she married in order to leave Russia, and pursue an education. That’s not to say that Elena was completely heartless, she just had different feelings for Vlad that were more on the lines of friendship. Later on in the story, it’s revealed that Elena did in fact have feelings for Vlad even when they were growing up, but just never gave into those feelings, more like put them on the back burner. 

Getting to read about Vlad’s feelings on how he felt in his marriage was truly eye opening because, as a man whom I didn’t really give that much thought to, surprised me. Vlad wanted love, someone to come home to, and build a life together. Of course being in the Bromance Book Club, everyone had their own significant other, and Vlad always felt like he was living a lie because, from his perspective, his marriage was built on a lie, not a marriage of love, but just for convenience. 

Now once again, I loved how the guys appeared in the story because hello Bromance Book Club forever! This time the guys really banded together in order to help Vlad, it was a nice change since Vlad was usually helping others in the group, but this time he was put in the hot seat, and spoke all his fears and truths about everything he felt especially in terms with Elena. Through out this entire series, I’ve fallen in love with each and every character, and honestly after reading this book, I grew to appreciate Vlad more, and I gotta say, he was an absolute joy and lovable character. Plus while I initially thought I wouldn’t like this book as much compared to the previous ones, I surprised myself by genuinely loving this book as well.

Another thing that I loved in this book was seeing the guys not only try to help Vlad with his marriage to Elena, but also help him work on his manuscript. The Bromance Book Club really knew what they were saying when they were brainstorming ideas for Vlad’s book. The times when the guys would point out specific tropes or things they loved seeing in romance novels, it was like they were reading my mind, and essentially understood the assignment. Those parts usually made me smile because as they described how they loved a “first kiss” scene or a slow burn romance or even a “hot, passionate, angry” kiss, those men knew exactly what we know and love. In addition, seeing the parallels of Vlad’s story and his own life was interesting, but I also loved reading the separate story itself that Vlad created. I feel like in the very first book we got a chance to follow along with the book the guys were reading, and in this instance it was the same too. In a way, it was like getting to read two stories at the same time, yay!

Lyssa created these characters in such an amazing way that she truly did them justice and showcased a group of different, wonderful, kind men who broke down the stereotypical expectations of a man, and showed that men can love to read romance novels, and it be totally normal. I cannot get over just how much I truly love this series. If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, if you’re looking for a lighthearted, funny, unique, and sweet book/ series to read, definitely check out all the books in the Bromance Book Club series!