Short Take Reviews: Well Met & The Bromance Book Club

WELL MET
Jen DeLuca
Publication date: September 3, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: Audiobook, 9 hrs 46 min
Source: Overdrive
4.5 STARS
GOODREADS 

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.


M Y   T H O U G H T S

I can't remember the last time I smiled so much while listening to a book. Well Met was sweet and adorable and funny and romantic and delivered so much more than I expected.

Emily has come to the small town of Willow Creek to help her sister and while there gets roped into participating in the annual Renaissance Faire. In between chauffeuring her sister, caring for her niece and perfecting her role as a tavern wench, Emily finds herself making new friends. She also clashes - constantly - with Simon, the grumpy, persnickety Faire organizer. But Simon seems to be a completely different person when in character at the Faire. His dashing pirate wildly flirting with her tavern wench persona makes for some swoony, yet confusing, interactions. Does Simon has feelings for her - or is all just an act?

I loved my time in Willow Creek with these characters. Emily was so thoroughly likable and so was Simon, especially once his background was revealed. The cast of secondary characters were every bit as genuine and likable and I found myself wishing I could be part of this friend group. As much as I loved the sweetness and humor, I was surprised by the emotional aspect and actually found myself getting choked up a few times. The cherry on top was that the narration was absolute perfection and made the story come to life for me and I could practically see every scene play out before my eyes.

Well Met was utterly charming and I can't wait for more in this series!

THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB
Lyssa Kay Adams
Publication date: November 5, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
3.5 STARS
The first rule of this book club:
You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.
 



M Y   T H O U G H T S

The Bromance Book Club was on my TBR for months before its release. I mean, who can resist a synopsis like that? My high hopes only skyrocketed when I started seeing rave reviews from the book community. Unfortunately, Bromance was a bit of a mixed bag for me. There were some real highs and a couple of real lows. 

What I Liked: 
I fell for Gavin from the start. It was obvious this was a man who loved his wife, loved his children, and desperately wanted to keep his family together. Yes, his pride had taken a hit and he'd allowed that to color his decision-making, but I admired his whatever-it-takes attitude as well as his realization that he couldn't be the only one doing the work. In addition to Gavin, his group of teammates/friends were a total riot. They were totally earnest in their endeavors but also loved to dish out some tough love and smack talk when needed. The banter between Gavin and Mack never failed to make me laugh.

What Didn't Work For Me: 
In a word... Thea. I tried hard to be sympathetic to Thea (and at times I was) but for the most part her lack of communication with Gavin was incredibly frustrating. She kept silent about her issues for three years and yet was resentful that he wasn't aware of them. Say what? It took far too long for her to admit to any complicity in their marriage issues. By the time more of her background was revealed, and reasoning for her trust issues, it was too late for me. I had already spent most of the book feeling no connection with her and finding myself fully sympathetic with Gavin. I basically pulled for the relationship to work because it was what Gavin wanted.

Despite my issues with one of the main characters, The Bromance Book Club was still a fun read and I would recommend it to readers who love a second-chance romance.


HAVE YOU READ EITHER OF THESE BOOKS?

36 comments

  1. So glad you enjoyed Well Met! It sounds right up my street, I'd really like to check it out soon. Great reviews!

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    1. Well Met was such an unexpected surprise, Jess! I hope you'll love it, too! :)

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  2. The Bromance Book Club is one that I would like to pick up. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it for the most part. Well Met sounds so good too! I will have to check my library for both of them.

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  3. I read both of these and we've already discussed Bromance book Club. I did come around to Thea but totally get where you are coming from.

    I actually am opposite from you and didn't love Well met. I thought it was super cute but didn't utilize the Faire as much as it could have and I was really irritated with Emily for questioning how Simon (and her new friends) felt when they were being direct with her and telling her.

    So that's kind of funny that we had the same issue but the with different characters lol

    Karen @ For What It's worth

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    1. So funny how we're kind of opposite of these two books. I couldn't stand Thea and you came around to her. And you didn't like Emily's actions and I had zero issue with her. LOL Same books + different readers = different opinions! :)

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  4. I love the sound of the Renaissance Faire angle in Well Met. Glad it turned out well. :)

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  5. I am a little sad about Bromance, but that's ok, because you loved Well Met! I agree. The book made me smile, and I am all about anything that can brighten my day. And, yes! There were some really beautiful and emotional moments, which showed the depth of the characters. It was perfection for me.

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    1. Yeah, I had high hopes for Bromance but I really took a dislike to both Thea and her sister and couldn't get past it. It happens... *shrugs* But Well Met was a delight. Loved that one start to finish. :)

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  6. I really loved Gavin, too, he was such a sweetheart. I did laugh out loud several times while reading. Thea was a problem for me, too, and it was hampering my enjoyment of the book a little, but when she started coming around, it really brought the whole book together for me and I rated it 4.5 stars!

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    1. I'm so glad Thea's character ended up working for you. I really did love all the humor in that one. :)

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  7. The geek in me likes the idea of Ren Faire romance :D there needs to be more of them, such a breath of fresh air.
    The Bromance Book Club looks... interesting

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    1. I thought the Ren Faire aspect in Well Met was a lot of fun. :)

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  8. I loved both Simon and Gavin! And yes, Thea should've been more truthful. Not fair to be mad at someone when they don't know what they've done wrong. :)

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    1. I think if Thea had come around sooner and accepted some of the culpability in their problems I would have been okay with her. But by the time she admitted as much it was too late for me and all my sympathy was with Gavin.

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  9. I REALLY want to read both of these books! Karen recommended The Bromance Book Club, and she knows my taste pretty well. :) Bummer that you struggled with one of the main characters though, since that's usually a turn-off for me. Womp! It seems like everything else was swell! I think Well Met is one I'm going to really love. I'm happy to hear the audio was fantastic and fun! <3

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

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    1. I think I'm mostly in the minority with my feelings about Thea in Bromance. I've read some reviews where she wasn't particularly loved, but most came around to appreciate her. It just didn't happen for me. Well Met was an absolute delight, though. And the audio was so, so good!

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  10. I haven't read these books yet. But they are on my TBR. I'm glad you liked 'Well Met' so much. It sounds like a great one.I haven't been able to listen to a lot of audiobooks lately. Hopefully I will find time for them again soon.

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    1. I hope you'll enjoy Well Met if you decide to give it a try. :)

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  11. I've heard so many good things about Well Met! I'm so excited to see that you loved it too! That's too bad about The Bromance Book Club. It's definitely hard to love a book when you don't love a character.

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    1. Yes, when I'm actively disliking a character (when they're meant to be sympathetic) it kind of taints the whole book for me.

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  12. I'm so glad that Well Met was such a wonderful read for you. I loved that one so much. I enjoyed Bromance more than you did but I know what you mean about Thea. I found her frustrating but ultimately I liked how realistic the character felt even if I didn't care for her. I could imagine her as a friend or family member I'd like to shake because they're being so dense, lol.

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    1. Yes, I wish I had warmed eventually to Thea but it just didn't happen. Well Met was a total hit for me, though. :)

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  13. I have kind of been eyeing Well Met but you have sold me now. I am definitely adding it to the tbr pile. I just bought The Bromance Book Club. I can understand how one character in a book can lessen your overall enjoyment.

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    1. I hope you'll love Well Met, Carole! I'm excited to see what you think of both books.

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  14. Bromance is sparking some very spirited discussion (I guess pro Thea and her sister vs. anti?) I have it on hold at the library and I will see. I've been ... disappointed is the wrong word, but maybe unpleasantly surprised by some contemporary romances I've tried lately. Either there was no romance (fine, just don't suggest there is) or hard-to-take characters. Not naming names lolol I read them off-duty!!

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    1. Yes, I've seen other reviews of Bromance that took issue with Thea, too, but most seem to either like her from the start and find her sympathetic or they come around by the end. Just didn't happen for me. Hopefully we both have better luck with our romances soon!

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  15. Yass the audio of Well Met is soo good, happy you enjoyed that one!

    Sorry that Thea and Liv didn't work for you. ):

    (Amber Elise @ Du Livre)

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    1. Well Met was such a little gem! I'm excited for the next one in the series.

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  16. Tanya Well Met gets fantastic reviews but I am sad that the Bromance was only a 3,5 stars for you even if I can get why. And yes most rant are about Thea!

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    1. Thea was a tricky character and I feel like the author waited too late in the game to have her come around, realize she held some of the blame, and thereby be more sympathetic.

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  17. Well Met is now even higher on my reading list because you make it sound so good. I want to read that book so much and everyone has been saying such good things.

    I am sad to see you didn't love The Bromance Book Club more but I get your issues, Thea was a tough nut for me to crack but once I began to get her issues a little more I warmed to her. Especially once she realised she was a big obstacle in her own happiness and realised she was stopping herself being with the man she loved. I suppose she did take a while to realise that though.

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    1. Well said, Becky. And I think that was a large part of my issue. I felt like the author waited too late to have Thea make those realizations. Had it happened earlier I probably would have warmed to her.

      Well Met was so charming and fun! I hope you'll love it if you give it a try!

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  18. Well Met is on my 'want' list but I'm waiting on the ebook price becoming sensible. At the moment, it's higher than the print for me!

    The Bromance Bookclub I'm also madly curious about (and want to read for myself) mostly because I've seen it EVERYWHERE and I want my own opinion on it, lol.

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    1. That always boggles my mind when the print book is actually less than the digital version. How is that even possible? Gah!

      I'll be interested to see your opinions on both Well Met and Bromance when you get to them.

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