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Review
Liv Papandreas is a badass. I repeat, Liv Papandreas is a badass.
Even though we get a picture of what these two main characters were like in the first book, the scope of what we learn when they are the focus is obviously so much more. The two briefly meet earlier on because of Liv’s sister Thea and Mack’s friend, Gavin, but they really don’t know anything about each other. When Mack decides to wine and dine his latest girl and make things ~official~ he of course decides that he needs to go to a super swanky restaurant and buy her this $1,000 cupcake that surprise, surprise is Liv’s job to make. Due to a series of….very unfortunate events…the cupcake ends up in Mack’s girl’s lap. Neither one of them care very much as it was an accident EXCEPT for Liv’s douchey, slime-ball of a boss. When she goes up to his office later that night to receive the talking-to of a life time, she walks in on him sexually harassing another employee and things proceed to blow up from there.
Let’s just say that neither Liv nor Mack’s nights end up very good after that. Liv is FURIOUS about what she witnessed and without a job and Mack is left sans girlfriend, feeling guilty for playing a role in Liv being fired. The two, begrudgingly (especially on Liv’s part) eventually decide to team up to take down the previously mentioned douchey slime-ball.
What I really enjoyed about this book, other than Liv’s badassery, was the push and pull of Mack’s and Liv’s relationship. They both have their own share of issues but as the book progresses we slowly see both of them showing sides of their life and who they truly are to each other that no one else has ever seen before. There were plenty of bickering scenes which then always sets up a good scene for explosive kisses (which we get a few of) and you know that this is going to be a couple that is always going to be poking at each other just to rile the other one up.
The scenes with the other guys from book club were just as fun as the first book. The Russian, I tell ya, lol. He might be my favorite. I just love picturing this huge group of hot, hulking guys who are insanely famous and rich getting together reading romance novels lololol. Ugh, still such a genius idea.
Finally, the biggest component of this book that ended up being so satisfying to read was the take-down of the bad guy. It ends up coming to light that (not surprisingly) this guy has been a predator for LONG time and has paid a lot of women off because he’s done terrible things. There were a few really important scenes with Liv and a friend that also happened to have been taken advantage of by the sleaze bag, where Liv got so mad because her friend just wanted to let it lie. She had a café that she owned and ran and she just wanted the past to stay in the past. I mean that is such…relevant commentary on situations that have come to light recently with several different rich and powerful men and that you know has happened for years and years in the past. While Liv’s friend did eventually come forward about it, they had a little bit of a falling out about it before that. What I learned from that situation is that even though you are always going to want those people to get in trouble, the women who went through it don’t necessarily want to drag that past into the now because of the pain it’s going to cause them. Just because they didn’t come forward with it when it happened, doesn’t mean they should be discredited (like what seems to happen these days). They just knew in that moment that even if they did come forward, they probably still wouldn’t have gotten believed and their life would have been even worse off than if they just stayed quiet.
UGH. It makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it honestly.
Luckily in this story at least, the girls and Liv get partial justice anyway which is something. Liv learns to be more understanding and to trust and love and Mack learns how to just be himself. Overall a very good continuation of the series!
Huge thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion! ♥
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Undercover Bromance (Bromance Book Club #2)
I’m so glad you enjoyed this book. I have it coming up on my TBR and I am really looking forward to it. I haven’t read the first book in the series, but I am hoping that won’t make too much of a difference.
Great review!
Michelle @ Book Briefs
I think with most romance series it doesn’t matter *too* much if you’ve read them all in order. Of course you might have a different perspective of characters if you do but I don’t think you’ll love it any less!! 🙂
This was another bromantic winner for me. You, me, and everyone seems to love the Russian. When we will get his book?! I liked getting to know Liv, because I didn’t like her very much after the first book. This book helped me understand her, and for that matter, I understand Mack more. He definitely won more space in my heart after this book. You know what else I loved? The farm. Hop and Rosie was wonderful additions to the Bromance family
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