BERKLEY A Very Merry Bromance

Thank you PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.I have to admit that this was a slow start for me. Sunshine/grumpy trope where the male is the ray of sunshine and she is bah humbug. (Gretchen dislikes Christmas, has never decorated a tree or had the joy of seeing presents accumulate under the tree.) I didn't care for Gretchen at first, while Colton was just a wonderful book boyfriend.After a one-night stand between country star Colton Wheeler and immigration attorney Gretchen Winthrop a year ago, she ghosts him and all his attempts to contact her. Now. her family is wanting Colton as the brand ambassador for their whiskey line and since she knows him, they want her to get him to do it.She spends more time with him and attempts to get her to like Christmas. There were some fun moments and banter between them, but there were also some serious moments. Her family is out of this world awful-especially her older brother.The bromance club moments were the best parts of the book for me. I enjoyed when they were all together.I listened to the audiobook and the narrator is Andrew Eiden, who is wonderful. He has narrated all the books in this series. While he does a wonderful job, I really wish there would be a female narrator for Gretchen. (and all main character females in each book). There are so many male voices for him to differentiate in this series that it would be nice to get a completely different voice for the female. Just my preference.

Tropes:- grumpy x sunshine- opposites attract- found familyAfter a steamy night of fun a year ago, Gretchen Winthrop has done everything in her power to avoid Colton Wheeler and his attempts at reconnecting. That all changes when her brother dangles the opportunity of joining the charitable foundation board their family’s whiskey company runs—something Gretchen has always wanted and is willing to do anything for. The company wants Colton to be the face of their upcoming whiskey campaign, and her brother believes using their ‘connection’ is the key to winning Colton over.Pining over her for months and needing a distraction from his failing career, Colton is more than happy to talk to Gretchen about the campaign, but has one stipulation: he’ll only consider it if she goes on a couple dates with him. Hesitant but willing to do anything to impress her family, Gretchen begrudgingly agrees, and Colton plans several adorable holiday themed dates.In true Bromance fashion, Colton and Gretchen’s story is not without drama and heartache. While the chemistry between them is off the charts hot, Gretchen has a lot of intimacy & trust issues thanks to her family, and keeps Colton at arms length. Though the dudebros & their lady loves aren’t around as much as the previous books, their support for Colton & Gretchen is still very much apparent, and I love their little family unit so much.A Very Merry Bromance is a wonderful addition to the Bromance Book Club series, and I hope there’s more books to come in this series!

I'm giving 5 stars mainly because it had me so enthralled that I'm up way too late finishing it. But I'll admit that while there were several things I enjoyed about the book, one thing that annoyed me and has been a somewhat common thread in this series is the tendency to try to morph everything into being the man's fault, regardless of what the woman does. Colton wasn't perfect but he had every right to be upset at Gretchen for what she did. Even if her reasons were (pretty much) heartfelt, how she went about it sucked.And I get irked at how it's always the men in the book club never seeming to want to hold the women accountable; it's always the guy that needs to swallow his pride and make "the grand gesture." I was actually frowning when I read how Colton started blaming himself and the petty side of me wanted to take a star off for that, but stopped myself.And some things seemed unfinished to me. What was on the document Jack gave Evan?? What happened in the book-within-the-book Colton had Gretchen read? And the the whole thing with her parents at the end seemed very vague. But maybe that's just me.

Another Bromance win!Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and Lydia Kay Adam’s for the e-arc. I am leaving my review voluntarily.Notable Tropes:Reverse Grumpy/SunshineHoliday Romance (not over the top)Found FamilyDual POVAfter reading about the famous Colton as a side character in all the other novels before this…. I definitely was curious as to when his story would come out. It did NOT disappoint. Though I will admit, I did have a little issue with Gretchen’s attitude in the beginning, but then understood where she was coming from as we got more of her story.This book was a fast paced, heartwarming, and funny story. I of course, LOVED the bromance between the men, and how they help lift each other up when they need it the most. Highly recommend this series to anyone and everyone looking for cute romance!!

Our last guy his HEA in quite a delicious way...