Isn’t It Bromantic?
⭐⭐⭐⭐
We’re back up to 4 stars, because this book absolutely hit the spot when it comes to vaguely ridiculous plots and characters. Was it believable? No. Did I at any point care about that? Of course not. We got a book about the Russian! Turns out he’s an absolute sweetheart with a heart of gold, locked into a marriage of convenience with a girl from his childhood hometown. And the worst part? He’s head over heels in love with her. Right when it seems their marriage is finally over for good, Vlad ends up in the hospital and Elena comes to nurse him back to health. Both are trying SO HARD through the entire book, and both have an absolute gift for saying everything in the worst possible way to make sure the other misunderstands what they’re trying to say. I was impressed by Vlad’s characterization since he’d consistently been two-dimensional comic relief in the earlier books.
We’re introduced to a new cast of background characters in the form of Vlad’s neighbors, and Lyssa Kay Adams could so easily have gone the petty/ catty women route. I was relieved when the narrative steered clear, and I ended up really enjoying whenever the ladies invaded a scene.
Unfortunately, the curse of romance series has held true, and the plot has gone off the deep end. Highlights include a missing parent, international crime rings, and even human trafficking. All of these are kept at arm’s length compared to book 2, but its still an interesting artistic writing choice for books that are otherwise so aggressively upbeat and wholesome. It took me a while to pick a daiquiri that would match the feel of this book, but I eventually settled on a banana daiquiri. Still super sweet, but a little odd and definitely memorable. (Garnishing with a banana slice just feels wrong.)
Banana Daiquiri:
2 ounces aged rum
1/2 ounce banana liqueur
1 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 ounce demerara syrup
Garnish: banana slice
Steps:
Add the rum, banana liqueur, lime juice and demerara syrup into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
Strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with a banana slice.
https://www.liquor.com/recipes/banana-daiquiri/
If you have a partner who likes to impulse buy weird liquors, this is a great way to use up otherwise nasty banana liquor. I was honestly shocked how enjoyable this drink was.
