Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  The Bromance Zone

SERIES:  The Good Guys #1

AUTHOR:  Lauren Blakely

PUBLISHER:  Hot Men Books

LENGTH:  300 pages

RELEASE DATE:  October 26, 2021

BLURB:

Two great friends. One road trip. And eight inches…
…of snow that night at the cabin.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. Friends don’t bang friends. I want my friends to stay in my life, especially that flirty, clever, outgoing best friend of mine. It’s a damn good thing Owen and I made a pact in college to never ever sleep together, or else I’d be tempted. Trouble is, eight years later I’ve been wondering what his kisses taste like. And I’ve been curious if our chemistry would extend into the bedroom. If he might feel the same risky pull. But I don’t want to lose Owen, and history says there’s no way a tryst between friends can end well. So as long as I avoid the bedroom with him, I won’t break that hard-as-steel rule.

Except the snow has other plans…
The Bromance Zone is a deliciously flirty, red-hot sexy, friends-to-lovers MM romance about the charming guy next door who’s sworn to never date a friend, the flirty hot nerd who’s been secretly crushing on that friend forever, and one night snowed in in a cabin. This book comes fully equipped for your reading pleasure with sexy banter, a super awkward dinner party, and a scene in front of a fireplace that proves just how dangerous the friend zone is.

REVIEW:

The Bromance Zone is another heartwarming, panty melting romance from the master of passion, Lauren Blakely. Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes and that makes this one of my favorites of her books. I adore the transformation from guys who love their best buddies to the moment they realize they’re in love with their best friend. It’s like a light switch is flipped and suddenly they can’t keep their hands (and other body parts) off each other. Gah!

I want to drive him insane— make him beg with his body. Then, once he’s aching and needy, I’ll kiss him till he’s moaning for me. I’ll devour his lips till his hands thread through my hair, till he claws and grasps, till his breath comes in wild pants. Till River can’t control his desire anymore. Then he’ll know what my life’s been like around him. I can’t wait any longer. After all these years, I need to touch him.”

When River and Owen were in college, they raised their coffee cups in a toast to the unbreakable friendship pact, aka the Friend Don’t Bang Friends Treaty. Eight years later, they’re still best friends but they both secretly wish for more. The problem is, they promised each other not to hit the hay together and they’re each afraid that divulging their feelings will ruin the cherished friendship they have.

We met Owen and River in the Men of Summer series: Owen is the PR guy for Declan’s baseball team, the San Francisco Dragons, and River is Grant’s friend and business partner in the chain of ten Lazy Hammock gay bars. Owen has great flirting game but he’s actually a serial monogamist. He doesn’t want just sex; he wants his heart to be involved in a relationship, not just his body. What he’s looking for is a man who wants to be with him because he’s a good person and will treat his man well. What he really wants – no, needs – is River, for whom he’s been pining for eight years. River is ready for the right guy to come along with whom he can settle down, but he doesn’t allow himself to imagine Mr. Right could be Owen. As the story progresses, he can’t deny feelings are starting to creep into the equation.

When they set off on a road trip, the friendship vibe is strong, but by the time they’re snowed in at a cabin part way to their destination, there’s massive UST (unresolved sexual tension) building. It’s a good thing everything is covered with snow or I’d fear their Sex Cabin would go up in flames from the slow burn. Let’s be honest, half the reason we read Lauren Blakely’s books is for the quality sex scenes. As one of her characters, TJ, a romance author says, sex scenes are about more than the physical. They’re about intimacy, desire, trust, power, and connection. Ms. Blakely builds complexity by hitting upon each of those aspects with her men in this book.

What I like so much about best friends-to-lovers is that some degree of trust, connection, and intimacy – in different forms, of course – already exists, it just has to evolve into a alternate dynamic the men must navigate. They both must weigh if it’s worth breaking the pact and risking their close friendship. They struggle to answer that question and communicate their desires to the other. Yes, they both want to bang each other. Yes, they both want more than just sex, but will the other?

The Bromance Zone has all the things we love about Ms. Blakely’s novels: well developed characters – Owen and River are so endearing, an interesting plot, snappy dialogue, unparalleled UST, passion, sexiness, and all the feels. And double epilogues with a wonderful HEA! Go grab a copy – you won’t be disappointed. Gotta love that cover, too, am I right?

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

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