*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

4.5 stars
A cool addition in listening to the audiobook for me, we get small sound effects! There's a noise that matches the waterfall, lightly in the background to give us the feel of the story with the narration. I enjoyed the sly or laid back, knowing voice of the clientele at Black Swan that he used. Very fitting of the characters! I found I really enjoyed Jake as the narrator for this book. He felt to bring life to the words and characters as he spoke. When listening to audiobooks, sometimes a wonderful thing happens - you don't even know you are listening. Yep, it happened here. Jake told the story with what felt to be the characters personalities and lived in their emotions. This brings a book to a whole fourth dimension that's enjoyable for us.

We start off with seeing Stagger and Infidel in their full character as they escape a lava pygmy temple. How they escape says a lot about their personalities and friendship. Also gives us a action start to bring us into the world with them. I totally loved it. I was sold on the daring characters from the opening.

Infidel is one brutal woman! I love it! She's magically strong and seems to have no fear with her strength as she does withstand some heavy events and keeps on going. Infidel comes to a realization early in the book and grows from it as we move through events. Infidel feels to have been a person in need of healing, and didn't realize it until she lost one person dear to her. Wonderful writing for Infidel and her growth.

I very much enjoyed the story from the beginning. It's told from Stagger's view of things happening. I was pleasantly surprised at how well everything fits as we watch and experience with him. We interact with many different beings from Ogre to dwarf and magic inclined people. And of course, dragons. Very interesting world.

The story plot has an overall slower pace like traditional fantasy. But it's what happens in those moments that are amazing. Even though the plot is slower, the story is far from it. We get to see the world and know the characters through adventure and danger. There is magic and different beings present that we get to meet through actions. I even found I got to smile and chuckle at this story. When you meet Reeker and get to witness what he can do, you'll be smiling too. lol.

I found it interesting how the characters on the journey to kill Greatshadow have their lives intertwined with this adventure. We learn a great deal about them and face dangers as we journey, and I didn't realize that we were still working to get to the dragon. I didn't feel as though the book needed to skip ahead or anything. I truly enjoyed the story from the view point we got it.

Bad Wizard - James Maxey Dorothy returns to Oz is a sort of steampunk revolution.
A good read, but the story felt rushed in some places. The overall idea was good, though, and well worth the time spent on it (not the money; it was free!)

Thor or Loki? Well honestly, it depends on the day.  But there is something about that Loki. 

 

Superpowered Villains are BAM! POW! fun.  Reformed baddies or actively trying to take over the world, they make excellent love interests. 

 

Here are some Super Villains to fall in love with...

 

 

1. Blade of Moonlight  by Kimberly Dean

 

It’s a dark and stormy night, and Luna Masters is in trouble. Buttoned-up court reporter by day, by night she fights crime as Luminescence, drawing power from the moon. No moon, no power…and she’s about to pay with her life.

 

As her consciousness dims, a man steps from the shadows. But he’s no savior. It’s Scythe, a villain whose reputation for evil is legend. When she awakens, at first she’s surprised to be alive. Then enraged to find herself tied to his bed. Naked.

 

Scythe is livid. A minor superhero like Luna has no business on his turf, and he plans to enjoy administering punishment, Yet somewhere in the night, pain turns into pleasure…then into something wicked and sexy that shakes them both to the core.

 

Though Scythe warns her away, Luna’s passion for justice draws her back into the dark, to her masked lover’s side. For good, or evil? Only the dawn will tell…

 

 

2. How to Date a Henchman by Mari Fee 

 

Gina Hall is a college dropout with big dreams. Working as the receptionist at EnClo Corp isn't one of them, but she needs the paycheck, and she amuses herself by speculating what the mysterious company actually does. She's even more intrigued when the owner arrives, bringing with him a very attractive man named Burke.

 

Burke's job is more deadly than dead-end: as head henchman for Gina's boss, aka supervillain Static, he makes sure his boss doesn't end up in jail—or worse. But Static's latest scheme is way more legitimate than either of them are used to. This time they have a real office—with a smart, sexy receptionist.

 

Unfortunately, Gina isn't the only one curious about EnClo Corp's business. When a superhero starts sniffing around, he proves to be less than heroic, and the lines between good and evil blur. Only Gina and Burke can foil his investigation...provided they can keep their hands off each other long enough to save the day.

 

3. Burn Baby Burn: A Supervillain Novel by James Maxey

 

4. The Son of Sun and Sand by Elizabeth Gannon 

 

 San Diego has made its annual recovery from Comicon. It is a great time to live in this city where you might shop at Target with a bevy of Stormtroopers needing WD-40, meet Stampylong Nose (Epic You Tuber) at the Donut Bar, or sit next to Ninja Turtle Creator Kevin Eastman and his badass tats on the Trolly. Good Times.

 

Because I am an aging geek (oh the crowds), cheap (damn tickets are pricey and hard to find), and uber nerdy (I like the academic stuff upstairs the best and with a little one, it is hard to nerdfest out on panels like The Portrayal of Women of Color in Fighting Style Video Games--my own paper by the way), I don't tend to get down to the Con much anymore but I am still thrilled at the diveristy of nerd culture entering the mainstream.

 

Comics are still at the heart of Comicon and Superheroes rule. The Cosplayers make the Con. 

 

Superheroes are going big at the movies.

 

Here is a list of films rumored to be in development! Nick Fury, Man of Steel 2, Teen Titans , Silver Surfer, Justice League, Wonder Woman, Deadpool, Sandman,Captain Canuck,  Super Max, The Metal Men, Shazam, The Flash, The Fantastic Four (reboot), The Toxic Avenger, Sub-Mariner, Iron Fist, Bizarro Superman, Doctor Strange, Aquaman, Black Panther, Luke Cage, and  Deathlok.

 

 

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  Life is good. 

 

Romanceland is doing our part as well. Here are some Superheroes worth your time.

 

 

1. Karma Girl by Jennifer Estep  

 

Investigative reporter Carmen Cole gets the surprise of her life on her wedding day when she discovers that her fiancé and best friend are sleeping together—and that the two of them are her town's resident superhero and ubervillain. Shocked and hurt, Carmen reveals their secret identities and then decides to devote her life to unmasking every superhero and ubervillain who crosses her path. 

A series of successful unmaskings lands Carmen a job at The Exposé, one of the biggest newspapers in Bigtime, New York, a city that's full of superheroes and ubervillains. Carmen is in her element—until she gets kidnapped by the Terrible Triad, Bigtime’s most dangerous ubervillain team. 

The Triad orders Carmen to uncover the secret identity of Striker, the leader of the Fearless Five, Bigtime's most popular superhero team—or else they’ll drop her in a vat of radioactive goo. With that threat hanging over her, Carmen sets out to unmask Striker, but what she doesn’t count on is falling for the sexy superhero. But with the Terrible Triad lurking around, this is one story that just might be the death of her....

 

 

2. Black Hellebore by Nicole Zoltack 

 

Once a year for the past decade, Nicholas Adams returns to Falledge and leaves a black hellebore on his girlfriend's grave. While fleeing Falledge, he spies a shady man sneaking into the laboratory. Nicholas chases after him and dies for his trouble. A witch brings him back to life, only Nicholas is not the same man. Turns out, magic combined with a black hellebore in his pocket changed him into a kind of a super man. 

Julianna Paige, his girlfriend's twin and deputy of Falledge, struggles to solve several murders. Nicholas, and his alter ego the Black Hellebore, helps her, even as she helps him move on and start to truly live again. 

Unfortunately, Nicholas wasn't the only one changed in the laboratory explosion, and now a super villain is bent on destroying Falledge, and killing the Black Hellebore. But falling in love might prove more dangerous than any super villain.

 

3. Yesterday's Heroes  by Elizabeth Gannon

 

The life of a super-hero is not all it’s cracked up to be. Just ask Wyatt Ferral, one of the city’s cape-wearing favorite sons. For one thing, he can’t stand the other heroes, and is starting to see that they aren’t especially heroic. Plus, he’s forced to wear stupid looking spandex costumes, and his unauthorized biographies are filled with glaring inaccuracies. Heroing is so isolating. Some days, he just wants to walk away from it all and have a real life. All it would take is one personal tragedy to push him over the edge…

Meanwhile at the Consortium of Chaos…

The life of a super-villain is a blast, just ask the super-villainess known as “Harlot.” Just because you’re dedicated to evil doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun, right? So, when the almost forgotten hero Wyatt Ferral walks into the Consortium’s headquarters one day and says that he has a plan, she’s intrigued. Can Wyatt help their troubled organization finally succeed in one of their world domination schemes? Can she keep her fellow villains from killing the handsome hero long enough to hear what he has to say? Will he see the subtle but important distinction between collecting his memorabilia and stalking him? Was his Hero swimsuit calendar photoshopped, or do his abs actually really look like that? So many important questions…

 

4. Aphrodite's Passion by Julie Kenner  

 

Mortal Tracy Tannin has always felt like the most ordinary girl in the world, especially since she’s lived her whole life in the shadow of her Hollywood superstar grandmother. But when she finds an antique belt in her grandmother’s attic, everything changes. Suddenly everyone wants Tracy—or maybe they just want the belt. 

Superhero Hale is more than happy to do his job protecting mortals. But get emotionally close to one? Absolutely no way. Which is why he’s thrown a bit off his game when he suddenly finds himself craving the mortal woman he’s been assigned to protect. But that must just be the effect of the magical belt he’s supposed to retrieve, right? 

 

5.  Holding Out for a Hero by Christine Bell et all 

 

6. Seductive Powers by Rebecca Royce 

 

Wendy Warner is a bit of an oddball. Raised in an orphanage, she’s found solace and friendship by watching the television show, Space Adventures, and participating in its fan clubs. Twice a month, Wendy comes to work dressed in a costume from the show that she wears to charity events. She’s been able to ignore the looks of distain from many of her coworkers, but when the president of the company gazes at her with something more, she knows she’s in deep. 

Draco Powers rather likes the way the uniform hugs all her curves in the just the right places. He’s also a real-life Guardian who told the world that, yes, some people had superhuman abilities, but, no, they wouldn’t work for free or without health insurance. Some people refer to him with derision as the "Capitalist Guardian." While Draco doesn’t care what he’s called, he’s also being hunted by a group called the Organization, whose motives are unclear and yet still cause death and destruction wherever they go. 

The Organization has decided that Draco's biggest weakness is the way he cares about his employees and has chosen Wendy as their next target. To save her, Draco will have to come to terms with his real feelings and the reason he’s long resisted complicated relationships…but he's running out of time. 

 

7. Nobody Gets the Girl: A Superhero Novel by James Maxey 

 

Richard Rogers was an ordinary man until he met the super-genius Dr. Nicolas Knowbokov. Now trapped in a world that has no memory of him, Richard is an invisible, intangible ghost to everyone but Dr. Know and the scientist’s two sexy superheroine daughters, Rail Blade and the Thrill. Assigned the codename Nobody, Richard becomes the world’s ultimate spy, invisibly battling the super-powered terrorist army run by the mysterious mastermind Rex Monday. The fate of the free world is at stake as the superhuman battles escalate, wiping entire cities from the map, threatening the survival of all mankind. Who can save us from the looming apocalypse? Nobody! 

 

8. Elemental Man by Summer Devon

 

Caleb is an ordinary guy...except for his bizarre ability to adapt to any situation. Really. Anything goes. Fire and water are no problem for him.

Someone is shoving innocents into dangerous situations and Caleb is forced to act again and again. It's up to him to stop the person who's trying to draw him out. He already suspected his attractive neighbor is his stalker and then she demonstrates the rare ability of seeing him as he adapts. 

After Caleb confronts her, he has another problem on his hands. He's told the innocent civilian Melinda far too much about himself and she apparently has some extraordinary skills herself. Her rare skills might make Melinda a target of the stalker who's after Caleb. 

And, thanks to his mistake about her identity, the nuisance of an agency that controls his life knows she exists. Caleb decides he has to protect and hide her from his friends and foes. Maybe she won't notice he's pretending they've got a future together.

 

9.  Flash of Death by Cindy Dees

 

Trent Hollings has been secretly engineered to be the fastest man on earth. But when undercover forensics accountant Chloe Jordan walks into his life, with all her sexy reserve, time stands still for him. Not even the threat of retaliation from a powerful drug cartel can stop Trent from using his superhuman skills to keep her safe.

Chloe takes one look at Trent and sees everything she's ever craved and avoided when it comes to men: adventure…and lies. Still, she knows that it's only a matter of time before she surrenders to this smoking-hot man. But when the enemy finds them, Chloe is confronted with a truth that could destroy her love for Trent forever….

 

10. Steele by Sherri L. King Steele

 

After a year-long coma, Marla has returned home from the hospital. But something about her has changed. Something unbelievable.Brian Steele, a vigilante and ex-underground boxer, has come into Marla's life to protect her and help her understand her strange new abilities. But before long, he also has plans to seduce her down to her very soul.How will Marla, still weak and confused, cope with such a virile man as Steele? She doesn't know, but she's ready to learn. As soon as possible.

 

 

Did I miss your favorite? Let me know! 

 

To vote for the best of the best, go to the Goodreads list: Caped: Superheroes in Romance. 

 

If you want to see some amazing Cosplayers as well as super hot Superheroes check out my Pinterest Board: Superlove! 

 

 

Need more Super Action? Get Your Super On: Heroine Style. 

I just can't pass up a superhero novel. Few rise above mediocre, but they're like space operas, I am always looking for the one that shines above the rest.

Nobody Gets the Girl is better than average. The worldbuilding and the plotting was excellent. James Maxey creates an internally consistent world packed with all the usual superhero tropes — the supergenius super-technologist who is a one-man Illuminati, his supergenius nemesis, giant baby dolls trashing cities, superheroes and supervillains with creative but familiar powers, power-ups that turn the merely formidable into world-shaking, time travel and alternate universes, and of course, clever twists.

The main character, Richard Rogers, wakes up one day to find his life is literally gone. His house is occupied by strangers. His wife is gone. Nobody can see or hear him. Finding out how this happened and the "rules" of his new existence is just the first part of the book. Richard becomes a minion of "Dr. Know," who has two beautiful daughters, all of them working to bring about world peace and an end to poverty, starvation, and disease.

How likely is that, really?

It turns out that the Knowbokovs are, to put it mildly, a dysfunctional family, and Richard, a snarky Everyman sort of protagonist, gets whipped back and forth by one revelation after another.

He also gets to nail both of the hot sexy superbabes despite being a mostly passive dork whose "power" is that the rest of the world doesn't know he exists. One cannot help suspecting a bit of authorial self-insertion.

I enjoyed the book quite a lot. Any superhero story requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, but this one manages to make everything fit logically together if you just accept the first big credibility gap. It's a "believable" superhero world with a story that escalates to a true world-saving adventure.

The only flaw that keeps it from being a nearly perfect superhero book is that the writing was so bland as to be almost sterile at times. Imagine someone narrating a thrilling story to you with a flat stare and a monotone; grammatically perfect, but devoid of affect. James Maxey uses straight dialog to carry many of his scenes; the dialog is fine, and while I applaud any writer (especially a superhero writer) who avoids overly-emotive descriptions, Maxey went a little too far in the other direction, sometimes requiring the reader to guess whether someone is speaking angrily, sarcastically, or sadly, and what their state of mind is. Likewise, no scene was lacking in clarity, but I actually found myself wishing for more adjectives and some sentences that weren't simply plain narrative style.

The author's notes at the end of the book say that he wrote the first draft in about a month and a half. It was obviously polished prior to publication, but the fast pace and high-concept plot with relatively sparse prose can be explained by the fact that it was, for practical purposes, a NaNoWriMo novel. But given all that, not bad.