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kaori_yugen's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Violence
shinyfox's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Gaslighting, and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal death and Child death
lizacorn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
galleytrot's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
READ: Jan 2024
FORMAT: Digital
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 3 / 5⭐
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 3.25 / 5⭐
FINAL – OVERALL: 3 / 5⭐
So I have a number of ~°♡opinions♡°~ about this book and the journey that I went on while I read it, though I might not recall all of the thoughts I had because I didn’t take my usual notes. The reason that I didn’t take notes is because I was very confident this book would be a DNF, and the only reason it wasn’t a DNF is because I needed to understand why the reviews for this book skewed so positive. The average rating did not mesh with the content I was reading, and I had to persist to see it for myself.
The early vibe of this story felt like it was supposed to be Megamind PWP slash fanfiction, while leaning aggressively hard into an out-of-character insta-love/lust. Every other sentence appeared to be checking in with the characters’ states of arousal, constantly assuring us that they were obscenely well-endowed. Constant misunderstandings and a shocking lack of common sense prevents the characters (one of which supposedly has an above-average IQ) from ever connecting the dots over the other’s obvious identity. They’re both served all the context they need to make the logical leap, but every time and without fail, they react to it like, “Huh, that’s weird. That’s a superhuman trait. Well, moving on!”
Then something actually happens a third of the way into the book, long after I’d given up on it as worth my time: the author finally takes the book past a raunchy little sexfest and lets us get an actual look at the world the characters are living in. Arguably, the setting and the rules of the world are usually among the primary foci of compelling superhero media. It’s at this point that the book’s tone and direction finally shift into something cohesive, with events important to the story occurring. Characters are assigned motivations, seeds of plot are planted, and the (rather unreasonable) attraction between the main characters is granted some sort of legitimacy (Surprise! It’s a superhero-flavoured Fated Mates book!).
Now I will say that, having stuck the book out, I was surprised by a number of things (here’s looking at all of you matri/patricidal monsters and psycho/sociopaths with extremely worrisome turn-ons!), but ultimately, I remained unimpressed. The book thought it was being clever about its admittedly unique plot. It thought it was slowly weaving the threads of its tapestry, but the hints and the clues being dropped were all about as subtle as a bag of brick to the face. In the end, I resorted to speed-reading and skimming through most of the book, just to stubbornly finish it. Book two piques my interest only based on the circumstances of the character it features, but I haven’t decided quite yet if I'll ever read it.
This book has representation for gays, bisexuals, and lesbians. Several characters are portrayed as non-white.
The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
This book contains: sociopathic/psychopathic thoughts and behaviour; blood, gore, injuries, death, murder, and violence; cadavers, body parts; toxic families; off-page animal death; and potentially others I might have missed because I didn’t take notes on content warnings, either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Animal death
mslori's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
This was more erotica vs story than I usually care for, but aside from that I rather enjoyed it. Some of the jokes were a little more in your face than clever. But I enjoyed the politics of this superhero world. That and that the MC's really didn't feel a need to "make-up" or reconnect with their parents in the end. I can't stand overly forgiving characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Sexual content
belle13's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Tropes: MM Romance, Hidden Identity, Superheroes, Opposites Attract
Amount of spice: 🔥🔥🔥
Explicitness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
My thoughts
I’m rating this almost solely on the fact it was just so much fun and I laughed the whole way through. I absolutely adored Butch he had me giggling the whole time and he is totally the definition of a himbo and the author has written him so perfectly. I loved the opposites attract and hidden identity plot they had going on too. In fact, the plot itself kept me hooked and had me waiting with bated breath to see what happens next. And to top it all off there were some fantastic supporting characters who only added to the fun of the story.
The only reason it didn’t get a full five stars for me was because I found it a little too insta-lovey and I wanted more build up, but that’s just me.
Amount of spice: 🔥🔥🔥
Explicitness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
My thoughts
I’m rating this almost solely on the fact it was just so much fun and I laughed the whole way through. I absolutely adored Butch he had me giggling the whole time and he is totally the definition of a himbo and the author has written him so perfectly. I loved the opposites attract and hidden identity plot they had going on too. In fact, the plot itself kept me hooked and had me waiting with bated breath to see what happens next. And to top it all off there were some fantastic supporting characters who only added to the fun of the story.
The only reason it didn’t get a full five stars for me was because I found it a little too insta-lovey and I wanted more build up, but that’s just me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
so_many_books's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
So this was actually way better and different than I thought.
Although the spice level was a tad too high for me, I can't deny the originality of the storyline. It was unique and something I actually hadn't seen before.
Xander is a supervillain without actual powers. As part of a notorious villain clan, he tries to be useful by being an evil genius... but he's also adorably invested in saving marine wildlife.
His arch enemy is Captain Masculine, a generally sweet and clueless himbo. Butch is a golden retriever, actually.
When they meet outside of their super costumes, they fall for each other almost immediately. But of course, their secret identities make life a bit more interesting and difficult.
The villain/hero storyline and the world building were fascinating. I loved how morally grey everything was in this world. It was very much entertaining to see the politics of 'supes' and 'normies' work in the background of the romance.
The romance was kinky and spicy. It's definitely the maximum amount of flame and hot chilli emojis. It was a bit too much for my taste, but if you like it spicy, I highly recommend this book because the story was actually super fun.
Although the spice level was a tad too high for me, I can't deny the originality of the storyline. It was unique and something I actually hadn't seen before.
Xander is a supervillain without actual powers. As part of a notorious villain clan, he tries to be useful by being an evil genius... but he's also adorably invested in saving marine wildlife.
His arch enemy is Captain Masculine, a generally sweet and clueless himbo. Butch is a golden retriever, actually.
When they meet outside of their super costumes, they fall for each other almost immediately. But of course, their secret identities make life a bit more interesting and difficult.
The villain/hero storyline and the world building were fascinating. I loved how morally grey everything was in this world. It was very much entertaining to see the politics of 'supes' and 'normies' work in the background of the romance.
The romance was kinky and spicy. It's definitely the maximum amount of flame and hot chilli emojis. It was a bit too much for my taste, but if you like it spicy, I highly recommend this book because the story was actually super fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Murder, Violence, Cursing, Death, and Emotional abuse
lizacorn's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol and Classism
jennifox's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was ridiculous and over the top, but also sweet and smart and sexy. I enjoyed it more than I was expecting and looking forward to Wolfgang's book. My only complaint is there were some really odd tone shifts throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, Blood, Cursing, Classism, and Emotional abuse
trayslays's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, and Death of parent