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A review by coneja_divina
Misadventures with a Super Hero by Angel Payne
1.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Misadventures with a Super Hero tells the story of Emma and Reece: a hotel employee hoping to find her own place away from her roots in Orange County and her boss who has traded his playboy past for a life of crime fighting. It's attraction at first sight; steamy scenes ensue, and Reece comes to understand the importance of letting others come before himself.
The story felt more like porn with a semblance of a plot versus a romance story. I'm not a prude when it comes to my literary tastes, but there comes a point where the sex feels gratuitous. I felt like so much time was devoted to the sexual aspects of the story that the rest of the story was more of an afterthought. The whole "Velvet" pet name made my skin crawl, especially given its origins (The Velveteen Rabbit, a children's book). The electrically charged ejaculatory fluid made me roll my eyes, cringe, and remember that scene from Showgirls where Elizabeth Banks flails mid-coitus in the pool because she is experiencing that much ecstasy.
I simply expect more from my books. I think there are some great romance stories out there: stories set in fantasy/sci-fi worlds where characters have powers, and the suspension of disbelief feels natural and easy. I fall into those worlds and feel invested in the welfare of those characters. I don't think this book achieved that. This is the third Misadventures book I've read, and I'm sad to say it was a miss. I would say pass this up in favor of another book in the collection.
Misadventures with a Super Hero tells the story of Emma and Reece: a hotel employee hoping to find her own place away from her roots in Orange County and her boss who has traded his playboy past for a life of crime fighting. It's attraction at first sight; steamy scenes ensue, and Reece comes to understand the importance of letting others come before himself.
Spoiler
I really, truly wanted to enjoy this book. As other reviewers have pointed out, the premise is interesting: a playboy is kidnapped and experimented on, leading to electrical superpowers. He turns his karmic retribution into a means of learning to be a better person. There was so much potential with the story. The author could have done a deep dive into what happened in the year between the events of the prologue and chapter 1. There could have been a better explanation as to why Emma felt such a deep need to separate herself from her OC past. Reece could have stood to be a hell of a lot less wishy-washy in the last third of the book. Emma could have had emotions beyond desperately sad and horny. Instead, we get flat characters. Really, really flat characters who really seem like caricatures of people. I didn't feel like anyone was a real person. And, yes, I understand that this is fantasy, but good fantasy is built on a foundation laid by solid world-building. I didn't feel like this world was built solidly enough to support the story.The story felt more like porn with a semblance of a plot versus a romance story. I'm not a prude when it comes to my literary tastes, but there comes a point where the sex feels gratuitous. I felt like so much time was devoted to the sexual aspects of the story that the rest of the story was more of an afterthought. The whole "Velvet" pet name made my skin crawl, especially given its origins (The Velveteen Rabbit, a children's book). The electrically charged ejaculatory fluid made me roll my eyes, cringe, and remember that scene from Showgirls where Elizabeth Banks flails mid-coitus in the pool because she is experiencing that much ecstasy.
I simply expect more from my books. I think there are some great romance stories out there: stories set in fantasy/sci-fi worlds where characters have powers, and the suspension of disbelief feels natural and easy. I fall into those worlds and feel invested in the welfare of those characters. I don't think this book achieved that. This is the third Misadventures book I've read, and I'm sad to say it was a miss. I would say pass this up in favor of another book in the collection.