A review by lisibee815
All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

Vanessa is the shy CEO of her own PR firm and, despite her desire to personally avoid other people, is very good at her job. The Pyro (Roland) is a supernatural being and free agent, neither villain nor hero at the beginning of the story but leaning towards villain in the public eye. He works with Vanessa's firm to rebrand himself as a hero. As shy Vanessa and ultra-grouchy Roland get to know one another professionally, the line between work life and personal life blurs dramatically, especially as forces out of their control conspire to threaten their world. This was such a great premise! I thought the superhero/civilian tension worked well. And Roland and Vanessa work very well together as a couple (but I also really liked them both individually). Roland and Vanessa's initial meet-cute gone bad masks strong feelings between two individuals who both think themselves incapable of love and of being loved. Vanessa and Roland were sweet together as each learned to let down their guard. Dual POVs. Open-door, very insta-love (but because he's a sexy alien you roll with it), with a very fated-mates feel. Great supporting characters, Vanessa's family was fantastic and very believable as her dedicated support system, as was her employee and best friend Margerie. I wish Roland had more social support of his own, but then I guess he has Vanessa and her family/friends for that. 

This is a new-to-me author, I would definitely read her again! With the mystery of who the Forty-Eight really are and where they came from (and why they came to Earth in the first place), there's a lot of leeway for the author to get creative, which she did. This kind of sci-fi is perfect for me, there's minimal world-building to follow since it's really just an alt-universe Earth that has supernatural superheroes and villains. (It also helps that they all seem to be ridiculously stunning.) Do pay attention to content warnings, as there are some heavier themes that the author handles with care. Written with wit, this was just a lot of fun to read, and there was an HEA for Roland and Vanessa that satisfied my mushy side. This book made me want to abandon all responsibilities and read all day instead. And it feels like the start of a series, so I really hope there's a next installment! Publishes May 27, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an eARC of this story, all opinions are my own.
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