Super Zero by Rhonda Stapleton

Title: Super Zero
Author: Rhonda Stapleton
Genre: Superhero/Science Fiction Romance
Publisher: Rhonda Stapleton
Available: $3.12 at Amazon.com
Rating: 4.5 stars
Rater: Pippa








PLOT SUMMARY:

Working for superheroes isn't all it's cracked up to be...

When Jenna’s superhero boss The Machine gives her the opportunity to safeguard the changing crystal (a jewel that grants, changes or removes superpowers) she jumps at the chance, eager to do this so-called "cake" job and earn street cred with the Midwest League of Superheroes. To help her mission, the League assigns her a partner, the mysterious and super-sexy Vigilante. Too bad he's also super-grouchy--what a tragic waste of hotness.

Soon, Jenna learns the threat to the changing crystal is all too real, and her list of trustworthy people grows shorter by the minute. But when she discovers something even more sinister afoot, involving Vigilante's sexy arch nemesis Dementrix, it'll take all her skills to keep the mad villainess from executing her plan to unmask and decommission the world's superheroes...especially when Jenna accidentally becomes one herself.

Super Zero is a 64,000-word novel.

THE GOOD:
This is a humorous and romantic read that throws you straight into the story without any info dumping, with believeable and consistent characters, no sections that drag and some great snarky one-liners. My favourite had to be the reference to the posturing of a couple of supervillains as having gone through 'Captain Kirk's Superhero School for Overactors'. It was so compelling and entertaining that I had to read it from start to finish in one sitting - luckily at 64K words it's a fairly quick read, but it still felt a complete and complex story. It's written in first person which I normally dislike, but that didn't stop me enjoying it thoroughly.

THE BAD:
There were one too many references to the main character's belief that she was a strong, independant woman - usually just before she melted in a puddle. I felt it was a little tell-y in places too.

IN SUM:
This is a sweet and warmingly romantic superhero story with no explicit bedroom scenes, some nice twists, some great humour, and all wound up nicely in just 64, 000 words. I f you've enjoyed films like Mystery Men and The Specials, then this is definitely a book for you.