Scarred (Sapphire City #2) by Erica Hayes #superhero #urbanfantasy

Title: Scarred (Sapphire City 2)
Author: Erica Hayes
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Superhero Romance
Publisher: HarperImpulse
Available: Amazon $ (Kindle) 321 pages
Rating: 5*
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:

Superpowers don't make you a hero…

Verity Fortune's crime-fighting days are over. In exile, defeated by her smug supervillain nemesis, her shady past exposed—even her own superpowered family condemns her as a traitor. Whatever it takes, Verity's determined to prove she can still be a force for good.

Now, Sapphire City faces a new threat: a delinquent duo with extraordinary powers and a terrifying talent for destruction. Outmatched and on the run, her telekinetic powers faltering, Verity can't defeat this menace alone—but whom can she trust, when the only person who believes in her is her arch-enemy?

What I liked:
Action and angst packed, two of my favourites. Verity borders on the line between good and evil, and hero and anti-hero, forever questioning herself, while some of the superheroes in the story behave less than heroically. I love that there's no clear divide sometimes. Vincent also makes for one twisted, complex, evil to the bone villain. But Glimmer...what a hero, in all senses of the word. This dude has had his life wrecked and gets saddled with the most conflicted super 'hero' in the universe, and yet holds it together and sticks with her despite all the mean stuff she says to him. Despite all the stuff dumped on him. He stays loyal, honorable, and so adorable I'd fight Verity for him. Want smexiness? You get one dose hot, and another sweet. I prefer the sweet but both were beautifully done. And the ending? Grab your tissues. If the truth about Sophron doesn't slay you, the finale will.

What I didn't like:
While I enjoy the first person POV and Verity's self torment, sometimes I felt it went on a bit too long/too much and slowed the pace of the story. Also I guessed the twist way before it happened (again) but that's probably because I read too many Agatha Christie books as a teen. I also wanted to bang Verity and Glimmer's heads together.

In conclusion:
I loved this book and I'm addicted to this series. Verity's constant doubts that she's a good woman, a superhero, or in any way beautiful or worthy of even friendship make for some great inner angst and romantic tension. There is action aplenty, smexiness, and interesting twists and turns. While this wrapped up its own story and some of book one, there is still plenty unresolved for at least one more book (hopefully more). For those who love superheroes, sassy repartee, sweet heroes and dyed to the bone evil villains with lots of action and some nicely done smexiness. Oh, and for those who think body count in a superhero book should be more realistic than Hollywood.

I was provided with a copy by the author for my honest and unbiased review.

Dragonfly by Erica Hayes #scifi #romance #spaceopera

Title: Dragonfly
Author: Erica Hayes
Genre: Scifi Romance
Publisher: Momentum
Available: Amazon $5.90 (Kindle)
Rating:  4 stars
Rater: Pippa 





Blurb:
Carrie Thatcher is a tough Imperial counter-terrorism agent. Her mission: pose as a sexy cyber-thief to entrap the notorious rebel Dragonfly, who's planning a heist on the space station Casa de Esperanza - an orbital casino on the fringe of Imperial space.

And this assignment's personal: Dragonfly murdered her closest friend, and she's in no mood to show him mercy. Even getting stuck with the partner from hell--Malachite, her sociopathic ex-lover and the Empire's most dangerous agent--can't dampen her relish for the kill.

With Carrie's expert weapons skills and penchant for cracking codes, insinuating herself into Dragonfly's confidence should be easy. But is he the ruthless killer she was led to believe? Or has her precious Empire deceived her? With Malachite watching her every move, the slightest flinch in loyalty means death.

Carrie is soon racing to uncover an audacious treachery that will shock the Empire to its core ... if she can stay alive for long enough to expose it.

What I liked.
The world building was in-depth, complex and intriguing. The plot was high tension and action packed. There was quite a bit of science (maths) and technology, something I love but that might put off those not so keen on heavy SF elements. The characters are captivating, and the hero particularly takes some figuring out.

What I didn't like.
This was quite slow at the start due to a heavy amount of set up and world building, but had a lot of tension throughout, right to the final conflict...and then totally flopped for the final few pages. I think this book had the most disappointing ending I've come across, even if it had the required HFN for a romance. Also I got a little tired of Carrie with her 'he's my enemy, he has to die, OMG he's hot and I want to sleep with him' mental routine. I prefer my sexual tension a bit more subtle. Others might enjoy her constant mental conflict more than me.

In conclusion.
If you're a fan of the Firefly/Farscape style of space opera, this is for you (Carrie was a very Aeryn Sun type character to me). Be prepared for some heavy-ish technobabble and world building though, and having to stick with it for the first couple of chapters to get to the adventure.

Scorched by Erica Hayes #urbanfantasy #superhero

Title: Scorched
Author: Erica Hayes
Genre: Urban Fantasy (Superheroes)
Publisher: HarperImpulse
Available: Amazon $4.74 (Kindle)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Rater: Pippa 





Blurb:

In a world where everyone wears a mask, you can't trust anyone… not even yourself.

Verity Fortune was once Sapphire City’s top crime-fighter, wielding her powers of telekinesis to battle the city’s most despicable villains.

Now, she’s consumed by a single burning desire -

Revenge.

Against those who took away her mask, her memory, and nearly her life.

Having escaped from the asylum they left her to rot in, Verity dons her mask once again and becomes the Seeker, a vigilante warrior for truth.

But when she unwittingly uncovers an evil conspiracy deep within her own family, she’s suddenly on the run, alone and hunted by those she thought were on her side…

What I liked.
Beautiful, almost poetic descriptions that gave me a serious dose of author envy. Also I guessed who the real traitor was, which might seem a bad thing but made me feel better, only to get caught out by the main plot twist (it's a doozie!). These carefully set up plot points kept me on the edge of the seat with a serious 'what will happen next?!' anticipation. Great general tension throughout, and plenty of action and adventure as you'd expect from a superhero story. And the bad guy is BAD! Nothing beats a villain who really is evil.

What I didn't like.
This is tagged on Amazon as a romance, but *potential spoiler* I don't feel that it is - if it was a romantic HFN, it was pretty ambiguous, and the sexual tension/chemistry throughout wasn't great. I certainly didn't feel there was any hope for any kind of romantic entanglement or longevity in the vague hero/heroine relationship. But the main thing that bothered me was as soon as Verity appears as herself at the family company, she's jumped by Doctor Mengele. Of course she's been betrayed, but following on from that she continues to go out in public as herself and her superhero guise, makes appointments as her journalistic self and contacts old work mates...yet doesn't get caught? Her enemies wouldn't keep tabs on the other people in her life in order to recapture her? Also she's bothered by her scarred face enough to want to wear her mask all the time, yet doesn't seem bothered showing it as Verity.

In conclusion.
Any fan of the likes of the Marvel films (and in particular those still waiting for a heroine-led superhero film like Black Widow) will enjoy this. There's some sexual tension (though not enough for a romance in my opinion), and plenty of adventure, action, jeopardy, and twists to keep any non-romance reader hooked. This reads very much like the first of a series, so I hope the next will be out soon.