Lexie Dunne

I was privileged to have read this author's work well before she got the offer to have this story published, and I'd like to say that this book is her best piece of writing ever.

Gail is a victim of circumstance. Dragged kicking and screaming into becoming Blaze's Lois Lane, she eventually becomes jaded and fatalistic. In the first few pages, she wakes up after being kidnapped and asks the doctor nonchalantly who took her this time. After all, she *is* "Hostage Girl"

Fast-forward almost a show more year to a Gail who has a much more sedate life. She's minus a boyfriend, hasn't been snatched, and her hero - having nothing to save her from - has left her alone.

Then something happens and her whole life changes. Almost nothing is what she thought it was. And in her case, new news is almost never good news. She wasn't stupid, she knew that other people would've been thrilled to be in her place - but for Gail - it was *not* a walk in paradise.

Seeing the world from a new perspective, yeah - that was a novel concept. But she still felt like "Hostage Girl". Just... with a bow on top. And for some reason, it wasn't any prettier.

I am so excited about this book. I cannot say enough good things about it. Really, I would like to just say "GO GET IT AND READ IT NOW", but that would be doing it a disservice.

There's a story in every character - even ones that flit through in the background. The depths with which I dove into the hearts of the heroes (LITERALLY heroes) was unimaginable until I felt it. Completely absorbing, engrossing, amazing - not enough adjectives ever.

"GO GET IT AND READ IT NOW!"

Caveat - there is a follow-up book, and this book ends in a bit of a cliffhanger. However, it's WELL worth the angst you will experience in the wait between now and mid 2015. show less

This is going to sound weird, but Gail should really talk to Emp from EMPOWERED. They can discuss being Hostage Bait and maybe start a union for folks who get taken hostage frequently. To be fair, once Gail gets powers this is less of an issue...Emp kind of became hostage Bait after getting her powers. I still think they'd have a lot to talk about though.

What happens when a hero decides to switch cities to protect, but forgot to send that memo to one of his villains who's been incarcerated show more for a few years? Well that hero's favorite hostage gets to gain super powers, lose a mind numbing job and oh yeah - a great beach bod without any of the workout.

Or she dies horribly after being hooked on some super villain drug. It could have gone either way for Gail.

Throughout superhero lore there's almost always that one certain person that the superhero always seems to be saving. The most (in)famous being Lois Lane to Metropolis' Superman. Villains of all sorts gleefully kidnapped her throughout the long history of the comic/tv/movie franchise. Gail is her sister in spirit, having found herself inexplicably targeted by most of (if not all of) Chicago's illegal minded betheren? Is it because everyone assumes her boyfriend is really the city's patron hero Blaze (not the theory she ascribes to)? Does Blaze have some sort romantic interest in her (even though he never says a single word to her during his routine savings)?

Let's just say the reality of the situation fits in with the rest of Gail's really bad luck throughout the novel.

I went into this expecting a fun, humorous romp and that's what I was given, plus so much more. Gail, and the reader, gets to see first hand what happens when you're suddenly given super powers and let me tell you its not as advertised. So don't go chasing radioactive waste or allowing mad scientist's use you as a guinea pig.

Like anything else being a Superhero isn't all its cracked up to be. Saving lives, busting the bad guys, looking cool while doing it...that's all after some intense training, lots of meetings and dealing with some very heavy egos running around. Its really more about managing expectations then anything else. Heroes are expected to have a certain mystique and by golly that's what they're given. So when a villain decides to go to the TRULY dark side and screws with the rulebook...things get ugly.

I liked Gail for the most part. She's down to earth and responds to her ever changing situation remarkably well. Her biggest worry isn't usually whether she'll die or not (by in large her captors tend to have less need for her dead and more need for her alive), but if her company's insurance will continue to cover her. Being kidnapped weekly? Huge insurance liability. Plus she's sarcastic, hardworking and sees the good in people (or situations).

Though I gotta admit her last decision in the end? I wanted to wring her silly super powered neck.

Our cast of characters ranges from only kind of given personality (like Guy's brother) to being murky as dishwater with their motivations (I'm still not convinced Jeremy isn't two shades short of turning dark just to get some damn recognition...or at least control over his life). The archetypes are well know and played off here to various degrees, especially as Gail sees their "real" lives and is surprised by the differences.

What worked less for me was the journalist thread that wove in and around the rest and ultimately informed the ending sequence. It just honestly made so little sense to me that Gail would do that. She knew first hand what could happen (on several personal experience levels) and yet she chose the naive path. With crippling dread I read with only the mildest of hope that it would be okay. Though I did start hurling insults at the people on the last page for being presumptuous and stupid, on behalf of Gail who was shell shocked, so that at least means my emotions were thoroughly invested right? show less

My one gripe with the first book, Superheroes Anonymous, was that it ended on a big cliffhanger. I was very happy that Supervillains started at a fast pace and zoomed along. These books are sugar-coated, sweet and fluffy homages to all the tropes in the superhero genre, with brilliant twists to make these fresh. Supervillains made me laugh out loud throughout. The real nature of the high-security prison for villains... oh gosh. Sign me up.

I managed to make it through the whole book in a day, show more thanks to several appointments, and it was fun all the way. The romantic element is very light--lighter than the first book, even--and it focused a lot more on the action and machinations of villains. That was fine by me. I have been under a lot of stress this week and this provided the perfect escape. show less

This is a fantastic, fun addition to the series about super-powered Hostage Girl and a wide assortment of super heroes and supervillains. The mad scientist who endowed Gail (aka Hostage Girl) with her powers turns out to be alive and held hostage by new villains—and he's created a new concoction that can neutralize superpowers. The stakes are high as Gail and her friends rush to save the day. I especially enjoyed the running gag of Gail versus her so-called nemesis, and the way it's show more handled at the end is a hoot. show less