What do you think?
Rate this book
Supervillain Romance Project #4
Engaged to a Supervillain
Can a former supervillain escape his sins?
Years on a grueling, deep-cover mission left young superhero Jake Powell world-weary and broken. With his past behind him, he just wants to focus on getting his life back together to prepare for a future with his girlfriend—and hopefully soon-to-be fiance—Juliet. Well, and maybe having his future brother-in-law not hate his guts would be a bonus.
When a lapse in judgment leaves Jake and Juliet as expectant parents, Juliet's brother, Shawn, is even less inclined to accept Jake. Life is further complicated by a vigilante determined to avenge the victims of the Black Fox Supervillain Gang, the very gang Jake just spent years embedded in. As bodies pile up, Jake fears he's the next target.
Hunted by a vigilante and haunted by his own mistakes, Jake struggles to keep the life he's fought so hard for from falling apart. When the enemy comes calling, Jake's only hope may lie in the one person who does not want to forgive him.
Years on a grueling, deep-cover mission left young superhero Jake Powell world-weary and broken. With his past behind him, he just wants to focus on getting his life back together to prepare for a future with his girlfriend—and hopefully soon-to-be fiance—Juliet. Well, and maybe having his future brother-in-law not hate his guts would be a bonus.
When a lapse in judgment leaves Jake and Juliet as expectant parents, Juliet's brother, Shawn, is even less inclined to accept Jake. Life is further complicated by a vigilante determined to avenge the victims of the Black Fox Supervillain Gang, the very gang Jake just spent years embedded in. As bodies pile up, Jake fears he's the next target.
Hunted by a vigilante and haunted by his own mistakes, Jake struggles to keep the life he's fought so hard for from falling apart. When the enemy comes calling, Jake's only hope may lie in the one person who does not want to forgive him.
- GenresSuperheroes
227 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 28, 2023
4 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
H.L. Burke
95 books566 followersBorn in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.
An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.
Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.
She is the author of a four part fantasy/romance series entitled "The Dragon and the Scholar," the Award Winning (2016 Realm Award for Young Adult Fiction) Nyssa Glass Steampunk series, and MG/Fantasy "Cora and the Nurse Dragon," among others .
Sign up for her monthly newsletter at www.hlburkeauthor.com
http://www.amazon.com/H.-L.-Burke/e/B...
An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.
Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.
She is the author of a four part fantasy/romance series entitled "The Dragon and the Scholar," the Award Winning (2016 Realm Award for Young Adult Fiction) Nyssa Glass Steampunk series, and MG/Fantasy "Cora and the Nurse Dragon," among others .
Sign up for her monthly newsletter at www.hlburkeauthor.com
http://www.amazon.com/H.-L.-Burke/e/B...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 11, 2024
“You bought an engagement ring—on Amazon?”
This was super sweet and cute while also exciting, heart pounding, and powerful all rolled up into an amazing story of heart and forgiveness.
Jake is my all time favorite character in this universe and he just continues to shine in his mistakes, endearing dorky-I-have-NO-CLUE-how-the-real-world-works ways, and his unwavering commitment to those he loves, especially Juliet, and seeing him with her or thinking about her melts me every time. Juliet is also amazing in how she sticks to her guns and Jake like glue and fights in every way for them to be together even if she doesn’t do and hand to hand, superpower fighting this time around. I’ve loved Shawn in his books, but I will be honest in that I REALLY wanted to punch him a few times due to how he underestimated Juliet and hated Jake, BUT he does realize the error of his ways and is man enough to apologize to both of them, so I’ll forgive him.
I loved the theme of forgiveness, and how that played out in stark contrast to the cult villain’s idea of “forgiveness”—who I HATED, by the way!!!—and how the author wove in faith despite this being a clean series then a strictly Christian one.
This whole book is amazing and I love it so so much. 🥰😍🥰😍
‼️Content‼️
TRIGGER WARNING: a character has PTSD; a character is told to take their life by eating a pill (they don’t)
Language: gee; screw it; crap; sucks; dang it; dang; screwed up; hell; gosh; jackass; damn; hellish; badass; screw-up; pissed; ass; BS; dammit; heck; go to hell; geez; frickin’
Violence: fighting with weapons, superpowers, and hand to hand (not detailed); a past bombing killed people; a cult murders people by framing their deaths as suicides; a character is tortured with painful shocks; a character punches a man; a man is buried in concrete
Sexual: mild suggestive hints and comments; kissing (not to semi detailed); characters have sex before marriage (not shown or detailed, no fade to black, just mentioned/implied); a character had sex as a teen (not shown or detailed); a character says they’d only kidnap hot girls
Drug/Alcohol: characters drink alcohol; a character is told to take their life by eating a pill (they don’t)
Other: superheroes, supervillains, and superpowers; a character has PTSD; people have been being kidnapped and killed; a car chase; a character uses illusions of spiders and monsters to scare people
This was super sweet and cute while also exciting, heart pounding, and powerful all rolled up into an amazing story of heart and forgiveness.
Jake is my all time favorite character in this universe and he just continues to shine in his mistakes, endearing dorky-I-have-NO-CLUE-how-the-real-world-works ways, and his unwavering commitment to those he loves, especially Juliet, and seeing him with her or thinking about her melts me every time. Juliet is also amazing in how she sticks to her guns and Jake like glue and fights in every way for them to be together even if she doesn’t do and hand to hand, superpower fighting this time around. I’ve loved Shawn in his books, but I will be honest in that I REALLY wanted to punch him a few times due to how he underestimated Juliet and hated Jake, BUT he does realize the error of his ways and is man enough to apologize to both of them, so I’ll forgive him.
I loved the theme of forgiveness, and how that played out in stark contrast to the cult villain’s idea of “forgiveness”—who I HATED, by the way!!!—and how the author wove in faith despite this being a clean series then a strictly Christian one.
This whole book is amazing and I love it so so much. 🥰😍🥰😍
‼️Content‼️
TRIGGER WARNING: a character has PTSD; a character is told to take their life by eating a pill (they don’t)
Language: gee; screw it; crap; sucks; dang it; dang; screwed up; hell; gosh; jackass; damn; hellish; badass; screw-up; pissed; ass; BS; dammit; heck; go to hell; geez; frickin’
Violence: fighting with weapons, superpowers, and hand to hand (not detailed); a past bombing killed people; a cult murders people by framing their deaths as suicides; a character is tortured with painful shocks; a character punches a man; a man is buried in concrete
Sexual: mild suggestive hints and comments; kissing (not to semi detailed); characters have sex before marriage (not shown or detailed, no fade to black, just mentioned/implied); a character had sex as a teen (not shown or detailed); a character says they’d only kidnap hot girls
Drug/Alcohol: characters drink alcohol; a character is told to take their life by eating a pill (they don’t)
Other: superheroes, supervillains, and superpowers; a character has PTSD; people have been being kidnapped and killed; a car chase; a character uses illusions of spiders and monsters to scare people
April 16, 2023
I was honestly a little hesitant to read this one based on the synopsis. I assumed it was going to be all interpersonal drama and Juliet having little role, agency, personality, or point outside of being pregnant. Thankfully it was not that. Well, there was a heavy focus on interpersonal drama, but it was well-handled. I ended up really enjoying this one, even if it took me a few days to get through it because I couldn't quite stay engaged, but I think that had a lot more to do with my mood and general spaciness. Jake's PTSD felt very realistic and well-handled. The Christian faith elements in this were really well done and consistent and beautiful without being high-handed. Jake and Juliet's slip-up and unplanned pregnancy I thought was handled overall well--acknowledging it wasn't the best way and complicated their relationship but there was still good and it wasn't unforgivable or something and not seeing the baby itself as a mistake. I really liked Shawn's struggle with accepting Jake, because he wanted to try to even when he didn't understand or like Jake, he made sure to still be supportive and kind to his sister, and had enough self-awareness to realize he'd "be the jackass" if he tried to argue against their marriage. And when he realized Jake was dedicated to the marriage and baby, he was happy to support Jake. Good side character arc. There's some darkish parts in this one, and some parts that were really emotional. Juliet did still have a full personality and still had agency and made an impact on the superhero part of the story, and it did a decent job of balancing "I should be a bit more careful since I'm carrying another life" and "I'm not going to sit around and do nothing." Jake's relationship with his parents was really sweet. And a good and cute HEA that, without spoilers, made me happy with how their family unit worked out.
December 16, 2025
Forgiveness and redemption in fast-paced adventure
This was so awesome, especially after reading the other related series. It was a satisfying end (ish) to Jake's story. I especially liked his retort to a certain character. Very good!
This was so awesome, especially after reading the other related series. It was a satisfying end (ish) to Jake's story. I especially liked his retort to a certain character. Very good!
March 22, 2023
Engaged to a Supervillain is the fourth book in the Supervillain Romance Project series and continues the relationship of Juliet Park and Jake Powell as they become—well, you read the title.
The book divides neatly into two distinct parts. The first part of the book is a slice of life and doesn't have much action. Long-time readers will appreciate this time enjoying their favorite characters just living life.
The second part of the book has all the superhero action and new-readers will be thankful for all the character development in the first half of the book.
So much emotional tension and inner character growth happens in this book. Jake is dealing with PTSD from his time with the villain gang. Juliet is dealing with her own life changes, like moving across the country for a boy she's only known six months.
Much like the last book in this series, I'm not really sure I would classify it as a romance. This book is a Superhero slice of life, in which the superheros live very interesting lives.
*I was blessed with an ARC of this title from the author. The above review is my own fair and honest opinon of the provided work.*
The book divides neatly into two distinct parts. The first part of the book is a slice of life and doesn't have much action. Long-time readers will appreciate this time enjoying their favorite characters just living life.
The second part of the book has all the superhero action and new-readers will be thankful for all the character development in the first half of the book.
So much emotional tension and inner character growth happens in this book. Jake is dealing with PTSD from his time with the villain gang. Juliet is dealing with her own life changes, like moving across the country for a boy she's only known six months.
Much like the last book in this series, I'm not really sure I would classify it as a romance. This book is a Superhero slice of life, in which the superheros live very interesting lives.
*I was blessed with an ARC of this title from the author. The above review is my own fair and honest opinon of the provided work.*
November 11, 2023
Hands down, this was my favorite installment so far! I was eager to continue Jules and Jake's love story and I slipped in easily. The topic of unexpected pregnancy isn't often done, and when it is, it's weird. But given HL Burke's subtle Christian themes, I think it was excellent. I loved their immediate acceptance of the baby but also the acknowledgement that they had already wanted to get married, so it wasn't a shotgun wedding. I also felt the real development of Shawn and Jake's relationship and saw it as believable. I've been reading these books out of order (I've barely started Reformed), but I love the world! I'm excited to continue.
March 25, 2023
I've loved every single one of this author's superhero books, and this one is no exception! It handles some weighty themes, yet it does so with grace and skill while still packing a fun suspenseful ride!
January 1, 2024
Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰
This is a kindle unlimited e-book novella book 4 in the series
Juliet and Jack are very much in love 💘. Then she finds out that she is pregnant. Jack's pass comes to haunt them. They come through this time.
I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of romantic mystery novels 👍🔰. 2023 👒😀💘🏡
2024 is hopefully a year to clean up the series I have started. Happy New Year
This is a kindle unlimited e-book novella book 4 in the series
Juliet and Jack are very much in love 💘. Then she finds out that she is pregnant. Jack's pass comes to haunt them. They come through this time.
I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of romantic mystery novels 👍🔰. 2023 👒😀💘🏡
2024 is hopefully a year to clean up the series I have started. Happy New Year
March 13, 2023
Overall, a good story that deals with mistakes and their consequences. I liked that it takes a serious look at the issue of causing death to prevent more death, and the psychological toll that can take on a person, as well as the effects of that choice on others. However, I felt it didn't make sense that two Christian characters committed a sin and acknowledged to each other that it was wrong, but were never shown praying about what they'd done or confessing it to God, and it never seemed to affect their spiritual lives in any way. Still, most of this is a fun story that you'll definitely want to read if you've enjoyed Burke's other superhero/supervillain books.
May 17, 2023
You can't go wrong with this series if you love superheroes and second chances! I loved how once again, our beloved characters have to face up to the challenges of life, learn from their mistakes, accept the consequences of their actions, and take responsibility for their choices. To fully enjoy Engaged to a Supervillain, you'll need to read (at minimum) Captured by a Supervillain. While you don't need to read the YA Spin off series (starting with Power On, book one of the Supervillain Rescue Series), you get to know Jake a lot more during his coming of age arc in that series.
This book definitely has enough high and lows to have you soaring with excitement and sobbing as the main characters face the best and worst that life has to offer. Jake and Juliet have to tackle some major relationship challenges and it's done in a tasteful manner that allows the reader to empathize with the pressures and fears that come from making mistakes and dealing with the outcomes.
My advice is to make sure you give yourself plenty of time before bed to finish out the book because once you hit Chapter Thirteen (61%) it's a non-stop ride to the finish! It was intense, but proved once again the strength of Jake's character and the powerful connections of faith, family, and trust.
This book definitely has enough high and lows to have you soaring with excitement and sobbing as the main characters face the best and worst that life has to offer. Jake and Juliet have to tackle some major relationship challenges and it's done in a tasteful manner that allows the reader to empathize with the pressures and fears that come from making mistakes and dealing with the outcomes.
My advice is to make sure you give yourself plenty of time before bed to finish out the book because once you hit Chapter Thirteen (61%) it's a non-stop ride to the finish! It was intense, but proved once again the strength of Jake's character and the powerful connections of faith, family, and trust.
May 1, 2024
Jake is my favorite.
Ah, the culmination of Jake’s story… and all the feelz that go with it. It’s hard to review a final book in a series, and when I went to see what I had said on Goodreads, all I had written was, “Jake is my favorite.” Which is true… but wildly unhelpful when it comes to writing a blog post about it.
Poor Jake has been through a lot in his life, and in this story we see him struggling with some PTSD, enduring the fact that the brother of the woman he wants to marry doesn’t trust him, wrestling with his faith and what it means on the other side of trauma, making a massive mistake in the middle of all of this, and if that’s not enough: villains show up and make rather a mess.
But Jake is epic and I love him to bits. And the conclusion of this book and his arc is satisfying… though I hope he at least cameos in future installments and I’m still hoping the author continues to write in this series and we get to see “the next generation” of sables and follow their adventures!
Ah, the culmination of Jake’s story… and all the feelz that go with it. It’s hard to review a final book in a series, and when I went to see what I had said on Goodreads, all I had written was, “Jake is my favorite.” Which is true… but wildly unhelpful when it comes to writing a blog post about it.
Poor Jake has been through a lot in his life, and in this story we see him struggling with some PTSD, enduring the fact that the brother of the woman he wants to marry doesn’t trust him, wrestling with his faith and what it means on the other side of trauma, making a massive mistake in the middle of all of this, and if that’s not enough: villains show up and make rather a mess.
But Jake is epic and I love him to bits. And the conclusion of this book and his arc is satisfying… though I hope he at least cameos in future installments and I’m still hoping the author continues to write in this series and we get to see “the next generation” of sables and follow their adventures!
February 25, 2023
The second part of Jules and Jake's story!
Out of the four books in the Supervillain Romance Project this book had the heaviest theme. There were lighthearted moments but overall the tone and message was deep. We are all sinners and we can only be truly forgiven and redeemed by God.
I love how Burke brought about faith and God while having believable characters within her remarkable Hero vs Villain world. I wish more authors did this!
Trigger warning: Mention of premarital sex and on page psychological and physical torture.
Mild language and violence, but the romance is CLEAN.
The world building has me wanting to go read the previous series and see certain characters in their own books. While the multiple series are interconnected you can enjoy Jake and Jules in their two books.
I definitely recommend this book for fans of redemption stories, superheroes, and sweet clean romance.
I was given an ARC copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Out of the four books in the Supervillain Romance Project this book had the heaviest theme. There were lighthearted moments but overall the tone and message was deep. We are all sinners and we can only be truly forgiven and redeemed by God.
I love how Burke brought about faith and God while having believable characters within her remarkable Hero vs Villain world. I wish more authors did this!
Trigger warning: Mention of premarital sex and on page psychological and physical torture.
Mild language and violence, but the romance is CLEAN.
The world building has me wanting to go read the previous series and see certain characters in their own books. While the multiple series are interconnected you can enjoy Jake and Jules in their two books.
I definitely recommend this book for fans of redemption stories, superheroes, and sweet clean romance.
I was given an ARC copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
February 7, 2023
This follow up to 'Captured by a Supervillain' completes Jake and Juliet's story. I simply can not say how much I enjoyed this book from start to finish. Thoroughly engaging, starting out gently with a slice of life style that suddenly takes a dramatic turn. Definately lots of fan service for longtime readers with both the Powell and Park family members getting lots of page time. A wonderful finish to Jake and Juliet's story.
March 1, 2023
another Jake story!
I’ve loved seeing Jake grow from the sullen teen to a responsible young man. His and Juliet’s story is adorable with some supervillain hijinks thrown for excitement.
I’ve loved seeing Jake grow from the sullen teen to a responsible young man. His and Juliet’s story is adorable with some supervillain hijinks thrown for excitement.
July 3, 2023
The highlight of this book is seeing Prism in Reformed and Dave Park, father of Shawn in Blind Date with a Supervillain working together to save his sons.
I'm hoping Cody would find his HEA too. :)
I'm hoping Cody would find his HEA too. :)
September 22, 2024
Yep. I’m officially an H.L. Burke fan.
Of all her novels I’ve read so far, this has got to be my favorite! The darker and pressing stakes mixed with themes of redemption and faith were so well written and gripping!
Every character had a clear presence in the story and each got a satisfying arc throughout this series, I especially love how Shawn grew from book 1 to 4 and the interactions between the cast were a delight.
I cannot wait to read more of Burke’s work!
Of all her novels I’ve read so far, this has got to be my favorite! The darker and pressing stakes mixed with themes of redemption and faith were so well written and gripping!
Every character had a clear presence in the story and each got a satisfying arc throughout this series, I especially love how Shawn grew from book 1 to 4 and the interactions between the cast were a delight.
I cannot wait to read more of Burke’s work!
February 26, 2023
Great drama and great characters
I love this series and have eagerly followed Jake’s growth from the angry, unloved teenage crook in Power On through to the troubled undercover agent and romantic lead of the preceding book in this series (Captured by a Supervillain). I thought that brought a lot of closure to Jake’s arc as he finally got together with the fiery but impulsive Juliet and is able to return to his adoptive family, but it turns out there’s more to say, and their whole larger ensemble of characters and families need to learn to work together to save the day and for Jake to step up to being a worthwhile husband and father.
Some people would pit “heart” against “adrenaline” and say that character-driven stories and action-driven plots somehow don’t mix. Well, it works brilliantly in this world. The setpieces are consistently fun with a geeky but creative use of superhero powers, especially in teams, and the character development and themes are broad and well done across the ensemble cast.
Note, while this is nominally #4 in the “SV Romance Project” series, it’s very much about Jake and I strongly recommend reading his back-story first, starting with Power On, and Captured by a Supervillain. Despite being nominally YA, Power On etc. are well worth reading for less-young adults (even if, as a parent of a teenager, I may sometimes identify with the father-figure Fade more than Jake!). The family and relationship dynamics in this book are definitely built on the double-series back story.
I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review and I have no affiliation with the author.
I love this series and have eagerly followed Jake’s growth from the angry, unloved teenage crook in Power On through to the troubled undercover agent and romantic lead of the preceding book in this series (Captured by a Supervillain). I thought that brought a lot of closure to Jake’s arc as he finally got together with the fiery but impulsive Juliet and is able to return to his adoptive family, but it turns out there’s more to say, and their whole larger ensemble of characters and families need to learn to work together to save the day and for Jake to step up to being a worthwhile husband and father.
Some people would pit “heart” against “adrenaline” and say that character-driven stories and action-driven plots somehow don’t mix. Well, it works brilliantly in this world. The setpieces are consistently fun with a geeky but creative use of superhero powers, especially in teams, and the character development and themes are broad and well done across the ensemble cast.
Note, while this is nominally #4 in the “SV Romance Project” series, it’s very much about Jake and I strongly recommend reading his back-story first, starting with Power On, and Captured by a Supervillain. Despite being nominally YA, Power On etc. are well worth reading for less-young adults (even if, as a parent of a teenager, I may sometimes identify with the father-figure Fade more than Jake!). The family and relationship dynamics in this book are definitely built on the double-series back story.
I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review and I have no affiliation with the author.
December 28, 2023
Loved this story! Even better than the last one! So many great themes. The tension between Jake and his potential brother-in-law worked perfectly. We all have our moment when we are short with loved ones, and when your sister wants to marry a former undercover villain with PTSD, you might have a few words to say. Jake and Juliet's "lapse of judgment" was handled so well. This story touched on a lot of important issues including various forms of hypocrisy and family pressure and expectations. I may have become a little nostalgic and had to text my adult son that I loved him.
I enjoyed the villans' particular brand of crazy and reasons for seeking revenge. The pacing was perfect. Plenty of tension and action with romance and family feels. Highly recommend for new adult and up or mature YA.
I enjoyed the villans' particular brand of crazy and reasons for seeking revenge. The pacing was perfect. Plenty of tension and action with romance and family feels. Highly recommend for new adult and up or mature YA.
February 8, 2023
A great nightstand read that touched on issues of ptsd (mental health) and family. Also kudos on world building/characterization..Worthy reading!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews