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Super Zero
When Jenna Peterson signs on as personal shopper-slash-assistant for top superhero The Machine, she's disgusted to learn of his philandering ways against his wife Rapido, the second most powerful superhero in the area--and he's cheating with Jenna's cousin, to boot! But when The Machine gives Jenna the opportunity to safeguard the changing crystal, a jewel that grants or changes superpowers, Jenna jumps on the opportunity, eager to do this so-called "cake" job that will help her earn more street cred with the Midwest League of Superheroes.
The League pairs Jenna up with a bodyguard, the dark, mysterious, and thoroughly grumpy Vigilante. Their personalities are oil and water, but a deep attraction pulls them together, even if they don't fully trust one another.
Soon, Jenna learns the threat to the changing crystal is all too real, and the list of people she can trust 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 the world's superheroes...especially when Jenna accidentally becomes one herself.
The League pairs Jenna up with a bodyguard, the dark, mysterious, and thoroughly grumpy Vigilante. Their personalities are oil and water, but a deep attraction pulls them together, even if they don't fully trust one another.
Soon, Jenna learns the threat to the changing crystal is all too real, and the list of people she can trust 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 the world's superheroes...especially when Jenna accidentally becomes one herself.
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First published April 21, 2011
3 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Rhonda Stapleton
11 books73 followersRhonda Stapleton started writing a few years ago to appease the voices in her head. She has a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her lovely, energetic family and their crazy dogs.
In the twelve minutes of free time she has each day, Rhonda enjoys reading, photography, writing poetry, singing in the shower (and in the car, at work, or basically anywhere that provides oxygen), drinking chai tea, and playing on the Internet (AKA, connecting to the “mother ship”).
In the twelve minutes of free time she has each day, Rhonda enjoys reading, photography, writing poetry, singing in the shower (and in the car, at work, or basically anywhere that provides oxygen), drinking chai tea, and playing on the Internet (AKA, connecting to the “mother ship”).
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 15, 2011
This was a fun quick read in a universe with lots of superheroes and supervillains, and one regular girl who gets mixed up in their stuff. It reminded me a little of Mystery Men, some of the super powers people had were off-beat and quirky (like people's magic talents in Xanth?). Jenna is a go-fer for a very powerful SH, and although she is a bit of a screw-up, he gives her the dangerous and important task of guarding the Changing Crystal, a mystical artifact with the ability to grant or change super powers. Complications up the wazzoo ensue when Jenna's given a bodyguard, the smexy and mysterious Vigilante. Can anybody be trusted in this superverse? As Jenna finds out, it doesn't seem like it, especially her own reactions to Vigilante. Jenna is a fun and believable character, and the relationship tension builds, boils and blows up as the plot twists back and forth more than a few times. This is a fun fantasy escape with some real moments of emotion and great witty writing. It's a reasonably priced e-book, too, that packs a lot more value than its $2.99 price. A bit outside my normal genre, but I read Rhonda's blog post about her writing(found it because I liked Thwonk, and her other books are about cupids -long story), and what she's up to now, and I was intrigued. Here's a link to it, I found it pretty compelling: http://rhondastapleton.blogspot.com/2...
June 16, 2011
Book 24 for 2011. I have to admit, I'm kind of totally in love with this book. It's a treat of a book that kept me hooked from page one. It reminded me of a cross between THE INCREDIBLES and JANET EVANOVICH, and featured a main character who was fun and sympathetic and witty and just kind of all-around awesome.
Aside from the main character, let's talk about the romance. In SUPER ZERO, it sizzled. The male lead, Vigilante, is described in a way which will make every single reader want to become his sidekick (and more). Man, I want to be part of this super hero world. Rhonda Stapleton blends the world of superheros in with our society in a way that is believable yet exciting.
Also, I have to point out, this is an adult book, not a young adult. It's noteworthy because (1) I mostly read young adult, and (2) Rhonda Stapleton has published young adults novels also including STUPID CUPID (Simon Pulse, December 2009).
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for older teens and adults who love action, adventure, and romance!
And the best part is that it's a $2.99 ebook and totally worth every bit of it and more!
Aside from the main character, let's talk about the romance. In SUPER ZERO, it sizzled. The male lead, Vigilante, is described in a way which will make every single reader want to become his sidekick (and more). Man, I want to be part of this super hero world. Rhonda Stapleton blends the world of superheros in with our society in a way that is believable yet exciting.
Also, I have to point out, this is an adult book, not a young adult. It's noteworthy because (1) I mostly read young adult, and (2) Rhonda Stapleton has published young adults novels also including STUPID CUPID (Simon Pulse, December 2009).
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for older teens and adults who love action, adventure, and romance!
And the best part is that it's a $2.99 ebook and totally worth every bit of it and more!
August 11, 2011
This book is a fabulous Saturday afternoon read. I read SUPER ZERO from start to finish in a day, simply because I couldn't put it down. The fast pace of the plot and the breezy, smart, sometimes snarky tone of the author's "voice" gave a perfect balance to the dangerous world where superheroes exist. The only reason I didn't give it a 5-star rating was because I would have liked to have had more awareness/sexual tension between the protagonists. The bump their relationship hits 2/3's of the way through would have had more of an impact if their emotions had been explored in depth beforehand.
I strongly recommend this romp through a superhero's world. It's lots of fun and well worth your time.
I strongly recommend this romp through a superhero's world. It's lots of fun and well worth your time.
September 2, 2011
This was my first superhero read, and I loved it. Fantastic writing that made me snort out loud in a couple of places, great plot, and a yummy, yummy hero. Definitely recommend!
June 29, 2012
Hrm. Okay.
The good: It's a cool concept to do a world with superheroes. The writing quality was good. The humor was, for the most part, entertaining.
The bad: I found the characterization pretty inconsistent. The first person heroine was kind of all over the place (thinking she's all "I am woman, hear me roar!" independent, but then acting kind of damsel-in-distress/getting-herself-into-trouble/TSTL dumb), and the hero was just a little TOO mysterious for my tastes.
The so-so: The plot seemed really dumb at first. If you read it, you'll see what I mean. It's not until the last ~15% of the book that the seemingly ridiculous plot point gets explained, and by then it was a case of "too little, too late" for me. I also didn't buy into the heroine/narrator's explanation for why she was the one chosen for the job.
The might-matter-to-some-people: This is a romance, but it isn't all that romantic. The hero is pretty aloof and non-demonstrative. It's also closed door in terms of the sexytimes.
Overall...okay. Could've been good-ish, but I dunno...something about it just felt kind of off with the characters. The heroine/narrator was a little annoying in her wishy-washiness.
2+/2.5 stars.
The good: It's a cool concept to do a world with superheroes. The writing quality was good. The humor was, for the most part, entertaining.
The bad: I found the characterization pretty inconsistent. The first person heroine was kind of all over the place (thinking she's all "I am woman, hear me roar!" independent, but then acting kind of damsel-in-distress/getting-herself-into-trouble/TSTL dumb), and the hero was just a little TOO mysterious for my tastes.
The so-so: The plot seemed really dumb at first. If you read it, you'll see what I mean. It's not until the last ~15% of the book that the seemingly ridiculous plot point gets explained, and by then it was a case of "too little, too late" for me. I also didn't buy into the heroine/narrator's explanation for why she was the one chosen for the job.
The might-matter-to-some-people: This is a romance, but it isn't all that romantic. The hero is pretty aloof and non-demonstrative. It's also closed door in terms of the sexytimes.
Overall...okay. Could've been good-ish, but I dunno...something about it just felt kind of off with the characters. The heroine/narrator was a little annoying in her wishy-washiness.
2+/2.5 stars.
November 20, 2013
Super Zero was one of the most delightful reads I have had in a long time. The story kept me guessing as to who the villain or villains were.
Jenna is a mere human being amongst SuperHero's. Her boss is Mason, aka The Machine one of the SuperHero's and the head of the League of Heroes. Rowena is his wife, a super heroine. It is the Midwest League of Heroes turn to guard a Crystal that can turn a normal human into a superhero, though one never knows what their new power will be, or it can strip a superhero of their power. Either way, it must be protected.
Jenna becomes the guardian of the Crystal when it comes to the LOH. Vigilante is the superhero ordered to protect Jenna from those who would try to steal the crystal.
The story has twist and turns that will have you laughing and the biting your fingernails. Ms. Stapleton did a fantastic job on the writing and bringing the characters to life for her readers.
I did find some editing problems that took away from the reading for a moment, but it was easy to get back into it once I figured out what the sentences were supposed to be.
If you have never read a romantic comedy before, Super Zero is great for cutting your teeth on. Highly recommended.
Jenna is a mere human being amongst SuperHero's. Her boss is Mason, aka The Machine one of the SuperHero's and the head of the League of Heroes. Rowena is his wife, a super heroine. It is the Midwest League of Heroes turn to guard a Crystal that can turn a normal human into a superhero, though one never knows what their new power will be, or it can strip a superhero of their power. Either way, it must be protected.
Jenna becomes the guardian of the Crystal when it comes to the LOH. Vigilante is the superhero ordered to protect Jenna from those who would try to steal the crystal.
The story has twist and turns that will have you laughing and the biting your fingernails. Ms. Stapleton did a fantastic job on the writing and bringing the characters to life for her readers.
I did find some editing problems that took away from the reading for a moment, but it was easy to get back into it once I figured out what the sentences were supposed to be.
If you have never read a romantic comedy before, Super Zero is great for cutting your teeth on. Highly recommended.
May 28, 2012
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.
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.
May 17, 2012
I finished this the other day, and I am still thinking of what a blast it was. First off, it took place in the Cleve, so that is awesome (even if it was an alternate universe Cleveland). It involves superheroes and romance and mystery, so it was lots of fun. The heroine was lovely and funny and sassy. While the book had plenty of darkness, it was balanced with enough funny and romance to make it perfect for me. Not sure what to compare it to, since the only other superhero books I have been reading are the Cassidy Jones series by Elise Stokes, which are YA and not riddled with adult situations. Bottom line: loved it and can't wait for more!
June 7, 2012
This was really more of a 3.5 star for me. Fun, fast-paced and I ended up enjoying it much more than I thought I would during the first quarter of the book.
I think that the author has promise and if there's a sequel in the works I would read it, but unfortunately a lot of the situations, characters and phrasing she used especially near the beginning were pretty cliche and predictable and had me rolling my eyes. Once the story really got going though, she hit her stride and I found myself really enjoying story.
I think that the author has promise and if there's a sequel in the works I would read it, but unfortunately a lot of the situations, characters and phrasing she used especially near the beginning were pretty cliche and predictable and had me rolling my eyes. Once the story really got going though, she hit her stride and I found myself really enjoying story.
May 6, 2014
This was a fun "The Incredibles meets Mystery Men" type of book. The superheros were quirky, the villains weren't too terrible, the anti-hero turned out to be a nice guy afterall.
I love fun, quirky, off-the-wall type of stories. Especially when they are not written poorly or choppy.
This one fit this bill perfectly.
If you are a fan of The Incredibles, and/or the movie Mystery Men, I would recommend this book as a quick read for you.
I love fun, quirky, off-the-wall type of stories. Especially when they are not written poorly or choppy.
This one fit this bill perfectly.
If you are a fan of The Incredibles, and/or the movie Mystery Men, I would recommend this book as a quick read for you.
May 22, 2012
A fabulous superhero romance set in the Midwest. I loved the villains and the civilian/superhero interaction. I hope this becomes a series!
August 30, 2012
I enjoyed the story more than I expected. It was fun, funny, sexy, and adventurous. 4.5 stars!! A entertaining read.
September 25, 2012
A surprisingly enjoyable story.
March 4, 2013
Super cute and fun read. Just what I needed to take my mind off life in general. =o)
November 18, 2015
Only read a couple chapters. Didn't have any interest in reading about someone's life of affairs.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews