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Super rich. Super Damaged. Super Sexy.

A Billionaire Superhero Romance.


When newspaper intern Cecily Kane kisses a masked vigilante, she doesn’t realize she’s plunging headlong into a relationship with two separate identities.

As Vigil, he is dark, sensuous, and irresistible. His touch skyrockets her to heights of pleasure. As Callum Rutherford, he is a billionaire playboy—arrogant, cold, and untouchable. She looks good on his arm, but without his mask, he holds her at arm’s length.

Sex with a masked man. Dinner with a rich sophisticate. A fractured relationship with a complicated man.

Deep down, he is broken, twisted in some dark, hidden way. Some way he won’t reveal to her. She only knows that it is somehow connected to his obsession with The Phantom, the costumed villain whose murder spree has rocked the city.

She must unravel Vigil’s secrets. To make him whole. And to stop The Phantom.

**Recommended for mature readers due to explicit sexual situations, coarse language, and disturbing violence.**

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

15 people are currently reading
410 people want to read

About the author

V.J. Chambers

104 books463 followers
V. J. Chambers writes about being inexplicably attracted to the dangerously alluring. Her works span mundane settings and fantastic ones. She writes about serial killers, cult leaders, werewolves, witches, for-hire assassins, zombies, space pirates, and regular everyday people.

She lives in Shepherdstown, WV, with her boyfriend Aaron and their cat Isis.

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5 stars
26 (28%)
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28 (31%)
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Jillian.
179 reviews12 followers
July 25, 2013
No. It's not Vigil, it's Batman, that's all I could think this whole book.
Hot Batman.
Good thing I'm a Batman fan.
Anywho... Twas a good read.
More in depth review to come.
Profile Image for AnnMarie .
318 reviews36 followers
October 14, 2013
Vigil has all sorts of goodies going on.

Mystery, suspense, murder, secrets, romance, smexy times, reluctant super hero, evil yet crazed villain, nutty ex-girlfriend, a damaged alter ego, and a girl you want to give a little shake to!

V.J Chambers does an amazing job with her multiple characters laying out all the ground work and backgrounds to her characterizations. A story line some what Batmanesque, yet not. A fast read because once you start, you won't want to put the story down. The need to know what happens next had me devouring chapter after chapter.

I admit though, this is a story you will either love or not. It is a story line of depth once you get past the surface, the nuances I felt were fantastic. I totally enjoyed Vigil and was completely immersed in the characters.

I freakin' loved Cecily, Callum, and Vigil!

Here's why...

Cecily - She's a young girl, college student, working as an intern at a newspaper. Cecily loves newspapers and it has always been her dream to be a newspaper journalist. I like Cecily because she is true to her age. She's young, makes bad decisions, is stubborn, has outbursts that are not completely thought out, and leads with her heart. The characterization is spot on, the author did a great job making you believe Cecily was a real person.

Callum - Billionaire, loner, keeps people at a distance. Has paid escorts with him at public functions. Can't quite figure him out.

Vigil - Our masked crusader traveling the streets at night protecting the city from The Phantom, the villain in the story. Why is he doing what he is doing is the big question.

The Phantom - Our villain. Dresses up as the phantom form Phantom of the Opera. A viscous killer who likes to keep souvenirs of the victims.

On the surface, Vigil appears to be a super hero type story righting the wrongs of the night. But there was much more to this story than meets the eye. The nuances and sub story was very powerful.

Cecily and Vigil meet one night when she is attacked seeking her story and also the disappearance of a friend. There was amazing chemistry between these two characters but a lot of keeping each other at arms length, both have dark pasts they don't want revealed let alone discussed.

Cecily and Callum meet at a function she attends with her roommate. She instantly dislikes him but also figures out they are one and the same. And though Cecily tries to reconcile the two personalities of Callum/Vigil, he makes it very difficult for her.

There were some really good secondary characters as well helping to drive the story. An pyscho ex-girlfriend trying to force Callum back with her at all costs, including publicly embarrassing Cecily and her past she painfully keeps hidden. Adrienne, the roommate who is a bit unhinged and not quite a friend but in the end does do the right thing, and then there is Cecily's editor who take on a parental role in guiding her.

Vigil is a story of overcoming hurt, darkness, skeletons in the closet, and true love all surrounded by a great murder mystery. Some fantastic suspense leading up to a climatic ending.

I loved the story and the darker layers the author gave me. Vigil was so much than it appears to be and had me completely engaged through out to the very end.

Give it a shot, very likable story you will enjoy.
86 reviews11 followers
January 4, 2014
Vigil by V.J. Chambers is an adult superhero romance novel. The twist (other than being a very adult novel) is the complex superhero character and his relationship to his counterpart, the supervillian seriel killer. The superhero, rather than being the altruistic lifesaver of the usual superhero, is a regular Joe with a messed up past who has a notably higher confidence level when he hides behind his superhero spandex and a bankroll to buy whatever gadgets and training he might need. The story revolves around an intern journalist who is determined to locate and bring to justice the sadistic serial killer of her best friend and former strip dancing colleage to justice. This serial killer ends up being the supervillian of the story. The superhero has made it his personal mission to try to protect any further women from becoming the next victim which efforts become hampered as the intern journalist has set herself up as bait in her efforts to capture the creep. The explosive attraction between the journalist and superhero reduces their effectiveness at crime fighting.

This novel fell more into the catagory of hard core and graphically explicit crime and eroticism than the usual superhero romance with its unique character backgrounds. This is a good read aimed at fans of The Watchmen.
Profile Image for Nicky.
1,255 reviews19 followers
October 21, 2017
So, I didn’t quite know what to expect with this book. Reading the summary, the guy seemed to be a lot like Oliver Queen from the TV show Arrow. Sexy. Damaged. Billionaire. Vigilante. But that’s where the similarities end. And thankfully, this book didn’t end up being a fanfic of the show.

Cecily Kane is in town to hunt down the man who killed her best friend. When she runs into trouble, she’s rescued by a masked man dressed in black. She writes a newspaper article about him and he ends up with the name Vigil. Vigil and Cecily fall instantly in lust and she wonders if they’re both crazy. Imagine her surprise when she realizes his alter ego is a man she hates, Callum Rutherford. A billionaire playboy who is often seen with many women on his arm. However, Cecily and Callum/Vigil have to work together to catch the serial killer that killed her friend and many other women. And they also have figure out what’s between them personally.

Like I said, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this. There were parts that kind of creeped me out. Like when she has sex with him, not knowing who he was, and he kept on his mask and costume, and that turned her own. And how a lot of her decisions about her own life and career seemed based on her physical attraction to Vigil. Damaged doesn’t begin to describe Vigil/Callum. He had some serious issues. I do like how Cecily couldn’t instantly “fix” him. But it was unrealistic that she could fix him at all. He needed psychiatric help.

Anyway, the book overall wasn’t bad. I actually ended up enjoying it. It was pretty sexy and racy, but there was enough plot to back it up. I enjoyed the suspense/thriller nature of it. And I liked watching these two damaged souls come together.
Profile Image for Tracey.
729 reviews432 followers
October 7, 2013
He wore all black--skin tight spandex that hugged every curve and bulge of his body. He was hulking, huge. His shoulders were broad, his gloved hands powerful and enormous He was wearing a mask that covered his nose and face, leaving only his lips and chin bare.

Cecily Kane is an intern at The Aurora Sun-Times. One night while out chasing a story regarding The Phantom and the many brutal murders that have been occurring, she meets a spandex wearing, masked vigilante. Their attraction to each other is instant and even more so after the masked man kisses her. What she doesn't realize is that Vigil is the alter ego for Callum Rutherford. A man she despises for his his large ego, sense of self importance and his blonde bimbo arm candy. What will Cecily do when she finds out and how will she reconcile her feelings towards Vigil?

The whole time I was reading this all I could think about was Batman. Hot, sexy, Batman. I can't say that I've ever been a Batman fan but it's quite possible that Vigil has made me one.

Oh mother of god, the crazy masked man was hard for me, and I liked it.

There is plenty of sex in this book. Lots of very hot, descriptive sex, so if that's not your thing then definitely stay away from Vigil. Cecily and Vigil had a hard time keeping their hands off each other and within minutes of meeting up they would be all over each other. Cecily was just crazy about the mask and the spandex. She just couldn't get enough!! As Callum, Cecily really didn't like him at all. But once she caught on that they were one in the same man, and she couldn't deny how much she wanted Vigil, she really tried to get to know Callum on a much deeper level.

For me the romance took a bit of time for me to come on board. Cecily and Vigil seemed to be all about the sex and Callum was very hard to get a handle on because he was so distant and cold. There are plenty of secrets between the characters and as they were slowly unravelled I felt a much deeper connection to them and was able to understand them all that much better. In the end it was Callum that I ended up loving the most and it was him who I felt the most disconnected to in the beginning. He came across as so lonely that I couldn't help but be touched by him.

Having read quite a few books by V.J. Chambers, I can say that Vigil is just as well written as her others. It was quite big on the development of the relationships, which I love in a book, and learning how all the secrets being kept impacted on each of the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent reading Vigil.

4/5 Callum Stars.
Profile Image for Tina.
285 reviews38 followers
September 28, 2013
3.5 Stars!

Interesting read, the description "Fifty Shades of Batman" is certainly a perfect fit. I was really into the book in the beginning, but was a bit disappointed with the plot when it started focusing a bit more on the romance between Callum/Vigil and Cecily. However, I don't think I can fault the book much on focusing a bit more on the romance than the action since I'm assuming this novel was intended to focus more on erotic romance anyways so if that was the case, then it certainly did a great job.

The characters were pretty frustrating in the middle of the novel. Cecily tended to prioritize her relationship with Callum over the whole Phantom serial killer thing, Airenne's jealously over Cecily having a thing with Callum was absurd (I'd understand if it was like a friend or some random guy you just got to know, but a celebrity you barely know? smh), and Callum was being a hypocrite. Despite the fact that they sometimes made me want to tear my hair out, they were, for the most part, decent or likable throughout the novel.

While the sex scenes certainly got me hot and heavy, the romance fell a bit flat for me. I was a bit more accepting at the end, but their interest in each other didn't seem to be anything more than lust in the beginning. Obviously more has developed once the secrets come out so I'm more accepting of the developed romance, but it wasn't as amazing as I hoped it would've been.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. Despite my picky complaints, this book is well written...it just speaks to a specific audience. If you love novels that focus on romance/erotica, has a tiny bit of a psychological thriller, and has a sexy vigilante, this book is for you! HOWEVER, if you want a romance novel that focuses heavily on action of the vigilante, this book may not be for you as the balance between romance and action leans more towards the former. Even though it didn't focus on the case as much as I would've liked it to, I can't fault the author or story because, again, I'm sure the focus of this story was romance, not action. That being said, I still look forward to seeing future works by V.J. Chambers as I've enjoyed two of her works so far.
328 reviews29 followers
June 5, 2014
Cecily will do whatever it takes to become a newspaper reporter. She is always looking for a good story and that is how she ran into Vigil. Suddenly she can't get enough of him. She knows it's crazy to be attracted to a guy in a mask and maybe dangerous but she can't seem to help it. When she discovers his identity their relationship hits a rocky patch. There are so many complications with their relationship but neither one of them wants to let go. Is it a good idea to mix business with pleasure?

Callum is always in the spotlight and he plays his playboy role well always giving the press what they want. Every thing about his life is public until he becomes Vigil. In his costume he can do anything and he is choosing to save girls who are suddenly becoming a target in the area. He wants to defeat the Phantom and stop girls from dying. Can he find a balance between the two things he wants: His secret identity and Cecily.

Both Cecily and Callum want to stop the Phantom but they are fueled by different motivations. When their secrets begin to come out will they be able to see each other the same way again?

This book was amazing. It was incredibly unique and captivating. I literally could not put it down. Everything is uncertain and small clues are given until the very end where all the pieces suddenly fall into place. This is such a steamy and suspenseful book. Cecily and Vigil can't seem to do any detective work without touching each other. This book definitely deserved 5 stars.
Profile Image for audrey.
127 reviews6 followers
December 17, 2014
A dark, complex romance about a journalist trying to gather evidence to expose the man who murdered her best friend. She crosses paths with a masked vigilante becoming entangled in a complicated relationship with both his personas as they pursue the killer together.

Vigil is fun story with dark themes and an intricate romance. The story possesses inspired elements from Batman and Phantom of the Opera. It was fun identifying similarities and helped immerse the reader into the story because of its familiarity. I thought the novel excelled at taking the framework and adding a different reinterpretation that created its own identity.

The characters were well developed and interesting. The main character’s ambition and profession were wonderfully captured. The main love interest and antagonist had incredible depth and interesting back stories.

The prose was engaging and easy to read. The story instilled mystery and suspense components within the prominent romance story line. The dark underlying themes and tones also added depth to the story.

The romance was remarkable in its complexity. The main love interest has dual personas that created conflicting romance story lines that were intense and engaging to read.

Vigil is an engaging story with an intricate romance possessing dark undertones.
Profile Image for Steph.
154 reviews8 followers
July 28, 2013
Vigil is one wild ride. In true superhero fashion, it involves a news reporter and masked man who are both after the same serial killer, both for very personal reasons. However, this is much more than a mere action/adventure romp. Cecily becomes tied up with Vigil (pun intended), and their uncontrollable desire towards one another becomes the focal point of this tale.

What I liked so much about this story was the focus on the relationship between Vigil/Callum and Cecily. They are helpless in their attraction towards one another, and both must reconcile their shady pasts and get beyond their predetermined notions of one another before they can cement the relationship. It raises some fascinating questions about the nature of desire, of preferring the fantasy vs. reality, of the potency of addictions, and of the ghosts in our pasts.

The "Criminal Minds"-esque handling of "The Phantom" serial killer was also very well done. I was highly intrigued by what made this guy tick, by the circumstances behind his deviancy, and by the connection that he shared with Vigil. Such great stuff.

Overall, a great story. Sensuous, thrilling...good, good, good.

Profile Image for Hannah.
399 reviews36 followers
June 22, 2016
So I started reading this book because it sounded interesting; the whole vigilante thing, like Arrow or Daredevil in novel form. But it's not. At all. This dude, who of course is a billionaire playboy by day, can only have sex when he's in his vigilante costume. When he tries to do the dirty as himself he prematurely ejaculates. And it's, like, the biggest issue in this fucking book. They're supposed to be chasing this serial killer called The Phantom who chops off women's legs, but his premature ejaculation issue keeps stealing the show.

Anyway, it didn't get any better. It was hilariously, ridiculously bad. And the sad thing is, it had so much potential. I love the superhero element, and I think there's definitely a niche for this kind of romance. IF the plot is good.
Profile Image for Lori.
1,056 reviews8 followers
December 18, 2015
The story is brilliant. This is the first superhero romance I have read, but will not be my last. The characters were inspiring and slightly twisted, but made for great reading. This story is kind of a Sherlock Holmes meets Batman. I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Kirsten.
22 reviews
July 27, 2013
Realllly Good Book. V. J. Chambers always
writes good books.
Profile Image for Caroline Christian.
18 reviews
August 4, 2013
It was a quick read, kept me moving. But it wasnt my type of book. If i was 25 years younger i would have given it 4 stars.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 23 reviews

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