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Bigtime #1-4
The Bigtime Series
THE BIGTIME SERIES
KARMA GIRL—BOOK ONE
After a surprising betrayal, investigative reporter Carmen Cole decides to devote her life to unmasking superheroes and ubervillains in Bigtime, N.Y. But her actions put her in the middle of a battle between the Fearless Five superhero team and the ubervillains of the Terrible Triad.
HOT MAMA—BOOK TWO
Fiona Fine is the hottest fashion designer in Bigtime—literally. That's because she moonlights as Fiera, a superhero with superstrength and volatile, fire-based powers. And with two new ubervillains in town, Fiona will need all of her powers just to survive.
JINX—BOOK THREE
Thanks to her unwanted superpower, fashion designer Bella Bulluci may be the luckiest woman in Bigtime. But luck can be good or bad, and it seems like just as many embarrassing things happen to Bella as do positive ones. But Bella is going to need every bit of her good luck when she becomes the target of two ubervillains intent on stealing a prize sapphire.
A KARMA GIRL CHRISTMAS—HOLIDAY STORY
On Christmas Eve, Carmen Cole is assigned to guard toys, clothes, food, and more that are intended for needy children and their families. An ubervillain plans to steal and then sell the toys to the highest bidder, but Carmen is determined to stop the villain—and make sure that this Christmas is a happy one for all the kids who are counting on her.
NIGHTINGALE—BOOK FOUR
Anxious brides. Drunken businessmen. Panicked partygoers. As Bigtime’s premiere event planner, Abby Appleby is capable of handling almost any crisis, but even she’s not prepared when she finds herself in the middle of a fight between superhero Talon and his ubervillain nemesis Bandit.
KARMA GIRL—BOOK ONE
After a surprising betrayal, investigative reporter Carmen Cole decides to devote her life to unmasking superheroes and ubervillains in Bigtime, N.Y. But her actions put her in the middle of a battle between the Fearless Five superhero team and the ubervillains of the Terrible Triad.
HOT MAMA—BOOK TWO
Fiona Fine is the hottest fashion designer in Bigtime—literally. That's because she moonlights as Fiera, a superhero with superstrength and volatile, fire-based powers. And with two new ubervillains in town, Fiona will need all of her powers just to survive.
JINX—BOOK THREE
Thanks to her unwanted superpower, fashion designer Bella Bulluci may be the luckiest woman in Bigtime. But luck can be good or bad, and it seems like just as many embarrassing things happen to Bella as do positive ones. But Bella is going to need every bit of her good luck when she becomes the target of two ubervillains intent on stealing a prize sapphire.
A KARMA GIRL CHRISTMAS—HOLIDAY STORY
On Christmas Eve, Carmen Cole is assigned to guard toys, clothes, food, and more that are intended for needy children and their families. An ubervillain plans to steal and then sell the toys to the highest bidder, but Carmen is determined to stop the villain—and make sure that this Christmas is a happy one for all the kids who are counting on her.
NIGHTINGALE—BOOK FOUR
Anxious brides. Drunken businessmen. Panicked partygoers. As Bigtime’s premiere event planner, Abby Appleby is capable of handling almost any crisis, but even she’s not prepared when she finds herself in the middle of a fight between superhero Talon and his ubervillain nemesis Bandit.
1144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2013
21 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Estep
97 books12k followersJennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author who prowls the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.
Jennifer is the author of the Elemental Assassin, Section 47, Galactic Bonds, Crown of Shards, Gargoyle Queen, and other fantasy series. She has written more than 40 books, along with numerous novellas and stories.
In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys hanging out with friends and family, doing yoga, and reading fantasy and romance books. She also watches way too much TV and loves all things related to superheroes.
For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit her website at www.JenniferEstep.com or sign up for her newsletter: http://www.jenniferestep.com/contact-....
FOLLOW JENNIFER ONLINE:
Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/yyj59omw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_es...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennifer_Estep
Amazon: https://amzn.to/39lCyX6
BookBub: https://tinyurl.com/y4dm3zso
Goodreads: https://tinyurl.com/y638q98k
Jennifer's blog: https://tinyurl.com/2dj4afb
Jennifer's newsletter: http://www.jenniferestep.com/contact-...
Happy reading, everyone! 😎
Jennifer is the author of the Elemental Assassin, Section 47, Galactic Bonds, Crown of Shards, Gargoyle Queen, and other fantasy series. She has written more than 40 books, along with numerous novellas and stories.
In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys hanging out with friends and family, doing yoga, and reading fantasy and romance books. She also watches way too much TV and loves all things related to superheroes.
For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit her website at www.JenniferEstep.com or sign up for her newsletter: http://www.jenniferestep.com/contact-....
FOLLOW JENNIFER ONLINE:
Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/yyj59omw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_es...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennifer_Estep
Amazon: https://amzn.to/39lCyX6
BookBub: https://tinyurl.com/y4dm3zso
Goodreads: https://tinyurl.com/y638q98k
Jennifer's blog: https://tinyurl.com/2dj4afb
Jennifer's newsletter: http://www.jenniferestep.com/contact-...
Happy reading, everyone! 😎
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 22, 2015
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.
KARMA GIRL – 4/5
Cute chick lit PNR à la superhero where every city has at least one do-gooder, and one ubervillain. The characters were wacky, the story light-hearted, and no thinking cap was required to figure out the plot. I put most of the pieces together well before Jennifer Estep laid everything out, however it wasn’t overly difficult considering the first letter of each hero’s secret identity was the same as their masked self. The author was a little too liberal with her definition of karma, but she consistently went over-the-top in all of the aspects of this book, so it matched the overall theme, and made for an entertaining read.
HOT MAMA – 4/5
This installment was the complete opposite of the previous one; Carmen Cole was a reluctant heroine while as Fiona Fine was an “I’m the shit”, and fabulous, and powerful, and *insert endless glowing adjectives here*. This novel was even more off-the-wall than book 1 with boundless puns, crazy antics, and an irresistible second shot at love romance. I’d expected that Fiera’s large-than-life personality would get on my nerves, however given her back story; I couldn’t help but like her in the end. The twists were once again easy to predict as was the outcome, nevertheless fun was had by all.
JINX – 3/5
I had my doubts as to how a protagonist who hates superheroes was going to fit into this series, and unfortunately Bella’s wishy-washy ways drove me absolutely bonkers. It was easy to understand the reasons behind Bulluci’s unwillingness to give Debonair and their relationship a chance, but she burned so hot & and cold that her constant mood swings gave me whiplash. I enjoyed reading about her powers, and watching them go haywire was definitely good for a laugh, however the comedic relief wasn’t enough to save this book from its negative Nellie heroine.
A KARMA GIRL CHRISTMAS – 3.5/5
This short was a play on the classic GRINCH tale with two D-list ubervillains stealing all of the toys that were slated to go to underprivileged children during the holidays in an attempt to boost their infamy. Their evil plans get foiled by Karma Girl & Lulu, all of Bigtime’s superheroes chip in to help get the gifts back to Oodles o’ Stuff before the big event, Christmas cheer is restored, and Sam makes it home in the nick of time to drink eggnog with his wife. It was your typical, cheesy, holiday novella; I wish there’d been a touch more romance, but otherwise it was darling.
NIGHTINGALE – 4.5/5
Abby Appleby was one of the more enjoyable female leads in this boxed set which is weird coming from me considering that her negative monologue was similar to Bella’s, whom I did not care for—at all. I think I connected with her more because of her type-A personality, and I liked that both her, and the Talon’s identities were a mystery to each other. Also, she’s just such a giving character, always putting others’ needs before her own, that it was impossible not to root for Abby’s HEA. I do so love an underdog, and these two protagonists fit that description to a T. My fave installment of the series!
KARMA GIRL – 4/5
Cute chick lit PNR à la superhero where every city has at least one do-gooder, and one ubervillain. The characters were wacky, the story light-hearted, and no thinking cap was required to figure out the plot. I put most of the pieces together well before Jennifer Estep laid everything out, however it wasn’t overly difficult considering the first letter of each hero’s secret identity was the same as their masked self. The author was a little too liberal with her definition of karma, but she consistently went over-the-top in all of the aspects of this book, so it matched the overall theme, and made for an entertaining read.
HOT MAMA – 4/5
This installment was the complete opposite of the previous one; Carmen Cole was a reluctant heroine while as Fiona Fine was an “I’m the shit”, and fabulous, and powerful, and *insert endless glowing adjectives here*. This novel was even more off-the-wall than book 1 with boundless puns, crazy antics, and an irresistible second shot at love romance. I’d expected that Fiera’s large-than-life personality would get on my nerves, however given her back story; I couldn’t help but like her in the end. The twists were once again easy to predict as was the outcome, nevertheless fun was had by all.
JINX – 3/5
I had my doubts as to how a protagonist who hates superheroes was going to fit into this series, and unfortunately Bella’s wishy-washy ways drove me absolutely bonkers. It was easy to understand the reasons behind Bulluci’s unwillingness to give Debonair and their relationship a chance, but she burned so hot & and cold that her constant mood swings gave me whiplash. I enjoyed reading about her powers, and watching them go haywire was definitely good for a laugh, however the comedic relief wasn’t enough to save this book from its negative Nellie heroine.
A KARMA GIRL CHRISTMAS – 3.5/5
This short was a play on the classic GRINCH tale with two D-list ubervillains stealing all of the toys that were slated to go to underprivileged children during the holidays in an attempt to boost their infamy. Their evil plans get foiled by Karma Girl & Lulu, all of Bigtime’s superheroes chip in to help get the gifts back to Oodles o’ Stuff before the big event, Christmas cheer is restored, and Sam makes it home in the nick of time to drink eggnog with his wife. It was your typical, cheesy, holiday novella; I wish there’d been a touch more romance, but otherwise it was darling.
NIGHTINGALE – 4.5/5
Abby Appleby was one of the more enjoyable female leads in this boxed set which is weird coming from me considering that her negative monologue was similar to Bella’s, whom I did not care for—at all. I think I connected with her more because of her type-A personality, and I liked that both her, and the Talon’s identities were a mystery to each other. Also, she’s just such a giving character, always putting others’ needs before her own, that it was impossible not to root for Abby’s HEA. I do so love an underdog, and these two protagonists fit that description to a T. My fave installment of the series!
October 24, 2020
Reviewing an anthology is always tricky, especially when the anthology is four books and a short story.
Getting the overall grade/review out of the way: I'm giving The Bigtime Series series three stars. That was a hard choice, and another time where I wish there were half-star options: I liked the book more than the three-star rating of "I Liked It", but not quite enough to give it the four-star "I Really Liked It". One thing that pushed it closer to the four-star rating is that these are the first books I read that really got me into the superhero novel genre (after decades of reading superhero comics).
Overall, the series is a good, fun read. If you're looking for a gritty, realistic setting that's rather somber, these are not the books you're looking for. They're more the campy '60s Batman series then the Nolan dark Batman trilogy. Superheroes (and their ubervillain counterparts) are flashy and colorful, and their secret identities are secure until they aren't, no matter how flimsy the disguise. (Clark Kent's glasses would fit in right nice here.) And let me say that I'm not real fond of "ubervillain" as this world's word for "supervillain", for some reason; "supervillain" works nicely and doesn't cause that record-skip feeling the first time I see it.
Now for the block-by-block breakdown.
Karma Girl is a nice set-up. Carmen Cole catches her fiance banging her best friend on what was supposed to be their wedding day, and also finds out that they're her small town's resident superhero and ubervillain. Needless to say, this doesn't sit well with Carmen, so she not only exposes the two, but makes it her life goal to expose as many as she can. Three years on, she winds up working for a newspaper in Bigtime, New York (basically New York City/Metropolis/Gotham City), and has found out that her actions have consequences. She gets hired by the city's most feared ubervillains to find out the secret identities of the city's greatest superhero team (and by hired, I mean "Do it or we'll drop you in a vat of radioactive goo and mutate you something fierce"). Naturally, this being a superhero romance, she winds up falling in love with the superhero she's supposed to unmask, figures out who he is, gets them to work with her to stop the Terrible Triad (the above-mentioned ubervillain team) even though she inadvertently caused their teammate's death, winds up getting dumped into the vat anyway, and gets powers that help them overcome the Triad and maybe kill them. (But, this being a four-color superhero setting, since you don't see the bodies, you don't really know).
The author does a good job of world-building and setting everything up, and I really enjoyed this one. This book also establishes that most supers get their powers by freak accidents, although some are just born with them.
Hot Mama picks up shortly after Karma Girl, with Fiera (one of the Fearsome Five, the superhero team from Karma Girl as the main character. She still hasn't forgiven Carmen for exposing her fiance's secret identity, but knows that she didn't cause his death after all. Fiera is a very different character from Carmen, with different motivations and attitudes about being a superhero (she loves it, maybe a little too much, and think it makes her better than normal people, while Carmen's more "Well, if I have to have powers, might as well be a hero."). She winds up dealing with, and eventually falling in love, with Johnny Angel (the third of the name) who is more of a vigilante-type hero who is out for revenge against the villains who killed his father. This is the first time you see heroes who are a little darker, but it doesn't overshadow the setting or the story, and it's still a good, fun read.
Jinx is the third book, but the first one I actually read. (Full disclosure: I won the dead-tree version of this book in a drawing a few years ago, and enjoyed it enough to get the whole series.) This one follows one of the kind-of-background characters from Hot Mama (Johnny Angel's sister), who has subtle superpowers but pretends that she doesn't. She winds up involved with a superpowered thief, Debonair, who blurs the line between hero and villain. By this time, the series starts to become a little formulaic, but it's still fun. This is the first book in the series, however, where someone dies "on-screen" and stays dead. Still not dark and gritty, but there is a slight pall cast over the setting. Once again, the main character accidentally figures out who the hero is (although in a natural, organic manner). The villains are thwarted, the hero and the main character wind up together, and despite the death, all is right in the world once more.
A Karma Girl Christmas (short story) is actually my least favorite of the bundle. It's basically a Christmas episode, no real romance going on, D-list villains trying to ruin Christmas for all of Bigtime's underprivileged children to make money (and a name) for themselves, but the day is saved by Karma Girl and a friend. Probably not one I would have paid for if it were a stand-alone.
Nightingale, the last book in the bundle, is not the best but not the worst, either. It turns out that just because you have superpowers you don't have to be a superhero (or ubervillain). The main character is a character that appeared in pretty much all the other books, but I don't recall any hints that she had powers in them. She rescues a superhero, falls in love, decides it would never work because she's too plain. She, naturally, figures out who the superhero is (the fact that she has supersenses helps), and they work things out by the end of the book. (The hero, Talon, does a couple of douchey things before, but realizes what he did and is getting better.) This is the first book where ubervillains are killed on-screen, with bodies. Still not grim, but still slightly different tone in parts than before.
Getting the overall grade/review out of the way: I'm giving The Bigtime Series series three stars. That was a hard choice, and another time where I wish there were half-star options: I liked the book more than the three-star rating of "I Liked It", but not quite enough to give it the four-star "I Really Liked It". One thing that pushed it closer to the four-star rating is that these are the first books I read that really got me into the superhero novel genre (after decades of reading superhero comics).
Overall, the series is a good, fun read. If you're looking for a gritty, realistic setting that's rather somber, these are not the books you're looking for. They're more the campy '60s Batman series then the Nolan dark Batman trilogy. Superheroes (and their ubervillain counterparts) are flashy and colorful, and their secret identities are secure until they aren't, no matter how flimsy the disguise. (Clark Kent's glasses would fit in right nice here.) And let me say that I'm not real fond of "ubervillain" as this world's word for "supervillain", for some reason; "supervillain" works nicely and doesn't cause that record-skip feeling the first time I see it.
Now for the block-by-block breakdown.
Karma Girl is a nice set-up. Carmen Cole catches her fiance banging her best friend on what was supposed to be their wedding day, and also finds out that they're her small town's resident superhero and ubervillain. Needless to say, this doesn't sit well with Carmen, so she not only exposes the two, but makes it her life goal to expose as many as she can. Three years on, she winds up working for a newspaper in Bigtime, New York (basically New York City/Metropolis/Gotham City), and has found out that her actions have consequences. She gets hired by the city's most feared ubervillains to find out the secret identities of the city's greatest superhero team (and by hired, I mean "Do it or we'll drop you in a vat of radioactive goo and mutate you something fierce"). Naturally, this being a superhero romance, she winds up falling in love with the superhero she's supposed to unmask, figures out who he is, gets them to work with her to stop the Terrible Triad (the above-mentioned ubervillain team) even though she inadvertently caused their teammate's death, winds up getting dumped into the vat anyway, and gets powers that help them overcome the Triad and maybe kill them. (But, this being a four-color superhero setting, since you don't see the bodies, you don't really know).
The author does a good job of world-building and setting everything up, and I really enjoyed this one. This book also establishes that most supers get their powers by freak accidents, although some are just born with them.
Hot Mama picks up shortly after Karma Girl, with Fiera (one of the Fearsome Five, the superhero team from Karma Girl as the main character. She still hasn't forgiven Carmen for exposing her fiance's secret identity, but knows that she didn't cause his death after all. Fiera is a very different character from Carmen, with different motivations and attitudes about being a superhero (she loves it, maybe a little too much, and think it makes her better than normal people, while Carmen's more "Well, if I have to have powers, might as well be a hero."). She winds up dealing with, and eventually falling in love, with Johnny Angel (the third of the name) who is more of a vigilante-type hero who is out for revenge against the villains who killed his father. This is the first time you see heroes who are a little darker, but it doesn't overshadow the setting or the story, and it's still a good, fun read.
Jinx is the third book, but the first one I actually read. (Full disclosure: I won the dead-tree version of this book in a drawing a few years ago, and enjoyed it enough to get the whole series.) This one follows one of the kind-of-background characters from Hot Mama (Johnny Angel's sister), who has subtle superpowers but pretends that she doesn't. She winds up involved with a superpowered thief, Debonair, who blurs the line between hero and villain. By this time, the series starts to become a little formulaic, but it's still fun. This is the first book in the series, however, where someone dies "on-screen" and stays dead. Still not dark and gritty, but there is a slight pall cast over the setting. Once again, the main character accidentally figures out who the hero is (although in a natural, organic manner). The villains are thwarted, the hero and the main character wind up together, and despite the death, all is right in the world once more.
A Karma Girl Christmas (short story) is actually my least favorite of the bundle. It's basically a Christmas episode, no real romance going on, D-list villains trying to ruin Christmas for all of Bigtime's underprivileged children to make money (and a name) for themselves, but the day is saved by Karma Girl and a friend. Probably not one I would have paid for if it were a stand-alone.
Nightingale, the last book in the bundle, is not the best but not the worst, either. It turns out that just because you have superpowers you don't have to be a superhero (or ubervillain). The main character is a character that appeared in pretty much all the other books, but I don't recall any hints that she had powers in them. She rescues a superhero, falls in love, decides it would never work because she's too plain. She, naturally, figures out who the superhero is (the fact that she has supersenses helps), and they work things out by the end of the book. (The hero, Talon, does a couple of douchey things before, but realizes what he did and is getting better.) This is the first book where ubervillains are killed on-screen, with bodies. Still not grim, but still slightly different tone in parts than before.
July 12, 2019
A good sequence of books with plots well constructed and a group of characters with paranormal/magic strength but also vulnerable, that daily struggle to overcome adversity... and find eternal love and the strong force in the universe: friendship... a group that enlarge during each mission/story...
The first book has a difficult start but after some time its plot enrich and little by little the story conquest the attention of the reader... the follow books are much more rich and easy to be liked/read.
Once more, a good series
The first book has a difficult start but after some time its plot enrich and little by little the story conquest the attention of the reader... the follow books are much more rich and easy to be liked/read.
Once more, a good series
August 21, 2017
funny alternative take on comic book superheroes!
1. Karma Girl
2. Hot Mama
3. Jinx
4. Nightingale (not read yet)
1. Karma Girl
2. Hot Mama
3. Jinx
4. Nightingale (not read yet)
May 17, 2020
This bundle introduced me to Jennifer Estep. Love her books. But I read this 3.5 years ago and forgot to review!
May 9, 2014
Goodreads always asks me, "What did you think?"
This series of four books-plus-extras is best enjoyed with a minimum of thought. I think of them as mental cotton candy. I love Jennifer Estep's Spider Assasin series, so when I saw this omnibus edition on a freebie sale from Kindle, I grabbed it up and gobbled right through all the stories in order. They melted right into my brain with barely any effort at all.
When I was done, I had an odd taste in my mouth, plus I felt a little sticky and bloated. Cotton candy.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed these tales of super-heroines and their crime-fighting romance misadventures. I liked these with a good, solid three-star like. (That's what I give my own books, for the sake of comparison.) They're fun, and light and fluffy and oh-so-sweet. I don't finish books I don't enjoy. I have no problem putting down a story after 10, 100 or even 1000 pages. (Looking at you, Mssrs Sanderson and Martin. I'll revisit your worlds when the end of your series are in sight and not a moment sooner. But I digress. Again.)
My only warning is this: just as a steady diet of cotton candy will rot your teeth and encourage diabetes, a steady diet of books like these would rot your brain and have serious intellectual repercussions. There's not enough substance to sustain thought. They're fine for a quick treat, but don't expect the ideas to stay with you much longer than it takes to lick your fingers clean.
The premise, that superpowers are real, that masked superheroes are an accepted part of society, is explored only in the most superficial ways. I don't know that I would've enjoyed it half as much if I wasn't already familiar with the tropes, types and themes of a four-color world. Since I do have a solid grounding in that genre, I appreciated the attention to detail and had a ball spotting all the references. Nearly all the characters had Golden Age alliterative names. Lulu Lo. Bella Belluci, Carmen Cole. The protagonist in Karma Girl comes from a small town called Beginnings, but she moves to the city when her career takes off. The city's name? BigTime, of course.
The protagonists are well-written -- no cookie-cutter characters from Jennifer Estep, no sirree -- but they have all the depth of sheets of paper. This works, given that the world itself is so thinly sketched, but it makes their conflicts as predictable as the plot of a network sitcom. There's no space wasted on development or Everyone falls neatly into their niche: shy nerd, plucky reporter, suave socialite, tempermental artist. Every detail has a purpose. Every action will have significance later in the plot.
Plot? Similiar for all the stories. They're romances in the most traditional sense, despite the atypical setting. Girl with quirks and a problem meets Boy with secrets. (Secret identities are a running theme,. All the inhabitants of this world have huge blind spots until the plot device starts working.) Girl and Boy dance through a courtship involving a contrived meetings, shocking revelations, and comedic moments. (And steamy sex! These are R-for-romance rated.) Major dilemma surfaces. Girl and boy must make Big Choices. Love conquers all. With capes.
In summary: fun, frivolous romance fluff, written tightly and traditionally, with an entertaining setting and clever use of classic comic book plot elements.
This series of four books-plus-extras is best enjoyed with a minimum of thought. I think of them as mental cotton candy. I love Jennifer Estep's Spider Assasin series, so when I saw this omnibus edition on a freebie sale from Kindle, I grabbed it up and gobbled right through all the stories in order. They melted right into my brain with barely any effort at all.
When I was done, I had an odd taste in my mouth, plus I felt a little sticky and bloated. Cotton candy.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed these tales of super-heroines and their crime-fighting romance misadventures. I liked these with a good, solid three-star like. (That's what I give my own books, for the sake of comparison.) They're fun, and light and fluffy and oh-so-sweet. I don't finish books I don't enjoy. I have no problem putting down a story after 10, 100 or even 1000 pages. (Looking at you, Mssrs Sanderson and Martin. I'll revisit your worlds when the end of your series are in sight and not a moment sooner. But I digress. Again.)
My only warning is this: just as a steady diet of cotton candy will rot your teeth and encourage diabetes, a steady diet of books like these would rot your brain and have serious intellectual repercussions. There's not enough substance to sustain thought. They're fine for a quick treat, but don't expect the ideas to stay with you much longer than it takes to lick your fingers clean.
The premise, that superpowers are real, that masked superheroes are an accepted part of society, is explored only in the most superficial ways. I don't know that I would've enjoyed it half as much if I wasn't already familiar with the tropes, types and themes of a four-color world. Since I do have a solid grounding in that genre, I appreciated the attention to detail and had a ball spotting all the references. Nearly all the characters had Golden Age alliterative names. Lulu Lo. Bella Belluci, Carmen Cole. The protagonist in Karma Girl comes from a small town called Beginnings, but she moves to the city when her career takes off. The city's name? BigTime, of course.
The protagonists are well-written -- no cookie-cutter characters from Jennifer Estep, no sirree -- but they have all the depth of sheets of paper. This works, given that the world itself is so thinly sketched, but it makes their conflicts as predictable as the plot of a network sitcom. There's no space wasted on development or Everyone falls neatly into their niche: shy nerd, plucky reporter, suave socialite, tempermental artist. Every detail has a purpose. Every action will have significance later in the plot.
Plot? Similiar for all the stories. They're romances in the most traditional sense, despite the atypical setting. Girl with quirks and a problem meets Boy with secrets. (Secret identities are a running theme,. All the inhabitants of this world have huge blind spots until the plot device starts working.) Girl and Boy dance through a courtship involving a contrived meetings, shocking revelations, and comedic moments. (And steamy sex! These are R-for-romance rated.) Major dilemma surfaces. Girl and boy must make Big Choices. Love conquers all. With capes.
In summary: fun, frivolous romance fluff, written tightly and traditionally, with an entertaining setting and clever use of classic comic book plot elements.
June 3, 2015
Jennifer Estep why did I not know you existed until last month? Are these books perfect, no. Are they grim, dark and gritty hell no and THANK providence. Don't get me wrong I like my Mark Miller (in certain stories) and my Saga comics but sometimes a girl just needs a little romance.
And here are the stories that meet those requirements. Superheros-check, fun and amusing superheroes- check! ladies in need- check, romance- double check, mystery- check and sound reasoning for putting two and two together without resulting to the "Oh my god your so and so!" CHECK! Estep has done the impossible and forgone the frustrating unmasking moment that plagues female comic book characters- namely their sudden hit of stupidity and gets to the meat of every superhero comic relationship. Actually having a relationship that includes both alt ego and every day identity.
Estep has created a series for everyone with a wide variety of women with problems that meet up with hunky men in leather (who have problems of their own)and fall in love. Some of these problems lack urgency or become repetitive but the happy ever after is around the bend and I was still amused, intrigued, and entertained enough to keep reading. Hell after Nightingale I bought the whole series on Kindle. I never do that.
I hope to see more of Bigtime, these women and their men. But if Estep chooses to stop I will be left satisfied. I even recently re-read the entire series. Skipping hot momma only because the main character did not mesh with my personal taste. That's it, that's the only reason.
I like superheroes, I love romance and I am a big fan of this series. If you're looking for grim, dark and emotionally unavailable played straight go read Batman. You want fun, romantic, entertaining as hell, sometimes lusty superheros who love being super these books are for you.
And here are the stories that meet those requirements. Superheros-check, fun and amusing superheroes- check! ladies in need- check, romance- double check, mystery- check and sound reasoning for putting two and two together without resulting to the "Oh my god your so and so!" CHECK! Estep has done the impossible and forgone the frustrating unmasking moment that plagues female comic book characters- namely their sudden hit of stupidity and gets to the meat of every superhero comic relationship. Actually having a relationship that includes both alt ego and every day identity.
Estep has created a series for everyone with a wide variety of women with problems that meet up with hunky men in leather (who have problems of their own)and fall in love. Some of these problems lack urgency or become repetitive but the happy ever after is around the bend and I was still amused, intrigued, and entertained enough to keep reading. Hell after Nightingale I bought the whole series on Kindle. I never do that.
I hope to see more of Bigtime, these women and their men. But if Estep chooses to stop I will be left satisfied. I even recently re-read the entire series. Skipping hot momma only because the main character did not mesh with my personal taste. That's it, that's the only reason.
I like superheroes, I love romance and I am a big fan of this series. If you're looking for grim, dark and emotionally unavailable played straight go read Batman. You want fun, romantic, entertaining as hell, sometimes lusty superheros who love being super these books are for you.
May 17, 2015
Fun collection of superhero/high society stories. Wasn't too fond of the first two, but Jinx and Nightingale were great. Felt like I was reading classic comic books. Glad that I read this series by Estep!
December 29, 2013
I love this series. It's original and fresh! favorite character Karma Girl (in both her personalities) and I can't wait for more books!
January 5, 2014
Hot Mama and Nightingale were my favorite of the books.
January 5, 2014
Damn Good Read
Every book in this series is fantastic. Ms. Estep's writing grabs you and takes you on one great ride after another.
Every book in this series is fantastic. Ms. Estep's writing grabs you and takes you on one great ride after another.
January 18, 2014
Really fun.
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