Lightning & Thunder

Heroes and Romance #1

by Sara Raasch

DELUXE EDITION--featuring stunning sprayed edges!

Percy Jackson meets Thunderbolts in this action-adventure romcom where the descendants of gods protect humanity, and Zeus’s snarky, vigilante heir is forced to team up with the globally beloved descendant of Thor.

As a Zeus descendant, Pollux “Lux” Keraunos never intended to be a villain. But if the cyber-crime hat fits, he’ll wear it to destroy the tyrant Hero Council led by his brother.

Then his brother vanishes (not Lux’s fault). Zeus’s line must continue, and the Hero Council turns to Lux as the heir—with the caveat that he trains under Erik Thorson, his brother’s Viking-wannabe BFF. Lux’ll use this to bring down the Council, and he isn’t falling for Erik’s smoking hot with a heart of gold persona—

Even if Erik didn’t know Lux’s brother was corrupt.

Even if Erik actually helps people—and believes Lux can, too.

As Lux tries the good guy role, the truth behind his brother's disappearance surfaces, and he’ll have to decide if he still wants to destroy the Council . . . or if he wants someone else more.

Hero? Villain? Or a secret third disaster bisexual with a savior kink?

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Mythology, Adult, M M Romance, Queer, Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

Expected publication December 29, 2026

About the author

Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then — her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. Her debut YA fantasy, SNOW LIKE ASHES, the first in a trilogy, came out October 14, 2014 from Balzer + Bray. It does not feature her hand-drawn pictures.

Reviews

[Noi (in & out)]

I need it, in my hands, right now.

[Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading)]

I love a new take on super heroes, especially when they are a little unconventional.
Lightening & Thunder is about one of the descendants of Zeus who gets tangled up in the heroes' business, something he has avoided for years, because his brother(whom he detest, for good reasons) goes suddenly missing. Trying to recruit him is his brother's best friend of many years, and crush for just as long.
It quickly gets messy, as you can imagine.
Lux is a bratty sarcastic little guy and I love him to death, his quips were so funny and his virtual assistant Molly provided some of the best conversations in the whole book. Erik is the typical overachiever, has the weight of the whole world on his shoulders, type of hero, and I loved how Lux was able to make him relax and be present. All the other heroes also have pieces of my heart, especially Ophelia, I love her a lot.
It's been a long while since I've loved a cast of characters this much, and I'm so so so happy this will be a series so I can see them again. They are a band of misfits with a sprinkle of found family and that's my favorite thing ever. All of them are wildly different and I loved them all for different reasons. We already know the next one will be about Hattie and Ophelia(sapphic romance!!! I'm so happy!!!!!), but I also sense a little thing brewing between Tristan and Remeses and let me tell you that would be buzzy. I love Remeses' grumpy exterior teddy bear interior personality SO MUCH.
If this is important to you I can also inform you Lightening & Thunder has Sara Raasch's hottest sex scene yet and much of her signature humor that I absolutely adore.
The Life & Death sneak peak at the end of the book got me so excited for the next book in the series I cannot wait for next year to be able to read it!

Thank you Netgalley and Bramble for the ARC!

[Sophie (lambsbooks)]

Hero? Villain? Or a secret third disaster bisexual with a savior kink?

Sign me the fuck up.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time)]

Loved this so much!! Review to come when I’m back from the beach!

[Lance]

👀👀👀

[gracie]

imagine my excitement when I checked my inbox this morning to see I got the arcccc. Thank you Tor!

[Ri]

Percy Jackson meets Thunderbolts? Hero x villain action adventure romcom? Say less!

[Jessica Porche]

Incredible and everything I’ve come to love about her romcoms. Also THE NEXT ONE IS SAPPHIC?! Sign me tf up!

[shatterinseconds]

DNF 47%

Calling it quits here. I could not get into this story at all. Neither the characters nor plot sparked any joy or interest. I think it's time I stopped reading Sara Raasch's works.

I appreciate winning the GR giveaway but unfortunately this wasn't for me.

[Madison]

I'm a fan of Sara Raasch and I tend to give her romances the benefit of the doubt, but holy shit this was bad.

While in her holiday books (The Nightmare Before Kissmas) she elides any thorny questions of cultural competence by simply focusing on Americanized, secular, mall-Santa style depictions of exclusively Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter, she elects here to create a council made up of god-descendants from a variety of world religions. Bold choice! Unfortunately she does it badly, so we end up with Egyptian gods but also one guy who's a representative of "African" gods (in general, I guess?? Except not Egypt because they get their own?) who, of course, is depicted as a shoot-first, think-later hothead when he actually gets to participate in the narrative for all of three pages. Another character is a descendant of the Reaper (so...not a god?) and is just a one-to-one Harley Quinn ripoff. The descendants end up with various powers that appear when plot-convenient.

Speaking of, from a plot standpoint: the story involves the ever-present trope of a test/three tasks that the main character must complete in order to become a Hero. These mostly fall by the wayside, as does Lux's stated commitment to topple the Hero Council. There's also a deeply cringe cutesy-AI-assistant side plot that feels far out of step in the current era of techno-fascism. The villain is not memorable and also not really present.

The romance is fine because Sara Raasch writes serviceable romances even on a bad day. But the story around it needed serious work--and the considerations a writer should have around utilizing non-Western deities were clearly beyond her. Overall, this was a mess.

[katarina]

Dnf @ 60%

Sara Raasch is one of those authors I can’t help but return to despite already having a couple dnfs under my belt. Her books always sound like peak silly little magical romances which sometimes I need in my life, but unfortunately this one is joining the dnf graveyard.

The execution of the plot just seemed so juvenile. Slight spoilers here but I just thought it was way too convenient that Erik already knew of Castor’s corrupt behavior and had already made strides to take him down without Lux. I was like oh okay this is kind of uninteresting now.

I thought Lux was really well written and it was heartbreaking exploring how cruel Castor was to him. This book really follows that trope of a brother who seems like a golden boy but is actually horrible below the surface and the other brother who is misunderstood. I wish the other characters had that same kind of depth because most of the hero council sort of blended into one for me.

ALSO Lux having to prove himself in order to become a part of the council (a role he never wanted mind you) just felt so stupid. As if they aren’t the ones that lowkey kidnapped him and told him he’s not allowed to leave.

The romance portion was cute but did move a little fast for my liking. The whole buying Erik’s disguise was probably my favorite. Erik was so caring towards Lux and you can just tell he’s going to be really good to him.

Then just other parts of this book seemed so random. Like one second we’re going from being chased down by Roz to going bowling for team bonding. Castor is still on the run somewhere and we’re out here doing silly little sidequests. I just feel like the story shaping could’ve used some work.

Now, with this being my third Sara Raasch dnf I think it’s time for me to finally move on. Rival Wizards you will always be my beloved though.

Thank you so much to Bramble & Macmillan for providing me with this eARC.

[Rayne]

I'm so ready to inject this book into my veins

[Katie May]

This fell just a wee bit short for me. Basically every book she writes is my most anticipated book and I loved the premise for this one but execution was not my fave. The individual lines of the story all felt a little weak and could’ve used some building up.

I really liked the over all story line is jusy fizzled rather than pooped. The world building is pretty sparse unfortunately. There was just a listing of gods at one point. I think some of the middle part would make more sense with some more world building. The pacing is a little wonky; the beginning is mega slow and then everything starts ripping at like 60%. A little more balance I think would have made this 5 stars.

The romance is basically just told to you. I would’ve liked to see build up for them, you can do a lot with brother’s best friend trope in terms of tension and longing but there isn’t too much of that. Their chemistry is good once they get together but it kinda just happens.

High hopes for the next book as the characters are given some screen time in this story.

I think the narrator did a great job solo narrating all the voices. Would definitely recommend the audio.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

[Paulette Zuniga]

A.K.A: Bi-disaster hacktivist gets invited to join elite super hero organization by his childhood crush…shenanigans ensue!
thank you so much to the team at Tor for the physical ARC I received at SDCC and to Netgalley for the e-ARC as well!
The first installment in Sara Raasch’s all-new heroes-and-romance series was an absolute DELIGHT to read and a fantastic way to kick off the series. I already can’t wait for the next installment! Sara has quickly become an insta-buy comfort author for me, and Lightning and Thunder is my new favorite!—I say that each time I read one of her books, but they’re just THAT good!
Lux is such a lovable main character: he’s snarky, incredibly smart, and exceedingly kind. I loved the way his childhood trauma, the abuse he endured from his own family, and his belief that he wasn’t worthy of being a hero were handled. I was rooting for him from the very beginning. He’s misunderstood by most of the people around him and portrayed as selfish and inconsiderate, even though he’s actually helping so many people from the shadows and expecting absolutely no recognition for it!
His relationship with Erik had me melting into a gooey puddle and giggling at every interaction. As a descendant of Thor, Erik is the perfect superhero archetype, much like Lux’s older brother Castor—except Erik is ACTUALLY heroic and noble rather than simply putting on a façade. It was incredibly sweet to realize just how much admiration HE had for Lux’s sharp wit and gentle heart. I could have easily read another 300 pages of these two being GONE for each other!
Besides the romance, I also loved the other members of the Hero Council, and I’m so happy to know we’ll be seeing more of them in future installments. Their dynamic and banter felt like watching an episode of Teen Titans when I was younger, so I can’t wait to see more of Hattie, Rameses, Ophelia, and the rest of the team, get to know them better, and explore their powers!
In sum, this was an amazing start to a new series, filled with romantic banter, believable depictions of childhood trauma, found family (including a sassy virtual assistant!), and the message that you don’t need to be PERFECT to make the world a better place.

[Rebecca]

4.25 ⭐ -- I absolutely loved this! Lux and the side characters were amazing, and the world was so fun. It was funny, oddly heartbreaking at times, just really good.

I could have read 100+ pages more of it tbh. I want to know more! More of Lux's backstory, like why this child genius got into hacking/IT and is there a reason he can/kinda can't use Zeus god powers? The flying made sense with what Castor did, but everything else, is it just because he never tried because of the bullying? Or did it just not come naturally like it did for other heroes? I want to know more about Ophelia's powers, so I'm PSYCHED the next book is her and Hattie because I totally felt their vibe and had a feeling our little harley quinn was either jealous of the Mayor's son, or the son was evil but we just didn't go down that road.

One thing I wished the book had explored more was the emotional buildup between Lux and Erik. It combines two great tropes — a bit of a second chance romance with the childhood crush that could never be + the brother’s best friend. There was so much potential there that I kept wanting a bit more development. A lot of the story focuses on the hero complex, guilt, and regret Erik carries, which makes sense given everything with Castor. But because so much attention goes to that trauma, the romantic tension didn't quite get the same build up. We know Lux has had years of complicated feelings, but Erik’s emotional history with Lux isn’t explored in the same way. You can tell Erik cares about him, wants to atone and protect Lux, but the groundwork for those feelings isn’t built up as much on the page, so the shift into romance ended up feeling a little sudden.

[Brady]

Thank you Macmillan audio and Netgalley for this ALC, these opinions are my own. Ok I loved the mix of fantasy/hero/romance of this one! Pollux “Lux” has spent the last three years trying to take his brother down. As descendants of the God Zeus they’re extremely powerful, or rather his brother his. Powerful enough that he has become the leader of the Hero’s Council. Which Lux knows is corrupt. But no matter how many times he’s exposed his brother’s wrong doing, it’s always covered up. But Lux is determined to take him down. Then his brother mysteriously disappears, and suddenly Lux is being offered a preliminary spot on the Hero’s Council. This is it, the chance to expose them for every crooked thing. The difficulty lies with Erik, descendant of Thor, who also happens to be Lux’s childhood crush and his brother’s best friend. As he meets the other hero’s and begins his trials he starts to see a different side to them. Especially Erik who had always seemed so good. But he’s worked with Lux’s brother so he can’t be all good right? Soon his feelings for Erik are standing in his way of finding the proof he needs that the Hero’s Council is bad. Maybe they are corrupt individuals he believes them to be. After all he’s been cast as the villain when all he’s really wanted was to stop his brother’s nasty influence. Sara Raasch packs so much into this one! It’s got humor, romance, spice, action and thrills, hero’s and villains, and powers! I enjoyed all of the characters and absolutely loved Molly, she added so much joy to the book! Also completely in love with Ramses! Super excited to read about Hattie and Ophelia in book two! Charming, sweet, and super swoony! And Jamie Pak really brought the characters to life for me! Highly recommend the audio book!

[Amie]

Sara Raasch’s Heroes and Romance series kicks off with a bang in “Lightning and Thunder,” where god-descended heroes fight monsters and keep humanity safe - or so they think. When the Hero Council’s leader, Castor, descended from Zeus, mysteriously disappears, it’s up to his younger brother, Pollux, ”Lux”, pulled from (alleged) criminal-ish anonymity and thrust into the spotlight, to prove there’s something much more sinister to Castor than meets the eye.

“Lightning and Thunder” is a whirlwind of lovable god-descended heroes who are more than they seem, friends-to-(sort of)-enemies-to-lovers romance (not to mention down-and-dirty spice), and a sassy, matchmaking, reality-tv-addicted AI sidekick.

Raasch handles Lux’s past abuse and trauma with care, giving him room to address is fears, face them head on, and come out stronger on the other side. I absolutely cried my eyes out for Lux, and I felt a surge of pride when the Council brought him into their fold, giving him the loving and protective family he absolutely deserves.

By the end, I was completely obsessed. Every character felt distinct, messy, funny, and deeply lovable in their own way. (And I am beyond thrilled at the set up for the next book in this series!)

The pacing never lets up, balancing emotional gut-punches, action, humor, and romance so effortlessly that I flew through it. And the spice? Genuinely excellent: hot, tension-filled, and perfectly woven into the emotional stakes of the story instead of feeling forced in for the sake of it. This was one of those books where I finished the final page already desperate to spend more time with these characters.

[Shilo Quetchenbach]

I enjoy Sara Raasch's books, but these last few have been relying too heavily on romance tropes and not enough on plot.

Like, yes, we get it, Erik is huge and muscly and Lux is small and geeky. There has to be more to it than that though, or the book gets old fast.

There was some plot. I was even pretty invested in it. But I got so tired of the size difference repetition and the instant attraction. It was somewhat mitigated by being a situation where both of them have been in love with each other for years, but it still overtook the plot far too often.

The characters, as always were great. I really sympathized with Lux and enjoyed watching him hacking into things and being generally a geeky genius. Erik was pretty one-dimensional, but the other characters on the Hero Council and staff were all very interesting and I really enjoyed their interactions.

I'm looking forward to a sapphic book next! Maybe it can shake up the tropes Sara Raasch has been relying so heavily on these last few books.

I feel like all of the last few books have been trying to recapture the magic of the Nightmare Before Kissmas and failing because they sacrifice plot and unique characters for tropes. Maybe that's what the market demands right now but the books could be so much better with more interesting romance dynamics.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Bramble for providing an early copy for review.

[Abigail Books Addiction]

If there's one thing this author always delivers, it's the cutest queer romances, and this book was no exception. I always have such a fun time reading their stories, and this one completely charmed me from start to finish.

The superhero-inspired premise was such a creative and refreshing element, making the story stand out while still delivering all the romance I was hoping for. One of my favorite parts was the relationship between the two main characters. As former childhood friends, their history added so much depth to the story, and the endless banter and tension between them kept me hooked the entire time.

I loved watching their feelings slowly resurface as the story unfolded. The chemistry felt natural, the dialogue was fun, and the emotional buildup made every moment between them even more rewarding. The friendship, tension, and romance were balanced so well, creating a story that was both heartwarming and entertaining.

Overall, this was such an enjoyable read and another reminder of why I always pick up this author's books. If you're looking for a cute queer romance with a unique superhero twist, plenty of banter, and a lovable friends-to-lovers dynamic, this one is definitely worth checking out.

[Maggie]

Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC of this book. Sara Raasch is one of my favorite romance writers and autobuy authors and this book definitely solidifies that decision. This book was a gods dammed delight from start to finish. This was an amazing black cat, golden retriever romance. I loved seeing Lux and Erik’s relationship develop. I loved that Lux started out seeming like a villain but ended up being the hero of the story. The way he brought everyone on the team together to make their work as heroes more effective and less harmful with collateral damage after his brother purposely tried to separate them was so great. One of my favorite aspects is that while this book had some heavy influences from mythology when it comes to Greek and Norse mythology, it didn’t solely focus on that and brought some less commonly used mythologies from Egypt, West Africa, and Japan. My only complaint is that the sequel won’t be released until 2027 so I have to wait even longer after reading this book so early.

[Simplekind]

Thank you to Edelweiss for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book snuck up on me! It just popped up one day on my Edelweiss page so of course I downloaded it and read it in one day. Raasch sure knows how to write characters who are funny and caring and have a shit-ton of emotional baggage. Definitely my go-to storyline.

I'm usually not one for stories centered on mythology but this book wasn't really about that. It is about the "spare" who doesn't fit in his family and does his best to negate the poor choices of his brother and about the brother's friend who finally understand his BFF isn't who he thought he was. Not even a little bit. Fame and fortune sure can go to some people's heads. A solid read by Raasch. At this point I will read what ever they write.

So we know, thanks to the teaser at the end, who the next book will be about. But if Tristan and Rameses don't get their own story I WILL RIOT.

[Quilted.reads]

This book honestly blew me away and might be one of my new favorite books by Sara. It follows Lux, the sarcastic disaster bisexual descendant of Zeus who’s basically one bad decision away from becoming a full villain and Erik the golden retriever descendant of Thor who somehow still believes Lux can be a good person. When Lux is forced to work with Erik after his brother disappears, the two get pulled into secrets, corruption, and a whole lot of unresolved tension.The mix of mythology, superhero chaos, romance, and humor was SO fun. It gave major Percy Jackson meets superhero team vibes but with older characters, way more flirting, and emotional damage everywhere. Lux was such a mess in the best way possible and his banter with Erik had me obsessed. I loved how wild and funny the book was while still having real emotional moments and bigger stakes underneath everything. Genuinely one of those books where I finished it and immediately wanted to reread it. I can't wait for the audiobook :)

[Drew]

I had a really fun time with this one, especially the mix of superheroes, mythology, romance, and humor. Molly was probably my favorite part of the whole book, and I loved every scene she was in. I did feel like a few things could have been explored more, especially the Ares descendants and the whole situation with Roz, but also "Romance" is literally in the name of the series so that's not unexpected. These are just such fascinating universes (or possibly the same universe??) that I would love to read just about anything set in them.

 I liked how naturally the romance and superhero story worked together. And again this is just like the other "and Romance" books, and I appreciate that the characters were doing something beyond just falling in love. The fact that in this book (and the others) all involved a plotline with a genuine focus on helping people and trying to make things better is fantastic, and honestly makes them all a bit "feel-good" in nature which is appreciated.

[Erin U]

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing, and Sara Raasch for the ARC ebook for this review!

I had a fun time! Sara Raasch’s characters are always so witty, and it’s something I look forward to when I pick up a book of hers. Lightning & Thunder didn’t let me down!

The main plot genuinely had me curious. It didn’t feel mashed together to accompany the romance. I didn’t expect the lore and some of the events! The inclusion of different pantheons was so cool.

The romance was very sweet and (mostly) fluffy. I loved the history between the two main characters. I wish the build up was longer because I feel like their relationship intensified in a hurry. But, it’s a smutty romance book, so whaddyagonnado? The smut definitely smutted, with raw and intense emotions.

I’m excited to see more from this series!

[Jyanx]

I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley. All views are my own, and no consideration was given or expected.

I requested this book an whim, and I was pleasntly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I'm not usually a superhero fan, but I really liked this book. It was a refreshing take on the genre, and I really enjoyed the new perspective this book provided. The characters were well developed, and complex people. No one felt like a simple sterotype, and everyone played an important role in the story. The plot was well developed, and even things I thought might be simple turned out to be much more nuanced in the end. I really was drawn in by the writing, and the story. The ending was just perfect, and I couldn't be happier with the way things turned out. It felt like a complete story, and I can't wait to read more about these characters, and their world. 

[QueerPageTurner]

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Bramble Romance for the advanced copy of Sara Raasch's Lightning & Thunder. Rating it 4.25/5 stars with some very satisfying and yummy 3/5 spice.

This funny, sweet, MM romance takes place in an original and unique world, where heroes are descendants of gods from pantheons from around the world. Lux, our antihero, descended from Zeus, and Erik, descended from Thor, navigate their complicated relationship through monsters, mayhem, and secret agendas.

I laughed out loud many times (Ophelia, your bowling names were absolute *chef's kiss* perfection); I flushed and wanted the earth to swallow me from vicarious embarrassment (Molly, HOW COULD YOU?!?! *testing spaghetti*); and, I practically growled at the hot harness-y spice.

One thing that sets fantastic books apart from decent books is the depth of the supportive cast, and Sara Raasch is masterful at building nuanced, interesting, rich characters beyond just the two leads. Ophelia is terrifying and I loved her. Hattie is adorable. I want to squeeze Ramses while he scowls (and I NEED... *Sara, are you reading this?!?!*... NEED a book about Ramses and you-know-who). Molly deserves so much more air time with all her sass and blackmail material. Reading this felt like finding family.

The only downside to getting a book this early is I have THAT MUCH LONGER TO WAIT for future installments of the series. I know the second book is already in the works, and I really really hope a third Ramses book is finding its way out of Sara's fingers and onto the page.

Treat yourself to this delightful read.

[Jess]

I got really, really lucky with an arc.

Wait, okay. Once again I think I cried too much during this one. Sara Raasch knows how to up end your whole emotional system.

There's a beautiful story here of being better. Of breaking out of abusive relationships and habits and knowing that you aren't always the good guy when you're healing. Lux's view of making the world a better place is so important after all the trauma he's suffered.

I think the friendships Lux builds are my favorite part, unfortunately they can feel like such a small part of the book.

You can heal. You can grow. You might not be able to fly, but goddammit you can improvise.

(Also, yeah. If you were ever on AO3 in 2015/16 when the Avengers came out? Boooooy you're gonna love this one.)

[Cam]

Endless thank you to Tor Publishing for this eARC. Every new world Sara Raasch opens up just drags me in full force. Lux and Erik are an incredible pairing, the moment Erik flew Lux away from the bank I knew I was going to like this big superhero lug. The vibe of the rest of the heroes and how they interact with Lux throws me back to the days of the Avengers towers fanfictions that took over the internet for a while. One big happy superhero family who all also hate each other like a little bit. The overarching big bad of this book genuinely terrified me, and the conclusion was heart stopping. And may we all be blessed with Room Destroying sex one day. I will never not be thrusting a Sara Raasch book into the hands of anyone in my vicinity.

[gregory_paperback]

Oh. My. Gods. This is the best Sara book I’ve read yet!
It calls into themes of what actually makes a hero and what is actually good. Doing good is not always enough at times and sometimes it extends more past that. It’s not about just stopping the crime it’s about rebuilding afterwards. That’s what Lux explores but because of his trauma he can’t see himself that way. He’s been told all his life how worthless he is how pathetic to the point where he believes that about himself and genuinely believes he’s not good when in reality he is the best of them all!
It’s an amazing adventure and you just can’t help but love Lux.
Also, Ophelia is amazing!

[sara]

I. ATE. THIS. UP.!!!!! this made me giggle and i now have the urge to rewatch every MCU movie ever made! i loved both the main and side characters so much, i can't wait for the next book in this series. while i loved the story and its characters, it still felt a bit all over the place just after the halfway mark. it was as if the story was really getting good but then it just. fell flat. out of nowhere. but luckily, the author made up for it with how well the characters were written and tied together so this was still such an enjoyable read!!

thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC!