#HeroFail

Superheroes Anonymous #4

by Lexie Dunne

Gail "Hostage Girl" Godwin is back and ready to save the day—sort of—in #Herofail, the fourth book in Lexie Dunne's action-packed Superheroes Anonymous series!

She’s been in trouble before, but Gail Godwin has really stepped in it now.

Once a favorite plaything of supervillains everywhere, the former Hostage Girl has settled into interning for the world’s most famous the Raptor. Sure, fetching coffee comes with a side of fighting crime and night patrol hours are horrible, but that’s fine. Gail likes her boss, she likes her job, and things with her boyfriend couldn’t be better.

So of course disaster strikes the first time she dons the armor. One ill-timed photo later, she’s trending on every platform (and not in a good way), the Raptor is out of commission, and thousands are in danger. And when two of the worst supervillains in history battle for Top Evildoer of All Time, Gail’s stuck in the spotlight without a mentor or a plan. It’s up to her to uncover old secrets, fight the bad guys, and save the world (again).

Provided she doesn’t fall flat on her ass in the process.

Genres: Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction

355 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 27, 2017

About the author

Lexie Dunne is a woman of many masks, all of them stored neatly in a box under her bed. By day a mild-mannered technical writer and by night an adventuress and novelist, she keeps life interesting by ignoring it and writing instead. She hails from St. Louis, home of the world’s largest croquet game piece, and SUPERHEROES ANONYMOUS is her professional debut into the world of caped crusaders, a journey that started when her father took her and her brother to see The Rocketeer.

Reviews

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Superheroes
*Rating* 4.0

*Thoughts*

#HeroFail is the fourth installment in author Lexie Dunne's Superheroes Anonymous series. If you haven't yet read this series yet, how come? No really! This is an extremely fun and entertaining series which features a bunch of superheroes, and super-villains, and a girl who was once kidnapped by nearly everyone who is a super-villain constantly for 4 years straight until she was dosed with a radioactive isotope called Mobium and found some curious abilities of her own.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[OpenBookSociety.com]

http://openbooksociety.com/article/he...

#HeroFail
Superheroes Anonymous, Book #4
By Lexie Dunne
ISBN13: 9780062696236
Author’s Website: www(.)dunnewriting(.)com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar

Summary

Gail “Hostage Girl” Godwin is back and ready to save the day—sort of—in #Herofail, the fourth book in Lexie Dunne’s action-packed Superheroes Anonymous series!

She’s been in trouble before, but Gail Godwin has really stepped in it now.

Once a favorite plaything of supervillains everywhere, the former Hostage Girl has settled into interning for the world’s most famous superhero: the Raptor. Sure, fetching coffee comes with a side of fighting crime and night patrol hours are horrible, but that’s fine. Gail likes her boss, she likes her job, and things with her boyfriend couldn’t be better.

So of course disaster strikes the first time she dons the armor. One ill-timed photo later, she’s trending on every platform (and not in a good way), the Raptor is out of commission, and thousands are in danger. And when two of the worst supervillains in history battle for Top Evildoer of All Time, Gail’s stuck in the spotlight without a mentor or a plan. It’s up to her to uncover old secrets, fight the bad guys, and save the world (again).

Provided she doesn’t fall flat on her ass in the process.

Review

#HeroFail starts with Gail Godwin, a.k.a. Hostage Girl, a.k.a. Raptorlet, patrolling the city and saving people from criminals and villains. Gail gets invited to a Davenport dinner party, where Kiki Davenport is presented to the board members of the company and is given new authority and responsibilities. Some of the party guests are not happy with the news, but Tamara Diesel and her goons attack before anybody express their ideas. Tamara attacks the guests with a toxic gas that only affects those that don’t have superpowers. In the fight, Gail wears the Raptor suit, but Tamara shoots Jessie and flees.

After the chaos of the party, the prisoners of Detmer escape and Fearless (Rita Detmer) captures Gail and tortures her again. The villains divide into two groups, those that follow Rita and those that follow Tamara.

Gail and the other superheroes are at full capacity trying to save the citizens from new attacks and stop Tamara from killing those affected by her toxin.

Gail will do her best to save her friends and live up her mentor’s honor.

I liked #HeroFail, it’s fun to continue reading Gail’s adventures as she works as a superhero and learns more about her powers. I also liked this world that Lexie Dunne has created for her characters to live in.

The villains in this story had very good plans to try to hurt people and get things done. I liked how some villains’ minds are ruled by the villainous syndrome, and how Rita sets things in motion to get her plans done.

One problem that I had with this book, was that the narrative of the story was a bit slow for some at the beginning, but it found its pace eventually.

I loved Gail and her powers. Gail has gone through a lot in the previous books, and this time she also goes over things. I liked Gail’s relationship with Guy and how the author didn’t make things all happy for them but made them have some issues to work on.

I really liked #HeroFail.

If you are a fan of Lexie Dunne and her work, then I recommend you #HeroFail. In this story,

Gail has to fight her way out of so many villains attacking, but most of all find herself and embrace her true inner hero.


*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

[Beth Cato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dunne's delivers with another fun superhero/supervillain romp! This book is full of action and whimsy, a nice and breezy read. It brings back most all of the characters from the previous books; even though I haven't read them in a while, I was soon able to get into the groove.

[Rae Anne Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy this series and while it's not written in such a way that I will find my self laughing or cry and just really really into the books #HeroFail did make me smile a bit at the end. They aren't very big books but they are interesting as a quick read.

[Lis Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once, Gail Godwin was Hostage Girl--not a superhero, but the girlfriend of a superhero, more or less continually being kidnapped and held hostage to influence her boyfriend, Blaze. Or, mundanely, Guy Bookman. But Blaze is now retired, Guy is working to become a chef, and due to events in previous books, Gail now has superpowers, and is Raptorlet--the apprentice Raptor, in training to take over when the current Raptor, Jessie, retires.

And of course, all heck is about to break loose.

Eddie Davenport, head of the Davenport Corporation for which all superheroes work, has decided it is time to promote his niece, Kiki, to a more prominent position with the goal of positioning her to be the next CEO when he retires. This is controversial for many reasons, but the big problem for Gail turns out to be that supervillain Tamara Diesel has planned a major attack on the gala where the announcement is formally made. In the course of this, Gail is forced to appear in the full Raptor armor to confront the attackers--and briefly winds up on her butt, arms and legs in the air. Someone snaps a picture, and it winds up trending on social media, #HeroFail.

Raptor is supposed to be the most discreet of superheroes. If there's any superhero who should never be trending on social media, it's Raptor, and certainly not as #HeroFail. Everyone is angry with her.

The next morning, there's a rebellion at Detmer Prison, the only prison able to contain captured supervillains. And this is barely even the beginning of Gail's problems, even when she is sent to Detmer to confront the most prominent supervillain of all, Rita Detmer.

Rita Detmer is Fearless, Raptor's greatest enemy, and also Eddie Davenport's mother, and Kiki's grandmother.

Not having read the previous books, I had a little bit of confusion in understanding the story, but it drew me in and became a lot of fun. There's a lot of action, and a lot of twists and turns. Gail was still learning the use and control of her superpowers at the beginning of the book. Along the way, she acquires more, and because of the need to learn how to use them, this isn't the obvious benefit it might seem at first glance. She can hurt herself and others, and damage valuable property, as her new abilities surprise her.

This is a light, fun, fast-paced story. Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

#HEROFAIL is the latest (possibly last but I hope not) story in the Superheroes Anonymous story. It's a book I have mixed feelings on because it's really awesome superhero fiction but it's also a bit too serious. Part of what I love about the Superheroes Anonymous series is its slightly off-beat and goofy feeling.

This is a story about how two of the worst supervillains in the world have broken out of Detmer Prison and unleashed a massive number of supervillains on the world. They proceed to wreck havoc throughout Gail Godwin's (a.k.a Hostage Girl a.k.a Raptor) world. The stakes are very high and dramatic, which is something that is great by itself but dials down the goofiness that made the series so enjoyable.

In any case, I do love the developments with Gail becoming Raptor (i.e. Batman) and also finally putting an end to some of the less savory villains of the series. We also get an explanation to a couple of longstanding mysteries. I love the twists with Jeremy, Sam, and other characters.

But can we do some more quirky stuff next book?

8/10

[kory. · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 superheroes anonymous ★★★★☆
#2 supervillains anonymous ★★★★☆
#3 how to save the world ★★★★☆
#4 #herofail ★★★★☆

rep; angélica and kiki (scs) are queer. portia (sc) is pansexual. naomi is a woc.

i feel this is a satisfying conclusion to the series. gail is slightly less annoying, raze has some endearing moments (like when she kidnaps gail’s boyfriend and then pouts and stomps her feet and yells “fight me!” when gail shows up and refuses to fight her), the whole plot kept me engaged, and it’s a fairly quick read. i had intended to read about half of it and continue the next day, but i ended up flying through it in one go. there is some ableist language/slurs. gail’s insistence that how she got her powers is so much worse than how everyone else got their’s is super annoying, because how is an accident or explosion better than some evil scientist giving you powers? both suck. the pansexual character, portia, is mentioned a couple times but doesn’t show up in this book, which is super disappointing. i read this series for that character, and they might as well not even exist for how little they’re in it.

[Laura Cunha · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://leiturasdelaura.blogspot.com/...
http://popoca.com.br/herofail/

E finalmente cheguei no último livro publicado pela Lexie Dunne na série Superheroes Anonymous! Foi uma saga agradável e divertida, e valeu cada risada e cena de ação! Mal posso esperar por mais continuações. Sim, elas devem vir.

Confesso que depois de achar o 3° livro um tanto chato perto dos dois primeiros, #HeroFail não deixa a desejar. A história dessa vez é mais emocionante, com Gail finalmente terminando o seu estágio para se tornar uma super-heroína! Claro que isso envolve algumas missões impossíveis, hashtags, piadas e um super-herói meio tubarão. Isso é algum tipo de fetiche? Eu só queria saber porque esse tipo de personagem sempre aparece.

Minha única questão com o livro é que ele deixa muito espaço para mais continuações, e eu confesso que acho isso chato, além de ser uma forma dos autores ficarem multiplicando dinheiro ao invés de criar coisas novas. Todos têm contas para pagar, eu sei, mas tem limite! Ela podia ter terminado a história da Gail e começado a pensar em novos personagens, mesmo que fossem na mesma ambientação.

Apesar disso, o livro é tão bom quanto os dois primeiros que são quase um, dando um novo fôlego para uma série que promete ser longa. Se ela conseguir manter esse nível, vida longa a Gail!

[Brian Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The erstwhile Hostage Girl -- Gail Godwin (not because she had powers, but because supervillains had developed a tradition of holding her hostage to lure out Chicago's then preeminent superhero). But over the course of the series, she has obtained significant powers of her own -- will she finally become a respected hero in public?

Well, no. #HeroFail becomes a trending hashtag. And her public outing may have directly led to a new crisis, as some of the scariest supervillains in the world seem to be spurred to breaking out of their prison. This is a book that has toned down a lot of the comedic bits from earlier books in the series while keeping some of the lighthearted tone; it trusts people to remember the characters and their development. Much more so than in previous books, this is Gail as an independent heroine (even her superpowered boyfriend has been sidelined, as he's trying to retire from the superhero business).

A very satisfactory story; Gail definitely feels like a new and original character. The biggest potential flaw (although not yet realized and may not happen) is that she's still "powering up" (she gets at least one new power this book); if there are more books in the series, I hope the author keeps power escalation within limits.

[Aishuu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best in this series - there's really too much action in it, and not enough space to let the characters breathe and be charming. It felt very rushed, like the author wanted to hit all the plot points and possibly tie up the series. That left everything feeling weak and shallow, which is disappointing.

[Cat Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This whole series has been great! I read the first one as part of my 2018 reading challenge where one of the books had to be about a superhero. But then I greedily gobbled up the other books that followed, and then waited for this fourth book to be available. These books are wonderful escape-from-reality reading and just a lot of fun.

[Bobbie Kirkland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series! It seemed like it took a long long time for this one to be published, but it was worth the wait. Thanks for your perseverance in getting this book out there, Lexie Dunne. I, for one, greatly appreciate it.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great end to Gail's story and an excellent, exciting conclusion to the quarter.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately the finale, as far as I can tell, for the Super Heroes anonymous series, this is a wonderful story full of spectacular super comedy the likes of which have not been seen before or since. As with the prior volumes, you need to be prepared for some serious silliness, but the action is great, the jokes are even better, and while there are occasional hiccups in the plot, the writing and characters are memorable and engaging …. Really, the only thing I don’t like is that this seems to be the last book written by this amazing author? Really?!? Granted, writing takes heroic time and energy, but well …. Can’t imagine readers not wanting more stories from this author if they’re still out there, right?
In any event, lovely story, and honestly some of the side characters are show stealers for me. Vicky was my personal favorite through out the series, but certainly there are lots of runner up’s … lots of stories possible, and so happy to have read this one.

[Demetria · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start off, I read this book in one sitting, it was that good. The story starts out fast and doesn’t let up the pace until the end. I love this book series so much, it shocks me how there hasn’t been one dip in quality over four books, if anything they’ve just been getting better.

More directly, I love all of the characters. They all are wonderfully fleshed out and very much themselves, nobody feels bland or without personality. The villains are compelling and the hero’s have heart. Gail never feels like a Mary-Sue, even with her growing powers she still has to rely on her team. All of the supporting characters are amazing, from the elusive Audra to the bombastic Razor X, I’ve love them all so much. Also, Kiki and Angèlica, I mean, without spoilers, they’re my heroes.

Long story short, this is another fantastic entry in an amazing series. I’m so looking forward to the next book.

[Jill Furedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the other books in this series, I read through this one quickly, was amused by some of it, annoyed by a few bits, but mostly kept entertained throughout. The problem is, I didn't write a review right after I read it and now I don't remember as much detail as I'd like. I remember thinking that there needed to be more from Rita as to her plans and motivations, but I get that we aren't hearing her side of the story. Discovering more about the Raptor lair was fun. I was glad we got to see more of what happened with Jeremy since he was just injured and out of the story most of the last book. I thought we'd get more about Guy's side quest also, so I was disappointed we didn't hear much about it even at the end. The big energy thing (I've forgotten what they called it) that Gail ends up trying to save/destroy or something at the end seemed almost unimportant since the supervillains she's fighting seem more interesting. I thought I had read that this was the last book, but it certainly didn't seem to wrap up enough to be a finale. So hopefully there will be more to come.

[Byron Hallson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun series. Good para-universe, could easily spawn a few additional series. Not overtly sexual or crude, language appropriate for the genre. I enjoy her entire series and am not afraid of having my 9 year old hear the majority if my iPhone is reading the book aloud.
Good character planning
Relatable main players
Excellent power usage

I highly recommend if you like the genre and are looking for some light reading. I recommend getting book one and two at the same time. You’ll understand later.

[Jennifer Linsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun as always. A couple of interesting loose ends, and of course, you should never count a supervillain dead until you've seen the body, and even then.... I look forward to the further adventures of Hostage Girl the Raptor!

[Stuart Macmartin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feeling generous with my stars recently. My default is 3. This was just a bit more satisfying, though some of this 4 stars is still a holdover from the concept of the first book. Lots of action, appropriate things not working, and the ultimate ironic trap. And a nice wrap-up.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love this series. Quirky humour, clever plots and just the right level of non-soppy romance.

A point to ponder: Rita Davenport may not be quite the supervillian, as everything she has done to now has been for Gail's benefit and that of humanity in general.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a cute series. If the author writes something else someday I’d try it.

[Jim Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 star, I put a book down. 2 stars, I wouldn't read again and won't pick up a sequel. 3 stars, I won't read again, but maybe the sequel would move forward. 4 stars, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to a friend. 5 stars, I'll reread it, recommend it.

I was looking forward to writing a review for this book 3/4 of the way through. I was excited to read this fourth book of Lexie Dunne's Superheroes Anonymous series, and I wasn't let down. The pace of the story is consistent with the other three books and spins a comic-esque tail that finishes this chapter of Gail Godwin, aka Hostage Girl's story.

The fourth novel continues the story of a mild mannered woman nicknamed Hostage Girl by the press, villains, super-heroes, and the public at large. Due to a serendipitous rescue by a super-hero after a random run in with a villain, everyone perceives she is the girlfriend of the hero and thus should be kidnapped all cliche style. That started the series and it moved on from there, but I won't post any spoilers here, just go back and start on book one.

I gave this book (and the series overall) a 5 star review because it is re-readable, fun, and recommendable super-hero pulp fiction. And I use the term pulp fiction in the best sense of the term...these books are easy reading, easily digestible, and thoroughly enjoyable!

Just a few comments about Lexie's writing style, and the world she's created. Lexie plants a lot of clues as the story progresses, some of which will be picked up, some which will be mentioned just in wrap-up of the plot, and a few that just leave you wondering if she ran out of time/interest in pursuing that thread or whether she just sprinkled additional flavor along the way. Which brings you to the earth that Gail Godwin lives in. This earth is really just Chicago, New York, and the surrounding areas. I bring this up, because the few notable landmarks mentioned are enough to confirm the setting, but otherwise just set a backdrop that doesn't distract. I imagine that it is a challenge to the authors' art to describe a setting at just the right level to support the story's style and pace.

Lastly, in closing, I would say that you can see both evolution in Dunne's writing but also in style, that fits the plots as they progress. There is less description of individual characters in the latter books which, I think, indicates the author's expectation that the reader has progressed through the series and is right at the place they want you to be at, ready to pick up where they last left off.

True to my rating system I definitely recommend this quick read, great super-hero genre series to friends and those who say they like, or want to get into, super-hero novels, and I have already gone back a number of times to refer to various points in Dunne's stories for comparison to other same-genre stories I've been reading (the Kindle is a wonderfully convenient tool for this reason). I look forward to picking up the novels again when I get in the mood for a fun romp of heroes and villains with just enough silliness to add some lighthearted flavor without breaking the feeling that being super-powered is still dangerous work.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lexie Dunne wraps up (I think) her Superheroes Anonymous books with another fun story that delves into the history of superheroes and supervillains in her alternate world.
Gail Godwin, once dubbed "Hostage Girl," is now apprentice to one of the most revered of all superheroes--the Raptor. But living up to the legacy is proving difficult, especially since Gail's powers are constantly evolving and she seems to get new ones at the most inconvenient times. When one of her public mistakes blows up social media, Gail starts to doubt she can ever be up to snuff. Of course several of the world's most notorious supervillains choose that moment to unleash hell and chaos, and Gail will have to bring all her skills and smarts to bear if she wants to save the world this time.
I like this series for the same reasons I liked the short-lived TV show "Powerless." It's a witty look at a world where superheroes and supervillains, and their constant battles, over-the-top costumes, and sometimes ridiculous superpowers are common and just accepted as part of day-to-day life, poking fun at the absurdities and the mundane aspects simultaneously. I also enjoy the cast and their interactions, especially Gail's relationship with her two frenemy-villains Razor X and Brook.
Gail's come a long way from the beginning of this series, and it's great to see her back in action.

[Nick Pugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

Read all 4 in a couple days. Very good series. Hope there are more coming. The 4 books are a closed story arc, though. It did leave some open story lines for more possibilities, but they are more the happily ever after things that are implied in reaDunnellon.

I'm definitely a new fan of Lexie Dunne.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book! So action packed, a lot happened in it, and yeah, two big threads were dealt with, and it was just so great to read!