Serpent's Return

The Rise of Heroes #1

by Trish Heinrich

One mission. One mistake.

Alice could do nothing to stop the man who murdered her aunt. So, when the chance to become the vigilante Serpent came her way, she accepted the mantle without hesitation.

But no one ever said vengeance was without consequences.

Alice’s moment of triumph ends in a tragic mistake. Now she and her super-powered allies must fight a villain of their own creation, one with a vendetta against the vigilantes.

Fans of Marvel and kick-ass Urban Fantasy heroines will love this twist on the popular superhero mythos.

Suit up and get your copy now!

Genres: Fantasy

422 pages, ebook

First published October 3, 2017

About the author

Trish Heinrich’s steamy romance is fueled by caffeine and panic. When not daydreaming about the new book boyfriend she’s creating, Trish is geeking out with her two kids about superheroes, cuddling with her husband or bingeing Lucifer…again.
Devil’s Temptation is her first straight up romance and is the first book in her Celestial Superheroes Series. She writes Urban Fantasy under T.L. Heinrich because there are just too many stories in her brain for one pen name.
You can catch her on Instagram under @trishheinrich, or on Patreon as Trish Heinrich. She doesn’t promise to post every day, but she does promise weird, geeky fun with the occasion man chest thrown in for good measure.

Reviews

[Emerald Dodge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heinrich pulls no punches in this shocking, emotional debut novel about Alice Seymour, aka the vigilante known as the Serpent. Set in the golden age of comics, Alice and her cohorts Marco and Lionel wage a shadow war against the mysterious Phantasm, who is connected to many of Jet City's recent crimes. Secrets and lies come to light--again and again--and Alice is forced to make painful decisions.

I never knew what was going to happen as I turned the page, and Heinrich's rich prose created a world so immersive that I could smell it. You will not be disappointed.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than anything else, this book is real. Reading this it is completely plausible that people with X-Men like powers were running around after WWII. The characters are strong, flawed, and dynamic. It is a character driven book with lots of action, a little romance, and no happy ending, but all the stronger for that. No deus ex machina etc here.

The MC's greatest strength is her desire never to be vulnerable again and the amazing support of family and friends that helps her grow into a powerful woman.

ps The descriptions of the costumes in the book were wicked! I wish they were better represented on the cover.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Good storyline, full of action, strong characters and well written. There are three super heroes, Lionel and Marcus with powers and Alice without, but her determination and will power make her into a formidable adversary. A decent length book you can get your teeth into. Contains fear, pain, love, death and action. Recommended. "I received a copy of this book with no obligation to leave a review, this is my honest review."

[Barbara Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a PG13 urban paranormal epic adventure with domestic violence and terrorism that I read in bits and pieces over almost two months. At 422 pages, it is probably best to allow at least a week to complete it. I received an ARC (yeah, I know it's late) and this voluntary review is my own opinion.

[Taylor Ellwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book to read. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, wondering what would happen next . The author does a great job of keeping you suspensed and sets the ending up so you'll want to read the next book. I like all the characters and how accurate the book is to the time period its in.

[Richard Goodrum]

Fantastic story. Great writing.

I received a copy of this book as a gift. This is my honest review.

[Julie Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but you need to be prepared for two things. First, you will need tissues (well I did anyway a few times but then again I am a cry baby) and second you will want to get the next book in the series. The book doesn't end on a cliff hanger exactly but it definitely continues on to the next book and you will need to get it to see how situations come to an end. This is a surprise as 11 hrs worth of listening you would of thought it would be all wrapped up nicely. Don't get me wrong the author does fit in plenty of action that makes the story fly bye and it isn't your average super hero book where everything has a happy ending, so the plot certainly keeps you on your toes and listening until the end. The story starts with the children and gives you a background story of why they end up doing what they do and then it goes on to how they meet up again and join forces to take down the bad guys of the city. The only disappointing thing is, I don't think the author really explains how they got there powers. Just have the long wait for book two to come out on audible before I find out what the author has in store for the characters and who will come out on top.
Alice's mother dies and rather than stay with an abusive father her Aunt and Uncle take her away from her friends and the only family she ever knew. Years later, with the violence in the city on the rise and drug addiction on the increase two hero's emerge. The same two who saved Alice from a beating the night her aunt took her away. Alice isn't the same scared little girl any more and wants to help, so when once again tragedy strikes and Alice's aunt is killed, Alice joins forces with Shadow and Steel to take back her city. She might not have any powers but with hard work, many hours of training and some special hi-tec gadgets she might stand a chance of taking down the Phantom. She also has the aid of good friends and maybe more importantly vengeance.
I liked the narrator. She did a good job with all the different voices needed for the characters and you could always tell which of them was talking.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three childhood friends are drawn to a life of vigilantism after they develop strange super powers in this complex story of super-soldier serums, designer drugs and family secrets.
There's plenty of action, lots of backstory to provide rationalization and justification for the characters and a little romance to keep them in touch with "normal" people. It's a well written foundation that leaves lots of loose ends to provide material for the coming sequels.
Generally a good story and I look forward to seeing where the author takes it.

[Sanrizz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by this author. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I like her writing style, I can tell she enjoyed writing the book. The story was nothing new, but intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages. Some grammatical errors in there, so maybe the author could invest in a proofreader.

Other than that, it was an interesting read.

[Nathan Woll · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. It seems like it would have been easy to end the book satisfactorily, but it felt like the author went out of their way to leave a "cliffhanger" to make you want to buy the next in the series. It really seemed contrived.

I liked the setting, I read a lot of the superhero genre, and I think this is the first to take place in the '60s that I've read.

It really dragged in the middle.

[Paul Grogger]

Confusetion and complexity.

An enjoyable story that moves along with surprising developments. The heroes are constantly changing their capabilities. Much complexity and the need for attention is necessary.

[Tony Fecteau · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great first book for the series. The training and friendship's in this book were quite enjoyable.

[Cory Cravens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story set in the past.

I enjoyed this novel. At times it was a bit underwhelming. It did show how people of color where treated. The main character was headstrong and arrogant for most of the book. I kept wanting something to happen to her. To bring her off her high horse. In the end this book began to mirror the life of another famous vigilante based on a flying mammal. All in all a good read.