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Hearts of Heroes #1
Scatter
When Deputy US Marshal Danielle ‘Danny’ Martin was told she’d gotten a promotion, she expected to be leading her own fugitive retrieval team. Instead, she got transferred to Pontian Florida of all places, and assigned to a Superhero support detail for Focus, a seemingly immortal superhero who is also one of the most famous lesbian icons on the planet.
Bad enough she’s got to spend every day working with a woman she’s had a crush on since she was five years old, but when she arrives at her new post, things start getting weird. It turns out that Focus asked for her by name, and it quickly becomes apparent that Focus wants to be more than just coworkers, or even friends.
After Focus has a violent reaction to Danny getting hurt in the line of duty, she starts looking into why the Superhero might be so fixated on her. She begins to suspect that seeing the future might be one of Focus’ powers, but when a mission leaves her stranded thirty years in the past, right at the start of Focus’s superhero career, everything becomes clear, except why the Focus in the past can barely seem to tolerate her presence.
Bad enough she’s got to spend every day working with a woman she’s had a crush on since she was five years old, but when she arrives at her new post, things start getting weird. It turns out that Focus asked for her by name, and it quickly becomes apparent that Focus wants to be more than just coworkers, or even friends.
After Focus has a violent reaction to Danny getting hurt in the line of duty, she starts looking into why the Superhero might be so fixated on her. She begins to suspect that seeing the future might be one of Focus’ powers, but when a mission leaves her stranded thirty years in the past, right at the start of Focus’s superhero career, everything becomes clear, except why the Focus in the past can barely seem to tolerate her presence.
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First published February 19, 2022
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About the author
Molly J. Bragg
9 books207 followersI’m a trans woman with a degree in Astro-physics and a love of storytelling. I love science fiction, superheroes, and giant robots. My hobbies include collecting transformers, watching way too many crafting videos on YouTube, and complaining bitterly about the way a certain comic book company treats my favorite superhero.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
March 9, 2022
Let me start off by stating that it is a good thing that Scatter is Book One in the Hearts of Heroes Series. Knowing I will not be leaving these wondrous characters behind at the end of the novel eases my separation anxiety. The characters including Danny, the Deputy US Marshal who is newly assigned to the Superhero support detail or Ayanda, aka Focus, the alien Superhero keeping the world safe will hopefully return. I look forward to more of Rachel, Jia Li and Eurion who are Dragons that shape shift into human forms when necessary. Fingers crossed that all these plus new characters will fill the pages of book two.
Scatter captured my full attention from page one. Bragg drops you completely into her world without fanfare. You easily learn as you go about the Superheroes, Super Villains and magical creatures in this world which resembles our own but is so much cooler. Case in point, Dragons + Aliens.
The storyline is an imaginative twist to the continuum of time and space in relationship to events. The author adeptly handles the complexities allowing the reader to fully engage in the story. This is an exceptional debut novel from Bragg and should not be missed.
Scatter captured my full attention from page one. Bragg drops you completely into her world without fanfare. You easily learn as you go about the Superheroes, Super Villains and magical creatures in this world which resembles our own but is so much cooler. Case in point, Dragons + Aliens.
The storyline is an imaginative twist to the continuum of time and space in relationship to events. The author adeptly handles the complexities allowing the reader to fully engage in the story. This is an exceptional debut novel from Bragg and should not be missed.
March 8, 2022
This was FCUKING AMAZING!!!!
Because reasons… 😏
Because reasons… 😏
March 9, 2022
I loved this book! Scatter by Molly J. Bragg was exactly the book I needed to consume right now. I’m so glad I was given the chance to read and review this novel.
This book is science fiction with a little bit of fantasy and a good dose of romance woven into the tale. The cast of characters features a number of superheroes, both good and bad. There are also aliens and dragons for those who love fantastical creatures. We see the tale through Deputy U.S. Marshal Danielle (Danny) Martin who is sent to Florida to work in the support detail for the Superhero Focus. Danny finds out that Focus has specifically asked for her. That’s fine with Danny since she has secretly had a crush on the Superhero since childhood. It’s only when Danny is accidentally sent back in time 30 years that Danny begins to realize why Focus seemed so interested in her.
The story caught my interest on the first page, and the characters, especially Danny and Focus (Ayanda) grabbed me by my heartstrings not long after. The plot is intricate and interesting. The setting, especially back in the early ‘90s is well described, but it’s the characters that really make this novel something special. The fact that the plot also shows the importance of friendship and family (those we are born to as well as those we choose) makes this tale even more important and timely.
If you are looking for an exciting Sci-fi/fantasy book with romance and amazing characters, then get Scatter by Molly J. Bragg. This novel has my highest recommendation.
Rainbow Reflections: https://rainbowreflections.home.blog/
This book is science fiction with a little bit of fantasy and a good dose of romance woven into the tale. The cast of characters features a number of superheroes, both good and bad. There are also aliens and dragons for those who love fantastical creatures. We see the tale through Deputy U.S. Marshal Danielle (Danny) Martin who is sent to Florida to work in the support detail for the Superhero Focus. Danny finds out that Focus has specifically asked for her. That’s fine with Danny since she has secretly had a crush on the Superhero since childhood. It’s only when Danny is accidentally sent back in time 30 years that Danny begins to realize why Focus seemed so interested in her.
The story caught my interest on the first page, and the characters, especially Danny and Focus (Ayanda) grabbed me by my heartstrings not long after. The plot is intricate and interesting. The setting, especially back in the early ‘90s is well described, but it’s the characters that really make this novel something special. The fact that the plot also shows the importance of friendship and family (those we are born to as well as those we choose) makes this tale even more important and timely.
If you are looking for an exciting Sci-fi/fantasy book with romance and amazing characters, then get Scatter by Molly J. Bragg. This novel has my highest recommendation.
Rainbow Reflections: https://rainbowreflections.home.blog/
September 7, 2022
A fantastic story and I‘m really looking forward to the next book in the series. The fantasy story had lots of interesting lesbian characters in it and the two MCs were lovely and very devoted to each other. Molly Bragg story captivated me from the beginning and the fantasy world she created was very well crafted. Highly recommended.
March 22, 2022
This sounds like something I'd love, but ultimately ended up not being for me.
What I liked:
The descriptions and dialogue were well done. It was funny in places too.
I enjoyed Danny in the past commenting on all the things that hadn't been invented yet.
Ayanda's backstory was good.
What I didn't like:
I'm not a fan of alien/monster/etc sex scenes. Personal preference.
There wasn't a lot of emotion? There was a lot of "dialogue dialogue" Danny said, "dialogue dialogue" Focus said, "dialogue dialogue" Cecile said, etc, but nothing else? No emotion. I hope I've explained that well.
Leading on from that, there was a lot of telling instead of showing. I wasn't sold on Danny's and Ayanda's relationship at all. We see them interact a few times on a pretty surface level, then they're mated for life? Which, for them, is trillions of years? I wasn't convinced.
I hope others enjoy it more than I did!
What I liked:
The descriptions and dialogue were well done. It was funny in places too.
I enjoyed Danny in the past commenting on all the things that hadn't been invented yet.
Ayanda's backstory was good.
What I didn't like:
I'm not a fan of alien/monster/etc sex scenes. Personal preference.
There wasn't a lot of emotion? There was a lot of "dialogue dialogue" Danny said, "dialogue dialogue" Focus said, "dialogue dialogue" Cecile said, etc, but nothing else? No emotion. I hope I've explained that well.
Leading on from that, there was a lot of telling instead of showing. I wasn't sold on Danny's and Ayanda's relationship at all. We see them interact a few times on a pretty surface level, then they're mated for life? Which, for them, is trillions of years? I wasn't convinced.
I hope others enjoy it more than I did!
April 4, 2022
4.5 Stars for one of the best WLW superhero books I've read!
I made the mistake of starting this book at bedtime on a Saturday night and before I knew it, 2:30 AM had me in it's clutches. Regretfully I was forced to put it down for something trivial, like sleep. I had so much to do the next day (on little sleep) and couldn't come back and finish until after dinner. I've still got the book hangover.
What I liked:
The characters were unique, talented AND flawed in their own ways. Danny had a successful career and was a badass long before she went to work in the super unit. Focus was overpowered and phenomenal and her attitude provided more than a little mystery to the plot.
I didn't expect what happened when it happened, nor the many other things discovered within the "meat" of the book. It's great to read a book full of action, romance, and adventure that isn't completely predictable. I also liked the fact that there wasn't a ton of angst, just enough to understand the emotional consequences to what was happening.
What I didn't like:
Lost sleep and a lack of book 2.
Overall, this truly is one of the best superhero books I've read. It's a well-written mix of fantastical creatures, extraordinary powers, and WLW love. I will add that for other readers, I consider this more of a love story than big epic superhero battle. Yes, they do fight antagonists throughout, including a longer antagonist plot arc, but I don't think that's the REAL focus <= see what I did there? of this novel. It's about two people that fall in love, and all the ways they get there.
Well done. I'll be checking out Molly Bragg's sequels for this series in the future.
I made the mistake of starting this book at bedtime on a Saturday night and before I knew it, 2:30 AM had me in it's clutches. Regretfully I was forced to put it down for something trivial, like sleep. I had so much to do the next day (on little sleep) and couldn't come back and finish until after dinner. I've still got the book hangover.
What I liked:
The characters were unique, talented AND flawed in their own ways. Danny had a successful career and was a badass long before she went to work in the super unit. Focus was overpowered and phenomenal and her attitude provided more than a little mystery to the plot.
I didn't expect what happened when it happened, nor the many other things discovered within the "meat" of the book. It's great to read a book full of action, romance, and adventure that isn't completely predictable. I also liked the fact that there wasn't a ton of angst, just enough to understand the emotional consequences to what was happening.
What I didn't like:
Lost sleep and a lack of book 2.
Overall, this truly is one of the best superhero books I've read. It's a well-written mix of fantastical creatures, extraordinary powers, and WLW love. I will add that for other readers, I consider this more of a love story than big epic superhero battle. Yes, they do fight antagonists throughout, including a longer antagonist plot arc, but I don't think that's the REAL focus <= see what I did there? of this novel. It's about two people that fall in love, and all the ways they get there.
Well done. I'll be checking out Molly Bragg's sequels for this series in the future.
May 19, 2022
5 stars
Wow, just wow.
I loved this.
This book was impressively good. A great premise, flawless execution, interesting and fun characters, sweet romance, dragons and superpowers, ...
Definitely deserves full marks and I'm happy to give them :)
Wow, just wow.
I loved this.
This book was impressively good. A great premise, flawless execution, interesting and fun characters, sweet romance, dragons and superpowers, ...
Definitely deserves full marks and I'm happy to give them :)
March 7, 2022
Book description is good description. Deputy US Marshal Danielle ‘Danny’ Martin is promoted and reassigned to a new assignment. Moving to join the Superhero program, which she hadn't worked on before.
Superheroes and "fantasy" creatures are real in this book universe. Also real are people with empathetic abilities. Danny has empathetic abilities and is the one point of view in the book. The superhero program she is assigned to is connected to a superhero named "Focus", the other main character in the book (though does not have a point of view). The two things are important to the plot (empathetic ability, superhero). Especially when the two main characters meet for the first time: the two meet, Danny learns more than anyone else assigned to the protection unit (or whatever that unit was called) in one eyeball to eyeball moment than many have ever learned about Focus.
One thing leads to another and . . . months go by. During one particular assignment, Danny . . . what's spoiler and what's not spoiler? I mean, I can't talk about something like 95% of the book without revealing . mmphs.
Right, so, Focus and Danny grow closer together as the book progresses. Great characterization, plot, etc. Great use of setting. The world of 1991 and the world of 2022. Stuff.
Good grief. I just wrote the above three different times. In future I just use small words in small review:
Book good. I like. Thanks recommending book.
Rating: 4.70
March 7 2022
Superheroes and "fantasy" creatures are real in this book universe. Also real are people with empathetic abilities. Danny has empathetic abilities and is the one point of view in the book. The superhero program she is assigned to is connected to a superhero named "Focus", the other main character in the book (though does not have a point of view). The two things are important to the plot (empathetic ability, superhero). Especially when the two main characters meet for the first time: the two meet, Danny learns more than anyone else assigned to the protection unit (or whatever that unit was called) in one eyeball to eyeball moment than many have ever learned about Focus.
One thing leads to another and . . . months go by. During one particular assignment, Danny . . . what's spoiler and what's not spoiler? I mean, I can't talk about something like 95% of the book without revealing . mmphs.
Right, so, Focus and Danny grow closer together as the book progresses. Great characterization, plot, etc. Great use of setting. The world of 1991 and the world of 2022. Stuff.
Good grief. I just wrote the above three different times. In future I just use small words in small review:
Book good. I like. Thanks recommending book.
Rating: 4.70
March 7 2022
September 3, 2022
I loved it. I will definitely re-read it.
May 21, 2023
A copy of the book was provided to Sapphic Book Club in exchange for an honest review.
This is exactly what I needed. I've had a couple of books recently that were a struggle to get thru, so coming onto this one, I had high hopes it could get me out of the funk. And oh did it. I Loved this book! It gave me all of the warm and fuzzy feelings that just make me so happy when I am reading a good romance.
This book follows US Deputy Marshal Danny who has been assigned to the group working with alien superhero Focus, who Danny has had a crush on since she was little. Danny is a hoot to follow around. I laughed several times out loud and just enjoyed myself immensely.
I will admit, I was a little hesitant when deciding if I was going to read this book or not. I do not like time travel stories. They are convoluted, confusing, and illogical. I usually find myself frustrated, but I actually liked how the author approached time travel. They didn't try to explain it in some sort of logical way, they were basically like, "it doesn't make sense but that is just the way it is". Somehow it just worked for me. It also helped that Danny just went with it and made good decisions rather than fight it or make illogical decisions.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was perfectly what I needed to get out of a funk and I look forward to future books by Bragg. I highly recommend this book for fans of superhero romances.
This is exactly what I needed. I've had a couple of books recently that were a struggle to get thru, so coming onto this one, I had high hopes it could get me out of the funk. And oh did it. I Loved this book! It gave me all of the warm and fuzzy feelings that just make me so happy when I am reading a good romance.
This book follows US Deputy Marshal Danny who has been assigned to the group working with alien superhero Focus, who Danny has had a crush on since she was little. Danny is a hoot to follow around. I laughed several times out loud and just enjoyed myself immensely.
I will admit, I was a little hesitant when deciding if I was going to read this book or not. I do not like time travel stories. They are convoluted, confusing, and illogical. I usually find myself frustrated, but I actually liked how the author approached time travel. They didn't try to explain it in some sort of logical way, they were basically like, "it doesn't make sense but that is just the way it is". Somehow it just worked for me. It also helped that Danny just went with it and made good decisions rather than fight it or make illogical decisions.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was perfectly what I needed to get out of a funk and I look forward to future books by Bragg. I highly recommend this book for fans of superhero romances.
August 28, 2022
US Marshall Danny Martin is puzzled when she is transferred to a new team at the request of Focus. Focus is a world famous superhero who protects her city but has a reputation of being a bit aloof. Danny is in the middle of a gay crisis trying to act normal around Focus, who happens to be her childhood crush, but Focus is making a noticeable effort to be Danny’s friend. It gets even more mysterious when Focus seems to know more about Danny than should be possible.
This sounded like a good book from the description but that doesn’t do it justice. This was packed full of fun sci fi goodies, keeps you invested from cover to cover. The characters were all very well written and had great chemistry with each other. I loved the descriptions of all the otherworldly happenings throughout, everything was very well done. The plot was great and even with the time travel aspect had now holes or remaining questions. I can’t wait for book 2 in the series, looks like I’ll have to wait until the fall though. If you like sci fi adventures, especially the Alsea series by Fletcher Delaney, pick this up! Loved it!
This sounded like a good book from the description but that doesn’t do it justice. This was packed full of fun sci fi goodies, keeps you invested from cover to cover. The characters were all very well written and had great chemistry with each other. I loved the descriptions of all the otherworldly happenings throughout, everything was very well done. The plot was great and even with the time travel aspect had now holes or remaining questions. I can’t wait for book 2 in the series, looks like I’ll have to wait until the fall though. If you like sci fi adventures, especially the Alsea series by Fletcher Delaney, pick this up! Loved it!
March 10, 2022
This was an absolute delight! I really enjoyed all the characters and world building. This is an impressive debut and I can’t wait to see what else is in store from this author. Highly rec if you like superheroes, time travel shenanigans, dragons, aliens, and sapphic romance.
March 24, 2022
Wow!! This was just what I needed, to be honest. A good epic romance with an awesome plot 👌🏻 What an adventure this was and I loved every second of it. Can’t wait to read the next one in the series.
April 17, 2022
The premise of this is pure catnip to me but the execution was not great. The writer is talented but in desperate need of a editor with a firm hand and a red marker. It reads a bit like some fanfics do where it starts out with a strong promise and then meanders through a random side story before wrapping up about the time the writer gets bored.
April 4, 2022
Mmmm... I'm sorry, but this was not my cup of tea. I'm not a fan of stories about aliens and monsters, but I love time travel stories. The time travel and the ravishing reviews made me decide to give a try to this book. But in the end I didn't like it very much.
May 24, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up because reasons gay superheroes. And aliens. And dragons. And time travel. All that in one book. I need more books like this.
I would have liked more worldbuilding and description of MC feelings though.
I would have liked more worldbuilding and description of MC feelings though.
May 20, 2024
More lesbian super heroes. More Scatter and Focus! I loved all of this story, I’m so glad it was highly recommended on Jae’s Facebook group. It read like amazing fanfic, and I mean that completely positively, because wow have I read thousands of fanfics. This is top stuff. Honestly can’t wait to read more!
March 11, 2024
If I could rate this 0 stars I would. Genuinely one of the worst books I have read.
The writing is just bad. The dialogue is unnatural. The concept is interesting but the author did not execute it well. It feels like the author could not make up their mind on what story she wanted to tell. The Love interest Focus ends up having 4 different names and multiple physical forms. There are so many things that are mentioned that end up being completely irrelevant.
The author swears a lot throughout the book. Both in character dialogues but also in the general writing.
No character has their own voice.They are not very distinguishable and just reads as the author and not actual characters.
The author would give way way too many details on things that were completely pointless. There are paragraphs going into detail about all the different guns that characters have. The main character Danny would make food (so often) and the author would just list off everything she would make. One of the lists had 11 different things. We would get details on Focuses schedule and what days of the week have higher crime activity. A page and a half of what reads like jargon. We get details on the classifications of superheroes but they don’t really get used. The author will often list off superhero names but we don’t know anything about those heroes and they are never mentioned again. There would be a list of 10 random superhero names. Having all these details quickly dumped on us makes things confusing. Especially since most of the information is irrelevant. It makes it hard to find details that actually are relevant.
The author would repeat things all the time.There would be multiple scenes of Danny cooking food in the apartment. And then Danny watching Focus fight on TV. It seemed like pointless scenes that did nothing for character progression or story progression. We would also get pages of dialogue with a character describing a scene that we just read in details to another character. So we would read a scene and then we would read another scene with that character retelling that scene. In fact about half way through the book Danny has a conversation with another character and essentially summarises everything we have read so far through dialogue.
What makes this so much more frustrating is the constant time jumps. Shortly after Danny goes back in time and starts living with Focus we get a 6 week time jump. We miss the first 6 weeks of their interactions.Time jumps like this happen frequently. We see absolutely 0 of their character and relationship progression. We are just told it happens.
It feels like the author got all of her knowledge about lesbians from Memes on Reddit. It was incredibly cringy to read and borderline offensive to be honest.
The love interest is incredibly boring as a superhero. She has pretty much every superpower and is the strongest superhero ever. The author has Focus tell Danny some of her powers and she lists 21. It is just 2 paragraphs of her listing super powers. But she also could have so many more powers. She has so many that Focus doesn’t even know them all herself.
Danny does not have any superpowers except she does. She has Empathy powers but these powers aren’t actually considered superpowers because all humans can do it? I don’t think we see any other human use this empathy power. But this doesn’t even matter because Focus can actually share her powers with Danny.
We are constantly reminded about how strong and super special both Danny and Focus are.They pretty much have no weakness.
There is a villain whos power is to nullify superpowers. This would have been really interesting to see how focus would defeat the villain using no super powers. However the author decided to go down the route of “actually she is so super powerful that the villain can’t fully nullify her powers”. Boring.
There are multiple points in the book that just feel weird or creepy.
A couple of characters ask to buy Danny as a bride. These characters are apparently Dragons. There are also discussions of buying other women as brides and the fact that the Dragons have had multiple brides.
Focus jokes about how one of the Dragons has been asking if she can come over and watch Focus and Danny have sex.
There was a point where Danny said to Focus “unlike you my ageing didn't stop when I was 16”. Focus clarifies that her ageing stopped when she was 24. It just feels weird that 16 was mentioned. Especially since it's followed up by a joke about Focus “having her way with a 16 year old Danny” and Focus responding with “that depends. Does 16 year old Danny know how to do that thing with her tongue?”. Why did the author include this? That is such a weird thing to write about a 16 year old. Creepy.
The author adds racial diversity into the book. However something feels pretty off about it in a way thats hard for me to articulate it.
The author names the group of black superheros the Black panthers. This feels like a reference to the actual Black Panther Party political group and comes across pretty tone deaf.
Leader of the Black Panthers is a black woman. Her 12 year old son was killed by a police officer. When hearing this, Danny responds by saying “Jesus. No wonder she’s salty.” Salty? A black woman has her 12 year old son murdered by a police officer and you are saying shes “salty”??
The author mentions that Danny has more experience picking out east asian features than west asian features. This feels like a weird thing to point out.
And to top it all off the sex scenes are with the bat alien form of Focus. Would have preferred to have been warned. If I am reading an adult lesbian romance book I would prefer the sex scenes to be between 2 women and not 1 woman and an alien that has more animal features than human ones.
The writing is just bad. The dialogue is unnatural. The concept is interesting but the author did not execute it well. It feels like the author could not make up their mind on what story she wanted to tell. The Love interest Focus ends up having 4 different names and multiple physical forms. There are so many things that are mentioned that end up being completely irrelevant.
The author swears a lot throughout the book. Both in character dialogues but also in the general writing.
No character has their own voice.They are not very distinguishable and just reads as the author and not actual characters.
The author would give way way too many details on things that were completely pointless. There are paragraphs going into detail about all the different guns that characters have. The main character Danny would make food (so often) and the author would just list off everything she would make. One of the lists had 11 different things. We would get details on Focuses schedule and what days of the week have higher crime activity. A page and a half of what reads like jargon. We get details on the classifications of superheroes but they don’t really get used. The author will often list off superhero names but we don’t know anything about those heroes and they are never mentioned again. There would be a list of 10 random superhero names. Having all these details quickly dumped on us makes things confusing. Especially since most of the information is irrelevant. It makes it hard to find details that actually are relevant.
The author would repeat things all the time.There would be multiple scenes of Danny cooking food in the apartment. And then Danny watching Focus fight on TV. It seemed like pointless scenes that did nothing for character progression or story progression. We would also get pages of dialogue with a character describing a scene that we just read in details to another character. So we would read a scene and then we would read another scene with that character retelling that scene. In fact about half way through the book Danny has a conversation with another character and essentially summarises everything we have read so far through dialogue.
What makes this so much more frustrating is the constant time jumps. Shortly after Danny goes back in time and starts living with Focus we get a 6 week time jump. We miss the first 6 weeks of their interactions.Time jumps like this happen frequently. We see absolutely 0 of their character and relationship progression. We are just told it happens.
It feels like the author got all of her knowledge about lesbians from Memes on Reddit. It was incredibly cringy to read and borderline offensive to be honest.
The love interest is incredibly boring as a superhero. She has pretty much every superpower and is the strongest superhero ever. The author has Focus tell Danny some of her powers and she lists 21. It is just 2 paragraphs of her listing super powers. But she also could have so many more powers. She has so many that Focus doesn’t even know them all herself.
Danny does not have any superpowers except she does. She has Empathy powers but these powers aren’t actually considered superpowers because all humans can do it? I don’t think we see any other human use this empathy power. But this doesn’t even matter because Focus can actually share her powers with Danny.
We are constantly reminded about how strong and super special both Danny and Focus are.They pretty much have no weakness.
There is a villain whos power is to nullify superpowers. This would have been really interesting to see how focus would defeat the villain using no super powers. However the author decided to go down the route of “actually she is so super powerful that the villain can’t fully nullify her powers”. Boring.
There are multiple points in the book that just feel weird or creepy.
A couple of characters ask to buy Danny as a bride. These characters are apparently Dragons. There are also discussions of buying other women as brides and the fact that the Dragons have had multiple brides.
Focus jokes about how one of the Dragons has been asking if she can come over and watch Focus and Danny have sex.
There was a point where Danny said to Focus “unlike you my ageing didn't stop when I was 16”. Focus clarifies that her ageing stopped when she was 24. It just feels weird that 16 was mentioned. Especially since it's followed up by a joke about Focus “having her way with a 16 year old Danny” and Focus responding with “that depends. Does 16 year old Danny know how to do that thing with her tongue?”. Why did the author include this? That is such a weird thing to write about a 16 year old. Creepy.
The author adds racial diversity into the book. However something feels pretty off about it in a way thats hard for me to articulate it.
The author names the group of black superheros the Black panthers. This feels like a reference to the actual Black Panther Party political group and comes across pretty tone deaf.
Leader of the Black Panthers is a black woman. Her 12 year old son was killed by a police officer. When hearing this, Danny responds by saying “Jesus. No wonder she’s salty.” Salty? A black woman has her 12 year old son murdered by a police officer and you are saying shes “salty”??
The author mentions that Danny has more experience picking out east asian features than west asian features. This feels like a weird thing to point out.
And to top it all off the sex scenes are with the bat alien form of Focus. Would have preferred to have been warned. If I am reading an adult lesbian romance book I would prefer the sex scenes to be between 2 women and not 1 woman and an alien that has more animal features than human ones.
February 21, 2022
A copy of the book was provided to Sapphic Book Club in exchange for an honest review.
This book has it all: superheroes, time travel, dragons (honestly a shockingly large amount of dragons)! I almost passed on this book and I've never been so glad that I didn't. It was an overall a very fun read. I'm obsessed with Focus's backstory, I thought it was really unique and captivating. I will say her wasn't really my vibe. However, I don't think it detracted from the story at all.
I'll admit anytime I read or watch something with time travel I have to keep myself from thinking too much about it or else my brain starts to hurt lol. I think the book did a good job of lightly touching on it without over complicating things which I appreciated. Probably my favorite thing besides Focus's backstory was the characters and the relationships between them all. Every character felt significant and well fleshed out. It was easy to become attached to them and root for them to succeed. All in all, I had a great time reading this and would definitely recommend it to superhero and sci fi fans alike! I look forward to seeing what the author puts out next.
This book has it all: superheroes, time travel, dragons (honestly a shockingly large amount of dragons)! I almost passed on this book and I've never been so glad that I didn't. It was an overall a very fun read. I'm obsessed with Focus's backstory, I thought it was really unique and captivating. I will say her wasn't really my vibe. However, I don't think it detracted from the story at all.
I'll admit anytime I read or watch something with time travel I have to keep myself from thinking too much about it or else my brain starts to hurt lol. I think the book did a good job of lightly touching on it without over complicating things which I appreciated. Probably my favorite thing besides Focus's backstory was the characters and the relationships between them all. Every character felt significant and well fleshed out. It was easy to become attached to them and root for them to succeed. All in all, I had a great time reading this and would definitely recommend it to superhero and sci fi fans alike! I look forward to seeing what the author puts out next.
April 1, 2022
4.5 — I thought this was a graphic novel. It’s not.
But still so fun and easy to get lost in!
But still so fun and easy to get lost in!
March 14, 2022
Superheroes, action, time travel, and kinks involving wings and tail(yup!)
I didn’t read the blurb thoroughly, to be honest, I haven't read the blurb on many books and there’s always a nice surprise. In this case, the time travel thing is definitely what I didn’t expect, and I thought it was brilliant. I love both MCs, and the world-building is fantastic, but I feel a little overwhelmed by all the information feeding me in the first few chapters(but that’s just me)
I hope there will be book 2. I need more!
I didn’t read the blurb thoroughly, to be honest, I haven't read the blurb on many books and there’s always a nice surprise. In this case, the time travel thing is definitely what I didn’t expect, and I thought it was brilliant. I love both MCs, and the world-building is fantastic, but I feel a little overwhelmed by all the information feeding me in the first few chapters(but that’s just me)
I hope there will be book 2. I need more!
October 17, 2024
3.75 stars. Overall, I had a damn good time reading this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the unique take on soulmates, and the time travel aspect was so much fun! In addition to Danny and Focus, who are great, there are tons of lovable side characters.
I will say, though, that I had issues with certain parts of this book. The most glaring example of this is when Danny was referring to her sixteen-year-old self, and Focus was like “Well can sixteen-year-old Danny do that thing with her tongue?” Yikes, that convo was uncomfy. I don’t think the author meant to be creepy, but I still think it was worth noting. Also, I kinda had an issue with the fact that Focus was…coerced into using a label that didn’t resonate with her? I got the logic behind that scene, but I think it could have been handled better. Other things I didn’t enjoy were the dragon culture of buying brides and the oftentimes graphic-ish sexual convos between friends. But with all of these things, your mileage may vary.
Despite my gripes, I’m definitely looking forward to reading the rest of this series!!
I will say, though, that I had issues with certain parts of this book. The most glaring example of this is when Danny was referring to her sixteen-year-old self, and Focus was like “Well can sixteen-year-old Danny do that thing with her tongue?” Yikes, that convo was uncomfy. I don’t think the author meant to be creepy, but I still think it was worth noting. Also, I kinda had an issue with the fact that Focus was…coerced into using a label that didn’t resonate with her? I got the logic behind that scene, but I think it could have been handled better. Other things I didn’t enjoy were the dragon culture of buying brides and the oftentimes graphic-ish sexual convos between friends. But with all of these things, your mileage may vary.
Despite my gripes, I’m definitely looking forward to reading the rest of this series!!
September 26, 2022
Deputy US Marshal Danny Martin has been moved from her position of four years in fugitive retrieval to the MERTS (Metahuman Emergency Response Team Support) program. There she finds herself working with the superhero Focus, an incredibly powerful alien whose coming out in the 90s as the first gay superhero set her up to be a lesbian icon, and someone that Danny has had a crush on since she was a little girl. But something is very strange, as the normally aloof Focus treats Danny with much more affection than her other teammates, and Danny discovers that she has been moved to MERTS by Focus's specific request.
Primarily, this is a romance between Focus and Scatter while introducing the world and several supporting characters. The MERTS stuff at the start is well thought out, and a paramilitary fit-out for US Marshals working in that group makes a lot of sense. I also liked the details given with Focus's powers and her origin story.
The world-building here is pretty good. The author has put a lot of thought into what superheros appearing in the early 20th century would do to our world, and how the US would respond, including things like law enforcement and cultural issues. The civil rights movement would have been quite different when the Black Panthers included actual superheroes for instance. There's clearly a constraint that she wants the present to be recognizably similar to our own though, so we don't see things like superhero involvement in politics and war.
As a first book in a series with this setting, I think it works quite well.
Primarily, this is a romance between Focus and Scatter while introducing the world and several supporting characters. The MERTS stuff at the start is well thought out, and a paramilitary fit-out for US Marshals working in that group makes a lot of sense. I also liked the details given with Focus's powers and her origin story.
The world-building here is pretty good. The author has put a lot of thought into what superheros appearing in the early 20th century would do to our world, and how the US would respond, including things like law enforcement and cultural issues. The civil rights movement would have been quite different when the Black Panthers included actual superheroes for instance. There's clearly a constraint that she wants the present to be recognizably similar to our own though, so we don't see things like superhero involvement in politics and war.
As a first book in a series with this setting, I think it works quite well.
April 12, 2022
So far 2022 has been such a good year for books. I’ve read some really amazing stories. Scatter is right near the top. From page one I could not put this book down. Life has been crazy busy and I have very little free time to read yet I finished this book in a day.
All the characters are just so well written. Danny and Focus have such amazing chemistry. All the support characters are just so fun. I can’t tell you how much I loved watching the story unfold and all the pieces click into place.
This is one of those books I know I’ll read over and over. Usually I’m a tad disappointed when books are part of a larger series, but this time I’m so relieved if it means I get to read about these characters once again.
All the characters are just so well written. Danny and Focus have such amazing chemistry. All the support characters are just so fun. I can’t tell you how much I loved watching the story unfold and all the pieces click into place.
This is one of those books I know I’ll read over and over. Usually I’m a tad disappointed when books are part of a larger series, but this time I’m so relieved if it means I get to read about these characters once again.
April 4, 2022
Super gay. I loved it!
January 4, 2025
I really enjoyed this delightful book. The superhero aspect was fun and engaging to my little, non-scientific brain. I loved, loved, loved Danny. She was adorable and pretty bad-ass. Her connection with Focus was pretty steamy, given their differences.
I got a little lost with so many characters to keep track of..little brain and all. It took me a minute to get through the book and I’m usually a really fast reader. I think the next one, I’ll listen. I definitely don’t want to let the world go.
I got a little lost with so many characters to keep track of..little brain and all. It took me a minute to get through the book and I’m usually a really fast reader. I think the next one, I’ll listen. I definitely don’t want to let the world go.
October 31, 2023
Rounding up because even though there were some pacing issues, I did really like the world and the ideas.
The first 30-40% was amazing. I couldn't put the book down and was so excited to find out what was going to happen next. Then, from there, the pacing issues kicked off. It was a bold choice by the author, but I think in the end, there was too much packed in a 20ish chapter book. I dont say this often, but this would have almost been better as a duology.
To get through all that needed to be covered, a lot of things were summarized to the reader. Instead of seeing relationships grow first hand, we were told a summary and then given some sort of interaction that changes the state of things at the time of the summary. For example, things are going well between the two leads, so the following chapter will represent a challenge in their courting.
The side characters were amazing and chaotic and really kept me going when I reached the slow parts.
Overall, it's worth a try if you are into superhero origin stories. I think the origin is one of the more interesting concepts. I am a bit cynical with superhero and police storylines since they often come across as law enforcement pandering. This was not really pandering, but it does fall more on the lawful good side of things and does not fully address the complexities between "good" and "bad" choice.
The first 30-40% was amazing. I couldn't put the book down and was so excited to find out what was going to happen next. Then, from there, the pacing issues kicked off. It was a bold choice by the author, but I think in the end, there was too much packed in a 20ish chapter book. I dont say this often, but this would have almost been better as a duology.
To get through all that needed to be covered, a lot of things were summarized to the reader. Instead of seeing relationships grow first hand, we were told a summary and then given some sort of interaction that changes the state of things at the time of the summary. For example, things are going well between the two leads, so the following chapter will represent a challenge in their courting.
The side characters were amazing and chaotic and really kept me going when I reached the slow parts.
Overall, it's worth a try if you are into superhero origin stories. I think the origin is one of the more interesting concepts. I am a bit cynical with superhero and police storylines since they often come across as law enforcement pandering. This was not really pandering, but it does fall more on the lawful good side of things and does not fully address the complexities between "good" and "bad" choice.
July 26, 2024
I stayed up until 4am reading this and do not regret a single second.
What it's about: Danny's career as a US marshal is over when she's transferred onto the support detail for Focus - America's biggest superhero. Danny's pretty miffed about the change until she learns that Focus requested her personally - and no-one knows why...
What I thought: this is the most fun I've had with a book in a long time. Bragg's worldbuilding has all the OTT vibes of a Power Ranger flick - it's action-packed, funny, creative, colourful and super queer.
FACT: if they ever film this it'll definitely be a musical.
The central romance was cute. It's a bit insta-love (which was the only drawback) but the rest of the book was so interesting I'm going to forgive it. Also, Focus and Danny are a mixed human & not-at-all-humanoid couple, so this def. takes their relationship off the beaten path. In fact, I can't think of a single romance trope that fully applies here, and...
TW: if you need your ships to be fully human / human-passing 95% of the time, stay clear.
There's also a good discussion of "passing" for human when you aren't, and what that might cost you. I thought that Focus' interactions with Danny were especially touching in this regard.
The supporting cast were all super. Like Focus and Danny, they were a mixture of human & not-at-all humanoid trying to "pass" in human society - with many having wildly different motivations for trying to do so. Some of these characters were of the same species (others weren't) and all of them felt very unique - which made the whole thing even more interesting.
There's plenty of action (all kinds) and I can't say much more for fear of spoiling the story, but -
TL;DR: definitely recommend.
What it's about: Danny's career as a US marshal is over when she's transferred onto the support detail for Focus - America's biggest superhero. Danny's pretty miffed about the change until she learns that Focus requested her personally - and no-one knows why...
What I thought: this is the most fun I've had with a book in a long time. Bragg's worldbuilding has all the OTT vibes of a Power Ranger flick - it's action-packed, funny, creative, colourful and super queer.
FACT: if they ever film this it'll definitely be a musical.
The central romance was cute. It's a bit insta-love (which was the only drawback) but the rest of the book was so interesting I'm going to forgive it. Also, Focus and Danny are a mixed human & not-at-all-humanoid couple, so this def. takes their relationship off the beaten path. In fact, I can't think of a single romance trope that fully applies here, and...
TW: if you need your ships to be fully human / human-passing 95% of the time, stay clear.
There's also a good discussion of "passing" for human when you aren't, and what that might cost you. I thought that Focus' interactions with Danny were especially touching in this regard.
The supporting cast were all super. Like Focus and Danny, they were a mixture of human & not-at-all humanoid trying to "pass" in human society - with many having wildly different motivations for trying to do so. Some of these characters were of the same species (others weren't) and all of them felt very unique - which made the whole thing even more interesting.
There's plenty of action (all kinds) and I can't say much more for fear of spoiling the story, but -
TL;DR: definitely recommend.
November 14, 2022
Amazing
What a fun and creative read. Superheroes, time travel, and a love that transcends time. I had no idea how this book would unfold, and it exceeded any expectations.
What a fun and creative read. Superheroes, time travel, and a love that transcends time. I had no idea how this book would unfold, and it exceeded any expectations.
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