Reviewed by Carissa
TITLE: Where There’s Smoke
SERIES: Panopolis #1
AUTHOR: Cari Z.
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 88 pages
BLURB:
Panopolis is a rough place to be an average Joe. I came here looking for adventure and excitement, but nobody cares about one more normal guy in a city filled with super-powered heroes. The closest I’ve come to glory is working in a bank that villains often rob.
But then I maybe accidentally-on-purpose helped a villain escape the hero who was trying to save the day. Imagine my shock when, a week later, that villain asked me out for coffee. One date turned into more, and now I’m head over heels in love with Raul.
Falling in love with the guy dubbed the Mad Bombardier isn’t without its downsides, though. I’ve had to deal with near-death encounters with other villains, awkwardly flirtatious heroes who won’t take no for an answer, and a lover I’m not sure I can trust. It’s getting to the point where I know I’ll have to make a choice: side with the heroes, or stand fast by my villain.
Either way, I think my days as a normal guy are over.
REVIEW:
Edward works in a bank, which would make you think he has a pretty boring life. But in the city of Panopolis, where Heroes and Villains are more common than the common cold, working in a bank (or walking down the street) pretty much means life is never going to be dull. Especially for Edward, who, amidst a bank robbery by the Mad Bombardier, finds himself drawn to the masked Villain. Which really aught to be a lot more upsetting than it is. But after few flowers, a bit of talking, and some rather quick soul searching, Edward finds himself not-so-reluctantly dating a man that many would much rather see in jail.
But even in Panopolis (or especially in Panopolis) things are not quite as clear cut as they seem. And the danger hunting Edward might just be those who have ‘sworn’ to protect him.
I had picked up this story because I loved Alex Gabriel’s Love for the Cold-Blooded. Or: The Part-Time Evil Minion’s Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero, and this sounded like it would be just as much fun to read. And I was pretty much right.
I sincerely wish this was longer because I had quite a bit of fun reading it. I do love it when the ‘good guys’ are not so good and the ‘bad guys’ are…well, they are probably still bad, but they are certainly a lot more fun. And Raul (The Mad Bombardier) was pretty awesome. But then again, I love things going boom!
Edward was pretty cool as well…especially at the end. I have a feeling that his life just got a whole lot more interesting. And I am certainly looking forward to reading the rest of this series because so far it all looks like so much fun.
I loved the set up for this world. And much like Alex Gabriel’s story, a lot of the Hero/Villain tropes are looked at without the rose-colored classes that oh so often come with comic stories. I can’t wait to see where this story and these characters go, because while a lot of this story kinda felt like a set up to the coming tail of these guys, it was still quite interesting.
This was a really great story and I highly recommend it. The only reason it wasn’t higher rated is because it was rather short and felt a tad bit rushed in some places. Still, very very good, and I am eagerly awaiting book two.
RATING:
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