Reviewed by: Sue Eaton

TITLE: Infamous Heart

SERIES: Men of Vanguard Book 1

AUTHOR: Ryder O’Malley

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 226 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 2, 2021

BLURB:

Glorifying superheroes is my job, being seduced by one is a perk.

One day, I was a mild-mannered designer for a premiere superhero magazine. Turned down for a promotion yet again, I let loose years of repressed anger. That’s how I got fired. Lesson learned. Now my career is as successful as my love life. But it’s hard being upset when I storm out of the office and into the huskular man of my dreams.

Sebastian is successful, confident, and the way he fills out those pants, it’s basically a crime. Working as the art director for a rival magazine, I beg for him to look at my… ahem, portfolio. But in this city, you can’t throw a rock without hitting a supervillain and, for reasons I can’t fathom, this one wants me dead. They were about to ruin my date. Thankfully, Sebastian has gifts of his own.

Now, I’m trying to get the job of my dreams, while I figure out how to be a sidekick to a superhero. Oh yeah, and not get myself killed.

Must be Tuesday…

Infamous Heart is a M/M, heart-felt adventure with an HEA and no cliffhangers. It features snark and sex, but not always in that order. This is book one in the Men of Vanguard series.

REVIEW:

Superhero books are always fun to read, and this book was a joy. I really liked that it delved into the life of a superhero and looks at the hard questions they face. Just because you’ve got powers do you have to save people? If you don’t save people does that make you a villain by default? It was interesting to see superheroes as a mainstream part of life, everyone knows about them, (not their identities), there are magazines and being a superhero is viewed as a job with staff and offices. No more hiding out in their basements / caves.

At its heart this is a romance between 2 unlikely people, Sebastian is rich, successful, sophisticated and oozes charm and charisma, has a chip on his shoulder from his upbringing in the poorest, roughest part of the city. Griffin is awkward, not poor but not rich, talented but has been denied promotions because of the machinations of his supervisor, he lacks confidence and self-worth, he feels he sold out his passion for painting to get a corporate job to pay the bills, a comic book nerd who loves all things superhero.

They meet under the worst circumstances but there is an undeniable draw to each other, trying to take things slowly, things quickly spiral, as secrets come to light which makes them question if they really know the other and if the others point of view is something they can live with, or indeed change. Does Love Conquer All? Or is it all heartache and tears.

I loved the group of friends around Griffin, who are loyal, steadfast, and unique. They really made me laugh with their humour and sassiness, meeting every day for breakfast before work seems like a brilliant start to the day.

I have so many questions about the magazine that Sebastian works for, especially about the owner Vex. Is he the ultimate super villain, or is he just a billionaire douche-canoe? I’m hoping that more will be revealed as I continue with the series.

Great book, great superheroes, great villains and fabulous romance that will have you cheering with joy and crying with heartache. There is action and fight sequences and dare I say, I egged on the villain when they had Griffin’s evil supervisor in their sights. Can’t wait to read book 2 to see how this world develops.

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

Amazon