Review: Temptress by Lola Dodge
Title: TemptressAuthor: Lola Dodge
Series: None?
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publication Date: June 12, 2012
Pages: 108
Format/Source: eBook/From author for review
Age Group/Genre: Adult/Science Fiction, Paranormal, Romance
Kiss your powers goodbye.
Kidnapping a super-powered suspected felon from a Vegas bachelor party is another day at the office for Jenny Ray, alias Temptress. With one kiss, any naughty supe’s powers are hers. Except this time she’s caught by her mark’s boss, who’s no ordinary superhero.
It’s Thinktank, leader of the toughest hero crew around. One destroyed men’s room and near-toilet-drowning later, Jenny’s forced to steal an innocent hero’s powers.
For a super brain, Tank’s feeling pretty idiotic. First, he let Jenny close enough to get to him. Second, he’s helpless against the tide of desire that rises in him every time he kisses her. Which he’s doing a lot, since she’s trying to give him back his power—only it’s not working. As he shadows her on her various freelance casino security jobs, he realizes she’s no she-demon—she’s a time bomb. Her acquired powers are shredding her, body and soul.
As they give in to desire, a shadowy figure from Jenny’s past surfaces with a kidnapping plan of his own. Jenny will do anything—even level Las Vegas—to rescue the man she loves. But there may not be anything left of her when the dust settles.
Product Warnings
Contains high-stakes poker, high-end cocktails, and high-flying over Las Vegas skies. Never drink and fly! (From Goodreads)
My Kind of Action…
I was super excited when Lola Dodge contacted me and asked if I would like to review her recently published novella, Temptress. Her description of the book was something along the lines of, “It’s a superhero book, but you don’t have to love superheroes. It’s geared towards lovers of Paranormal Romance.” She had me at “superhero.” I was the girl in the comic book store when I was a kid. I read X-Men and Superman (and Archie) like they were going out of style. I think I even collected cards. And as an adult, some of my favorite movies are ones that are adapted from comic books. (No, I still haven’t seen the new Batman yet, but hopefully soon! I do have a young son so going to the movies isn’t as frequent as it used to be.)
Anyway, Temptress had me excited right from the beginning. In this world, there are tons of superheroes and they’re not in hiding. People see them out in the grocery store or in the bar and they know who they are, which superhero they are. And I love how Dodge describes the things the superheroes do in a nonchalant way, as if they’re common, everyday things. For example, at one point it says, “I hovered up to the ventilation panel in the ceiling and heaved it open.” The word “hovered” is so subtle that I almost missed it completely. But I just love how she just states it, without any explanation as to how she was able to hover. She just hovers, period. And Dodge does this a lot throughout the book.
Also, I just kind of love this plot: Temptress is basically the only superhero still trying to maintain her secret identity, and while other superheroes think she’s a villain, she’s actually working for the police, as a sort of bounty hunter/supercop because she has the ability to steal other superheroes’ powers with a kiss. It’s like Stephanie Plum kicked up a notch, although Temptress seems to have a lot more luck with the whole bounty hunter thing than Stephanie Plum does. And I really like how, even though Temptress can steal other heroes’ powers, she can’t use them as well as the original hero, and they often make her very tired or injured.
I also really enjoyed the humor, especially Temptress’s sarcasm. And I could totally see this book being turned into a TV show. I’d watch it for sure! And I’d love to read some more about this world and these characters, so I’d love for this to be a book series as well.
A Bit Misleading…
I do think that the title and the cover, however, are a bit misleading. Sure, the superhero’s name is Temptress, and her power seems kind of like seduction because she can steal others’ powers with a kiss, so she does wear seductive clothing. But I think the title and the cover put together almost make this book look like an Adult Erotica novel. This can help the book, or it can hinder it. For me, if I just saw the cover, I probably wouldn’t read it, simply because I’m not a fan of Erotica. But once I read the synopsis I knew I wanted to read it because it’s all about superheroes. And yes, there are some steamy scenes in Temptress, but they’re not a huge percentage of the book, and it really falls more under the heading of Adult Paranormal Romance than anything else. And I’m really glad that I read the synopsis because Temptress ended up being a really great read!
Favorite Quotes…
Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Temptress:
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Bittner
August 30, 2012 at 10:31 pmGreat review Andrea. I haven't read many novellas over the years but this one does sound like fun. Although the quotes are a little strange, I love blueberry waffles so I wont fault you there. Let me know if any more come out by this author and I might check it out.
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
September 1, 2012 at 2:54 amThanks! I haven't read too many novellas, either, but it's nice to have such a quick read every once in a while! Yeah, the quotes are vague but it was make 'em vague or leave quotes that are like 20 sentences long!
Kimberly @ On the Wings of Books
August 31, 2012 at 2:50 amThat cover is VERY misleading. When I saw the cover I was surprised because it didn't seem like your kind of book.
No need to hurt me… I've never read a comic book, and I can count on one hand how many superhero movies I've seen.
I love the match and napalm quote.
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
September 1, 2012 at 3:09 amOkay, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought the cover was misleading. Yeah, erotica is definitely not my thing and this cover makes it look like an erotica novel! I'm just glad I read the synopsis when the author emailed me because otherwise I would have turned it down on just the cover alone! It was a great book, though! And don't worry, you're fine. Most girls don't read comic books, so I'm used to being one of the only ones who loves comics and video games and stuff like that… ;)
Jen Ryland/YA Romantics
August 31, 2012 at 4:48 pmI agree with Kim — I clicked on your blog and was like, whoa, am I on the wrong blog?
I am not such a superhero fan, but I do like funny books and love the idea of a book set in a casino!
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
September 1, 2012 at 3:10 amOkay, good. Another person that agrees with me that the cover is misleading. Yeah, this cover makes it look like adult erotica and that kind of book definitely wouldn't make it to my blog! But it was a great story, though! And the setting in the casino was pretty cool!
Andrea @ Cozy Up
August 31, 2012 at 5:57 pmGreat review, you are completely right about the cover, this is a book that I never would think of picking up because of that. But this sounds like an awesome book. I love superheroes (though not as much as you do it sounds like lol). I love the idea that people know who the superheroes are in the book.
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
September 1, 2012 at 3:11 amYeah, the cover is misleading. But since you love superheroes I really think you should give it a shot! It's a quick read and pretty funny as well!
fakesteph
August 31, 2012 at 6:38 pmSounds interesting. And I totally thought it was erotica when I saw the cover. I was shocked it was on your blog!
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
September 1, 2012 at 3:17 amYep, the cover is very misleading. But it's a great story!
Kate@Midnight Book Girl
August 31, 2012 at 9:13 pmNow I want some blueberry pancakes! Not sure this is for me, as I'm not a huge fan of adult paranormal romance, but who knows? Novellas are always wonderful for Readathons!
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
September 1, 2012 at 3:17 amOooh, yeah, this would be a great quick one for your next readathon! And I'll have to keep novellas in mind when I'm making my next readathon pile! :D
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