Member Reviews

A huge thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC to me.

I mostly approached this book because first of all gay men. It's really hard to actually find gay books for new adults and being a gay man, it hurts me a lot. Seriously. It's humourous, witty and the sarcasm is just a cherry on top. The narration flows really well and the romance is just mwah. Loved it.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely loved this MM romance.

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend

Was this review helpful?

Firstly, I will say that my experience of this book was clouded by the fact that I hadn’t really understood what it was about. I didn’t realise that there would be BDSM, which is a subject I’m not really interested in reading. I decided to continue though, as I love stories about Superheroes with powers, and was intrigued by the fresh take. I grew up on marvel, so I’ve read a lot of stories following a similar narrative, and I was pleasantly surprised by the superhero aspect of this book,

The beginning was very engaging, and I loved how I got to know the two most important characters almost immediately. The protagonist is rebellious and somewhat misunderstood. As someone who loves villains, I was really hoping that he would be super dark and evil. With the premise of a superhero falling for a villain, I was hoping there would be an enemies-lovers dynamic, as that is my favourite trope. The romance was sweet, but I do think the book would have benefited from a different approach to the romance. Jester and Scatter had some really sweet moments, but for reasons I mentioned in the beginning of the review, their relationship wasn’t fully to my liking.

While I liked the superhero take, I do think the powers could have been used more, I was expecting it to be a big focus, but the romance was instead, If this had been more balanced, I think I would have liked it more. Nonetheless, it was well written, and I look forward to seeing more from the author.

Was this review helpful?

Nothing is ever exactly as it seems and that’s definitely the case when it comes to Stetson Nadenheimer. There’s a lot about this man that nobody knows – even Stetson himself. There’s also a fine line between good and evil and even people with the best of intentions have something to hide or at least something about themselves that they’re not exactly proud of.

Stetson put up quite a front during most of All the Wrong Reasons. He was an unapologetic playboy on the outside, but he hid the fact that he had super powers and was secretly a villain – or at least that’s what he portrayed. Julian was a superhero that had a dark side that he kept hidden. The two met under crazy circumstances and quickly realized that their attraction to each other was too hard to ignore. Having a villain and a superhero team up was less than ideal for either one of them. Plus, there was more to Stetson than his secret identity. There was a reason why he played “Robin Hood” on the sly and he wasn’t the only one keeping secrets.

Together Stetson and Julian had to find a way to stop the latest threat to their world, but first they had to figure out who was behind it all. Granted, I kind of figured it out before they did, but that didn’t take away from the story. The world built by Sebastian Hansen was unique, the action was great and the romance between Stetson and Julian was heated. Pretty much everything I love in a romantic fantasy. 😉

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of All the Wrong Reasons. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I genuinely enjoyed this read. After so many Marvel-type superheroes this is a bit different. This focuses on their day to day lives and in a world where anyone can become a superhero with medication (legally or illegally).

We meet Stetson Nadenheimer (supervillain) on the autopsy table as he wakes up to a bonesaw to his head in the hands of Dr Julian Dandridge (superhero). Then we follow their budding MLM romance and BDSM exploration. It's refreshing to read about MLM in the superhero genre with actual sex scenes. Don't get that with Disney owned Marvel!

The characters are warm and relatable. The superhero stuff is the background of the story rather than the front and centre, so the arc flows nicely. I want to know what happens next with the other superheroes and villains we meet!

Was this review helpful?

I have to give this book 5 stars because I ended up reading it all in one day. I love the dynamic between the two leads and I really liked the superhero world-building in this book. My only complaint would be that I'd have liked a little more development in places, and for there to have been more of a hero / villain situation going on at the beginning but overall, I really loved this book and was very pleasantly surprised! I worried we would get too much romance or too much superhero plot but I think there was a nice balance of the two.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

So lets imagine that Batman was a flamboyantly gay playboy by day and a telekinetic superhero by night? You'd have Stetson - or something close to it. Really - Stetson would never share the spotlight with someone quite as bitter and mundane as Batman. Julian is more on the line of what you might expect a superhero to be - tall, blond, strong, dominant. He's a forensic pathologist by day - and part-time hero the rest of the time.

I adored this universe of superheroes living among normal people. In this world -the supers aren't all billionaires and have a lot of the same challenges as normal people. Day jobs, relationship struggles, It felt like a true reality check on the marvel universe - where we only get to see the daily life stuff every once in a while.

So much of this book is about being brave in all aspects of your life - and recognizing how to do the right thing (and not the wrong thing for the right reasons). Stetson is just wonderful - and its really amazing he actually turned out as well as he has.

So why only three stars? There is just a lot going on. I think with any introduction to a world filled with lots of characters and unknown universe of how things work, sometimes you end up on overload. That is definitely the way I felt here. Like Stetson - for a good portion of the book I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. And that wait felt - too long.

This book has a lot of baggage with it - and BDSM (heavier on the BD side). It also has wonderful diversity and embracing of people of color as well as trans people. For that alone - I should probably add back a fourth star. It does include references to abusive behavior by parents (off page), death of parents, suicide, and other sensitive topics.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Was this review helpful?

3.5* Stars

So, I received this early review copy from Net Galley and NineStar Press for an honest review. However, I'm not sure exactly how to best articulate my thoughts on this one. First off, I did really enjoy this story and had a fun reading experience, but it isn't a favourite. Unfortunately, I can't see myself re-reading this one though I would read another book in this world.

I guess I had a certain thought of what the story would be and was taken aback by what we got. I'll start with the good parts and happily there were many. The characters were varied on the LGBT+ spectrum, well developed and had interesting backstories. I enjoyed both main characters personalities and their POVs, they each had a distinct voice and similar issues but not identical. Rosalie and Angie were my favourite of the side characters and their interactions with Stetson and Julian either made me melt or laugh out loud.

The plot had some interesting mysteries and twists which compelled me to keep reading. I was captured by the first 25% of the story and the last 25% made me want a sequel immediately. The romance as it began was sweet and I enjoyed the slow burn for the first half of the book. Their banter with each other was funny and with pleasantly direct flirtations. The humour was interspersed generously throughout the book and yet never took away from the more serious topics.

Despite the good, there were some issues I had which stopped this from being a five-star read. Though I loved the romance, I was not a fan of the BDSM elements. Don't get me wrong, it was great to see a positive depiction of a BDSM Dom/Sub relationship, however, that is not my preferred sexual relationship to read about. I especially disliked the use of "whore" as a term of endearment or dirty talk, unfortunately it made me cringe and took me right out of those moments. Through much of the time when the main characters were hiding their relationship, I wanted to skip over the sex scenes.

The middle of the story also dragged a bit for me and seemed to have a completely different vibe from the first and last 25% of the book. I felt like I was reading a book that had nothing to do with superheroes, it could have done with more actual involvement in super heroics and genuine fight scenes. Much of the actual action was a bit lacklustre as well and could have done with being several pages longer while cutting down on the bits that dragged. I also felt quite dissatisfied with the ambiguous ending, it was too open ended for what seems to be a standalone. Certain questions were left unanswered, and it left me wanting more.

All said and done though, I would recommend this book. It was a fun, easy and enjoyable read.

Was this review helpful?

All the Wrong Reasons follows the story between a superhero and a "supervillain" as they fall in love. While this book wasn't what I was expecting when I read the blurb, I still really enjoyed it. It was less tension between a hero and a villain and more puppy love between two good people. I thought the powers were cool and enjoyed the action scenes, but the book was definitely primarily a romance with a secondary super plot. The plot itself is overall pretty predictable, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of it. I really liked both of the main characters and their chemistry together, and the book had an air of humor throughout it that I also enjoyed. Overall, I liked it and would recommend to romance lovers, but if you were expecting an action heavy plot or a lot of angst between the couple, you may be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and NineStar Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book is really cute! Unfortunately, it is not marketed that way - the description sounds much more “dark romance” than it ended up being, this is definitely much more Imogen Markwell-Tweed than anything else. It’s cute. It’s much longer than a lot of erotica that I’ve read with plenty of character development but also a lot of sex - BUT the first sex scene isn’t until 34% (I really expect it at about 25% or before). There’s also a lot of explaining BDSM to an audience that I feel already knows what it’s about.

Nevertheless, I had a fun time! You might, too, as long as you’re expecting a little light BDSM romance with some supervillains as backdrop versus a dark romance.

Was this review helpful?

3.5/5

Our MC is more rebellious misunderstood rich person but generally a nice guy than actual supervillain, much to my disappointment. I was hoping for a more enemies-to-lovers relationship. The overall romance was cute, though I felt like the author spent too much effort trying to justify how good and nice this billionaire is, unlike those other billionaires who steal money from the poor and abuse the rest of the peasantry!

I found the romance quite endearing. Jester and Scatter had really good chemistry and both characters were quite charming. As advertised, there is a strong BDSM element to their relationship and the author spends a lot of time emphasizing the safe, sane, and consensual aspects.

For a book advertised as a superhero story, I do wish the superpowers aspect played a bigger role. Our two characters meet in their supervillain/hero personas, but more plot aspects of it are kept on the backburner for the romance aspect of this book. It comes back in at the end with the action, but felt rather rushed and anti-climactic with how easily the resolution came about.

I'm also taking off one star because the billionaire boyfriend is given one opportunity to buy his non-billionaire bf an expensive suit and decides on a tailored off-the-rack. I almost DNFed right there.

Was this review helpful?

I am not going to rate this because it's actually pretty awesome, it's just not what I expected.

All the Wrong Reasons is a queer mlm romance with the backdrop of superhero goodness and some very safe/consensual BDSM. I would easily describe it as cute and charming, reading much more like a romance than a scifi or superhero deconstruction.

I picked up this book expecting a darker romance, or possibly a hate to love story. I did feel the description does a poor job explaining the tone, and the handcuffs on the front also don't do it any justice. This is much more like Red White and Royal Blue meets Renegades, and if you enjoy that, the tone of this is very much the same.

notably, both man characters are charming and genuinely good people. Stetson is a ~billionare playboy type~ well known for his social activism by day, and a robin hood thief by night. Julian is a part-time superhero.

The description of the book seems to focus on the first chapter, where Stetson has been caught and is about to be experimented on. This is done away with quickly, as Julian immediately releases him. Both men are quite taken with each other right away, and this book is more about subsequent meet cutes and how they connect with each other and fall in love in a world of "heroes" and "villains".

There is a BDSM component, but it's not something that would put off an average romance reader. It is not dubcon or anything too harsh.

I actually will recommend this to my friend who are romance readers. It is a little too light for my taste.

Was this review helpful?

This was ok. I enjoyed it for what it was. Though I did have a few issues.
Like the insta love trope. It all made sense of course.

Steston is Bryce Wayne by day and Robin hood by night. His arc was interesting. And one of redemption in a way. Not that he was really a supervillain.
Julian (scatter) had pretty a cool power. And I liked that he had a darker side considering he was the superhero.

This definitely was just a normal boring superhero story by any means.

Netgalley granted me a early copy for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Great story! I was expecting another superhero book but I got a lot more than that. Stetson is a billionaire playboy who is a secret robin-hood type villain... Julian is a superhero with powers he can barely control. When they meet, it's under very unusual and, I have to admit, amusing circumstances.

There's a lot in this novel I didn't expect. There is a BDSM relationship with some well thought out, and authentic feeling discussions regarding the scene. One character is new to BDSM and the other had limited experience. The author does a great job of writing about "safe, sane & consensual" BDSM. Kudos!

The story is intriguing. There are some twists and turns and a bit of a mystery that weaves its way throughout the book. Each main character has a lot of turmoil and intrigue in their past and they both have a fair few blank spots. Where there are lost memories, there's nearly always a reveal or two. You'll definitely get that in this story!

Loved the main character, in particular, Stetson! All the characters are seamlessly diverse. There are no token characters in this story and I loved that

Highly recommend if you are interested in BDSM, or simply a good queer romance with an intricate and satisfying plot!

Was this review helpful?