🦸‍♂️🔥 ALL SUPERHEROES NEED PR 🔥🦸‍♀️
📖 By Elizabeth Stephens

A villain in need of a rebrand. A PR genius who can make it happen. Fake dating, marketing schemes, and a sizzling slow burn? Yes, please.

Roland Casteel—aka The Pyro—has spent decades on the wrong side of the hero vs. villain debate. But now, he’s ready to switch teams (literally and metaphorically). Enter Vanessa Theriot, PR mastermind, here to turn the fire-wielding bad boy into a cape-wearing heartthrob.

🔥 Step One: New name—The Wyvern sounds a lot less... murdery.
🔥 Step Two: PR-friendly spandex (because, priorities).
🔥 Step Three: A fake relationship to make the city fall for him.

Vanessa thought this was strictly business—but between smoldering tension, a grumpy-soft hero in training, and a looming villain determined to test Roland’s reformation, she’s about to learn that playing the damsel in distress was never her role.

💥 Why You’ll Love It:
🦸‍♂️ Grumpy/Sunshine
💘 Fake Dating (that turns all too real 👀)
🔥 Superheroes, Villains & PR Shenanigans
🖤 Soft Spot for the Shy Girl
💥 Redemption Arc for a Bad Boy
😏 Slow Burn with Fiery Tension

Can Vanessa help Roland become the hero the world needs? Or will falling in love with him destroy the narrative and their hearts?

💬 Drop a 🔥 if you’re ready for The Wyvern’s PR glow-up!

#AllSuperheroesNeedPR #ElizabethStephens #SuperheroRomance #FakeDatingTrope #GrumpySunshine #SlowBurn #RedemptionArc #VillainToHero #SpicyReads #Bookstagram #RomanticComedy

this was really interesting. lots to love, lots to critique. the story follows vanessa, an extremely introverted, anxious president of a PR company & roland, a newly signed Hero in a world where a slew of x-men like aliens materials arrived a few decades ago and were immediately corporatized for entertainment.

liked!
- premise is fun! I’ve read tons of paranormal and haven’t come across anything quite like this
- stephens knows how to write a good, satisfying sex scene
- when the tension is tension-ing, it’s fun!
- monster stuff… gotta love that

needs work!
- writing lacks some clarity- there are times where the story assumes you understand what’s going on and then clarifies several chapters later - far from
being charming it’s sort of irritating
- worldbuilding needs some work
- the build of intimacy doesn’t really exist? it’s a little insta-love and i want the attraction to feel more earned and narratively scaffolded
- waaaay too many side characters i simply can’t keep track
- tone fluctuates pretty wildly. the moments that are most successful are quite playful (but rare)
- why is the shyest woman on god’s green earth the president of a PR company lol
- the entire last act conflict resolution is so…. ok


all in all i would like to read more from the author!! i was, in spite of myself sometimes, charmed.

thank you netgalley & publisher for the ARC in exchange for unbiased review <3

What a refreshing concept and story! As someone who was a huge Sky High fan back in the day, this was an immediate request for me. The characters jumped off the page, and the representation was incredible. I loved Nessa and Rollo as the MCs and was so excited to see the author’s take on the traditional “superheroes and villains.” The story is fast paced and I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to see how the world and characters in this story develop as the series continues.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It was genuinely so exciting, captivating and thrilling.
I felt like I could relate a lot to Vanessa's character as someone who used to have social anxiety growing up. Seeing Vanessa grow confident enough with Roland to be able to vocalise her thoughts and tell him what she wants was such beautiful character development. Her backstory was all really well written and I did tear up a little but knowing how she ended up with all her brothers.
Roland was an excellent mmc, I love a good grumpy man and he did not disappoint! Seeing him go from scathing mad to learning to be gentle and patient so that Vanessa is less anxious was so sweet. The fact that he loved her so much that he literally became a hero and starting saving lives for her was so sweet.
There was a lot of smut in the second half of the book but it didn't feel unnecessary at all. I found that as the tension between them eased and turned into a different kind of tension...it was very much needed and welcomed.

I read this book in less than 24 hours and I haven;t finished a book the same day I started it in such a long time! I hope the author makes this into a series or does more books like this because this book was amazing!

Unfortunately this book was not for me! I was looking for a light-hearted fake dating superhero rom com, but this book is light on the comedy, and the fake dating, and, to be honest, the superhero aspects. The corporate world of the superhero teams is barely touched after the first few chapters, which is a real shame as it was so nicely built, with tongue in cheek pop culture references and bureaucratic satire. Apart from those couple of satirical moments, the humour is pretty lacking as the two leads never really need to actually use their fake relationship. They pretty immediately just fall in love and then the plot is about dealing with threats together - no awkwardness or funny flirtation, just straight to ride-or-die and steam. I personally found the way the heroine's PTSD was shown to be inconsistently important and confusing - she's so anxious she can't be touched in a professional context, but she's totally okay with the male lead putting his hands around her throat sexually in one of their first meetings? She lays out boundaries that he can't surprise her or call her names, in a conversation I was really impressed with, but then he does both these things just a few chapters later and she doesn't react at all. I just wasn't a fan of the way that this was handled.

I could also have done without the fated mates and especially the monster-f*cking elements towards the end - I think this could be signposted better in the marketing as it's definitely not everyone's cup of tea! If this had been sold as steamy sci-fi/alien romantic suspense, that would be a lot more accurate and I think it would find a lot of devoted readers - as it is, ironically, I think this book needs better PR.

This book 📖 is VERY different from my usual romances—mainly because of the superhero🦸🏽 and villain🦹🏼‍♂️ elements, which instantly set it apart. I had some ideas about what I was getting into, but I won’t lie—I expected it to be kind of childish👶🏼. Yeah… I was completely wrong🔞.

First off, the cover is amazing🎇. It’s what initially caught my attention👀. But what I didn’t expect? The smut💋. There was no warning⚠️ for it, and as I kept reading, it just hit🥊 me. If I’d known beforehand, I wouldn’t have picked it up because that’s not my thing. It definitely dropped my rating🛑.

Then there’s Roland. If he wasn’t so obsessed⛓️ with her and just a typical smutty ML jerk🔪, I probably would’ve bought the book when it came out. They aren’t even in a relationship yet, and it’s already toxic🧫. "He called me a b*** because he believed I was strong💪🏼 enough to take it."* WHAT??‼️ That’s not the compliment he thinks it is. And yes, she has childhood trauma, but its still not okay for her to believe it's safe to shout🗣️ at Roland.

Speaking of off, I’m still trying to figure out when the fake boyfriend thing happened. I don’t know if I missed something, but I couldn’t pinpoint✒️ where it actually started. And that’s part of a bigger issue: the blurb does not describe this book well. I went in thinking it was a fake dating romance😘 with superheroes, but it barely focused on the fake dating aspect. The superpowers🔥? Sure. But I didn’t realize it leaned into paranormal🧛🏾‍♂️ elements too.

By the end, the story didn’t flow that well. Suddenly, she knows how to fight and use weapons⚔️? How? When did that happen? It felt rushed and left me with too many unanswered questions❔.

Final thoughts? We need a smut 🔞warning. We need a paranormal romance mention. The blurb needs to be changed.

Elizabeth Stephens delivers always! I’m so honored for the opportunity to read her trad debut. Apparently, Black women getting loved by aliens is having a moment in 2025 and I’m absolutely here for it.
Vanessa is a PR director and entrepreneur looking to close a PR deal to represent a new alien hero, Roland aka Pyro. Roland is one of 48 children who crash landed on earth as a child. Now that the children have reached adulthood, they’ve self-segmented themselves into hero and villain groups. Until now Pyro has been playing in the villain playground but now he’s making the hero jump.
Which is where Vanessa and her team come into play … or not because their first meeting goes horribly.
Then romance things happen and she needs saving and he saves her and all but thumps his chest screaming “MINE!”.
What happens next is exactly what you expects when a very grumpy male meets a socially anxious woman but also none of the things you except.
There are a few twists and turns (that are so entertaining!) that I won’t spoil but this book is so good. If I didn’t have to pay my bills I would have peaced out on work and read it in one sitting!
I love Elizabeth’s skill with writing action scenes. She keeps me so invested and I feel like I’m ducking and diving right along with the characters. Rolland also hits the right mark with defending his woman and he’s superior at inventing ways to cause violence to the people she needs defending from.
Roland and Vanessa’s personalities are so refreshingly distinct and I can’t wait to read more in this universe.
Brava!!!
Thank you to Montlake for the advanced copy!

I was excited for the superhero theme of this book but I had a really hard time liking the FMC. I did not love how anxiety ridden she is yet she is supposed to be a CEO of her company? This was a DNF for me sadly.

Just wow. Where do I even begin with this book?
First off the title, cover, and blurb drew me in and I just had to know more about it.

My heart has been so touched, so in love, so elevated by the beautiful story it holds. It’s immersive, it’s meaningful, its passionate. It’s unique and transfixing, and it’s poignant and emotionally resonant. Roland and Vanessa have captured my heart and soul—theirs is a once in a lifetime, extraordinary story.

I genuinely loved the writing, the characters and sitting was simply magical. Roland and Vanessa were brought out the best of each other and I enjoyed reading about them.

I would sell my soul for this book…..I’m kidding…or am I ;)

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Elizabeth Stephens for this ARC.

When I read the synopsis of this novel I was eager to pick it up because it sounded so unique and fun. Roland is known to the world as a villain called The Pyro, but he's looking to switch sides and become a hero. Enter Vanessa, the CEO of her own PR firm, tasked with fixing his image to the masses. Vanessa and Roland are opposites in many ways, she's more shy and reserved and Roland is strong with a larger than life persona. I liked the romance between them, I found their more tender moments to be charming and heartfelt. I will say that this book has a lot of explicit scenes that I didn't always feel were necessary but I still had a great time reading this book.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC. The story starts off with Vanessa, who is the CEO of a marketing company, getting Roland as a client. Roland is one of the 48, who are aliens that landed on Earth as children. Roland aka Pyro wants to be seen as hero versus a villain. He thinks Vanessa is the person to do this. Additionally, Roland wants Vanessa to be his girlfriend as part of their marketing strategy. This leads to Roland and Vanessa spending time together, learning about each other, and of course falling in love. This story was filled with lots of great and diverse characters including Vanessa's family and marketing team. If you are looking for a fast paced, funny, and spicy alien romance, this is the book for you. :)

I've never read an ARC as fast as this one! I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Stephens, so hearing she was writing a superhero romance was very exciting. This book did not disappoint.

I absolutely loved the world-building in this. It was unique, yet had all the familiarity of a superhero story. I loved learning more about the backstory and lore of the 48. Stephens is so talented at building an interesting world while not bogging the story down with info-dumping. The only thing I wanted more of were the superpowers! While we get descriptions of a few of them, I look forward to learning more about them.

The romance in this book was definitely tropey, but the superhero setting was so different than typical romantasy, that I didn't mind. "He falls first", "only one bed", and "touch her and you die" all make appearances. I often find these overused and unoriginal, but they really didn't bother me in this book. I actually enjoyed the connection began Vanessa and Roland. They were times it felt a bit "insta-lovey", but I was still invested. The spice in this book is *chef's kiss*.

I absolutely loved how the characters in this book are unapologetically Black. It continues to be so important to have stories that center Black love stories and joy! I also loved Margerie, Vanessa's Trans BFF and coworker. All that being said, Vanessa's clumsiness became cartoonish and I found myself eye-rolling every time she tripped. Additionally, as someone with anxiety, I personally did not relate to how Vanessa was depicted. It felt her anxiety was reduced to panicking, counting to 5, and then "overcoming her fear" towards the end. This feels a bit cheap and inauthentic, but other readers with anxiety may feel different.

Overall, this was a very fun, light-hearted, endearing romance that I would recommend to all romance readers.

Thank you netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

HOW DO I GIVE THIS BOOK 100,000,000 STARS!?!? It's so good!!!!!!!!!! A villain in need of a redemption arc rebranding falling IMMEDIATELY AND STUPIDLY in love with the owner of his new PR company??? Literally sobbing and feral for this book and all I want is a sequel!!

He calls her wife! (They're not married. She literally just met him two days ago.)
He hates everyone but her! (With the exception of some neighborhood kids and maybe her brothers.)
Touch her and die! (SO MANY TIMES, SO MANY WAYS, SO MANY NOT EMPTY THREATS.)
He's HER hero! (Literally saves a mountain of people just to fall down at her door!!!!)

I CAN'T DEAL WITH NOT HAVING MORE OF THIS WORLD. PUBLISH EVERYTHING IN ELIZABETH'S DRAFTS!!!!

I wasn’t expecting monster smut, although I maybe should have given the author’s other works. I greatly enjoyed this though - it gave me Bride vibes. I enjoyed the superheroes setting as it’s not one commonly seen in sci-fi/fantasy. I would definitely recommend it.

I’m an Elizabeth Stephens stan, let’s get that over with first. But I was super (😏) excited when I heard she was writing a superhero romance. Mariana Zapata wrote one and I find them such a unique concept. A way to write a contemporary but allow your superhero MC to have such paranormal leeway. I’m an avid alien romance fan and I love when we are set in the world when the humans are already aware of the humans and accept the idea of aliens which we are here with the superheroes. None of the tedious yes there’s superheroes shock…can we move on to romancing them now 😂

If this is your intro to alien/paranormal romance I think you’ll enjoy it and if you’re a paranormal fan I think you’ll enjoy it since it’s a twist. I can’t wait for more in the series!

👩‍🚀 "Wait, it's just p*rn?" 🔫👩‍🚀 "Always has been"

OK be warned that this is actuallyyy monster smut (in the back half of the book). I was not really expecting that and even as someone that normally reads that type of stuff, it felt almost out of the blue (unless you look at what this author has written previously, then it makes perfect sense). I wish it was more fleshed out with the other heroes & villains (and the unknowns), though this is most likely a set-up for a full blown series.

The first 50-ish percent of this book I really enjoyed! I loved seeing Roland not really care about humanity, but be a hero for Vanessa. Yeah, I was annoyed by the lack of actual PR happening, but Roland being alien to our world and being kind of a weirdo was fine. And sure, Vanessa is so horribly clumsy and traumatized that literally everyone in her life babies her to the point that I genuinely don't understand how the eff she is a CEO. But!! I was happy to get over that because the superhero shtick with the Wyvern was cool, and I was invested in it. (Even if the premise supposedly being his "rebrand from villain" but he is never explicitly a villain, just a neutral party???)

But then. Then we find out the super alien kids that we know are aliens but look human (so it was fine!) are actuallyyy alien alien. Like giant claws and horns and alien-genitalia alien. Like repressed memories to be able to become part of society better and then take over alien. And I'd honestly not hate it at all if I was mentally prepared for full on alien smut, but the description does NOT prepare you for that in any way. The most sane part of it all is that Roland is like "why the heck is she cool with this?"

There also is very little reasonable romantic progress from fake dating to full blown sexy time. And yeah, I see it making sense for Roland, but Vanessa with all the PTSD and anxiety around men and couldn't even TALK to Roland without having a breakdown just is cool with it and then this becomes hornier than most monster smut I have read. We lost the plot for a bit there because it was breeding time.

SO. Did I mostly enjoy this? Yes! Do I think people may read this expecting superheroes and then accidentally get alien stuff instead? Yeah, because that's what happens when you tell me this is superheroes NOT aliens.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an eARC of All Superheroes Need PR in exchange for this honest review!

I was intrigued by the title when I randomly saw this as a "read now" arc on Netgalley and I'm so glad I took a closer look because this is my favorite read of the year!

Twenty-two years ago 48 alien pods fell to Earth. Today, those aliens are heroes and villains, and Vanessa, she just won the bid to do the PR for the newest hero everyone thought would be a villain, Rolland.

Unfortunately for Vanessa, their intro meeting couldn't go worse, yet for reasons she doesn't know, Rolland wants her to run his team...and be his wife!

Quickly, being his fake girlfriend for the cameras is not enough, but who could stay from a body that seems to glow from within, muscle for days, and eyes that change color which are focused intensely on you?

I thought the pacing and individual and couple development were well done, as well as the balance between their relationship and the plot/mystery.

Also, so glad this was dual POV so I could read how desperate Rolland was for her *swoons* - they both are so into each other and I loved them!

I'm new to Elizabeth Stephens, but learning more about her other books this does fit in (which may be surprising because they're dark and spicy and this cover is so cute). Not to spoil, but it looks like her favorite tropes are set in this superhero contemporary world and she did such a good job!

Overall, the world was great with amazing side characters (which always improves a book imo), the story was interesting and engaging, there was humor and spice, and the relationship was desperate, adoring, and safe.

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Read for: Black lead, social anxiety and ptsd rep, human x alien, possessive and obsessive MMC, dual POV, non-human physiology (pro), nicknames, "he would be a villain if not for her so expect some dark murdery thoughts", morally-grey MMC, "they're so cute and so hot", "good girl"

5 stars
3 spice

Romantic comedies are a trope I enjoy. I just finished All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens. It was a four star read.

This was more of a 3.75 stars but that's not an option so here we go...
This was a fun read, it wasn't serious and no part of me needed to engage fully to know what was really going on.

All of this to say I had some issues, Vanessa as a character was actually really fun, that saying can you get drunk off half a glass of wine to the point you can't stand? If so I'm worried it wasn't just wine in there. Also Roland was obsessed with her from the start like literally the very very start it was hard to engage with him or get attached to him because of this. he seemed more of a red flag than anything.

Once I got past the firs 70 pages I was in it, it was cute I was rooting for their relationship to see if Vanessa can really pull it off because lets face it the girl is a bit all over the place. But it was so much fun, it was cute and spicy and funny and none of it felt forced. I actually wanted to see what would happen to their relationship and screaming at Roland to stop being creepy and just ask the girl out like a normal person, but their not human so who am I to judge.

My favourite part of the book was the diversity!!!! It's not hard to make a book diverse but so many authors fail at this yet Elizabeth did a fantastic job as none of it felt forced and it wasn't until after when I realised the diversity we actually had in this book, it felt like it would when you walk down the street. lots of people form different places coming together to meet by chance.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who is starting into fantasy but can't let go of romance just yet... this would be the book for you. (also if you love spice!)

Horny with a side of worldbuilding.

I enjoyed several concepts here, but overall it wasn't a slam dunk for reasons many recent romances haven't been a slam dunk for me. I love that we have more diverse (*cough cough* Black) protags in monster/supernatural romances now. It was a club we were firmly kept out of for a long time. I wish so many of them weren't 70%+ porn though. With a lot of what BookTok focuses on being how "spicy" books are, I wish there was more of a balance with actual plot and the characters getting to know each other. When this ended, I felt like Roland and Vanessa skipped several steps and I get why he may have done that; I don't understand Vanessa though.

Vanessa was so clumsy I was concerned it was a medical issue. Coupled with her extreme, debilitating nervousness and everyone constantly babying her and describing her as childlike - Roland's attractiveness to her and the sex scenes made me feel icky. For me, it wasn't hot - especially women who are babied in their life (?), maybe that's their jam. I'm younger than Vanessa and I found her strange?

Roland was super growly, strong, big guy. Him being described as disheveled, constantly in sweats, with dirty hair wasn't a turn on for me. I was set on this not being one of my favorite couples or romances. For me personally, that's a complete dealbreaker. From then on, I just tried to imagine if this could be someone else's jam. And it's possible,it would be.

There are some elements I wish were touched on more:
- From the title and set up, I'd hoped more of this would be centered around the P.R. campaign. When the story started, we're told there's an in depth plan Vanessa put together to rehabilitate Roland's image. Much of what happens in this story is told to us after the fact and Vanessa's not involved in a lot of his actions, which bummed me out. I wanted more of her plan in action on page and centered
- I wish we got more of the impact of the Forty Eight. We hear about Teranis and a villain or two, but there's a lot more we don't even get glimpses of. This appears to be set up for a series, so I'm sure those will delve into them, but I wish there was more references to them in this book or even interactions so we could see more of the world and contrast with Roland's image
- I wish we got more of Vanessa sticking up for herself, in any way at all. In much of this book, she's damseled. Roland and Margerie describe her as a badass, but we don't get to see it a lot
- As mentioned above, I wish we got more on page of Roland and Vanessa getting to know each other before they went to Bonetown and never left. The dynamic was interesting.

Overall, I think the world set up here was really interesting. It is a diverse cast and one that I feel gives the female lead a support system. I wish the relationship had been developed more on page and I wish we saw even more of the world. I'm positive this would be someone else's jam.