Book Tour for Wonder Guy by Naomi Stone (Review & GIVEAWAY)

As a fan of superheroes today's book is one that I'm thrilled to introduce you to.  Keep reading to get a taste of Wonder Guy by Naomi Stone as well as learning about which superpower Ms. Stone would like to have.  You can get my impressions of this book as well as signing up for a unique prize too before you leave!

If I could choose a superpower, it would be healing--the power to make things and people whole, restore them to their optimal condition. I could make torn and threadbare cloth like new. I could refresh the color of faded paint, restore a cracked cup, make cancer cells behave like normal ones again, send viruses packing, speed the healing of a wound. You know, reverse-entropy things.

This does not strike me as a power conducive to exciting adventures--the kind with explosions and car chases. It seems to me more a quiet, unobtrusive sort of power one could practice almost without notice, in small, but effective ways. And that suits me fine. I'd prefer to do my superpower work under the radar. It's better if people don't have to feel indebted because their cancer has gone into remission or they've recovered from pneumonia.

I suppose it would help my superhero work to have a day job in the medical world, so I'd have contact with people who needed help and nobody would think it strange when they got better. There might be conflicts of interest there, if my superpower exhausted me and I were overwhelmed by more needs than I could meet, or if my livelihood depended on people staying ill long enough to rack up a hospital bill. The day job would probably work better in a small clinic and since I don't have any kind of medical degree, I'd be there as a receptionist or clerical help.

As a receptionist, I'd have contact with everyone and could triage--saving my energies to help those who needed it most, letting the doctors handle the things for which there are ready cures. Maybe letting the occasional jerk live with his aggravating rash until he learned some manners.

In Wonder Guy, my hero is a post-grad student of computer engineering by day and he chooses flashier powers than mine, except for the trial with invisibility. He chooses super speed, then super everything. He gets all Superman's powers, along with flight, and along with Superman's vulnerabilities. Still no car chases or explosions, but there's a rogue elephant, dinosaurs, murder and mayhem…  

My own superpower would only fit at the end, when the heroine needs to be checked out in the aftermath of events. I could assure that she'll recover from her ordeal and go on in good health to her Happy Ever After ending.

Greg Roberts has been in love with the girl next door since they were both twelve, but Gloria Torkinson is engaged to marry someone else. Greg can only respect her choice in the matter - until his fairy godmother pops in with a different idea. As a mysterious, masked superhero Greg can appear to Gloria in a whole new light and win her love. But super-heroing is trickier than Greg knew, creating its own problems and uncovering inimical forces in his world that he never suspected. He'll have to discover the true hero in himself before he can set things to right and win at love.

EXCERPT:

“Let go.” He plucked at her arms, still clenched around the cherry stem. Gladly she released it, turning at the urging of his hands to transfer her hold to him. She clasped her arms around his neck, and in the instant her eyes met his, looking out from behind his mask, she forgot her fear and her weariness. A bolt of exhilaration shot through her, an inexplicable joy.
Gloria grinned, letting the world drop away below them. She hardly registered how they’d shot into the sky, leaving mosquito hordes far below. She might never have this chance again. The belly dancers of the world might surround him as soon as they returned to earth, the way they’d done when he’d stopped that rogue elephant in Uptown. She’d have to go back to her life and her work and responsibilities. Right now this magnificent man’s arms wrapped tightly around her and his gaze stayed locked with hers. For the moment he was hers.
His masked face drew close, his breath warm on her mouth. Gloria leaned in, brushed her lips across his chiseled, slightly parted ones, thrilled as they softened and opened beneath her light touch. She bore down, parting her own lips to kiss him in earnest.
Oh Lord. If they weren’t already up among the clouds she’d be flying now. Who knew a kiss had the power to unlock such a rush of sensation, become a whole new dimension of delight? It had never worked that way before. His mouth met hers with equal fervor and with a tenderness melting her from crown to toes.

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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

As a fan of superheroes I found Wonder Guy to be a delightful read with a unique and memorable premise that brought real-life issues into the world of fantasy.  In this story good and evil battle for supremacy using a man who wants nothing more than to win the girl he's always loved.  This results in numerous clever and humorous scenes as computer nerd Greg learns to embrace his superhero side and accept the responsibility given to him courtesy of his fairy godmother.  Put all this together and you have a roller-coaster journey of action and suspense where all the usual superhero themes get a bit of a twist when true love beats the bad guy in the end.

Greg has always been the reliable one, the one you can always count on but who easily gets taken for granted because of it.  He's loved his longtime friend Gloria since they were kids but he's never made a move for fear of rejection.  With a single wish to his fairy godmother he's given the chance to win her over but in exchange has to save the world from a cruel entity who preys on darkness and grief.  Greg's early attempts at mastering his powers are humorous but deal with heartfelt issues of responsibility too.  He just wants to be loved for who he is but his persona soon becomes more powerful than he expected and it will take a simple act of humanity to claim Gloria and their HEA in a heart-pounding and fast-paced conclusion.  Greg is charming and heroic both in and out of his costume and his unassuming nature won me over completely.

Gloria's felt alone since the death of her mother at an early age and her father's subsequent fall into the haze of alcoholism.  Her only comforts are the old woman she's created an online business with and the woman's nerdy and reliable son Greg, who she considers a close friend.  She's always been made to feel as though she was lacking with no hope of getting out of the current rut she's in unless she marries the indifferent Peter.  When unexplained events and a masked man give her uneventful life a jolt she rethinks her plans for the future.  While staring death in the face she realizes certain truths that have her embracing love close to home which brings her happiness that was missing from the moment we first see her.  Gloria is a hard woman to like at times.  She's too sarcastic and brittle during the early stages of the story but once true love is in her reach she becomes a happier more open-hearted person.

This story has many fanciful moments alongside real life emotions that fully immersed me in its outcome.  The battle between good and evil is an exciting one where no one is safe in the heart-pounding journey to its HEA.  It's a battle that invades both the human and otherworldly worlds in a mystery that keeps you guessing.  The romance is subtle but satisfying with a conclusion that is immensely satisfying and I applaud Ms. Stone for her creative storytelling and hope she revisits this world soon.

My rating for this is an A-

*I received a copy of this book for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

It all started when my parents had to go and teach me to talk. Then they sent me to school where I learned to read and write. I learned to read and pretty soon I fell in love with books and stories. I loved fairy tales and tales of magic from the very start. Even before that I loved to daydream; I daydreamed myself into adventures with my favorite TV characters. I dreamed up adventures crossing time and space on my own, meeting characters out of history and stories. Books gave me the sense that there was a home waiting for my daydreams, a place where they belonged.

**********GIVEAWAY**********

Naomi will be awarding a Somewhere Rainbow, a Jewelmark wearable-bookmark by Craftswoman, Laramie Sasseville featuring carnelian, citrine, blue Amazonite, blue zircon, to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a free download card for her previous release, Spirited, to a randomly drawn commenter at every stop.

-To be entered, leave a comment along with your email addy (no email=no entry).

-Winner will be chosen randomly from all comments made throughout the tour, so the more you comment the greater your chances of winning.  A list of all participating blogs can be found here.

-Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST on 11/22.