As a fan of superhero stories I've been enamored with the Panopolis series since the first installment and am cheering the release of this third addition. Thought-provoking ideas blend beautifully with a subtle romance and edge of your seat action to make this a memorable read that you can get a taste of today. Keep reading to get a tempting glimpse of Where There's a Will by Cari Z, along with my impressions of it, and then add it to your bookshelf. In honor of this book leave a comment telling us who your favorite superhero is for the chance to win the first two books in this series, a $10 Riptide GC, and a Panopolis t-shirt and get even more chances by visiting the other stops on this tour too!
Being a Hero in Panopolis means living the high life: parties, money, influence, even reality television. And I’m one of the most powerful Heroes in the city. I have plenty of fans, a manager who looks out for me (after himself), and a job that pays the bills. I should be enjoying myself.
Unfortunately, the downside of my superpower means I can’t touch anyone, which tends to put a damper on things. I probably don’t deserve all those perks anyway, since I’m working in secret with two of Panopolis’s biggest Villains to undermine GenCorp—my main sponsor and the company that controls what gets through my force field.
I obviously don’t trust my corporate overseers, but they’ve hired a new scientist who actually seems interested in helping me. Dr. Mansourian might have the answers to all my questions—not to mention a starring role in most of my dreams—but he’s hiding something big. If I let him have what he wants, I might not live to regret it.
Then again, the way things are going in Panopolis these days, I might not live either way.
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
The war is still raging in Panopolis in this third installment in the series that has held me captivated from the very start. From its thought-provoking ideas to its fast-paced action sequences to a sweet yet sensual romance, this book perfectly juggled all these elements to keep me wholeheartedly entertained and desperate for more. Whether there is more has yet to be seen, but what Ms. Z has crafted thus far is a crowd-pleasing superhero epic that had me cheering!
Freight Train aka Craig Haney is the epitome of what a Superhero should be, kind and quick to do right. From the outside he's beloved by all, but on the inside Craig's life is in chaos. His attraction to Edward, and his role in his incarceration, led to the creation of the villain Mastermind which Craig is still feeling guilt over despite his assistance in breaking Edward out of prison. With escape came the discovery of experiments on Superheroes and Villains which has led to an uneasy alliance between Craig and the man he once loved, who's now in love with someone else. Along with his love life in chaos, his role as a Superhero is being put in doubt in retaliation by the company who supports him as his doubts and concerns become louder. With the death of one Superhero and his bloody altercation with another, Craig's life spirals completely out of control and he ends up in a place he may never return from intact. It will take both heroes and enemies to save him as the nefarious truth regarding these unnatural powers comes to light and changes everything. Craig is a truly sweet character with a kind heart. He always felt lacking until the day he gained his powers and he feels obligated to live up to the standards of being a Superhero. With his Meemaw constantly bashing his self-esteem too, being a Superhero is all he has. Not being able to be touched is a lonely thing though and the author depicts Craig's feelings in a heartbreaking manner that left me wanting to hug him. The only bright spot amidst all this was meeting Doctor Ari Mansourian who treated Craig as an equal and wanted to find a way for him to live a more normal life. Meeting Ari though was also frustrating as they could never touch which made for a relationship full of frustration, sweetness, and teeming with sexual tension. Throughout everything Craig remained someone worth looking up to and I enjoyed getting to know more about him as previous glimpses showed someone a bit arrogant and too-perfect. In this story, despite his being a Superhero, Craig was down-to-earth and immensely likable as readers got to see the man behind the persona.
Ari's life has been one of chaos as well from a youth touched by the nefariousness of governments creating unnatural powers to an adulthood spent in hiding trying to help those most cruelly used. It's brought him to Craig though and sets him on a path to finding out the truth regarding his powers and leads to an attraction that has him putting his life on the line when Craig needs all the help he can get after being turned on by those who were once his biggest supporters. Ari's a mysterious character who was never overly emotional, he was always so controlled, but there was a sweetness to him in Craig's presence that had me liking him all the more. Though he didn't have unnatural abilities he was good in a fight, using his brains instead of brawn, to add a bit of unexpected entertainment to the fight scenes.
This was a delightful addition to the series that had me on edge from start to finish. The previous installments showed the couple of Edward and Raul and their journey from Villains to trailblazers in a new world so it was nice seeing the battle from the side of the Superheroes this time around. Craig's an endearing character with issues he was dealing with that were heartbreaking but he never shirked his duty to help others. The loneliness he experienced because of his powers was palpable, the things we take for granted that he couldn't experience had me teary-eyed at times and happy for those few moments of happiness he found with Ari. Because of his issues the romance wasn't the center of the story but a sweet and sensual respite from the danger that brought a smile to my face. The action scenes were exhilarating and kept me on the edge of my seat with the slowly emerging truths regarding the government and scientist's manipulations adding fuel to the fire. It's a war with lines that blur ever more with each new installment that provides lots of food for fodder that still has me thinking long after the final page was turned.
Freight Train aka Craig Haney is the epitome of what a Superhero should be, kind and quick to do right. From the outside he's beloved by all, but on the inside Craig's life is in chaos. His attraction to Edward, and his role in his incarceration, led to the creation of the villain Mastermind which Craig is still feeling guilt over despite his assistance in breaking Edward out of prison. With escape came the discovery of experiments on Superheroes and Villains which has led to an uneasy alliance between Craig and the man he once loved, who's now in love with someone else. Along with his love life in chaos, his role as a Superhero is being put in doubt in retaliation by the company who supports him as his doubts and concerns become louder. With the death of one Superhero and his bloody altercation with another, Craig's life spirals completely out of control and he ends up in a place he may never return from intact. It will take both heroes and enemies to save him as the nefarious truth regarding these unnatural powers comes to light and changes everything. Craig is a truly sweet character with a kind heart. He always felt lacking until the day he gained his powers and he feels obligated to live up to the standards of being a Superhero. With his Meemaw constantly bashing his self-esteem too, being a Superhero is all he has. Not being able to be touched is a lonely thing though and the author depicts Craig's feelings in a heartbreaking manner that left me wanting to hug him. The only bright spot amidst all this was meeting Doctor Ari Mansourian who treated Craig as an equal and wanted to find a way for him to live a more normal life. Meeting Ari though was also frustrating as they could never touch which made for a relationship full of frustration, sweetness, and teeming with sexual tension. Throughout everything Craig remained someone worth looking up to and I enjoyed getting to know more about him as previous glimpses showed someone a bit arrogant and too-perfect. In this story, despite his being a Superhero, Craig was down-to-earth and immensely likable as readers got to see the man behind the persona.
Ari's life has been one of chaos as well from a youth touched by the nefariousness of governments creating unnatural powers to an adulthood spent in hiding trying to help those most cruelly used. It's brought him to Craig though and sets him on a path to finding out the truth regarding his powers and leads to an attraction that has him putting his life on the line when Craig needs all the help he can get after being turned on by those who were once his biggest supporters. Ari's a mysterious character who was never overly emotional, he was always so controlled, but there was a sweetness to him in Craig's presence that had me liking him all the more. Though he didn't have unnatural abilities he was good in a fight, using his brains instead of brawn, to add a bit of unexpected entertainment to the fight scenes.
This was a delightful addition to the series that had me on edge from start to finish. The previous installments showed the couple of Edward and Raul and their journey from Villains to trailblazers in a new world so it was nice seeing the battle from the side of the Superheroes this time around. Craig's an endearing character with issues he was dealing with that were heartbreaking but he never shirked his duty to help others. The loneliness he experienced because of his powers was palpable, the things we take for granted that he couldn't experience had me teary-eyed at times and happy for those few moments of happiness he found with Ari. Because of his issues the romance wasn't the center of the story but a sweet and sensual respite from the danger that brought a smile to my face. The action scenes were exhilarating and kept me on the edge of my seat with the slowly emerging truths regarding the government and scientist's manipulations adding fuel to the fire. It's a war with lines that blur ever more with each new installment that provides lots of food for fodder that still has me thinking long after the final page was turned.
My rating for this is an A.
*I got this book from NetGalley for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading behavior, she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa, stuck them in a hut, and said, "See ya!" She also started writing, because some things she just thought she could do better. She's still climbing that ladder, but can't stop herself from writing, or from sharing what she creates.
Cari enjoys a wide range of literary genres, from the classics (get 'im, Ahab) to science fiction and fantasy of all types, to historical fiction and reference materials (no, seriously, there are so many great encyclopedias out there). She writes in a wide range of genres as well, but somehow 90% of what she produces ends up falling into the broad and exciting category of m/m erotica. There’s a sprinkling of f/m and f/f and even m/f/m in her repertoire, but her true love is man love. And there's a lot of love to go around.
Cari has published short stories, novellas, and novels with numerous print and e-presses, and she also offers up a tremendous amount of free content on Literotica.com, under the name Carizabeth.
**********GIVEAWAY**********
PRIZE IS COPIES OF THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THIS SERIES, A $10 RIPTIDE GC, & A PANOPOLIS T-SHIRT!
-To be entered, LEAVE A COMMENT TELLING US WHO YOUR FAVORITE SUPERHERO IS (ALONG WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDY). (No email=No entry)
-Increase your chances of winning by visiting the other stops on this tour.
-Giveaway is OPEN TO EVERYONE!
-Giveaway ends at Midnight EST, May 7th!
I appreciate the review!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)Aol(Dot)com
Thank you for the review!
ReplyDeletehumhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
I'm looking forward to reading the series!
ReplyDeletelegacylandlisa(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteToni violet817(at)aol(dot)com
a nice review
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
My favorite superhero is Hellboy! :) Also, I'm happy to see another great review. I'm almost done reading and I'm glad to know I'll be satisfied from beginning to end! Thank you for sharing with us.
ReplyDeletecaroaz [at] ymail [dot] com
TYVM Carolyn for your comment and especially for answering the question! Hellboy's a great choice and I'd love another movie but I fear it's not going to happen.
DeleteGood luck in the giveaway!
The Scarf Princess
Jody! We can't give up hope. ;) I'm probably going to be hoping until someone says an absolute No...and maybe not even then. But I will say it warms my heart to see someone else loving and hoping with me. :)
DeleteHope you have a wonderful weekend!
That is kind of hard for me. I tend to go for tragically flawed. Are you familiar with the Witchblade graphic novels? I absolutely LOVE the premise and world building in them. I highly recommend them!
ReplyDeletesionedkla@gmail.com
TY Kassandra for your comment and for such a good answer! I'm drawn to characters that aren't easily defined. That's how the characters in this book/series are as the Villains do good deeds occasionally while the Heroes aren't always good.
DeleteGood Luck in the giveaway!
The Scarf Princess
I have always liked Batman.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
TYVM Mary for stopping by and for answering the question! I LOVE getting to know my followers and LOVE your choice of Batman! He walks that fine line of a hero who could easily do bad things but we still root for him. In the movies, the Affleck version of him was a disappointment for me and Christian Bale will always be the standard by which I rate him.
DeleteGood Luck in the giveaway!
The Scarf Princess