Lawson’s review of Hot Mama (Bigtime #2) by Jennifer Estep
Paranormal Romance Released by Berkley November 6, 2007

Life in Bigtime, New York has been going well since the Fearless Five defeated the Terrible Triad. The citizens of Bigtime have a new superhero to admire in Karma Girl and ubervillains have been few and far between for awhile. Fiona Fine is helping her new friend Carmen Cole get ready for her big wedding to local heartthrob and billionaire Sam Sloane.

Fiona doesn’t want to admit she’s a little jealous of Carmen and Sam’s big day. Being Bigtime’s hottest fashion designer by day and Fiera by night makes a girl not want to admit she’s vulnerable. It doesn’t help that her fiance had been killed by the Terrible Triad a year earlier and Fiona is still recovering. But at the wedding a couple of things happen.

Fiona meets an interesting new romantic possibility in Johnny Bulluci and the two new villains in town decide to make a showing and steal some jewelry. As Fiera, she’s able to stop the two girlie villains and she realizes that Johnny Bulluci could be an option for returning to the dating scene. Especially since though he comes from Bigtime old society, he’s a real down to earth sort of guy.

As things heat up in Fiona’s love life with Johnny, her superhero life with the two new villains and a resurfacing (and possibly resurrected) superhero named Johnny Angel. With a secret identity, a new love in her life and trying to bring down those who want to take over Bigtime, perhaps Fiona’s gotten herself in too hot of water this time to pull it all together.

Being a closeted comic book fan, this was a fun, witty, fast read. It seriously saved me from absolute boredom and dealing with idiotic educational theory at an inservice.

One of the best things about Hot Mama was half the time I forgot it was in first person. The narration was flawless and characterization so well drawn the use of first person didn’t distract from the story. Fiona isn’t a mess, she’s just a normal person (uh, with superpowers) with normal problems like juggling her job, her love life and her personal time. And Fiona is definitely real. In Karma Girl, it took me some time to warm to her, but right off the bat, Fiona is the star of the show, but she doesn’t overwhelm the story or the secondary characters.

Johnny is a great foil for the hot tempered Fiona. He’s passionate, but with a steady calmness that helps to balance Fiona and give her what she needs. With Fiona being a strong, independent, take charge heroine, Johnny can more than stand on his own with her. And dear lord is he sexy. Though things seem to happen rather fast, the romance is believable and wonderfully realistic. It should provide a couple of new fantasies to add to a few dirty minds.

The rest of the characters are well drawn and work well with the plot, even the villains, though they are rather two-dimensional. But then, what comic villains aren’t? The superheros are meant to be the central characters and fighting villains is only part of the hero’s journey. The other members of the Fearless Five that battle with Fiera have their own side stories going on that mirror the main story in all the best ways possible.

Definitely a great sequel to a good book and when Jinx (the next in the series) comes out this reader will be begging to get it early.

Grade: A