H. L. Burke’s Blind Date with a Supervillain is a short spin-off series from her Superhero Rehabilitation Series. In this world, superheroes and supervillains face off around the world. Most superheroes are aligned with the Department of Super Enabled (DOSA) which regulates their actions.
Surge (or Shawn Park) is a college student with a superhero dad who works for DOSA. He aspires to work for DOSA after he graduates. He’s also falling for the local coffee house’s barista, Nikki. The future is bright. Too bad Nikki is supervillain Apparition and she’s on a mission to bring down Surge.
For her part, Apparition is under orders from her father to befriend Surge. Yet as she gets closer to him, Apparition is finding it increasingly difficult to maintain her nefarious ways.
This series is entitled Supervillain Romance Project which should give the reader an idea of where the novel is headed. Two famous superhero stories come to mind given its plot: the Batman Returns movie and the Renegade Series by Marissa Meyer. Does Blind Date tread over all-too-familiar ground? Fortunately, the answer is no. Burke succeeds in taking a refreshingly new approach.
Apparition’s character is different from other characters in a way that puts a different spin on the plot. In fact, though the novel is short, the subject matter is decidedly YA or Adult. True, both heroes are adults and have super powers. Where they differ is their background stories, which makes Apparition the standout character here. While some of the book is from Surge’s point-of-view, the majority of the narrative is from Apparition’s to the novel’s benefit.
Blind Date with a Supervillain is written in a graphics novel style, clipping along at a good pace. While this lends to the fun, it occasionally shortchanges some of the deeper themes the author is exploring. A longer and more introspective book might have better served this novel.
In Reformed, the first book of the Superhero Rehabilitation series, Burke created conflicted and nuanced characters. She continues her world-building here. Blind Date feels a bit on the lighter side, but the novel certainly doesn’t disappoint on either the action or romantic scale.
In Blind Date with a Supervillain, you’ll find serious contemporary topics, light-hearted moments, and a great character with Apparition. I’m interested to see if Burke incorporates these characters in other books, or if she produces a second in this series.