Read-Along Special: Hero Status By Kristen Brand

Superhero fans, come hither, for in Kristen Brand’s Hero Status, there’s plenty of action, romance, mystery, and spandex to enjoy.

Title:  Hero Status
Author: Kristen Brand
Series:  The White Knight & Black Valentine #1
Release date:  November 25, 2014

Publisher’s Description:  David Del Toro used to be a superhero. Now he’s retired and happily married—to his former nemesis, Valentina Belmonte, better known as the Black Valentine. The two have settled in sunny Miami and left the past behind them. No more masks, capes or handcuffs. At least, not outside of the bedroom.

But then the famous hero Supersonic turns up dead, and Valentina is arrested for the murder. Dave knows she’s innocent, but he has to find the real killer if he wants to prove it. Investigating on his own, dodging the law, he gets tangled in a web of conspiracy that will take more than super-strength to break. If Dave wants to save his wife, he’ll have to cross lines no hero ever should…

Fans of character-driven genre fiction will enjoy this action-packed thriller. If you like superheroes in movies, TV, or comics, don’t miss out. Download Hero Status and start reading now!

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Kat Mandu says…

Welcome to Part One of my special Superhero Week where we’re spotlighting the White Knight & Black Valentine series. And I LOOOOOVEEE this series! It’s one of the first requests I ever took here at One Book Two as a reviewer, and I was so excited when it landed in my inbox. Ever since then, I’ve been hooked. Hero Status and all the sequels are action-packed and full of the good stuff I love. But let’s focus on book one, shall we?

First off is Hero Status, which introduces us to Dave Del Toro, a retired superhero with a bum knee. He’s married to the infamous villain, Black Valentine, who’s a telepath and a sexy badass all rolled into one. He’s also got a daughter named Elisa who discovers she’s inherited powers from both sides of the family.

When Valentina takes the rap for a murder she didn’t commit, Dave’s gotta investigate so he can save his wife from supermax prison. But finding the real killer is going to test lines he’s never crossed. How do you catch the bad guy without breaking a few laws along the way?

This setup is perfect for those looking for a little mystery along the way, as you follow along with Dave as he’s trying to figure out who framed his wife, who the real killer is, and how to stop him before he tries again. And it’s so well written that it always keeps you guessing!

The characters feel so real and ordinary despite all the exciting, villainous things happening around them. And when I say ordinary, I mean that it’s nice to have characters that I’m able to relate to in human ways. These are people that I’d invite over to my house (which would probably be a great time for game night) and hell, I’d probably be a groupie/fangirl in their world. Dave is probably my favorite in the series; he’s tough but kind, passionate, and always looking to do the right thing. Valentina is a badass, but I guess I have a soft spot for gentle giants.

All in all, this has always gotten perfect marks for me. You can read my original review here but I wanted the chance to reread this book and share my updated thoughts.

With this Superhero Spotlight, I wanted to share something special about every book in the White Knight and Black Valentine series. And since I’m such a fangirl, I came up with the idea to “Hollywood cast list” this book in particular. See who made the cut below, and see my Pinterest board for all the pics.

David Del Toro – Casting this guy was a toss up for me. If you read in my first review way back when, I always visualized Dave as Bruce Willis, the perfect action star to play the White Knight. After all, he’s tough, he’s a little bit older, and he’s always (okay, well, mostly) playing the hero. But I figured if we stuck a little bit closer to what Dave would actually look like, I chose Adria Collado for his muscular, sexy, and Spanish features. I think he rocks the gray and I feel like Dave does too.

Valentina Belmonte – So she may not be Italian, but Kate Beckinsale in my head is perfect for the choice of Black Valentine, whether she’s rocking the leather in costume or out of it. Ms. Beckinsale has always been one of my favorite actresses and she’s a great action star with all the skills, grace, and lure of a sometimes good guy, sometimes bad guy.

Elisa – So I wanted someone young to play the teenage daughter of Valentina and Dave of course, so I went with Dafne Keen, who played Laura in the movie Logan. She may be a little younger than Elisa, but I feel like now that she’s a little bit older, I could slide with my choice because this girl is fiercely protective, agile, and has the perfect teenager bored stare.

Other Cast Picks –
Starla Strauss – played by Anna Faris (goofy, blonde, and overdramatic)
Lady Nightmare – played by Nina Dobrev
Harris Holt/Supersonic – played by Aidan Gillen
Giordano – played by Bobby Cannavale
Dr. Sweet – played by Rober Knepper
Trick – played by Alden Ehrenreich
Treat – played by Alice Englert
Eddy – played by Alan Alda
Irma – played by Christina Ricci (because a creepy bodyguard portraying a housemaid just makes my day when visualizing her like that)
Maureen – played by Summer Glau (especially in season 2 of Arrow)
Agent Lagarde – played by Kat Graham
Freezefire – played by Diego Luna

*See Pinterest board for photo credits.