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Read-Along Special: Best Man By Kristen Brand
Kristen Brand’s novella, Best Man, takes us back in the day with some of our favorite heroes and villains from White Knight and Black Valentine’s world.
Title: Best Man
Author: Kristen Brand
Series: The White Knight & Black Valentine #.5
Release date: March 28, 2017
Publisher’s Description: Harris Holt has one job: to make sure his best friend’s wedding goes smoothly. But when his friend is a retired superhero marrying a former villainess, that involves more than just remembering the rings and making a good speech at the reception. Especially when a guy with a gun turns up at the wedding venue.
Now Harris has to keep a supervillain with a grudge from offing the bride and groom—and keep it quiet, or else the cops will crash the ceremony. With his own rusty superpowers and a murderous maid of honor for help, Harris needs to stop the bad guy before the happy couple gets cold feet…on their corpses.
The Best Man is an action-packed short story prequel to The White Knight and Black Valentine series. If you’re a fan of superhero fiction or action/adventure, try a sample or download now.
Kat Mandu says…
Welcome to day three of our Superhero Spotlight, which features one of my favorite series, White Knight and Black Valentine.
This time I’m focusing on the novella, which I decided to review in between the first two books and the remainder of the series. It takes us back to when Dave and Valentina were first getting married, while also introducing us to two side characters, Lady Nightmare and Supersonic. These characters are people you learn about in the first two books, so I thought it’d appropriate to review it now that we’ve had time to get to know them.
Lady Nightmare, Valentina’s sister, is mostly a villain, but working on her good side. Like Valentina, she’s got psychic prowess, but instead of just reading minds, she also has the ability to project nightmares onto their consciousness. Creepy, but cool.
Supersonic is Dave’s friend and best man at his wedding, hence the name of the title. He’s got super-speed powers and is just trying to figure out whether or not he really wants his best bud to marry someone and then have to live with that regret. It all stems from his first and failed marriage, but regardless, Harris is trying to be supportive.
On the day of Dave and Valentina’s wedding, Supersonic and Lady Nightmare team up to stop an uninvited guest from wreaking havoc and ruining Dave and Valentina’s big day. This story has laughs and drama and shows a new perspective on two new characters you’ve never seen before in the previous novels (or the ones to follow). I really enjoyed this insight and can’t wait to see if there will be similar novellas later.
Today’s special feature puts a spotlight on superhero fiction! Check out some other great reads by authors here!
- The Effigies, Sarah Raughley
- Superheroes in Prose, Sevan Paris
- Bigtime, Jennifer Estep
- Superheroes Anonymous, Lexi Dunne
- Black Widow: Forever Red, Margaret Stohl
- DC Icons, various authors, including Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J Maas
- Ex-Heroes, Peter Clines
- Renegade X, Chelsea M Campbell
- Dark Star, Bethany Frenette
- Golden Age, Carrie Vaughn
- These Vicious Masks, Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas
- Zeroes, Scott Westerfeld
- Steelheart, Brandon Sanderson
- Heroine Complex, Sarah Kuhn
- MetaWars, Kelly Meding
- Black & White, Caitlin Kittredge
- Thanos: Titan Consumed, Barry Lyga
Read-Along Special: Villainous By Kristen Brand
White Knight may have been a long-time hero, but lately, he’s been getting into some bad guy trouble. Luckily, his wife and former nemesis, Black Valentine, has a history of villainry and just may be what he needs to escape capital punishment.
Title: Villainous
Author: Kristen Brand
Series: The White Knight & Black Valentine #2
Release date: September 28, 2015
Publisher’s Description:
Valentina Belmonte isn’t evil any more—honest. She’s hung up her supervillain costume, retired to Florida with her family, and hasn’t committed a crime in years. (Well, not a felony. What’s a misdemeanor here and there if you don’t get caught?) This time, she’s not the one in trouble with the law—her goody-two-shoes, former superhero of a husband is.
He saved her life two months ago but committed a spectacular amount of assault and property damage along the way. The feds plan to press charges…unless Val does something for them in exchange. Apparently, an old friend of hers is importing a deadly drug that gives people temporary psychic powers. The feds want to send in Val with a wire to get evidence to bring him down. Sounds simple enough, but things turn deadly fast, and Val finds herself up against another supervillain—one who can out-play her at her own game.
Val’s worried she’s gone soft since retirement, but if she doesn’t get the feds the evidence they need, her husband will end up rotting in one of the most hellish prisons in the country…
Kat Mandu says…
It’s day two of our Superhero Spotlight and we’re featuring Villainous, the second in the White Knight, Black Valentine series by Kristen Brand. Dave Del Toro and Valentina Belmonte are back in the sequel that takes off right where the first left off—with Dave in big, big trouble.
Because he had to prove Valentina’s innocence, Dave had to break a few laws. Now, in order to keep him out of supermax prison with all the foes he put in there, Valentina makes a deal with the DSA to help them track down a drug supplier in exchange for Dave’s freedom. Not that she’s all too thrilled to be working for the people that once wanted her in jail, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And Valentina isn’t one to back down from a challenge, after all.
There’s so much excitement in this book! Telepathic battles, explosions, body possessions, and assassination attempts, with Valentina in the midst of it all, trying to be a do-gooder while being oh-so-very bad. Valentina’s family is known for their villainous habits, so she’s got a lot of competition when it comes to being the worst.
This book gets another five from me, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on the remaining books in the series (see the original Villainous review).
Until then, here’s something fun and special I made in honor of Villainous. Inspired by a scene in the book where Valentina and Jean Baptiste are having drinks in a restaurant that features mixed drinks named after famous superheroes, I decided to take my culinary and bartending experiences and have some fun with it.
Below you’ll find some mixed drinks I invented based on the heroes and villains in White Knight & Black Valentine.
The White Knight: With Dave, I automatically thought of beer and tequila, especially since I compare him to Bruce Willis. So I did some digging and found something raw, strong, sweet, and beachy (because they live in Florida after all) that I could see Dave drinking if he decided to have something besides a draft.
1 1/2 oz Gran Centenario Resposado tequila
1 oz white creme de cacao
1/2 oz Stolichnaya vanilla vodka
2 oz cream
Toasted coconut
1 Maraschino cherry
Mix all ingredients except for cherry and coconut, with cracked ice in a shaker or a blender and served in a chilled cocktail glass. Sprinkle toasted coconut on top and garnish with the cherry.
The Black Valentine: In my head, Black Valentine can be equally as rough and as smooth as whiskey, so I had to involve some whiskey in her drink.
3/4 oz Irish whiskey (I prefer Tullamore Dew, but hey, it’s your preference)
1 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1/2 oz kummel
3/4 oz lemon juice
Several dashes Angostura bitters
Lemon peel
Mix all ingredients in a shaker or blender. Serve in an old-fashioned glass straight up or over ice.
The Fire & Ice: For Freezefire, I wanted to get a little bit more fun. With the ability to control both fire and ice, here’s a colorful drink that’s served ice cold but will warm you up fast.
1 1/2 oz of raspberry vodka
1/2 oz Bombay gin
1/2 oz blueberry or blue raspberry vodka
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
1 oz lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
Club soda or lemon-lime soda (like Sprite)
Maraschino cherry
Mix all ingredients, except club soda and cherry, in a tall, chilled cooler glass. Add several ice cubes and fill with club soda/lemon-lime soda. Stir gently and garnish with a cherry.
The Agent: I named this one after Agent Lagarde, who comes into play during Villainous. She’s tough as nails and carefully hides her telepathic abilities until absolutely necessary so that she can kick ass at the right time. So I made something cool and collected in her honor.
2 oz apricot brandy
2 oz amaretto
4 oz orange soda
1 scoop orange sherbet
Please enjoy responsibly! Like what you see here? Have any ideas for drinks based on your favorite superheroes? Leave comments below, I’d love to share ideas.
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!
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.
Upcoming Read Along Schedule for White Knight, Black Valentine Series By Kristen Brand
Hello readers! To celebrate the recent release of Kristen Brand’s final installment to her epic superhero series, One Book Two is hosting a read-along that’ll feature every book from start to finish, including the new Superhuman Disaster.
Since the start of my adventures here at One Book Two, I have been a huge fan of superheroes and villains alike. Comics and the new comic cinematic universes really bring out the fangirl in me, so when author Kristen Brand approached me about her first book, Hero Status, I jumped at the chance to read and review it.
I’m happy that I did because these stories, characters, and themes have become a huge part of my favorite go-to reads. There’s so much action, suspense, romance, and humor. I’ve read most of them several times each and can’t wait to read the entire series again now that it has been finished. Will there be a happy ending? Guess I will find out!
Check out the schedule we will be following below, plus descriptions of each book in the series.
Dates: April 1-7, 2019
Title: Hero Status, Book 1
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…
Dates: April 8-14, 2019
Title: Villainous, Book 2
Description: Valentina Belmonte isn’t evil anymore—honest. She’s hung up her supervillain costume, retired to Florida with her family, and hasn’t committed a crime in years. (Well, not a felony. What’s a misdemeanor here and there if you don’t get caught?) This time, she’s not the one in trouble with the law—her goody-two-shoes, former superhero of a husband is.
He saved her life two months ago but committed a spectacular amount of assault and property damage along the way. The feds plan to press charges…unless Val does something for them in exchange. Apparently, an old friend of hers is importing a deadly drug that gives people temporary psychic powers. The feds want to send in Val with a wire to get evidence to bring him down. Sounds simple enough, but things turn deadly fast, and Val finds herself up against another supervillain—one who can out-play her at her own game.
Val’s worried she’s gone soft since retirement, but if she doesn’t get the feds the evidence they need, her husband will end up rotting in one of the most hellish prisons in the country…
Dates: April 15-17, 2019
Title: Best Man, Book 2.5
Description: Harris Holt has one job: to make sure his best friend’s wedding goes smoothly. But when his friend is a retired superhero marrying a former villainess, that involves more than just remembering the rings and making a good speech at the reception. Especially when a guy with a gun turns up at the wedding venue.
Now Harris has to keep a supervillain with a grudge from offing the bride and groom—and keep it quiet, or else the cops will crash the ceremony. With his own rusty superpowers and a murderous maid of honor for help, Harris needs to stop the bad guy before the happy couple gets cold feet…on their corpses.
Dates: April 18-24, 2019
Title: Almost Invincible, Book 3
Description: A theme park turns into a death-trap of sadistic supervillains…
White Knight is the most popular superhero in the country—which is bad news for David Del Toro, formerly White Knight, who retired from heroics years ago and just wants some peace and quiet. When the White Knight ride at a superhero-inspired theme park has a grand reopening, Dave is more than happy to give his complimentary tickets to his daughter and her friends and spend the day at home. But then the park gets taken hostage by supervillains.
The man known as Bloodbath spent the last decade in a maximum-security prison and blames White Knight for putting him there. He’s given an ultimatum: the hero comes to face him, or he’ll kill every tourist in the park. Dave barely managed to beat Bloodbath while in his prime and doesn’t like his chances now that he’s old and busted. But unless he does something, every innocent person in the park is going to die…including his daughter.
Dates: April 25- May 1, 2019
Title: Kill Them All, Book 4
Description: They messed with the wrong supervillain.
Valentina Belmonte walked away from her supervillain career years ago. Having peaked at the top of the national Most Wanted List, she now lives a quiet life with her husband and daughter, enjoying the Florida sun. Sure, she has to curb her criminal instincts to stay under the radar, but her family is worth it.
Until they’re attacked. With her husband—a retired superhero and the closest thing she has to a conscience—hospitalized and on the brink of death, she’s done playing nice. She doesn’t know who attacked them or why, but she’ll wreak bloody destruction until she finds out. Nobody does revenge like a supervillain, but as her single-minded pursuit grows more violent, it threatens the only family she has left…
Dates: May 2-8, 2019
Title: Superhuman Disaster, Book 5
Description: A hero awakens.
Retired superhero David Del Toro has just woken from a coma—or at least, that’s what the black-market doctor watching over him in an off-the-grid safehouse says. The doctor can’t tell him what happened, but that’s alright. Dave figures he can just ask his family. Except they’re nowhere to be found, their phone numbers are all disconnected, and when he goes home, he finds a hole the size of an elephant smashed into the front of the house and nothing inside.
A villain returns.
Frantic to find his family, Dave calls on all the contacts he made over his superhero career. He learns that his wife has apparently gone back to being a supervillain, and his former sidekick has become a rogue vigilante. Something rotten is going on in the DSA, the law enforcement agency that handles superhuman crime. What does it have to do with Dave’s family? And with such a late start, still suffering the aftereffects of the coma, does Dave have any hope of stopping it?
Nightwing, Vol. 1: Traps and Trapezes by Kyle Higgins
It’s a long convoluted story how DC started over and relaunched 52 titles, this being one of them. I won’t claim to understand it. I was drawn to it because it was starting over, with issue number one, and going forward. I knew that Dick Grayson, the original Robin, had moved on to being Nightwing decades ago. I hadn’t read a title until now.
Title: Nightwing, Vol. 1: Traps and Trapezes
Author: Kyle Higgins and illustrators
Series: Nightwing (2011)
Publish Date: October 1st, 2012 by DC Comics
Genre: graphic novel, superhero
Source: Purchased
Publisher’s Description: As a part of the acclaimed DC Comics – The New 52 event of September 2011, Dick Grayson flies high once more as Nightwing in a new series from hot new writer Kyle Higgins (BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM) and artist Eddy Barrows (SUPERMAN)!
Haley’s Circus, the big top where Dick once performed, makes a stop on its tour in Gotham City – bringing with it murder, mystery, and superhuman evil. To uncover more clues as to why a mysterious assassin is targetting him, Nightwing joins the circus’s tour. But as Dick becomes reacquainted with the big top he once called home, he learns there are darker secrets to be discovered.
Collects NIGHTWING #1-7.
Possible spoilers beyond this point.
Percy Procrastinator says…
This blew me away. It was just that good. It moves things forward in Dick’s life while taking a step back and looking at his past, where he came from, and those he left behind. It starts with a murder, and soon Dick finds that he has inherited the circus where his parents worked. While trying to figure out that murder, it turns out there is more going on than he thought.
The circus was more than a traveling entertainment venue. It has hidden secrets for over a century! And as Dick Grayson digs deeper, it brings up memories and forces him to look at things in a new way.
This was a great story that could only work with Nightwing and how it dealt with his past. It felt like a mystery for him and served the story well. The art was clean and there are some good appearances by others that fit without overshadowing Dick’s own story.
I highly recommend this. 5 stars
Other New 52 reviews…
- I, Vampire, Vol. 1: Tainted Love
- Catwoman, Vol. 1: The Game
- Deathstroke, Vol. 1: Legacy
One Book Two 