Book review: All Superheroes Need Photo Ops by Elizabeth Stephens
Published by Montlake. Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

If you’ve ever wanted to fall in love during an intergalactic PR crisis, this book is your moment. All Superheroes Need Photo Ops is everything I hoped for and more—charming, chaotic, sharply written, and weirdly relatable for a story about alien superheroes and the mortals who fall for them. Elizabeth Stephens has done it again, crafting a universe where the capes are hot, the stakes are high, and falling for a golden-boy lightning god might be the worst (or best) mistake of your life.

Monika Neumann, our nerdy, swoony photographer heroine, has had a crush on Taranis since he landed on Earth with a zap and a smile. But when her dream gig turns into a spy mission and her favorite alien hero starts looking more like a villain in soft lighting, things get messy. And romantic. And a little dangerous in a way that will make you fan yourself while nervously giggling. Taranis is the kind of love interest who can fry a camera lens with one look—and maybe fry your heart, too.

The magic of this book isn’t just in the banter (which is delicious), the chemistry (which is scorching), or the inventive world (which absolutely slaps). It’s in how Stephens skewers celebrity culture and hero worship with a wink and a grin. She understands fandom, thirst traps, moral gray zones, and the brutal efficiency of a good photo op. There’s even a subplot that feels like James Bond got drunk and accidentally walked into a rom-com. One second you’re swooning, the next you’re laughing out loud, and then you’re screaming into a pillow.

A favorite quote: “The only thing more dangerous than a villain with power is a hero who thinks he’s always right.” That line lives rent-free in my head and will be auditioning for tattoo status soon.

Five spark-filled stars for this steamy, hilarious, smart-as-hell installment in the Supers in the City series. I would gladly let Taranis electrocute my emotional stability again, and Monika is the kind of heroine you want to have margaritas with while breaking into someone’s lair.

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I finished this in one sitting, because I could just not stop reading this brilliance.
I adored the first in this series, and the second did not disappoint either. The relationship between the two main characters was a really good base for this story and the wonderful characterisation of Taranis after everything we learnt in the first book is a stroke of genius.
I would absolutely recommend this book, this series, this author.

All Superheroes Need Photo Ops exceeded my expectations, but boy was it also way different than I expected it to be. I went into this not having read ‘All Superheroes Need PR’ and it does a fantastic job of standing on its own. I didn’t feel like I missed much of the story, perhaps just a little bit of world buildings and Vanessa’s story with the Wyvern.

That being said, I was not expecting a full on monster/alien romance with a fair bit of smut and spice. I love monster romance, don’t get me wrong, so I genuinely enjoyed this. I just clearly didn’t read the description well enough or something, so if that’s not your thing, consider this your warning 😂

This book is a lot of fun, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and will satisfy all fans of the first book (and monster romance lovers). I disliked our MMC a lot, and I don’t feel like his redemption ARC is very strong. He’s adorable at the end, but I feel like the character development and exploration could have been a lot stronger here. Our FMC is an absolute badass photographer and I adored her.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Montlake for the eARC of this book! It was so much fun to read!

I love this take on superhero’s! It’s less marvel and more the boys and Taranius is giving Homelander but capable of love. Monika is such a capable FMC and it was really interesting getting to see her in her element as a war reporter. 10/10 highly recommend!

Monika is a bisexual woman with no friends and a bit of a degradation fetish. Darius is a human hating hero going through the motions and eying villainy. She finds him handsome, until she gets to know him a bit and gets turned off. He finds her human and weak until he gets to know her a bit and gets turned on. The middle ground is fraught with danger from villains, broken contracts and family drama. The degradation and bisexual aspects of this are small what is larger is the growth. The story is part of a series but is not necessary to have read book one to follow the plot. Story is told from dual POV.

Hot hot hotttttttttt my jaw dropped at the limo scene.

“Good girl.” I kiss her forehead. *screams*

Anti-hero gets the girl and omg what a book. Elizabeth pulled the rug out from under Monika (literally 😂 iykyk) and you hate Taranis but then he goes and forehead kisses her and supports her photography career and does things in the bedroom that I can’t write on the internet…they’re such a cute and chaotically neutral (Taranis may sit closer to evil) couple

Please mind the CW! Available on the author’s site.

Elizabeth Stephen’s really is THAT GIRL❤️‍🔥😍 I think she is one of my new favorite authors, especially for monster romance. I loved this even more than the first book in the interconnected series or standalone romances and I highly recommend it

Thank you Montlake and Elizabeth Stephens for providing this book for review via NetGalley. I haven’t read an ARC in a long time, and this was a really fun change of pace.

This book was not what I was expecting based on the marketing calling it a “romantic comedy” and the cutesy language used in the blurb. What they call getting “kind of ugly,” I would call “being a supremely horrible person.” Dark romances are not usually my thing, so I was disappointed with the love interest. He has zero regard for human life.

That said, I would describe this book more as a dark superhero adventure romance with plenty of violence, sex, and sneaking around.

Content warnings include mild gore, discussions of war crimes (the FMC used to be a war photo journalist), kidnapping, injury and burn details, torture, exploding heads, and minor characters getting eaten alive by rats.

This is a great book to read book club style with your friends. We had a blast talking about his white glitter horns (and other things…) and the names he chooses to go by. Honestly, I can’t think of a better book to read aloud with a glass of wine and good company.

While some of the writing and plot choices weren’t for me, I do think that fans of villain romances, alien romances, and the “bad boy whose only good for me” trope will quite enjoy this.

All Superheroes Need Photo Ops by Elizabeth Stephens throws us right back into the action, exploring the power, and deep resentment, everyone’s favorite Champion feels toward the humans who once adored him…everyone except one.

In this sequel to All Superheroes Need PR, we follow Monika Neumann, a celebrated war photojournalist now restless and uninspired, stuck photographing her boss and her superbeing fiancé as they plan their happily ever after. When Monika is offered the chance to work with Taranis, the once-beloved Champion whose popularity has started to crack, she quickly realizes his polished public image doesn’t reflect his true feelings or intentions. Taranis, tired of being the token “perfect” superbeing, is plotting to break free from the shackles of expectation, even if it means aligning himself with the Villains. As Monika and Taranis push and pull, each trying to get what they want from the other, their connection deepens in unexpected ways.

One of my favorite elements of this story was watching both Monika and Taranis shed the expectations placed on them to forge the lives they truly want. Monika, a queer woman with Black and Korean heritage, thrives in her career despite her family’s lack of understanding, finding exhilaration and purpose in chasing danger and capturing truth through her lens. Taranis, meanwhile, was forced into the role of golden child by a foster family who cared more about the fame he brought them than who he really was. Behind his carefully curated facade lies a hunger for freedom and authenticity. Their shared determination to claim their own paths pulls them together, forcing them to navigate trust, vulnerability, and desire.

I absolutely loved this book and hoping there will be more in this world because there is so much more I want to know about the superbeings origins and the keys to their transformation!

If you’re looking for a romance that blends high-stakes action, layered characters, and sizzling chemistry in a world of superbeings and secrets, All Superheroes Need Photo Ops is a must-read.

I’ve highlighted Elizabeth Stephens quite a bit on my blog over the years. She creates such unique and original stories, and I always fall in love with her characters and romances. All Superheroes Need Photo Ops was no exception. It's a fun and swoon-worthy romance and a great addition to the Supers in the City series!

Initially, Taranis, the MMC, is hard to like. Arrogant, condescending, and deceitful, he has a very negative view of humans. Actually, he has a negative view of most everything, and his desire for power over all is his main motivation. Luckily, Taranis shows an incredible amount of growth over the course of the story, thanks to Monika.

Monika and Taranis are fantastic together, and I love their banter! Their chemistry is also off the charts, and their sexy scenes are HOT! Like, grab a fan kind of hot because you will be swooning by the end. Stephens really has a skill in creating supercharged sexual energy and spicy shmexy scenes. Loved it!

The plot is also interesting and builds upon the first book in the series, All Superheroes Need PR. It’s exciting and suspenseful, and I’m really curious to find out more about this group that came from another planet. There’s so much we still don’t know about them, and that they don’t know about themselves, and it will be interesting to see what happens as they learn more. I also love that the characters from the first book have roles in this book, too. They’re fantastic, and to see how in love they are and how their relationship has progressed warmed my heart.

If you like spicy sci-fi romance or paranormal romance that’s suspenseful, sexy, and fun, this is definitely a series to check out! Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Really liked this one. It was very funny and charming! Can"t wait til this is released to spread the word... Really recommend!

I absolutely ate this book up! I was eager to get back to the characters, action, and tension every time I had to put it down—it’s a fantastic follow-up to book one. The stakes are higher for everyone, including the villains, and the intensity never lets up. You’ll likely hate the MMC at first—he’s pretty awful—but his redemption arc is so emotional it might just make you cry. The FMC, on the other hand, is instantly likable: tough, skilled, and level-headed even when faced with impossible choices, the kind of heroine you wish you could be friends with. The romance is both spicy and tender, with plenty of consent and mutual enjoyment, and the plot thickens in all the right ways. If you’re after a gripping love story with action, heat, and high emotional payoff, start with book one and dive right in—this series just keeps getting better.

This was such a fun follow-up to the first book All Superheroes Need PR. Supers in the City #2 gives us Monika’s story with Taranis aka Darius. Her job? Capture the perfect shots to soften his image and make him seem less… villainous.

I won’t give away too much to avoid spoilers, but I had a blast reading this. I love the plot so much. It’s so entertaining and the spice was spicing! I love when a plus size woman is loved on. It makes me feel so validated. I’m not going to lie, I was not a big fan of Darius. He’s mean and toxic AF LOL. But he definitely grew on me. Monika brought out the best of him. That said, I couldn’t help but be a fan when he put his… ahem… extra appendage to use. This is a wildly entertaining romantic comedy with plenty of laughs, banter, and heat.

Elizabeth Stephens is an immediate purchase author. This series is an action-packed steamy alien romp.
Her characters are diverse and the aliens are oh so swoony. I enjoyed reading this book but the only problem is I have to wait for the next one.

This book is the second in the Supers in the City Series and follows Monika, the badass photographer from the first book, and the champion Taranius.

This book worked more for me than the first in the series did but I’m not sure if this series is for me.

I really enjoy the world that has been built, I think the concept of Champions & Villains is super interesting. However, my biggest issue is that the MMC or “hero” in this book is so unlikable. I actually cannot stand him. He has more of a redemption arc than the MMC in the first book. But I just wish readers were given a reason to root for him, and the relationship, at the beginning of the book.

If you enjoyed the first book in this series I think you’ll like this one even more!

Thank you to Montlake and Net Galley for my eARC!

It's a weird situation when neither of the main characters is particularly likable, but the book is. There's plenty of action and interesting subplots, but I never really connected with either Monika or Darius, and I also didn't really feel like they connected with each other except sexually. Darius in particular had such a mean and disinterested inner monologue that it felt very much out of left field when he professed his love for Monika (ok but WHY do you love her, D?).

I also was unprepared for (but not at all upset by!) the level of spice in this book. The creative use of tail in particular was enough to keep me reading even if I only really believed that these two people (errrm, individuals) had the hots for each other instead of feeling true lasting emotions. The superhero groups are really interesting, and I would definitely pick up the next book to see what happens there.

Be sure you check the trigger warnings if you are at all sensitive to torture, violence, abuse, etc.

This is going to sound weird but I loved how much I hated the MMC at first. He really had to earn my (and Monika’s) trust, making him such a good villain with a great arc and character development.

Monika is super cool and badass, loved her as an FMC. The way she was so brave and tough made me love the fact that she was more submissive with Darius; people can be both!

This story was fun and it was awesome seeing Roland and Vanessa again. I do think they’re still my favorite but I can’t wait to meet the future couples!

Loved this one!!!! I was not fooled by our MMC’s facade at the beginning, but I had absolutely no idea where this book was going and I loved every bit of it! Can’t wait for the next one!

I looooved this book and I adore this series so far! The tension between the two main characters had me foaming at the mouth and their relationship dynamic is so good, and the epilogue was SO sweet. I loved every second of it and I will be reading Elizabeth Stephen’s entire backlog now!

I didn't think I would love the second book in this series as much as I did the first, but I was WRONG!!! I am obsessed with this book!!!

Spoiler for All Superheroes Need PR: Now that we know the true intention of the "48" and that the possibility of reversion is looming, it's not a matter of if but when for Taranis.

We know of Taranis's reputation. He's the golden boy. The number one super hero. The most beautiful man/alien in the world. Too bad that in real life he's a complete asshole. He's selfish, disrespectful, hates humans, and has his own agenda. Now that Roland/Wyvern is getting all the press, he's feeling a little neglected. Good thing he's got a plan for how to get back on top.

Insert Monika. She's the war correspondent photojournalist who's working for Wyvern. She's taking the incredible pictures all over the news and social media. If Taranis can get photos that good, he'll be back on top in no time. He uses every ounce of charm to seduce her into signing a contract to work with him. And on the first job....he almost lets her die. She gets some great photos, and overhears him talk about how he's aligned himself with the villains.

Monika can't believe the "man" he had a poster on her wall of is secretly working against the good. She's asked to become a spy for the Champions of Earth (The corporation in charge of all the superheroes.) So she accepts his invitation to be her plus one to an event. Unfortunately, he reverts at the event and then...they bang in the back of the limo.

I promise I will get back to the limo in a moment, because it's worth coming back to. But Taranis's reversion happening all at once, and caught on video by Monika, is a shift from the slow transformation Roland goes through in All Superheroes Need PR. I think this was a great choice because we know what's happening. It's not a mystery. All the better because Taranis's new horns and claws turn white and glittery. I can't even with these alien appearances!!!!

Okay, back to the limo. This is when we discover that our queer, curvy Monika is a sub who's never met a Dom who can meet her needs. Until now. Taranis's bully personality extends to the bedroom. He tops her with the perfect balance of degradation and praise. Ya'll. It was 8:15am when I read this scene and I was sweating. Sweating!!!! Elizabeth Stephens pulled no punches with the spice in this book, and I am all here for it.

Taranis starts as a secret villain, whose world view and life goals change when he meets Monika. Ya'll, she doesn't change him. She doesn't try to. But his priorities take a 180 degree turn. He doesn't want to the everybody's favorite hero anymore. He's okay being Monika's villain.

I'm in love. I'm obsessed. I need another book in this series.