Bruce Von Stiers
The US has had its share of superheroes. From Batman to Superman, Spidey and The Fantastic Four, we have been enthralled with these fictional crime-fighters.
Author A.J. Menden has taken the extraordinary powered superhero and made the person seem very human and yet very powerful. She has written an action / adventure romance that features a complete set of superheroes. The title of the book is Tekgrrl and was published by Dorchester Publishing.
Actually, you might call this book a sequel. Some of the characters in it were featured in Menden’s debut novel Phenomenal Girl 5.
In Tekgrrl, the reader gets to meet Mindy Clark, otherwise known by her superhero title Tekgrrl. She is a member of the crime fighting team, Elite Hands of Justice.
Mindy doesn’t have the average super hero powers. She does, however, have a knack for science and building crime fighting gadgets. Think MacGyver or maybe Burn Notice’s Michael Weston, only as a super hot chick.
But Mindy has a few problems. She’s getting older; closing in on thirty. She also doesn’t have a boyfriend. Her fellow crime-fighter Luke would be a good match, but somehow things just don’t click with them. And Mindy has been getting pretty nasty migraine headaches. Does it somehow have to do with a lost period in her life as a youth? She spent time on another planet but has suppressed memories of that time.
Trouble enters Mindy’s life in several ways. There’s a new woman with super powers named Serena who might get hired by the EHL. Serena also has a thing for Luke so Mindy will have competition if she really wants to pursue him.
The second piece of trouble comes in the form of Simon Leasure. It seems that previously Simon had been a member of the EHL but had fallen out of grace and kicked out. Now he somehow got appointed by the White House as the Presidential Secretary of Heroes. That might mean he’ll do something to shut down the EHL.
Oh and before I forget, Mindy all of a sudden actually has some super powers. And has some mysterious voice in her head, talking trash to her.
Tekgrrl is as much a romance novel as it is an action / adventure one. If Mindy can’t have Luke, who could she hook up with? The plot answers this in a delightful, but kind of predictable way. There are a few steamy scenarios but none too sleazy.
As for the action / adventure areas of the novel, they are pretty good. You get to see the overly human aspects of the super heroes trying to nab the bad guys without too much chaos. Comical at times, the action sequences are nicely done, with no over-the-top graphic violence.
Tekgrrl was a fun book to read. It had elements that fit well with the romance and action / adventure genres. If you like romance, are into comics, graphic novels, and light action and adventure then Tekgrrl might be something to check out.
Tekgrrl is available at most traditional and online book retailers. You can also get a copy through the Dorchester Publishing web site at www.dorchesterpub.com.
© 2010 Bruce E. Von Stiers