Bella Bulluci is sick and tired of superheroes and ubervillains!  Is it too much to ask that she have a moment’s peace from all the chaos? Unfortunately, Bella has her own superpower- or rather, her own super JINX. Bella’s so-called power is luck, but this means that randomly odd things happen to her constantly, generally leaving her embarrassed. She’s determined that nothing will interfere with the upcoming fund raiser for the local museum… but a couple ubervillains have something else in mind. In the process, Bella finds herself frequently in contact with Debonair, a masked man who is neither a superhero nor an ubervillain but has the ability to transport. Will Bella forsake her dislike of superpowers when the attraction between Bella and Debonair heats up?

Jennifer Estep returns readers to the town of Bigtime, a campy but oh-so-fun look at superheroes and ubervillains! JINX is the third book in the series but is easily a stand alone story. While spoilers of a sort are revealed for the earlier books, the identities of all of the superheroes and ubervillains are never truly in question. In fact, this is part of the allure of the series as Jennifer Estep perfectly captures the tongue in cheek humor of the not-so-secret identities.

Bella’s super powered luck, what she calls her JINX, provides for some absolutely hysterical moments. Who can’t help but love a woman who’s practically cursed with a form of klutziness, even when it works to her advantage? However, her aversion to the whole world of superheroes is where her heart is truly displayed. Bella cares deeply, so deeply that she is willing to eschew love itself if it will protect her from the pain of the long nights waiting on a superhero to return safely home. Her pain and fear reach out to the reader as it is easy to understand where she is coming from.

Debonair is a fascinating and very lovable hero. His shyness despite his playboy image makes him absolutely endearing, even when he is doing his best to maintain his cocky image. His love for Bella shows through in everything he does and I couldn’t help but cheer him on as he wooed Bella.

Once again, Jennifer Estep has a hit on her hands! The storyline is fun, the characters are well drawn, and the humor hits just the right note. Keep them coming, Ms. Estep, as I can’t wait to visit Bigtime again!

Reviewed by Debbie

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Posted July 2008