She's Bad News

She's Bad News

by Elle Spellman

4 out of 5

Synopsis
What would you do if you woke up with super powers?

For Bella Brown, life hasn't gone according to plan. She's almost thirty, still living in her uneventful hometown, and her dreams of becoming an investigative reporter have fallen by the wayside.

That is, until she wakes up one morning to find she's been gifted with some amazing new abilities. What’s a girl to do with heightened senses, super speed and the ability to lift a truck one-handed? Bella quickly discovers that her new powers can easily help her land front-page leads at local newspaper, The Hartleybourne Gazette.

Soon Bella's out every night chasing down local criminals for stories, while keeping her powers a secret from everyone besides flatmate Chloe. But when a burglary-gone-wrong accidentally turns her into the mysterious Hartleybourne Heroine, Bella finds herself on the front page for the wrong reasons. Her secret becomes harder to keep as she tries to track down the source of her powers, and especially when crime reporter Matt Gilmore is intent on unmasking the town's new vigilante...

Suddenly, having an extraordinary life is far more dangerous than she ever imagined.



Review
Stuck in a dead-end job, in the little, unimportant town she grew up in, Bella is suddenly lumbered with superpowers. Whilst tracking down the source, Bella inadvertently becomes a superhero.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bella is a wannabe. She wants to be successful, she wants to be a journalist, she wants the London life, she wants the respect of her family - and most of all - she wants to move away from Hartleybourne.
Unfortunately, she has lost a lot of passion and drive, after not being snapped up by a big newspaper after graduation. She lets her life pass in a humdrum manner. She has a little job, for the local rag; she rents a little flat with her best friend; and she lies to her family about having stories published in the big papers.

Through certain coincidences, Bella ends up with superpowers. Her primary goal is to find out why this happened to her, and what the bigger danger is, in case any less-savoury characters also got powers. But... she can't resist using her new powers to help the residents of Hartleybourne... wearing an 'Ann Summers' mask.

The story is really cute, and it provides a nice cozy mystery. It felt like Hot Fuzz with superheroes, except the dangers that the Hartleybourne Heroine faced felt like it could really happen in the distressed little town.

The plot is a light read, with no shocks or surprises. I wasn't particularly gripped by the story or narrative, but it was a nice book to dip into over the Easter weekend.
This was a 3.5 out of 5 for me.

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