A review by sarah_taleweaver
Her Fake Superhero Boyfriend by H.L. Burke, H.L. Burke

5.0

Yet another awesome superhero rom-com from H.L. Burke! Her Fake Superhero Boyfriend features face-shifting supervillain KC (last seen in Wishing on a Supervillain), whose best-laid plans to get out of the criminal life have gone awry, and new lady lead Mira, a sweetheart aspiring fashion designer stuck with a toxic and stuck-up (and unfortunately wealthy) family. K.C. agrees to pose as Mira's superhero boyfriend as an opportunity to further a heist . . . Of course, he never expected to fall in love with her.

I'll admit that it was pretty much a given that I'd love this book. After all, it contains a variation on one of my favorite tropes — we all know the one. The con-man comes to town, looking to pull a scheme, his main focus his own benefit, until he meets the princess, falls hard, and finds a reason to be who he could be instead of who he is. In this case, KC is our con-man of a thousand faces (literally), though he differs from the usual candidates for this trope in that he has pretty good morals already — he knows the life he's living isn't good for him; he just doesn't know how to get out, and he hopes this last heist will give him what he needs to start fresh. Mira, meanwhile, is our princess, a sweet cinnamon roll who wants to see the best in others . . . but who gets walked all over by her family because of it.

Of course, KC and Mira end up being exactly what the other needs. I loved the ways KC encouraged Mira and helped her to become more confident, even though he was originally only there as a cover. I also loved the ways in which Mira became the last nudge KC needed to make the changes he knew he needed in the beginning. Their dynamic was just so good; I loved it.

I also loved the two individually. Aside from being a supervillain, KC is a former theater kid and a genuinely nice guy. I enjoyed his old movie references (even if I didn't get all of them), and I really liked seeing his growth over the course of the story. Mira was also a delight; I loved her creativity and dedication to her dream, and it was lovely to see her become more confident as the story went on.

The storyline was excellent, as always: a good balance of heart, humor, and heist-y-ness. It's mostly character-focused, but the more tense action bits at the climax worked well. As for the ending, that was just superb.

That Her Fake Superhero Boyfriend is so good is no surprise — pretty much all the Superhero Romance Project books have been hits. Burke's blend of superheroes and rom-com tropes is a recipe for success, and this installment is no exception.