Part of Binge Reading Heroine Complex series

The emotional train is still going strong for our superhero trio and now the second arc of the trio's journey into managing life while kicking demon's ass continue. Kuhn bring back Evie Tanaka as the narrator for Book 4, Haunted Heroine. From all the trio (Evie, Aveda, Bea), I admit I have a soft spot for Evie since I can see myself on her. We both a first child with some chips on our shoulder, though Evie's emotional baggage was bigger than mine. The story itself continue directly from Heroine's Journey aka Bea's book. Evie find that she's pregnant with child. She's over the moon, her life is finally perfect. She's know a superheroine of her own right, become co-superheroine with her best friend, Aveda Jupiter. Her love life is also fabulous since Nate is so in love with her, and finally her tumultuous relationship with Bea turn to the right path with both of them agree to join therapy to process their emotions. All was good.

But is it?

While Haunted Heroine was indeed, feature ghosts and demons alike, I think the title also refer to Evie's haunted past. The setting of Haunted is back to Evie's college and since she's drop out from her grad, things was awkward. Especially, her ex, Richard, professor that love mansplaining and belittle his own student is still teaching there. In the other side, her pregnancy make Evie worried because one classic thinking. Is Evie capable to be a good mother since in the past she can't somehow become a good parent to Bea? Add it with some marital woes because Nate become emotionally distant from Evie and constantly reject her sexual advances. All of it kinda of overwhelming right? But I'm glad that Evie didn't face that all alone. She have Aveda in her side, that now is totally a best friend to Evie, a sign that show Aveda really change for the better. 

Kuhn kinda challenge Evie in this book. How to accept and let go of her pasts and regrets. How to forgive her own faults. I said that I have a soft spot for Evie, because I know how it feels to have a bottled up feeling. Evie is too hard to herself, Aveda pointed once that Evie can be angry for Richard's unfair treatment to the student in Morgan College but not angry for herself since Richard is also a douchebag to Evie. Her dilemma, her weariness to constantly balanced grad life and become a sole parent to Bea also what make Evie finally snap and yet she still feel guilty. A guilt that later will be weaponized against her. I like what Kuhn write for Evie's character development. It's feel like closure after what happen to Evie in the first book and also touch some topic from book 3 where Evie and Bea fight and Evie admit that she can't grieving after their mom's death because she just try to survive. I like that Kuhn incorporated via Nate that, life is not perfect and he also remind Evie that life is full of unexpected things but that what make it interesting. I feel that the pregnancy part also well written, since Evie's feeling for her pregnancy somehow valid and give me insight of the fear of a mom-to-be.

For romance department, while it's true that Evie and Nate become emotionally distant, I like how Kuhn solve the problem. The groveling scenes make me go aww and the heart to heart talk make me almost shed tears of my own. I admit that in book 1, both Evie and Nate is going too fast of their romance and also married 4 months after they proclaimed their love. So their problems were also stemmed from that fact and also both are broken in some ways. So it's so good to read how they solve their marital fights. I'm not read book 5 (Aveda) and book 6 (Bea) yet, but I always feel that when it comes to Evie and Nate, the sex scenes become scorching hot, lel. Some of Evie's horny thoughts are pretty hilarious to read, but in the same time also kinda sadden me because of the emotional distance between Evie and Nate. Don't fret tho, all will end well.

The ghosts itself didn't creepy of give me heebies jeebies. The villain itself more like the people in Morgan College that somehow become nasty and that including Richard, the big jerk. While I liked how Kuhn show that Richard's view regarding fantasy featured PoC is so bad, I just wish she didn't drag Tolkien's work. Like, I know I know, I get her points, but I really like Tolkien, sobs. Some of her writing in criticize the state of the fantasy literature and how student study it (since Richard is teaching the pop culture class) can be too in your face, but in the end it depends to how reader perceive it. In the other side, both Evie and Aveda got new friends from the undergraduate student and they finally enjoy what college life should be since Aveda didn't go to college and Evie dropped out. There's a new development regarding the demon portals and I'm curious if the villain from the first book will come back and start their villainy ways.

Overall, a good book that left me satisfied with how Evie's character develops and how she finally make peace with her pasts. The next book, Hollywood Heroine is about Aveda and I think, I'm intrigued for what Kuhn have for Aveda. Aveda in this book is totally a supportive characters, the diva persona is already gone although Aveda is still bossy. Aveda also kinda solved her "Annie Chang" problem in her own book, Heroine Worship, so there's no lingering past or regrets. Well, I must read her second arc book to find out, right?