This book was so good - I straight up devoured it!! This is story is funny and engaging and emotional and was just so freaking fun to read! I thought the premise was unique and interesting and I loved the idea of a superhero who was in need of a PR makeover.

Vanessa and Roland have amazing chemistry!! From their first meeting together there is no question these two have an intense connection…but it’s not all smooth sailing at all!!!

I loved Vanessa!! As a fellow introvert with anxiety, I thought she was so relatable and easy to root for. Oh Roland…when we meet him he is this intense Pyro who was brooding and a bit of a jerk…but there is so much more to him!

He ends up all in for Vanessa!! He’s protective and possessive and has quite the mouth on him 😉 Both of these characters have some great character growth and I loved Vanessa’s family.

✨What To Expect
😈Monster Romance
🧡Rom Com & Sci-Fi Vibes
❤️‍🔥Hate To Love
📌Workplace Romance
🎥Fake Dating
🥵Dirty Talking Superhero MMC
💋Black PR Director FMC
🔥He Falls First & HARD
💖She Has Anxiety
💥Diverse Cast
🌶️Spicy Scenes
🪢The Epilogue is a MUST READ!!!

“Hinges? I don’t know her” – Elizabeth Stephens, probably.

All Superheroes Need PR is so delightfully unhinged. Don’t mistake unhinged for thoughtless, because Elizabeth Stephens knows her craft. The characters and plot may lack hinges, but they are well structured. Vanessa owns and runs a PR company, but she resists being the face of the company because she has anxiety and PTSD. She wins a contract for her company to provide PR for the newest superhero, Roland, an alien who landed on Earth as a child and can control fire. Things immediately go wrong at Roland’s first meeting with the PR team when he looks at Vanessa and gets violently angry. For no apparent reason. Later, when she is at a bar getting drunk, he shows up, she barfs on him, and then he flies her to her parents’ house to recover. Vanessa is naturally confused by his unprovoked rejection followed by an unexpected act of care. Meeting Vanessa starts a chain reaction in Roland that brings to light a hidden threat.

I almost put the book down at Roland’s initial reaction to Vanessa. I have too much real world experience with men who lead with anger to want to spend time with that kind of anger in a love interest. But, I have seen too many reviewers I trust extolling the banana-pants virtues of Elizabeth Stephens, so I kept reading. I ended up enjoying the book more than I expected after the initial meeting between Vanessa and Roland.

One of the things I particularly liked was Vanessa as a multifaceted character. Her history as a survivor of child abuse is a significant part of her arc. She is anxious in public and around people she doesn’t know and is the brains of her company. When a character tries to break her using her past, she’s able to be like, “worse people than you have tried.” She is allowed to be soft, vulnerable, capable, and the cavalry. I really loved her family, both officially and unofficially adopted.

We get the start of what looks like a series long arc about the aliens who landed on Earth as children. I can’t wait to see how Stephens explores the aliens, who are pushed to be either “villains” or “heroes.” Roland rejects the roles that everyone else tries to impose on him, choosing Vanessa over everything. He turned out to be interesting. There were a few things he did that made me side-eye him. I’m not a huge fan of the morality chain trope, but Roland avoids a lot of what I don’t like about it by taking ownership of his actions. I’m so glad we spend time in his head.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Montlake and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Mᴀʏ 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I saw this gorgeous cover and was immediately intrigued. I was so excited to get a ALC and ARC of this so I could read and listen at the same time! The voice actors for this dual narration were *chefs kiss*!

This is not your average rom-com- it’s so much more. The plot is fun and interesting, but not too fluffy. It definitely kept my attention. The characters have depth, are relatable, and diverse - which is to be expected if you’ve read this author before. I loved all of the varying relationships and personalities.

While there’s definitely an “insta” component between Nessa and Rollo, it wasn’t cringe at all and their connection was genuine and vulnerable. They were stumbling around in the dark together and I was rooting for them the whole way. Their dynamic was just what I wanted and the tension and spice had me kicking my feet! Rollo can boss me around ANY DAY.

10/10! No notes, Elizabeth is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. I need to hurry up and make my way through her backlist.

I am sold on the entire series. I don’t know how many there will be or who they’ll feature but this was absolutely fantastic. Elizabeth Stephens was meant for contemporary romance, giving readers lines that making us burst out with both laughter and disbelief! Vanessa has a past that sadly, for many, will be SO relatable. But to have her, their, story told is to be seen. And of course Roland is the perfect anti-hero, VERY swoon worthy. I will read this ENTIRE SERIES. I pre-ordered the physical book soon as I started it, and will preorder book two as soon as I can!

<b>Reading All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens was like tackling a coconut. The first few chapters are a bit hard and difficult to get into but once I got in, it was all juicy and sweet and refreshing! Vanessa and Rolland's story is one of the most unique love stories I have read this year! Madness, chaos, entertainment, action, passion..it was a beautiful mix.</b>

🔥 Alien superhero FMC ( fire is his whole entity!)
🔥 adorable awkward boss babe FMC
🔥 Enemies to lovers
🔥 she is his PR head!
🔥fake relationship
🔥 Sci fi romance
🔥 POC leads

So this is set in a world where children in pods arrived in the Earth from different planets and a Supernatural Defense Department was formed that placed the children with different host families. Naturally some of them turned out to be superheroes and become a part of Champions of Earth Coalition( COE). Some became super villains and part of the Villains Network of America(VNA). The newest member of COE was supposed to go to VNA. So Pyro aka Rolland Casteel needs an image rebranding. And Vanessa's company got the deal. But Rolland wants more than PR. He wants Vanessa to be his girlfriend. With Rolland's past that he has forgotten and his Obsession with Vanessa..she is in a tricky situation.

<b>Now doesn't that read like a Marvel movie and I am crazy about it. Rolland is so intense and I fcking love it! From the first moment, Vanessa unlocked ( pun intended and you will get it when you read the book) something feral and primal in him. He didn't care about saving earth but protecting Vanessa and becoming her hero was his only goal and that's why he decided to take his job as superhero seriously. Vanessa has a traumatic past but she has fought her battles with anxiety and has become this successful business owner. But she still struggles with social anxiety and Rolland is putting limelight on her. He is so over the top alpha and possessive and protective that it could be ridiculous but it just works so well. There is certain level of vulnerability in our superhero that made Vanessa comfortable with him. The plot thickened with mysterious markings appearing on his body and Vanessa falling for him despite her reservations. Can a superhero story be complete without villains? Nope. So you have your Marvel-like fight scenes and actions with Vanessa becoming his savior in the end! The good wins over evil and the final true version of Rolland is so freaking adorable. It was witty and funny but at the same time the chemistry was sizzling hot and the emotions were riding high!</b>

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens is a fun romantic comedy featuring Vanessa Theriot and Roland Casteel. Vanessa is the director for her public relations company. Roland, formerly known as the Pryo (villain), is rebranding as the Wyvern (hero) and is one of 48 beings who crashed onto Earth as children 22 years ago with superpowers but no memories from where they came from. Over time, these 48 beings are marketed as either heroes or villains. As Roland swaps from villain to hero, Vanessa plays his heroine in the Lois Lane clause, faking a relationship for the public, despite how shy and socially anxious she is. However, they find that falling in love is the key to their superhero narrative changing.

This book was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and has solidified itself among my top three favorite pieces of media (in no order) that features super beings: The Incredibles, Sky High, and now All Superheroes Need PR. (Yes, I am aware that Marvel and DC exist— I stand by my favorites.)

Reading Roland’s chapters had me screaming, giggling, and kicking my feet. This book, specifically getting to read how absolutely down *bad* Roland is for Vanessa, is the epitome of everything I love about reading dual POV. Before this novel, I’d forgotten how much I love a morally grey hero who will do *anything* for the person they love, and I LOVED reading Roland’s inner thoughts of wanting to immediately kidnap Vanessa to keep for himself but do everything in real life to try and meet her where she’s at, especially in regards to her anxiety and trauma.

And Vanessa. My Vanessa. (Well, really, Rollo’s Nessa.) She is a smart, successful Black woman who shines in her career and the people she surrounds herself with. The fact that her mental health and her past never hold her back from anything is everything I aspire to be like for myself.

Reading Roland uplift Vanessa into seeing herself as the courageous person she truly is, for giving her a safe place with a safe being to feel the range of emotions necessary to help her in her healing journey— *CHEF’S KISS.*

And the family!! Both found and adopted!! I adore them!! The chaos and protectiveness of Vanessa’s brothers and her parents, the explicit reassurance that Margerie gives as not only her colleague but as her friend, and the presence of (almost) all of the above and those in her c-suite and their refusal to let Vanessa go towards danger on her own— these are everything I absolutely love!!! I love this community that Vanessa is a part of!!!

I was actually disgruntled (with a genuine shout of surprise) when I realized that I’d reached the epilogue— in the highest of compliments— because I didn’t want this story to end. I was having far too much fun to let go of this world and its characters (especially Rollo).

<spoiler> I AM ALSO A BIG FAN OF THE ALIEN BODY CHANGES AS ROLLO REVERTED BACK TO HIS ORIGINAL FORM. MORE! KNOTTING! IN MORE! BOOKS! ESPECIALLY HORNS FOR HANDLEBARS! INCLUDE MORE OF THAT TOO. </spoiler>

I don’t know if Elizabeth Stephens has more stories from within this universe that she plans to tell, but please sign me up for every single one if she does. In the meantime, I’m excited to move her other works up to my more immediate TBR. Thank you, Netgalley and Montlake, for the ARC!

In a world where dozens of alien babies landed on earth and grew up to have superpowers, a successful businesswoman pitches to have her company win the PR contract of a former “neutral” who is considering joining the hero alliance to fight against the villains. This book is like if the world of The Boys had a genuine Superman origin story but make it a spicy romance.

I really was enjoying it up until about the middle. The FMC Vanessa was just the kind of wounded bird I usually like - a foster kid still dealing with the trauma and PTSD of abusive parents, though having severe anxiety she has built a successful career for herself. The MMC Roland was fine - a fairly generic insta-obsessed tough guy who can barely communicate but is fiercely protective. The diversity in the characters was great too, with lots of black, Latinex and LGBTQ+ characters (Vanessa’s 2IC is trans).

Unfortunately the 2nd half of the book let me down in both plotting and character development. The world-building was overall quite shallow and disappointing, with many things left half-explained and the ending very rushed. I also would say the action sequences needed some work. The sexual relationship between the MMCs was crazy OTT intense, and this and the soft Dom vibe in the bedroom felt really out of place to me in what was otherwise a lighthearted romcom.

There are so many things I can say about this book. I felt myself slipping into a reading slump and this book singlehandedly prevented said slump. The banter, the heat, the tension - everything about this was delicious. Alien romance meets a rom-com, the humor and character development of this book really worked well for me.

Vanessa is the CEO of a marketing firm. She is an incredibly anxious human. She has PTSD and panic attacks and her family is extremely protective of her. Within a few chapters, Roland and Vanessa come to a head a few times. First he quickly makes it known he does not care for her after declining to work with her firm as the newest champion (hero). Second, she vomits all over him after too much wine. Next thing we know, they are fake dating. The tension from that point forward gave everything you want in a rom-com that is disguised as an alien romance.

Elizabeth Stephens writes books that work for me. I've read a few of her novels now, and they all give me exactly what I want when I'm reading them. I am so grateful to have read this book early to be able to shout from the rooftops. Thank you to the author for the early copy! I promise you're going to want to pick this one up!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All Superheroes Need PR is a fun filled adventure. In a world full of heroes and villains, Vanessa is a n9rmal human who owns a PR company. She is shy and quiet, but very good at what she does. Roland, or Pyro his pseudonym, is one 9f 48 aliens who came to earth many years ago. They were raised on earth in foster families and because of their unusual powers became superheroes or villains. Roland has been walking the line between superhero and villain for years, until he meets Vanessa. He has never cared about or for humans before until her, but he soon finds himself obsessed and wanting to become a hero for her.

This story was a new, fun take on superheroes. The world building was not very detailed and easy to follow. The storyline was entertaining and the characters were fun. Vanessa has a history of abuse and neglect and doesn't trust others easily. Roland bursts his way into her life and completely takes it over. She finds herself swept up in hos world and in him. Their chemistry ans tension is palpable. The side characters were not very deep, but were still fun. The story was fun and a quick read. The story started off a little slow but quickly picked up. I would recommend if you like shy, soft FMCs, overbearing MMCs, forced proximity, and adventure filled shenanigans. Check trigger warnings.

WOW! Elizabeth Stephens continues to show me that she is the QUEEN of Sci-fi romance!

This was like any of the Avengers movies but a closer look at the romance between characters. Which is what I and I am willing to bet so many Marvel fans need more of in the movies.

Anyways I love the FMC, she is about her profession and her close knit community. She just wants to do her best for her crew of employees so she will stop at nothing. Something Stephens excels in is no matter the temperament of her FMCs there is strength in them! And I love that.

The mysterious MMC comes in the picture with a literal bang and no one in the book, nor I was ready to see what his outcome was going to be.

This was adventurous and funny and had lots of great steam!

This book was such a fun time. I really enjoyed the premise and I'm excited for the next book in the series to see how things will play out. The representation in this book was done SO WELL. As someone who has anxiety and social awkwardness, I could relate with Vanessa. This was the perfect mix of romance, action, and comedy.

I have enjoyed all of the books I've read by Elizabeth Stephens, but it feels like her two 2025 releases really hit the mark.

“she’s going to make a villain out of me.”

I’m obsessed with this book! I loved the world in which it was set and the characters and I cannot wait for more books in this series.

All Superheroes Need PR is a ‘fantastical romantic comedy’ that follows Roland and Vanessa - he’s a superhuman trying to decide whether to be a hero or a villain, and she’s the director of a PR/Marketing firm who want to be responsible for his rebrand. Their plan - step one, swap his villain name ‘Pyro’ for a more heroic name like the ‘Wyvern’. Step two - a makeover. Step three - every Superman needs a Lois Lane. The only problem, Vanessa herself wasn’t expecting to play that role - but she’ll accept the terms to fake date Roland if it means her firm gets the contract. What she didn’t expect was to fall for him for real. When a supervillain takes control of the narrative - can Roland still be the hero Vanessa wants him to be? When it might take a villain to save her - the woman who’s ‘becoming the human love of his superhero life’.

“You may be my fake girlfriend, but you’re still mine. And I look after what’s mine.”

Aaaahhhhh, Roland was just 10/10. The fact that we got chapters from his POV was just perfection! I loved the way he was so protective and possessive, but reigned it in so he didn’t scare her away and didn’t want to act in a way that wouldn’t be publicly favourable as he knew it would be damaging to her company (I.e. hurting the reporters that chased her and not kidnapping her). The fact he went to her co-workers for advice after their argument and the way he compensated the kids after they helped her! He was so gone for her from the start and I am here for it. Just obsessed!

In terms of Vanessa’s character, she has childhood trauma that makes it difficult for her to open up to people - issues with anxiety and public speaking. She’s the badass owner of a company - hugely successful, great manager and you can tell she loves her team, just doesn’t like the public facing stuff. Absolutely loved her character! The relationship she has with her brothers, and how they protected her, and the relationship she has with Margerie just shaped her into such a lovable FMC. I loved how she stood up for herself when it comes to Roland and how she put herself out there for him in the Lois Lane clause - even though it terrified her.

Overall I’m obsessed with their relationship - actual goals. The tension and subsequent spice - 10/10! I love a ‘there’s only one bed’ trope and forced proximity and this did it so well.

In terms of side characters, I loved all the employees at her firm (especially Margerie) and her brothers! Hopefully we get to see more of them in future books in the series.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one! If you’re looking for a superhero (or villain!) romance with lots of comedy, plenty of tension, spice and an obsessed MMC then this is the book for you!

ARC copy provided by Montlake & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was just okay. The concept was fun, but the execution didn’t quite land for me. I really struggled with the heroine’s voice; she was overly self-critical to the point of being frustrating, which made it hard to connect with her or enjoy her journey.

This is the second book of Elizabeth Stephens that has had this sort of heroine and I likely won’t read more.

I'm a big fan of Stephens' Xiveri Mates series and was really interested to read her take on aliens in a contemporary setting with this highly original and intriguing premise, despite not being much of a romcom fan.

Unfortunately, this was everything I dislike about romcoms, and I didn't find it even remotely funny. (I'm tired of clumsiness as the low-hanging comedy fruit, and I found Vanessa's ignorance of the correct title and its pronunciation for her Thai counterpart and the failure of a character who claims she can negotiate contracts in her sleep to note the Lois Lane clause that led to the fake dating plot to be frustrating and annoying rather than funny, considering she's the CEO of a major PR firm.)

Beyond this, I simply didn't care for Roland's character at all. The immediate hyper-alpha asshole vibes just really did not work for me in this context and also made it really difficult to feel like I knew anything about me. It simply overwhelmed his character arc for me. It's hard to root for a romance when you don't enjoy one of the characters in it.

I'm really bummed that this didn't work for me. It's such a cool premise.

Thanks to Montlake, the author, and Netgalley for the advance copy of this title.

I loved this book and reading it put the biggest smile on my face.

48 aliens with superpowers fell to the earth two decades ago and slowly they were labeled as ‘heroes’ or ‘villains’. Pyro is the last of the supers to not be labeled so he is a hot commodity for PR companies. This idea was genius and created such a wonderful and exciting world. I was a huge fan of Smallville growing up and this just scratched that same itch.

Vanessa was such a funny and relatable character. She runs a PR firm, but she also feels like a real person. She makes mistakes and she is very clumsy. She makes a fool of herself in their first meeting with Pyro, but then finds herself signing a 10 year PR deal. What she doesn’t realize when she signs the deal is that she has also agreed to be Pyro’s, soon to be rebranded as Wyvern’s, ‘Lois Lane.’ Enter one of my favorite tropes, fake dating.

I love the chemistry between Roland and Vanessa. I love the action in this story. I love the representation in both main characters and the side characters. I love that Vanessa and Roland both had foster families growing up but still had very different childhoods. I love how fast paced this story was and kept me reading until I finished in a single sitting. And I loved the spice.

This is a Romantasy/Sci-fi romance that reads a lot like a contemporary romance. This is a wonderful book for readers that have read a lot of contemporary romance and are looking into dipping their toes into the fantasy/sci-fi side of romance. There isn’t a ton of world building and the world building is simple to understand.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy and an advanced listener copy so I read this wonderful story in tandem and really immerse myself into this world and this story.

Think you've had enough of Marvel like superheroes? Then you need to delve into the world of the 48!  These superheroes are flawed, sarcastic, egos the size of a mountain and lots of missing memories.

Meet Vanessa.  PR Guru but shyest person on the planet.  She strategizes and develops brands like a pro but people - them she can do without. Her small group of friends/colleagues are supportive and affectionate but they can still call-out each other like no one's business!

Meet Roland, formerly known as Pyro and now the Wyvern.  AS one of the 48 he controls fire. He initially wants as little to do with being a hero as possible.  But after meeting Vanessa, he fires her and then comes back with the most ridiculous contract. But Vanessa, ever the people pleaser agrees and now she finds herself Lois Lane -ing to Roland's character.

I loved this story hard.  Its like Marvel and Hitch had a baby and that baby was diverse and queer friendly.  The representation for bigger girls, black and brown main characters and queer/trans characters was flawless to my eyes and I just loved deling into the world.  It's set almost in a Smallville type town and the heroes and villains are working for a corporation (surprise, surprise).

The found family vibes are impactful as Vanessa finds herself with not just a loving, supportive adoptive family (and far too many blinking brothers!) but also a small tribe in her friends, especially Margorie who is just the best friend everyone wants to have. There are many scenes that made me laugh out loud, not only the initial "meet the family" scene.  It is very instalove but it's very comic/superhero driven so that makes sense - everything moves at warpspeed!  Roland is very good at the growly, possessive, dirty talking and Vanessa is the "good girl" incarnate.

This isn't just comic like banter and fight scenes though, the MC's are dealing with traumatic childhoods, learning to fit in, social anxiety and self esteem issues

I'm here for more!  I read this as an ebook ARC via netgalley and am impatiently awaiting my PB copy for the shelf!

DNF'ed at 15%. I think with the cover and description I had a very different idea of what this book was going to be like. I loved the diversity of characters and the idea of a PR firm needed for a potential superhero. However, the instant love and growl/tough MMC who is over protective and obsessed with the FMC is not what I enjoy to read. I don't DNF often, but I was completely unprepared for this book. I know tons of people enjoy this kind of book, but the cover and description didn't give me the heads up to make sure this book found its intended reader!

I snagged this title when it was Read Now on NetGalley. I love seeing different people’s takes on superpowers so this seemed like fun. I was entertained but there was room for optimization.

I was surprised to learn this wasn’t a debut. Stephens has a bad habit of stopping the narrative flow to throw in backstory or a flashback in time. It makes things clunky and awkward. Don’t interrupt the action to tell us something that can be moved elsewhere in the narrative. This did not pair well with the early name dropping (employees, brothers).

The plot and concepts were interesting. I love seeing different takes on superpowers. A lot of it got dropped at the end so the story felt unbalanced. We start with a lot of human drama and end with a ridiculous battle scene. It was like MCU’s Civil War had a weird baby with a romcom.

You wouldn’t guess it from the beginning but there’s also some quality smut. The door is open and the sex is plot critical. The romance had some tropes I’m not fond of: insta-love, touch her and die, and some DarRo tendencies from our love interest. They weren’t bad, just not my vibe.

Overall, I was entertained and am interested in future books in this series. I’m hoping future books get a smoother flow and a better balance of human drama and high action plot.

Hero? Villain? Maybe Rolland is a bit of both. But image is everything which is why Vanessa is going to give him a rebrand from Pyro to Wyvern and pose as his Lois Lane. But that is only just the start.

Read if you like:
-Alien/Monster Romance
-Only One Bed
-Fake Dating

I love how All Superheroes Need PR developed! I'll admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of the first few chapters. I had trouble finding my footing. It felt like everything was moving so fast, but I grew to love Elizabeth Stephen's quick-and quick witted-writing style. My favorite thing about the book was the push and pull between the hero and villain potential inside Rolland. He really did make a great hero, but would have been a really good villain.

I throughly enjoyed this book! When I saw superheroes in the title I thought, “oh this is going to be good!”. I loved the twists and turns and trying to figure out where the plot was going. I didn’t expect that whole discovery at the end! I need book two! I have so many questions that need answers! Very fun, very cute and kept me interested!