I cracked open Putting Out for a Hero the moment—the moment!—it appeared on my e-reader. It’s no secret that I go wild for C. Rochelle’s Villainous Things series (check out my reviews of book 1 and book 2), so needless to say this was a highly anticipated read. I’m happy to report back that it was everything I hoped it would be and more.
Note: I’ve aimed to keep this review spoiler-free, but I do mention a few minor non-spoilery things about books 1 and 2.
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The Villainous Things Series by C. Rochelle
Putting Out for a Hero by C. Rochelle
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
(you can find my rating and spice system here)
POV & Tense: Dual POV, first person, past tense
Genre: Superhero Science Fiction, MM Romance, Monster Romance
Tropes/Themes: Secret Identities, Fated Mates, Forced Proximity, Mutual Obsession, Sports Rivals to Lovers, Bisexual Awakening, Size Difference, Lizard D, Hurt/Comfort, Single Dad, Oh no—he’s engaged to my sister
Synopsis:
His siblings might refer to him as ‘The Dumb One’, but Baltasar Suarez (aka Blunt Force) is determined to pull his weight in the clan and prove he can be useful. As the only non-gay brother, he’s enlisted in an arranged marriage with ice-queen Dahlia Salah (aka Atmosphera) to solidify an alliance between their families. The problem: her brother is his former Deathball nemesis, and living under the same roof is bringing up all sorts of awkward and uncomfortable feelings—feelings that Balty would rather not examine.
Zion Salah (aka Scaled Justice) has been going through the motions since the death of his partner, and his daughter Daisy has been his sole priority. That is, until his longtime secret crush becomes betrothed to his backstabbing sister. Zion’s inner beast has declared Balty as HIS, and he will do anything to make it so, family and supe politics be damned.
My Review:
C. Rochelle has written another banger. After devouring the first two Villainous Things books, I have been biding my time while eagerly devouring the snippets and art she shares on Instagram. I’ll admit I had a brief moment of worry wondering whether I’d hyped myself up too much for this book… and it was unfounded. Putting Out for a Hero deserves ALL THE HYPE.
Amazing Characterization
There are many things I love about C. Rochelle’s books, especially how she’s able to thoroughly convey what is special about each character. During Himbos, Wolfy was creepy AF. But during Gentlemen, we got to see a softer, vulnerable side to the firstborn Suarez. Balty’s cluelessness has been a source of comedic relief throughout the books, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But C. Rochelle has worked her magic and the Baltasar we get in Putting Out for a Hero is adorably sweet and naïve (a true cinnamon roll), and you really feel for him when he messes up his press interviews. Zion’s POV was equally compelling, dealing with repressed grief, being the father Daisy needs, balancing his human and monstrous sides, and proving that heroes and villains are alike in their motivations and actions. I adore these two so much.
Most concerning was now that I’d opened the Pandora’s box of my deeply buried Baltasar Suarez fantasies, I didn’t know how I could shut it again. Because I knew from experience that once my beast saw something he wanted… There’s little that would stop him from claiming it.
~Zion
Bi for You
Gay for you / bi for you trope is irresistible. The whole idea of being attached to one personal identity, and then having that identity called into question through new stimuli, is too good to resist. Baltasar is securely attached to his identity as being the only straight Suarez male. But when forced into close quarters with Zion, he’s faced with an undeniable pull that’s existed between them since they first faced off against each other in Deathball (where despite there being a field full of players, Zion and Balty spent much of their time tackling each other). And no matter how hard Balty tries to ignore it and explain it away, the magnetic pull won’t go away. A good portion of Putting Out is a slow-burn romance, but Balty’s got a lot to work through and his journey is so satisfying.
At this moment, I absolutely did not care that I was engaged to someone else or that my dick was embarrisingly covered in an adhesive lizard finish. Right now, the only thing that mattered—that existed—was Zion Salah’s enormous hand stroking my needy, possibly gay, cock.
~Baltasar
Monster Romance
Monster romance is near and dear to my heart, and C. Rochelle has brought that to the table in Putting Out for a Hero with Zion’s supe form: a psychotic godzilla-like monster. He’s got scales, slits for eyes, extrasensory abilities, and a rocket pop-like ridged appendage with a knot. Zion’s beast has a mind of its own and keeps coming to the surface whenever Zion lets down his guard. But it’s okay, Balty’s into it.
There was nothing like running through the forest while wearing only a jockstrap to make you question your life choices. Although, at least the jock is keeping my boner in line. Because no matter how potentially dangerous my current situation was, I had never been hornier. Come and get me you crazy lizard.
~Baltasar
Single Dad Raising a Lizard Queen
I enjoy well-done child characters in novels, and Daisy Salah is a delight. Kids acting wise beyond their years out of necessity is a favorite trope, and as a half-normie outcast with no powers, Zion has raised his daughter to be vigilant. She doesn’t suffer fools gladly but takes an instant liking to Balty, who has no filter and speaks his mind. And of course, seeing Balty with his child only strengthens Zion’s attraction.
Worldbuilding
One of my favorite things about the Villainous Things series is the worldbuilding. The series is layered like an onion, and with each book C. Rochelle peels back more layers, revealing more about the world. I went wild for the revelations in Gentlemen, and similarly those layers are expanded upon here, and the plot thickens… I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t go into details, but let’s just say my eyes are wide open and I’m eagerly awaiting further revelations in the final two books.
Final Thoughts
Putting Out for a Hero was worth the wait (but really, it was hardly a wait—I’m so impressed by C. Rochelle’s productivity—and it was everything I’d hoped it would be. I would describe it as being slightly less smutty than the first two, but only because we need to overcome Balty’s ‘straightness’ and resistance to Zion. But when we got to the smutty parts, C. Rochelle delivered big time. If you like rivals to lovers, gay for you, forced proximity, primal play, monster romance, mystery, clan rivalry, laced with a little kid fic, you’re going to love this one.
I’ve already pre-ordered the fourth book, Enter the Multi-Vers (it’s the twins’ book), and am looking forward to it. And I just know I’m going to go back and reread the first three books again sometime soon.
Putting Out for a Hero by C. Rochelle (Villainous Things Book 3)
Author Stalking (but not in a creepy way):
C. Rochelle is the author of MM, MFF, and Why Choose? paranormal romance (she’s got several series with witchy, monster, or superhero themes).
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