Review of ‘Never too Late for Heroes’ by A.L. Brooks

This book about lesbian superheroines would make a fantastic movie! It’s fun and exciting, with more serious undertones about duty and growing old.

Six years ago, under the supervision of Agent Geena Fox, a team of cousins with superpowers defeated supervillain Jewel. One of the superheroines died in the fight, or at least that’s what they thought. Geena Fox is now eagerly waiting for retirement, while the superfamily is growing old too fast in a retirement home. When Leigh Walker, a rookie, is assigned to her, Geena sends her on what seems to be a fool’s errand. Leigh, however, is determined to prove herself and not simply be seen as the daughter of her senator father. When she finds the woman Agent Fox thought she’d never see again, everything speeds up. Fyre Power is no more dead than Jewel, and the superheroines get back together for the ultimate fight to save the country.

I absolutely love the idea of aging superheroes, and Brooks does a great job telling the story of this extraordinary family: Fyre, her sister Reed and their cousins Val (Jewel’s sister), Mary and Sunny. The gap between elderly bodies and superpowers is underlined with both gentleness and humour. As strange as it might sound, all the characters are very relatable, even though most of them have superpowers and the others are secret agents of some kind. They are flawed and full of doubts but steadfast and strong.

There are two romances happening simultaneously: Geena has had a secret crush on Fyre forever and vice versa, and Agent Leigh Walker finds herself falling for the nosy but oh so sweet young nurse, Dana, at the retirement home where the Power quartet lives. One is older women finally overcoming their fears and getting a second chance, the other one is young love in all its freshness. Both love stories are sweet and full of promises.

The whole supervillain thing was fine but what I enjoyed the most was the banter between the cousins, the relationships with the agents and with Dana, the way each and every woman steps up and gives her best when necessity calls. It’s a whole lot of badass and I love it.

‘Never Too Late for Heroes’ is published as part of Ylva’s Superheroines Collection. I read the first ones, missed a couple and will go back to these ASAP… 4 stars.