The Superheroes Union: Dynama [Kindle Edition]

Ruth Diaz (Author)

Book Description

What if your evil ex really was evil?

TJ Gutierrez used to be a superhero. But after the birth of her twins seven years ago, she hung up the yellow spandex. Until the day her archenemy and ex-husband, Singularity, breaks out of prison. When it becomes clear he's after the kids, she's forced to call the nanny helpline—and once again become...Dynama!

Annmarie Smith doesn't have a superpower. She saves the world by keeping kids safe while their parents fight evil.

She temporarily moves in with TJ, and the way the magnetic mama puts family first captures Annmarie's respect, and maybe her heart—even though she knows better than to fall for a superhero. Still, it's hard to resist their wicked chemistry. Kapow!

But they can only hide from the world for so long. When Singularity's quest for custody puts the kids' lives in danger, can the two women conquer the evil villain and save TJ's family—all before their first date?

34,000 words

Product Details

• File Size: 225 KB
• Print Length: 89 pages
• Publisher: Carina Press (August 20, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0088NH2J8
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,563 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The fantastic meets the everyday in a lovely f/f superhero romance! August 20, 2012

By Stacy

Format:Kindle Edition

Superhero stories are not uncommon these days, but what sets Ruth Diaz's world building apart in DYNAMA is her focus not on plot, but on people. What would superpowers mean for a messy divorce? For a new romance? For a mother's love for her children? These questions, in which the everyday meets the fantastic, are the ones that drive DYNAMA. Unlike in most superhero stories, the world is not at stake, but human drama doesn't need to happen on an epic scale in order to be compelling. DYNAMA is an extremely well-told story, populated by interested, motivated, and well-drawn characters. The romance is lovely, but not all consuming; as in life, everyone has other things to worry about, too. Altogether, I think that was what impressed me most about Diaz's story: if there really were superheros and supervillains in our world, real people who fell in love and fell out of love and loved their kids and had deep, philosophical disagreements about how the world should be, then it would look a lot like it does in DYNAMA.

Highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, Feel-Good, Unique, Wonderful August 20, 2012

By Violetta Vane

Format:Kindle Edition

Full disclosure: I'm a friend and beta partner of Ruth Diaz. I read this for the first time a few weeks ago, and absolutely loved it. On one level it's a very simple story--a woman tries to protect her family, and in the process, finds unexpected love--with a straightforward plot and a feel-good resolution. On another level, it's incredibly complicated and clever and subversive in its relation to the superhero genre. Superhero stories that make it to the big screen are overwhelmingly male-centered and focus on big world-changing action; The Superheroes Union: Dynama is just as much about what happens when the heroes go home. What is their home, anyway? Is it possible to separate their work from their lives? TJ Gutierrez (AKA Dynama) has to tackle that problem head on, as a superhero single mom whose ex-husband has gone supervillain. Her problems are larger-than-life, in true superhero fashion, but instantly relatable. She's vulnerable, but resourceful, both because of her superpowers and her natural intelligence. And her love interest is shown to be so lovely and sweet (though not boring and flawless) that it seems utterly natural for them to fall in love.

This novella is perfectly balanced between the epic ass-kicking stuff and the domestic making-pancakes stuff. It works as a romance and an action story at the same time. The description doesn't stop at the bedroom door, but sex isn't the linchpin of the story, either, and I think it would appeal both to regular readers of lesbian romance and those who don't know the first thing about it (like me). I'm really looking forward to new installments in The Superheroes Union series, because Dynama really has it off to a banging start.

5.0 out of 5 stars Family Drama Supersized February 1, 2013

By ManiacalShen

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Ms. Diaz does a great job worldbuilding for this novel, and her characters have a surprising depth and variety in their motivations for a story of this length. The action is good, the romance is adorable, and the drama will leave you wanting more.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and engaging December 9, 2012

By Random Person

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I found this story to be very good. The writing flowed nicely and the world seemed well thought out and it was a lot of fun to sink into. I particularly enjoyed how the superheroes had a union and that there was a history to the world that we got bits of. The romance between the two main characters was a little too easy, there didn't seem to be any conflict for them as a couple. But overall I found the story to be fun and engaging and I'm eager to read whatever she writes next.

4.0 out of 5 stars A romantic bisexual superhero adventure November 16, 2012

By Sally Bend

Format:Kindle Edition

A romantic bisexual superhero adventure, The Superheroes Union: Dynama is a wonderfully fun piece of fiction from Ruth Diaz. The basic premise is as crazy as it is original - when her supervillian ex-husband escapes from prison, a retired superhero is forced to break out the spandex once again, leaving her kids with a nanny who specializes in superhero families . . . and with whom she falls in love.

What I loved most about the tale is the fact that Diaz doesn't try to recreate the feel of a superhero comic book adventure. Hers is very much a story of people, emotions, relationships, and (most importantly) consequences. She looks at the very human awkwardness of a messy divorce, and the equally human awkwardness of a new relationship, all within the context of a world where superpowers are a fact of life, not a driving force. There's are no grand schemes of world domination to thwart, just relationships to be resolved or mended.

TJ/Dynama is a wonderfully complex character, one who makes you believe that a woman can be a wife, a mother, and a superhero all rolled into one. She's neither perfect nor infallible, and makes the same bad kind of decisions any of us could make. As for Annemarie, the first word that comes to mind when I think of her is 'cute'. She is just such an adorable character, she actually comes across as less authentic than her superpowered lover, which may not have been an intentional twist, but one that I enjoyed.

Overall, this was a quick, fun, feel-good read, and one with a happy ending that still leaves room for more stories in Diaz's world.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Minimal Good vs. Evil + Lukewarm Romance = Bummer! September 10, 2012

By Rhianna Walker VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition

As with a few of the titles I've reviewed recently I find myself citing the blurb as giving a great enough gist of the plot I don't have to summarize it myself. In boiled down basics THE SUPERHEROES UNION: DYNAMA's blurb lays it out. Former superhero mom, evil ex-husband-slash-arch-enemy father of her twin kids, babysitter to the rescue, romance, superhero custody battle, neat and tidy ending. Except that the ex isn't really all that evil, the babysitter spends more time ogling the mom's breasts and whining about her childhood than being really useful, and the mom herself seems very detached from it all.

I'm a geek for anything superhero related and thought I'd be getting something a little more Sky High or The Incredibles-ish with the family element. What I got was a pair of heroines I found very dislikable. Annmarie is bland, whiny, and well, what we geeks call a Mary-Sue. TJ has so many names, nicknames, and aliases (Heidi, Hidden Hand, Dynama, Terry, etc.) I was constantly confused who was being referred to. When I could figure it it was TJ who was being spoken of I found her to be completely 2 dimensional. There was a lot of telling the reader she cared about her kids and not a lot of showing. More dumbfounding to me was how TJ and Annmarie never had a moment of sorting out the girl-girl attraction, since TJ had obviously been married to a guy I expected there to be at least a moment where it would be noted between them that she was bisexual. (Yes, I admit this was my first lesbian romance so maybe I just don't know how these things are supposed to be done but it felt contrived to me personally because there was never any discussion of the matter).

The whole evil ex part of the plot was so slow and boring up until the end I almost didn't finish it.... I honestly think this should have been a plot for an actual superhero comic book because it read like one without the pictures to pull it along. I honestly didn't want to review TSU:D because I felt guilty for not liking it and really don't want readers to think it had anything to do with it being a GLBT romance. I was actually thrilled to try a lesbian romance finally but found it lacked in the areas I would dislike whether the couple were m/m, f/m, or f/f, orientation really didn't matter here, unlikable characters and a lackluster plot just didn't sell me.

If you're looking for a superhero romance (as I was) I'd suggest a pass on this one. There's just too much focus on the politics of being a superhero and the couple are too unlikable as individuals to enjoy as romantic interests. If you're a fan of lesbian romance already you might like it but I honestly have no basis for comparison yet so I can't be a fair judge.

***Review copy received via NetGalley. Read more ›

More About the Author

Ruth Diaz chooses to spend her life walking between worlds. With one foot in the fantastic and one foot in the sensual, she enjoys writing people to destinations they might never have reached on their own. When she's not creating space station-shaped castles in the air and crafting unearthly love stories, she works as a freelance editor and reads in her spare time. A misplaced Arizonan, she and her husband are currently stranded in upstate New York. For more information, please visit ruthdiazwrites.wordpress.com.