Review: Jinx (Bigtime #3) by Jennifer Estep

Title: Jinx

Series: Bigtime #3

Previous books in this series: Karma Girl (#1) | Hot Mama (#2)

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: Adult, paranormal romance, superheroes

Publication date: December 2013 (first published August 2008)

Published by: Jennifer Estep (1st edition by Berkley)

Source: Purchased ebook

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Synopsis: Thanks to her unwanted superpower, fashion designer Bella Bulluci may be the luckiest woman in Bigtime, N.Y. But luck can be good or bad, and it seems like just as many embarrassing things happen to Bella as do positive ones.

Like when a charity event that Bella plans get crashed by Hangman, a deadly ubervillain who's after a prize sapphire that's on display. Hangman almost succeeds in stealing the jewel for his evil ubervillain boss, Prism, but Bella's luck helps her escape with the sapphire—along with some help from the suave and charming Debonair.

Debonair's not an ubervillain, but he's not really a superhero either. Still, Bella can't help but fall for him, despite her personal vow to have as little to do with heroes and villains as possible. But with Hangman and Prism still after the sapphire, Bella's going to need every bit of her luck power just to survive...

My rating: ★★★☆☆

Friends, me and this series are just not getting along. And this is very hard for me to admit because you know I love all things Jennifer Estep 😩 But I have to be honest! My main issue with this series is the instalove. If it wasn’t for that, I feel like I would enjoy it a lot more.

Right from the start I was not a fan of Debonair. He was arrogant and not in the fun way like Logan freaking Quinn (from Mythos Academy... I love him!) There was one part where he was saying that the only thing he steals is kisses and that most of them were freely given... that just kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, most? I’m sorry but I don’t like that statement.

(Maybe it was a joke? I hope it was a joke 😬) Debonair also mentioned (while declaring his love for her way too early on in the relationship, I might add) that Bella was very important to him. And I was like, you don’t even know her! Your alter ego doesn’t know her! There has been ZERO suggestions that his alter ego was ever close to her... I mean, besides the one, singular date they had a while back. That’s it! Oh, and then Bella and her family are having dinner with his alter ego and he is quiet AF cause in reality he’s actually quite shy. He claims they know each other, but this is what I mean! To know someone, you gotta talk, my dude 😂

There were some interesting aspects to Debonair though. Like the fact that his Lair of Seduction was just a front. And the lair is exactly what is sounds like it is—it’s where he takes his many lovers to sex it up... or so everyone thinks. This is why I’m hoping the thing he said about stealing kisses was a joke, because apparently Debonair doesn’t go around sleeping with everything that walks on two legs. I guess this makes him feel more confident when he puts on his mask, because in his real life he’s just a regular, shy, businessman with “average” looks.

Also, the art he steals, he actually restores it! It’s not mentioned in the book whether he returns the art or not, but I’d like to think that he does, since he’s a big fan of it.

As for Bella, I started off routing for her. When she first met Debonair she resisted his charms and refused to be manhandled by her and I was FOR IT! But when it came to the declaration of love, she was right there too and I was very disappointed. Here is the thing, I am fine with all the physical attraction. I really am. BUT, for me, there needs to be more substance in the relationship than just sex! And that is what the relationships in this series are like, unfortunately. I just want more! I want them to have deep conversation and get to know each other and sure, you can throw in some sex, but just give me more substance! Instalove is the worst 😒

And overall, I did not have a great time following Bella. She was just no fun. She saw the negative in everything and it got old fast. She hates superheroes because of the family legacy of Johnny Angel. She hates her powers because... she can’t control them? I’m not quite sure there, BUT Mr. Sage did offer to help her control her powers and she refused and I honestly don’t know why. WHY wouldn’t you want to know how to control them?? Oh and the self hate... holy crap! Bella is on the curvy side and she fat shames herself SO much. I get that this book was first published in the early 2000s, but still! Oh and then not only that but there is also a lot of body shaming and slut shaming of other women and it was just... no. Not into it.

So, what did I like? I do like the superhero aspect of the series—I think that is a lot of fun! One of my favorite superheroes that has only been mentioned in passing in the previous books is Granny Cane. She is exactly as she sounds like—an older woman, a Granny if you will 😆, in a superhero gear going out at night and beating the ever loving crap out of criminals with her cane! I LOVE IT! We actually got a little bit more of her in this book and that made me very happy.

So we find out that Granny Cane is Grace, Bobby’s lady friend. And at the end of the book Bobby starts going out with Granny Cane and calls himself Grandpa Pain 🤣🤣🤣 Omg I love this!

I also enjoy a lot of the other characters and their fun banter. One character in particular that I really love is Bella’s grandfather, Bobby. I love that he feeds everyone from the plumber to the pool boy like a Hispanic mom 😂 Like MY mom! 🤣 You will not leave our house hungry, I swear! Lol.

I also really liked that we got quite a bit of Joanne toward the end of this book. She’s only had minor appearances in the previous books, and I have to admit I wasn’t the biggest fan of her. But this book changed my perspective on her. She is tough and she can take care of herself and I love that! They call her a Black Widow because she tends to marry for money and then she dumps the guys after she’s taken everything they’re worth, but with this current husband they seem to be very much in love and it was just really sweet to see.

Sooo yeah. This series has been a tough read. I was not a fan of Karma Girl for the same reasons I was not a fan of this one: I did not like the main character and I loathed the romance. But I actually really enjoyed the second book, Hot Mama! Fiona was great, and even though the romance was still instalove-y, their relationship had more substance and I actually liked the love interest. I still have hopes that the last two books in the series will be better, but for now, I’m gonna take a short break from this series 😅

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Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! 😊