The Riverpeak Heroes series by Jessica Salina follows the lives of people affected by a vigilante superhero, Hematite, who protects his small Colorado town of Riverpeak. The story unfolds from the perspectives of his love interest, sidekick, and supervillains in a series of four superhero romance novels for adults. Perfect for fans of Marvel, DC, or My Hero Academia.
NOT MY TIME
Riverpeak Heroes 1
Published: January 19, 2023
Re-release: August 8, 2023
What would you do if you were a superhero?
Rory Miller has dreamed of reuniting with the vigilante superhero Hematite ever since he saved her from a stalker. After nearly a decade of wishing, news of Hematite’s murder shakes her small town in Colorado to its core—but Rory gets a second chance at finding her hero when he reveals he’s not actually dead.
Kane Kelly is hiding two things from his best friend Rory: his secret identity as Hematite and his romantic feelings for her. As Kane seeks the truth about his superpowers, an anonymous YouTuber named Stone Breaker tries to stop him to protect the local crime ring responsible.
When Rory learns who is behind the YouTube channel and teams up with her hero, she becomes Stone Breaker’s next target and blurs the line between Kane’s double lives. Rory must face her past traumas headfirst to save Kane’s identity and her own life.
Trigger warnings: physical violence, gun violence, stalking, drug use (mentioned), blood
Tags: friends to lovers, secret identity romance, mental health issues (PTSD), mutual pining, small-town sociopolitical drama
Spice level: 3/5 (two on page, open door scenes)
TO BE NORMAL
Riverpeak Heroes 2
Published: May 31, 2023
Re-release: September 5, 2023
The sequel to NOT MY TIME.
When you’re a superhero’s sidekick, kiss your normal life goodbye.
Elijah Baron isn’t thrilled that his vigilante superhero best friend Kane—better known as Hematite—signed him up for a dating app, even though he’s single and in need of a date for a wedding. He’s even less thrilled that the dating app is so Kane can spy on the mysterious new girl in town, Hannah. Women are going missing in Riverpeak, and Kane suspects Hannah’s sudden arrival may be to blame.
When fantasy author and video game streamer Hannah Cohen moves to Riverpeak, she hopes a change of scenery will help her conquer writer’s block and escape her troubled past. But the more she falls for Elijah Baron, the more her past catches up to her.
As Elijah dates Hannah, he suspects she may have superpowers of her own. Will Hannah and Elijah end up on opposing sides of a superhero showdown, or will they get to live a normal life happily ever after?
Trigger warnings: gun violence, drug abuse (mentioned), murder, recreational marijuana use
Tags: one-sided fake dating, *hacker voice* I’m in, Jewish MCs, wedding drama
Spice level: 3/5 (two on page, open door scenes)
PLAY WITH FIRE
Riverpeak Heroes 3
Publishing: October 10, 2023
The third installment in Riverpeak Heroes. If you’re a morally gray supervillain lover, this one’s for you.
If you play with fire, you’re gonna get burned.
After escaping an abusive relationship with a self-proclaimed superhero, Amy Brewer feels powerless. Brick Beast—an associate of the more famous vigilante Hematite—is far from the hero he wants their town to believe he is. But with his super strength, Amy isn’t in any position to get revenge. Further complicating matters, all of her friends are connected to the vigilante duo, so she has no one to turn to.
After years of experiments and faking his death, Noah Sato has abilities that could rival Hematite’s immortality. Tired of his town’s reliance on vigilantes, Noah wants to level the playing field. When he meets Amy and learns that her ex-boyfriend is Brick Beast, he earns her trust through nights of passion and the promise to help her get her retribution.
Their partnership becomes complicated when Amy goes down a dark path, and Noah unintentionally develops romantic feelings for her. This supervillain romance contains violence, drug use, and strong language.
Trigger warnings: physical violence, mentions of abuse, drug use, torture, murder
Tags: villain protagonists, I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs, accidentally caught feelings
Spice level: 4/5 (two open door on page scenes, plus additional steamy moments)
ETCHED IN INK
Riverpeak Heroes 4
Publishing: November 7, 2023
The fourth and final installment in Riverpeak Heroes.
In the quest for love and power, you can’t have it all.
Sterling Harrison finally achieved his dreams. As the powerful leader of Riverpeak, Colorado’s crime ring, he’s acquired multiple superpowers, including the same immortality granted to his nemesis, the vigilante Hematite. But when he meets Jolene Gautier, he must balance his quest for love and power.
Tattoo artist Jolene Gautier can’t sleep thanks to a strange, secret power she can’t uncover. When she reaches out to Hematite, the superhero doesn’t answer – but Sterling does with promises to help.
As Jolene falls for Sterling, who teaches her how to use her tattoo manipulation, she slowly learns his secrets. But as Sterling unravels, trying to find a way to keep everything he’s worked so hard for, the final fight with Hematite looms ahead.
Trigger warnings: mentions of drug use, murder, gun violence, blood
Tags: opposites attract, soft only for her, touch her & die, tattoo magic, crime ring drama
Spice level: 3/5 (two on page open door sex scenes)