- Voice: Michael Lesley narrates solo from Landon's first-person point of view, balancing wisecracking bravado with real affection for August.
- Big ideas: Found-family misfits, trust under illusion, love treated as already secure
- Atmosphere: Quirky and lighthearted
- Worth it?: A funny, low-angst superhero sequel for existing Vexing Villains fans, though newcomers should start with A Villain for Christmas first.
A Hero in Hiding is narrated in first person by Landon, a telekinetic who insists, in the opening lines of the synopsis, that his days should be filled with nothing more than admiring his boyfriend August, reading, and petting his villain cat. This audiobook spends its nine hours and twenty-eight minutes proving that wish wrong almost immediately, since August's habit of caring about people keeps dragging both of them back into danger neither one asked for.
What We Made of It
Comedy leads the premise from its very first joke: Landon claims he does not care about people the way August does, then spends the whole book flinging bad guys with his telekinesis to keep August safe anyway. The real complication arrives when someone uses an illusion power against him, and Landon, despite being by his own account one of the most powerful supers alive, cannot tell what is real anymore, which the synopsis describes as the lines beginning to blur. That twist turns a fairly straightforward will-they-keep-each-other-safe premise into something closer to a psychological puzzle layered on top of the superhero antics. The supporting cast gets just as much personality in the synopsis as the leads: a firestarter who has a habit of burning the clothes off other people, much to Landon's evident approval when it happens to August, an assassin the synopsis calls excitable who really needs to ask before shooting, and an illusionist described as disgustingly normal by comparison to the rest of the group. Landon's closing line in the synopsis, that he is joking about wanting to save the world and really just wants to make sure no one touches his man, sets the tone for the whole book: high stakes, delivered with a shrug and a joke. Even the villain cat gets treated as a fixture of Landon's domestic life rather than a punchline dropped once and forgotten, which suggests the synopsis's opening joke about wanting nothing more than August, books, and a cat is meant to describe a real, specific version of contentment that the plot keeps interrupting.
Why A Hero in Hiding Works as an Audiobook
Returning fans respond with something close to euphoria. Reviewer padme35 says the first book, A Villain for Christmas, was one of their favorite reads of 2019 and favorite audiobooks of 2020, and that the anticipation for this follow-up, which nearly slipped past their radar for four months, was more than repaid once they started listening. Avid reader 1 describes doing a lot of yelling and cheering while listening, which is about as strong a testament to narrator Michael Lesley's ability to land the comedic beats as an unscripted audience reaction can offer. Golden Child highlights two new additions to the cast, Ellison and Deus, as a favorite part of this specific entry, suggesting the found-family ensemble keeps expanding in ways longtime listeners appreciate rather than just recycling the same supporting players. SisterPreacher55 focuses on the relationship itself, calling the dynamic between August and Landon tender and quirky, and noting that despite the powers and the villains, the two leads are still written as human, with faults, rather than as invincible archetypes. That combination, real stakes handled with a comedic touch and a central relationship reviewers keep calling sweet rather than angsty, is the throughline across every review on file. None of the five reviewers single out a weak stretch or a dropped subplot, which for a second installment in an ongoing series is a fairly strong signal that the found-family ensemble is expanding without diluting the central couple's storyline.
A Few Reservations
This listing's rating carries a real data problem worth explaining plainly. The book displays 4.7 stars, but the ratings counter shows just a single rating, and a single whole-star vote cannot mathematically produce a 4.7 average under any rounding convention, not from one five-star rating and not from any other single score. Meanwhile, five full written reviews sit visible on the page, all detailed and specific, which means the counter and the visible review activity are simply out of sync with each other. I cannot tell you why that mismatch exists, only that it does, and that the 4.7 figure should not be read as meaningfully verified by a single vote the way the number implies. Separately, this is the second book in the Vexing Villains series, and reviewer SisterPreacher55 states directly that you need to read the first book, A Villain for Christmas, to fully understand the tender and quirky relationship between August and Landon. Skipping straight to this one means missing whatever established the couple's dynamic in the first place. Listeners should also expect a fairly irreverent, joke-forward tone throughout; if you want your superhero fiction played straight rather than winked at, the synopsis's own closing joke about not really caring about saving the world offers a fair preview of what is coming. One more practical note: the genre listing here is lgbtq-plus without any additional descriptive tags attached, so listeners relying on tags to gauge spice level, pacing, or content specifics beyond the synopsis itself will not find much extra guidance on this particular listing.
Who Should Listen to A Hero in Hiding
This is a strong pick for listeners who want superhero romance with a found-family ensemble and a genuine sense of humor about its own premise, villain cat included. Fans of low-angst couples, the kind SisterPreacher55 describes as tender rather than dramatic, will likely appreciate that August and Landon's relationship is treated as an established, secure thing under threat from outside forces rather than from each other. If you enjoyed the first book, A Villain for Christmas, this is presented consistently across reviews as a satisfying continuation rather than a letdown. Hold off if you have not read that first book, since SisterPreacher55's advice on that point is specific and unambiguous. Joke-forward narration is also worth weighing if it tends to undercut your enjoyment of stakes-driven plots, since Landon's telekinesis, the illusion threat, and Golden Child's comments about heroes not being infallible are all delivered with a wink rather than played for maximum tension. Michael Lesley's narration has to carry a first-person voice that is simultaneously flippant and protective, and reviewers' consistent enthusiasm across five detailed accounts suggests that balance lands. Listeners who prefer their found-family ensembles to keep growing book over book, rather than freezing at the original cast, should also take real encouragement from Golden Child's specific enthusiasm for newcomers Ellison and Deus, two additions that reviewer frames as a genuine highlight rather than filler.
Before You Listen
How much does the A Hero in Hiding audiobook rely on listeners already knowing A Villain for Christmas?
Quite a bit, per reviewer SisterPreacher55, whose review calls reading the first book necessary to understand the tender, quirky relationship between August and Landon. A Hero in Hiding builds on that established dynamic as the second Vexing Villains entry rather than reintroducing it from scratch.
Is the A Hero in Hiding audiobook narrated from one character's point of view?
Yes. The story is told entirely from Landon's first-person perspective, a telekinetic super who spends the book protecting his boyfriend August. Michael Lesley narrates that single viewpoint solo across the full runtime, rather than splitting narration duties between multiple characters.
How much of the A Hero in Hiding audiobook is comedy versus serious superhero action?
Reviews describe a mostly comedic, joke-forward tone, with Landon's own narration downplaying the stakes even during genuine danger. Golden Child notes a more serious undercurrent about heroes not being infallible, but the overall register, per every review on file, stays closer to funny than grim.
