Review of Phantom Lovers

Evernight Publishing, 2012

Phantom Lovers
Marie Medina


This ebook was a freebie put out by Evernight Publishing. It's a short story, so know that right off the bat because my critique of the book is directly related to its brevity. And yes, this is for all intents and purposes a piece of erotic fluff, but I've always believed that erotica can be as enjoyably romantic as mainstream best-sellers. But more on that in a bit.

Lynsay doesn't believe in ghosts, and she definitely doesn't believe the theater where she works is haunted. But she can't deny the truth when two men appear out of nowhere. Nor can she deny her powerful attraction to them.

John and William, lovers in life and afterlife, have had their eyes Lynsay since she first came to their theatre. They watched, wanted . . . and waited. Now they've decided the tine for waiting is over. But will she return their feelings?

Normally, when reviewing shorter works, I try to avoid statements like "if only it were longer" since that's inherently unfair. Novellas and short stories are not intended to be novels and shouldn't be read or evaluated as a novel would be.

It's very tempting to do so, however, isn't it?

For instance, the only solid complaint I have about Phantom Lovers is something that was caused by its length and could have been resolved with a bigger word count: the first month of the trio's relationship is completely leapfrogged by one of those "one month later" cheats.

Sure, the author saved all the big action for after the jump, but I always enjoy the parts where characters first start to learn each other–‒the flirting, the sexual tension, the epiphany moments. These are the elements of romances I love most. So it was a let-down for me when the characters go from basic strangers on one page to established lovers the next. And since John and William are already infatuated with Lynsay when the story opens, at no point do we really get to see anyone fall in love. And that's just no fun.

Yes, I appreciate that a short story needs to get to the point. And, in this case, much of that point was the consummation of the relationship. Still, I can't help but wish we'd gotten more because I think it would have been a great segment. I mean, c'mon . . . Not only does Lynsay have to come to terms with loving two men equally, but they also happen to be ghosts. As in, long dead, invisible to everyone else, and confined to the building they haunt. Then there's the men's side of things–‒bringing a third lover into a decades-established relationship, a woman they've longed for but can only be with during stolen moments of the day. I'm telling you, it could have been good.

So where does that leave us? With an erotic story that, though sweet and spicy, isn't particularly romantic. Which isn't a bad thing, honestly. Sometimes you want a book that gets down to business. But if you're looking for a love story, this one won't satisfy that itch. I did like the writing, however–‒enough to be curious about other work by Marie Medina.

Other Reviews:

Punya Reviews

Dangerous Voices

Dangerous Voices by Rae Carson

Rae Carson, November 2012

Okay, so this isn't a paranormal romance; but I just finished read this with my morning cup of tea and liked it so much that I had to comment on it.

First off, this is a short story. And I don't read short stories. I appreciate them -- I once took an entire college course dedicated to short stories, and I learned that there's an awful lot going on in those little snippets. It takes a lot of skill to successfully execute a short story. Often, I feel that only the cleverest of writers can pull it off. Which, I imagine, is part of the reason why I don't read them. Most of the ones I've tried just weren't engaging enough. They couldn't escape the criticism, "this would have been good if it were a full-length story." And have you ever noticed that a lot of shorts are kind of... weird? So I steer clear of the genre despite knowing full and well that there's quality reads out there.

Dangerous Voices is written by Rae Carson, author of the Fire and Thorns series. I picked up Dangerous Voices during one of my downloading binges of free ebooks from Amazon. Most of such books are novella-length, and I didn't catch that Dangerous Voices was a short until I actually started to read it. I figured, what the hell. I would "bust it out", as one of my favorite people likes to say, then move on to a "real" book.

Expectations are funny things, aren't they? I set off with a lofty mentality, like I was doing this story a favor by reading it. And I was enthralled within the first sentences. I poured over the rest of the story, tea going cold at my side, and I remained enthralled. I can't even break out the standby critique, that cop-out statement, "it was so good, it would have better as a novel." No, this story was perfectly written as it was, and I couldn't imagine it otherwise.

The story is about a man, named Errik, who has been imprisoned so long that he's lost track of the years. Alone and broken, his world is only enlivened by the momentary sunlight that comes through his window. Until a new prisoner is brought in and put in the cell next to his. Llyri is gifted with the music that was taken from Errik -- and the magic that he turned his back on. He knows it's dangerous to speak to her, but he's compelled to make that connection. Will Llyri help him remember what it means to be free? Or will the music and magic be taken from them both?

Several things went right with this story. The language is beautiful and poetic, but it isn't so ornate that it overwhelms the plot. Everything flows seamlessly from start to finish, with not a single obstacle or gap to disrupt the reading experience. And the characters are skillfully crafted. The four entities -- Errik, Llyri, Allon, and "the keys" -- come through as fully developed characters despite the brevity of their appearances. They are the real substance of the story, a narrowed but finely focused lens into this fantastical world of magic and music.

This story did not leave me wanting more -- I was perfectly satisfied. Perhaps my view on short stories is turned around. Or maybe Rae Carson is just that good.

Read more reviews: That Girl Reads / Bright Stars in a Big Sky

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