Author: H.D. Carlton
Publisher: H.D. Carlton
Publish Date: January 14, 2025
Format: Paperback
Pages: 367
Rating: 3/5
Spice: 3.5/5
Genres: romance, dark romance, mafia romance, historical romance, smut, historical fiction, adult
Content Warnings: stalking, cheating (not between love interests), graphic violence and murder, graphic language, on-page rape and domestic violence (not between love interests), alcohol addiction and codependency, infertility and traumatic labor, *kinks: degradation, breath play, fear play
I have mixed feelings about this book. It was a steady, slow burn kind of read, but it never lost my interest. There was something about this book that drew me in and kept me wondering. Honestly, as I type this review, it was probably the hope and anticipation that things would become a bit more exciting and fill the gaps. But nope, that never happened. I was hoping for a climax of some sort but I didn’t really detect one. Maybe I missed it, who knows… But the spice… was definitely spicy!
I enjoyed the duality of Genevieve’s character. I saw several similarities in character between Gigi and myself, which is probably why I adored her so heavily. She was soft, classy, gorgeous, loving, considerate, and respectful of herself and others. She seemed like the type of woman who made you want to love and deeply crave her. She also possesses an alluring, gothic dark side to her that really comes out during her encounters with her Phantom. So on one hand she’s this elegant, demure lover girl, but she can also morph into this darkly enchanting vixen.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I support the affair between her and her Phantom. Her husband promised her that he would take care of her and their daughter and he more than failed at doing so. Gigi didn’t deserve the turn that her husband repeatedly decided to take. Their marriage provided insight into the societal norms placed upon marriage and women during a great portion of the 1900s. More specifically, the standards and restrictions placed upon women during this time period such as the divorce process, sexual expectations in marriage and so on. So when her Phantom swooped in, alleviated her fears, ensured her and her daughter were taken care of and introduced her to the beginning of getting to know herself outside of being a wife and mom, I was all for it!
I thoroughly enjoyed the way her Phantom cared for her. At times, a part of me wondered if he was going to turn into this avoidant character and withdraw from her, but reading chapters from his point of view provided clarity. I loved his nickname for Gigi, “mia rosa”, and the origin of said name. He was a very rough, cold-hearted mafia consigliere who had a thing for murdering people. But despite his cold heart, his love for Gigi was on fire! He’d do anything for her. Literally, anything. Unlike her husband, her Phantom encouraged her to explore her dark side. He made her feel comfortable enough to embrace that side of her, which I support! I will say though, I don’t think he really cared for her daughter or stepping into the role as stepfather. It felt like he considered Gigi’s daughter out of his uncontrollable obsession for her. He knew that he could never have Gigi without loving her Babygirl just as much. But had she been willing to leave her daughter with her husband, he would’ve been perfectly okay with that, I believe.
As for her husband, John… I have no words. I also feel like his close friend tried to make a move on Gigi a few times throughout the book as well. But… anyway.
I didn’t really care too much for the transitions in time. An example of this is early on in Gigi’s encounters with her Phantom, they weren’t exchanging many words when he would visit her, but then all of a sudden, the next chapter starts with her saying he’s visited several times. I would’ve loved to read more about that time period. It was also said that secrets were exchanged between them as they continued to get to know each other, but the reader was left in the dark on that. I also wasn’t feeling the diary pages at the end of the chapters because they were basically summaries of what we had just read. The only entries I found helpful were the few where she discussed her communication with her best friend. There weren’t any interactions between them in the actual chapters so the entries were interesting in this regard. They also weren’t the most visually appealing as the pages were dark and something about the print wasn’t easy on my eyes.
By no means was this a bad read, it just lacked development and smooth transitions. This book is labeled as a standalone, but I noticed some readers have disagreed with this claim. Personally, I think it could be a standalone if you don’t know the other books exists… if that makes sense. I hadn’t read the Cat and Mouse Duet before reading this book and didn’t think anything of it not being a standalone until I found out the others exist. However, I do think it’s worth reading to stay in the loop of the series. I plan to read the Cat and Mouse Duet sometime soon, but not sure when.
Curious for more? Indulge in the full story on amazon: Phantom by H.D. Carlton
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