Christine Feehan

Unbridled passion collides with an unearthly danger in this thrilling GhostWalker novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

GhostWalker #18

Phantom Game

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

First Impressions
Phantom Game is the most recent addition to the Ghostwalker series and this was purely delightful, I had quite a bit of fun with this one. It was quite interesting because we got to see some unique dynamics that we don’t normally see here and I really loved seeing a couple come together like what we have in Jonas and Camellia. We also have some other involvement from some of our old favorites that was the icing on the cake and if you are a fan of the series then you will come to really love how Feehan handled these interactions and see what all of the factors make sense and the manner in which they come together. And there is an overarching plot to the series where we get further answers as well and I really had such a fun time with the quick-witted bantering that comes into play here. I will admit that I didn’t know where Feehan was going to take this story, but I really admired the development of the plot and the depths of growth we see in the romance.

Summary
Jonas “Smoke” Harper is a phantom walker and has always felt different from the other and in many ways feels like he is a monster and not worthy of living at times. But seeing the way his brothers have found their mates, he has always had the hope for finding that for himself. When he walks into a garden, he never expected to find his other half and even though he knows that Whitney paired them, he feels a connection to her that no manipulation of genes could develop. She is a woman that steals his breath and inspires him to be a better man. Camellia has always had an affinity for growing nature, she connects to it in a way that is purely magical. She has been on the run from Whitney, hiding a valuable plant that is rare and if Whitney knew of its abilities, would destroy in order to possess it. Camella knows whose compound lives close, including those sisters she developed a bond with as a child. But she is a lone wolf and prefers her solitude. What she doesn’t expect is a male to enter her domain, a man she can’t determine if he is good or not. But when she feels the connection to Jonas, she knows that he is different. But when its discovered that they are all in danger and a team is being sent out to destroy them all, Jonas and Camellia join forces with the others to bring a stop to the force that would murder innocent children with their vendetta. But a powerful love will be formed between Jonas and Camellia, one with epic proportions of desire and true depths.

What I Loved
Phantom Walker was such a pure delight and I had such a fun time with this one here. It won’t be a story that you will expect, in some ways, it was quite different but it definitely follows the lines of similar Ghostwalker books so if you are a fan of the series as I am, you will have a good time with this one. It was quite interesting to see this pair come together. I really have always liked Jonas, he has always had an air of mystery surrounding him and I was so happy when I learned that he would be the focus of the story. But we also get some fun stuff with all of our past favorites (if you loved the earlier books in the series you will adore seeing all the characters we get to see like Ryland and Lily, Gator, the Twins and their mates and they all play a vital role) We also get some side action of a marriage drama between Ryland and Lily and I had such a good time with how this played out in the story. I had such a fun time with the romance as a whole between Jonas and Camellia. They are both so unique in their talents, and I especially enjoyed seeing how they build their relationship. They have such strong personalities so it’s not an “all in” from the getgo type of romance. It does take time for trust to be built, and I really liked the slow burn smexy aspect of it. It was quite refreshing in many ways. As for the suspense arch of the plot, I will say that Feehan knocked it out of the park. I was on the edge of my seat throughout so much of the book because I was really curious how our team would fight and defend themselves and some factors built into the story which I didn’t expect.

What I Struggled With
There was a couple of things. The pacing was off in some ways and the ending was way too abrupt and I wanted a more detailed focus on solving the crisis that forms between Ryland and Lily as it was built to a crescendo and wanted more from that than what we see at the ending.

Overall View
Phantom Game is a fiery hot of a read that is bound to keep you enthralled with the vibrancy of romance, the familial connections of this brotherhood, and the intensity of thrills that will bring such delights to the reading experience of it. FEEHAN DEFINITELY DOESN’T DISAPPOINT.

Lynn Braden

Jonas and his good friends, Jeff and Kyle, are investigating the woods around The GhostWalker compounds for Teams 1 and 2 because Jonas has a sense that something is watching and possibly targeting them.  When a disorienting fog envelops them, Jonas realizes something else is at work and leaves Kyle and Jeff behind in order to determine the level of danger.  What he stumbles on is a small house made of rare and exotic plants and flowers that shouldn't be growing in the mountains of Montana.  Jonas sees Camellia for the first time, and he knows that she is reticent of strangers, but he also knows that he has finally found his genetic mate.  However, a team of enhanced soldiers is on their way to destroy the residents of both GhostWalker compounds, so Jonas and Camellia must pool their talents in order to stop them.

Phantom Game is definitely a strong entry in the GhostWalker series, but it does have some flaws that can't be overlooked.  The pacing of the story is off.  Much of the first half of the book is spent info-dumping with lots of conversation, telling what is happening and the last half is filled with way too many incidents, and there is so much repetition, making the book much longer than necessary.  However, this book does put the focus on the GhostWalker teams, which is an improvement over recent submissions in this series.  Also, the relationship between Jonas and Camellia is angsty without being overly-dramatic or bogged down with too many love scenes.  Overall, Phantom Game is one of the best GhostWalker stories in recent memory and well worth the read.

Phantom Game GhostWalker #18

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