Phantom

"There is little in life I'm deserving of—little that I allow myself to indulge in. Yet you are the crux of all my selfish desires." Before I start my review, I want to say that I don't think you need to read the Cat & Mouse duet prior to this. Will it help and break your heart even more when you connect the dots to Gigi's story? Absolutely. But this is coming from someone who didn't remember much about Gigi's story and had to go back to read through the journal entries in Cat & Mouse duet, and this story still made sense. You will want more, though, to really get even more details of the outcome after the ending. Phantom tells the story of Genevieve, a wife, a mom, a reader, a writer. She's been a devoted wife all of her life, but she's slowly realizing her family—mainly her husband, John—isn't as picture perfect as it once was...if it ever had been. She finds out her husband gambled all of their life savings, and has become a true drunkard, and even abu$ive towards her. Ronaldo was sent to keep an eye on John, but instead comes across a lovely woman sitting by her window, and one look at her, he is a gone man. "How cruel it is that Mother Nature spent millions of years forming such a beautiful sight only for you to exceed it within mere minutes." Listen, I love Zade with my whole heart, I really do. But Ronaldo had me physically SWOONING! He also had me tearing up over the things he'd say to Gigi. He has this tender side towards her that had me *banging fists on table*. I seriously hope people love him as much as I do. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to only love you in the dark when you deserve to be loved in the light?" The writing fully transported me to that time period. I loved seeing Gigi through Ronaldo's eyes, how he would describe what she was wearing, how she looked; it was what first set me back completely to the 1940s. And Gigi is a soft yet vivacious character I couldn't help but be drawn to. What I loved most about her was her complete devotion to her daughter, Sera. While she's head over heels for Ronaldo and wants to have that happy ending with him, her priority is and always will be her daughter. I found that so admirable and heartbreaking at the same time. While this is a mafia and sta|ker romance, there's a softness that seamlessly ties everything together to deliver a breath-taking and addicting story that will consume you from beginning to end. Going back to Ronaldo, this man had me equally swooning and fanning my face with his dirty talk! Even when his dirty talk was filthy, there was an elegance to the way he'd phrase his wording that had me in the biggest chokehold! "Does one stand beneath a waterfall expecting to breathe? I beg you to suffocate me, mia rosa." Hailey's writing is vastly different, in a great way, with a softer and lyrical undertone that flowed into the storytelling—poetic without it being poetic; it's hard to explain! But it showed a different side to her writing that I can't fully put into words; just know it was phenomenal, which makes me even more excited for her future books! "I would follow you anywhere, Genevieve. If you were standing at the edge of the earth and wanted to fall, I would only stop you long enough to take hold of your hand so I could go with you. There isn't a life where I wouldn't be your phantom, or a death where I wouldn't be your reaper." I did not want this beautiful love story to end, but in true H.D. Carlton fashion, we got a bonus scene that made me so happy! It was the scene that gave a full-circle moment to this all-consuming romance. - Mafia Romance - Forbidden Romance - Sta|ker Romance - Possessive MMC - Cheating (not between the mc's) - Touch Her and 💀

I must admit that this book was not exactly what I was expecting. I definitely have mixed feelings however, overall I really did enjoy the love story between Ronaldo and Gigi. If you've already read the previous two books you know what happened to Gigi however you don't really get to know her very well. I loved that in this story we got to experience her falling in love with Ronaldo. It was sweet, kind, tender, definitely rough also, and enjoyable seeing her come out of her shell and experience life with Ronaldo. Personally, I don't really love when people have affairs however in this case with what John was doing I guess I looked past the fact that this was technically Ronaldo and Gigi having an affair. I just thought that the book was going to be a little bit more traumatic I guess, and it turned out to be more of a love story than I expected. I did enjoy the ending but it was not what I was expecting. I was hoping to experience more of what happened with her death. But honestly, the more I think about it I think it ended at a perfect spot with the reader feeling their love and the hope that they had for the future. It was a really good book and very well written. I read the book on Kindle and listened to it on Audible and I loved the voice actors. They really did a great job of bringing the characters to life and overall, although the book wasn't exactly what I was expecting, this was a great book!

This was a great backstory on Gigi! Worth the read but Haunting Adeline remains my series favorite for now! Check this book out though.

Well, once again, HD Carlton has written a beautiful story that will live rent-free in my mind for quite some time. This wasn't just a love story it was a story about love......the passion, head over heels, true soul mates, take your breath away, kinda love. “I would follow you anywhere, Genevieve. If you were standing at the edge of the earth and wanted to fall, I would only stop you long enough to take hold of your hand so I could go with you. There isn’t a life where I wouldn’t be your phantom, or a death where I wouldn’t be your reaper.” Gigi and Ronaldo's story was a heartwrenching, beautiful journey about finding your true soul mate. Gigi had a life that she thought was what she wanted but realized that she wasn't truly living. Being a mother was what she loved and wouldn't trade it for anything, Sera was her world. John, on the other hand, that man deserved everything he got. Needless to say, I was not his biggest fan!!! Ronaldo, wow, that man was swoon-worthiness at its finest with a side of dirty talking perfection! These two together was nothing short of fireworks!!! “Do you have any idea how hard it is to only love you in the dark when you deserve to be loved in the light?” “Now crawl to me, mia rosa.” Oh, this book is definitely a MUST read for those Cat & Mouse duet lovers! Being able to read more of Gigi & Ronaldo's story made my heart happy, and the journal entries.... icing on the cake! Plus, there's a little treat at the end that you don't want to miss!!! Trust me you NEED this book!!!

Oh my! This book was just - oh my god! I didn’t realise how much I needed to read this! It’s honestly worth the read. It takes you back in time to Adeline’s great grandmother Gigi, and her phantom , gives you more insight to her letters that we got to read in Haunting Adeline. It was a great plot - and even if you read HA you know what happens to Gigi but - I won’t go into much detail but the author doesn’t make what we know from HA in this book so there is no repetition. Great read and of course the spicy 🌶️ level is amazing. But I recommend you read the trigger warnings.

Que isso mulher? Eu amei o livro amei conhecer a gigi e o ronne mas que triste eu queria tanto que eles ficassem juntos 😭 to com um vazio no peito uma tristeza 🥺😭

We wanted more of Gigi and Ronaldo. Carlton said 'challenge accepted' and here we are, crying in a corner 🫠 I loved it: Gigi is a queen, Carlton always knows how to portray internal pain, the educational spicy is chef's kiss. I had intense crying sessions from seeing them so happy and finding light in each other's darkness (knowing his ending...). And the bonus chapter!! I can't get over it. It has flaws though: I don't feel like we get enough depth on how the relationship shifted from fear and curiosity to love (Gigi's pov). I thought a certain storyline, considering how Gigi died, was going to be more obvious. And it felt too short—maybe because I needed more of them.

After binging the Cat and Mouse Duet, I was excited to see more based in the same setting. Reading parts of the diary in Haunting Adeline really peaked the interest in finding out what her Grandmother went through, and just how similar Adeline and her were. It's a great read to help build the world of the Cat and Mouse series.

Wonderful period drama, an historical and tragic story, hues from a past that is as fascinating as scary. Impossible to put down the narrative is flawless and involving capturing the reader in one unforgettable experience.