The Phantom Paragrapher

Review: Atmosphere - Taylor Jenkins Reid - June 2025 This is honestly one of the hardest reviews I've had to write, and anyone who follows my reading journey knows that's saying something. I'd been practically vibrating with excitement for months, counting down the days until I could get my hands on Atmosphere. When Amazon showed it was sold out everywhere, I nearly had a meltdown – but then my incredible friend swooped in with a BookHero NZ voucher for my birthday (shoutout to the best gift-givers!), and I finally secured my precious copy. Here's where things get complicated, and you know I'm always brutally honest with you all: I went into this book with very specific expectations. I was absolutely convinced this would be a heart-wrenching deep dive into the 1986 Challenger disaster, packed with the kind of emotional devastation that would leave me sobbing into my tea at 2am. Instead, Atmosphere took me back to the early 1980s, following Joan Goodwin as she joins...

Review: Chloe - Connie Briscoe - March 2025 Friends, we need to talk. And by talk, I mean I need to process what just happened to me over the past few days because honestly? I'm still scratching my head. You know that feeling when you finish a book and immediately wonder if you missed something crucial? Like maybe there were secret pages that explained the actual plot? That's exactly where Connie Briscoe's Chloe left me – standing in my kitchen at 2 AM, staring at the cover like it might reveal the answers to questions I didn't even know I was supposed to ask. Let me paint you a picture. We start with Angel, a private chef who splits her time between summer gigs on some fancy island and working at a high-end restaurant the rest of the year. Standard setup, right? Enter Everett Bruce – successful, Black, billionaire, and conveniently single because his wife Chloe allegedly took her own life. Red flags? What red flags? The romance develops faster than my ability to sus...

Review: Pink - Suzanne D Williams - April 2015 The Phantom Paragrapher here, and let me tell you about my latest midnight reading adventure... Picture this: it's past 11 PM, I'm doom-scrolling through my Kindle library like it's TikTok, and my brain is doing that thing where it rejects every single book cover that doesn't immediately spark joy. You know the feeling - when life's been a bit chaotic and you just need something quick and easy to reset your reading mojo? That's exactly where I found myself when Pink's cover caught my eye. At a breezy 78 pages, this YA contemporary was exactly what my restless mind ordered. Suzanne D.Williams introduces us to Bridgette "Pink" - though everyone calls her Punk because she's about as far from stereotypical pink princess vibes as you can get. She's got that perfect mix of rebellion and softness that makes teen characters feel real rather than tropey. The setup is classic enemies-to-lovers territory...

Review: The Hennessy Lie - Annette Masters - June 2024 I picked up The Hennessy Lie by Annette Masters purely based on the cover—something about it caught my eye—and I dove in completely blind. What followed was a gripping and twist-filled ride into a world of family secrets, deception, and identity. The story kicks off with Piper Covington, a woman whose life is turned upside down when she discovers that her estranged father has died in prison and she is now the heir to the mysterious and once-prestigious Hennessy fortune—what's left of it, anyway. This revelation opens the floodgates to a past Piper never knew existed, and the truth that her entire life has been built on lies. Annette Masters does an excellent job building tension as Piper starts to unravel the tangled web of her family’s secrets. If you’re a fan of slow-burn thrillers that explore twisted family dynamics and the question of identity, this one will definitely deliver. There's a great blend of suspense, be...

Review: If We Ever Meet Again - Book #1 If Love Series - Ana Huang - June 2020 With the popularity of Ana Huang's Twisted and Kings series, I decided to hop on the Ana Huang bandwagon and of course being the type of person I am, I brought all of her series in its entirety and then what happened is that they ended up on my bookshelf, till the spark occurs to read them. I needed something that felt like a quick romance read as the other ones I had tried were just blah and boring. Ana Huang's If Love series is not too big so I grabbed the first one and started reading. The first chapter was a break-up scene so we already get the idea that this book will not end in HEA and it's a book that we all can relate to as most of us have had that one love that we have fallen hard in, only to be left hurt and the one standing on the sidelines while the other person walks away. The love that should be forever, but for some reason, it can never happen that way.  Farrah and Blake, both met ...

Review: Her Dying Day - Mindy Carlson - June 2022 The mystery surrounding Her Dying Day by Mindy Carlson captivated me from start to finish, not only because of the eerie disappearance at the heart of the plot but also because it evoked memories of the infamous real-life vanishing of Agatha Christie.   Aspiring filmmaker June Masterson is on a quest to document the mystery of Greer Larkin, a renowned mystery author who disappeared under strange circumstances. Growing up on a remote commune, June first heard about the case at fourteen, and now, years later, she’s determined to uncover the truth behind Greer’s disappearance. This book is a must-read for fans of unsolved cases, as it explores every possible theory about what happened to Greer. Was it her controlling fiancé, Jonathan? Did Greer take her own life due to writer's block, as her agent suggests? Or was it one of the women closest to her—her possessive mother, Blanche, or her obsessive best friend, Rachel? The twist...

Review: Roughing It - A Trail Creek Novel - Albany Archer - October 2024 As someone who’s always dreamed of living life as an adventure, I couldn’t resist the pull of *Roughing It*, a romance with a dash of outdoor survival and a whole lot of unexpected chemistry. Albany Archer’s story delivers a delightful blend of opposites attract, humor, and heart that had me hooked from the first page. And trust me, it wasn’t just the charm of a city girl paired with a rugged country boy that kept me glued to this book—it was the way the author masterfully crafted a world that felt both wild and familiar. Let’s talk about Blakely, our city girl protagonist. She’s the kind of person who, on social media, looks like she’s living the perfect life—smooth hair, flawless makeup, and enviable vacations. But the reality is different. When a troll’s comment hits her hard, Blakely decides to trade her high heels for hiking boots, all in the name of proving something—not just to her followers, but to herself...

Things I Wish I Said Gracie Graham Publication date: November 7th 2024 Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult Lung cancer patient Ryleigh Sinclair wants a boyfriend for the summer. And my mother wants me to be the one to make her wish come true. Me. The eternal pessimist. The guy who no longer believes in happy endings after my dad died of pancreatic cancer and my girlfriend dumped me in the same month. But after weeks of spending time with Ryleigh, she somehow does the impossible. She fills the gaping hole of my father’s absence until I’m the one hoping for a miracle. I’ve learned my lesson about wishes. Happily ever afters are a lie. Yet I’m the one wishing like hell for another outcome for Ryleigh. I lost my father to cancer; I can’t lose her too. Goodreads / Amazon — EXCERPT: “You make me happy.” I swallow, afraid to move and the break the spell we’re under. “No, I don’t,” I say, my throat raw. “You do. This last month, I’ve laughed more than I have sin...

Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger Elsa Jacobs Publication date: November 1st 2024 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense Have you ever wished to run away from your life? Start anew and leave everything bad behind… Marianne, a young woman hungry for a fresh start, can’t wait for her beach house getaway. But her plans take an unexpected turn when she picks up a mysterious hitchhiker on the way. The irresistible stranger is the sole heir of a Japanese *organization*, and despite Marianne’s own anxiety struggles, she can’t say no to someone in need. As they travel together, swapping past traumas and dreams, love sparks. To heal her troubled mind, she must embrace her true desires, no matter how twisted they seem. But as love deepens, an enemy from the man’s past threatens to pull them apart. In the midst of looming danger, Marianne must choose between sticking to her anxious ways or diving into the unknown for true love. Get ready for a wild ride where each page bring...