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Phantom Heart

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For forty years, I was a ghost. Invisible. Untouchable. And bored out of my nonexistent mind.

Then I found five men worth haunting.

I didn't mean to collect them. Okay, fine—I absolutely meant to collect them.

Kieran with his sunshine and shadows. Dre with those healing hands and sad eyes. Anik—who growls more than he talks and cooks like a god. Forrest, the leader who looks at me like a walking security breach. And Emerson, who definitely has seventeen knives on him right now and absolutely zero social skills.

They couldn't see me. Couldn't hear me. But they were mine.

Then I went and did something stupid. Heroic, sure. But mostly stupid. Now I'm corporeal, I have feelings, and I've discovered that chocolate is everything I've ever wanted. That realization is rapidly being eclipsed by the fact that these men are suddenly very, very touchable.

The Council gives me the creeps. My own reflection gives me whiplash. I have zero memories, no idea who I was before, and apparently some very persistent people want me dead. Or captured. Or sacrificed—honestly, the details are fuzzy. What I do know? They're organized, they're powerful, and they're definitely not thrilled I'm breathing.

Which means my existence is connected to something much bigger than five hot guys and an unlimited chocolate budget.

Unfortunately.

But the guys are helping me figure it out. One very distracting sensation at a time.

What could possibly go wrong?

Everything. The answer is everything.

But at least I have chocolate.


This is a medium burn paranormal reverse harem romance.
This story contains dark themes including mentions and flashbacks of past abuse (non-graphic), cursing, graphic violence, explicit sexual content intended for mature audiences (18+ only), and the death of a child (depicted through aftermath only, no graphic detail).

586 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 30, 2026

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Eve O'Brien

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5 stars
47 (55%)
4 stars
28 (33%)
3 stars
8 (9%)
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1 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Darcey.
1,361 reviews354 followers
May 19, 2026
A new RH book!!! I have successfully read my way through majority of the RH books from genres that I enjoy (a.k.a. not dark romance), and am always looking for new reads. This absolutely hit the spot! Familiar in the same vein as Four Psychos, but less dramatic comedy, and more sweet development and wholesome characters.

This was a decent length, and slow at times, but I really enjoyed the read. The plot wasn’t particularly fast-paced, but it was interesting and added a little something to the overall pleasure of learning more about the characters. The MMCs were original and able to be differentiated from one another, and our FMC was an adorable little angel. They all made mistakes, but they tried their best, were loyal and dedicated, and there was plenty of fun humour!

So intrigued to see where this series goes.
Profile Image for Vix.
240 reviews13 followers
May 7, 2026
i liked the concept of this book, cause it had potential and i was interested to see how the story would unfold.

however, some things made me rate this a 3 star:

1. there are too many inner monologues and overtly done descriptions that work more like fillers to make this book longer... you could take out like 100 pages of this and i wouldn't even miss it - i get fmc's a ghost that recently became corporeal but PLEASE we don't need to know THAT much information about chocolate, food and the daily tasks the fmc or the guys do, i wanna know about the STORY. this actually made me take 6 days to read this instead of 3.

2. the fmc type really grates on my nerves... if she was a ghost for 40 years, she can't be THIS child-like and just a plain idiot. i'm really hoping that she grows up a bit so i can tolerate her better, because at this point the men are what save the story for me (as well as her tragic backstory). can we please make her develop some backbone? just a TINY BIT and i would be happier.

3. pace - oh my goooooooooooooooooooooooooooood................. yes this is a slow burn romance and i didn't mind that nothing really happened but the pace of the story is just so fucking slow. it takes until 75% for us to see a glimpse of things that could start to help her and the guys solve the mystery regarding her turning corporeal and forgetting her own name. SO, from when she's a ghost until she turns corporeal things are good and the flow is good. However, after she starts to get the hang of living, things get lost, and, again, fillers and more fillers about the daily mundane activities that really cannot interest me even if i tried.... i get she needs to have interactions with all of the guys but i dont really care about their routine.

anyway... even with some things that bothered me, the writing is good and there are only like 2 typos.
the guys are pretty amazing - i like them all and how they are all very different from each other (they truly are the highlight of this book).

the story gets way better at the 75% like i mentioned and the end i liked, which is why i will be reading the sequel, but i'm really hoping for some improvements.

we shall see.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
21 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2026
A Promising Premise That Needed More

3.5 ⭐️

I really wanted to love Phantom Heart. The premise was what drew me in in the first place, and I still think the concept is incredibly intriguing. Unfortunately, I came away feeling like the book spent so much time setting up the story that it never actually got around to telling it.

My biggest issue was the pacing. This book is long—and honestly, I think it could have been half the length without losing anything truly important. There were so many stretches where very little was happening, and I found myself getting increasingly bored, waiting for the plot to finally move forward. I kept thinking, Surely things are about to pick up now. And then… they didn’t.

There is also a lot of internal monologue. Raven spends an enormous amount of time struggling with her self-esteem and essentially beating herself up mentally, and while I understand what the author was trying to convey, it became repetitive and eventually overshadowed her actual character development. The male POV had a similar problem for me. There were so many thoughts, reflections, and repeated observations that didn’t seem to add much to the story.

And then there’s the romance.

I understand that this is meant to be a slow burn. I genuinely don’t mind a romance developing slowly when there’s enough tension and chemistry to keep me invested. The problem here was that I didn’t really feel the chemistry. We were constantly getting the characters’ thoughts about attraction, tension, and what they might want, but very little of that translated into their actual interactions.

Basically, I was told there was chemistry rather than experiencing it.

Which is especially frustrating because I actually liked the characters. Raven was interesting and likable overall, even though she could be a bit of an airhead at times, and the guys were interesting too. There was so much potential for compelling relationships between them, but most of that potential remained in their heads rather than on the page.

I also expected considerably more development from Raven given how long the book is. So much of the story focuses on her becoming corporeal again, learning to function in a physical body, and training/adapting to her new reality. Those things are interesting, but they ultimately felt like setup rather than the actual story.

And that’s what disappointed me the most.

For a book this long, almost nothing actually happens.

I kept waiting for Raven to uncover some of the mysteries surrounding her situation. I kept waiting for the relationships to progress. I kept waiting for the bigger plot to kick in. I would have been perfectly happy with a major development happening in the final few chapters—anything that made me feel like the story had genuinely moved forward. Even the cliffhanger, while expected, wasn’t quite the payoff I was hoping for.

The premise has so much potential, and I can absolutely see why someone would be drawn to this story. I just don’t think that potential was fully realized in this first book.

Ultimately, Phantom Heart felt less like the beginning of the story I was promised and more like an extremely long setup for the story I actually wanted to read.

I’m still giving it 3.5 stars because I liked the concept and the characters enough to be curious about where the series goes. But I really needed more plot, more character development, more actual chemistry, and a lot less internal repetition.

I just kept waiting for something to happen.

And I’m still a little upset that it never really did.
Profile Image for ReverseHaremMuse.
228 reviews4 followers
May 28, 2026
Phantom Heart by Eve O'Brien - 3.5/5 Stars

This was such a fun introduction to a whole new universe, and I am absolutely here for Raven and all her chaotic glory. The book had me laughing out loud more than once, and Raven was the kind of strong-willed FMC I can always get behind - horny hindbrain and all 😉. I can't wait to learn more about her past and her abilities.

I’m also really enjoying the cast so far. The MMCs are all incredibly drool-worthy, but what stood out most was that they actually felt like adults. Their dialogue and behaviour matched their ages, which honestly made such a difference.

That said, there were definitely a few areas that needed more clarification, which is ultimately why this sits at a 3.5-star read for me in its current format.

One of my biggest points of confusion was the overall universe setup. The story constantly references modern human media and movies, yet humans are treated as lesser beings throughout the book. The contrast felt a little jarring, and I struggled at times to fully understand how this realm/world system functioned. I think the world-building would benefit from a clearer explanation earlier in the story rather than gradually piecing it together halfway through. A stronger universe exposition at the beginning would have helped ground the reader a lot more.

I’m also always a little cautious when multiple mythologies are blended together within one universe. This story intertwines Norse and Greek mythology, and while I’m intrigued, I’m hoping future books flesh this out carefully without overwhelming the storyline by throwing every possible god or pantheon into the mix.

There were also a few grammatical and spelling issues throughout that could use another editing pass.

At times, the pacing felt a little rushed too - almost like one major event would happen and suddenly we were already moving onto the next thing before the previous moment had fully settled. Some scenes and chapters could definitely benefit from a bit more fleshing out. The mirror storyline in particular went a bit over my head, and I would have loved more explanation there. And the "your my mate" moment with Anik felt a bit lackluster - our girl has been waiting how many years and her mother-in-law-to-be ruins it? Their moment just felt so anticlimactic to me after all that...

Also… what exactly is Kieran? We know he’s half fae, but what’s the other half? We went nearly 600 pages without really getting that answer, and now I need to know.

Overall though, I genuinely enjoyed this read and I’m excited to see where the series goes next.

PS: More of our boy Jim please ;) 🐙
1,245 reviews11 followers
June 21, 2026
I can't remember the last time I enjoyed an RH book this much. The writing was great. The characters were complex and flawed in ways that you can tell that the author put a lot of thought into their psychology. The romance is slow burn - which I love - and grows as they spend time together.

The first part of this book has a lot of similarities to Four Psychos. The FMC is a ghost who fixates on a group of guys and eventually becomes a real girl. A very blunt, horny, and hilarious real girl. So yeah, the initial set up is the same. But the plot goes in a different direction. Also, I never felt the urge to punch these MMCs.

- Forrest (AKA Ro Ro) tested my patience at times, but the author made sure to show us where he was coming from.
- Anik was a study in contradictions. He seems laid back when we first meet him, but his intensity comes out in full force when Raven becomes corporeal. Is it in reaction to her, or was it always there?
- Dre - On the surface, he's a nurturer who takes care of everyone, but man is he carrying around some major guilt. I liked him.
- Kieran - Chaos gremlin. The Golden Retriver of the group, but not so over the top to seem cartoonish.
- Emerson - Oh how I loved him! My absolute favorite of the MMCs. I never seem to love the psycho golden retriever characters as much as others do. They're too manic and over the top. But Psycho Brainiac? Sign me the fuck up! He's intense! He's obsessed! But he's not a whirlwind of chaos. He's strategic and intentional. And when everyone else is trying to hold Raven back, Emerson is right there at her side, handing her a knife.

The ending! Why? I need more now! I have so many questions!

- What was up with the mystery guy at the end?
- What's up with Jim, the giant squid/kraken?
- Are they actually the same entity? They have to be, right?
- What happened between Raven's abduction as a child and her becoming a ghost? We got a little bit of an idea in the first chapter, but I need more!

How am I going to wait for these answers? Know for a fact that I will be pouncing on book two the day it's released. Whenever that will be.
Profile Image for Heather Stout.
285 reviews1 follower
July 27, 2026
4.25⭐

So first off. I really hate the cover. It looks like a lot AI watercolor PNGs put together. It's also a little boring, and to me doesn't give the vibe of the story at all.

Secondly the first 25% really dragged. I wanted this to give me the vibes of the Heart Hassle series and The Dark Side series, which it sort of did. But I have a bit more mixed feeling about Raven. Regarding the two previously mentioned series I preferred Emelle from Heart Hassle over Paca from The Dark Side. This was leaning a bit more towards Paca comparatively, but on the good side she still also felt like her own character.

I don't know that I currently have a fave MMC at this time. I loved Emerson's POV chapter, but I'm not always for the psycho characters.

I was a little unimpressed by Forrest. I think he needed a bit more dimension.

Leandre's self flagellation was kind of a downer, yet somehow I was still drawn to him. This could stem more from his physical traits though.

Kieran I feel like the story hasn't even scratched the surface on who and what he is.

I'm kind of leaning toward Anik being my fave of the MMCs. But once again I need a bit more dimension regarding who he is.

Profile Image for Leah.
20 reviews
May 11, 2026
A huge shout-out to the RH forum for the recommendation! (Seriously, I hope the person who suggested this never runs out of toilet paper and always finds a parking spot.)

It’s rare to find an author who dives so deeply into narrative detail. The richness of the plot was so addictive that I devoured the entire book in just a few days. I honestly find it hard to believe this is a debut novel—it completely blew my expectations out of the water.

The FMC reminds me so much of Anna from Kristy Cunning’s All the Pretty Monsters series. I mean, who could say no to a chaotic, horny ghost? Usually, I’m not a fan of the constantly dripping FMC trope, but given that she’s only been human for a few weeks—and considering the author’s absurdly hilarious way of describing it—I wasn't annoyed at all. Honestly, I spent more time laughing than feeling heated, and I thoroughly enjoyed her unhinged sexual fantasies about the guys.

The Men, each one is incredibly well-crafted and distinct. It feels like the author poured extra love into Emerson, and let me just grab my megaphone for a second: Emerson is a total godsend for fans of the sexy nerd trope🥵 If that’s your type, do not walk—RUN to read this.

Overall, a massive thank you to the author for such a fantastic story. I am vibrating with excitement for the next book!
Profile Image for Bella.
493 reviews
August 12, 2026
5/5 stars

This book was SO good!! Usually books with this many pages scare me away, but I actually picked this one up and finished it too. I have been DNF’ing books like there is no tomorrow, but this one I couldn’t put down I was up until 4am one night and past midnight the last two nights because I just couldn’t put this book down. The fact that this is the authors debut novel is so amazing as well.

The characters, the plot, the build up, everything was just amazing. I am curious when the next book is out, but we also know how I feel about series lol. Anyways, this book was great!
Profile Image for Toni.
1,685 reviews6 followers
June 1, 2026
Wow…for a debut author, this is amazing! I couldn’t put it down right from the start, even knowing that it would end in a cliffhanger. Told from mostly Raven’s POV, with a chapter in each MMC’s POV. There is very little spice, so don’t expect it. But there is humor and Raven, which is everything. The storyline is epic and I cannot wait for the next book.
1 review
May 2, 2026
Phenomenal - Could not put it down

This being a debut novel is astounding. The characters were well written and each felt unique. The shift in POV was so well done it truly felt like jumping into different minds. I’m upset that I have to wait for the next book.
Profile Image for Cherie Lockley.
31 reviews
May 8, 2026
very excited for the next book

Great read, interesting plot! So much character and wit to be found in our unhinged hilarious FMC!
Really enjoyed the characterisation of each of the MMC and feel this was well written and filled with suspense! Excitedly waiting for book 2!
Profile Image for gangstareads.
373 reviews2 followers
Read
July 9, 2026
MFMMM, OV

I assume this was inspired by Four psychos by Kristy cunning

I want to read book 2. I would have enjoyed this more if it was shorter, faster pacing. Some parts really didn’t need to be in the story
Profile Image for Moni.
421 reviews1 follower
Did Not Finish
July 6, 2026
dnf 35%
Jej teksty o orgazmach zaczęły się już robić żenujące. Poza tym strasznie się ciągnął ten początek, nic ciekawego co mogło by zainteresować i skusić do dalszego czytania.
Profile Image for Natasha Overfield.
107 reviews
July 7, 2026
Amazing Start

These characters are amazing in a fun and interesting way. Ravens inside thoughts are pure magic and joy! Can’t wait for more.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews