Phantom Flower

The Void Kings #1

by Melysia M.

I came to Bloodburn Academy with one goal:

Stay invisible.

After losing my father and being dragged to another country, I wanted nothing more than to blend into the background and get through college in peace.

That would've been easy if a Morozov hadn't set his sights on me.

The infamous mafia heir rules Bloodburn the same way he'll one day rule his empire. He moves through life knowing the world will always bend to his will.

Unfortunately for me, he's decided I should, too.

It doesn't matter that I despise everything he stands for. It doesn't matter that I want nothing to do with his dark and dangerous world. The more I push him away, the more determined he becomes to keep me within reach.

Dimitri Morozov is used to getting what he wants. And for reasons I can't understand, he wants me.

Genres: M M Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark Romance, Romance, Dark, Forced Proximity, Contemporary

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2026

About the author

Melysia writes dark romance filled with characters who desperately need therapy but would rather fall in love instead. When she's not plotting emotional damage for fictional people, she's usually reading MM romances, binge-watching BLs, and adding far too many books to her TBR.

Reviews

[JɄ₦Ɇ]

Muy Wattpad de tu parte...

[✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ ARC review ✨

🌸 Phantom Flower by Melysia M 🌸

“He was not gentle with the world. But he had been gentle with me.”

first of all, i believe this is the authors debut novel and i am just blown away! the storyline kept me interested the whole time, and i kept asking myself, “am i toxic for wanting Dimitri?’ AND EVEN ‘am i toxic for wanting Dimitri.. AND Ilya?’ 😅😅😅

Phantom Flower is about Rei (or as Ilya would say, Raaaiiii), a flower-loving boy who just moved from Japan to Manhattan.. and Dimitri, leader of The Void Kings (a group of dangerous boys related to the most powerful Russian mafia syndicate in the East Coast). most people fear Dimitri.. and though Rei is among those people, he pushes down his worries and stands up for a kid Dimitri is messing with.. by kneeing him in the 🍆🤭 and there… is where true love begins. BAHAHA. okay, not exactly 😅 this is a *dark* romance, so don’t expect a bunch of cutesy, fluffy stuff. i mean, there are some things that Dimitri does that just makes me sigh with happiness (let’s just say, he never lets his ‘little fairy’ go without a flower 🌸) but there are also times where you don’t know whether to be horny or scared. or both. 💀

i really enjoyed this book and i NEED to know more about what’s going on with Marco, Alexei, Ilya and Kento - like, now!! lol.

‼️ please read content warnings before reading ‼️

some tidbits:
🌸 dark mafia romance
🌸 enemies to lovers
🌸 touch him and 💀
🌸 Marco being a sensitive lil ray of sunshine 🥺
🌸 primal play
🌸 🔫 play
🌸 Dimitri only being soft for Rei!!!
🌸 flowers. so many flowers. 🌸

[sixteenpawssevenears · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope.

Someone saying "Stop" and you're not stopping.

That's not "morally complex intimacy" - that's sexual assault or even rape.


Soo - the trigger warnings are kind of shit and I'm at 22%.

Look.

I'm all for "don't get mad when a trigger that IS listed triggers you" - but you can't describe what is basically sexual assault and NOT have it listed.

There are enough people that have survived sexual assault/ rape and/or abusive relationships, and I can imagine these people would like to know what they are getting into before the story escalates to rape between the MC's.......

Not mentioning this is just fucking wrong, not even listing it as CNC ( instead calling it "morally complex intimacy", which is just a bullshit term if I ever heard one...).

So - doesn't really matter how good the rest of the book is.

0⭐️ for that one.

I'm not very "sensitive" when it comes to triggers, but describe assault (and more) done by one MC to the other and justify it as "dark romance" without proper content warning leaves a bad taste....

[Leo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Buena idea, mala ejecución xd

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading some of the reviews I didn’t know if I’d like this but I actually really did! I kind of went in blind because there was no safety in any of the reviews and I don’t usually read books unless I know.

These two were honestly so sweet. Weird to say because this is a darker romance. They get off on the wrong foot and Dimitri is a straight asshole at first. I thought he would stay that way for most of the book but he was actually such a great character. He’s down sooo bad for Rei. Obsessive, possessive, touch him and literally die!! I loved how much Dimitri cared for him and took care of him. It was everything!!

I actually didn’t mind the plot or who the villain ended up being. It was spoiled in a review so I already knew but if I hadn’t read that I wouldn’t have known who the villain was exactly.

You have to suspend your belief a little with this one though. It’s one of those mafia high schoolers that have so much power over everyone and can do anything and never get in trouble for it.

Not gonna lie this might have been five stars but the last 10% kind of ruined that. First of all their first time having penetrative sex is at about 90%. It’s after Rei gets severely hurt in both of his legs, he’s done PT for a little. But I didn’t like how Dimitri thought it was a good idea to do primal play in the woods, chase him down and trip him and then take his virginity in the dirt. I really didn’t like that at all. By this point Dima has been so sweet and I just wanted something more that direction for their first time. Also the big thing. THEY NEVER SAID I LOVE YOU!!!! They clearly feel it. But it’s never mentioned in either of their monologues and they don’t say it to each other at all. The ending felt kind of just left open. I wasn’t a fan of that at all!! Definitely took that whole star away.

I didn’t care for Alexei in this book so hopefully he’s better in his own book which is next. I would be more interested in Ilya and Rei’s brothers book (forgot his name) if Rei’s brother didn’t seem to be obsessed with Ilyas sister and has also slept with her 🥴 I hate when they’ve been with their love interests siblings. Idk if I’ll read it.

No cheating, no op drama, no third act break up. Violence and murder. MC gets drugged and almost assaulted. Virgin MC/previous manwhore vibes. (Not talked about too much but mentioned once or twice) HFN because they couldn’t bother to say I love you.

[Bubube · Rating 2 out of 5]

Esto fue simplemente… malo.
Fue como un Rina Kent de Temu, de bajo presupuesto.
En fin, un menjunje de otros libros mal redactado.

[peoniesandmm · Rating 5 out of 5]

“That little fae-looking thing hadn’t just glared at me like a deranged psycho in the cafeteria.” 😈😈😈

HE CAME IN HIS PANTS UNTOUCHED??!!!😮‍💨🙂‍↕️

SO TOXIC AND DELICIOUS 🫦🫦🫦 i don’t know how i lived without this book. immediately going right into the second book, these are addictive.

[Anamval · Rating 4 out of 5]

MM
Mafia romance
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Soft x violent
First time

It was like Gossip Girl but make it mafia, I really enjoyed the story it was a great debut novel!, the enemies to lovers was great!!

Loved the relationship and the dynamic between Dimitri and Rei, can’t wait to read more of this series!

And the art 10/10

Thank you, Melysia for an opportunity to read this arc. This is my honest Review

[Teigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We’re both a little broken, aren’t we?”
“Maybe... we can be broken together.”
^ Page 185.

Kinda lost me in the last 25% or so. Especially when this book is mostly written in 3 line paragraphs then suddenly it's gigantic paragraphs at the end filling the entire screen!

I liked Rei and Dimitri, even though Dimitri was definitely a walking red flag. I didn't like it when he was scaring the shit out of Rei in the car, especially after he told him his dad died in a car. (I might be wrong on that end part as I can't remember if he told him before another driving scene).

I'd like to say if there are more books to this (I'm assuming there are) I'm going to predict: 

Ilya (Dimitri's friend) x Kento (Rei's brother)
Alexei (Dimitri's cousin) x Marco (Rei's friend)

More specific spoilers ahead from here...

Daniel's character and what he did to Rei was the most obvious thing I saw coming from the beginning. However, I did suspect Dimitri's father was going to do something to Rei or Dimitri so I thought I was wrong when Daniel was there. But then the only thing that half surprised me was Dimitri's father working with Daniel? But even that didn't make any kinda sense? Daniel is a nobody, Dimitri's father is a Russian mob boss??

But as soon as I found out they're both homophobic and not winning father of the year awards, it was obvious they were going to do something and be the villains of the story.

Dimitri's father felt lacking considering he's Russian mafia boss who's homophobic and his only heir is gay. I was honestly expecting something from him, just anything. Even his death was stupid because he was okay with Dimitri stepping down and Alexei taking over without second thought so Alexei just shoots him?? Felt pathetic.

I feel like I had very mixed opinions while reading this but I enjoyed more than other books I've read recently. I mostly enjoyed this one? 

I can't remember what else I wanted to say here and didn't take notes for last 40% as I was too busy reading.

[Taylor Moses · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review:

“Tension. That was the game. I wanted him to reach the point where he hated me and wanted me in the same breath.”

1He was not gentle with the world. But he had been gentle with me.”

Dimitri is one of the Void Kings of Bloodburn Academy. A mafia prince who loves to solve problems with violence and used to getting what he wants. And he set his eyes on Reí.

Reí lost his father and now has been moved from Japan to the suburban jungle of the upper east side. Trying to survive and get out with his friend Marco in one piece is the only he really cares about.

Caught in the whirlwind that is Dimitri Rei gets more than swept up.

This story of a mafia prince who terrifies everyone but falls for the soft boy who hates violence and wears a flower in his hair is so cute. A tad dark. A bit more gory. But a lot of cuteness. I love a touch and him and die trope. Dimitri does everything to protect his man. I’d swoon too. This story is fast paced and a wild ride with soft moments.

[Rae]

DNF @ 14%

This feels like someone took a bunch of dark romance tropes, shook em up like dice, and tossed them haphazardly into a book. I’m only at 14% and the rivals are already at 🔫 play, and one of them got grounded so I’m pretty sure they’re still in high school???? Also I don’t think the writing style is one I can tolerate for the rest of the book, but I could also just be feeling picky.

[Orita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Los amo Dios

[Ana Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I refuse to believe this is Melysia’s first book. This story was freaking amazing!

I thought I knew what unhinged was, but Dimitri gave that term a whole new meaning. That man had no control whatsoever when it came to Rei. Sure the way he claimed him as his was, well, a little psycho. But he turned out to care about Rei more than anyone, even his own mother.

After his father’s death, Rei had to move from Japan to NY. Not only did he still have trauma from that, but his mother couldn’t care less about his feelings. The only person he could count on was his best friend Marco.

Being at a school where the kids of the powerful attended wasn’t exactly what he wanted. Especially when THE most powerful of them all set his sights on him. The last thing Rei wanted was to be noticed by Dimitri.

But as luck would have it, that’s exactly what happened. After Rei stood up to the man himself, Dimitri takes it upon himself to show Rei who he belongs to in the most possessive, hottest way. Let’s just say that scene is the catalyst for them becoming more than just predator and prey.

Dimitri wanted Rei at all costs, even if it meant hurting him. But the more he got to know Rei, the more he fell in love with the gentle boy who stood up to him and others to defend his friend. He fell in love with the boy whose love for flowers made him feel safe. And Dimitri would burn the world down if he had to in order to protect him.

“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆, 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒔. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆, 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉. 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈.”

I just loved how he paid such close attention to Rei’s tells. He quickly became aware of what made him anxious and made sure to fix it to make him feel better.

Dimitri making sure that Rei ALWAYS had a flower was the most beautiful, romantic and loving act a person could do. Especially coming from someone who was supposed to be ruthless and uncaring.

Sure, some of the methods to obtain said flowers weren’t exactly the best way, but what mattered most was that he did whatever it took to make Rei happy. The means of how he did so didn’t matter🥺

Despite of how things started, Rei had never felt as safe and cared for as he did with Dimitri. He knew the kinds of things Dimitri did but he never felt in danger when he was with him. And the way he took such good care of Rei was just so swoon worthy.

“𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑰 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖… 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏. 𝑰 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒏, 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒐𝒏𝒆.”

It shouldn’t make me so happy that when someone touched Rei, Dimitri made them pay but I honestly loved that he did that. Those people were terrible. The way they treated Rei simply for being himself was beyond disgusting.

Dimitri did what nobody else other than his dad ever did for Rei: he protected him. I can’t find fault in that. Love comes in different ways, doesn’t mean Dimitri’s way was wrong. It was just different.

I’m so excited for the next book of this series. I really need to read Marco and Alexei’s story. I’m curious to see how much more unhinged Alexei is compared to Dimitri 😆

[Britt DS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read these books in the “wrong” order and read Ghost Ribbon first. Even though I would recommend reading them in the “right” order, knowing what happened in Marco’s story made this one just a little more emotional.

This book was a tiny bit repetitive sometimes in the way that certain sentences were used multiple times close to each other, but it didn’t bother me that much.

With the two stories unfolding at the same time (and not chronologically after each other), I was amazed with how Ghost Ribbon did not spoil anything for me. There were certain events that were in both books (like Dimitri getting kneed in the balls), but you can read this book second and still be surprised by certain revelations - because I definitely was.
The same thing goes the other way around. In this book we learn something is up with Marco and that Alexei is somehow involved, but I could have never guessed what it was from reading this book.
On top of that, foundations for the third book are being laid - both in this book and in Ghost Ribbon. From the looks of it, that story will also happen partly simultaneous with the first two. I am definitely impressed with how the author managed to weave these stories together, and I cannot wait to read the third book.

[MM.Romancebooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review:

Totally recommend this book if you’re looking for obsessed, unhinged, possessive MCs who completely change for love.

This is a dark mafia romance with a lot of descriptive violence, so definitely check the content warnings beforehand, but I was absolutely here for it.

Rei was such a sweetheart, and I loved his fierceness and the way he protected the people he cared about. Considering this is the author’s debut novel, I’m even more impressed by how much I enjoyed it.

I loved the relationship between Rei and Dimitri and the way Dimitri waited for Rei to be ready for more. I’m not going to lie, Dimitri was a real asshole toward Rei at the beginning, and there’s a pretty difficult scene to get through. But the character development afterward made it all the more rewarding, and I found myself rooting for them even harder.

The caretaking scenes were everything, and the hurt/comfort elements were some of my favorite parts of the book.

I wholeheartedly recommend this if you’re looking for a dark mafia romance featuring a super possessive, unhinged MC who would do absolutely anything for his Rei ❤️❤️❤️

But check trigger warnings!!

[Andrew Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well your now a insta buy author and this is your first book? Man was this book good. I honestly loved it through and through and don’t have any complaints. I really liked how this book let the plot take center stage and not the smutt(that was real good too 🙂‍↕️). This book honestly nailed my favorite tropes i will ALWAYS be a sucker for an awful man who has a soft spot for another guy.I really liked how this book more dived into the romance and cute stuff like i was OVER THE MOON with that ending because come on now…. a field of flowers. I honestly wish i didn’t binge this book in a day so i could’ve spent more time with these two but it was to damn good. I’m super excited for the next book in the series. Another aspect i really like was how well they set up the next book leaving us with a lot of questions about what was going on with Marco, i really hope we get a book of Ilya we did NOT get enough of him in this book.For your first book this was a BANGER 10/10

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rei & Dimitri

🖤✨ This story was unexpectedly sweet.

I'm such a sucker for the way Dimitri was only ever soft for his Little Fairy. 🥹 And the way he loved Rei... the way Rei deserved to be loved. It completely melted my heart.

There was something about this book that reminded me of the classics, if that makes sense. It felt like a return to the foundations of dark romance—where the obsession, devotion, tenderness, and emotional payoff all take center stage. ❤️‍🔥

I had such an amazing time with this one. The romance had me smiling, swooning, and completely invested in these two.

I can't wait to see what Melysia writes next. I'll definitely be reading it. 📚✨

[Jennifer Ervine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only soft for him…one of my favorite tropes. I loved the way Dimitri took care of Rei like it was just second nature. The dangerous and scary mafia prince completely obsessed with and devoted to the soft new kid with flowers in his hair. Rei is small and vulnerable but strong and quick to stand up to bullies. It was a slow burn with plenty of suspense and emotion. The emotion was so good. I literally read this in one sitting. I loved the side characters and can’t wait for the next book!

[Fee_Reads_Fiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Debut

Was I drawn in by the cover? Yes. Did I stay for the swoonworthy Mafia Prince and his little flower? Also yes.
This was a fast paced, quick read that I loved from start to finish. There were plenty of delicious breadcrumbs about what to expect from the rest of the series, there were definitely darker moments but they were lightened by the most adorable "soft only for you" moments.

[Luminous Kingdom · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for a debut book this isn't bad. Dimitri is nuts about Kei. Kei has a fighting spirit and though he bends he never lets Dimitri break him. I wished it was longer so the darker to sweeter dynamic wasn't so fast. But I did like how they bonded.

I'll definitely read this author's other books in this series when they come out.

[Mekashi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was expecting a fully constructed story. Sadly felt like a parody of a dark romance.

Almost none to no descriptions, no real emotions, 2nd encounter Rei had with Dimitri and he has a dry orgasm on the brink of death (?), after 3 encounters and almost no exchanges Dimitri is obsessed with Rei for absolutely no reasons, etc.
Was just getting frustrated with the story so I decided to not continue it (and the free violence kind of rubbed me the wrong way).

[Jennifer Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this story. Demetri and rei were amazing characters. This was intense and brutal but I loved seeing the soft side of demetri

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Came across this totally by accident, and devoured it. Light, cute, easy read and you're still emotionally invested in the MMCs
Already excited for the next ones.

[Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was dark and adorable. Can’t wait for book 2

[Jenae · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute 🤗

I loved these two! I cant wait for more of the story!! I have so many questions that need answering!

[Jessica Hoyt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! Ready for book 2! 🥰

[Ale E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tiene todos los clichés del mundo y no especialmente bien hechos jaja pero igual estuvo entretenido.

3.0 ⭐️

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you get when you add an unhinged mafia prince, a cute boy who loves flowers in his hair and a love story that reads like a K-Drama? This book!!! I adored the premise of this book so much. Okay, it can get a little OTT at times, but I wouldn’t change Dimitri for the world! I mean, where else can I get a mafioso that would literally burn the world for you…oh yeah…don’t forget that he also cooks for you too!!! So take the “soft only for him” trope and crank it up ten notches. Yeah…you get me? We get so many characters in one book and I honestly can’t wait for the other couples that this author already hinted.

[maqita:3 · Rating 1 out of 5]

la cagada va en la taza

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The sexual scenes made me a little uncomfortable because they felt like Dimitri was super rough with Rei but I mean who am I to judge their kinks. This was a fun read where Dimitri was fully obsessed with Rei and his flowers. That was definitely adorable, how serious Dimitri took that job of picking the perfect flower for Rei every day. Dimitri was all in even before Rei knew what was happening and I love that. Just certain scenes felt weird.

Nicknames: little fairy, baby, love, lyubimyy = darling
Location: New York