No Return: A Contemporary Phantom Tale

by Christine Pope

Born to power and wealth, Erik Deitrich has everything a man could hope for -- except a face he can show to the world. He becomes obsessed with finding the one woman who can fulfill his desire of possessing a modern-day Christine Daaé to his deformed Phantom…and opera student Christine Daly seems to be the woman he has sought for so many years.

Once Erik Deitrich learns of Christine Daly's existence, he stops at nothing to claim her. And when he does have her, he uses every means at his disposal to ensure that she will fall in love with him...without stopping to think what might happen if he fell in love with her.

The classic story of the Phantom of the Opera comes alive once again in this contemporary retelling by romance author Christine Pope.

2012 REVISED EDITION

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Retellings, Beauty and The Beast, Ebooks

426 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 12, 2007

About the author

A native of Southern California, Christine Pope has been writing stories ever since she commandeered her family’s Smith-Corona typewriter back in the sixth grade. Many reams of dead trees later, she’s happy to announce that her debut novel, Fringe Benefits,was published by Pink Petal Books on April 8, 2010. Her short fiction has appeared in Astonishing Adventures, Luna Station Quarterly, and the new journal of dark fiction, Dark Valentine. Her paranormal novella, Playing With Fire, was released on August 5, 2010.

While Fringe Benefits is a straight contemporary romance, she writes in a variety of genres, including paranormal romance, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and historical romance. She blames this on being easily distracted by bright, shiny objects, which could also account for the size of her shoe collection.

After spending many years in the magazine publishing industry, she now works as a freelance editor in addition to writing fiction. She lives with her husband and an explosively fluffy Pomeranian mix. Her house is pink, but don’t hold that against her.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 80%. This story deserved a lot more effort and nuance than it got. It's "Beauty and the Beast" meshed with "Phantom of the Opera" and it could've been a fantastic idea in the right, skillful hands. As it is, this did not pan out well and now I'm not sure if I'd ever trust another author with fitting two such well-known, impactful romances together. This turned into such a mess.

I really wish that the attention given to describing rooms, food, and outfits had instead been directed toward the actual relationship...you know, the whole point of this book. The "betrayal" was not at all felt and it didn't translate well because I didn't get to see much of the establishment of their tentative friendship. It was told, not shown, and this storyline very quickly crumbled without that support.

Also, why...WHY IN THE WORLD was Christine's POV in 1st person and Erik's POV in 3rd??? It doesn't make any sense! 😭

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this online, so many eons ago, before it was a kindle book... and loved the Pasadena references. It was a nice memory lane read to my college/post-college era, and scratched the itch of wanting something to read after watching quarantine Broadway shows.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary retelling of The Phantom of the Opera starring Erik the Millionaire as cameo, Christine the Young Soprano as damsel in distress, Raoul as police detective, pianist Randall as Raoul the Good Guy, and others. The book was published in 2006 with J. C. Sillesen as author's pen name. This book became my biggest disappointment of the year (2012).

The plot is close to the 2004 movie. We see Erik, disfigured stranger, madly in love with vocal student Christine. Madly to kidnapping. Christine has just discovered Randall's feelings about her, but gladly changed mind, when Erik appeared: tall, rich and handsome (at last one half of the face is).

I really liked the part about police investigation (and gave the whole book 3 stars instead of 2), when Christine disappered. Police detective named Raoul knows what to do. He discovered Erik's identity so fast, that I thought how stupid actually was the Phantom in this book.

And I mean it. He's stupid, with child-like behavior and thoughts, he's crazy at last. The original Leroux's character was crazy too, but he attracts attention being versatile and multi-levelled. This Erik's definitely not.

Christine's imprizoning I found very similar to The Collector by John Fowles, but unlike the classic story, she felt for Erik (wealthy handsome with brilliant voice and diamonds in safebox, who would blame poor girl?), so things turned to be fluff.

Writing style is weak, characters are mostly plain and unattractive. We, Phantom fans, think Erik deserves compassion and happiness, but I disliked Ms. Pope's Erik so much, I wished him being arrested by Raoul the Cop. I swear.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! And here I thought my favorite Phantom fan-fic was The Phantom Returns by Stefanie Cole, and while it is still a favorite, this PTO variation ties it (if not beats it out). This is a modern day take on the Phantom tale, so if you are looking for a true "sequel" then check-out the aforementioned book.

Christine Daly is an opera singer in training and trying to get her degree at USC. This is where she runs into Randall (the Raoul equivalent) as he is an accompanist at USC. Christine also catches the eye of recluse and millionaire Erik Deitrich. Erik will do the unthinkable in order to earn Christine’s love. The question is- what will Christine do?

I purchased this book on my Kindle before realizing that I had the print copy of this same title written by J.C. Sillesen (which is Ms. Pope’s pen name). This is a revised and updated version of the same book. I have yet to read the print copy that I purchased in 2011, so I cannot give an accurate review of that book. But, I must say, I love this book so much, I am happy to know that I own a print and digital copy!

This book is written (mostly) in first person from Christine's point of view. However, this book is also written (in part) in third person point of view as we get to know some of Randall's, Erik's, and Detective Ortiz's thoughts. I have to say, some of the lines and thoughts in this story are just hilarious! Especially Det. Ortiz. Simply perfect. If you are a Phantom Phan then I highly recommend this book.

[Stephanie Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really am a fan of anything inspired by The Phantom of the Opera, so this book caught my attention and definitely did no disappoint me! From the first page I was caught up in this contemporary twist on the beautiful love story of Erik and Christine - Southern California style. Christine is an aspiring opera singer at USC and Erik is a lonely, disfigured man who watches her from afar. Maybe some of the storyline could come off as creepy (considering the Phantom is a bit of an eery figure anyway...) but I genuinely found this story to be incredibly cute and romantic. I found myself falling in love with Erik and feeling so sorry for him - He really is a tortured soul in this book. The emotions and motives of the characters are very carefully detailed so the story (while unconventional) makes sense and flows beautifully. I definitely recommend this book to any lover of The Phantom of the Opera. You won't be disappointed!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phantom of the Opera is my favorite musical, so I was pretty sure I'd love this before I even started and I definitely wasn't disappointed. The author was so descriptive I felt like I was hearing Christine and Erik sing. I loved the choices of music she had him play and her sing. It was a wonderful story I highly recommend to opera fans and fans of the musical. I have to say, having seen the musical before I read the book, I would have had it end this way too.

[AnnaMaria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book feels like two books. The first half is a thriller, Christine is drugged and kidnapped and the police are investigating. The second half is a romance novel with Christine falling in love with the phantom and then lying to the police and saying she went to live with him willingly. Either book would have been good, but I couldn’t suspend my disbelief that she would suddenly forgive and fall in love in 2 weeks after being drugged and kidnapped in the middle of the night.

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

such a fanfic.

and the fanfic we all want where Christine chooses the Phantom.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a HUGE fan of Phantom of the Opera - be it the book, film or stage show - so when I first saw this book was the author's tribute to the Phantom, I was a little hesitant to read it. However, with it currently being on sale and, being a fan of the author's other work, I decided to give it a try - which I'm very glad about! It's not a simple retelling of the story, but instead is set in the modern day and is the story of a billionaire with severe facial scarring (following multiple childhood surgeries to try and correct birth defects) and a Phantom obsession, who sets out to find his own Christine. There were some things that made me roll my eyes a little - like the fact that the main characters were called Erik and Christine (the same names as the originals') and this Christine's surname even sounds a little like the original's. I also wanted to punch Randall (the original boyfriend) almost from the first moment we meet him, and at times give Christine a slap too for being such a doormat! But apart from those things, it's an excellent story and I did enjoy it, reading the whole book in one sitting. So if you're a Phantom fan too and can accept linked books, or you just like books with some romance in them (but not soppy!), this could be the book for you. I just wish the author had written other linked books or retellings as well as her original series, as I enjoyed seeing her perspective.

[Jennifer Thompson-Thalasinos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came to my attention when it was published under the author’s pen name and titled No Return. I had discovered then that there are a plethora of PhanPhiction in the form of self-published books. This particular book caught my eye because it was a contemporary take on the phantom of the Opera.

Christine has grown up poor and is struggling to put herself through USC’s music program. Working in a high end restaurant called L’Opera she struggles to make ends meet. Erik was born with deformities on his face. After years of surgery he begins wearing a masque like The Phantom of the Opera. Very wealthy from family money, he lives an isolated life, but longs to find his own Christine Daaë.

After a private investigator he’s hired finds Christine, he goes to her place of work on Halloween where they instantly connect. Now his plan is to kidnap her and have her all to himself.

This book is full of Phantom references as well as Beauty and the Beast references. The plot definitely follows a more Beauty and the Beast retelling in that she’s trapped in his mansion.

I liked this version a lot. This is definitely written for older teens on up.

[Sam C · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Phantom of the opera is one of my favorite stories ever and I always always hated how Christine chose Raoul at the end so the chance of reading a new version where she actually chooses right (and the phantom isn't a cold blooded murder) was fantastic.

I really liked the way the author managed to adapt the story to a modern setting and the way she created the connection between Erik and Christine.

I really enjoyed this one, I think it's a wonderful novel.

[Ginger Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, the Phantom gets the girl.

[Pat Babcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night Nusic

Loved the way the author took the concept of the play and gave it a modern twist! Very well done.

[Emmett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this book a few times. The first read had me hooked. I thought I'd found a great retelling of The Phantom of the Opera (or a phan-fiction) that wasn't the same old overly sexualized nonsense I've had to scour through for years. At first, it didn't seem that way. Sure there's some romance and kissing and a little bit of sex, but not the porn that passes for literature these days. My problem with it now is how "out there" the plot is. It just doesn't seem realistic enough to be believable. Erik is a bit bipolar with manic depression and just all around "screwed up" from being virtually alone all his life. His behavior is the kind you would expect from someone who never left their house and learned everything from watching tv and movies. Not that his character is much different that the original, but he really doesn't change all that much throughout the story (my opinion). Many of the scenes are outrageously dramatic, and some of the characters are just really stupid. Christine is kind of weird too, but her actions and dialogue seem the most "normal" and believable. She's probably the least dramatic character in the whole book, which is a far cry from Gaston Leroux's character. I gave it three stars because it's not a bad book. It could be a lot better, though.

[Chantal Gadoury · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a great "Phantom of the Opera" novel, this is one of the best ones you can read. It's a modernized version, with mentions to the Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical. Some of the characters are a bit dramatic, and some scenes are too - but, this is still a great read. One of the better "fanfiction -to-book" stories I've read. These characters are memorable, and the story is great!

[Loverlypurple · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful story!! This is a keeper and I will be reading it again, it was that good. Read this the first time March 2012 and reread June 2013 was just as good the second time. Real great modern phantom of the Opera story.

[Ester · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was so good. it kept me on my toes full of emotion

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, BUT there's nothing separating which character is talking from paragraph to paragraph, so at times it was hard to follow the changes in views...

[Samis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total cheese, but well written cheese :)

[Heara-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad but definitely had me going back and forth. Interesting read. Liked it.

[Angela Gallizzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally! Christine chooses the Phantom.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Definitely want to read more by this author.