Blogger Book Fair Guest: Penelope Reece

So, I had the pleasure of reading Phantasma by Penelope Reece. It’s a great book, and I’ll get to the review after we see the lovely book cover and learn a bit about it.

Good school, nice friends, and a loving family. Alphie Brewster's life seems perfect except for one growing problem. She's plagued with vivid nightmares, and is haunted by a forgotten past. And it's only getting worse.

The day she finds a mysterious necklace, Alphie wakes to see a ghostly figure leaning over her bed. Now she's got an even greater problem. A six foot four inch tall eccentric spook, named Noer, who has to possess her in order to stay in this world. He fills her with fire while slowly draining her energy as if she were a Duracell Battery.

Now her problems only seem to be escalating. The more she learns about Noer, the more she starts to remember her childhood. One that should have stayed buried and could very well tear her apart.

Just as a point of reference, the second cover is the old one. I adore it so much and wanted to share it. At any rate, let’s start with the review.

One of the fascinating things about this book is that the main character, Alphie, suffers from what is thought to be narcolepsy. I’ve never read a book with such a character before, which made for an interesting change. Her sleeping issues were also used as a plot device and had her falling asleep at the most inopportune times.

As for the romance aspect of the story, which is obviously important in a paranormal romance, I enjoyed it. This is coming from someone who doesn’t enjoy overly gushy and fake romance stories. Phantasma didn’t have this problem, and sometimes it even seemed like the romance was one sided, no matter who it involved. I like that Alphie was indecisive for real reasons rather than just because there was a love triangle, and it’s hard to pick from two hot guys. Noer was also a really interesting character because it was difficult to identify his motives. Also, I’m a sucker for great hair.

One thing I want to share is my favorite scene. When Noer first appeared, I couldn’t help but visualize the painting by Henry Fuseli called The Nightmare. This painting is often associated with night terrors and sleep paralysis, so it fits perfectly. I loved that scene enough that I even bookmarked it, which is something I never do.

Overall, I highly recommend Phantasma to anyone who likes paranormal romance and is looking for an interesting main character. If you would like to buy a copy of Phantasma for $0.99, Penelope is offering a Smashwords coupon.  Use the coupon code: WT44L

Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of Phantasma and all of the other books featured during the Blogger Book Fair, as well as a $15 gift card to Amazon.


Penelope Reece is a young adult/new adult romance author living in Southern Indiana with her husband and Pomeranian. She's been writing ever since her nerdy high school days where her joys were limited it marching band and daydreaming.

Her blog:
http://penelopereece.blogspot.com

Twitter:
@PenelopeReece

Links:
+Sing for Me
+Sing for Me (Smashwords)

+Phantasma (Amazon)
+Phantasma (Smashwords)

+Goodreads