Phantasma

A dark fantasy romance (Wicked Games Book 1)

By: Kaylie Smith

Narrated by: Laura Horowitz

Welcome to Phantasma.

There are only two rules to the game. Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish.

Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.

Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia’s fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.

Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.

Ophelia knows she shouldn’t trust him. Blackwell doesn’t seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart…

A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Caraval in this seductive fantasy adventure. With steamy romance, a sexy morally gray love interest, OCD rep and jaw-dropping twists, Phantasma is perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Nisha J. Tuli and Carissa Broadbent.

©2024 Kaylie Smith (P)2024 Second Sky, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Dark, steamy, and so much fun!

Come with me as I step far outside my comfort zone into a world of dark romantasy filled with demons of every kind where a sheltered necromancer battles for her life while searching for her missing sister. Oh, my, what an intense and satisfying adventure this was!

Set in spooky, sultry New Orleans, PHANTASMA is a non-stop thrill ride with surprises in every chapter. Ophelia enters a contest (Phantasma) where there can only be one winner and the price of losing is death. The contestants must complete challenges based on the nine circles of hell. Along the way she meets Blackwell, a morally gray, but charming stranger who offers to help her in exchange for a very steep price. In Phantasma the only thing more dangerous than the deadly challenges is falling in love.

I alternated between the print and audio versions of this book and literally hung on every word. The production value of the audiobook was exceptional and Laura Horowitz‘s narration perfectly captured Ophelia’s fear and longing as she navigated the challenges and her growing attraction to Blackwell.

Kaylie Smith has written a heart pounding dark fantasy with an interesting premise and plenty of spice. This is a perfect read (or listen) for those who like their romance hot as the weather cools down.

Blind OBSESSION

MY FAVORITE READ OF 2024

I quite literally loved this gothic style romance suspense story! I almost hate that I’ve finished it!

The entire thing is gold, the storyline, the plot twists, the irrecoverable love…ugh need I go on?
I enjoyed every bit of how this was written (and narrated)
This is a book that I will be reading over again, one of those unforgettable favorites.

Do yourself a favor and read this book!!!!! 🖤

Incredible Narration, Good Story

the narrator was absolutely amazing, almost too good at times. The story itself was pretty good! I had fun with it and enjoyed the plot. I did call the ending though 👀

Creepy fun story

The narrator is excellent! The story was engaging, fun and creepy. Loved the representation of OCD.

Interesting story

I was able to guess most of the reveals, but the final twist definitely got me!

Sexy and creepy. LOVE the narrator!

I really loved the narrator/voice actor for this book. She kept me hooked on this book and wanting to listen more. The book is sexy and creepy which are my two favorite things. Looking forward to more from both this voice actor and the author!

Simply Fantastic

This was a wonderful story and the narration was simply fantastic. I would highly recommend

Phantastic

Narrator Laura Horowitz gives an 11/10 performance!! Storyline is amazing. It's constantly moving. Never a dull moment in Phantasma. I love the male main.

Wow

Honestly, this was totally out of my norm to read a book like this but Holy Moly was it worth it! The only reason I’m not giving this book a 5⭐️ is because I don’t like devil aspects (I didn’t know any of that going into it btw)! I really was captivated throughout the entire book based off the “games”. It is a little strange the dynamics worked of Blackwell and the FMC’s relationship but I’m not complaining. Overall a wonderful book!

Eye opening

I liked the story and the spice. But most of all, I truly appreciate the representation of OCD. When I listened to Ophelia’s experience with the illness, I came to terms with the fact that I have OCD. The dark, intrusive thoughts are something I’ve struggled with since I was a kid but I have always chalked it up to being a negative, weird person. I’ve never even shared that part of me with anyone. During postpartum, these thoughts turned even darker. My nights were plagued with them. It’s gotten better but they’re still there. But what I mean to say is, I didn’t realize until recently (therapist told me) and listening to this book that these are in fact part of OCD. Among other things I do, the Shadow Voice I have is simply me. I want to thank the author for showing us this, because without it, I would still feel like just a weird person with a negative way of thinking, thank you, you have no idea how much I appreciate this book and your honesty regarding this illness.