Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

I always enjoy it when a book takes characters from history and puts a twist on them as GHOST PHOENIX does with various famous figures from different points in time posing as immortals living in modern times. One issue I had with the story is the use of ‘California slang’ like ‘stellar’. I adored the fact that Richard Plantagenet is an immortal surfer dude but it just seemed so jarring and weird for him to be using slang terms that I am not certain are actually used. Other than that Richard’s story of being prodigal son of the immortal court was interesting albeit the issues he had with the court didn’t seem to be as big of a deal as they were made to be.

Richard’s relationship with Marian is that of the insta-love variety at least on Richard’s part and while its not my favorite trope their relationship evolution was really sweet. Richard’s nickname for Marian upon first seeing her ghost-walking ability was absolutely adorable. I enjoyed Marian’s ability to ghost-walk and how she used it in her family business. I would have actually liked to have a whole book with her using her ability to phase through walls but alas this was not that book.

The story is fast paced starting out as a simple madcapped heist to find the body of Rasputin, only to become a more complex race against time with massive deadly roadblocks in store for Richard and Marian. The conflict with Rasputin was very entertaining and suspenseful. The way in which they incorporated Marian’s ability into the quest to get Rasputin’s DNA was genius. GHOST PHOENIX is a thrilling science fiction adventure story with a sweet romance that doesn’t overwhelm the exciting plot. ( )