Release Day Review: Ghosted by J.M. Darhower
He's a troubled young actor, Hollywood's newest heartthrob, struggling with fame as the star of the latest superhero franchise. Through scandal after scandal, addiction on top of addiction, a flurry of paparazzi hunt him as he fights to conquer his demons.
She's a single mother, assistant manager at a grocery store, existing in monotony with her five-year-old daughter. Every day when she goes to work, lurid tabloids surround her, the face of a notorious bad boy haunting her from their covers.
A man and a woman, living vastly different lives, but that wasn't always the case. Once, they were just a boy and a girl who bonded over comic books and fell in love unexpectedly.
When Kennedy Garfield met Jonathan Cunningham back in high school, she knew he had all the makings of a tragic hero. With stars in his eyes, and her heart on her sleeve, the pair ran away together to follow their dreams.
But dreams, sometimes, turn into nightmares.
Now, years later, the only thing they share is a daughter—one who has no idea her father plays her favorite superhero. But Jonathan is desperate to make amends, and at the top of his list is the woman who gave up everything for him and the little girl he hasn't yet met.
**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**
"You're the queen. I'm just a commoner."
JM Darhower proves again why she is one of my favorite authors. Is there anything she can't do? She writes suspenseful dark romances like no other, but pulls off a beautiful, and emotional second-chance romance as well. When I first read the blurb, I had my hesitations because I don't like the whole famous/celebrity plot. However, I trusted the author to come up with an original and great story with amazing characters. AND she delivered 100%! She did everything as perfect as possible to make me fall in love with Jonathan, Kennedy and Maddie. As someone who usually either loves or hates flashbacks, it fit so amazing in this story. It made my connection to the characters even stronger, and explained their love for each other so much better. It made me believe in their love and that is the most important aspect in a second-chance romance. I need to feel that the main characters are meant to be together.
"To me, she was the center of the universe, the sunlight that burned so bright, but she writes herself in the shadows, secondary in her own life."
I loved that Jonathan played a super hero and not some heartthrob Hollywood star. It added to the uniqueness of the story. I absolutely adored Kennedy and Jonathan's daughter Maddie. She stole the spotlight so often, and I just couldn't get enough of her. I also enjoyed that Jonathan being a famous movie star was a bit in the background. Kennedy and Jonathan really got the time to connect again and I was happy that the author didn't rush through that. For me the bond between the family is more important than getting an insight into Jonathan's celebrity lifestyle. There is nothing I would change about this book, besides wishing it was longer or had a sequel (a novella maybe?) because I hate saying goodbye to these AMAZING characters. The epilogue was perfect. I highly recommend this book to all my romance loving book buddies.
JM Darhower is the USA Today Bestselling Author of romance novels of all flavors (erotic, suspense, contemporary, paranormal). She lives in a tiny town in the Carolinas with her family, where she churns out more words than will ever see the light of day. She has a deep passion for politics and human rights, and when she isn’t writing she’s usually ranting about those things. Chronic crimper with a vulgar mouth, she admits to having a social media addiction. You can find her there.
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