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Whose footsteps in the dark?
He is heir to the earldom of Batheaston and lives in an elegant, stately home, but handsome twenty-something Freddie Lanyon is not a happy man. Not only is he gay and dreading coming out to his family, but he’s also troubled by ghosts that nobody else can see.
When Freddie’s impulsive purchase of an antique dressing case triggers even more ghostly happenings with potentially catastrophic consequences, he has to take action.
Freddie contacts charismatic psychic Marcus Spender for help and feels an immediate attraction to this handsome antique dealer –– a feeling that is mutual. But the pair’s investigations unearth shocking, long-buried secrets, which prove a major challenge to their task of laying unhappy spirits to rest and to their blossoming relationship.
Being brave isn’t one of Freddie’s standout qualities, but he’ll need all the courage he can muster to rid himself of wayward phantoms and get his life on track.
A Plethora of Phantoms is an uplifting ghostly tale about love, friendship, and acceptance.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Where Connection Deepens and Love Becomes Impossible to Ignore
I finished A Plethora of Phantoms with the feeling that some relationships don’t arrive at convenient moments—they take shape in the middle of everything else, and become harder to step away from because of it. What begins as a meeting shaped more by circumstance than intention gradually turns into something much more difficult to ignore.
Freddie and Marcus don’t circle each other for long. There’s a recognition there quite early on—not fully understood, and not entirely trusted either, but present all the same. Their interactions carry a slight edge at first, shaped by uncertainty and the sense that neither of them has the full picture. That tension works well, because it gives their connection something to push against from the beginning.
As they spend more time together, that uncertainty doesn’t disappear so much as shift. Moments of ease are followed by hesitation, and just when things seem to settle, something unsettles them again—whether that’s circumstance, miscommunication, or everything happening around them. It gives the relationship a slightly unsteady footing, but in a way that feels believable rather than frustrating.
What makes it particularly engaging is how differently they approach things. Freddie tends to hold back, thinking through consequences before acting, whilst Marcus is more willing to move forward, even when there are still unanswered questions. That difference does create tension at times, but it also works in their favour, because neither of them approaches things in quite the same way.
There’s also a sense that what’s developing between them isn’t happening in isolation. The pressure of everything else—the house, the past, the things neither of them can fully explain—feeds into it. At points, that pressure extends beyond the house itself, and the risks become far more immediate, giving their connection a sharper edge.
The pacing of the romance feels right for the story. It doesn’t linger too long in uncertainty, but it also doesn’t smooth over the moments where things are unclear. Instead, those moments shape what comes next, allowing the relationship to develop in a way that feels grounded, even as everything around it becomes less so.
By the end, it feels less like something that has simply unfolded, and more like something they’ve chosen to stay with, despite everything that might have made it easier not to. That gives their connection a sense of quiet certainty, without ever making it feel too neat.
This is a romance that grows out of circumstance rather than existing apart from it, and that’s what makes it feel convincing. It’s not about perfection or ease, but about two people finding their way towards each other whilst everything else is shifting around them.
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Penny Hampson
Penny Hampson writes mysteries, and because she has a passion for history, you’ll find her stories also reflect that. A Gentleman’s Promise, a traditional Regency romance, was Penny’s debut novel and the first of her Gentlemen Series. There are now four novels in the series, with the latest, An Adventurer’s Contract, released in November 2024. Penny also enjoys writing contemporary mysteries with a hint of the paranormal, because where do ghosts come from but the past? The Unquiet Spirit, a spooky mystery/romance set in Cornwall, is the first in the Spirited Encounters Series. Look out for A Plethora of Phantoms coming soon.
Penny lives with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same time).
If you’ve enjoyed any of Penny’s books please leave a review on Amazon, Bookbub, or Goodreads, and let other readers know!
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Thank you for taking the time to read and review my book. I'm delighted that you enjoyed A Plethora of Phantoms!
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