a 6 star read
and you know from me, these don't come often
“I have to be clear about it so there’s no illusions between us. You can’t fall in love with me. There is no happy ending to be found with me.”
famous last words.
✦ chapter’s end sunday
i’ve been teasing this one for weeks.
i’m not sorry.
the 6 star shelf is sacred and only five books have ever made it there. today we’re adding a sixth.
✦ the precursor
tropes/genres: mafia romance, love at first sight, revenge plot, found family
standalone/series: book 2 in the London Underworld Series, can be read as standalone
smut rating: 8 - filthy and fully earned
sentiment rating: 9 - the yearning in this book will ruin you
✦ one-line synopsis
she walked into his club looking for a killer. he's been waiting for her since the night she never showed up.
✦ un(filtered) thoughts
okay. cracks fingers. let’s talk.
valentina (fmc) lost her sister. not blood, but does that matter? no. she was her sister. and valentina is going to find out who took her if it kills her. so she does what she has to do. she walks into a club, auditions to be a stripper, and gets close to the man she thinks is responsible.
that man is matteo. (mmc)
what she doesn’t realize is they already have history.
one night, long ago, they met, they danced, they were supposed to meet again. she never showed. and the reason she never showed is the exact same reason she’s standing in front of him now convinced he might be a murderer.
i can’t.
“All I think about is you. Constantly. Endlessly. Fucking, obsessively.”
love at first sight done right means the man is already gone before she even knows his name. and this book does it right. the yearning is not subtle. it is not quiet. it takes up the whole room.
this is the third Khai Hara book i’ve recommended here and i’ve only read the two in this duet plus one other. i’m already giving her a slow clap.
if you liked Insatiable, this duet sits right there with it. read Devil Mine first if you can. but you’ll be fine either way. you’ll just want to go back.
good plot. interlinked story. happy ending. smutty, sentimental, and exactly the kind of book that belongs on a shelf in this society.
this is what a 6 star read looks like.
✦ where to read - Phantom Mine by Khai Hara
→ read it on amazon
→ add it to your bookshelf in the library
if you’re spiraling and need more, the library shelves are organized by mood, not morality.
✦ the fictional man profile
Matteo Leone
the mafia heir who proved love at first sight isn’t dead after all.
✦ the aesthetic board:
see the curated Phantom Mine vibes → pinterest inspo
“Kissing you is like giving in to the original sin”
↩︎ in case you missed last week
sports romance + she's taken
✦ fictional boyfriend we’re obsessed with
(chosen by the society — most saved book this week)
zade meadows
apparently the society has a type 5 weeks in a row!! (a good ole stalker)
✦ get featured in the sunday newsletter
the society wants to know:
what is a 6 star read for you?
→ submit here (open to all society members)
coming up…
smutty sunday is next week and i’ve got the perfect book lined up.
until then…
stay obsessed, and remember: he waited a year and was still waiting. you deserve that.
🖤 with love in smut & sentiment,
bb
p.s.
khai hara if you're reading this, well done. genuinely. i’ve never highlighted a book like this one.