This isn't so much a review as an advisory.

I love Phantom of the Opera, as presented in the musical and the movie. (See my review of the Leroux book for my opinion on the original story). So, I've been looking for "sequels" to the story.

For Christmas, I bought The Phantom Returns by Stephanie Cole (for $12.95!). I never even got to the middle because the book was not what I had expected. I wanted a Gothic Romance where Eric was still dangerous and scary, with a mystery and a "Beauty and the Beast" component. But this book is really just a regency romance with a disfigured hero. It's got a funny butler, a love triangle (Christine, Raoul and Eric of course), and an unexpected earldom for Eric (what!). Not really believable, and certainly not very Gothic.

It's not a bad book and I'm certainly not including it in the bad books list. It's just a regency romance and not what I wanted. (By the way, if you visit the author's web site, her next book is a regency romance...so you see where her interests lie.)