A new second chance romance standalone from USA Today bestselling author 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 … 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.
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5 stars!
“But I just need to tell you… I need you to know… that even when I was completely fucked up, I never once stopped loving you.”
Confession time. When I opened this book, I expected to DNF it because, well, the tropes. Manwhore hero. Celibate, weak heroine. But every single page changed my mind, because Ghosted isn’t an ordinary love story. Most of those don’t have missing chapters, torn pages and tear stains on them. This one was all the above.
I nod, looking down at my hands. “I wasn’t accusing you of cheating. I just wanted to know how long it took you to move on.”
Jonny Cunning is Hollywood’s latest heartthrob. Notorious bad boy. Breezo, the new Iron Man, you could say. But, he’s also Jonathan Cunningham. Dead kid on Law and Order. Kennedy Garfield’s long lost lover/baby daddy. He screwed up, years ago. The love of his life hates him. Won’t let him see their daughter. Their daughter, who’s most favorite superhero is Breezo.
Kennedy Garfield had dreams. Shattered dreams. She wanted to get good grades in school. Not fall for the bad boy with stars in his eyes who was destined for much, much bigger things than her. But, she does. And it’s worth it. Worth it enough to run away to LA. Things soon turn sour after that.
She watches the boy she loves turn into an addict. A drunk. Not bring able to take it anymore, she goes back home. Pregnant.
That’s pretty much the intro. We get to see two star-crossed lovers fall in love, again. We get to see a mother opening up to the father of her child. We get to see a father getting to know his child. Most of all, we get to see a family becoming a family.
This is one of my most favorite books up to date. I laughed at Maddie’s cute moments. I cried when Kennedy cried. I obsessed over this three years after it came out, after everyone else had already obsessed over it. I breathed J.M. Darhower’s words like air. Overall, this book is one of my most favorite reads ever, ever, ever!
This book came recommended to me. I enjoyed the story a lot. I listened to the audiobook. It’s very emotional and touching and at times it is funny, too. It is also a very steamy book.
This was my first introduction to J.M.’s work and Ghosted is such a beautifully written book of a second chance romance. This story has a dual timeline so that you get some back history and knowledge as to what brought this couple together and how they broke apart then mended their love for each other.
Kennedy has an enormous heart! Parts of this story broke me as I am able to relate to her circumstances. I cannot imagine the heartache she went through. She forgave the love of her life after a 6 year hiatus and I would have too after his commitment and change. Jonathon was the perfect father and Maddie was so adorably funny! Kudos to the author for telling such a wonderful story that will go in my catalog of impressionable books!
Kennedy and Jonathan’s story is a good one and so full of sweet and sad that keeps you waiting for more sad or happy to change the direction of these two characters!
I love second chance stories and this one is definitely a favorite!
So many of you have been harping at me to read a J.M. Darhower novel. I get recommended Sempre constantly. While I intended for that book to be my introduction to Darhower’s writing, I couldn’t pass up this standalone about a second chance romance.
Worse is loving someone who disappears and never knowing if they’ll come back. Because how do you move on if you’re not ever sure they’re gone? The answer is – you don’t. When you spend most of your life chasing ghosts, eventually, you become one.
Darhower masterfully brought to life the story of Kennedy Garfield and Jonathan Cunningham. She tells us the story through both their eyes and through Kennedy’s high school journal. The reader gets to see them reunite the same time we learn their history and their heartbreak. It is guaranteed to make you feel. A single mom trying her best to provide for her child without taking help from her drug-addicted celebrity father. A father trying to overcome his personal demons to win his family back. A sweet little girl that is in awe of a fictional superhero that is played by her biological father. A superhero that brought her mom and dad together all those years ago. I can’t praise Darhower enough as the story ebbs and flows beautifully until it comes to an outstanding end.
But is there’s one thing I’ve learned from it all, it’s that we have to be our own heroes. No guy in a costume is coming to save us. We have to save ourselves.
Thank you to everyone that recommended this author to me. And I promise to read Sempre soon!
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PUT DOWN EVERYTHING AND READ THIS BOOK! It’s the perfect second-chance novel between a Movie Star named Johnny Cunningham and an assistant grocery store manager named Kennedy Garfield. It has romance, angst, heart-break and more!
Summary: We meet Johnny &b Kennedy in the present, where they’re not together but have the most adorable 4 year old daughter. Intrigued by how they came upon this separated family arrangement, the author transforms the audience to the past.
Jonathan & Kennedy met and connected in high school, Johnny found solace from an abusive, harsh home life in his best friend – Kennedy. Whereas, Kennedy found the support & encouragement she needed to follow her dreams from Johnny. However, upon realising that there is no future for Johnny in their small town, they both run away — she drops everything for him to be able to chase his dream.
Back to the present, we see the new and transformed Jonathan ready to make amends and be the father he always wanted to be before fame took it all away from him.
What I loved:
The author filled in all the gaps with the present/past transformation. The amount of emotions I felt ranged from Love, Anger, Heart-break, Angst and more Love. All this happened through the transformations in the book as each character completes their arc. Jonathan transforms from a young, naive, selfish school kid to a mature, heartbroken man, who tries everything he can to be the best father to their daughter. While Kennedy, who is lovestruck and ready to do anything for him, transforms into a beautiful, strong and confident mother who will do anything for her kid.
Their past is heart-breaking. Two young kids who step into the real world and have to deal with everything that has rattled the movie industry, their journey is very realistic. I loved how I could feel each obstacle the couple faced as though I was Kennedy.
In addition to all of this, I fell in love with Maddie (their daughter) – she was my absolute favourite character and the main star of the book! I loved loved loved how she brought them back together.
What I wished there could be more of:
I feel like Kennedy forgave Jonathan a little too easily. I thought it was unfair that she went through so much only for him to be forgiven in the end… but I guess that was the power of love between them, which is great!
I really recommend this book! It’s a beautiful read for those who wish to explore their range of emotions! Please read! You will not be disappointed!
All the feels for this book
Second chance romance goes one of two ways for me either I love it or I hate it. This was I loved so much that I read straight through the night because who needs to sleep. I was rooting for the happily ever after Kennedy and Maddie deserved and I wasn’t disappointed. This was my first J.M. Darhower book but not my last.
I loved the alternating current day POV alongside the second person past tense journal entries. I loved the MC’s daughter. I loved the second third of the book. The parallels between real life and the constantly-referenced comic book-turned-movie franchise added the icing on the cake. So why not five stars then? Because I really had to push myself through the first 30-40% of the book and didn’t relate to or feel empathy for the MCs until the last 30% of the book. While I enjoyed it in retrospect, I wish it had reeled me in and captivated me sooner.
This is a quintessential example of second chance romance, so if that’s your thing, I recommend that you read it.
Loved every single thing about Ghosted, having read it in less than 24 hours unable to put this beautiful, second chance romance down. The characters, the plot, and the unique storytelling Darhower presented within the pages of this illuminating story are all unforgettable. I’ve been on a bit of Darhower binge, invested in her words and worlds and this story, by far, is my favorite of her catalog. Ghosted will land on my ultimate favorite romance books list. It’s exquisitely told. Two main characters and a little girl – all three as equally vulnerable as they are charming. Their journey to each other is painful, heartbreaking, joyful, funny, and full of love. I loved every page.
Whew, what a neat story!! I had MAJOR struggles w/ the beginning of this one, and didn’t really get invested until about halfway through. But once I fell in love w/ Kennedy & Jonathan & Madison… Once that happened, the story flowed for me & I LOVED it!! There’s a lot of struggle & pain to get through, but there’s so much more healing and joy and love. And some really cute daddy/daughter time, too!! : )
I’ve been taken on an amazing journey!
This is a beautiful-touch your heart and mind-kind of story. The writing and style was phenomenal. This is my first by this author and I’m excited to read more.
What I took from this story was follow your dreams but stay true to yourself. Love others but Love yourself too. Don’t take other’s love for granted, not your parents, not your lover, not even your child. Trust and forgive as people can change and everyone should get a second chance. Live and Learn.
While reading I experienced such deep-unconditional-I’ll follow you till the end of the world-LOVE and I loved it!
I had no idea how this would end and for a moment I thought it would end differently and I think if it had ended that way, It would’ve been okay. I THINK Lol.
Quote ~ ”I just wanted to know how long it took you to move on.” “Oh, well, that’s an easy one,” he says. “It hasn’t happened.”
This book had been sitting in my library for some time and I wish I had read it sooner.
Jonathan and Kennedy meet their senior yr at high school . They bond over a comic book and fall in love . But things change and so do people , sometimes for the better but in this case for the worse .
Jonathan has become an addict , addicted to drugs and drinking . But he needs to be a better man not for himself but for his daughter he has never seen and will never get to see unless he gets better . 5 years later he is back and been sober for a yr can he be the father he wants to be . Can he make Kennedy trust him again. .
I have never read a more gut wrenching story . I cried so many tears , and wanted what was best for all of them. I loved this story and the emotional journey this took me on. I felt for Kennedy and Maddie . my father was an alcoholic who I have not see since I was 12 years old. unfortunately he couldn’t change and still hasn’t. So I was rooting for Jonathan but held my heart closed . this was a great story .
Love this book. I read it as a paperback and it was amazing. Johnny aka Jonathan is amazing and lost for a while but once he finds himself, he also finds out he was betrayed. Kennedy is strong and just so freaking amazing. She stood her ground and made her life hers after so long of following HIS dreams. Love Maddie too!
Ghosted is the definition of second chance romance cause wow, this story had everything and I mean everything I love in a second chance story. I’m completely blown away by J.M. Darhower. She captured me instantly and I was in love with Kennedy, Jonathan and Maddie. Don’t get me started on this adorable kid. She was beyond cute and definitely captured the essence of being a 5-6 year old kid.
These characters had depth, multiple layers and showed growth throughout Ghosted. My emotions were all over the place because I wanted and cheered so much for these people. Ghosted was all about love, change, sacrifice and redemption.
That’s exactly what Kennedy and Jonathan did for the people they love but they had to go through hell to get there.
The story was flawlessly written and I loved how the flashbacks were executed. Made Ghosted unique and also another way to connect with the characters and experience their journey through. Also how the comic book story was incorporated into the story was brilliantly done.
Wow. Wow. Wow. I keep repeating myself cause I’m still on a high after finishing Ghosted. All I can say is READ THIS BOOK NOW.
I liked it. A bit predictable at times but it was a light read and a change from the typical history, war, space non-fiction I typically read. The characters wre pretty well developed and the little girl was cute and not overly obnoxiou and snnoying as they can be in these types of books. Fair warning it gets pretty steamy. A lot more than I expected. All in all a good celebrity / shopgirl romance.
I just simply loved everything about this book!
“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.
“What could be lonelier then always being by yourself?”
“I think I know,” I whisper, turning a few pages until I come to the scene.
“Worse is loving someone who disappears and never knowing if they’ll come back. Because how do you move on if you’re not even sure they’re gone? The answer is-you don’t. When you spend most of your life chasing ghosts, eventually, you become one.”
I don’t really know how to explain where my head is right now. I have unfairly pigeon-holed her into this one one role. She was my favorite mafia/darker romance author. She could write the hell out of those kinds of stories. Then I get my hands on Ghosted, which I knew was not her normal stuff, and I am so blown away I am speechless.
“I’m serious,” he says. “The past few years are a blur, so I can’t tell you what I don’t remember, but I know we were over before anything ever happened with her.”
I nod, looking down at my hands. “I wasn’t accusing you of cheating. I just wanted to know how long it took you to move on.”
“Oh, well, that’s an easy one,” he says. “It hasn’t happened.”
The back and forth between the past and the present is so amazingly done this is going to be one of my favorite books to have that in there. I sometimes get bored with the “flash backs” but this time I never once wanted to skim those chapters. I just love the way it was handled.
Jonathon is going down as one of my favorite JM Darhower characters. He isn’t some bad boy or big bad mafia man but the way he handled himself and went after what he wanted was inspiring and done so beautifully. Redemption was the theme of this story and this will be at the top of my recommendation list for those looking for that kinda story.
This book was phenomenal and I am so excited for everyone to get their hands on it when she hits publish in a few days.
“Ten years ago, you ran away with me so I could follow my dreams. It’s time you follow yours. Wherever it takes you, I’ll be there.”
This is a wonderfully written book about second chances and making amends. Easy to read and definitely a page turner. First I have read from this author and can’t wait to read more.
Johnathan Cunningham was a troubled young man who fell in love with a young lady who supported him and his dreams. Together they run away to LA so Johnathan can become the next big actor.
The story starts 5 years after things fall apart between Kennedy and Johnathan. Kennedy has been raising their daughter, Madrid, without Johnathan around. And Johnathan has been shoving down feelings with alcohol, drugs and women. Their lives come back together as they try to heal and move past the hurt and disappointment.
The romance genre tends to be about sex, but the story and emotion in this book is deep and touching. The characters are flawed in a realistic way, and their path to forgiveness and acceptance isn’t easy and they aren’t quick to come to any sort of reconciliation. They had to work hard to get any sort of relationship back.
I really enjoyed how all the characters interacted with each other and how they were able pull out the truth from the others. As well as how you were able to get a glimpse of their past as they worked towards their future.
As serious as the story line was, there was a lightness to the book. I would recommend this book.