This month’s book boyfriend is Liam James from Bright Phantoms.

• He’s attentive.
• He steps up when he realizes he needs to.
• He has the same instant attraction to Danica as she does to him.

Also…

I have found the perfect casting if this book were ever to be turned into a movie! Maybe that really means this month’s book boyfriend is Nicholas Galitzine. Or maybe it means it’s He-Man?

No, It’s not He-Man. But there is a connection. A strong one!

In book 1, Dead Sexy, Liam James shows up and is cast to play Peter Kieth in a biopic. And then, he’s tapped to play Johnny Urban, the tiger shifter character Gil has created based on Peter.

In my head, Peter always looked kind of like a softer Dolph Lundgren, especially when he had longer hair. And Johnny Urban 100% visually keyed off Dolph. Cut muscles, short cropped hair, shaped like an upside-down triangle, all of it. Now take that, dress him like a jungle adventurer, and slap a big tiger tattoo across his chest, boom= Johnny Urban. And for those of you not nearly as old as me, Dolph played He-Man in the 1980s live version of the popular cartoon.

I also had a framed poster of Dolph. Yes framed, that man’s Cinema Chicago Film Festival photo was art.

Keeping all of that in mind, when it was time to write Liam’s love story I needed a visual that was a little slimmer, not blond, but could still work as a blond. I had not a single actor in mind. Liam Jame’s look came from a blender effect, a little bit here, a little bit there, toss in some Brendan Fraser from the Mummy, a pinch of Dolph, and maybe even some Taylor Kitsch from the John Carter of Mars movie, maybe some Theo James?

The point being there wasn’t a dream cast actor. At least not until now.

Masters of the Universe came out in June. Of course I saw it. and I adored it. Self-deprecating humor, actual cartoon tie-ins, a sassy Skeletor, it was a blast! I spilled my husband’s drink on him when Dolph made his cameo and I flailed around in excitement, wasn’t expecting that—though I really should have.

But when Adam transforms into He-Man the first time it hit me. This guy would be an excellent Liam James. After the movie I looked him up. Oh, it gets better, he has Greek heritage—so does Liam. And he naturally has darker hair.

So… at that point I became obsessed with Liam James, and wishing this book would get optioned so I could get them to cast Nicholas Galitzine.

But why should they option Bright Phantoms? Why Liam James? Why should your book club read Bright Phantoms?

• That sun screen scene is hot. IYKYK. You should read it.
• Hollywood loves to make insider stories, why not a story about a set designer with some behind the scenes of making a movie?
• The baby is adorable, and Liam steps in as an attentive father. Not to mention the respect he has for postpartum Danica. There is no hiding the baby from him, or denying paternity. They have other issues to deal with.
• With a not so-secret baby, the second chance romance in Bright Phantoms explores building trust when outside forces and the inner demons of postpartum depression are trying to keep the newly developing family apart. As with all books in the Second Endings series, there is a ghostly/reincarnation twist.
• I even have book club questions for you:
  • How does Danica’s relationship with Flint, a ghost, challenge conventional notions of romance? What does it suggest about longing, memory, and connection?
  • Discuss the ethics and emotional weight of being a conduit—willingly or not—for someone else’s presence.
  • Does the paranormal twist (Flint inhabiting Liam’s eyes) serve more as a plot device, an emotional catalyst, or a symbol of unresolved grief?