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Romantic Retellings of The Phantom of the Opera
Find your own angel of music with these sweet, sexy, and highly romantic retellings of the iconic novel.
Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera is a pulpy crime thriller published in 1910 that has had a surprisingly long and influential afterlife. This story of a mysterious masked figure lurking beneath the Paris Opera House who obsesses over a young soprano has inspired countless retellings and adaptations, including, most famously, the longest-running musical in Broadway history. We don’t blame you if you watched the Andrew Lloyd Webber version and spent the rest of your days thinking that Christine should have chosen the Phantom over Raoul. Been there, done that!
And certainly, many romance authors have thought the same and decided to offer their own spicy retellings. It’s no wonder they’re so taken with a story of a tortured but misunderstood genius who finds solace and even salvation through love and challenges the world’s prejudices against him.
There are so many different romantic versions of Phantom out there: historic, contemporary, thrillers, high-camp melodrama, even speculative. Sometimes, Erik gets the girl (okay, most of the time he does!), or even the boy. Are you sold? Here are six romantic retellings of The Phantom of the Opera that are sure to make you sing for your own angel of music.
If you want a retelling that remains pretty faithful to the source material, albeit with more
romance, Jessica Mason has you covered. Christine arrives in Paris in search of an angel,
promised to her by her late father. Erik steps into that role, but can their growing passions
survive such deceit?
Webb’s take on Phantom is grounded and savvy but also offers some unexpected twists to
the tale. This Christine is a singer who dreams of becoming a magician. Her enigmatic
master promises to tell her all his secrets, but can he be trusted? This one's for Raoul
devotees and those who want a more independent heroine.
What if the Phantom was a woman? And her Christine was a German rockstar who 100%
wasn’t inspired by the Eurovision-winning band Måneskin? Jen Comfort’s gender-swapped
contemporary romance is high camp mixed with all of your favorite grumpy sunshine
goodness.
No Phantom retellings list is complete without the book that arguably kickstarted the trend in publishing. Kay's proudly overwrought and melodramatic reimagining of Leroux's book (with a touch of Lloyd Webber) offers a dense and tragic backstory to the masked man himself.
Did you ever read Phantom and wish it was more adventure-driven like The Mummy? This
one is right up your alley. Christine, tasked with investigating a 100-year-old cold-case,
stumbles upon the thrills of the Phantom who has lurked among the catacombs for decades.
And now he's set his sights on her (in a good way!)
This M/M age-gap version of Phantom is set in early 2000s Japan and focuses on the glam-
metal visual kei rock scene. Teru needs some voice training before he can become a star.
Enter Rei, a brilliant composer with leather trousers and a scarred face, who promises to
make him into an icon.
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