They can't always offer the best in the way of earthly pleasures, but they certainly will love you for all eternity. As appealing as a phantom lover may be, the ghosts in romance novels are not always the hero or heroine. The stunning Gene Tierney made a believable heroine striving for personal independence after being widowed, and Rex Harrison as the Ghostly Captain is still the most appealing curmudgeonly hero ever to star on the silver screen. Because the eternal love shared by the main characters is deeply spiritual and transcends the passage of time. The hero and heroine are truly soul mates and the corporeal nature of the physical world doesn't prevent them from falling madly in love with each other, even though they exist on different planes of time and space.
Most humans live with a constant fear of death.
As living beings we strive to preserve our own mortality. The character who is a ghost helps to bridge this fear of death and the unknown. For when true love can transcend all of our physical barriers, the fear of death lessens. However, not all of the popular ghost romances feature immortal and non- human leading players. Many romances offer ghostly characters that play a guardian angel role.