Author: H.D. Carlton
Genres: Dark Romance
Published: August 12, 2021
Pages: 583
Format read: Paper Back
Triggers: Stalking, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Trafficking, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent
Quick Thoughts: Couldn’t put it down. Oh my god he did what? I definitely need a cold shower after this.
This book was self purchased.
All reviews are entirely honest and my own opinion.
Rating:
Characters:
Plot:
Spice:
The Manipulator
I can manipulate the emotions of anyone who lets me.
I will make you hurt, make you cry, make you laugh and sigh.
But my words don’t affect him. Especially not when I plead for him to leave.
He’s always there, watching and waiting.
And I can never look away.
Not when I want him to come closer.
The Shadow
I didn’t mean to fall in love.
But now that I have, I can’t stay away.
I’m mesmerized by her smile, by her eyes, and the way she moves.
The way she undresses…
I’ll keep watching and waiting. Until I can make her mine.
And once she is, I’ll never let her go.
Not even when she begs me to.
This definitely was one of those books that I simply could not put down. I did not expect to like it as much as I did. Haunting Adeline was a whirlwind of suspense and psychological intensity. It is an unsettling story, balanced out almost perfectly with spicy scenes that left me in need of a very cold shower. That being said, I am completely aware of the fact that this is one of those books you either absolutely love or don’t like at all. Obviously, I fall in the first category as I just couldn’t stop reading. The story had me in its grip and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the 2nd book.
Let me know which stars you prefer.
The ones above you, or the ones I make you see.
From the beginning Haunting Adeline is filled with torture, murder and sex. And honestly, those things never stopped. To say that the story is disturbing would be an understatement. But you know what? I think I like my romances disturbed. This book was the start of my Dark Romance obsession, which is why I wanted it to be my first review on my blog as well.
When I started to read this book, I didn’t expect it to have any plot at all. I had only heard about the spicy smut scenes, but not that it was interwoven with a story that managed to captivate me. This is a prime example of ‘smut with a side of plot’ if you ask me.
Actually, there is more than one plot going on. A think I did not expect. Next to the romantic plot, we also have Zade’s job. He runs a secret organisation that takes down pedophiles, human traffic rings and everyone in between. It added so much to his character. As Zade’s and Adeline’s relationship develops, we also get to dive into the world of this organisation. But this is not the only side plot that we have! Adeline has her own little plot as well. She finds a diary of her great grandmother, who has been murdered. So in between all of this, we also get bits and pieces of a murder mystery.
I don’t think this book would have been as good as it is without those two side plots. Carlton made a really good choice by including these, as they added much depth to the story. Instead of a dark romance filled with purely smut, we got mystery and suspense as well. I especially enjoyed the murder mystery side plot, because I found myself trying to figure out and piece things together as well. This kept me much more invested in the book.
But what surprised me most might be the characters. Not only do we have Adeline, our female main character, and Zade, Our male main character. But we also have Daya, Adeline’s best friend and a platora of other characters that get introduced one by one. And the way that not only the romantic relationship develops, but also the more platonic ones are just chef’s kiss. Daya’s and Adeline’s friendship is just pure goals.
Another thing I really have to tell you is the way that this book is graphically designed. I got the paperback version of Haunting Adeline, and when I opened it up for the first time I was in for a pleasant surprise! The start of every chapter is just gorgeous, decorated with skulls and roses. I am definitely going to be on the look out for the hard cover edition as well.
Good bits
Bad bits
- Side plots for both of the main characters
- Very spicy scenes that left me in need of a cold shower
- Amazing representation of female friendship between Daya & Adeline
- Gorgeous graphic design
- A diverse cast of characters
- Bit of a slow start, but when it gets going, it really gets going.
- No third book
I absolutely loved this book!
I liked this book more than I thought I would and the writer made some very good decisions about the side plots. It has a good balance between suspense and romance. If you can even call it romance, because Carlton definitely isn’t scared to get into the nitty gritty parts of things. I do realise that this is one of those you hate it or you love it kind of books. But if you’re a lover of Dark Romance, you should at least give this book a try.