Haunting Adeline

Haunting Adeline 

Haunting Adeline is the latest novel to be checked off my to be read list. Which grows much faster than I can keep up with. This is partially due to being active on social media, and having discussions about books with others who love them as much as I do. 

I’ve heard that if you love the Butcher and Blackbird trilogy, and/or Lights Out, Haunting Adeline is the next logical step in reading dark romance novels and series. I loved both of these, so I’m absolutely willing to give H.D. Carlton a try next. 

This post contains affiliate links

I’ll be the first to admit that before reading Butcher and Blackbird or Lights Out, I had no idea that I needed dark stalker romantic comedy novels in my life. I’ve never been a big romance reader. I read Nora Roberts and Danelle Steel when I was a kid, but that was because it was what my mother bought, and I had no choice. But I’ve re-read those as an adult, and they just didn’t resonate with me the way I wanted them to. 

This led me to believe that romance books just were not my thing. But that isn’t actually true. I apparently needed much darker romance novels than Roberts or Steel could bring to the table. 

At the time I’m publishing this review, Haunting Adeline is also available via Kindle Unlimited, and given that I’ve been trying to utilize this subscription more and more, this was a good score, in my opinion, which bumped it farther up to the top of my to be read list. 

Have you read Haunting Adeline? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Haunting Adeline 

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.

“I’ve chased you across time and space, and you’ve never been able to get away.”

For Adeline Reilly, moving back to Seattle was supposed to be the perfect fresh start. With her flourishing career as an author, and the inheritance of her late grandmother’s gothic mansion, there is nothing to stand in her way.

But Adeline isn’t alone in Parson’s Manor.

It isn’t the angry souls haunting the hallways of her childhood home that Adeline fears–it’s the mysterious break-ins, roses appearing, and threatening messages that somehow sound more like eerie promises.

Adeline has a stalker.

Yet, she quickly discovers she’s not the first person in her family to fall victim to a shadow in pursuit.

Left behind are her great-grandmother’s haunting journals detailing the story of her own phantom, and subsequently, her brutal murder.

Parson’s Manor now holds more than just Adeline’s memories—it houses a grim future that could lead to history repeating itself.

If she doesn’t fall in love with her stalker first. 

Recommended Reading Order for the C&M Universe

• Satan’s Affair
• Haunting Adeline
• Hunting Adeline
• Where’s Molly 

Trigger Warnings 

This came directly from the author at the beginning of the book, Haunting Adeline, as a combination note to readers and trigger warnings list. 

First and foremost, this book ends on a cliffhanger. If you don’t like them, then please for all that is holy, do not read and then proceed to leave a bad review because you don’t like cliffhangers. You’ve been warned. 

Second, this is a dark book, and that includes stalking, non/dub-con, graphic violence, and sexual situations. 

A lot of sexual situations, guys. 

I’m a woman in love with her own character, okay? I wanted to see his penis as much as possible. 

So, if any of these are triggering for you, please do not read this book. 

But those aren’t the ones I’m concerned about. In fact, I know those might even be appealing to some. And I know some authors don’t like to lay out the specific triggers, as they want readers to experience the book blind. I get that, but with this book, I simply would not feel right if I did not make these triggers very clear. 

The last thing I would ever want to do is put a reader through any type of trauma, whether it is new or relived. And to be frank, it’s a pretty fucked up subject matter. 

So if you do not want to be spoiled and read farther, then stop here. 

This book deals heavily with human trafficking. Child trafficking mostly. But not only that, it deals with the conspiracy theories surrounding the government with child sacrifice and cannibalism. I am heavy-handed on the subject, but I did take great care not to go into nitty-gritty, nasty details while also showing the reality of what goes on in the world today. 

If any readers know me, they know that I don’t sugarcoat real world problems. This book is no exception. 

Children do die in this book. 

And while it does not happen in the company of the MC, he does see it and it is described. 

So, my dear reader, if you choose to go further, it is at your own risk. But on the other side, you may find that you have also fallen in love. 

We can all only hope, right? 

• Explicit sexual situations 
• Mentions of child death 
• Human trafficking
• Child trafficking 
• Graphic violence 
• Child sacrifice 
• Stalking

Haunting Adeline Book Playlist 

• “Evil” by Hish
• “Sway” by So Below
• “Dirty Mind” by Boy Epic
• “Victim” by Memyself&vi
• “Pretty” by The Weeknd
• “Something Better” by The Broken View
• “Play with Fire” by Sam Tinnesz and Yacht Money 
• “Miracle” by Story Of The Year
• “Black Mirror” by Sophie Simmons 
• “Crazy” by gavn! 
• “No Rest for the Wicked” by Klergy 
• “The Death of Peace of Mind” by Bad Omens 
• “Skull & Bones” by A.A. Bondy 
• “Saints” by Echos 
• “Danger” by Jacqui Siu
• “Waking Up” by MJ Cole and Freya Ridings 
• “Monster” by Skillet 
• “Tragedy” by Zero 9:36 
• “Kill for You” by Skylar Grey and Eminem 
• “Hypnotizing” by Aaron Camper 
• “Sad Season” by Gavin Haley 
• “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” by Glimmer of Blooms 
• “Spellbound” by Ghostly Kisses 
• “Guest Room” by Echos 
• “Let It Burn” by Red 
• “Bodies” by Drowning Pool 

Thoughts on Haunting Adeline 

“When you make someone fall in love with the darkest parts of you, there’s nothing you can do that will scare them away. They will be yours forever because they already love all the fucked up bits and pieces of you.” 

H. D. Carlton, Haunting Adeline

Let me start by saying Haunting Adeline is a much longer book than I normally read. I usually cap a book at four hundred pages or so. Simply because I’m impatient, and sometimes forget to finish long books. I feel more accomplished and motivated when I read shorter books and finish them. Fox by Joyce Carol Oates was my latest exception to this rule, until now. 

When I started reading the trigger warnings for this book, I really wondered what I was getting myself into. I’ll be the first one to admit that I dislike books that have cliffhangers in them. Normally this is a deal-breaker for me, because I think every book that is in a series should be able to stand alone as well as be part of the series. But despite this, I still wanted to read and see if Haunting Adeline lived up to all the hype. 

At the twenty five percent mark, I am ready to head out to my favorite gun store and stock up on a lot more ammo. Like, I feel like I should take a copy of this book with me, just in case the amount of ammo I’m trying to buy raises any eyebrows. Somehow I don’t think I have nearly enough, and even my husband wasn’t arguing that one with me, as he had been listening to the book with me. 

Haunting Adeline was kind of all over the place plot-wise. We have Adeline and Zade. But then we have the whole sub-plot of Adeline’s great grandmother having her own stalker and the mystery around her death that Adeline is trying to solve. Then we have a bunch of stuff about human trafficking and Zade’s profession. I’m not entirely sure exactly what was supposed to be the main focus here. Stalking? The murder mystery? Human trafficking? I have no clue. 

The more I read Haunting Adeline, the angrier I become. Zade just pisses me off in general. Dude stalks Adeline, rapes her repeatedly, and then goes off to “save” other women from exactly the same thing? I fail to see how he is the “good guy” here. Because he isn’t. Which makes him an unbelievable character. 

Zade thinks stalking and raping Adeline will make her fall in love with him. There’s a name for this: Stockholm Syndrome. So we have six hundred twenty three pages of rape and human trafficking, and not much else. This isn’t normal, ladies and gentlemen. Do not rape someone and expect a positive response. 

Then we have Adeline, who is more obsessed with her great grandmother having a stalker and being murdered than coming back to the real world to stop and look around at her own circumstances. I thought Sybil in Satan’s Affair was a tad annoying and stupid. She looks like she has the intelligence and maturity of a brain surgeon in comparison to how stupid Adeline is. 

I went off on a tirade about this the other night when listening to it with my husband. The whole “wet pussy equals consent” thing is infuriating. There are a ton of women out there who have survived sexual assault and beating themselves up because their body responded naturally to it, and this is just an insult to them. It isn’t something any woman can control, it is the body responding to what is happening. This does not equal consent though. Not by a long shot. 

I’ve also hit the point where I’m going to start taking shots every damn time Zade is described as growling. I read four chapters last night, and it was used a minimum of seven times. To the point my husband even noticed and started pointing them out, and he wasn’t even actively listening to the book. He was busy doing his own thing and it was background noise to him. 

The cliffhanger was stupid. Any sane and intelligent person could see it coming from a mile away. I’m not that excited about it. It didn’t leave me on the edge of my seat or angry that it was there. It’s just one more stupid thing in a line of stupid things. Although I think this is the least stupid part about this book. I can actually overlook the cliffhanger in comparison to trying to overlook the stupidity of our two main characters. 

Adeline’s great grandmother’s murder was solved at the end, and it was a bit of a letdown. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but maybe something more interesting or scandalous? It felt insignificant by the time it was revealed. 

Final Thoughts on Haunting Adeline 

“All I want to do is break her. Shatter her into pieces. And then arrange those pieces to fit against my own. I don’t care if they don’t fit – I’ll fucking make them.” 

H. D. Carlton, Haunting Adeline

I’m calling Haunting Adeline a one star read. I am still struggling to understand how anyone in their right mind can enjoy this book. I’m also mad at myself for buying into the hype and giving in to the fear of missing out on reading this book.

I’m not normally a person who buys into the hype of any book. I’ve only read one Colleen Hoover book, and one Freida McFadden book, because I’m so far past bored listening to people rave about them that I don’t even want to continue reading or trying to read their books. Why I gave into this bullshit hype, I will never know, but I’m mad at myself for doing it. 

Haunting Adeline is destructive to society. Because it romanticizes rape and Stockholm Syndrome, and minimizes the actual trauma that they experienced. I also struggle to see the romance in this book. When did rape become romantic? Spoiler alert. It is NOT romantic. 

I’m also really angry at how much I enjoyed Satan’s Affair, and what a letdown Haunting Adeline is. In comparison to Satan’s Affair, Haunting Adeline owes me a gigantic apology. 

This is a book that is only popular because of the hype, and not because it is quality writing. 

I’m going to attempt to read Hunting Adeline, because it promises to be darker than Haunting Adeline, but I hope it gets better. It has to be better. Because I don’t know if any book can sink any lower than this atrocity.  

Discussion 

Have you read Haunting Adeline or any other writing from H.D. Carlton? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

H. D. Carlton is a New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author. She lives in Oregon with her husband, two dogs, cat, and Bigfoot. When she’s not bathing in the tears of her readers, she’s watching paranormal shows and wishing she was a mermaid. Her favorite characters are of the morally gray variety and believes that everyone should check their sanity at the door before diving into her stories. 

Author Acknowledgments 

I feel like I have so many people to thank for this book, and I have no idea where to start. But what I do know, is this is going to be long, but I think we can tell by the size of my books I don’t do short. 

So, I’ll start where I always do. The readers. I can’t thank all of you enough. Like all authors, we can only hope that you love our books. These stories – we write them for ourselves. We write what makes us happy. Because if we don’t, we’ll never survive in this career.

Most know, writing books is really fucking hard, so it feels impossible when you don’t love it. And if we don’t love it, how could we expect someone else to? And then, what’s the point in writing if no one loves it? 

At the end of the day, we want our readers to love them with us. To enjoy something we poured our souls into, and come out feeling like you experienced this story right along with us. There’s honestly no greater joy than that. And I appreciate all of you for taking this journey with me. 

There’s no one else I can begin with other than the two people who played a major role in this book and in my life. Cue the sappiness. 

I met them both in the exact same way – I reached out and asked them to take a chance on me and read my book, and they both became two of the most important people in my life. They listened to me talk endlessly about this book and these characters, brainstorm, asking questions and offering advice, and reading snippets and yelling at me for splattering (AKA doubting myself). 

First, Amanda. You’re my best friend, plain and simple. You’re my other half, my soulmate, and everything else in between. If it wasn’t for you, I’m not sure I’d still be in this community. You’ve helped me through some pretty dark times and showed me love when I felt completely alone. We have a connection unlike anything else and sometimes, I’m still in awe that I got so lucky to find you. I just hope you know you’re stuck with me – forever. 

May, what the hell would I do without you? I can’t fathom it and I don’t want to. When I first met you, I felt a connection to you that I couldn’t quite explain. So much so that even when I barely knew you, I asked you to be my alpha reader. I just knew you were something special and I wanted you to be more than just a reader, but a friend.

Yet, you’ve become so much more than that. Thank you for being my constant. You’re always there, checking in on me and Zade and selflessly offering up your help whenever I need it. And you’ve shown me endless support and love, and I seriously can’t express how much that means to me. 

I love you both, even more than Z could ever say. I don’t deserve either of you, but I’m selfish enough to accept it. Haunting Adeline would not be what it is without either of you. I would not be who I am with you two. 

And I haven’t forgotten you, Abby. I could never. You came into my life exactly when I needed you most, and I’ve never looked back. I knew from the beginning that you were exactly who I needed. You’re more than a PA, you’re an incredible friend, a shoulder to lean on and someone I can rely on. I’ve been hit hard and blindsided by untrustworthy people in this community, and you’ve gotten the shit end of the stick by dealing with my doubts, assumptions and wariness.

Yet, you handle it like a boss and remind me every day that I’m safe with you, and I sleep better at night knowing that you’re someone I can trust. Thank you for everything you do and helping Haunting Adeline become the best it can be. I love you. 

To my betas, Rita, Keri, Autumn, Taylor, Caitlyn, RS and Mandy, thank you all so much for your incredible feedback and support. You all offer up your free time and energy to do something you don’t have to do, and each and every one of you are appreciated and loved. I can’t thank any of you enough for walking alongside me and helping me become a better author. 

Lastly, to my editors. The two beautiful ladies that have polished this book and made it so pretty. Angie and Sarah, I seriously can’t thank you both enough. You’ve both shown me so much support and love, and I will forever be indebted to both of you. 

Just… thank you. To all of you. Thank you. 

Purchasing Haunting Adeline 

• If you are interested in buying the paperback version of Haunting Adeline, click here.
• For the hardcover version, click here. 
• Click here for the Kindle version.
• Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

More from H.D. Carlton 

Did you enjoy my review of Haunting Adeline? Need another great H.D. Carlton novel to read? Here are my favorites! 

• Satan’s Affair 
• Haunting Adeline 
• Hunting Adeline 
• Where’s Molly 

Amazon Notice 

The Reading Wife is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, at no added cost to you.