Satan’s Affair

Satan’s Affair 

Satan’s Affair 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, the Haunting Adeline series 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. 

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Satan’s Affair is basically the prequel to Haunting Adeline. It is said that it isn’t required to read the duet, but it definitely helps. 

“He looks at me like I’m insane. That hurts my feelings.”  

H.D. Carlton, Satan’s Affair

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, this book 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. 

I was also excited to note that H.D. Carlton lives in Oregon. I’m always on the hunt to find more authors who are based in the Pacific Northwest, and read their writing. This is especially true if their books are based in Oregon as well. These are not, but I still like supporting “local” authors. 

Have you read Satan’s Affair? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Satan’s Affair 

Every Halloween, Satan’s Affair will come to you.

We travel the country, offering terrifying haunted houses, thrilling rides and the tastiest food. And with every passing town, I cleanse this world, one execution at a time.

I hide within the walls, casting my judgement for those that reek of evil, singing lullabies to their rotting souls.

Once you’ve been chosen, there’s no escaping my henchmen—they cater to my every desire.

You can run and you can hide, but it only excites me.

Come.

Take a walk through my dollhouse, where your screams will blend and your cute little pleas will go unanswered.

But I can’t promise it’ll be over quickly…

Recommended Reading Order for the C&M Universe

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

Book Playlist 

• “Dollhouse” by Melanie Martinez 
• “Carousel” by Melanie Martinez 
• “Daisy” by Ashnikko 
• “Stupid” by Ashnikko 
• “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor” by Drowning Pool 
• “Graveyard” by Halsey 
• “Isaac’s Insects” by Isaac Dunbar 
• “Mime” by Isaac Dunbar 

Thoughts on Satan’s Affair 

“Who says you have to choose? Kill them all, Sibby.”  

H.D. Carlton, Satan’s Affair

I started this book on audiobooks the other night. Which was a bad idea, given I was exhausted. My husband apparently kept it playing for a while after I had fallen asleep. The next morning he says, so that was an interesting book you’re listening to… I had to start over, and when I got to the place he was talking about, I was like, ohhhh. Yeah, I see your point. 

When I actively started listening to this, my first thought was, what the actual fuck am I reading?! I’m not sure if I need Jesus or a damn good therapist. Possibly both. Because I ended it thinking, I’m a bit obsessed with this unhinged doll-chick, and some of her murders are awesome. 

In this book, we meet Sibby, who lurks in the walls of her doll house watching everyone, casting judgement, and deciding who to kill along the way. I have to admit that I liked the creative ways she came up with to kill some of her victims. Especially the guy who basically date raped his girlfriend. That was one of those “justice was finally served” kind of moments, and it made me smile. Because I think it’s basically what should happen to every rapist in real life. If you know what I’m talking about, you know. If not, you’ll know when you read that part. 

The ending blew my mind. I was surprised that it ended the way it did. I’m actually still sitting here in shock as I write this. 

Now for the parts that I didn’t like… 

Sibby lacked a bit of true character. She came across as a pouting child more than once, and I found myself annoyed by that. If she has the capacity to murder people on a daily basis, she should have the capacity for more mature emotions, and no temper tantrums. But I did like reading about her backstory and childhood. That made things make so much sense. 

I am struggling to figure out how this story qualifies as either dark romance, or even romance. Horror, dark, fiction, all of that, sure. But romance? Romance implies a relationship between two people. This was weird sex, at best. I fail to see where the romance aspect of it was. This doesn’t mean it was a bad story, I just don’t think it qualifies as romance. 

Final Thoughts on Satan’s Affair 

“Crazy people are the most interesting people in the world if you’d just let them be who they are.”  

H.D. Carlton, Satan’s Affair

I’m calling Satan’s Affair a four star read. I’m still questioning my own sanity over the fact I liked it, and liked it even more as I went along. I can’t call it a five star read, as I will not be reading it again. Being able to read books more than once is a big part of my five star criteria. But it was definitely memorable, so I can’t rate it a three star either. Which is why I’ve settled on four stars. 

If you like dark, unhinged, and weird, you will enjoy Satan’s Affair. I haven’t decided if I should recommend this book, as it really isn’t for everyone. If you like weird and unhinged things, you’ll like this. If you don’t, I would not read it. If dark isn’t your thing normally, definitely proceed with caution when starting this story. 

After I was finished with this book, I went to look at reviews and see what others thought, and they are at every end of the spectrum. Which means I’m not sure exactly what enjoying it says about me. There is no overwhelming rating one way or the other. It’s pretty even over all five stars. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen so many differing opinions on the same book before this. 

Given I’m not sure how to feel about the roller coaster that this story took me on, I’m really quite curious how reading Haunting Adeline will go, and if it will be the same level of roller coaster. It will be interesting to find out! Stay tuned for the upcoming book reviews in this series. 

Discussion 

Have you read Satan’s Affair 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. 

Purchasing Satan’s Affair 

• If you are interested in buying the paperback version of Satan’s Affair, 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 Satan’s Affair? 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 

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