Spice Rating 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Please read the trigger warnings at the start of the book before delving in.
After wrestling with my own thoughts post-reading, I’ve finally gathered up the mental energy to properly articulate this review on “Haunting Adeline.”
Firstly, siding with the general consensus out there, that this book is like a trigger minefield (although it doesn’t quite detonate like the sequel “Hunting Adeline”). The “18+” warning feels like a mere suggestion; honestly, “21+” seems more fitting. Just so it’s clear, my take on this book doesn’t translate to a nod of approval for its unsettling content.
Prepare your senses for a sensory overload, because this narrative is spicier than a chili festival. I actually felt physically dirty while reading it. I shouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as I did, but… here we are. The subplot involving Addie’s grandmother? Perfection. It brings layers beyond the whole predator-prey trope, I found it actually helped to break the tension between the difficult scenes!
“Let me know which stars you prefer. The ones above you, or the ones I make you see.”
Now, Zade. The dude is a walking contradiction – saving trafficking victims on one hand, and inflicting horror upon the woman he claims to cherish on the other. The explanation behind this whole Jekyll and Hyde act isn’t really explored here; it’s in the sequel. Zade’s the nucleus of a heated divide. People either hate him for his double standards and mistreatment of Addie, or they’re all aboard the Zade Express. Me? Somewhere in between. Yet, what jacks up my rating is how this book made me question myself, stirring up emotions I wasn’t prepared to confront. Some themes hit home hard, and truthfully, if I’d known just how dark this rabbit hole went, I might have hesitated. But you know what? No regrets.
While we’re on the topic of Zade – His perspective? A surprise delight that I gobbled up. Now, let’s address the elephant in the room – labeling Haunting Adeline as “romance” doesn’t jive with everyone, given the red flags and Zade’s unsettling stalker role. But here’s the deal with dark romances – they’re a ticket to another dimension, where we indulge in the forbidden without risking real-world consequences. At the end of the day, even though the topic at hand exists in the real world, this story is fiction.
“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.”
Addie (Adeline) is a true hero in this book, I believe. She has a level of not-give-a-fuckery that I aspire to have, and she’s so willing to follow her heart. Her friendship with Daya is absolutely beautiful. I want that friendship for myself!!
Haunting Adeline is no mere book; it’s an emotional odyssey. It pokes, it prods, and it doesn’t apologise for it. The interplay of characters – the unbreakable link between Addie and Daya, and the enigma named Zade – weave together a tapestry that clings to your mind even when the pages are closed. With all the turbulence it stirs – or perhaps because of it – this easily takes the crown as my most cherished read of the year.
Title: Haunting Adeline
Author: H.D. Carlton
Pages: 551
Release: August 12, 2021
Genre: Dark Romance, Horror
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would or have used myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, allow me to earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.
