Cat and Mouse Duet by H.D. Carlton
Series: Cat & Mouse Duet
Genres: Romance
Pages: 551
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Goodreads rating: 4.01/5.00
Haunting Adeline
Before even thinking about reading this one, be sure to check trigger warnings. I’m a fan of dark romances and I’ve read a lot of them (ranging from tame to pretty extreme) and this one definitely falls on the pretty extreme end of the spectrum. So to be on the safe side just read through them before starting the book.
Haunting Adeline is the story of Addie, an author who lives alone in the haunted manor that she inherited from her grandmother. Shortly after moving in, she discovers a dark secret; her great-grandmother was murdered in that house and the killer was never caught. As if that’s not enough, Addie starts to see similarities between her own life and that of her murdered grandmother, the biggest being that each of them had a stalker. Addie’s recently discovered that someone has been watching her, both in and out of the house. Her stalker will not let her go and the more she reads in her great-grandmother’s journals, the more she starts to feel like history might be repeating itself.
I was genuinely creeped out by Haunting Adeline. Addie living in a haunted house and all the ongoings that happened within that house was enough to make me feel like I should only ready it during the daylight hours. Add in Zade, Addie’s rather frightening stalker, and it took it to a whole other level. While I didn’t necessarily feel like the spirits of Addie’s house were out to harm her or malevolent at all, they were still a little disquieting. If you live alone, this one may make you start to hear things that aren’t necessarily there.
Here is where it’s weird to explain my feelings; Addie and Zade’s relationship. Zade is Addie’s stalker. He doesn’t try to hide the fact that he’s obsessed with her and Addie never makes light of how their relationship started. Zade is not a good person when it comes to Addie. If you’re looking for a traditional romance, this is not it and not the one for you. However, I genuinely liked Zade and Addie with each other. He brought out her sassy personality and she never shied away from putting him in his place. As for the chemistry between the two, it was off the charts. Things between Zade and Addie were dark, kinky, and extremely sexy. There are a few parts that I had to re read a few times because it was just so crazy but overall I truly loved this pair.
The mystery aspect was pretty well done but don’t expect anything extremely unique or surprising. It was easy enough to guess what happened to Addie’s great-grandmother pretty early on. I don’t feel that it detracted from my enjoyment though since that was only a side plot of the story.
Not only did Addie and Zade have great chemistry but I thought their characters were written so well. We learn that Zade works against sex trafficking, which feels weird at first considering what he is doing to Addie. Some of things are pretty bad but again read the triggers before you start. I personally thought it was fun to read something that was not a traditional romance book. It was exciting to see Addie approach her stalker multiple times and have it turn it out the way it did. Again, I think the writing in this book is somewhat unparalleled to anything else I have read, and I truly enjoyed getting to know these characters and seeing where life took them.
I genuinely believe H.D. Carlton is an author to check out!
Hunting Adeline
Again - Read the Trigger warnings. Haunting Adeline was intense but Hunting Adeline is really some mental/emotional intense stuff. Make sure you're okay with the content before reading.
Now lets get into it. Honestly right out the gate - I want to talk about Sibby. She is probably one of the MOST interesting side characters I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and I, for one, cannot wait for her books to be published.
Moving on, in this book much to my distain, Addie and Zade spend a good chunk apart from each other. It gets worse when you realize that Addie is now part of the sex trafficking business and is witness to many new horrors. I will say I was not a huge fan of how in depth some of it went. Don't get me wrong I love dark romance and I want to know all the details. However, when it comes to child sex trafficking - there are some parts I could go without. Regardless, they add to the story and that is something I can appreciate.
Meanwhile, Zade is desperately looking for her, and it takes him a good three months before he finally finds her. In the meantime, we learn a bit more about this Society and its practices. As it turns out, this organization engages in pretty dark stuff, including child sacrifice!
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Zade doesn't spare his homicidal instincts while seeking revenge for what the Society has done to Addie and essentially goes for the "eye for eye" approach. Every member of the Society that he captures (including those who betrayed him) is tortured in the most cruel and brutal ways conceivable.
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Addie is definitely not the same after getting rescued. She does show more affinity towards Zade but is also seen dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. Next, she is rendered almost as desensitized as her psycho lover and ready to go on a hunt with him sooner than anticipated!
Overall I personally give these books a 4.5/5 - they captured my attention and kept long after turning the last page. I also immediately went to read Satan's Affair after then Does it hurt? so safe to say I am a fan of this Author and her writing abilities.