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Book Review: Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

Updated: Oct 4, 2024


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Rating: 3/5

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton hooks you from the start with an eerie and steamy opening scene. Adeline stands by a window, aware that she’s being watched, and her fear blends with desire in a way that’s unsettling but undeniably intriguing. As the book unfolds, this tension between fear and attraction drives the story, keeping you on edge.

Adeline moves into her grandmother’s house about a year after her passing and stumbles across her great-grandmother’s diaries. The narrative flips between present-day Adeline and the past, while a mysterious man becomes obsessed with her. Carlton uses dual points of view—Adeline’s and her stalker’s—while weaving in the journal entries, which adds an interesting historical layer.

Though the pacing starts slow, it builds a suspense that pulls you in. The psychological back-and-forth between the characters keeps you turning the pages, especially if you enjoy dark, twisted romances. However, both Adeline and her great-grandmother express fear over their respective stalkers, but they clearly get a thrill out of the attention. This inconsistency frustrated me, making it harder to fully buy into the story’s intensity.

Another point that bugged me was the romanticization of sexual abuse. Adeline’s fear feels hollow when she openly antagonizes her stalker, and at times, it feels like the line between consent and coercion is blurred. For a book dealing with such dark themes, I expected more emotional depth and authenticity from the characters.

That said, I did enjoy the mysterious atmosphere of the house and the layers of intrigue from the diaries. While I’m curious about the second book in this duet, I’m in no rush to dive back into this world right away.

In the end, Haunting Adeline offers a blend of dark romance and psychological suspense but also comes with unsettling contradictions. If you enjoy morally grey characters and a tense cat-and-mouse dynamic, it might be for you. Just be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster—and the blurred lines between fear and desire. 3 out of 5



All in all, Haunting Adeline is an intense read, and while it’s not for everyone.

Where to buy:

I got my copy from Amazon the options start at $4.99.

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What's New:
✦ Extended scenes with deeper depth.

✦ Bonus content only in this edition, including interconnected short stories.

Book One of Intertwined Destinies – Expanded Edition


Lucy’s spent her whole life running—from her mother’s memory, her own secrets, and a city that tried to break her. When Damien, a hot-tempered ex who knows too much, barrels back into her life, she’s forced to confront the past she thought she’d buried. But Damien wants more than forgiveness—he wants to claim her.
In this gritty, emotionally raw expanded edition, uncover never-before-seen scenes and a deeper dive into Lucy’s twisted choices, haunting dreams, and the ghost of the girl she used to be.

Book Two of Intertwined Destinies—Expanded Edition


She was trained to survive—but no one warned her what it would cost to stay alive.
As a former assassin with global reach, Mackenzie thought she’d outrun danger. But betrayal from within leaves her hunted, exposed, and trapped in a deadly game where everyone wants something from her—including the family she married into.
While Samuel searches the dark corners of Dubai’s underworld for the truth, Mackenzie is forced to decide who she can trust—if anyone. And as her brother Damien tries to escape his past, old wounds and buried secrets resurface.
This expanded edition delves deeper into Mackenzie’s motivations, unveils a brand-new short story about her marriage to Samuel, and lays bare the brutal question: What happens when survival demands becoming the villain?

Book Three of Intertwined Destinies—Expanded Edition

 

Fresh out of prison, Damien is determined to turn his life around—but the past won’t let him go. Not just the crimes, the regrets, or the people he hurt… but something older. Something deeper. Weeks before his release, he’s haunted by a vision of a woman dressed in 1880s mourning, who warns him: "Mend what has been shattered, for this—this is our last life granted to set things aright.

Across the country, Lucy’s world begins to fracture. What started as dreams quickly spiral into full-blown visions—unexplained glimpses of another time, another woman’s sorrow, and a warning she can’t ignore. As she investigates her mother’s mysterious death, Lucy is pulled into dangerous territory—and it’s more than just the living she needs to fear.

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