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.
“A Spine-Tingling Tangle of Love, Loss, and Dark Secrets.
Haunting Adeline” by H.D. Carlton is the first book in a two-part Cat and Mouse Duet, interweaving dark romance, suspense, and more than a hint of the supernatural. This story takes place on the backdrop of some sprawling Gothic manor, steeped in the reeking rooms of its tragic past. So here is Adeline, a gothic novelist, oddly appealing and mysteriously charismatic, who became a stranger, a mystery who turned into her tormentor and probably her savior, too.
Adeline is a most complex heroine: a damaged heroine with a past. She inherits the imposing mansion of her grandmother, replete with the weight of a family history that was always shrouded in mystery. She is spirited, fierce, an author of great repute who has held her own against men in a writing world. There is just one chink in her armor: her loneliness and the psychological scarring from the heinous murder of her grandmother.
A Mysterious Villain: Zade is the mysterious stranger who tunnels his way into Adeline’s life. The man is shrouded in shadows; his motives ambiguous, his actions unsettling. Is he a dangerous stalker, or is he the protector with a hidden agenda? Carlton has worked out a perfect character—one to instill both fear and a strange kind of fascination within a reader. Zade is dark with intensity and keeps the readers from knowing for sure who they can and cannot trust right to the very end.
A world drenched in mystery: the manor in Blackwood Manor itself becomes a character. Creaking floorboards, dusty portraits, and hidden passages really create a chilling atmosphere that befits the carrying on of the act. Interspersed diary entries of her now-departed grandmother give a glimpse into Adeline’s past and eerily echo the events taking place at present.
A Very Complicated and Layered Plot: “Haunting Adeline” gleams with plots within plots. The inherent mystery that drives the book is the murder of Adeline’s grandmother, entailing ideas of stalking, the power of storytelling, and a secret society working to punish human trafficking. While some feel this book becomes too much by the multiple plot lines, the way everything comes together in this story makes up for wonderful layering.
It’s a dark romance: one feels the tension between Adeline and Zade. Of course, an interesting mix of fear, defiance, and smoldering attraction may turn to a boiling point at any moment. The story does do explicit in encounters and the emotional intensity. Still, know this is a dark romance, and the power dynamic that Adeline and Zade hold surely are not for the weak at heart. (Check your triggers)
A Cliffhanger that Sets You on Fire: The novel ends on one of the most killing cliffhangers, getting the reader into a frenzy for wanting answers. Carlton masterfully increases the tension through the storyline, peaking it at a revelation that will have you so primed and raring to go in the next segment of the Cat and Mouse Duet.
Recommendation: “Haunting Adeline” is going to glue your hands to the pages—a dark romance, gothic suspense novel, strong leading ladies: all super addictive. If you enjoy Sarah J. Maas or Laurelin Paige, get ready to be on the edge of your seat for hours with this one. Light and fluffy romance lovers—or those a bit nervous about the darker side of life—may look elsewhere.
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