The Cat & Mouse Duo (Haunting Adeline & Hunting Adeline) - H.D. Carlton

(5/5 stars but a very dark romance. Research TW before reading. Fiction, Thriller, Erotic Literature, Mystery)

Okay so, H.D Carlton was not messing around. This was an oddly comforting journey to read despite the nature of it all. I don't even know how I got to this side of book-tok, but wow. When Tiktok hyped up Zade Meadows, they were not joking. This would be a good place to say that HD Carlton is not glamourising anything he did. She has said multiple times that someone like Zade should end up in jail. Please don’t go looking for a man like Zade or aspire to become a stalker one thank you very much.

This was such a quest to read. From getting stalked, to solving a crime, to then becoming a victim of it. I could not put the book down. I mean, the plot twist was insane. I didn't see Claire as the ring leader. I'd say that for sure. Essentially this book is about Zade Medows who operates his own organisation Z with the sole objective to help young children escape from the sex trafficking ring. Whilst doing all of that commendable saving, he becomes a stalker of Adeline Rielly (an author) who’s living in her haunted grandmother’s house. Let’s just say ‘obsessed’ isn’t quite the world I would use to describe this type of infatuation. Whilst trying to figure out the real culprit behind her grandmother’s death, she becomes intrigued with that same love life that soon becomes her own reality. A lot of heartbreak, suspense and surrealness sets into place. H.D. Carlton made a world of her own with Zaddie taking the world by storm.

Whilst both books had their fair share in messing with my mind, Hunting Adeline was borderline traumatic, but it was educational to. There are people out there in the sex trafficking business, and it's disgusting. It's real life. You cannot tell me that Zade tearing the world down for 2 months to find Adeline whilst getting the victims to a safe place was anything but heart-wrenching. When he finally found Addie? When she came back stronger and harder? The ring WITHOUT the diamonds? I'm literally goo.

Aside from Zaddie, Sibel and Rio definitely have me on the edge of my seats. I'm dying for their books, plus the secret project to be released. It is yet to be said what that is, who it’s about or why it taken so long BUT I do know one thing……I’ve seen some spoilers on Carlton’s Instagram and anything that mentions Zade, sign me up for it.

It was refreshing to NOT have an ending with weddings, children and the whole family affair. Addie went through hell, so I'd be surprised if Zade adopted one of the young victims he rescued and lived happily ever after. Another thing I love about H.D Carlton? She doesn’t answer all of your questions in the book so there’s always a focal point should she want to write a spin off to another character or just add to it in the future.

This is not the end of Zaddie. I need another book even if it is them eating mint chocolate chip ice cream. There were so many little moments of normality within the Cat & Mouse duo that gave this book the perfect balance of thriller, crime, romance and mystery. There was real focus on dissecting not only just the trauma Addie went through during her time as captive but also the aftermath of it. Some books that claim to be of the ‘dark thriller crime romance’ nature are just all dark with no actuality at all.  I couldn’t fault this book from start to finish.

This needs to be a movie. It would scare the living daylights out of me. But. I. Need. It.

Now, now let’s help put this on your book radar. If you’re just getting into the dark stuff, don’t start with this. This is your advanced reader stuff. A lot of the main body is quite upsetting, in some cases, hard to digest so lay low by working your way up to it. However, if like myself, you have been on this side of the radar for long enough now, it shouldn’t be that much harder to read than what you have before. Just see what your palette is able to have. Either way, you won’t regret picking this up. Have you seen the fanart for these books? Be Right Back…..currently in Zade’s land.

Has anyone else read this popular duo? Did anyone not finish it? If I had to pick one bit that really got me balling, it was the letter from Rio to Adeline. 'Stay safe, princesa' . Please. I read it, died, stitched my pathetic little heart back up, came back to life, read it and died again.

Also, any guesses for the Secret Project H.D. Carlton is working on next? I hope it’s Rio’s book. I really want to know what he was thinking during the journey in that horrendous house with Addie. They created a real trauma bond so me reading his POV would put my mind at rest.

Until next time, don’t forget to keep reading some more paper pages!

Vivian.

Don’t forget to keep reading, because as long as you do, it’s making a struggling authors day that much better. Reach for the starts of success.