Where's Molly? - H.D. Carlton

 

(It's H.D. Zaddie Carlton. Of course it's 5/5 stars)

FYI this post has trigger warning from the book. Research before reading.

I'm aware I went on a 10 day hiatus but a. I was recovering after Fangirl Down and b. life just isn't lifing right now. Kill me.

No but seriously. Where is she?

Written by none other than the creator of Zaddie herself, H.D. Carlton made sure to make the wait worth it. If you’ve read The Cat & Mouse Duo, you’ll know that Molly was the last women who escaped Francesca before Adeline did. That journal that Adeline found under the floorboard was written by Molly which gave Adeline the last little push to get the hell out of that house. I speak for the whole dark romance when I say we were as invested in where Molly was as we were in Adeline’s escape.

When your read something as dark, gruesome and well haunting as Hunting Adeline, it’s hard to find something that will ever top it. On one of the Q&A’s done by H.D. Carlton on her Instagram, I actually asked her how dark this would be if Zaddie was at a 10 and she replied (fangirled so hard) with a 4. I would say that was very accurate.

Molly’s parents were walking, talking drugs. Powder, liquid, the lot. They do everything and anything that will get them higher than a kite. Sweet little Layla is the reason Molly is working crappy jobs but even that isn’t enough. When Molly’s dad decides it’s time to sell her to Rocco to fulfil his own needs, everything Molly went through suddenly looked like heaven.

H.D. Carlton writes with precision and method. A part of me would have hated if she just rehashed everything that we already knew from the previous books. Going into rape, sexual assault, physical exertion from the culling would have been so repetitive and unnecessary. I mean read the previous books to enjoy this one. In my opinion, don’t try to read this as a stand alone because if I had just dived into this, maybe I wouldn’t be giving it the rating I am today.

We got some Rio in there which we saw speckles off the night Molly ran away. The CCTV footage from the disappearance was sabotaged to make it look like she was crazy, being ran after by two ghosts only she knew existed. Kind of like Sibby and her henchmen. Fast-forward to her getting a job with a sleazy manager who appreciated her body like his own, so imagine Molly’s disbelief when Legion got in touch just to help. When someone’s been living for a tit for tat kind of transaction, just because gestures are hard to accept. Legion is similar to Z as in Legion is the baby sister of Z. They have the same motives, same bad guys and same objectives. Molly got a place to live, a steady income and the peace she wanted when all those bad guys were fed to her bad guys. Pigs. We are talking about pigs going by the names of Paprika for example.

Before we get to Cage, I need to get the closure from Layla. After days of hitch hiking with nothing to her name, my heart stopped when Molly came face to face with the man who sold his blood for a temporary high. Molly’s mother was dead, her father was still a scumbag but Layla was most of all still safe. Something snapped in Molly when the possibility of both her and her kid sister had another chance to go back to the hell hole to do the culling. Layla turned into Emma who was adopted by a lovely family after much consideration from her big sister and her dad was fed to the pigs. If you read the book, you can find out if Emma (Layla) and Molly ever meet again but this is all I’m telling you right now.

Cage. The moment Cage set his eyes on the mystery girl; he may or may not have booked every single hotel in a 30-mile radius just so she stays the night with him. An order from Legion took Molly straight to his door step. Cage’s speciality is making people re-appear as people with new identities. In this case from Molly to Marie. With the front of his shop looking like he sells TV’s, the back was anything but that. Molly never knew how It felt to willingly give someone their body so when she felt a spark with Cage, she did all but that and then pulled another disappearing act.

Funny how life works because years later they meet again when the usual delivery guy isn’t able to go which means Cage goes only to meet his one and true love all over again. Cage. Did. Not. Stop. Making sure to heal all the scars that were once painted by Rocco himself, Cage made it work despite being from two completely different worlds. This broke my heart like a punch in the gut. It was a happy ending but where Molly came from really did a number on me. So did Adeline’s however both made their impacts in different ways.

It’s not the tradition love story. This is H.D. Carlton. Nothing about her writing is traditional. The spice was on point as it always as was the element of gruesome. The pig barn scene? Neat freak Vivian was just wondering how long it took to clean that substance off.

I’m screaming for the next releases. Anything from Carlton is the world's weirdest but most satisfying roller-coaster ride ever.

Easiest 5 stars on every check list available for a book like ever. H.D. Carlton needs to release more books. ASAP!

This secret project was worth every antagonizing minute.

The line we have all been waiting for since Carlton teased us with it on her Instagram. It took the whole book to get there, but it was worth it. If you’re a dedicated reader like myself, then you also must have made it to the extended epilogue. Who said Zade didn’t have a heart?

I said not to read this as a standalone but if The Cat & Mouse Duo is just a bit too much on the dark radar for you, you could go into this book for the H.D. Carlton experience. As an avid bookish person, read everything including Satan’s Affair to get the ultimate experience.

In other news, let’s have a reading update. I was in a week-long coma after reading Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey and after of course Where’s Molly? I read (at a snail’s pace) Heartless by Jagger Cole. The review to that isn’t far off but I have more bad to say than good so I don’t even know if I should torture myself by writing that. After much consideration, I also purchased the e-books of Between Commitment and Betrayal by Shain Rose. My thoughts at the moment? Why is this so hyped for? Saying I’m have not the best experience with hyped up books is a dry understatement.

The newest book to my e-books – yes, I’m starting to read more kindle reads lately, kill me – is Dante by Sadie Kincaid. First of all, Kincaid. Ew. Giving me Ryle flash backs and second, I’ve literally read about so many Dante’s but still Dante Russo is the best but not the best Russo. No, no. That would be Nico Russo. Thank you very much.

Job hunting is just being so disheartening right now. God give me strength.

Read some paper pages. The only thing keeping me sane now. Read Where’s Molly? I’m re-reading it again. Love it.

Until next time.

Mwah.

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.