Hunting Adeline by H.D Carlton
Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton: Dark, Graphic — But Was It Worth the Hype?
“I’m going to burn the entire fucking world down until I find her, and I don’t care who gets burnt.”
If you’ve read Haunting Adeline, you probably picked up Hunting Adeline expecting more of that twisted, obsessive love story.
What you get instead is something far darker, far more violent, and honestly—something not everyone will want to sit through.
Trigger warnings are not optional—they are necessary.
Genre: Dark romance with heavy psychological thriller elements.
So what’s it about?
Hunting Adeline picks up right where the first book left off:
Adeline has been taken. She's gone from the cat-and-mouse games with Zade to full-blown captivity by people with no conscience and no mercy. Meanwhile, Zade is losing control trying to track her down.
The tension is high, the trauma is real, and the stakes are nothing short of life or death.
This book is graphic.
There's no sugarcoating the brutality Adeline endures.
The first half of the novel is heavy. Adeline is kidnapped, raped, and subjected to horrors that are written in detail.
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As a reader, you’re forced to sit with it (or skip through it).
Zade, on the other hand, is spiraling. He’s desperate and hellbent on finding her. When he finally does, the damage is undeniable.
And here's where the book does something right. Adeline doesn’t just fall back into Zade’s arms. There’s no magical healing moment. She’s grateful to be found but she’s broken. She struggles with any male interaction.
There are raw, angry scenes. Adeline lashes out. She’s furious, and scared.
Zade never pushes. He never initiates contact. He waits—sometimes painfully—for her to come to him.
One highlight? Sibby.
She’s back, she’s chaotic, and she's just as unhinged as ever. A trauma-filled, psychotic wild card who takes on evil in the most unpredictable ways.
She might be insane but she’s also fiercely loyal and somehow one of the most fascinating characters in the series.
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So, do I recommend it?
That depends. If you read dark romance for the twisted relationships and shadowy anti-heroes, this might be too real for you.
It’s not sexy, it’s brutal.
If you're looking for a love story wrapped in darkness, Hunting Adeline delivers something messier.
More raw. More honest. But not necessarily better.
Personally? It didn’t live up to Haunting Adeline. It was heavier, slower, and the trauma outweighs the romance.
But for the story it’s telling, it felt real enough. And that counts for something.
Final Thoughts
If you decide to read it, do not skip the trigger warnings. Know what you’re walking into.
Proceed with caution.
Until my next read,
Marianna ♥
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