Haunting Adeline - Book Review

Before we dive in, please note that this review contains spoilers, unfiltered reactions, and at least three moments where I question my own taste in fictional men. If you haven’t read Haunting Adeline yet, turn back now - unless you enjoy chaos, morally questionable decisions, and me yelling “GIRL, NO” at my Kindle.

⚠️ Trigger Warnings 

• Violence & Physical Harm including but not limited to mentions of severed hands, references to knives, weapons, and violent behaviour, mentions of murder and a murder mysteries and descriptions of characters with violent tendencies.
• Stalking & Obsessive Behaviour including but not limited to discussion of stalking, including breaking into a home, themes of obsession, surveillance, and boundary violations and references to a character watching someone sleep.
• Kidnapping & Human Trafficking including mentions of human trafficking (in the context of a character rescuing victims)
• Sexual Content & Dubious Consent including but not limited to references to explicit sexual content, implied dubious consent / coercive dynamics, power imbalance and morally questionable romantic behaviour.
• Psychological Distress including but not limited to themes involving fear, paranoia, and unsafe situations and characters engaging in unhinged or chaotic behaviour.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Haunting Adeline is the kind of book that grabs you by the ankles, drags you into a morally questionable basement, and somehow you say “thank you” on the way down. HD Carlton really said, “What if I wrote a romance that makes your moral compass spin like a broken ceiling fan?” and then delivered.

Character summaries:

Adeline:

A girl who makes some of the most questionable choices in life. “Oh no, there is someone stalking me. Hmm, I will just use my sass to try and will him away rather than taking action.” Although I will give it to her, she doesn’t back down and I love this for her.

Zade Meadows:

A man who breaks into your house and watches you sleep - but in a way that makes you think, “Honestly? Could be worse.” Every time he appears on the page, your brain goes, “This is toxic,” while your heart goes, “Shh, let him cook.”

Sibby:

The true star. The moment she shows up, the entire plot becomes a fever dream with knives, glitter, and the energy of a feral raccoon who’s also your best friend. If Zade is the obsession, Sibby is the lifestyle. I would follow that woman into battle, into chaos, into Starbucks - whatever she wants. I have come to the decision that Sibby is my spirit animal.

My super quick synopsis of the book

Adeline Reilly moves into her grandmother’s creepy old mansion thinking she’s about to live her quiet, writer‑girl life. But no, she accidentally summons a stalker with the persistence of a cat trying to get into a closed door and the morals of a man who would absolutely fold your laundry but steal your undies. Let’s not forget about his romantic side, even if that does mean breaking in to leave single red roses around the house. He even de-thorns them, what a gentleman.

Enter Zade Meadows: A guy who rescues trafficked women by day and stalks Adeline by… well, constantly. He sees her once and decides, “Yes. That one. I will haunt her like a sexy ghost with boundary issues.” This man is a different breed. He takes obsessive to a whole new level. To the point he delivers the most “thoughtful” gift of all time. Severed hands. Yes you read that correctly. To be fair, he did warn her and she carried on.

Adeline, meanwhile, is trying to solve her great‑grandmother’s murder mystery, but it’s hard to focus when a 6’7” menace keeps breaking into her house, leaving notes, and breathing in her general direction like it’s a sport. She makes a smart decision to get security systems set up for her safety. Little does she know that the company she uses to install them is owned by… Yes you guessed it, Zade Meadows.

The spice? Let’s just say the tension escalates from “I should call the police” to “Actually, never mind, keep doing that” at a pace that would concern any normal person. The spice got me. Some very questionable decisions were made but it definitely gave me one of my all time favourite quotes. “Let me know which stars you prefer, the ones above you or the ones I make you see”. Oh, did I mention the 🔫 and where he put it? I will let you use your imagination for that one.

And then there’s Sibby - the feral murder princess who shows up with a knife collection and the energy of someone who would stab you and ask if you want to get brunch after. She steals every scene with her henchman. The most unhinged of them all but definitely one of the best.

By the end, Adeline is knee‑deep in family secrets, Zade is knee‑deep in obsession, and you’re knee‑deep in questioning your taste in men, books, and life choices.

The reading experience:

• 10% in: “This is dark.”
• 30% in: “This is very dark.”
• 60% in: “I have no moral high ground left."
• 100% in: “When does book two start and why am I Googling home security systems?”

Five stars. Zero regrets. Brain permanently altered. Would let Zade stalk me again.