Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

150 reviews

rebeccaxpaige's review against another edition

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3.75


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novellearts's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This just didn’t really do anything for me. I think the MC was too submissive for my personal preference and the whole book was so unrealistic. I found myself constantly wanting Adeline to fight back more and put Zade in his place but didn’t really get that from this book. I guess I’m tired of the man being in charge and wanted to see the roles reversed more.

I also found the gun scene incredibly cringey / unrealistic because how could that even feel good? And so many of Zade’s lines made me roll my eyes. 

The talk of him being “too big to fit” almost made me roll my eyes out of my head..

The other thing that put me over the edge were the constant talks of “you’re going to have my babies” nonsense. *Gag.* Really not my thing, at all.

I won’t mention the rape, stalking, and refusal to accept “no” as an answer since it’s all listed in the trigger warnings, but it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t find it attractive and I certainly didn’t find Zade attractive. I definitely wouldn’t have been playing along with his nonsense and I refuse to believe that anything he was doing could’ve been *that* satisfying to achieve the response from Adeline that he did. 

I’m also confused how he could be so big of a contradiction. He fights to save women and girls from men doing horrible things to them, but yet he stalks and rapes a woman he “loves?” 

I don’t mind the dark romance, but I don’t think I care for the woman being so submissive and I honestly didn’t like any of the characters except maybe Daya? Cringey and unrealistic. I enjoyed Satan’s Affair much more than this.

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e11iphant's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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misswirum's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This is a book that's extreme hyped on social media, and I guess I expect more? It was kinda slow, but also kinda relaxing? 
I liked the c-plot the most. I was deeply invested in knowing who killed Adeline's great-grandmother. The ghost-vibes was a nice touch.

I also liked Parson Manor. It was described perfectly! 
I think Adeline was an okay FMC. I really don't see the hate for her. Zade was also okay, although unhinged lol.

Will be diving right into Hunting Adeline🫣

3,75/5⭐️
4/5📝
3,5/5🌶

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booksnart2023's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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babybatash's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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meganlaza's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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kat_reads26's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Haunting Adeline is one part dark erotica, one part action-thriller and a sprinkling of Nancy Drew style mystery. Despite how it may be categorized at your local bookstore, is not a romance. This is a NC/CNC Erotic Thriller that isn't for any readers who are easily affected by triggers such as stalking, NC sex, CNC sex, abuse, and mentions of pedophilia. If any of that puts you off, don't bother reading. 

With that said, Haunting Adeline started strong and then became a chore to read. The idea of a sexy-stalker-CNC romance with a spooky setting was very intriguing. I'd heard good things from Booktok about this one, including how heavily "spicy" it was. While there is graphic sex scenes depicted here, I have definitely read better. What's worse is that the book is so plot heavy that you have to read through several chapters of our FMC playing detective in her house and our MMC playing "good guy" mercenary with maybe 10 spicy scenes in a 500+ page book. 

Speaking of our MMC, he's a complete hypocrite. The chapters from his POV are all about how he wants to save women and children from trafficking and take down pedophile rings/the skin trade and how disgusted he is by the sexual abuse that takes place. And yet he is a textbook definition stalker that has set his sights on the FMC for no discernable reason besides beauty and sexually assaults her again and again. The author does her best to convince us that its not as bad as it is because our FMC is aroused by fear and mystery. That while she "knows its wrong" her body "can't help it." The MMC is clearly told no to his advances over and over again throughout the span of the story (with a few CNC moments nearer to the end) but he persists, claiming it's a game and that he's turned on by her fear and by the chase. The author insists the stalker needs to be redeemable and likable so she has essentially made him the batman of sex trafficking rings.

The sex scenes we do get (albeit rape for most of the book) are padded with multiple chapters of our MMC being the hero of an action movie no one signed on for, as well as an ongoing (and insufferable) added plot of the FMC solving her Great Grandmother's murder. I mean, I guess Adeline needed SOMETHING to do when she's not getting assaulted by the MMC.

If you were hoping to get a dark/taboo sexy love story to get off to while you read... this isn't gonna be it.

I'm not kidding when I tell you that 95% of the sex scenes in this book are non consensual. The FMC is more or less Stockholm syndromed into falling for her stalker via his magic penis. I'm not saying this story wasn't worth reading...but I am saying I probably won't read the next one.

This story ends on a cliffhanger. I'm fine with not knowing what happens next.

Trigger Warnings with Spoilers:
There is a scene where the female main character is made to masturbate with a gun, 50% of the story is about sex trafficking rings, child abuse, child torture, and pedophilia, the relationship between the main characters is non consensual for most of the book, then it is CNC for the rest

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gabrielleandcompany's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Well, well, well. This book has many toxic, triggering, and terrible characters, however - looking at how it was written, I couldn’t have asked for better. Is the MMC very problematic? Absolutely. But God, how HD writes it was so difficult to not get sucked into the story and want the two MCs to end up together. Now, to ruin myself with Hunting Adeline!

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destinynichole11's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25


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