A review by lyn_
Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

Did not finish book. Stopped at 96%.
While I really enjoyed Carlton’s writing in a technical sense—she had a well developed and intriguing plot and side-plot to keep readers interested, something refreshing among other books in the genre—I couldn’t ignore the blatant portrayal of sexual assault as something excusable.
Zade, the main love interest who has a hatred for sex trafficking, completely contradicts his own character and justifies his own sexual violence toward Adeline, the female lead. He does this by claiming that her body wanted it and was physically reacting to him. I was waiting for (at the very least) a real moment of apology and forgiveness between the characters for what Zade did to Adeline on several occasions. However, this never occurs, and instead, readers get the author casually using a common myth in rape culture to justify Zade’s actions (that physical arousal means someone actually wants sex). Despite this, Adeline seems to forgive him without question.


While some readers may enjoy this book, I myself cannot enjoy nor support a book that tries to portray a relationship like this as anything close to “romance.” This isn’t dark romance; it’s abuse, and it’s better suited for a reader looking to study the dynamics of a very unhealthy relationship.
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