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A review by entirelybonkerz
Does It Hurt? by H.D. Carlton
4.0
As usual, HD coming in with her thriller-romance vibes that I love.
The author of the cat and mouse duet (possibly one of my favorite dark romances in a while) has won me over again, but surprisingly, not because of the couple.
She has stated multiple times does it hurt is completely different from Haunting Adeline and I 100% agree.
This is by far way lighter than the cat and mouse duet, with quite a few more sex scenes and a very chaotic and disconnected pair.
Adeline and Zade had some sort of unique synchrony and symbiosis that I did not feel with these two. Maybe that was the entire point? They are both very damaged and different from one another. I honestly didn't feel connected to their love story as much as I did to the world building.
The couple wasn't my cup of tea due to the lack of foundation. The way their attraction developed was a little out of synch and a little too fast for the first half of the book and for the second half I still couldn't really feel what exactly what united them and why. I just couldn't see them having a purpose for being together.
However, HD is my favorite for a reason, she appeals to me with her atmosphere creation and honestly her secondary characters are always the most intriguing to me.
The way she created an entire lore/thriller/horror movie inside this book was truly impressive.
The main couple has a very disturbing hate relationship and they end up stuck on an island together after their boat breaks in the middle of a storm and that is where she got her four stars from me.
Every small detail and interaction with the old man - resident of the island who shelters the couple - was so thrilling.
I absolutely adore the mystery behind this book, and now that I think back to the cat and mouse duet, that was also my absolute favorite part of Haunting Adeline.
HD's ability to leave bits and pieces behind to keep you guessing what's going to happen next is what gripped me for the entire ride. This is a thriller romance, and even though I did not care for the couple in this story at all, I can't deny this was a fantastic thriller and delivered everything it needed to.
The lighthouse and the island were very vivid in my head, her pacing was just right for all scenes and all interactions the couple shared with the old man and she was very successful in dosing the island's history.
The ending of this book was exciting, terrifying and surprising. I honestly will continue to read HD books for years to come for her ability to create and place ambience, vibes, disturbing tales and fear exactly where I need them to be.
it was a fun ride, if you're a horror movie person like I am, you are going to enjoy this one.