Rating: 4/5
Spoiler Alert!
Synopsis:
The story in Hunting Adeline picks up where Haunting Adeline left off, after Adeline is kidnapped. We watch as Zade does everything in his power to bring her home, while Adeline experiences the most painful, traumatic experiences of her life. She stays as strong as she can during these times, battling internal and external demons and finding solace in an unlikely source. In the end, we find out whether she can survive the skin trade and overcome her abusers.
Review:
Hunting Adeline was dark. Incredibly dark. H.D. Carlton dove headfirst into rape, torture, and murder with ease - portraying them each in visceral and horrific fashion. We had a front seat to Adeline's excruciating ordeal. It tore me apart to see her suffer, as she continued to care for others which only caused her great pain when the punishment was rape. Hard to read at times, but realistic.
The dark romance genre of Hunting Adeline was more fitting than in Haunting Adeline but I would definitely label the romance as bizarre and non-traditional. Don't expect fancy dinners and romantic sunset walks, instead you'll find things like roses carved into skin, foreplay in front of an injured rapist, and chasing each other through a dark forest.
I was truly swallowed up in the way Zade cared for Adeline as he allowed her to heal, letting her push him away over and over until he finally taught her how to conquer the demons in her head.
Adeline's relationship with her mother was never strong, but the story told how her ordeal brought them so close. I felt this needed a lot more development. The story wanted us to feel their closeness but it just seemed forced and fake.
Ultimately, I still longed for more passionate, sweet romance. The ending was humorous but also so fitting for the couple. I'm terribly sad I'm finished with this duet and I'm wishing H.D. Carlton decides to make a 3rd!
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