There is an awful lot to say about the Cat and Mouse Duet by HD Carlton, but so much that can’t be said due to potential spoilers. In this recommendation I’m going to try to do my very best in giving you reasons to read, and to avoid, this duet.
Cat and Mouse Duet by HD Carlton
The Cat and Mouse Duet by HD Carlton is a dark gothic romance. The first book is Haunting Adeline, and the second book is Hunting Adeline. These books can be found on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, and the author’s website here.
Premise
There was a dangerous man standing outside of Parson’s Manor and history seemed to be repeating itself. Not only was Adeline’s great-grandmother stalked in this very same home, but something very bad happened here too. Yet Adeline couldn’t pull herself away from the man stalking her, who threatened any other man who came near her, and who was leaving her roses everywhere. At least he cut the thorns from the stems to keep her fingers safe.
Triggers
Triggers found in Haunting Adeline by HD Carlton include:
- Non/Dub Con between main characters
- Sexually Explicit Scenes that include dark and dangerous kinks
- Graphic violence, murder, and gore
- Stalking
- Human trafficking including children
- Child kidnapping, sacrifice, and death
Triggers found in Hunting Adeline by HD Carlton include:
- Sexually Explicit Scenes that include dark and dangerous kinks
- Graphic and detailed rape and sexual assault
- Violence, gore, torture, and murder
- Kidnapping, human trafficking, slave trade, and grooming
- Psychological, physical, and mental abuse
- PTSD
My Thoughts
In general the dark romance genre is not something people should dive into lightly, and in the case of the Cat and Mouse duet by HD Carlton, I would take all warnings seriously. Only enter into the world of Zade and Adeline if you are prepared for a book that will leave you questioning your own morals.
“I’ve just found myself a little mouse, and I won’t stop until I’ve trapped her.” – Haunting Adeline by HD Carlton
First, let’s discuss the trigger warnings of this series. The second book is significantly dark than the first book and I recommend making sure you are in a good head space before diving into either. As soon as you finish Haunting Adeline you will want to pick up Hunting Adeline due to the cliffhanger that will likely have your heart pounding in fear.
Please take the trigger warnings seriously with these books. There is non-con in this book and no, unlike what many say, it is not romanticizing it. When the books are read with a critical eye, which I forced myself to have during my most recent read-through, it is very clear that that the characters are well aware of what happened and how wrong it was.
“When you make someone fall in love with the darkest parts of you, there’s nothing you can do that will scare them away. They will be yours forever because they already love all the fucked up bits and pieces of you.” – Haunting Adeline by HD Carlton
Moving on to the books and the story. If you are looking for a bad boy turned good for her, keep looking because you will not find that here. These books are about obsession and the lengths that someone will go to old on to their obsession. Don’t get it twisted though, there is a twisted sweetness to Zade that if you aren’t carefully reading could be missed.
“I guess I wanted to see roses all over your house, too. Maybe because you feel like home.” – Haunting Adeline by HD Carlton
Zade is morally black. He knows damn well that what he does to Adeline is wrong, but in his mind he’s justified that he is showing her just how twisted he is. He’s not pretending to be someone good to win her over. From the start he is showing her what being his means.
“I’m going to murder so many fucking people for you.” – Hunting Adeline by HD Carlton
Meanwhile, Adeline is a woman who spent a large chunk of her childhood fitting into a norm that didn’t fit her. Now that she is an adult there are still parts of her that are trying to fit into a normalcy that she just doesn’t fit in. She has dark parts of her that she tries to hide or play off as “loving scary movies,” but it’s all so much darker than that.
HD Carlton did not write characters that fit the norm, they never were supposed to, so don’t go in justifying anything about these characters because they are perfect the way they are for this story. That does not in any way make it ok for anyone to take these characters as inspiration for the real world. No you do not want a real like Zade. That doesn’t change that this story might have you exploring a side to you that you didn’t realize you had.
When it comes to the Cat and Mouse duet, everyone talks about the spice as though it’s the greatest part of the book. Why? Because we can’t tell you that it’s the plot that will absolutely destroy you and put you back together in ways that have you questioning everything you know about yourself without spoiling the whole thing.
Yes there is a lot of spice, and a lot of dark kinks. Yes it is all done extremely well. Yes you will be questioning why you suddenly find certain things to be hot as hell, or maybe not, but it did for me.
I love the way HD Carlton makes the spice in these books very much a part of the plot. You can’t skip those scenes without missing vital information regarding these characters, and there are plenty of spicy scenes.
Zade is morally black, has always been morally black, and stays morally black throughout the entire duet. That doesn’t change, and he doesn’t change. You just get to see that morally black doesn’t mean that he isn’t protective or doesn’t know how to love.
“Meadows, baby. Our last name is Meadows.” – Hunting Adeline by HD Carlton
Adeline is where the character growth happens. And it happens in a pretty traumatic way. Not only do we get to see her before the trauma, but during, and after. And to avoid spoilers, that is all I will say about it.
“Yet still, you carry fire in your heart, and that will never fucking change. They will never take that from you, Adeline.” – Hunting Adeline by HD Carlton
There were a lot of side characters in this duet who made the book better. Some of them I am personally hoping for additional books with. Daya, Sibby, Jay, and a few others are in desperate need of their own stories.
The Cat and Mouse duet by HD Carlton is about trauma. It does not gloss over the horrible things that happen, it grabs a hold and takes you for that ride. So be warned, this book is a dark gothic romance, you may or may not fall in love with the darkness. Just be prepared before you leap off the cliff of picking up this read.
Who Would Like The Cat and Mouse Duet by HD Carlton?
Tropes in the Cat and Mouse Duet by HD Carlton include:
- Stalker
- Obsessed MMC
- Touch Her and Die
- Burn the world for her
To compare the Cat and Mouse duet by HD Carlton with other books almost feels wrong because it is in a league of it’s own, however, I’ll see what I can do about giving you comparisons based on vibes. If you liked the gothic vibes of Firethorne by Nikki J Summers, the morally black MMC of The Sinner by Shantel Tessier or the trauma and healing of the Mindfuck Series by ST Abby you may like this duet as well.
Make sure you check out my recommendations for all the Cat and Mouse spin offs as well:
- Phantom
- Satan’s Affair (Which I highly recommend reading before the Cat and Mouse Duet)
- Where’s Molly (Currently in reread)
Have you read the Cat and Mouse Duet, or are you adding it to your TBR? Let me know in the comments below. I love interacting with other readers over books I loved.