Alpha

A novel by H.D Carlton.

I want to preface that if you are planning on reading this series, get educated on how H.D Carlton writes. “Dark romance” is not enough to capture the intensity of these book.

The story plays around Adeline and Zane’s blossoming love. It blossoms from stalker and unwilling participant to protector and very willing lover.

Book 1: Manipulator and Shadow

Without giving away spoilers, know that Adeline moves into her late grandmother’s Victorian home. While living in it, she discovers diary entries by her great grandmother depicting her own blossoming sexual adventures with a stalker. See where this is going?

These diary entries play an important role to the sub plot of the story. This pulls Addie into a universe she doesn’t even know exists. This world revolves around child sex trafficking and human sacrifices. It’s explicit and can be a bit uncomfortable to read the details, but I was able to get through it.

I love how the chapters and story parallels with the diary entries and its content.

In a moment where Addie is being social, Zane comes across her and falls in love at first sight. Being the shadow daddy that he is, he begins to stalk her. And fuck, he stalks her good.

This book is full of non-con and dub-con, so be very mindful of that when you read it. “Run, if I catch you, I fuck you” says all you need to know how dark the book can get.

He does catch her, of course, and he does fuck her… …with the tip of his gun.

Watching their love blossom in their twisted and dark way is endearing as it is insane (my favorite kind of love to read). The way he wants to show her his darkest parts so she knows who he truly is explores everything we want in love, right?

The ending leaves you on the hugest cliffhanger. Right when you think they are getting their HEA… poof.

4.8 out of 5 rating.

Book 2: Diamond and Hunter

Addie gets kidnapped at the end of book 1…

Like in Book 1, Addie find new diary entries of a young lady who escaped from the house, Addie is imprisoned in. The wittier of those entries: is Molly and yes, it’s same Molly from H.D Carlton’s other book: Where’s Molly.

While I wanted to, in every bit of my soul, read this book in its entirety, I couldn’t.

The parts written from Addie’s POV were too intense for me to mentally read. Book 2 is extremely heavy because the rape and torture is happening directly to Addie, and the details of these scenes are explicit and gruesome.

From the moment Addie is taken in chapter one, every chapter for 235 pages are so intense. For some people, it might be too triggering. The first person narration contributes to that challenge. I had to skip the “Diamond” POV chapters and only read Zade’s POV.

Part 2, which is the second half of the book, while still heavy to read, is more cathartic. It shows the state of a person trying to get over being sex-trafficked and forced into many, and I mean many, things. It also shows the challenges that come with loving someone going through that kind of trauma.

Watching Zade try to help Addie get over it gives you the feels, but the truth is, it’s something no one ever “gets over.” Rather, you just try to enjoy the moments you have.

I love the ending. The last chapter is something I have read many times, and it solidifies what true love is for me: when you accept someone for all the darkness and all their faults, loving both the good and the bad.

4 out of 5 rating: but only because I personally can’t get through some of the explicit parts because of my own brain. But it’s a good read.

I would consider this series a black romance more than dark one, but that’s my own personal description.

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