If you finished Haunting Adeline and immediately stared at the wall for 20 minutes, same. This list is for you.
So you’ve read Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton. You’ve survived Zade Meadows. You’ve questioned your morals at least twice and you’re not even sorry about it. And now you’re desperately Googling “dark romance books similar to Haunting Adeline” because nothing feels like enough anymore. We’ve been there. Whether it’s the stalker romance trope, the obsessive morally grey MMC, the psychological tension, or just the sheer unhinged energy of the whole thing, we’ve put together the ultimate reading list for fans of the Cat and Mouse Duet who need their next fix.
A quick note: Dark romance is not for everyone. These books all contain heavy themes including non-con, dubious consent, obsession, and violence. Always check trigger warnings before you dive in.
What Makes Haunting Adeline So Addictive?
Before we get into the list, let’s talk about why Haunting Adeline hits so hard, because not every dark romance scratches the same itch.
What readers love about it:
- A genuinely terrifying, obsessive MMC who is somehow also… it
- A heroine who isn’t a pushover
- Slow-burn tension that pays off in the most unhinged ways
- Dual POV that keeps you completely off-balance
- Gothic atmosphere and an ancestral home setting that adds real texture
- High steam paired with genuine psychological thriller elements
The books on this list all deliver at least several of these things. We’ve marked each one so you know what to expect.
| Book | Tropes | Spice | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Corrupt | bully romance ex's brother enemies to lovers found family | 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 | View |
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Captive In The Dark | Captive/Captor Romance BDSM morally grey revenge | 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 | View |
|
Den Of Vipers | reverse harem morally grey forced proximity touch her and die | 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 | View |
|
There Are No Saints | serial killer romance morally grey stalker romance rich boy poor girl | 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 | View |
|
Twisted Love | grumpy x sunshine brother's best friend trauma opposites attract | 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 | View |
|
Does It Hurt? | thriller enemies to lovers grumpy x sunshine one bed +1 | 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 | View |
|
Butcher & Blackbird | golden retriever x black cat forced proximity serial killer romance he falls first +2 | 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 | View |
|
Lights Out | stalker romance masked mmc knife play dark romcom | 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 | View |
Dark Romance Books Similar to Haunting Adeline
Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton (Start Here)
Okay, the obvious one first. If you haven’t read the sequel yet, you need to drop everything. Hunting Adeline continues Adeline and Zade’s story and dials everything up, the stakes, the darkness, the emotion, and yes, the spice. It’s a polarising book because it goes to genuinely dark places, but if Haunting Adeline was your thing, this is essential reading.
Tropes: Stalker romance, obsessive MMC, dark thriller, human trafficking storyline
Corrupt by Penelope Douglas (Devil’s Night Series, Book 1)
Corrupt is arguably the most recommended book for Haunting Adeline fans, and for good reason. Erika comes face to face with Michael Crist, her brother’s former best friend, on Devil’s Night. He’s dangerous, he’s manipulative, and the tension between them is absolutely suffocating in the best way. Penelope Douglas is a master of building atmosphere and morally complex heroes, and this entire series delivers.
Read if you want: Slow burn, psychological games, a MMC who operates in the grey.
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, obsessive MMC, psychological games, dark academia vibes
Captive in the Dark by C.J. Roberts (Dark Duet Series, Book 1)
One of the foundational texts of dark romance. Caleb kidnaps Livvie as part of a revenge plot, and what unfolds is one of the most psychologically complex and emotionally brutal stories in the genre. This one is not a light read, it earns its trigger warnings, but if you’re someone who loved the moral complexity of Haunting Adeline, the Dark Duet will stay with you for a long time.
Read if you want: Maximum darkness, psychological depth, a story that challenges everything.
Tropes: Captive romance, dark psychological depth, power dynamics, Stockholm syndrome themes
Den of Vipers by K.A. Knight
If you want the obsessive, dangerous energy of Haunting Adeline but with more than one unhinged love interest, Den of Vipers delivers. Roxy is thrown into the world of the Vipers, four ruthless men who rule with violence and power. The dynamic is explosive, the heat is high, and the emotional beats hit harder than you’d expect from a book this chaotic.
Read if you want: RH dynamics, gang romance, unapologetic darkness.
Tropes: Reverse harem, dark romance, crime/gang world, multiple obsessive love interests
There Are No Saints by Sophie Lark
Cole is a methodical, cold killer. Mara is a struggling artist with her own darkness. This is the “what if both of them were a little bit terrifying” dark romance, and it works beautifully. The tension is incredible and Sophie Lark writes her morally grey men with real menace. Fans of the stalker element in Haunting Adeline will feel very at home here.
Read if you want: A MMC who is genuinely dangerous, dual-darkness, high steam.
Tropes: Stalker romance, serial killer MMC, morally grey characters, artist heroine
Twisted Love by Ana Huang (Twisted Series, Book 1)
A slightly lighter entry on this list, but don’t let that put you off. Alex Volkov is cold, calculated, and deeply obsessed with Ava, his best friend’s younger sister. The dark past elements are well developed, the chemistry is electric, and if you want the possessive hero energy of Haunting Adeline without quite the same level of intensity, this is a perfect bridge book.
Read if you want: Possessive hero, forced proximity, emotional depth, accessible heat.
Tropes: Brother’s best friend, obsessive hero, dark past, forbidden romance
Sick Fux by Tillie Cole
Sick Fux follows Ellis and Heathan, two survivors bound together by a shared hunger for revenge. This is one of the more genuinely harrowing books on this list, and Tillie Cole does not pull punches. The romance is twisted and real in the way that only truly dark books manage. If you want something that makes you feel the way the end of Haunting Adeline did, this is the one.
Read if you want: Emotional devastation, revenge romance, deeply complex characters.
Tropes: Dark romance, revenge arc, deeply broken characters, intense emotional themes
Does It Hurt? by H.D. Carlton
More H.D. Carlton, but a standalone. Does It Hurt? follows Sawyer, who ends up stranded on an isolated island with a man who is equal parts dangerous and magnetic. If you loved Carlton’s writing style, the dual POV, the tension, the way she builds dread and desire simultaneously, this book delivers all of that in a completely different setting. The community consensus is that the vibes are very much in line with Haunting Adeline.
Read if you want: More HD Carlton energy, slow burn, a hero who is deeply suspicious and deeply compelling.
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, morally grey MMC, dark romance, isolation setting
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
A newer entry to the genre and one that’s been absolutely beloved by the BookTok community. Sloane and Rowan are rival killers who form an unexpected bond, and what results is, somehow, both genuinely dark and surprisingly funny. The banter is exceptional and the chemistry is electric. If you want something that delivers the unhinged energy of Haunting Adeline but with more wit, this is your book.
Read if you want: Dark humour, high chemistry, morally chaotic energy.
Tropes: Dark romance, serial killer romance, enemies to lovers, dark humour, found family vibes
Lights Out by Navessa Allen
Josh is a hacker who is terrified of inheriting his father’s psychopathy. Aly is independent, quick-witted, and entirely capable of handling herself. The stalker element is front and centre, but this book handles it with more levity than most. The chemistry between them is some of the best in the genre, and readers consistently recommend it to fans of Haunting Adeline who want that stalker tension without the absolute darkness of the Cat and Mouse duet.
Read if you want: Stalker romance with humour, incredible banter, strong FMC.
Tropes: Stalker romance, morally grey MMC, dark humour, strong heroine
Quick Reference: Which Book to Read Next
| If you loved… | Read this |
| The stalker romance trope | Lights Out, There Are No Saints |
| The psychological tension | Corrupt, Captive in the Dark |
| HD Carlton’s writing style | Does It Hurt?, Hunting Adeline |
| The dark emotional depth | Sick Fux, Captive in the Dark |
| The unhinged energy | Butcher & Blackbird, Den of Vipers |
| The possessive MMC | Twisted Love, Corrupt |
FAQs: Dark Romance Similar to Haunting Adeline
Yes, it’s the first book in the Cat and Mouse Duet. The sequel is Hunting Adeline. H.D. Carlton has also written companion novellas in the same universe, including Satan’s Affair and Where’s Molly.
The combination of dual POV, a genuinely menacing (rather than just moody) MMC, Gothic atmosphere, and extremely high steam sets it apart. Zade Meadows is a character who fully commits to the bit in a way few dark romance heroes do.
Captive in the Dark, Sick Fux, and Corrupt are all in that territory for different reasons. If you want to match the stalker intensity specifically, There Are No Saints and Lights Out are strong contenders.
Absolutely yes. All dark romance, including Haunting Adeline itself, contains content that can be distressing. Always read trigger warnings before starting a new book in this genre.
What’s Your Next Dark Romance Pick?
Dark romance is one of the most passionate and dedicated reading communities out there, and Haunting Adeline is one of the books that brought so many readers into the genre. If you’re looking for your next read that delivers that same cocktail of obsession, tension, morally grey men, and deeply felt emotion, this list has something for you.
Already read everything on this list? Drop your favourite Haunting Adeline read-alike in the comments, we’re always updating our recommendations.
Looking for more dark romance recs? Check out our spicy dark romance book recommendations and our “Which Dark Romance Book Boyfriend Is Your Soulmate” quiz to find your next obsession.
