BOOK REVIEW
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After being shocked yet intrigued by Satan's Affair, and pleasantly surprised at the depth of the plot in Haunting Adeline, I was looking forward to finishing off the Cat & Mouse duet by H.D Carlton. I did read a couple of lighter books in between times, given the dark subject matter but soon the temptation
was too much. It's a 700-page meaty tome, so I was prepared to dedicate some time!
I won't harp on too much about the trigger warnings, they are very much the same as for Haunting Adeline and Satan's Affair - please read them before delving into any of these books.
BLURB
The conclusion to the Cat and Mouse Duet is here...
The Diamond
Death walks alongside me,
But the reaper is no match for me.
I'm trapped in a world full of monsters dressed as men, and those who aren't as they seem.
They won't keep me forever.
I no longer recognise the person I've become,
And I'm fighting to find my way back to the beast who hunts me in the night.
They call me a diamond,
But they've only created an angel of death.
The Hunter
I was born a predator,
With ruthlessness ingrained in my bones.
When what's mine is stolen from me in the night,
Like a diamond hidden within a fortress,
I find that I can no longer contain the beast.
Blood will paint the ground as I tear apart this world to find her.
And bring her back where she belongs.
No one will escape my wrath,
Especially not those who have betrayed me.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I feel that the novelty had worn off by the time I read this one.
We join Adeline and Zade following the cliffhanger ending of Haunting Adeline. The dark themes continued and, dare I say it, are darker than before. Themes of human trafficking, torture, manipulation, and abuse are rife. What was dubious consent laced with attraction in the previous book descends into absolute issues with no consent whatsoever, and it's pretty graphic and upsetting to read.
Again, I was surprised by how well the plot stands up to scrutiny. It's very much a gritty crime thriller at its core. Corruption, greed, and despicable bad guys are a really strong base for a compelling story.
That being said, I really started to despise Zade as the book continued. He has such narcissism and while his asking to be called "God" was slightly endearing in the first book, I actually started to think he really believes that's what he is. Every second sentence either spoken or thought was a commentary on how strong, attractive, talented, and amazing he is. It really started to grate on me and took away some of my enjoyment of the book, of their twisted romance, and did put a dampener on the book.
I'd have liked to have seen some genuine vulnerability from him.
I did enjoy meeting Sibby again, she added an almost comedic element to the story, which helped ease some of the depravity on the pages. Knowing her story from Satan's Affair certainly did help, but isn't essential for being able to follow the events and her role in them.
For a book that was 700 pages long, I would also have expected some character development with some of the side characters, Daya in particular could have been fleshed out a little more.
Overall I felt a little disappointed with the book. The plot had oodles of potential but I was unable to enjoy the Zade parts due to his completely out-of-control narcissism. Similarly to the first book, and the Satan's Affair novella, the plot was surprisingly solid, I just wasn't quite as captivated as I had been with the other books.
There's a second novella, Where's Molly? which ties into this book. I have downloaded it but don't feel any urge to get into it right away.
It's definitely worth getting through, to finish the series but was perhaps a little too long, and played a little too heavily on the hero complex of the male main character.
Have you finished the series? What did you think of this final part to the duet? Let me know in the comments!
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