Haunting Adeline by H. D. Carlton is the kind of dark, deliciously twisted romance that grabs you by the throat from page one and dares you to look away. And after going viral on dark romance Booktok, it was seemingly everywhere for a while.

If you enjoyed Haunting Adeline, you might be wondering: What should I read next? We all know not just any dark romance book will do. Haunting Adeline is uniquely dark, and many readers like it for its:

  • Intense cat-and-mouse dynamic that keeps tension sharp and addictive.
  • Unapologetically dark themes that push boundaries without flinching.
  • Villain-leaning love interest who’s terrifying, obsessive, and oddly irresistible.
  • Gothic atmosphere dripping with dread, mystique, and dangerous allure.
  • High-stakes emotional spiral that feels chaotic, intimate, and impossible to put down.

Not just any book can match or exceed these expectations. Here are a few of the best books like Haunting Adeline that come close:

Best Books Like Haunting Adeline

In my humble, dark romance-obsessed opinion.

1. Other Books by H. D. Carlton

This one is pretty obvious. In case you didn’t know, Haunting Adeline is not H. D. Carlton’s only published book. You can also enjoy:

Other books in the Cat & Mouse Duet series, like Hunting Adeline (book 2), Where’s Molly (Book 2.5), Satan’s Affair (Book 0-II), and/or Phantom (Book 0-I).

Does It Hurt? (2022)

She’s a young woman running from a fractured past, surviving on stolen shoes and borrowed identities. After drifting through forgettable men, she meets Enzo Vitale, a cold, ocean-obsessed predator who fixates on her with violent intent.

Drawn onto his boat and caught in a storm that leaves them shipwrecked, she’s forced into close quarters with a man who both despises and desires her. Trapped in a decaying lighthouse (and stalked by an even more sinister caretaker) she realizes her fight is no longer about who she is, but whether she’ll survive at all.

Shallow River (2020)

River McAllister escaped Shallow Hill, leaving her innocence and some sanity behind, and is now building a perfect life with her dream man. Ryan Fitzgerald is everything she could want: attractive, wealthy, ambitious, and intensely devoted, though his temper complicates their passionate connection.

When their relationship darkens, only Ryan’s estranged brother, Mako, recognizes the danger, ready to step in as protector. But River isn’t a damsel; she’s fierce, resourceful, and more than capable of handling her own battles, leaving Ryan as the one who should fear.

…and many more.

2. Little Stranger by Leigh Rivers (2023)

She betrayed him, and now he wants revenge against the foster sister who became his forbidden obsession the second he laid eyes on her. After she sends him to prison for years, he’s free and ready to haunt her. Everything about Olivia belongs to Malachi Vize, including her mind, her body, her soul, her fear, and her pain.

On Halloween night, he can no longer lurk in the shadows, and all he has left to claim is her heart, even if he must take it by force. This story contains extremely triggering content.

3. Caught Up by Navessa Allen (2025)

From the viral TikTok author of Lights Out comes Navessa Allen’s second book in the bestselling Into Darkness Trilogy, adding voyeurism and play club kink. Nico “Junior” Trocci knows Lauren Marchetti is off limits; she is sweetness and laughter, while he lives in a world of violence and depravity.

When he finds her online, the shy girl he remembered is gone, replaced by a stunning woman connected to a play club, and his curiosity turns into dark obsession. Lauren is drawn to the mysterious man who keeps appearing at her club, but as their flirtation deepens, both must navigate who will seduce whom first.

4. God of Malice by Rina Kent (2022)

Glyndon King, an art student haunted by grief and guilt, never expected to run into Killian Carson, a cold-blooded, manipulative predator who hides his savage side behind charm. When he saves her from a cliff, their twisted power struggle begins, unfolding on a university campus full of secret societies, family legacies, and dangerous alliances.

Killian’s obsession with Glyndon grows in darkness, control, and coercion, and she must decide whether surrendering to him will destroy her or set her free.

5. Hooked by Emily McIntire (2021)

James has always planned to destroy his enemy, Peter Michaels, and when Peter’s daughter Wendy shows up in his bar, he sees a chance to seduce her as part of his revenge. But as his organization begins to crumble and he searches for a traitor, James starts seeing Wendy as more than a pawn.

Wendy, raised by a cold and wealthy father, is drawn to James’s dark, brooding presence, and as their intense relationship deepens, she struggles to separate the man from the monster known as Hook. This contemporary romance explores dark themes and may be triggering.

6. Insatiable by Leigh Rivers (2023)

Kade Mitchell is obsessed with Stacey Rhodes, the girl who shattered his heart and drove him into darkness. He has watched her for years and eliminated anyone who came close, but now, with a brief taste of freedom, he returns home determined to claim her again, breaking every rule he’s ever made.

Despite his hatred, the pull between them is undeniable, and he must confront whether he can ever forgive her. This dark romance contains triggering content, and readers are advised to review the author’s content warning page.

7. Once You’re Mine by Morgan Bridges (2023)

Murder brought Calista and Hayden Bennett together, and only death could keep them apart. From the moment they first met, Hayden wanted her, and his obsession only grew as he watched and followed her, deepening his need to possess her.

Hayden is a monster both in and out of the courtroom, and what begins as a simple transaction turns into something intense and all-consuming. Once Calista is his, he will never let her go, but trusting him may come at a dangerous cost. This dark romance contains morally gray heroes and intense, possessive themes.

8. Under Your Scars by Ariel N. Anderson (20##)

According to the FBI, he became a serial killer after three murders, but fifty‑two earned him the name the Silencer. Ready to end his own life, he was stopped by Elena Young, an angel in his darkest moment, and killing for her quickly turned into an unstoppable pattern of violence.

To Elena, he is a hero; to everyone else, he is the monster who keeps taking lives in her name. He knows he is the villain in her story, yet this is the kind of tale where the villain gets the girl, even if loving him destroys her.

9. Hunting Pretty by Sienna Blake (2025)

He watches her, craves her, and covets her, a monster in the shadows drawn to a woman who can’t stop chasing monsters herself. Her nightmares, her fear, and even her resistance only feed his obsession as he stalks and pins her down, needing every reaction she gives him.

When she starts digging into the disappearance of the wrong girl, he punishes her to keep her from uncovering a past dark enough to destroy her. But she won’t back down, and now another predator is hunting her too, leaving him to decide whether he will be the one to claim her in the end.

10. Creep by V.T. Do (2025)

Mael has never had anything belong to him until he meets Lia, and he will cross any line to make her his. Every twisted part of him craves her completely, leaving no place on earth safe for her to hide. Lia discovers she has a stalker, a dark, obsessive man who fixates on her, and when a new man enters her life, the lines between danger and desire blur.

Torn between her stalker and her new lover, her body and heart are pulled toward Mael, even if surrendering to him means burning in the flames of his obsession. This standalone dark romance contains mature themes, violence, and triggering content.

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