Read every series in the right order
Cat and Mouse Books in Chronological Order – Complete Reading Guide
Table of Contents
Quick Answer (TL;DR)
- Reading order (and publication order) is the same:
- Haunting Adeline → 2) Hunting Adeline
- If you want everything in-universe, read the companion novella Satan’s Affair before Book 1 (optional).
- Reading Cat and Mouse Books in Chronological Order preserves the slow-burn obsession arc, the vigilante thread, and the escalating stakes around organized trafficking—without spoiling major reveals.
Age & content guidance: This is dark romance for 18+. Heavy trigger warnings apply (see Quick Facts).
Introduction
On the surface, this duet is a heady cocktail of gothic mansions, coded letters, masked strangers, and a predator-prey tension that never quite lets you breathe. Underneath, it’s a darker animal: a romance that yokes obsession to vigilantism against human trafficking, asks subversive questions about power and consent, and keeps you racing through 600-plus-page tomes as though they were novellas.
To help you navigate it safely and enjoy it fully, this guide lays out Cat and Mouse Books in Chronological Order, with spoiler-light blurbs, a character-centric timeline, formats, companion works, and an FAQ tailored for readers who want the thrill and the context.
Quick Facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Series Name | Cat and Mouse (a.k.a. Cat & Mouse Duet) |
| Core Books | Haunting Adeline (Book 1), Hunting Adeline (Book 2) |
| Author | H. D. Carlton (indie dark-romance/thriller author) |
| Primary Setting | Contemporary U.S.; gothic estates, hidden networks, underground operations |
| Page Count (approx.) | Book 1: ~550–600 pages; Book 2: ~650–700 pages (page counts vary by edition) |
| Estimated Read Time | ~12–16 hours per book (print); ~20–25 hours per audiobook |
| Reading Difficulty | Moderate (long chapters, relentless tension, heavy themes) |
| Genres | Dark Romance · Romantic Thriller · Gothic/Obsessive Romance |
| Content Warnings (high-level) | Stalking/obsession, kidnapping, captivity, organized trafficking, sexual violence (including non-consensual and dub-con scenes), torture, psychological abuse, weapons/gore, murder, PTSD, panic/anxiety, drugging, child harm referenced. Readers should consult the author’s detailed trigger pages. |
| Media Adaptations | No confirmed film/TV as of this writing; audiobooks available |
| Ideal Age Range | 18+ only (explicit adult themes/content) |
About the Book Series
At its center is Adeline—a novelist with an inherited gothic house and a family history of secrets—and Zade, a vigilante who hunts traffickers in the shadows and who decides, unequivocally, that Adeline is his. The duet stages a relentless cat-and-mouse dynamic: a push-pull of danger and devotion, morality and obsession, autonomy and surrender. The “romance” label here sits beside thriller and horror elements; scenes can be graphic and upsetting, and consent is frequently complicated or breached. Many readers come for the pacing and the vigilante plot, others for the taboo romance, and many for both.
Because of those extremes, reading Cat and Mouse Books in Chronological Order is crucial. The slow escalation—from surveillance and riddles to open war against human traffickers—rests on discoveries you’re meant to make (or fear) in order.
Books at a Glance
| Title | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|
| Haunting Adeline (Cat & Mouse #1) | Buy on Amazon |
| Hunting Adeline (Cat & Mouse #2) | Buy on Amazon |
Cat and Mouse Books in Chronological Order
1) Haunting Adeline
Where it begins: A crumbling Victorian estate, a stack of letters from a great-grandmother with her own scandal, and the sensation—first imagined, then undeniable—that someone is watching. Adeline is rational; the house and its history are not. The watcher is Zade, a man whose day job is dismantling trafficking rings and whose night obsession is Adeline herself.
Expect (spoiler-light):
- Gothic investigation: Adeline’s house hides more than dust and diaries; family secrets echo in the present.
- Cat-and-mouse escalation: Gifts, notes, coded clues. Interest becomes fixation. Boundaries blur and break.
- Vigilante thread: Zade’s organization, its methods, and the catacombs where predators are cornered.
- Tone: Claustrophobic, violent, erotic, and morally black-ice. Non-consensual/dub-con scenes appear; trauma is not abstract.
Why first: It establishes the rules (and rule-breaking) of this relationship, frames the trafficking war, and seeds plotlines that detonate in Book 2.
2) Hunting Adeline
The turn: When obsession meets retaliation, the battlefield broadens. Enemies hit back; Adeline is dragged into the world Zade swore to destroy. The duet’s second volume is louder, longer, and more brutal—shifting from a haunted-house romance-thriller into full-bore manhunt and survivor fight.
Expect (spoiler-light):
- High peril: Operations, raids, and consequences; organized trafficking is not a prop, it’s the antagonist.
- Trauma on the page: Scenes of captivity and assault are explicit. Survivor recovery, coping, and agency matter.
- Relationship reckoning: Zade’s methods vs. Adeline’s autonomy; what devotion looks like after devastation.
- Closure & cost: War leaves scars. The duet asks if love grown in violence can mature into something else.
Why second: It’s consequence. Everything the first book sets in motion—romance, crimes, rescues, retaliation—lands here.
Series Timeline & Character Development
Adeline — Curiosity → Compromise → Claiming Self
- Book 1: Rational, guarded, drawn into a puzzle of letters and footsteps. Faces a watcher who makes himself the main character.
- Inflection: Consent boundaries pushed and broken; the line between fear and fascination is interrogated, not assumed.
- Book 2: Survives what the world does to women in the shadows. Moves from haunted to hunter in her own right—redefining agency after trauma.
Zade — Hunter → Obsessive → Penitent/Protector
- Book 1: Mastermind who deifies the woman he stalks. “Protection” and “possession” collapse into each other.
- Book 2: Faces the limits of “I’ll burn the world for you” as a cure-all. Must choose between god-complex control and a love that listens.
The World — Rot Revealed
- Mansions and masquerades mask systems—moneyed, armed, networked. The vigilante plot isn’t window dressing; it’s the engine. When you read Cat and Mouse Books in Chronological Order, the scale of that engine rises from one house to an entire economy of harm.
Novels Sorted by In-Universe Events
- Haunting Adeline
- Hunting Adeline
(Chronology matches publication.)
Novels Sorted by Publication
- Haunting Adeline
- Hunting Adeline
Companion Works
Satan’s Affair (optional prequel/companion novella)
- Placement: Read before Book 1 if you want every breadcrumb; otherwise after Book 2.
- Focus: A carnival-horror novella that shares world elements with the duet and lightly intersects with the vigilante network. Tone is macabre and violent; content warnings similar (murder, assault, gore).
- Value add: Establishes atmosphere and the moral palette—monsters hunting monsters—that the duet will amplify.
Special/Collector Editions & Extras
- Signed & special runs: The author and indie printers periodically offer special hardcovers (e.g., alternate covers, sprayed edges). Availability rotates—watch the author’s channels/newsletter.
- Bonus material: Occasional extended/bonus epilogues appear in special printings or as newsletter exclusives. If collecting matters to you, note which edition you’re buying.
Editions & Formats (hardcover, collector, audio)
Hardcover:
- Best for durability; many special editions are HC only. Heavy, but they look dramatic on the shelf.
Paperback:
- Budget-friendly, flexible binding. Page counts are high; some readers prefer the lighter physical weight.
Kindle/eBook:
- Discreet, searchable, highlightable. Useful if you prefer to skim or look away during specific scenes.
Audiobook:
- Intensifies atmosphere (and intensity). If audio is your format, review content warnings and consider speed control or print/eBook for the heaviest chapters. Production values are generally strong, with distinct performances for high-tension scenes.
Why Read Cat and Mouse Books in Chronological Order?
Because the duet’s entire effect depends on escalation—romantic, moral, and tactical. Reading Cat and Mouse Books in Chronological Order ensures:
- Mystery → dread → action: From letters and shadows to raids and rescues, the slope is the story.
- Character causality: Adeline’s choices in Book 1 shape her survival arc in Book 2; Zade’s methods demand reckoning.
- Ethical throughline: The duet confronts not just what lovers do to each other, but what the world does to vulnerable people. That argument needs the full arc to be legible.
If you scramble the order, you lose the design—surprises flatten, and the difficult conversations the books are trying (however controversially) to stage can feel unearned.
Author Spotlight
H. D. Carlton is an independent dark-romance and romantic-thriller author whose books surged through reader communities for their blend of taboo relationships, high-octane vigilantism, and horror-adjacent aesthetics. Expect long, cinematic chapters, a taste for gothic settings and masked antagonists, and a willingness to push into territory many romances won’t touch.
- Other notable titles: The world-adjacent novella Satan’s Affair and additional stand-alone dark romances (check the author’s catalog).
- Reader fit: If you like your romance with knives, moral mess, and thriller stakes—and you read content warnings closely—you’re the target audience.
Media Adaptations (films, TV, audio)
- Screen: As of this writing, no confirmed film/TV adaptation has been announced.
- Audio: Unabridged audiobooks for both core novels are available across major platforms.
- Fan culture: Expect heavy fan art, playlists, and TikTok discourse; many discussions center on consent, trauma depictions, and the ethics of dark romance.
FAQs
What is the correct order for the Cat and Mouse series?
Read the Cat and Mouse Books in Chronological Order: Haunting Adeline → Hunting Adeline. If you want the optional companion, read Satan’s Affair before Book 1.
Is the series suitable for teens?
No. This is adult dark romance (18+) with explicit content and heavy triggers including non-consensual scenes, trafficking, and violence.
Do I need to read Satan’s Affair?
It’s optional. It shares world DNA and adds tone/lore texture. If you want full immersion, read it before Haunting Adeline; otherwise save it for after the duet.
Are there film or TV adaptations?
No confirmed screen adaptation as of now. Both novels are available in audiobook format.
How intense are the content warnings?
Very. The books include stalking, kidnapping, captivity, organized trafficking, sexual violence (including non-consensual and dub-con scenes), torture, gore, and psychological abuse. Review the author’s full trigger list before reading.
Final Thoughts
Reading Cat and Mouse Books in Chronological Order is the only way to experience how this duet works: the ratcheting dread of Book 1, the explosive confrontation of Book 2, and the messy, uncomfortable questions they ask together about agency, obsession, retribution, and love forged in fire. Go in informed, with trigger lists in hand, and pick the format that lets you pace yourself. If dark romance is where you read hardest, this duet is likely to linger.
