My Dreadful Darling

Hollow Graves Duet #1

by H.D. Carlton

“My darling, it is you who is dreadful.”

Reverie Adams has only one goal in life: to keep her head above water with her father’s sinister legacy weighing on her shoulders. But she’s no stranger to drowning—it’s her very first memory, after all, and if her demons have it their way, it will also be her last.

Even with the blood of a serial killer running through her veins, Reverie attempts a normal life at Hollow Canyon University. But there’s a ghost from her past who refuses to set her free, haunting her every waking hour, and he will not rest until he has made her suffer.

Dreadful Sharpe has only one goal in life, but it’s not winning gold medals as an Olympic swimmer. The only thing Dread strives for is vengeance against the family who murdered his mother.

Determined to make Reverie pay, Dread does everything in his power to ensure she never finds a moment’s peace. If he has it his way, she will drown in his wrath until her very last breath.

However, not everything in Reverie’s past is as it seems. Together, they may be forced to face the most harrowing of truths: Dread isn’t the only ghost who intends to make Reverie suffer.


Author's Note: This is book one in a duet and ends on a cliffhanger. For CWs, please check the author's website.

Genres: Dark Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Dark, Spicy, Forced Proximity, Smut

609 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2026

Reviews

[levi (speak tf up about 🇵🇸 and &#x1f1f1]

I’m so so so so sat for this duology.
Don’t judge that i loved HA 😔

[Andy ( slow) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

My eyebrows filed a formal complaint for unscheduled brow activity 🤨 because WHY are these characters making decisions like that??

Like I get it—chaos, drama, trauma… love that for us. But one (1) rational thought wouldn’t ruin the aesthetic, I promise.

The plot? Oh it was WORKING overtime. Twists, tension, drama—miss girl clocked in and never left.

Now the bully romance… sir?? You threw her into a grave YOU dug?? Be serious. Then turned her into a human murder calendar??? (meh??)…and then the crematorium scene???Okay wait… suddenly I’m paying attention 👀

Also Barry?? Immediate side-eye. I don’t trust him, I don’t like his energy, I’m spiritually monitoring him 👁️

And the back-and-forth?? That was tiring 🤷‍♀️

Overall—was I confused? yes. Did I still keep reading? also yes.

H.D. Carlton really said “logic is optional, vibes are mandatory” and honestly… I respect the commitment 👏

[Momma Eureka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn’t I say many times I was IN NEED of a good bully romance ? Awwww and like the ABSOLUTE QUEEN OF DARK ROMANCE that she is HD Carlton gave us this masterpiece !
As with all her books , this one has been highlighted in almost every page, HER QUOTES ARE TO DIE FOR!
This is the story of the daughter of a prolific serial killer and the son of said serial killer last victim! HOW CAN YOU EVEN NOT LOVE THIS PLOT ? Impossible I say !
So Kellan aka Dread was 8 years old when Lionel aka The Locksmith killed his mother in a brutal way. But he saw him and he was able to put him behind bars with his testimony as a 8 years old. He was fierce and never wavered. In consequence of that he was scrutinized, bullied and called a liar his entire life because Lionel is a smart serial killer and besides Dread’s testimony they had absolutely no proof he is the Locksmith. So most people believed he put an innocent man behind bars and destroyed a family. Be HE NEVER WAVERED ! And despite all of his pain, trauma and sadness he managed to become an Olympic athlete, he is a very famous swimmer.
Reverie is the serial killer’s daughter and she is the same age as Dread, she on the other hand was view as the poor girl who lost her daddy because of the lies of Dread and had her family destroyed…. Only she knows better….. only she knows her traumas and the life she lived…… only she knows the truth ….
Fast forward 10 years they are in the same university because Dread is COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY OBSESSED with her and goes everywhere she goes. But he hates her with every fiber of his being and wants to make her suffer for his pain. So he bullies her relentlessly for 4 years in college, his friends help him and the whole school treat him as a God so Reverie truly has no one. But she is no chopped liver and every time he bullies her she attacks right back, she is not a doormat ! AND THAT PEOPLE IS HOW YOU WRITE GOOD BULLY ROMANCES!!!!!! Take notes authors out there …..
Obviously things are not as easy and Dread ends up falling in love with her which was hard but anyone could see it coming because his obsession was unhealthy. AND HE FALLS SO HARD it is not even funny. Even before falling he couldn’t even be with a girl if she wasn’t blonde and resembling a little of Reverie, so yeah he was obsessed since always !
She also falls for him but she was more resentful towards him and did not give him a clean slate since she was mostly his victim. Their chemistry is explosive, volcanic, white hot burning pages ! The smut in this book is SUPREME !!!!!!!!!!!! 🥵🔥🥵🔥🥵
But add to all of that her father leaving prison earlier on a parole and now she has threats and victims piling up everywhere! She is running from a serial killer, a copy cat serial killer and some helpers ! She doesn’t know who to trust ! And now she is also a suspect!
OMG
OMGGGGGGG
OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG !!!!!!
This is a book you read constantly on the edge of your seat! I am completely invested and obsessed and I need the second book YESTERDAY!
Now stop reading this review and go read this book !

[Youssra (semi ia- shelving books don't mind me)]

edit: Audiobook not until fall😭 So tempted to eyeball read but it's gonna be an immersive full cast graphic audio😭😭 (first world problems fr)





So like will there be an audiobook for this?

[Laura Jane ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH OHHH - this book ate. i inhaled this like i was never going to be fed again. i went in with low expectations, hoping to have a fun time but never did i expect to be hooked up to an iv so this book could be injected into my bloodstream. one never ending infusion for laura please. i literally need to go lie down from the high this book has put me on 🤣 i’m so serious.

so firstly, dread aka kellen, oh guys. yeah, i fear i have no shame when i tell you i LOVE this man. he is completely unhinged, and quite frankly awful to rev on multiple occasions. the start of this book is a bully romance so don't expect sunshine and rainbows from him. he is not cooking her tea and whispering sweet nothings to her. like i genuinely was feeling second hand humiliation for what he put rev through but he's just obsessed and dealing with his demons. yeah whatever feminism blah blah blah. he was somehow a complete arsehole whilst also being a down bad whimpering mess. yep, he actually WHIMPERS 🫦
i love a delulu dark romance man who is literally like 'but like baby we are together' and she's like erm no we aren't i hate you & you make my life hell🧍‍♀️but look he is also so devoted, obsessed, possessive and down bad. he is literally like but we will get married one day??? so like what can you do, that’s fate i guess. i’m actually obsessed with him.
i would also like to note that this man is very hungry 😌
BUT, LISTEN - THE CREMATORIUM, when you know.... well 👀💀 bahahaha i was literally like no don't you dare do that but also, go on do it. i cannot, i am shook. first in my bloodline to read this, so proud of my accomplishments. 

She's a whisper in my bones. Even if I could locate where she lives inside me, I'd only ask how to make her more comfortable.

Reverie, look this girl gave as good as she got. she didn't just roll over and take dread's shit. she actually had a lot of depth to her characters too and her backstory had me feeling really quite emotional at one point. if she was going down, she was going down fighting. i also honestly do not blame her for being powerless to hooking up with this man. don't worry babe i stand by you. you had a great time, he had a great time and in turn, i had a great time.
the push and pull she had when dread put aside his anger actually really added to their dynamic. going through her questioning 'is he going to suddenly turn on me again?' - not only added to the tension but it meant that their hatred for each other didn't just suddenly disappear for us to act like it never existed, which i appreciated. it also allowed dread to be a pathetic man and i love that shit.

THE SPICE BETWEEN THESE TWO WAS SO HOT AND I DON'T CARE. SUE ME. LOCK UP ME. IT WAS HOT AS F*CK & SO TOXIC. wait i am literally feeling things just thinking about it 🫪
you should know the spice pops off early and stays veryyyyyyyy spicy but it never felt unbalanced by the plot. like bruh, the chemistry was smoking, i need an inhaler.
i mean this is an expectation with this book so i knew this would probably be the case going in. i am not like ‘wow omg no not that excessive spice early on’ - definitely not part of why i read it... 🌚
well it can all live rent free in my head - i will personally make room for it. maybe i need to touch grass but i don't want too. i want more of dread and rev being filthy. 

i also found the overarching mystery plot was done so well! like i was so hooked on that, alongside everything else that was going off all at once. it had some decent twists and i am so skeptical of a few things and few people - it is feeling very shady. i am so convinced i’ve clocked onto someone. also the hatred between these two was 100% there. they actually do despise each other - until, well, developments take place.
jokes on me saying i didn't care book 2 wasn't out yet because BRO i need HD to do me a solid and flick to me overnight.

well anywayyyy, this was my version of crack and i will say no more on the matter. i truly believe this must be what it feels like to be high. i think i have exposed myself too much in this review 😶‍🌫️👀 but this whole book was tea, i was so enterainted & i was gunna give it 4/4.5 stars because i feel weirdly protective of my 5 stars but then grace was like babe - you being THIS into this book, like cmon be for real- HAHHA, and she is so right, so 5 STARS FOR THE VIBES IT ISSSS. WHY THE HELL NOT?! not all 5 stars needs to be a life changing masterpiece 🙂‍↕️ but this book consumed me and i wasn’t anticipating it.
now i don't want to downplay it because i really had the best time - but i do think (in my experience) sometimes you have to go into these books for the vibes and let go of taking things too seriously. just enjoy the ride. it’s your typical dark romance dialogue but well i fear i ate it up. it is chaotic and questionable. the mmc is someone who does bad shit to the fmc but whatever it's fictional and i love him. he such a suck for her so we grant him immunity. he can bring me to the brink of death too if it so pleases him. i can totally understand this won't be everyone's vibe but it was mine! so i don’t careeeee 😏 by no means is it some lyrically written masterpiece but i genuinely could not put it down!! ate up 600 pages in 48 hours. when i was having to work i was in prison cause i just wanted to read the book!!! honestly i didn't even notice it was lengthy because i was flying through it like a gutter rat. it’s honestly kinda crazy but like, in the best way possible. is this right book right time? or just right book in general? we will never know - the mystery will live on, but a win is a winnnnnn!

i just love the dedication on this being, ‘To the people who publicly hate me but are secretly reading this right now, I love you, too, pookie.’
honestly one thing i will never understand, & about dark romance in particular, is when people purposely read for the sole purpose to hate and trash a book, whilst putting other readers down for enjoying it. could never be me. i don't say this to be a dick, it is just a recurring pattern i noticed with a lot of these types of books & it annoys me because like, what even is the point? i am not saying you can't dislike this book, just to be clear. but if you are going to pick it up for the sole purpose of dragging it. i don’t know man, like yeah OBVIOUSLY we aren’t condoning this in real life, but it’s literally words on paper, just don’t read the book and move on with your life, i beg of you.

i am truly considering re-reading the cat and mouse duet now - it was my first ever romance book i read LOL, first ever dark romance and i remember like well damn that happened and i loved it 👀

i hope all my besties who i know are wanting to read this have as much fun as me cause i am literally doing cartwheels over this book 🤸🏽(in my head, real life ones were for my 20s)
anyway don’t judge my taste and i’m sorry if ive over hyped it HEHEHE.
_______

guys i fear i somehow dodged my angels damen and laurent slump, to be cast in the opposite direction for and different type of slump 🤣

________
i need a completely different genre because otherwise the potential of a damen&laurent slump is high … anyway finally caved to see if this is any good! i know part 2 is delayed but yolo. it’s been a long time since i have read hd carlton, so i am interested to see how i go. yes i did like the cat & mouse duet, what a crime🧑🏻‍🩰

[manas (traveling) · Rating 2 out of 5]

➳ i don’t wanna hear it ☆

now...i am laughing typing this. i read this book weeks ago and only NOW can i muster the energy to write a review because this book put me in the worst reading slump of my life. lord have mercy. as always, this review is gonna be a hate review; take everything with a bucket of salt. i will be going through the whole book and there will be spoilers. some‼️SPOILERS‼️are in this review. i will be going into the details of why this didn't work. my opinion is just that—MY opinion. if you love this book, i am VERY happy for you. please do not come into my comments are talk shit because i am not in the mood. this will only be a review of the book, NOT the fans of this book. i am not here to influence anyone so don't take this as a binding statement. read whatever you like. <3

so let's start with the obvious here. yes, i am one of the few people that got severe death threats after reading and not liking, haunting adeline. let me just get this out of the way, NO, i did not rate this book low because of my dislike of her other work. i truly went into this book with the highest of expectations, however, the material was just very dry. h.d was not giving us anything to work with. this book truly put me in the worst reading slump of my life...i am still not out of it. i'm going to get into the specifics as to why this fell completely flat. if you have similar taste to me, you might wanna skip this one.

i'm just gonna lay this out:

1. unbelievable mystery plot
2. childish bully romance
3. unvaried characters
4. sluggish pacing
5. substandard writing quality

for fucks sake.

there is not really a central theme in this book, which is ultimately the issue at hand. at no point did this book have any real grounding which directly reflects the experience i had as a reader. this book is trying to be batman, a weird non con abuse bully romance, and a strange criminal minds whodunnit…it just does not work. this book ultimately follows our two main characters—reverie & dreadful. please laugh with me because these are two of the most atrocious names i have ever seen. essentially, reve’s father is a famous serial killer who is better known in this novel as the locksmith killer…and he killed kellan’s mother—aka dread—many years ago before eventually landing himself in prison.

we then get multiple years of a flash forward to where both of our main characters are now in college. dread is a professional swimmer—which absolutely does nothing for the story, besides make it even more hilarious since NOBODY is taking a college athlete seriously…especially in threatening situations…the other half of this horrendous romance is off doing god knows what. reve is taking some classes, that’s it. i literally don't even know her major because it's quite literally irrelevant to this book. this is literally it. if you wanted anything else, sorry you’re out of luck. this is pretty much all we know about these two characters, besides how corny and childish they can be. they are fighting for who is more of a flop. in this case, i think they both equally take the cake. circus clowns unite.

throughout the course of this book, dread finds himself bullying her in very strange nonstop, jarring strings of torture—that honestly leans more comical than it does scary. i could not give less of a fuck about either of these main characters, so it was very interesting for me as a reader to sympathize or empathize with any of them. we get vignettes of paragraphs of dreads “romantic” coercion, which is just ultimately a glorifying way of calling this abuse and assault. these characters barely spend any time together besides fucking (which is just SA) or staging a bunch of arrests, murder scenes, throwing each other in graves, throwing each other in the pool, kidnapping, sabotaging olympic swim meets…like? that’s it. this is literally the plot! no substance. none.

speaking of the plot, if you thought that we were going to get answers as to who was behind all of murders: you are completely wrong. h.d. is absolutely just milking this plot because there is no reason this book needs to be as long as it does with absolutely zero questions answered by the end. we are told that there is now a copycat serial killer, and we are also told that there might be a connection between this man and reves father. i would hope that with introducing such implausible scenarios, we would at least have some development that would explain something. i felt like ripping my hair by the end of this book because nothing was happening. we got pages upon pages upon pages of just pure abuse porn. i am literally never one to even make fun of this stuff, but there is absolutely no plot. we got unnecessary descriptions of miss dumbass over here drowning this bitch in her cum and dread going: i'm not scared of drowning... get it? because he's a professional swimmer and she's got more juice than an ocean.

just end me.

this is the first book i’ve read from this author after the atrocious cat and mouse duet. however, i can confidently tell everyone who is listening—she has not improved her craft. the overwrought, mellow drama, and unnecessary heavy-handed pros, truly dragged the story tenfold. dread and reve have zero nuance, they have no layers, they have no depth, they don’t even have a proper connection with each other besides superficial lust. this is quite literally just like every single other dark romance. there’s no distinction between these characters. why are they in love with each other? why at the ripe age of 22 is he bullying somebody to death? why is h.d. so misogynistic? why is this book so long if we’re going to get nothing answered by the end of it? why is this even getting a second part? questions questions. but sadly, no answers.

this is unfortunately, a direct reflection of an author writing for shock value, and with no purpose. i personally don’t care about this author and this does not affect me in the slightest, however, i am getting really tired of these strange narrative structures, having extreme content that is never justified or explained, and is only used for pushing boundaries and being dramatic. i do have many theories as to what is actually going on with this mystery plot, which is the only reason i kept reading this garbage…but again, why is she even building all of this up if we don’t even get a single question answered. this book literally runs around in circles for over 600 pages and if you were to ask me, the start of this book made more sense than the end of it.

this feels like a multitude of grim one liners that she threw together over the course of several years without ever going through any editing process. i honestly don’t even know what this is gonna sound like on audio because if i we’re to give this a genre: it’s 100% a farce. nothing about this book is to be taken seriously at any point. once you do, the entire narrative structure crumbles, and it never looks back. i honestly need to retire these types of books but sometimes they do make me laugh really hard. this book is no exception. a manchild younger than me, who is a fucking swimmer...threatening me with his emo friends? girl...i would've belted his ass. this is why i know they never include ethnic women in these stories because the book would be over before it started. just utter fucking tomfoolery. don't piss me off.

vee and i will be repenting for this later. this was indeed NOT better than megalodon and his kitty cat. these people need to die.

[Brittany Ferraro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mother has returned to feed us and of course it was a six star meal ♾️♾️♾️♾️

I knew this book was going to suck me in right away because HD never misses. I’m talking first two pages in and I was already like yeah… this is gonna be some of her best work. The concept itself is so fucking good it’s actually insane.

Reverie Is the daughter of an infamous serial killer no one fully believes was guilty. Dread the MMC, testified against him after he murdered his mother and now he’s determined to make Reverie pay for her father’s sins.

And this isn’t light bullying. Some of it starts off almost harmless, but it escalates fast. I’m talking verbal torture, mind games, psychological warfare and at one point he literally has her handcuffed to a flagpole in the middle of a snowstorm.

But what makes him so complex is that he’s not just cruel for the sake of it. He literally goes back for her after a few hours 😭it’s that internal battle that I eat up, there’s already this crack in his control where concern slips in whether he wants it to or not. And that’s what hooked me because you can feel this relationship is about to get so fucking good.

Bro, this dynamic is everything. He is actively fighting for his life trying not to be attracted to her and losing that fight every single time they’re in a room together. His control is slipping and I am living for it.

I swear one of my favorite things in romance is that razor-thin line between love, hate, obsession, and wanting to destroy someone. Because Dread does not know what side he’s on. He is literally fucking obsessed with her while also being consumed by rage toward her existence.
(Him jerking off to her picture when he’s suppose to hate her!??? Yeah… that does something to me. I’m UNWELL)

And what makes it worse (or better) is that he’s not even purely cruel to her all the time. He’s sarcastic, flirtatious in this twisted way, almost playful when he shouldn’t be. That push and pull is insaneeeee it was giving me the best whiplash that only HD can pull off.

What really stands out is how layered Dread’s character is. HD Carlton doesn’t just write a bully romance where the MMC is purely unhinged. He’s angry, yes and deeply justified in that anger tbh, but he also has this unexpected softness that leaks through in moments, helping her face fears, actually listening to her perspective, and showing understanding in situations where you’d expect none. And that’s what makes him so different from your typical dark romance MMC. He’s not just unhinged and morally gray. He’s layered, conflicted, and terrifyingly self-aware at times. He’s actually so lovable and I do indeed fucking love him.

What really got me is how Dread goes from being her literal nightmare to the one person who would burn the world down to protect her. That shift is so powerful and his feelings are so fucking strong for her that he doesn’t even know what to do with them.

Reverie isn’t just suffering either she’s carrying her own trauma and grief, and that parallel between them is what makes their connection feel so intense and real. They’re both broken in different ways, and somehow that is what makes them fit so well together. I honestly can’t wait to explore the soft side of their relationship.

The way their relationship builds is literally pure fucking magic. One second they’re enemies, the next there’s a shift you can’t ignore, and suddenly you’re watching them cross lines they can’t uncross. And somehow it doesn’t feel rushed it feels inevitable. The way HD writes her dialogue is so beautiful and poetic. The things that are coming out of Dreads mouth feel SO fucking romantic. How could you not fall for him?! AND THE WAY HE CALLS HER BABY🥹 that’ll do ittttt.

And the spice? INSANE. Literally blew my mind and the battery in my vibrator…That locker room scene is one of the hottest things I’ve ever read in my life HOLY FUCK.

I thought I was going to have to take an ice bath. It’s not just there for shock value either it feeds the tension, the obsession, the emotional turmoil between them. They are constantly one breath away from tearing each other apart or tearing each other’s clothes off. I love that they can’t keep their hands off each other. Like at all. It’s that “I hate you/I need you” energy dialed up to ONE HUNDRED and I eat that shit up every single time. This is top tier, toe-curling freaky NASTY, pipping hot spice, between two people that fuck it out every chance they get in a way I think it’s how they express their feelings for each other because they don’t even understand them half the time. But you’ll get no complaints from me. Keep trying to figure it out y’all and I’ll be here enjoying the ride.🥵😋🤭

(Dread making her a custom toy shaped as him would’ve had me forgetting every single bad thing he’s ever done to me and putting a ring on it immediately)

But it’s not just the romance. The plot itself is genuinely gripping. There’s a serial killer on the loose, a copycat, and a constant sense of danger threaded through everything. Just when you think you understand where things are going, the story shifts a little bit(like just enough to make me question everything). I already have theories and I feel like I’m being slowly set up to have my mind completely blown.

I was thinking about this book constantly when I wasn’t reading it. It pulled me completely out of a slump without even trying. I genuinely think it’s going to sit right under Cat and Mouse Duet for me, and that is saying a lot because that series is my Roman Empire (literally untouchable)

This is one of those stories that feels fully immersive …plot, tension, spice, character depth, all of it woven together in a way that works PERFECTLY. It’s addicting, so well written , and emotionally consuming.

I’m having a really hard time translating how much I loved this book, so I hope it’s coming across through this review.

Infinity stars. I will not shut up about this for the foreseeable future. Standing fucking ovation for HD Carlton because she did it again, NOT THAT I EVER DOUBTED HER💅🏻

I’ll probably be back to edit this review 75 times because I just have so much to say and I fear I’m missing something. I also think it’s important to note that I have 504 highlights in this book. 👀 So that should tell you pretty much all you need to know.

[veerali · Rating 1 out of 5]

if i had to describe this book in one word, it would be diarrhea. i honestly don’t know how this book got published, because from start to finish, it was a fucking mess of tired tropes, cringey writing, and characters i couldn’t stand for a single second.

listen, if you really liked this book, i’m genuinely happy for you, but i'm going to express my opinion here, so pleaseeeeee don’t come for me.

hd carlton is never beating the allegations of romanticizing assault and rape. first, we had that zade meadows, and now we have the temu version of him: kellan sharpe, AND here is your 101 guide to being an hd carlton mmc:

- give yourself a weird, edgy nickname like melagadron or dreadful.
- spend the entire book pretending to be a terrifying mastermind when you’re actually just a giant loser.
- delete the words consent and no from your dictionary entirely.

and just like that, you’ve got yourself a male lead 🫡

anyways...

let’s start with our infamous mmc, kellan. people in the book actually call him dreadful, which is supposed to sound edgy and dark, but it was just so embarrassing to read. every time someone used that nickname, i physically cringed.

then there’s the fmc, reverie. but no her name isn't reverie, but charlotte because she changed it. their whole dynamic is based on this enemies-who-bully-each-other-to-lovers plot where kellan’s mom was killed by reverie’s dad. so, because her father was a serial killer, kellan decides the most mature, adult way to deal with his grief is to make reverie’s life a living hell. the logic just left the chat guys. how is it her fault what her father did? it’s just stupid, and it feels like the author used it as a lazy excuse to make Kellan a total clown.

and honestly, clown is putting it lightly. kellan is a bully, but he goes way past the line. there’s a scene where his friends literally tie reverie to a flagpole and leave her there to freeze. instead of this being a massive red flag that makes her run for the hills, the book tries to frame it as part of their twisted and passionate romance. newsflash motherfucker: terrorizing someone and leaving them to suffer in the elements is not romantic. i'm calling the cops.

even if we ignored all of that, the most frustrating part is that the book is about 90% smut, and none of it is actually good. kellan has zero respect for reverie’s boundaries. whenever she says no, he just pushes harder. the book tries to dress up this blatant lack of consent as dub-con to make it seem like a kinky, spicy choice, but it’s not. hell no. he knows she’s terrified of water, so he basically threatens her with an ultimatum: have sex with him or he’ll drown her. you’re a fucking loser, kellan. get a therapist instead of a girlfriend.

to top it all off, the writing itself is just bad. rhe sentences feel clunky, the dialogue is so unnatural it sounds like it was written by a founding father that’s never spoken to a human, and the whole story feels like it was written just to shock people rather than to tell an actual, coherent narrative. every plot twist felt like a desperate attempt to say, look how edgy i am!

i wanted to like it so bad because i know people hype up this author, but this book proved to me that some books should probably just stay in the drafts locked up with the most deranged security ever. it’s genuinely impressive how much effort went into making two people so insufferable. if i wanted to read about a guy who makes bad life choices and acts like a middle school bully, i'd just go look at my old X mentions from 2019.

it really is as dreadful as the title suggests—and not in a fun way. i wish i could lobotomize myself so could forget i ever read this.

lastly thank you to my bestie manas for reading this trash with me. i'd read every trash book with you 🩷

[&#x1f38b;ara · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a disclaimer, I loved the Cat and Mouse duet and some of her other work. Definitely a dark romance lover.

But oh I’m irritated. Irritated at myself for thinking this was gonna be a banger at like 10-25%. This relationship is so stupid to me. I mean, he’s holding a grudge from when they were like 9. Literally has been TORTURING her for 4 years. And I understand why he feels this way, but as an adult, how he cannot see the fault in his thought process or at least try to talk to her and get clarity now is irritating. He chained her outside to a flag pole in a blizzard overnight. She keeps doing dumb shit over and over(like not just telling him the truth). He hates her soooo much :( but suddenly keeps getting hard around her and BAM they are fucking every chapter. Like she gives into this man instantly. The dialogue is cringeeeee I can’t 😃 he literally says “I’ve never been afraid to drown” in reference to giving her oral 😃 bye. 🌽

This story is so fucking repetitive regardless. And had an insane amount of internal monologue. Scenes were ungodly lengths with excessive detail over mundane things. Jesus Christ please get to the point. The plot could have been so good (truly) but the two MCs (plus everything else) actually ruined the book and I hate them both.

[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ [ 5 Star Review ]
❥ ☀︎ MY DREADFUL DARLING☀︎ ❥ ☀︎
Is the first full length dark enemies to lovers book in the (Hollow Graves) duet by author H.D. Carlton. Spoken in dual POV's. Dread (Kellan) & Reverie. Be aware that this does end on a cliffhanger.

📚'𝙼𝚈 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝚂'📚 can also be found on my blog:
╰┈➤KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS

Tropes:
💣 Enemies to Lovers
💣 Dark Bully romance
💣 Serial Killer's Daughter vs. Son of a Victim
💣 Obsession
💣 Touch her and die

When I first saw the teasers popping up all over social media I was beyond excited. I grabbed this one release day but have had a head cold and haven't been up to reading, flu gone, game over, life took a back seat and I dived right in.

Then: He was just a young boy who lost his mother, she was just a young girl who witnessed what pure evil lived in her house. Now: He hated her for who she represented, the sins of the father are hers to bear. And he's going to make her regret all the years he missed with his mother.

“ Reverie was the poor girl without her daddy. I was the evil boy who put him away. ”

I’ve read every single book of this authors and I’ve loved every single one of them, but this one has surpassed them all.. The bullying aspects were top notch, unique taunts I’ve not read before, Dreadful put her through the wringer but she was no wallflower and she fought back tooth and nail and he’d met his match tenfold.

These two took hate to a whole new level..But when they gave into their sexual chemistry it was pure smut and toxicity at its best..This is this author's spiciest book yet and I was here for the ride.. They were like a train crash ready to collide, combusting, with hate, lust, and unhinged obsession.. This was such a raw, emotional page turner which had me sitting on the edge of my seat tearing through the pages not able to put it down..

This book is worth every penny, it kept my attention throughout, dark and gritty, I’d even go so far as to say that the bullying aspects in this were the best I’ve read. Dreadful got creative and had his minions stepping up to the plate as they worshipped him and wreaked havoc on her by his demand.

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[isy · Rating 5 out of 5]

going through a bit of a crisis rn because why do I think dread may dethrone zade 😳
because wydm he has already crept his way into my top men and he still has another book....
and I HATED him at first?????
what kind of sorcery is this??

AHHHHHHH WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS BOOK!! I actually cant because this was insane and I already know the next book is going to be even better. Oh my lord, hd carlton is trying to kill me. Yup. I have figured her out. I don't know what kind of witchery her fingers possess, but no one even try to save me. She has me and my brain wrapped around her talented little fingers.
Okay that sounded a little weird BUT IM STICKING BY IT!!! 😭

So, let me tell you, Dread was my #1 enemy in the beginning of this book. Yeah, hated that little fucker. My girl Rev, my sweet angel, he puts her THROUGH it. He does have... pretty valid reasons since like her dad murdered his mother, BUT MY GIRL has been through ENOUGH! She deserves sunshine and happiness and love and rainbows. And you know I don't know if she will ever get the sky rainbows but she is getting fucked to near death and probably seeing orgasmic rainbows sooooo.... WE'LL TAKE IT 😏

Everything in this book was amazing from just the depth of Dread & Reverie, the fuckery of Dread (cause I gotta admit that fucker is CRAFTY!! his "pranks"?? diabolical!!) the complexity of Reverie, the development of their relationship, the MYSTERY (oh I am eating this UP), their pasts, the smut (hehe,) the side characters, every word on every page from front to back of this book was simply perfect!!
AND THE ENDING???? Honestly I dont think the cliffhanger is too bad, but Im desperate for MORE MORE MORE!! I know book 2 is only a month away but it's TOO FAR!!!!! I NEED IT NOW HFAIHFLEFBKHEYGIUFHOFLNKDSJFHEISUGFIHE

UGHHHHHH HD Carlton has done it AGAIN!!! Simply a masterpiece and my greedy brain wants more, more, MORE of Dreverie and more of hd's delicious darkness PLEASEEEEEEEEE!!
I'll never get enough

Also, the reason Reverie picked her name??? yeah HD youre SICK and EVIL and TWISTED!! A knife to my heart would have hurt less

[Poppy Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐️ arc review

oh she is sooo back!!! This was AMAZING

This follows Reverie, and Dread. Reveries father has gone to prison as one of the most notorious serial killers, her father is responsible for the murder of dreads mother. They both attend the same college in Hollow Canyon, where Dread is an Olympic swimmer and poster boy, and he decides to make Reveries life HELL for what her father did to his mother, and the fact that no one believed Dread as a young boy, and Reverie’s story as a child about her father did nothing to show Dread was telling the truth.

This is a true enemies to lovers, with the most explosive yet toxic relationship between them both. I truly felt like Dreads character was so complex and flawed in all the right ways, and Rev is just phenomenal in this. The stuff she’s endured in her childhood and the way she keeps her head held high in this despite Dreads torment of her!!
This is strong on the bully romance trope, and the spice is absolutely INSANE!!! This is one of the spiciest books I’ve read to date, and only feeds into the explosive push and pull between them throughout this book. He’s also extremely possessive of her and HD Carlton knows how to right the perfect possessive mmc

There is a copycat killer out there, and someone’s toying with Reverie and I neeeeeed the answers!!!! Is it her father? Is it the copycat? Is it someone else?

I also loved the side characters, Dreads two best friends Rogue and Severen, and Revs bestie Sable. It’s all coming together nicely and whilst this book is long (over 600 pages) it’s already not long enough and I’m so glad she made this a duet as I feel like the plot development, the development of the romance and the complicated feelings between Dread & Rev is not being rushed it’s so gripping, so dark & toxic and I ate. It. Up. 😮‍💨

[annie]

WHAT'S COOKING, GOOD LOOKING 👀

[Kristie (read_between.the_wines) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ummmmmm whaaaaaaaat

in classic HD fashion she takes a man I should despise, and turns him in to someone I obsess over.

plus she adds a FMC who freaking fights back

murder mystery galore

her spiciest book

HD’s best banter yet

I think dread and rev will be exactly what Zade and Addie fans will want. they are so different but the vibessssssss

I’m obsessed… just like dread is with rev.

[Bee (slow)]

So, listen, smut before 50% for me in a true enemies to lovers supposedly, is a big no no. Maybe it's just me but feels like a lot of tension is already gone and consummated for me.
The book is also pretty long (600 pages) and overwritten for my taste, hence why there's been almost 2 months since I started it and cannot be bothered to go back to it. DNF for now, might come back to it but definitely not eager to do it too soon.
_______
pre:read
what do we have over hereee? 👀👀

[nadine]

if you see me reading this… no, you didn’t.

[vicky ꨄ︎ · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf @30%

I normally don’t rate dnf at all but this one deserves it

This whole review will only contain spoilers so if you haven’t read the book feel free to not read this review and if you have and you enjoyed the book don’t let me throw you off with my hate. Cause this is your warning this will be a hate review.






SPOILERS ONLY YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!





I personally never read anything else by this author mainly because of nearly everyone saying that she romanticises sa and rape. Personally I didn’t fully believe it until I picked this book up. For those who will say that it says in the trigger warning I know it does but it doesn’t excuse the fact that the author is romanticising sa and rape. You can’t put sa and assault in a ‘dark romance’ as an excuse to romanticise it. I personally haven’t gotten far into the book to see a scene but from how fair I gotten in there was already two sa scenes.

Let start off with the backstory of the fmc Reverie. Her father is a serial killer who killed the mc Dread mother. Keep in mind that they were both kids when that happened and Reverie took her father side as a child would (later on we find out that she knew the truth but her father threatened her). Ever since that day Dread has held a grudge against her and made it in his best effort yo torment the shit out of her. He is an immature person, yes an immature person and I will not take it back.

Let start off with what he did first to her. He and his friend staged a dummy to look like one of the victims in her room and then had his friends arrest her and tie her to a flagpole and leave her there knowing full well that a blizzard was supposed to happen that night. And yeah it did happen, then Dread went to get her cause he didn’t want a murder charge o to his name and he is a popular student and a two time gold medalist olympic winner in swimming. He brought her back to his dorm panics that she will die, strip her completely naked and the decided what a wonderful time it would be to take a sharpie and start writing the victims date on her naked body while recording it. Like this is straight up assault. I won’t hear anyone tell me that it isn’t it is very clearly. This is not Dread being an unhinged person this is him literally being a trash of a person and as I said before immature.


Then on her birthday he decided to put a rope in her room to represent her mother hanging herself and tells her to show up at a party. The girls at the party are wearing white tops with blood all over them with the victims date on them. He makes them surround her in a smaller house beside the house while a grave is being dig up and then she is dragged by the girls and thrown into the grave. Then she is having dirt thrown at her while the victims names are being called out. Like I’m sorry this is an immature person act. You have a grudge with her instead of her father all because she
took his side and you think the right thing we be to make her relieve the names of every single person her father had killed like what does he actually gain from this.



Next thing he does like few days later throws her into the pool (she has a fear water) he sees that shes starting to panic, slowly start getting concerned and then start holding her in one spot in the pool while shes begging for him to let her out and what does he do he kisses her. Add another assault.


If you liked this book don’t take this review in the wrong way but I literally wish I have stayed curious.






——————————-

𐙚⋆°. preread

Well I guess this is me getting traumatised alongside with nimi I’m honestly praying for us

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to be honest with you guys, I don’t even know what to think about this one.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️’s Look …we listen and we don’t judge 🫣

like idk what kind of crack was in this, but I couldn’t put this book down!! I will say this wasn’t perfect in man ways, so many things were bad, the dialogue was bit cheesy at times and the bully romance was very heavy ( PLEASE check your TW’s) but I had a silly, goofy fun time 🤪 and enjoyed it for the most part!!

The plot was actually really interesting and the banter between Rev and Dread ( I wish the names were better lol) was actually soooo good at times I ate it up 🙂‍↕️ I will say both Rev and Dread were driving me crazy, with their back and forth, but they had reasons for being the way they were and this was heavy on the dark romance so I get it.

Rev , I was iffy about her as a fmc because she annoyed me most of the time, but I have yet to see if I truly like her and I will say Kellan ( Dread) yeah he grew on me cause I hated that man in the beginning!!! I found him a bit cheesy and of course the things he did were awful , but I’m a sucker for a man who tries to redeem himself and who falls first and hard!! And they way he learned to love Rev despite everything , I admit got me ,so safe to say I am a Dread stan for now 🤷🏻‍♀️

I will say I can’t wait to read book two to really give a good rating on this series.

I must say the last 25 % really made up the book for me and I have a few theories on that ending !! I don’t trust Barry and that necklace he gave Rev at all, he gave me weird vibes the entire time, I’m thinking maybe one of Kellan’s friends can be behind this mess and idk why I feel like Rev’s mom really isn’t gone ? 🤨

[currently being delulu · Rating 1 out of 5]

There’s no way on gods green earth you guys are serious abt this shit

[waxtopia · Rating 1 out of 5]

What kind of dick was the author smoking to name the MCs Dread and Reverie ?! 😭😂 those aren’t names and they instantly ruined the story for me. I was so excited for this too 😫 disappointment city !!

[tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Dreadful stars

The plot and especially the ending are what saved this book for me. The characters, for the most part, were pretty hard to like. Some of them I’d go as far to say were horrendous. I enjoy a dark romance, but Dread was pitch black. There were so many moments where he didn’t seem to care if he hurt the FMC, and while there were brief flashes of remorse, they never felt strong enough to make a difference…which didn’t sit well with me.

That said, the story itself was engaging. The plot kept things interesting, and that ending 😮 definitely made an impact. Still, I don’t think Dread should be romanticized…he’s cruel, plain and simple. He showed some signs of growth toward the end, but not enough to win me over.

I was leaning toward a 3-star rating, but that ending really bumped it up for me. I’m curious to see how book two plays out now that I have a better understanding of everything. I feel like I’ll enjoy the second one better! I said it once and I’ll say it again…DREAD is no ZADE!!

[m๋࣭⭑⚝ · Rating 1 out of 5]

lol this was bad. I was stupid to hope for a God tier groveling🤣

Reverie and Dread were supposed to be the ultimate enemies, but like... three chapters in and they’re already kissing? disappointed but not surprised. Dread and his minions spent four years making her life a breathing hell.

And let’s talk about the "start" of the book. They put a butchered chopped-up dummy in her room to trigger her trauma about the Locksmith serial killer cases. Then his friends cosplay as cops and drag her out of her dorm while she’s having a full-blown panic attack. They cuff her to a flagpole at midnight in 5-degree weather and—SURPRISE—a blizzard hits. By the time Dread finds her, she is literally blue and purple. Instead of taking her to a hospital or a dorm like a sane human being, he manhandles her back to his house.

This was the first action that confused the absolute shit out of me because aren't you supposed to loathe this girl? You should be disgusted by the sight of her, right?

No. This mf starts describing how "beautiful" her blue lips look and how "gorgeous" she is while she’s close to death. First of all, you're a sick freak. Second of all, personal opinion: if I hate someone, they are automatically ugly. I don't care how "enchanting" or "mesmerizing" they are (even on the verge of dying). If I hate you, you look like a bacteria. Get out of my sight or I’m bleaching my eyeballs.

Then, because she’s literally dying of hypothermia, he strips her bare naked and pulls her into his bed? I get the "avoiding a felony" part, but you don't bully someone one moment and then pull their naked body against your chest the next. It disrupts the flow. It makes zero sense.

They stayed enemies for like three chapters before he started lusting over her, imagining her moaning his name, and jerking off to her nudes. Then he starts "regretting" it because he’s "disrespecting his dead mother" by getting off to the daughter of her killer. He falls under the "typical MMCs in dark romance" category. No self-control. His rage and pain were valid, but the lust? Absolute nonsense.


Reverie, PLEASE STAND UP girl, this man buried you alive on your birthday. He had girls dress as your dad’s victims, corner you, drag you to a dug grave, and throw fists of dirt on you. That is sick. Terrifying. Cruel. Breaking. She should have moved to another continent, but no, they end up kissing because "the MMC is so hot" ha ha. From that point on, she just lets him do whatever he wants. And the smut? SO. FUCKING. CRINGE. Yikes. After the second time they slept together, he suddenly becomes "obsessed" and starts finding her "cute and sexy." They became so bland, so fast.

The only thing that kept me going was the mystery. If this wasn't focused on romance, it could have been a God-tier murder mystery psychological thriller. I would have ate that up! But they were fucking every two chapters. It ruined the stakes completely. Every time a dark, thrilling scene happened, I didn't feel nervous because I knew they'd just be screwing each other to oblivion three pages later. Dark romance doesn't have to be unhinged sex with cringe dialogue. Period.

The book tried to build this "You are my mom’s murderer's daughter so I will make you suffer" vibe, but it was all based on a misunderstanding. When he finally hears her sob story, his brain does a literal 180:

Has she ever truly known what it is to be loved? I am a monster, and I made sure she suffered, too. But now… I want her to feel good. I want to be the one to make those come to fruition.

BRO WTF?!! BE FOR FUCKING REAL RIGHT NOW. You’re the one who didn’t let her have a day without suffering for four years. You can't be the monster and the emotional support human at the same damn time. It's giving "I can fix her" but he's the one who broke her 😭✋🏻

To be very fucking honest, Olive and Juniper are the only ones with functioning brains here, and one of them is a child. Also what's with the forced chemistry between the other two couples? I feel like it was thrown in just to make the "romance" part relevant.

[sumeyye˚₊۶ৎ˙⋆]

another H. D. Carlton book -likely another traumatic reading experience, but i'm in 😌

[Keya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first half of the book but then, the way it nosedived 🫠🫠
Can't be an H.D. Carlton book if it's not problematic in some way 😭

So I had been in one of the longest slumps and I am grateful beyond words for this book in helping me get out it.

First Half: The tension, the foreboding, the excitement...all on point 🤌 This book gave me anxiety to a point that it was not even funny...but I had such a great time 🥹 It's a bully romance, so the things mmc does (So cruel but that was the whole point) and the way the fmc gets back to him...that is what I love. She was far more stronger than Adeline in the first book of her duet and had a spine. Plus the serial killer plot just made it so much more better.

Second Half: Yeah...so it all went downhill after the swimming pool scene. I went from adoring this book to getting so annoyed by it, I almost contemplated dnf-ing it 👀 Because then onwards, it was JUST SMUT. Like 30% of the entire book was just them banging each other in EVERY.SINGLE.CHAPTER to a point, I got so sick of it 😭 They would do anything except focus on the real issue that there is a legit serial killer on loose or have a real conversation about what is going on between them.

And geez, the mmc was such a red flag. I liked him in the first half because he was a bully and if he did anything cruel and bad, it made sense in a way. But pulling the same shit as the love interest? hell naah. There is a clear line between a morally grey mmc and a bad cruel mmc with no moral compass at all. And also this habit of clicking the fmc's photos while she is in compromising positions while they're at it or recording sex tapes...just really icked me out. Like for me personally, this was the final straw and not just something I appreciate any character doing in any book idk 😭 super weird especially if you know he is your bully and can use it for his own advantage (LIKE HE HAS DONE IN THE PAST!)

So yeah, not a big fan but I still might give the second book a chance. Because in Haunting/Hunting Adeline too, I disliked the first book but loved the second one so...maybe 🤷‍♀️

***
Have tried so many different books to help me get out of the slump but this one just might do the trick 👀 OBSESSED SO FAR

[glavreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

aaaand i AM obsessed with them, thank you sm!!!

this book was EVERYTHING and i am desperate for book two because the hatred, the war between them, the chemistry, the spice, the suspense!!!!!

reverie *was* a college student trying to start over with a name change that separated her from her charismatic, serial killer father until the son of one of her dad’s victims shows up determined to make her life hell. and when i say make her life hell, i mean these two are TRUE enemies and the ways he would provoke her sometimes… a felony was around the corner. and he had the nerve to be a hot, tattooed swimmer on top of it.

while rev was trying to survive the war dread started, she was also fighting to stay safe from her father who’d won public favor since his conviction and was due to make parole.

this book really had me on the edge of my seat the entire time with the progression of dread’s obsession with her from hate to possession to more. a man who says he hates her but immediately gets upset when another guy makes her laugh? yes, i’ll take a dozen. their tension was next level.

and all the while, her father is the reason dread has always tormented her and now he’s headed for her too.

such a gripping read and i am so ready for book two!!!

[Jeronimo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I started off loving this book. The plot was good, the tension worked, and the banter was great. But my God—the FMC completely ruined it for me.

She turns into this pathetic, desperate mess every time he touches her. It’s infuriating, because outside of that, she’s actually a strong character. She’s resilient, she has trauma, and she finds a way to keep going… but the second things get sexual, all of that disappears.

Every sex scene forced me to skim. I genuinely couldn’t stand the way she acted, the way she talked, or how desperate she came across. It was embarrassing to read. It felt like her entire personality collapsed into pure need, and it completely undermined everything that made her interesting.

The MMC honestly wasn’t even the problem. He had reasons for hating her, and yeah, he went too far sometimes, but I actually enjoyed his character for the most part. The issue is that she had no backbone when it came to him. If she had kept even half the strength she showed in other parts of the story, this would’ve been a completely different experience.

Somewhere around the 40–50% mark, she just loses all common sense and becomes this one-note character. I lost count of how many times they emphasized how wet she got for him, how she soaked his sheets, or how she “never felt like this with anyone else.” It was constant.

And the conversations during sex made it worse—it never felt natural, just repetitive and over-the-top.

In the end, she comes across as pathetically in love with someone who bullied her, without enough depth in their past to justify that level of attachment. That’s what really ruined the book for me.

[brittany:)]

cant wait for this!!✨🫣🖤

[⚔️Caitlyn✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25⭐️

Uhhhhh what was that??? I think this is a case of wrong book, wrong time tbh.

I had a hard time with this. The first bit felt so confusing with all of the info dumping and internal monologue, the middle was them fucking literally every chapter, and the end was… nothing? A random cliffhanger??? I’m left feeling like I absorbed very little from 600 pages.

Compared to HD’s other books, this felt disorganized and pretty stream of consciousness. The plot completely got lost once her and Dread got together (since they literally couldn’t stop hate fucking).

Reverie is a deeply flawed character and I totally get it, but nothing about her felt realistic to me. She seemed very “written” if that makes sense? Like the flawed character perfectly imperfect for this specific book, but her actions were suspending my disbelief too far. IE: you’re really not gonna get a restraining order because “he would just find you?” or “I’m not studying abroad because I have to save this girl who is dating my serial killer dad and who I also think is fucking with me” and girl be so for real you really think Dread is STILL pulling pranks on you when he has SUPER CLEARLY poured his soul to you several times. Her skull was THICC and I didn’t really like her internal monologue.

Girl went cross eyed every chapter. She also NEVER peed after sex. Speaking of, the smut felt so repetitive :/ I had such high hopes and don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad, but it felt like the same rinse and repeat of her struggling, then giving in, then a lot of dirty talk and something taboo, then her squirting, then him overstimulating her, then done.

Honestly she should’ve dropped the plot about her dad being released and just kept it to their relationship and it may have felt more cohesive. The actual plot felt very underdeveloped and shoved in. Though I guess the actual plot was the romance, but that was also lackluster??? I don’t know this wasn’t it for me.

[monster_otica · Rating 2 out of 5]

If my mother named me Dreadful Sharpe I would not care about avenging her death.