Haunting Adeline author H.D. Carlton announced the release dates for her new dark romance duet, which initially started as a standalone project. Interest in dark romance has peaked in recent years, and the Cat and Mouse duet is among its most viral hits. Given the success of Haunting Adeline and Hunting Adeline, Carlton’s next release is likely to be massive — and the two-part story kicks off next month.
On Instagram, Carlton shared the covers and release dates for The Hollow Graves duet. The first book, My Dreadful Darling, will hit shelves on April 21. Its sequel, My Darling Reverie, arrives just a month later on May 19. Together, they’ll follow new characters Dread and Reverie, whose story the author describes as “dark, super spicy, swoony, and lowkey sad, but vengeful.” Count us in!
In her Instagram announcement, the Carlton noted that this was initially conceptualized as a standalone. However, its length soon demanded a duet, something her fans are unlikely to complain about. On the heels of March 2026’s new addition to Navessa Allen’s Into Darkness series, these books confirm an exciting year for dark romance lovers. The first is already available for e-book pre-orders on Amazon. Readers should be able to pre-order paperbacks soon.
H.D. Carlton’s New Books Are Not Part of Her Cat and Mouse Universe
Although The Hollow Graves duet sounds like an ideal read for Cat and Mouse fans, Carlton underscored that they aren’t set in the same world. The author has released spinoff novellas in the past, but this is an all-new undertaking. That only makes it more exciting.
In the comments, the author confirmed that trigger warnings will be located at the start of the book and on her website upon its release. As always, readers should make sure to check those before diving in.
Hopefully, we’ll learn more about Dread and Reverie’s story as we approach the release of their duet. Of course, with book one only being a month away, we don’t have much longer to wait before digging into the book itself.
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