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_sylviareads_'s review against another edition
DNF at 11%
I don't want to waste time. Nothing in these first chapters wasn't interesting enough to convince me to keep reading.
I don't want to waste time. Nothing in these first chapters wasn't interesting enough to convince me to keep reading.
thepagelady's review against another edition
3.0
Her Darkest Nightmare #1 in The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles by Brenda Novak
When Evelyn was 16 years old, her boyfriend Jasper kidnapped her, tortured her and then left her for dead. Now a psychiatrist running Hanover House, a maximum security facility in a small town in Alaska, she spends her days inside some of the most sadistic minds.
Sergeant Amarok isn’t thrilled with the idea of Hanover House being located so close to his home. Even the beautiful Evelyn Talbot can’t convince him that Hanover isn't a threat to his community. So when the mutilated body of a woman is found, Sergeant Amarok finally has his proof.
But is it because of the facility or is it a personal message?
Evelyn and Amarok will have to work together to catch the psychopath loose in this little town. Will they be able to do it before someone else dies?
This was definitely a dark, creepy and twisted read! I like that it had me guessing! You won't be able to help it when a suspect is brought up. You find out just enough to think “that’s our guy” and then someone else is brought up and you will think the same thing. The fact that it takes place in cold, dark and wild Alaska with a maximum security facility housing some of the sickest minds just adds to the dark and creepy. Oh and the ending, it’s not the in your face, heart pounding, ending you think it will be, but that makes it even more creepy! Happy reading everyone!
When Evelyn was 16 years old, her boyfriend Jasper kidnapped her, tortured her and then left her for dead. Now a psychiatrist running Hanover House, a maximum security facility in a small town in Alaska, she spends her days inside some of the most sadistic minds.
Sergeant Amarok isn’t thrilled with the idea of Hanover House being located so close to his home. Even the beautiful Evelyn Talbot can’t convince him that Hanover isn't a threat to his community. So when the mutilated body of a woman is found, Sergeant Amarok finally has his proof.
But is it because of the facility or is it a personal message?
Evelyn and Amarok will have to work together to catch the psychopath loose in this little town. Will they be able to do it before someone else dies?
This was definitely a dark, creepy and twisted read! I like that it had me guessing! You won't be able to help it when a suspect is brought up. You find out just enough to think “that’s our guy” and then someone else is brought up and you will think the same thing. The fact that it takes place in cold, dark and wild Alaska with a maximum security facility housing some of the sickest minds just adds to the dark and creepy. Oh and the ending, it’s not the in your face, heart pounding, ending you think it will be, but that makes it even more creepy! Happy reading everyone!
sara_2103's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
eefreadssometimes's review against another edition
4.0
Once I started reading I could not put the book away so it is at least a good 3.5 stars. Unfortunately I was able to pick who the murderer was early in the book, even though I could tell it was purposely written to confuse us who may have been the murderer. I would have preferred for the writer to deepen the character of the murderer or for the murderer to be one of the characters who we read more about. Overall a very good read and will read her next book!
alwaysbooking's review against another edition
5.0
.I was dying to get my hands on this book after I read her novella Hanover House where you get introduced to these characters. These books definitely differ from her Whiskey Creek series which is more romance. These books are more suspense/thriller than anything. I had guessed some of the plot twists in this one but not all of them. Very well done Brenda Novak, way to lead me into a false sense of security, then boom plot twist.
These books focus on a psychiatrist named Evelyn. She has had such a traumatic past I can’t even understand why she would want to work with the same type of criminal that attacked her. If you didn’t read the novella it’s okay you can still start with this book. (although I would highly suggest it). As I said previously Evelyn is now working with psychopaths so that she can determine how better to spot them or track them so more people don’t get hurt. I tell you what some of these guys scare the crap out of me. I really enjoyed Evelyn’s character and how her backbone grew throughout this book. I was afraid she was going to stay timid throughout the whole book. Of course she can have some lingering hang-ups after everything that has happened but she doesn’t seem to let that affect her to much. Her distrust of mostly men is definitely something she needs to work on. The fact that she is stranded with these guys in a remote town in Alaska adds to the suspense there is literally no-where for anyone to go. I love how she is slowly starting to open up to Amarok.
Oh Amarok has the patience of a saint; he definitely wants to be involved with Evelyn but has a hard time disassociating her from Hanover House. He sees this prison as nothing but a problem for his town. Amarok is a state trooper for Alaska and he is in charge of the welfare of his people. Bringing this prison here is bad news and it’s not helping that he has conflicting emotions for the head psychiatrist. Evelyn keeps putting off their age difference as a reason for them not to get together. However Amarok sees right through her façade to the real reason she doesn’t want to be with him. She can’t seem to trust men, he’s willing to be as patient as he needs to let her trust him. While he is trying to get Evelyn to let him in he is also trying to protect her from the evil that lies within Hanover House.
On a side note I love the pets that Evelyn and Amarok have, they are a great addition to the story. As I said in the beginning while I did see a couple of the plot twists some were very unexpected. I’m not sure whether to be worried that Brenda Novak can think like these psychopaths or not… On a side note I would like to know how she researched this Alaskan town. Do they really call it a snow “shovel” on their trucks in Alaska? We call them plows here…
Thank you to St. Martin Press , Netgalley, and Brenda Novak for the advanced copy in lieu of my honest review
These books focus on a psychiatrist named Evelyn. She has had such a traumatic past I can’t even understand why she would want to work with the same type of criminal that attacked her. If you didn’t read the novella it’s okay you can still start with this book. (although I would highly suggest it). As I said previously Evelyn is now working with psychopaths so that she can determine how better to spot them or track them so more people don’t get hurt. I tell you what some of these guys scare the crap out of me. I really enjoyed Evelyn’s character and how her backbone grew throughout this book. I was afraid she was going to stay timid throughout the whole book. Of course she can have some lingering hang-ups after everything that has happened but she doesn’t seem to let that affect her to much. Her distrust of mostly men is definitely something she needs to work on. The fact that she is stranded with these guys in a remote town in Alaska adds to the suspense there is literally no-where for anyone to go. I love how she is slowly starting to open up to Amarok.
Oh Amarok has the patience of a saint; he definitely wants to be involved with Evelyn but has a hard time disassociating her from Hanover House. He sees this prison as nothing but a problem for his town. Amarok is a state trooper for Alaska and he is in charge of the welfare of his people. Bringing this prison here is bad news and it’s not helping that he has conflicting emotions for the head psychiatrist. Evelyn keeps putting off their age difference as a reason for them not to get together. However Amarok sees right through her façade to the real reason she doesn’t want to be with him. She can’t seem to trust men, he’s willing to be as patient as he needs to let her trust him. While he is trying to get Evelyn to let him in he is also trying to protect her from the evil that lies within Hanover House.
On a side note I love the pets that Evelyn and Amarok have, they are a great addition to the story. As I said in the beginning while I did see a couple of the plot twists some were very unexpected. I’m not sure whether to be worried that Brenda Novak can think like these psychopaths or not… On a side note I would like to know how she researched this Alaskan town. Do they really call it a snow “shovel” on their trucks in Alaska? We call them plows here…
Thank you to St. Martin Press , Netgalley, and Brenda Novak for the advanced copy in lieu of my honest review
sheri_lemay's review against another edition
5.0
I read this one first and had to read the one before it. I couldn't put it down until I was done.
nenz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
While the crime side of the story is intriguing I found the love story super cheesy and dull. The FMC was so damn annoying I almost didn’t finish the book. Her obsession with a 7 year age gap had me rolling my eyes every chapter. It’s 7 years and they’re both adults ffs. Get over it already. The sex scenes and the dialogue around sex were SO cringe. Adults don’t constantly refer to it as “making love”… it’s sex, grow up.
While I figured out who the killer was immediately I read the whole thing to be proven right and now my curiosity is demanding I read the next in the series but I just don’t know if I can stomach anymore Evelyn.
While I figured out who the killer was immediately I read the whole thing to be proven right and now my curiosity is demanding I read the next in the series but I just don’t know if I can stomach anymore Evelyn.
mcmath's review against another edition
2.5
The author kept repeating the main character's worries. The book could have been 1/3 of the length. The plot was interesting, so I wanted to finish it. I ended up listening to it at 1.5 speed.