I wish to extend my thanks to the Publisher - St. Martin’s Paperbacks; the Author - Brenda Novak and NetGalley for the advanced copy of Face Off (The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles #3), for an honest review.

Having read the previous books in this series, I was very excited to have been approved for the ARC of Face Off.

As I read the story I found that not much has changed from the two previous books. I felt the book was thematically repetitive:

• A series of thinly described murders of young women – many who share physical traits of Evelyn.
• The true identity of Andy Smith still hidden
• The town’s folk still not in favor of Hanover House being in their town, and blaming it for the problems now occurring in the area
• Internal discord within Hanover House between the doctors
• The harsh Alaskan climate
• Jasper still after Evelyn
• The relationship between Amarok and Evelyn
• Samantha’s dislike for Evelyn, and her desire to get Amarok back in her life

I found that I easily lost interest in the story. Even the new elements such as Evelyn’s sister Breanne visiting didn’t offset it much (in fact some of her storyline was predictable), and the new female prisoner really didn’t develop into too much page time – seemed like more of a distraction overall.

Evelyn has been through enough in my opinion, I wish the story would have brought us a new killer, more descriptive scenes, more on the studies going on at Hanover House, and how they could benefit the medical profession, more suspense etc. The Jasper wants to get back at Evelyn theme has just gone on too long in my opinion.

For me, this was a high 2.75 out of 5-star read which I’ll round up to 3 stars. I’m also not sure at this time if I will continue with the series – the teaser for the next book wasn’t enough to hook me.

This book was a little hard to get into but I did enjoy the book . The characters were strong . I do recommend this book to friends

This is an amazing next chapter in the Evelyn Talbot series. It is hard to review without spoilers, there are so many twists and turns in this story that you will be hooked from page one and probably have trouble putting it down. Evelyn goes thru many emotions and she and Amarok face problems and emotions that pull them and Evelyn's family brings new dynamics into her life, there are some things that come to a conclusion and others that are still a mystery

Somewhat uneven in its tension and depth of romance. There are several very strong scenes particularly at the cabin but when the action ends it’s a bit boring.

Amazing how Brenda Novak makes so I wasn't able to put this book down. Brenda's writing is amazing as usuall!
A psychopath living amongst the regular community. Evelyn Talbot working at Hanover House trying to research how vicious killers mind work. Unbelievable that after being tortured and left for dead at sixteen she just won't give up her work. I love Evelyn and Amarok relationship. Eveltn knows Harper is back when more murders begin to happen in the area. He wants to finish what he started years ago. The surprise at the ending lwft me wandering wirh a question: what will happen wirh the next book. Can't wait!!
I highly recommend this book and suggest the series should be read in order.

Thank you to NetGalley! Am very fortunate to have received this book from them and thank you to St. Martin's book.

Wow - there is nothing better than reading a Brenda Novak book. This one, third in a series of Evelyn Talbot is mind blowing. I was lucky enough to get a copy from NetGalley.com to read and review. One of the things I love about her books is even reading the 3rd book, Ms Novak lets you go over what happened in the first two by bringing back part of the story. So if it has been awhile between books, you are brought up to date right away.

Again, we find Evelyn in the situation where Jasper Moore, who tortured her and killed her friends, when she was 16, coming up against him being in her life again. But life in Alaska, running Hanover House has been good for her and her love, Amorak.

So 20 years later, she again is frightened for her life. But this time evil has a new look, and Evelyn is unaware of how much danger she is in. Until the killings start....

A bit of disappointed with this installment.
The narrative is filled with repetitions to make a point, but it seems to be just for filling space.
The end hints of a new book and an interesting plot, which I will be looking forward to read.

Evelyn Talbot was brutally assaulted, left for dead and her friends were killed when she was a teen. Her attacker, Jasper, is still on the loose. Now she is a psychiatrist who has created a prison called Hanover House. Hanover is located in remote Alaska. The worst psychopaths are sent there to be studied to try and find out what makes them do what they do. When a woman disappears from the area Evelyn and her boyfriend, police officer Amorak, suspect her attacker is back. They have to find him before he gets away again.

This is part of the Evelyn Talbot series but I think it could be read as a stand alone. This book will draw you in from the first pages and keep you guessing til the end. There is mystery, suspense and great characters. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Being a Louisiana native, even though new to Brenda Novak, I was pulled swiftly into this tale.... & with the exception of a glaringly, frustrating point that should’ve been caught by anyone who’s ever been to/read about/seen movies about New Orleans, was a great read with a steady pace & inviting characters.
The frustration that drove me mad every time I read the phrase, you ask?? THE CELLAR!!!?! I just had a problem getting past that.... because you don’t have cellars pretty much anywhere in LA, but especially not in South LA?! Most of this part of the state has such a high water table that any kind of subterranean construction in untenable. Even the cemeteries are above ground because bodies buried any deeper than about three feet would literally just float up. I’ve lived in most Southern states, with the most “northern” time being in Arkansas & basements/cellars aren’t even common around there, at a much higher elevation. These aren’t difficult scenarios to fact check, y’all - come on?! Or even if such a glaringly improbable fact had even been addressed as “.... the Moreau house was built on an ancient burial ground/former dump/just-plain-bizarre geographical wonder, hence the feasibility of a cellar....”

Ok..... breathing deeply.... all of that being said, I am actively pursuing other books by this author and look forward to her future ones. With the exception of that crazy bit that obviously drove me wacky, I am enjoying this author and definitely would recommend this book… With a warning for anyone I recommended it to ;-)

Brenda Novak blows it out of the water in this third part to the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles. Although Face Off can be read as a stand alone, why would you? All of the books are too good and will really help with your enjoyment of this one.

It was creepy; there was mystery; you may not look at your co-workers the same again. You may want to sleep with a light on or with one eye open. You may never trust again. Who knew that being frightened could be so much fun? But I loved every minute of this one. Once you start this book, you won't stop.

This is the 3rd installment of the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles. Even though I hadn't read the first 2.5 books I was able to jump right into the story. It is a gripping suspenseful thriller that held my interest from page 1. This is the first time I've read Brenda Novak and I will probably go back and read the first books in this series. Because this is the first book there is a lot of back story but I didn't mind. At age 16, Evelyn's boyfriend killed her three best friends and brutally attacked, raped, slit Evelyn's throat and left her for dead. She barely survived. Her attacker got away. Since that time, Evelyn is now a renowned psychiatrist and has worked to create a special prison for psychopaths, called Hanover House, in a small Alaskan town. She has spent her life studying the most dangerous serial killers in order to discover why they do the things they do. She has survived other attacks but has recently been able to regain her trust in men and has found love and partnership with the town's head policeman, Amarok. A girls disappearance and the discovery of some bodies leads Evelyn and Amarok to believe that her attacker is back and is wanting to finish what he started with Evelyn. This was an exciting and gripping tale from start to finish. I have a few problems with it though. First, there was a little to much information about psychopaths and psychopathy. Then, the characters were so insecure. Evelyn was considering having a baby with a man but wasn't sure she wanted to remain in Alaska, a place he would never want to leave. It seemed stupid to me. She was always questioning whether she'd stay or go, why would she create a baby in that situation. Amarok loves her unconditionally but is unsure of her intentions. Her sister comes to visit seemingly to give Evelyn support but ends up being needy and resentful that Evelyn hasn't been there for her and her family. Not really helpful at all. The relationships in this book are very insecure in my opinion. Also, many times the main characters have conversations about evidence right in front of civilians. I found this unbelievable and out of character. Many of these conversations take place in front of the killer. In my opinion it is not realistic for professionals to do that. Overall, I liked this book but wonder why the author constantly has Evelyn as a target. There are only so many times it is believable for a main character to be attacked and or kidnapped. I think Evelyn has had her fair share of attacks, enough is enough.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another outstanding romantic suspense by Brenda Novak. Dark and satisfyingly creepy. This is the 4th in The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles ...a prequel novella and 3 novels.

Evelyn was tortured at sixteen by her boyfriend. He killed three of her friends and left her for dead. Now some twenty years later, she is head psychologist at Hanover House in Alaska. Her and several doctors are studying psychopaths.Amarok is the only real law officer in the little town. He was against the building of Hanover House so close to their town. He fell hard for Evelyn but it took awhile to work past her defenses. They are living together and a girl goes missing. When she’s found another woman is found too. They know it’s Jasper, the ex, but they can’t seem to find him. But he’s messed up this time because he left DNA at one scene and Amarok shot him so they have his blood. Now to figure out where and who he is. Can they catch him before he escapes? Will Evelyn stay with the man she loves or will her guilt over leaving her sister to deal with her parents, send her back to Boston?
Excellent, fast paced, edge of your seat, suspenseful thriller. I couldn’t put it down. You might want to read the first two.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *

Jasper Moore is as slippery as they get! How is it that he continues to elude the authorities, and has done so, for so long? This is another "must read" by Brenda Novak! She gets into the mind of this serial killer and takes the reader on a path with more twists and turns that your favorite roller coaster! Enjoy and don't forget to leave the light on at night.

Thank you to Net-Galley, St. Martins Press and the Author for the opportunity to read this book.

I highly recommend this series! This is my favorite series by Author Brenda Novak. If you haven't read any of this series, go get the first 2 books plus the prequel to the story. You will not be disappointed.

I couldn't wait for this installment of the Evelyn Talbot story. I am so glad I was able to get an early copy of this story because I wanted this part like I wanted my next breath. This story will pull you in from the get go and hold you captive. I hated to it down to do real life stuff and nasty migraines that made it so I could only read a little at a time. While I wasn't reading it I was wanting to read it and going over all that had happened in the story and trying to figure it out. This story will have you sitting on the edge of your seat.

I can't wait to see where the author takes us with the next installment of the series. I am so glad that this series is going to continue and that we will be getting more of Evelyn and Amarok I love the characters and I can't wait to see what happens next.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! At first, I was not certain how enjoyable it would be for the reader to know exactly who the villain was at the start of the novel. Usually, the point of a mystery/thriller is to find out who "dun-it" . I don't want to give away any spoilers but suffice to say the book keeps the reader at the edge of their seat and the tension grows throughout the novel. It was creepy, in a good way, to read chapters from Jasper's point of view. He is a well-developed villain whose voice rings true to his own ears. I particularly liked Jasper's own awareness of how he misses social cues and his confusion and derision of other people's more normal reactions. Amarok and Evelyn's love is non-negotiable. However, that doesn't guarantee a happily ever after. The couple grappled with real issues and I respected how they each clearly made their needs known. For any readers new to this series, there is enough back story to allow you to comfortably go along for the ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced read in exchange for this review.

Evelyn Talbot is back! Bodies are turning up in her small Alaskan town. There are no new residents, so Evelyn is sure that Jasper is hiding somewhere nearby.

I love this series by Brenda Novak. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Evelyn is brave, and her story continues to build and build. Looking forward to more from Novak!

The Evelyn Talbot series is one of my favorites by Brenda Novak. I look forward to seeing what's happening next with Evelyn and Amarok in their hunt for Jasper, the serial killer. But after this book, it was a little drawn out, I hope Jasper's story has come to an end, finally. Evelyn has been hunting him since he raped, tortured, and left her for dead at 16. It has to end...right?

I will say that the ending had me smiling! I don't want to give anything away, but I do hope that the story continues on in Blindspot, and Evelyn and Amarok get the HEA that they truly deserve!

I want to start off by saying that this book is my very first Brenda Novak book. I have actually had her on my radar for years but for some reason just never picked up a book before. No real reason why, I just never made a conscience decision that I was going to start reading this particular author. That being said, I also was not aware that Face Off is actually the fourth book in the Evelyn Talbot series. FOURTH!!! Here’s the thing though, and this is important and really shows a great writer’s skills, I had no idea until I finished reading that it was even part of a series. I didn’t feel like I missed anything, I got a lot of the characters’ background and I was able to completely immerse myself into the book without any confusion about what was going on and why. Being able to read a book that is well into a series as a standalone isn’t something you come across every day. Standing ovation to the author for that! I’m still going to buy the series and read them from the beginning, but not because I have to but because I’m invested in this series now and I need more!

Now, I am a bit of a serial killer snob. I will admit it. I have incredibly high expectations when I read a novel or watch a movie that focuses on killers. A well done serial killer story should grab me from the beginning, keep me interested with some “hold your breath” reveals, get my blood pumping with some smart twists and turns and, especially if it is a series, end with a really great “WTF” moment. Extra points for dark subject matter and a little gore thrown in. Although there were a few bullet points missing for me (I think it’s a little hard to get too many twists when you know who the killer is from page 1) I have to say that I devoured this in a day. I am completely exhausted because I just couldn’t go to sleep until I finished so even if the book wasn’t as exciting as I would have expected, I was completely stuck to every single page. The buildup to the big reveal was so tortuously and methodically slow that putting the book down wasn’t even an option. Now, normally saying a book is slow is a bad thing but this was a different kind of slow. Think literary foreplay instead of passing out from boredom. The good kind of slow!

I really loved the idea of Evelyn overcoming her past and creating an institution where she can collect and study psychopaths all in one place. I really thought that was absolutely badass. The problem I had with Evelyn though, is that she is a survivor… can we maybe even call her a Final Girl? I’m not sure if it really fits her but she is the only survivor. Is one only considered a Final Girl if she survives mass killings or do serial killings count? I’ll have to look into that but I’m getting off topic. Anyway, we have this woman who survived death, not once…but twice…at the hands of an obsessive psychopath. She works on overcoming her fears and eventually winds up studying the worse kinds of criminals for a living and overcomes her emotional baggage by finding a super-hot lawman, but even with all that awesomeness she possesses she ends up coming across as a scared and cowering victim. I understand that the thought of Jasper coming back to finish the job is terrifying to her, I really do, but this girl has come way too far to be kept down by fears of what might be happening. Not that that boyfriend of hers is much help in that department. I get that he is the police and he is the big man in their small Alaskan town, but between the two of them going on and on every chapter:

“I don’t feel safe leaving Evelyn alone”
“What if Jasper is here and came to finish what he started?”
“If you had your throat slit when you were 16, what would you do?”

OK, I was paraphrasing those but you get the idea, right? I think that those types of statements, that appeared in almost every chapter by the way, really took a little bit away from the badass-ness of these characters. Evelyn especially. Now, maybe that was the point. To make them seem more human and less robot in the face of real danger. I don’t know, but there were a lot of parts where I wanted to hit them both over the head for being so irritating.

Before I finish this off, because I am well aware that this review has exploded, I just have to mention that I am incredibly disappointed in Jasper. I don’t want to give anything away so I’m going to leave that opinion as it is but come on man….seriously? Also….that ending! How smart a move was that? I don’t think I could have picked a better way to finish this book off. Again…BADASS!

Even with the few things that annoyed me about this book, I thought it was an incredible read! I would highly recommend Face Off to thriller lovers. It has its dark moments but no extreme trigger warnings that I can remember.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an opportunity to read and review this book.

"He's put in the time, done the work. He was almost ready to make his move."

FINAL DECISION: Simply fabulous! A book that pays off the suspense promises of the prior books in the series and adds character development and a complicated and delicious romance.

THE STORY: Dr. Evelyn Talbot finds that the stable life she is building in Alaska is crumbling as she is getting pressure from her family to return to the safety of Boston, her boyfriend wants her to make a commitment to him, and the demon from her past has apparently arrived in Alaska to finish what he started when he tried to murder her when she was sixteen. When the bodies of two women are discovered, both Evelyn and Amarok realize that the confrontation they have been expecting may have finally arrived.

OPINION: I'm so happy that this book didn't disappoint. It's always my fear when I read these books that build upon one another that I might find that the series does not live up to its potential or that it will squander all of the buildup. I'm happy that this book actually was better than I expected.

In approaching this book, I had two things that I wanted: (1) some resolution on the Jasper storyline (since he has been stalking Evelyn throughout the series); and (2) some development with the relationship between Evelyn and Amarok. Happily, this book satisfied these two and gave me more.

In a story that makes me jump at noises at night, the suspense is ratcheted up in this book. There are plenty of twists and turns and scares in this story. Readers of the series know that by the end of the prior book in the series, Evelyn's high school boyfriend, attempted murderer, and serial killer, Jasper now is working at the serial killer prison that Evelyn spearheaded. Having undergone extensive plastic surgery and the passage of twenty years has allowed Jasper (now using an alias) to infiltrate Evelyn's world without her being aware of who he actually is. The scenes with Evelyn and Jasper together were creepy and filled with tension.

There are dead ends and dead bodies and plenty of tension and enough fearful possibilities to make me want to put the book down to get an emotional break while at the same time wanting to turn page after page to find out what happens. This book was especially good because things happened that I did not expect and the lack of predictability kept me interested in every twist along the way.

And that is all I'm going to write on the suspense plot because I don't want to give anything away.

On the romance front things are finally coming to a crisis point between Evelyn and Amarok. For the first time since the early days of their relationship, all the pressures are finally threatening their relationship. Jasper's continual and looming threat, Evelyn's family wanting her to return home, Evelyn's relationship fears, Amarok's ex-girlfriend, and the increasing number of murders that have occurred in relation to Hanover House are finally weighing down on the couple. This crisis point begins tearing at the fabric that has kept Evelyn and Amarok comfortable in recent months. Now they have to change and grow together or apart. I loved the examination of the fracturing of their relationship and this ended up being my favorite part of the book.

WORTH MENTIONING: I was concerned that this book might be the end of the series, but I was excited to see that there is more planned.

CONNECTED BOOKS: FACE OFF is the third book in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles. This book focuses on the story between Evelyn and the serial killer who tried to kill her when she was sixteen. While that story has been a part of all the books to this point, this book brings that story to the forefront. While it is not necessary to have read the other book in the series to enjoy this one (the prior events are summarized for the reader), I think that reading the prior books makes this book much deeper and enjoyable.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to prepare a review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.