Her Darkest Nightmare (Evelyn Talbot Chronicles, #1)

by Brenda Novak

Evelyn Talbot knows that a psychopath can look perfectly normal. She was only sixteen when her own boyfriend Jasper imprisoned and tortured her--and left her for dead. Now an eminent psychiatrist who specializes in the criminal mind, Evelyn is the force behind Hanover House, a maximum-security facility located in a small Alaskan town. Her job puts her at odds with Sergeant Amarok, who is convinced that Hanover is a threat to his community...even as his attraction to beautiful Evelyn contradicts everything he believes.

• ISBN10: 1250076560
• ISBN13: 9781250076564
• Publish Date: 30 August 2016 (first published 25 August 2016)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 23 February 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[Pigpen.Reads]

My first Brenda Novak read and it was amazing!!

What captured my attention was the synopsis. Evelyn was 16 when she was imprisoned, tortured, and left for dead by her boyfriend. That just screamed "READ ME!".

Then, knowing that she becomes a psychiatrist who specializes in the criminal mind was another hook.

My mind was blown away from this story line. The twists and turns, wow!

I'm so glad I read this and am looking forward to continuing with the series.

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Her Darkest Nightmare is book 1 in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles. The events recorded in this novel picks up six months after the prequel, Hanover House.

The summer romance between Evelyn and Amorak has hit a snag. Evelyn is still struggling with issues of intimacy, which ended in her pushing Amorak away. Then one snowy night things between them changed, and I had the privilege to witness Evelyn be able to trust a man to love and appreciate her. Meanwhile, a killer is on the loose. Did a resident from Hanover House escape or is it a blast from Evelyn’s past? One thing for sure whomever it is, the person is smart and meticulous

There were parts of the story that moved slowly for my tastes. This was due in part to time spent explaining psychopathic behavior.

Figuring out the killer’s identity proved to be a challenge. There were several possible suspects, which made it difficult to pick the right one.

Not all the psychopaths in the story were incarcerated, as Evelyn would discover. The story showed that crazies often live and work among us.

Amarok had his work cut out for him as the only law enforcement officer in the town who had no experience with homicides. The town had not experienced a murder in ten years. Then to make matters worse the FBI did not believe the murders warranted their input and there was no help from law enforcement in Anchorage. I found this strange and unrealistic.

Evelyn had her share of challenges. Besides the killer taunting her, someone is determined to discredit her. I admired her tenacity, but her hang-ups regarding Amarok’s age became tiresome. A seven-year age difference is no big deal, but Evelyn did not see it that way.

Narration
This is my second time experiencing Therese Plummer’s narration. I enjoyed her depiction of the characters’ voices. The excitement, fear and suspense came through with clarity.


Conclusion/Recommendation
An intense read featuring likeable characters, a sweet romance and a complex mystery. Fans of romantic suspense will enjoy this installment. I am looking to start the next book, as I am eager to discover what is in store for Evelyn and Amorak.

[whisperingchapters]

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.



When I read the prequel, Hanover House, last year and really loved it, I was so eager for Her Darkest Nightmare!

Evelyn is a psychiatrist who has dedicated her life to studying psychopath's behavior since her ex-boyfriend was one and left her for dead. She runs Hanover House in Hilltop, Alaska, a place that has over more than 100 inmates who have psychopathic behavior. It's been three months since HH has been opened and now, Evelyn faces a nightmare when a dismembered body appears.

She had to keep some distance between her emotions and what she encountered every day or she would never survive this job.

To be honest, I had no idea what to fully expect. Hanover House was such a thrilling read. I felt so creeped out by everything! Sadly, it wasn't the case with Her Darkest Nightmare. While the hunt for the killer was thrilling, it still was lacking something. I loved the hunt and trying to figure out who the heck was the killer, if it really was Evelyn's ex or if there was someone else. My mind was reeling with the possibilities of who it could be. I never guessed right. I was completely blind-sided and I loved that! I questioned so many people in this novel and I was wrong on all of them. Novak did a great job with the element of surprise on this one.

Something that I loved of Hanover House was the point of view from the killer. It gave so much depth to the story and it added to the creepy feel of it. In Her Darkest Nightmare, the killer's point of view appeared less than five times. I was definitely missing it. Even with the killer's POV, I still couldn't guess who it was!

"These aren't people who hear voices that tell them to kill or don't know the difference between good and evil. They simply have no real understanding of emotion, can't truly connect with other humans. They do whatever benefits them, whatever interests them, and they feel perfectly justified. The real problem is that psychopaths are more common than most people think."

Evelyn had some character development in this novel. She has been so tormented by her past that she can't enjoy life anymore, not even the company of a man. When Amarok met Evelyn, he disliked her for bringing HH to his town, but after meeting her, he was hung up on her. He knew all the nightmares that Evelyn had faced so he gave her space. We finally see this couple worming their way into a relationship very slowly. Amarok is always there for Evelyn no matter what. When Evelyn is ready to take a new step in their relationship, Amarok lets her go at her own pace. It was so sweet to read how much he cared for her. I can't wait to see more of them in the next novel.

What I didn't like was Evelyn's back-and-forth thing with Amarok when it came to his age since he was seven years younger. I wish she had surpassed that early in the story, but it wasn't until much later that she kind of gave it a rest.

There's an inmate in this story that I actually liked a lot. Don't ask me how or why since he's a psychopath, but I had really liked his appearance in the prequel so having him back in this story had me excited. I really don't know why I like him. I think it's because he makes the story much more interesting, and I'm sure he will be even better in the next installment!

Overall, Her Darkest Nightmare was an intense mystery novel that I enjoyed quite a lot. The way it ended had me gasping out loud and so very excited for the next novel and what it will bring.

I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Her Darkest Nightmare has a lot of tension, the psychological aspect of this thriller is very well done. There were, however, several instances where I had to consciously suspend disbelief in order to follow Evelyn.



Her Darkest Nightmare happens about six months after the ending of Hanover House, and the prison / psych ward has opened and is almost at capacity. With one of the doctors out sick, and another one having left because of the long winter in Alaska, Evelyn has a smaller team to deal with, which means there's more work for all of them. Because Evelyn has brought in a new inmate - without discussing it with her colleagues first - the sense of mistrust was very strong from the beginning. Both on Evelyn's behalf, and on behalf of one of the other doctors there.

Between the dark days, snow storms and a gruesome murder, Her Darkest Nightmare pushes the feelings of unease, and it is very easy to understand why Evelyn is so on edge. When one of the inmates keeps telling her that not all the psychopaths at Hanover House are in the locked-up area, she has one more thing to worry about. And of course, all of her fears bring her back to Jasper and those fateful days when she was sixteen.

Even with all the darkness and fear in Her Darkest Nightmare, there is space for the romance and relationship between Evelyn and Amarok to develop. It made me breathe easier to see that she had someone to lean on, even if she thought she didn't really need to. Amarok was her rock through all that happened, but he also managed to show her that he trusted her, and made sure not to smother her with his concern. He is definitely wise beyond his years.

Written in third person perspective, past tense, with dialogues as well as narration, the story unfolds at a nice pace, and the suspense is very well done. I think the reason why I didn't give Her Darkest Nightmare four or more stars is because I found Evelyn to be a bit repetitive at times. And I definitely would have liked to see more of one specific character...



Maybe she was dead. She'd been expecting death, been thinking that, unlike most people, she wouldn't live long enough to graduate from high school.

"Weather report says we've got another storm coming in. So they caught an earlier flight. You didn't get the message?"

She couldn't fall if she didn't try. Fear was costing her a great deal of what others enjoyed in life. 

[thebookdisciple]

Link to full review below! Good for fans of Christina Dodd, Laura Griffin, etc. Enjoyable overall but it kind of felt slow in parts. This review was originally posted on The Book Disciple

[kimbacaffeinate]

In January, I read Hanover House which gave us both the history of our heroine and introduced us to Hanover House. A maximum-security prison spearheaded by Evelyn (Eve) Talbot a psychiatrist who specializes in the criminal mind. She has brought the worst serial killers in the US to this prison. Her hope is to gain insight into their minds. While it is not wholly necessary to read the prequel, it does share Evelyn’s unique background and a budding romance with local law enforcement Sergeant Amarok. Personally it's worth the effort.

Winter is in full force when the mutilated body of a local woman is discovered. With tensions already uncomfortable between residents and Hanover House, folks are quick to suspect a prisoner. With all prisoners accounted for Novak begins a twisted mystery, with a side dish of romance, and shares tension within Hanover House.

Novak gave the reader plenty of suspense while lending some believability to this chilling tale. I cannot speak to the police procedure as I imagine these remote locations differ, but I would have liked aid from the larger police force in Anchorage. While it created more intimacy and kept the story contained I prefer realism. Red herrings and plausible suspects kept me guessing. Side stories added twists and complications.

Hanover House continues to have a strong presence, as we were privy to prison workings, research and interviews with inmates. Novak’s portrayal of these killers is downright chilling. Salacious and illegal activities within the prison walls added additional tension but also affected the overall pacing of the story. While these threads were interesting, I struggled with the periods of inactivity and craved more action. Thankfully, threads were developed and Novak tied them into the main mystery.

The romance continues to be enjoyable and we see progression as Eve and Amarok. Eve is still stubborn but I loved seeing her begin to depend on someone else and admire her courage when dealing with her peers and patients. Novak brought fuzzy moments and a little heat to the romance. I love Amarok’s approach to Eve and look forward to seeing their relationship strengthen.

For those who read Hanover House, Jasper is still very much in the picture and we did get a few updates. Her Darkest Nightmare delivered an intense mystery with likeable characters. I look forward to the next novel and recommend the series to fans of romantic suspense, and crime thrillers involving serial killers.

Copy provided by publisher This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer