Her Darkest Nightmare (Evelyn Talbot Chronicles, #1)

by Brenda Novak

[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.