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!

BRENDA NOVAK just gets better and better. FACE OFF takes you on a roller coaster ride of suspense and drama. What an incredible story, I loved it! This book is crazy good and Ms. Novak is a premier storyteller!

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.

I liked this book, it was a real page turner. This is the 4th book in the series and to really enjoy this book it's best to read the first 3. Evelyn is pulled in a lot of different directions and has to make a choice about her future and relationship. It seems like everyone around Evelyn seems little bit messed up or straight up crazy. In this book they wrapped up the Jasper storyline (hopefully). It's also nice to see Evelyn make big decisions (finally) and really move on with her life instead of being in a holding pattern. I love Brenda Novak's books and it is interesting to see her do a series with the same protagonist throughout instead of changing the protagonist with each installment.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was outstanding! Everything about it was perfect - the writing, the tone, the characters, the storyline, the plot, the suspense, the love. Of all of Brenda Novak’s books, this one was my favorite by far! I’m not even a huge fan of murder mystery but I got hooked on this series with Her Darkest Nightmare, and was eager to read more about Evelyn, Jasper and Amarok with this third book in the series. I think this is better than Silence of the Lambs and hope to see a movie made!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital copy of this novel to review.

Face Off by Brenda Novak is a page turner that I went into not really knowing what to expect. It is the third in the series involving Dr. Evelyn Talbot and it does not disappoint. To give a little background first. Dr. Evelyn is the main character of the story and she has been hunted over the course of 20+ years by Jasper. She currently runs Hanover House which houses inmates where she (as the head psychiatrist) can study and understand exactly why they are the way they are. Jasper is a serial killer who has taken on multiple personalities and plastic surgeries in order to find the right time and place to kill the on-edge doctor.
I really enjoyed the character development and vivid descriptions of scenes in this book. The author made sure to be as detailed as possible. I honestly felt as though I was in the snowy hills of Alaska searching for a serial killer as well.
Being able to “live’ in Jasper’s mind throughout the story was entertaining and frightening at the same time. I now want to learn a lot more about the other inmates in Hanover House. The bits and pieces into their minds can makes the book that much more disturbing which I love.
I can’t wait to read more books from this series.

I have to remember to breathe as I'm reading this series -- every page has something that tingles the spine. Ms. Novak is a master storyteller. This series is amazing. and, fortunately for us, it continues on in another book. Wow!

This is the newest novel in Brenda Novak’s Hanover House series and they just keep getting more and more thrilling with each new addition. This is the book all readers have been waiting for since the intro to Evelyn Talbot Hanover House was released, it’s time for the man who nearly killed her as a teen is back to finish the job. With some authors you worry when you reach a plot point like this, after all the build up will it be too perfectly and easily wrapped up that you’re left disappointed? Well I can tell you that Brenda Novak is not one of those authors, she’s a master. Face Off is an incredible yet chilling story, beware though, once you start you won’t be able to put it down. It is almost impossible to guess how it will end, what will happen between Evelyn and Jasper right up to the very end. There is nothing better than thriller that can keep you up at night both reading...and a little afraid of the dark. I hesitate to say much more as I don’t want to give away any of the thrill, it’s definitely a must-read and if you haven’t yet start at the beginning of the series

Wow! This is Book 3 in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles and although I had not read Books 1 or 2, I was able to follow the story. Actually, this was so good I will probably go catch up by reading Books 1 & 2 very soon.

Dr. Evelyn Talbot is a leading psychiatrist at a prison for the criminally insane, which includes some of the worst murderer's in the country. Located in a small town in Alaska, and living with the town's top cop, you would think Evelyn would be relatively safe from the man who abducted and tortured her, leaving her for dead when she was only sixteen years old. But is she safe? Since that time, Jasper Moore has had extensive plastic surgery and positioned himself practically in Evelyn's lap, waiting and biding his time until he's ready for her.

I'm not saying much more than that because I don't want to give away any spoilers, but Brenda Novak will have you biting your fingernails and cringing in your seat as she describes what this psychopath does to his innocent victims and what his plans are for Evelyn. Even without gross details, Brenda Novak allows your mind to "see" what you will have a difficult time "un-seeing".

Great thriller and great writing!

Full review to be published online in mid August.

**Spoiler Alert**. 3.5 Stars. I’ve enjoyed this series, the plotline and the characters; but I’ve had enough of the Jasper storyline. To make it worse, he got much more page time in this story than in previous books. I’m really hoping that as of the events at the end of the book his story arc is finally over. I’m heartily tired of him and more than ready for this series to head in a new direction.

This was yet another FANTASTIC story by Brenda Novak, continuing on with Dr. Evelyn Talbott and Hanover House. Evelyn has been moving forward slowly from the trauma of her past, when her boyfriend Jasper killed her friends and brutally tortured her. As she works as a psychiatrist at Hanover House in Alaska, forming a new life with her boyfriend Amarok, things seem to be going better. Unfortunately, Jasper is back with a new name and face, working along side her. This book is full of suspense, great characters and the twists that make Novak's novels so great. I can't wait for the next one! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

In Face Off, we meet Evelyn Talbot a criminal psychologist who studies Psychopaths at Hanover House in Hilltop, Alaska. Hilltop is a small isolated remote community where three hundred inmates were kept.

Jasper Moore, aka Andy Smith, tortured Evelyn when she was sixteen. He is a dangerous psychopath who tortures women. For twenty years he has been killing people undetected. Evelyn knows he would like nothing more than to finish what he’d started when he’d killed three of her best friends, and tried to kill her. Jasper shows all the typical traits of a psychopath. Yet, he is distinctly different from most psychopaths. His one weakness is Evelyn.

Evelyn has lived in fear for over twenty years knowing Jasper is still at large. Evelyn moved from Boston to Alaska to study psychopaths at the Hanover House. She wants to be able to understand their motives and personality traits.

I had hoped to read more about the results of this case study on psychopaths, but very little is mentioned. Much of the story is focused on Jasper evading Amarok.

Typically, in mysteries the reader is unaware of who the killer is. In this story we already know who he is and the main characters are aware that he is still at large. They are suspicious of any activity similar to what took place in the past. Basically, many of the scenes are about processing the signature patterns and gathering evidence. Knowing who the murderer is doesn’t affect the chilling nature of the story. In fact, knowing Jasper’s narcissistic tendencies adds an element of fear to the story. Jasper’s unstable and spontaneous actions are shockingly alarming. His psychopathic nature is the key element in this case study. As a reader we get to see firsthand how the mind of a psychopath works in certain situations. It’s quite appealing and intriguing.

This is the third book in this series, yet the first I’ve read by this author. Starting at book three didn’t hinder my understanding of what was taking place. There was enough backstory information to get me caught up in the current situation. Once I was on track with the circumstances leading up to Evelyn and Jasper’s history, the story flowed smoothly. Although, one area that I might me lacking knowledge in is Jasper’s addiction to Evelyn. I can’t seem to understand his driving force to keep chasing after her.

Many of the traits typical for a psychopath were not disclosed in this book, so I took it upon myself and looked up the characteristics associated with this type of killer to understand better what Evelyn so easily recognized. I hoped the studies had been more forthcoming with that information because Evelyn seemed to understand Jasper’s MO.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I wish I could give this book 10 stars, it is a fantastic read!!!! Evelyn is just about at the end of her rope worrying about when Jasper will strike again and on top of that she and Amarok are trying to have a baby (yes, she's able to have a baby even after Jasper's abuse). There have been two more deaths discovered in Hilltop so Amarok is working non-stop to figure out if Jasper committed the murders. As always, Evelyn is working long hours at the prison but Amarok wants Evelyn's sister to come for a visit so Evelyn is not home alone in the evenings and at night if he's not there. The visit just brings more tension and makes life more difficult for Amarok and Evelyn when her sister begs her to come back home. This book is full of suspense, danger, intrigue, and love. Enjoy!!!!

Another wild page turner in this highly addictive series. Evelyn has opened Hanover House to study Serial Killers. At sixteen, she was violently attacked and left for dead by her boyfriend, Jasper who has continued to avoid capture. When murders begin to happen around the area, Evelyn is worried that Jasper is back and finally ready to finish what he started all those years ago. A true edge of your seat thriller! Highly recommend! I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Evelyn is back! Next in the series and just as great as every book in this series. Is Jasper back? Murders are taking place again is it the work of Jasper or someone else? Will Evelyn finally face Jasper and put an end to looking over her shoulder.. So many questions and you will just have to read to find out. Love this series ! This book didn't disappoint had everything I love in a suspenseful book.

Yeah! I really enjoyed reading this book, it's the culmination of all the previous books regarding the Jasper plot line, as far as this book goes. Who knows in the future? I was really looking forward to this book, so of course I had to read it on my birthday!

Finally, the book where Jasper finally comes after Evelyn in Alaska! It's been something that's been built up since the beginning, and after the events of the last book, I had to know how it'd play out! There were a lot of cat and mouse vibes!

One thing that I really enjoyed was that we got to met Evelyn's sister. And her current situation is a pretty bad one, and I really enjoyed the elements that she brought! It made things difficult for Evelyn, but conflict drives books!

This book was more of a mental head game then previous books, more mental tension then physical, in danger stuff. Whether or not he would get away with his current actions. Would they discover who Jasper now? Which was fitting, because Jasper's kinda been haunting Evelyn since she survive what he did to her. I loved how it all culminated!

Loved this book so much, it was so fantastic, and I can't wait for the next book!

I have read all of the books in The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles and Face Off is absolutely EXCELLENT, 4.5 out of 5 stars! I feel like there was definitely enough backstory given that you could read this book as a standalone if you wanted to but don’t, read them all or at least read Hanover House which tells of the brutal attack of the main character, Evelyn Talbot and why she became a psychologist. It’s a very quick read and if you have a couple hours you can knock that baby out in a sitting, it’s THAT good.

Dr. Evelyn Talbot is a living in the small town of Hilltop, Alaska where she runs the mental health side of a prison that houses some of the United Stated scariest Psychopaths. Evelyn and her team run experiments on the men of Hanover House trying to learn more about them so she can discover how to treat this sordid group of individuals. Evelyn has gone through her own personal nightmare involving a serial killer, her high school boyfriend, Jasper Moore, he murderer her three best friends, then did unimaginable things to her before slitting her throat and leaving her for dead all at just 16 years old.

Now 22 years later Evelyn is feeling stressed at work, torn in her relationship with the towns one police man, Benjamin Murphy (Amarok), missing her family in the lower 48 and dealing with the daily knowledge that the monster who tried to kill her not once but twice is still on the loose. When a woman disappears from a cabin and is found murdered days later it rocks Evelyn to the core, she feels in her gut that her ex-boyfriend is in Alaska and wants to finish the job he started 22 years later but in this small town of Hilltop there is no place to hide, there are no new comers, no strangers. The town is so small that by lunch everyone knows what you had for breakfast. Where is Jasper hiding? Or does Hilltop have their very own serial killer?

Evelyn is a very likable main character; she seems realistic with her own flaws. Her boyfriend, Amarok is my first book crush- I won’t lie, I love that guy!

I can’t wait to read the next in the series- Blindspot, the excerpt at the back of the book was absolutely delicious!!! How long do I have to wait!?!

***Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

*** Will post to Goodreads July 28, 2018 and book seller sites on date of release.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital galley of this novel.

This is the third book in the series centering on Dr. Evelyn Talbot and Hanover House, the prison and research facility she founded and runs in Hilltop, Alaska where serial killers are studied to learn why they commit their crimes. Evelyn was the victim of a serial killer when she was sixteen but survived when her three friends did not. Now she wants to figure out what makes men like Jasper Moore kidnap, torture and kill. What she hasn't figured out yet is that Jasper has transformed his appearance and is very close to her, hiding in plain sight.

Once again the tension in this installment of the story is close to being unbearable. That being said, I found myself wanting to get more into the research possibilities and the study of other inmates of Hanover House. My interest in Jasper has definitely begun to flag plus the number of times this same person can be targeted by a serial killer is hard for me to accept. There is an excerpt of book four in the series, Blind Spot, in the back of this novel so it is obvious that the series will continue. I just have to decide if I want to continue to read the books.

Whew! Bravo Brenda!!!! This is one SUPER intense, keep you on the edge of your seat, page turner of a book!!!

Brenda certainly did not disappoint with this one. Fast Paced and spellbinding from the very first page, the third book in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles is sure to be a hit.

Brenda Novak is very well written and her books are always on point. If you have never read any of her books, and love romantic suspense, start with Hanover House (prequel of the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles) which can be obtained for free in ebook form if you join her reader group on Facebook. You will not be disappointed.

My emotions were all over the place as I read this book. And although the reader is privy to who Jasper truly is and what he is planning, I can promise you will still be on the edge of your seat the whole time wondering when, how and where he is going to make his move. To make the storyline even more deliciously complicated, Evelyn’s sister comes to visit and with her brings some drama of her own. All in all this is a must read if you are a Novak fan, and even if you aren’t you need to start somewhere!