I cannot wait for this series! This introduction to Hanover House Chronicles definitely left me wanting more. I thought Brenda Novak did an excellent job with the Alaskan setting. I live in Alaska and thought her descriptions of the people and land to be believable. I have read a lot of true crime books and am fascinated by psychopaths - why are they the way they are, what factors may have played a part in creating them, can they ever be treated successfully? Evelyn, the main character in Hanover House,also seems to have all these questions. Unlike me though, she also has an opportunity to experiment and possibly find some answers to them at the new facility in Alaska. I am truly excited for this series and cannot wait to read what Brenda Novak does with it. ( )

Great suspense, but the romance seemed a little forced and unneeded. ( )

Please see all of my reviews on my blog at www.robinlovesreading.blogspot.com.

My rating: 4.5 Stars

To be fair, I must warn readers that this book is incredibly intense. It deals with gruesome subjects like murder, torture and rape. It is not explicit, but it is the basis for this series.

Psychiatrist Evelyn Talbot heads to Hilltop, Alaska, to a new medical health center to study the world's worst psychologically disturbed minds. The center is named Hanover House and it the first of its kind. Will she and her colleagues be able to figure out why men kill, rape, and commit other such heinous crimes? By studying all aspects of behavior Evelyn hopes to understand why psychopaths have such abominable behavior.

The story is interrupted at times to tell of a tragic time in Evelyn’s past when she was kidnapped, tortured and left for dead when she was a teenager. The person that did these horrible things to her was her high school boyfriend Jasper Moore. What Jasper did to Evelyn was just the tip of the iceberg for the violently ill young man. He was never charged and found, and unbeknownst to Evelyn, has changed his name to Andy Smith. In her thirties now, Evelyn is still living in fear of Jasper. However, it is that life experience that led to her career as a psychiatrist.

It is no surprise that the town’s citizens in Hilltop are extremely unhappy about the new facility and the violent patients that will be transferred there. Alaska State Trooper, Sergeant Amarok, is especially frustrated about this. When he learns that the main doctor is a woman, he is very concerned that she will be around so many dangerous men. This was very worrisome to Amarok, but once he meets Evelyn his feelings about the matter intensify as he becomes quite drawn to her. So the entire situation has become very personal to him. This concern has a solid basis when it becomes evident that Evelyn is in extreme danger from another source - Jasper Moore from her past. Jasper has tracked Evelyn down. He has spent two decades brutally murdering women with Evelyn as his ultimate prize in mind.

The story shifts as Amarok expresses his strong attraction to Evelyn, but she tells him that she has no intention on becoming romantically involved with him. As accomplished as Evelyn is, she is still severely traumatized and still lives in fear. This fear could be the ruin of her. A slow build of romance develops between Evelyn and Amarok. As the story progresses, Evelyn is forced to deal with her fear of intimacy.

This novella, Hanover House, is the first book in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles, to be followed by Her Darkest Night, Hello Again and Face Off. This exciting prequel was barely over 200 pages and was an incredibly quick read that I completed in one sitting. This was a fabulous story that set the groundwork for what promises to be an intriguing series. I decided to read this story in order to prepare for my review for Face Off, which I received from NetGalley. I wanted to read this entire series to-date to prepare to read that book. I am really glad that I did because I was really able to get to know the primary protagonists in this series.

Hanover House is not yet in operation in this story. I am eager to continue on and discover how Evelyn will learn about the minds of the psychopaths while also hoping for Jasper to be caught before he kills any more women and finally getting to Evelyn. ( )

The prequel to the Hanover House Chronicles. I really enjoyed this book. The study of serial killers is such a fascinating subject. And Hanover House is going to be dedicated to the research of serial killers. In this book, Hanover House is still being built, but is almost ready for occupancy. Evelyn is working hard to make her dream a reality, but she also has to contend with being stalked by the serial killer who abducted and almost killed her when she was a teen. Wow, she has a lot on her plate. Evelyn is likable, and very resourceful. I also enjoyed her budding relationship with Amarok, the State Trooper she meets at Hanover House.

I am really looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley ( )

Title: Hanover House
Author: Brenda Novak
Publisher: Brenda Novak, Inc.
Series: Evelyn Talbot Chronicles
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:

"Hanover House" by Brenda Novak

My Thoughts.....

If you are looking for a scary psycho read you have truly come to the right place for "Hanover House" [the prequel] will give it to you and so much more that will keep you on the edge of your seat as you are turning the pages to see what this author has for you next. We find psychiatrist Evelyn Talbot will have her work all cut out for her as she has plans to work with serial killers at the state facility in Alaska. Will she find all of the answers she needs having survived an attack when she was a teenager? Be prepared for graphic and gruesome thriller suspenseful read at times that will keep your attention with this particular psycho serial killer by the name of Jasper. However, one good thing about this read is that Alaskan State Trooper, Sergeant Amtrak is there to help Evelyn keep safe. Will these two develop feelings for each other? Well, to find that out and so much more you will have to pick up this prequel to see what all this author has for the reader. Be ready for one heck of a good psycho read. Note: There will be a series of this read...so it not over yet! ( )