Face Off by Brenda Novak is the third book in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles. I have been following this series from the beginning and I found this installment to be most exciting and intense of them all. This was the point where a notorious serial killer has his most desirable prey in his grasp. The one victim who managed to escape twenty-two years ago. He just needs to find the right moment to make his move where we would have the ultimate showdown between hunter and prey.
Evelyn Talbot was focused on her work at Hanover House and her relationship with Amorok, but she was not settled. Anxiety plagued her as she waited for the day when the terror from her past, Jasper Moore, will catch up to her. What she did not know was the terror was closer than she could imagine. Hiding in plain sight, Jasper has managed to infiltrate Evelyn and Amarok’s life without their knowledge.
From the beginning, I found Evelyn to be an inspiring character. I admired her strength and determination. To have experience such a traumatic event at the hands of a psychopath but was willing to work with such persons on a daily basis to learn what made them tick.
I loved how patient Amorak has been with Evelyn. Their relationship has grown, however, uncertainties and family drama on Evelyn’s part had the potential to derail it. These two could not get a break.
Jasper was the focus of this story. I got a glimpse of his personality in the previous installment, however in Face Off I had the chance to delve deeper into his mind. Narcisstic and sociopathic to the core, you cannot help but fear for everyone he encounters..
There was a lot happening in this installment to keep everyone on their toes. A tourist has gone missing, a mystery Amarok has to solve. Then there was his ex who would do anything to rekindle their relationship and Evelyn’s sister who had her own share of drama came for a visit. This visit led to Evelyn making a major decision, which would likely affect both her personal and professional life.
Conclusion/Recommendation
I loved how nicely Jasper’s story ended and Evelyn and Amarok can finally enjoy their relationship to the fullest.
I enjoyed the series, and I would recommend it to fans of romantic suspense.
Narration
I enjoyed the narration by Therese Plummer. This isn’t my first time listening to her narration. She did an excellent job with a great cast of characters. The way she portrayed each one was on point.
About Therese Plummer
Thérèse Plummer is an actor and award-winning audiobook narrator working in New York City. She has recorded over 350 audio books for various publishers. She won the 2019 Audie Award for her work on the multicast, Sadie by Courtney Summers for Macmillan Audio, was nominated for the Mutlicast Any Man by Amber Tamblyn for Harper Audio and her solo narration for The Rogue Planets Shaken by Lee W. Brainard for Podium Publishing. The American Library Association (ALA) awarded her work on Sourdough by Robin Sloan as part of the 2018 Listen List: Outstanding Audiobook Narration for Adult Listeners. Thérèse is the voice of Maya Hansen in the Marvel Graphic Motion Comic Ironman Extremis, Dr. Fennel in Pokemon and for various Yu-Gi-Oh characters. Television Guest Star Roles on The Good Wife, Law and Order SVU and the upcoming series Virgin River for Netflix.
About Brenda Novak
It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career. “I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.” However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business. Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of 20 in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer. “When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….” Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, she continues to publish two or three novels a year, in a variety of genres. Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. Now that they are empty-nesters, she spends her free time babysitting her two grandchildren. When she’s not with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising money for diabetes research. To date, she’s raised almost $2.6 million. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, watching sporting events and biking–she rides an amazing 20 miles every day!
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