He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.

Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake…

An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude—but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.

Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden’s purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?

~Standalone~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

Title:  The Final Target
Series:  Standalone
Author:  Nora Roberts
Published:  May 26, 2026
Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press
My Rating:  5 stars

The Final Target is a standalone title that kept me on edge from the first page to the end.  The danger to Arden builds slowly, almost insidiously, as Dustin begins his demented stalking of her.  At first, it’s small things that pick up speed, thus ramping up the feeling of watching a runaway train with no way to stop it.  But it won’t be long before we’re witnessing a woman’s life being completely changed by one deranged man’s obsession… and absolute delusional belief that he has every right to be acting as he is. 

The fact that we also get to see the villain’s, Dustin’s, point of view throughout his stalking of Arden only builds on that sense of being watched, of internal alarm bells going off, shouting danger, even when nothing is visible.  That sense of ebb-and-flow danger is constant throughout Arden and Gideon’s story.  Even when they believe safety is at hand, the reader knows that is definitely not true.

I believe that The Final Target is Nora Roberts at her best.  It’s easy to fall into the story; it’s believable, profoundly realistic, and definitely kept me on edge, even though I knew that the temporary safety Arden had found could easily be ripped away by an entitled, vicious, and deranged man.  The story is well-written, emotional, and, at times, terrifying.  If you love a really good romantic suspense thriller that will draw you deeply into the story, then you’d enjoy this one.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley, and I sincerely thank the author or publishing house for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title is available at Amazon