5+ stars (6/10 hearts). To be honest, it was the cover (and maybe the title) that drew me into this book. The synopsis had me a little worried. But when I considered how much I’d enjoyed most of Hannah Linder’s works so far, I decided to give this one a shot—and am I ever glad I did! It might be my favourite yet.

For some reason, the book really clicked with me. I love the forest and the beautiful, mysterious mansion, and how almost everything takes place in these two settings. I love the writing style—Eliza’s narration specifically. It was so much sweeter than I expected! Still Gothic and mysterious, but more light and soft. Really, I think Eliza was my favourite thing in the book. She was so innocent and pitiful and strong, and her love for nature + her fanciful imagination was awesome. Felton was pretty epic too—the perfect opposite to Eliza, and with such a splendid character arc. I liked the Captain, even if he never appeared, and the Earl, too. And Felton’s parents were very interesting to think over. Also, the villain was terrifying and awful—but not TOO much—just short of the over-intense line for me!

And the plot was great! The Christian theme is pretty subtle, but I love the message about names and being worthy in your own right. Felton & Eliza’s romance was the sweetest, cutest thing—specially once he buckled down and admitted it, haha—and I loved how it developed from such a deep friendship and protectiveness. Everything was revealed so slowly, and you were interested in the past AND the present at the same time. I LOVE how Eliza’s memories + PTSD was developed and explained. The story was more mystery than suspense, I think, but both sides were well done. I couldn’t put the book down—read until eleven P.M. and I was too tired to continue, and picked it up first thing when I awoke! Things were very twisted and NOT what I expected (but so cool!). It was all rather different from Hannah Linder’s other books, especially as far as the climax goes, which helped it stand out more.

I’m so glad I read this. <3 It was just so SATISFYING!! The perfect blend of light and dark.

Content: Hint that a girl might be as*aulted by the villain; a side character is revealed to have frequently been a*used by a warden; a minor widowed character is caught being with another man to earn her + her children’s living; mentions of drinking; language—de*il, bl**dy, etc; mention that dead side characters had been having an affair (false); on-screen violence involving knives and blood—personally bothered me because of the coldness and deliberateness of the villain. Much less content than I expected, overall!

*Quotes to come. I received a complimentary copy of this book for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.*

Hannah Linder has another breathtaking novel filled with twists and turns in "The Girl from the Hidden Forest". The book keeps you guessing and doubting where it might go until the very end which made it one that was hard to put down. She had great characters in the main character Eliza and her love interest Felton. There is also Minney the maid who is a very well thought out character as well as the dog Merrylad.

For anyone that has read other books by Hannah Linder, I highly recommend this one. It is lighter on faith than other Christian Fiction books but does have some faith elements in it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Barbour Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was stunning! The plot was well-paced and captivating from start to finish. The characters were well-developed; complex, and intriguing. I highly recommend this beautiful telling of the power of love. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Eliza has spent her childhood growing up in a forest, playing with her little dog amongst the trees and looked after by the Captain.

But when Felton Northwood steals her away to Monbury Manor everything she has believed about her childhood is turned upside down.

As memories of the past return and several attempts are made to kill her, who can she trust and who is intent on making her forget for good?

The twists, turns and suspense of the plot kept me intrigued until the end. I found myself unable to put the book down, wanting to find out what happened. I was trying to guess and work out as I read, what exactly had happened and still was unable to work it out until the end of the novel came around.

The characters were beautifully written and I loved that the story came from both Eliza and Felton's points of view. It really helped to draw me into the story and give a more rounded view of the events happening through the book.

The romantic aspects of the book ensured that the suspence did not build up too strong and gave some light relief at times. The gothic suspence really helped move the story along and keep my interest.

The themes of love, courage and forgiveness woven through the story were done very well.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advanced copy I received. This review is my honest opinion of the book and all opinions are my own.

This is a great story with lots of emotion and action. Eliza had lived her life hidden away with Captain after her mother was murdered. She is rescued when, Felton discovers her whereabouts. Is this in her best interest though? Does someone who believes she may know who killed her mother want her dead before she talks? There is a deeper mystery going on than what appears on the surface.
I can't imagine being pulled away from everything familiar and dropped into a new reality with no one to guide me through. I can feel how frustrated and lost Eliza must feel. She knows her mother’s killer is out there but who can she trust yo help her stay alive? Will her memory return before she trusts the wrong person? A very emotional read for me as she struggles with her new to her life.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Girl from the Hidden is a gothic-styled Regency. Eliza Gillingham has been hidden in Balfour Forest until one day Felton Northwood steals her from Captain, the man she knows as her father.

I found The Girl from the Hidden Forest hard to connect with, it took me longer to read this because of that. I found the pace too slow for me, in the beginning, to pick up halfway through, but by then the storyline did nothing to redeem itself, at least for me. None of the characters really stood out to me. It’s just not for me.

My gratitude to Netgalley and Barbour Publishing. All opinions expressed are honest and mine.

If you like historical fiction with romance and some mystery, you'll probably enjoy this book. I will compare this to the writing of Michelle Griep, so if you enjoy her stories, you will most likely enjoy Hannah's books as well! I didn't guess who dunnit in this story!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book! All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

** Thank you so much to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for an ARC of this book! These thoughts are entirely my own.**

Talk about an exciting start! Man, this book hooked me in the beginning. The sad thing is that this book quickly lost steam once the excitement was over. Part of this is due to the fact that the characters, in my opinion, are just not that compelling.

Felton drove me insane in the first half of the book. Holy cow, he annoyed me so much. The worst part was he was still kind of annoying at the end as well. He is weirdly possessive, I think, and he was quite rude and stuck up. His character arc was very slight in my opinion, and I still didn’t love him at the end.

Eliza was also a little bit annoying to read about for me, but I can’t quite put my finger on why. I think it was just her overwhelming sweetness and naïveté.

The plot twist was great, though, and once the plot picked up again, I flew through the rest of the book. The relationship between Felton and Eliza was cute enough for me to enjoy reading those parts as well.

Something else that bothered me about the book was the Christian aspect. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christian novels. This book was clean in every way, which was wonderful. However, the only mentions to God are throwaway, quick-prayer lines that are very few and far between. I wish there was more exposition about the characters’ relationships with God outside of when they were needing comfort/peace/help and more connections about why they believed or the substance of their belief systems. It just fell flat for me and felt very clichè. Most of the time I forgot I was reading a novel labeled as Christian.

I would give this 3.5 stars, since I did mostly-ish enjoy reading this book. The plot definitely was better in the last half, and the romance was sweet. I wanted more from the character development and the Christian aspects, though.

This is a very well written novel. You really feel for Eliza, whose world isn’t just turned upside down but inside out as well.

I started this book and was immediately drawn into an incredible story that I stayed up till 2 am reading because I literally couldn't put it down! It was drawn in immediately to a story about a girl Eliza who is ripped away from her sanctuary in her own enchanted forest where she was raised by the beloved Captain, who she believes is her father, and who loves her, cares for her, shared many a story with her, but who also keeps her nightmares that come almost every night, at bay! She just thinks the nightmares are normal, but little does Eliza realize that her nightmares were actual events that happened in her life. Her captor, Felton Northwood, takes Eliza because he believes she witnessed a murder for which his own father was, as he believes, was wrongly accused, and he desperately wants to clear their family name, and he believes Eliza can do just that.

This story grabbed me from the onset with its intrigue, murder, betrayal, and suspense, but also I saw the power of friendship and family, with some romance and people learning how to trust each other when betrayal has been so evident, and all this together weaves an excellent story! The plot is completely unpredictable and so surprising when the climax is finally made known! I loved this book, highly recommend it, and give it 5 stars! When I finished it, I literally said out loud, what a great story!!!!

#hannahlinder #NetGalley #thegirlinthehiddenforest #whatagreatbook

I love Gothic Regency stories and this one was so very satisfying. The combination of romance and mystery exceeded my expectations. Eliza was troubled with nightmares and a memory that remained hidden. Felton was a true hero and the relationship they shared was sweet. The suspense increased at a good pace and the ending was very heartwarming. I have read this authors books before and find them very enjoyable. I look forward to reading her next one. Highly recommend!

The Girl from the Hidden Forest was another exceptional story by author Hannah Linder. I was pulled in from the first pages to the last, hardly able to put it down. Just when I thought I knew the true villain in the tale, she surprised me with a shocking discovery. But no spoilers. You have to read it for yourself. Bravo, Hannah, on this great story!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions expressed are completely my own.

I finished this book in less than a day, and it left me breathless. I'm not as much into intense romantic relationships, but Ms Linder always does an excellent job. I love how she makes her leads friends before they fall in love, how they express affection through a dozen tiny things before they kiss. I also appreciate the kind and loving father-daughter relationship here. Eliza is a sweet, innocent and imaginative heroine with an underrated strength who I found relatable. I was glad to see her develop a backbone in the end as she faced her nightmares. While I wanted to punch Felton at first, his motivations were also understandable and he in time grow and became the man he needed to be. Thanks for the read!

(thank you netgalley and barbour publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review)

--“If you could forget such a thing, Eliza, I shall not be the one to ask you to remember it.”--

“The Girl from the Hidden Forest” is a Christian, historical fiction novel in a gothic setting of murder and mystery. Years ago, Lady Gillingham was pushed out a window and her daughter, Eliza Gillingham, kidnapped as a witness to the brutal murder. For years Lord Gillingham has searched for his missing daughter to no avail, only to find her living in the woods with a disgraced Captain Ellis.

At least that’s what Felton Northwood tells Eliza Ellis on the night he kidnapped her from her home in the Balfour Forest. Suddenly Eliza is thrust into a world her Captain warned her about. A world where cruelty lay beneath sweet smiles and elaborate balls but the world of the rich is not the main danger to her. For someone is trying to kill her before she uncovers the horrendous memories trapped in her mind of that fateful night.

You all know I’m a Hannah Linder fangirl and this was another amazing read from her. Her talent is in atmosphere-setting and this had my nerves on edge. The relationship between Eliza and Felton was cute (she really had a thing for him bossing her around. lol girl.) but the best part for me was the relationship between Felton and Lord Gillingham. Friendships between people in different stages of life are the most heartwarming stories.

I am fascinated with this genre of historical mystery fiction and this author has surprised me.

I had already heard about Hannah Linder and her style, but it wasn't until this story that I was able to enter her world, and I have been satisfied.

Here we find from the first scene with a Eliza a young girl who has been raised from very young in a forest, along with Captain his father figure and Merryland a wonderful dog, and from one day to another is torn from everything she knows by Felton Northwood, a man who seeks to clear the name of his family for a crime that happened fourteen years ago and that according to Eliza is the key to clarify everything.

Here is a summary of the first part of the story, here we follow Eliza's path since she is abruptly inserted into a totally unknown life while someone tries to end her life.

I must say that I liked the character of Eliza and Merryland, but the romance between her and Felton has not been my favorite, and at the beginning I couldn't stand it, the whole mystery has been great, although I did get nervous about everything that happens to Eliza.

Again I couldn't solve the mystery of who the culprit was, I was absolutely sure it was a character for most of the time only to have the whole theory thrown out the window.

Do I recommend it? Sure, it's a great historical mystery that I'm sure you'll love if you're new to the genre.


#TheGirlfromtheHiddenForest #NetGalley.

I love Hannah Linder’s stories - and I am not one for gothic style romances.

Lots of twists and turns I did not expect.

I highly recommend reading this book.

I just reviewed The Girl from the Hidden Forest by Hannah Linder. #TheGirlfromtheHiddenForest #NetGalley

This was an interesting read set in the regency era and filled with suspense. I felt like the ending dragged a bit but everything eventually resolved pretty nicely.

The Girl from the Hidden Forest is a story full of adventure, mystery and romance. The wide cast of characters was easy to follow. The whodunnit was shocking, yet it made perfect sense!

I disliked that the "hero" was selfish, prideful, angry, and didn't show personal growth. I most enjoyed that the heroine was kind to those deemed to be beneath her.

I received a copy of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Hannah Linder’s books are full of intrigue and mystery with twists and turns that leave me guessing as I turn the pages. The Girl from the Hidden Forest drew me in from the first page. Eliza has suffered from nightmares for as long as she can remember. Her beloved Captain is the only family she can remember. Eliza is stolen away from her beloved forest by Felton Northwood and taken away to a home and father she doesn’t remember where she experiences danger and hidden secrets.

I loved Garden of the Midnights and Beneath His Silence, but I found this one a bit darker. There were so many villains in the story, I didn’t trust anyone but Eliza. I would have enjoyed it a bit more if there were some lighter moments and characters that were worthy of Eliza’s trust.

I received a review copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Gripping and haunting from the very first, I found myself not wanting to put the book down until I was able to navigate all the twists and turns of the story and the mystery was resolved! The love story was achingly beautiful and touching as I watched them learn and be strengthened from the horrors they faced until all that remained was the joy they found in each other. This was the first book I have read by the author, but it won’t be my last. Thanks to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing, I received a free ARC copy. These thoughts and opinions are my own.