This was my first Nora Roberts book, and it was definitely average for me. I found the beginning really dragged on for quite a while, probably the first half. The second half of the book definitely picked up and I found myself enjoying it more.

I will say I was disappointed there was no crazy twist, and I didn't particularly like the villain's POV, but overall it was a decent mystery/thriller/splash of romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hidden Nature
By: Nora Roberts
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Pub Date: 5/27/25

Another fabulous stand alone for Spring ‘25 from the Queen herself! A little romance, mystery and small town makes for the perfect read.
After being nearly killed in a gas station Sloan Cooper makes the decision to return to her small hometown and work for the local DNR but when people begin disappearing she can’t let her former life as an investigator go to waste. When a new disappearance comes her way too she jumps in with both feet on finding out what’s happening.
Roberts' stand alone always comes with the same feel to them but I still enjoy them every year!

I really enjoyed this mystery. It started a tad slow for me, but had me hooked around 20%. I really enjoyed Sloan and her super close family. Her parents were adorable! Loved seeing a happy sister relationship. Add in the Littlefield brothers as love interests for the sisters and the cast was perfect! We're given an inside view of the killers and their thought processes which I found interesting. I loved how Sloane and Nash communicated and worked together to discover the victim's connections. In some ways, it reminded me of Roarke and Eve from the In Death series. Nash, like Roarke, had no issues with being with a competent woman who didn't need saving. The ending was fast paced compared to the rest of the book, but it was satisfying.

Thank you for the free copy of this book!

Nora Roberts is able to create characters that you love with a back story and history that makes it whole. Sloane and her family stole my heart from the moment I met them. Add in the "Fix-It" brothers and I was complete.

The villians felt a bit "undone" and I found myself trying to understand the motivation a little more however it didnt take away from the overall story line.

I've already been recommending this new novel so at the end of the day, a win for me!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy! I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author, this was my first Nora Roberts!

Loved this romantic suspense story from Nora Roberts. In some ways, it reminded me of some of her older novels. Slow start and builds ever so well towards an interesting climax! I thought the crime of targeting those who had been revived/clinically dead was very original. I really enjoyed this one. I wish I could rate this as 4.5 stars!

Another winner from Nora Roberts! Hidden Nature is a suspenseful story that starts with Natural Resource Police Corporal Sloane Cooper walking into a robbery in progress and finding herself on the losing end of a gunshot. While recovering, she stumbles into an ongoing investigation of a missing person that engages her curiosity. Her recovery also awakens in her a desire to make some changes in her life, and Sloane finds herself back in her home town, involved in the investigation well as a home renovation and even a potential new relationship. What will happen when everything collides? A page-turner that had me drawn in from the start -- very much recommended!

I shouldn't be surprised that I really enjoyed another book by Ms Roberts, I usually do. She manages yet again to come up with a unique MC, I really liked Sloane and found it interesting to learn about Maryland's Natural Resources Police. When we meet our heroine, it is moments before her life changes forever. The first part of the book is one person's journey back from a physical and mental nightmare. As Sloane works to get her life and career back, she is home with her family in her hometown. Family love and support are a big part of this story, and Sloane uses both to help steady herself, gain her physical strength back, and get back to thinking about the job. When a local woman goes missing, Sloane uses the case as a mental exercise to inch herself back into work mode. She looks for like cases and thinks she may have found a couple when she gets an offer to transfer to the local NRP with a promotion. Once Sloane goes back to work, she continues to study these missing person cases on her own time. As she makes progress, starting to work with other areas with similar cases, can she figure out what all these victims have in common? Can she figure out how she is tied in? This is a wild mystery that will keep you engrossed till it's fascinating finally. Many thanks to #Netgally, #St Martin'sPress, and the author for the opportunity to read. #HiddenNature #NoraRoberts #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreader

🌲💉👮🏻‍♀️🔨🩸🐕

<i>Hidden Nature</i>:

I love Nora Roberts. Let me start with that. Before I say anything else, please know she is basically an auto-buy author for me, so I am very familiar with her story telling and writing style.

But… man. This fell pretty flat. It was just bleh. Nothing really happened? The story started with a bang (literally 😅) but then it really didn’t pick up again until 50-60%. There were a handful of scenes from the perspective of the <i> villains</i> that were interesting enough, but nothing about this story was able to hook me in.

Sloan was the most developed character by far, but the rest of them felt pretty surface-level. The romance was weak. I really didn’t sense any sort of chemistry between Sloan and the MMC, which is so unusual for a Nora Roberts novel in my experience. I usually enjoy the banter between her characters as the suspense builds and plots thicken, but I didn’t get any of that with this one. Once you meet the bad guys, it’s pretty clear where the story is going. Which is good because it did build anticipation, but also kind of bad because at times it felt like flipping through pages and pages of fluff to get there.

I will say though, that the bad guys in this one have a unique motive that I’ve never seen in another book, tv show, or movie. I really liked that aspect of it, I just wish that the romance, the build up, and the character development were a bit stronger.

3/5 overall
🌟🌟🌟

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

I am always so impressed with all the different genres that Roberts writes. This is a romantic suspense set in a small town with Sloan who is back home to heal from an injury. While she is there, there is a case of a local woman missing and is intrigued by it and tries to help the local police solve it. At the same time, Nash and Theo moves to town and starts a small business.

Despite knowing who the killers are and their motivation, it was interesting to see their perspective. I think knowing this, the story does become predictable.

I enjoyed the slow burn romance of Sloan and Nash. They were focused on Sloan's home renovations and slowly getting to know each other better. I appreciate that Nash didn't try to be alpha and was impressed with Sloan's independence and strength.

January LaVoy is a phenomenal narrator. She did so many different voices to distinguish between the characters.

Thank you @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio for a copy of the book.

3.5 stars

If you are a fan of the style of writing in the JD Robb series, this book will likely appeal to you.

Nora serves up a strong female lead character Sloan Cooper, a Natural Resources Police Officer who is seriously injured when she and her partner make a stop for fuel and snacks. Returning to her hometown to recuperate at the time a woman goes missing in a nearby town, Sloan commences her own investigation, uncovering links between other missing persons.

This story is predominantly a romance, although Sloan does not officially meet her love interest until about 40% into the book. Yes, there is a couple who are serial killers, however, we know who they are, but it does serve up a bit of suspense in terms of how it will play out. You know they will be coming for Sloan, but when and how it will happen, that you have to wait for.

The story is full of family dynamics, the wonderful childhood the Cooper girls had vs. the different experience the Littlefield brothers had, of little love, affection and the weight of expectation. The brothers find their happiness in shunning the world of expectation and moving the Heron’s Rest to pursue their passions, along the way, finding love (the Cooper sisters), and the family they always dreamed of.

I was hesitant when I started the ARC and saw part 1, having read a number of Nora’s books with this format that jumped in time with each part, feeling a bit disjointed. That is not the case with this book, while it has 3 parts, each part chapter simply flows to the next.

Not a fast passed story, but it has warm moments, a little suspense and was a nice light easy read, even with the twisted criminals.

This book is everything that you have come to expect in a Nora Roberts' stand alone book. It has murder, suspense, mystery and romance all in one package. Some of the topics in this book are disturbing but it shows that there are all kinds of people in this world. It was a quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed it, which is what happens when I read almost all of Nora Roberts books.

I always read a Nora Roberts book. She writes great characters and the setting always seems as if you are there. This book started a tad slow but quickly picked up. I really enjoyed it. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Nora Roberts is one of my always-buy authors. Her thrillers hold my interest from beginning to end. In Hidden Nature there’s just enough romance to distract me for a while, then the evil plot of twisted people interrupts and invades the otherwise normal story. Glad I read it! Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nora Roberts has a new thriller coming out on May 27, 2025. I was lucky enough to receive a copy from @netgalley and @stmartinspress to review.
First of all, I really like this cover. It instantly caught my eye, I’m always into a splash of purple flowers.
As for the book itself, it did not take me long to read because I couldn’t put it down. I am a Nora Roberts fan and have been since I was a teenager, and her books are always one to two sitting reads for me because I can never stop.
Natural resources officer Sloan Cooper was coming home from a shift with her partner Joel when she accidentally walked into a robbery. Shot in the chest her life would be saved, but not before having to be shocked back to life on the operating table. Sent home to her parents to recover she does her best to get her strength back. While recovering a local case of a missing woman catches her attention. And then another two catch her eye as well. With seemingly nothing in common the cases are unsolved and nag at Sloan. And as more people go missing she knows she needs to find the link and put an end to this.
I am a light thriller reader, I don’t want to be terrified while reading. Roberts thrillers always hit the sweet spot for me with enough mystery and suspense to keep my attention but not so much I can’t get through it.
#bookstagrammer #bookreader #bookrecommendations #bookreview #readersofinstagram #noraroberts #booklover #readmorebooks

Every spring I look forward to the new Nora Roberts mystery romance she releases. Alas this year's release, Hidden Nature, didn't work for me. There were too many plot holes, especially with the mystery component, that stopped me from fully enjoying it. The romance was a little too "insta like" for my personal taste. I did partially read and listen to Hidden Nature. While I enjoyed the narrator, it was hard at times to differentiate between characters and thus events happening, as some happen in different places with different people. Overall I don't see myself returning to this one in the future. I don't regret my time reading it, but it was just a mid book for me.

One of my favorite things is a brand new Nora Roberts book and chunks of weekend reading time. Hidden Nature did not disappoint! The romance was happy, the banter was cute and I enjoyed the mystery. As in the best NR books there's a loveable dog and entertaining family around the romance. Most importantly to me the pacing of the main characters was great even if the crimes were wrapped up right at the end. There was a definite ick factor to the mystery for me but this was a twist I wouldn't expect. I like being inside the head of both the "good and bad" guys like this even if I'm icked out. I did wonder how she was going to pull it together satisfactorily in the end -but she always does. Another win for NR and something to keep me happy until The Seven Rings comes out later this year. Thank you for this ARC!!

Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts is a mystery and women’s fictions with a romantic subplot. If you’re a Nora Roberts fan, this novel will hold up to her promise of characters who are strong from the start, conquering extraordinary situations while loving their normal everyday lives.

This story is told primarily from the female main character’s perspective, but is a multi POV novel. The villain’s POV is eerie, and a stark contrast from the other characters. While the heroes of this novel are level headed and don’t make many mistakes (as is typical for a Nora Roberts story), the villains in this story are interesting, meticulous, and creepy,

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced listening copy.

I'm pretty much down for anything Nora writes, but I especially love her rom/sus standalones.

I really liked Sloan and Nash. They're both smart and solid people with a loyalty to their family that was wonderful to read. Together they sort of fall into something, first from their shared passion for building and then more. This family of Sloan's is supportive and wonderful and I loved reading them all together.

Plot wise, it's so good. I enjoyed getting the POVs of the killers and how they saw things from their side. As always, it's a sort of slow meandering towards the ending, with all of the conflict and resolution in one chapter. The epilogue was short and sweet and exactly what I wanted for these two.

Overall, it was another strong story from Nora and by now I know she never disappoints.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

What do you do when her injured when you need to recuperate from being shot while on the job? You move into your parents house while you get better. This is what Sloan did. she interrupted robbery in progress while she works as a Natural Resource Officer.
However, she can only take so much boredom so she finds a case in investigate while she's at her parents house. She comes across a local woman's case so went missing. while investigating, she discovers that this case follows a pattern for multiple missing persons cases across multiple states.
While she investigate these cases, she keeps crossing paths with Nash, who recently moved to the area from New York. His younger brother, Theo decides to join him and move, too. Nash buys a Fixer upper and is renovating it with Theo. A relationship evolves between Nash and Sloan, and One evolves between Theo and Sloan's sister Drea.

They all begin talking about the case that Sloan is so engrossed in and everyone decides to help out. Nash quickly realizes that Sloan will do whatever it takes to solve this case.

The Romance, setting, character development, mystery and suspense were all top-notch in Hidden Nature. The word building was great, too. Nora Robert's use of dreams to bring vision to the story was phenomenal.

A big thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

expected publication May 27,2025