🎧 Audiobook +📗 E-book: Hidden Nature - a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Nora Roberts-I've read The Lost Bride trilogy 5*

📃Page Count: 448

📅Publication date: 5-27-25 | Read: 5-27-25

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 14:30

🌎 Setting: Maryland-Heron's Rest

👆🏾POV: 3rd person multiple

Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Suspense, Romance

Tropes: atmospheric-snowy woods, criminal investigation, love at 1st sight -not H/h

⚠️TW: h shot, serial killers

🗣️Narrator: January LaVoy voices all the characters with standouts from Sloan, Nash, and Theo. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.


Summary: After capturing three men who went on a killing spree, Sloan is shot at a minimart after a robbery. She requires rest and physical therapy which she finds hard to do because she's used to her job. When a missing person sparks her interest, she starts making connections in other deaths in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Nash does renovations with Sloan's father's rental property business. Together Sloan and Nash work together when Sloan becomes a target.


👩🏾 Heroine: Sloan Cooper- National Resources Police officer

👨🏾 Hero: Nash Littlefield-a contractor, just moved to Maryland w/ new business "The Fix-It Brothers"

🎭 Side Characters:
*Joel Warren + Sari-Sloan's partner and his pregnant wife
*Clara + Sam-the bad guys
*Elsie and Dean Cooper-Sloan's parents
*Drea-Sloan's sister
*Theo Littlefield-Nash's brother
*Pets: Mop-Sloan's family dog and Nash's new puppy Tick

🤔 My Thoughts: This started slow focusing on Sloan's injury and rehab. I didn't mind her family's overprotectiveness that Sloan fought because she was used to being in charge. The secondary couple Theo and Drea were sweet because Theo was in love at first sight. I didn't care about Clara and Sam even though they were psycho killers. Overall, I liked it for the romances and Sloan's family, but not my favorite.

*Spice: 4/5 🌶️
*Emotion: 5/5 🥲
*Couple: 4/5 🧑‍🤝‍🧑
*Rating: 4/5 ⭐

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Nora Roberts for this ARC & ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts is one remarkable romance suspense novel.
I found myself totally absorbed in this compelling and intriguing story .
The suspense was brilliantly done, and never felt over the top.
Excellent plotting, dialogue, relationship and character development throughout the story.
From beginning to end I thoroughly enjoyed
this story. And for this to be my first NR read what feels like forever I’m very happy. And I’m looking forward to reading more of her stand-alone novels.

This book was so good. It was a reminder of how many sick, twisted people there are in this world.

The reader knew all the pieces of the puzzle – who was doing it, how it was done, and the reason why. The mystery came in on how Sloan was able to make the connection from that one missing person case that caught her attention to all the other cases as well as trying to figure out who the perpetrators were. It was suspenseful wondering if they would be caught before another victim went missing.

But the story wasn’t all mystery and mayhem; we also got to meet Sloan’s family as well as the new neighbors. There may even be a love connection or two between the two families.

I really enjoyed this one. I was very curious how this one was going to end and I was not disappointed.

Hidden Nature has some classic Nora Roberts elements that makes it so enjoyable and fulfilling to read. There is depth to the characters and the backstory, and I love the details and the slow build that she writes so well. There was a moment where I was impatient for Sloan and Nash to meet, but truly the slower pacing really helped build tension and it made so much sense for the story. This is romantic suspense done right, where there are moments of horrible/disturbing mystery, but there is depth in the romance that goes much beyond the surface level. I also appreciate that Sloan and Nash are both written maturely and feel like true "adults." The family and friends are all great additions and woven into the story well. Highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

Honestly, Nora Roberts can do no wrong! This book was so good. What a great romantic suspense. The characters were wonderful, the plot was well-written, the pace was excellent.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

If you know me at all, you know Nora Roberts was my first love in the romance genre, and this book is no exception to my love for all her stories.
The romance has the perfect amount of tension, Sloan is a badass, and the way her family adopts everyone is my favorite.
I will always be in awe of how when you’re reading a Nora book, you KNOW it’s a Nora book.
Absolutely 100% recommend for romantic thriller fans.

I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own, and a review was not required.

Sloan and her partner were returning from a case as natural resources police when they stopped at a convenience store right during a robbery. Sloan was shot by a nervous gunman and was so close to losing her life. She reluctantly moves back to her parents home in Heron's Rest to recover. Weak and bored, she hears news coverage about a missing woman and decides to investigate in her own. She finds several missing persons cases scattered about nearby but can't seem to find a link been them. When she's finally well enough to work, she takes a promotion to stay close to her family and buys a fixer-upper home and meets Nash, one of the Fix-It Brothers. As they spend more time together, Nash also becomes interested in the case. And the tie between victims means Sloan is in danger of becoming one of them.
Nora Roberts proves yet again she's the queen of romantic suspense. I love her characters (even the villains have plausible motives), the beautiful setting, the pacing is great making it hard to put down, the family atmosphere, and a great balance between action and romance. I loved this book and can't wait for the next one!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

I always look forward to this time of year and Nora Roberts' standalone contemporary fiction title.

Hidden Nature was a bit different for me because I didn't fall into the story like I usually do. It took a few chapters for my attention to be properly captured.

Once this happened, there was no holding back, and I devoured Hidden Nature.

As I've come to expect and love, the characters, their relationships, the dialogue, AND an amazing story that is crafted so beautifully are en pointe.

Ultimately, this is another winner from Nora Roberts, and I look forward, as always, to upcoming titles.

#1 NYT bestselling author Nora Robert (favorite) is back with her latest novel of suspense, HIDDEN NATURE —featuring Sloan Cooper a natural resources police officer who is driven and tenacious, taking on a pair of twisted killers for an action-packed suspense thriller that will keep you turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning.

A second chance at life can be DEADLY.
Disturbing, engrossing, and adrenaline-pumping!

About...

Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, and her partner had just taken down a trio of men who spent most of the fall harassing, robbing, and assaulting hikers on the Western Maryland mountains. Two brothers and their father.

After a three-day operation, they were all in custody and hoped they would have a pleasant, extended stay in federal prison to consider the error of their ways.

Sloan is intense, driven, and buttoned-down, whereas her partner Joel is easygoing, does the job, and goes home. They trained together and aimed for the Criminal Investigative Bureau. She was from a small town in the western mountains, and he was raised in DC. Despite their different personalities, they make a great team.

However, as they are driving back, she pulls into a convenience store and in the middle of a robbery in progress. It happened so quickly. She was shot and had to be shocked back to life on the operating table with a long recovery. Her life changed before her eyes. She died and came back alive.

Her boyfriend dumps her via a text while in the hospital, and she decides to move back to her parents' home in Heron's Rest to recuperate. Of course, she cannot stay in bed, PT and her parents hovering, even though she is still in pain.

Their family has a business (third generation). All the Rest has cabin rentals, cottages, lake houses, boats, canoes, and paddleboards at Heron's Rest deep in the mountains and centered by Mirror Lake for those who want a quieter stay.

However, when a woman vanishes, leaving her car behind in a supermarket parking lot. She begins searching for similar cases. She finds mysterious missing people across three states. Men and women, old and young—the missing seem to have nothing in common. (Or do they?) And the abductions keep happening.

From Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Amid the investigation, she meets a new man who shares her love of life and mysteries, Nash Littlefield. Two brothers. Two sisters.

Due to the connection, they may be coming after her next! Her life is in danger once again.

My thoughts...

Get ready for the ride of your life in this scorching, action-packed, cop procedural and romantic suspense thriller. A solid story with well-written characters, a courageous, determined protagonist, and a twisty plot that keeps readers engaged.

Roberts does a great job balancing gentle romance with high-tension suspense. The twists and turns keep the reader on the edge of their seat as they will not want to put the novel down.

I adore Nora Roberts' writing, her books, and her characters! HIDDEN NATURE features a highly relatable Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, with an intriguing job —a dedicated, tenacious, and resourceful investigator (in a man's world). Her journey is one that many of us can empathize with. I always enjoy her books about courageous women.

Emotional, intense, and engrossing!

The novel delves into the minds of the killers, revealing their twisted motivations and the heinous crimes they commit for a chilling suspense thriller.

The author's skillful storytelling and twisty plot keep the reader on the edge, eager to see how Sloan will unravel the mystery and bring the culprits to justice. She must save the next person on the list before it is too late.

The author's characterization and vivid descriptions of the area and the creepy bad guys draw you in with intensity. The relationships with family members and the love interest give it a warm, cozy feel, providing a comforting balance to the dark suspense that Roberts is known for with her winning classic signature style.

I hope we hear from Sloan Cooper again in future books! I'm excited to see where her journey takes her next.

Audiobook...

Oh, my, the audiobook was fantastic! January LaVoy is one of my all-time favorite narrators and was thrilled to see she was performing! She is a superstar for all voices, which elevated the book and made the characters come alive. I could not put it down! What a performance, captivating and engaging. I highly recommend the audiobook.

When you join Nora Roberts and January LaVoy, you have a match made in heaven! Roberts and LaVoy fans will devour HIDDEN NATURE. A listen in one sitting.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, #MacAudio2025, and Netgalley for an ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: May 27, 2025
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Wow! What a start to a story! Sloan is one of the most interesting characters I've recently read. I love her way of thinking and her compulsion for organization. As always, the characters in the story are well developed and interesting. I really liked Nash and his story for starting over in Sloan's hometown. The cases Sloan investigates are disturbing and intriguing. I enjoyed the pace that the story was told. And while we the readers knew who was behind the missing persons cases, the mystery unfolded well as Sloan worked the cases. Another winner of a story. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Nora Roberts is an auto buy author for me and I loved her latest novel, Hidden Nature. This is a bit different from her usual romance books, but definitely a book worth reading and adding to your bookshelf! As usual the characters are well developed and the pacing is good. Sloan's character was easy to connect with and following her life after trauma was engaging. There are plot twists and turns in the last few chapters that really pull it all together.

Read this book if you love light suspense, murder/mystery, with a dash of romance. I really think this book has something for everyone.

I listened to the audiobook in conjunction with reading the book. The narration by January LaVoy was wonderful as always!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this book and audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Excellent romantic suspense in classic Nora Roberts style. Great characters and plenty of twists and edge of your seat tension. I flew through the book and can't wait to reread it to see what I missed the first time.
Highly recommend.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

If romantasy (a blend of “romance” and “fantasy”) is the hot new thing in genre fiction right now, then I think romanstery (“romance” and “mystery”) should also be a thing. And Nora Roberts has just written a fine exemplar in Hidden Nature, which is coming out in a couple of days. Of course, it’s worth noting that not only does Eleanor Marie Robertson Wilder have lots of experience writing romances with strong female leads under her Nora Roberts pen name, including many with law enforcement or crime elements, she also has written sixty-one successful mysteries under another pen name, JD Robb. So it makes sense that she’d do a great job combining the two.

The protagonist of Hidden Nature is an officer in the Natural Resources Police, whose mandate is mostly education and enforcement of laws and regulations relating to, well, natural resources. But the NRP are also sworn peace officers and when Sloan walks in on a convenience store robbery, she is shot and almost dies. Stuck on medical leave, she temporarily moves back to her hometown, and in her spare time (you can only do so much physical therapy), she picks up crocheting. But she also picks up – informally – the case of a young wife who has disappeared while making Thanksgiving dinner. What follows is a very nice investigation, as Sloan first finds similarities to other recent missing-persons cases, and eventually realizes that she has identified a previously undetected serial killer(s). I’m a huge fan of police procedurals, and Hidden Nature is a great one – I was able to follow along and enjoy the blend of legwork and insight as Sloan and colleagues figure things out.

Of course, for there to be a romanstery, there also has to be a romance, and Hidden Nature has a slow-burn one that develops right alongside the investigation. Neither Nash nor Sloan were looking for someone at this point in their lives, but they click, and readers get to enjoy the result. Although I’ve been a fan of the JD Robb/Eve Dallas series for years, I’m a bit of a late-comer to Nora Roberts’ books, and so I was very happy to read a nice blend of the two. Even if no one else is calling them romansteries…

I do have one minor issue with Hidden Nature: there is a definite “ick factor” to the murders that felt unnecessary, since the basic motive was strong (and warped) enough on its own. You’ll know it when you read it and I definitely could have done without it. However, I was able to mostly skip over those bits, and which were more like occasional fingernails on a chalk board. I thought about knocking off half-a-star for the ickiness, but since it's largely ignorable, and since the rest of the story is great, I rounded up to 5 stars. And finally, my thanks go to St Martins and NetGalley for my advance review copy.

Hidden Nature was such a great mix of suspense, emotion, and romance.
Sloan Cooper is a strong and relatable main character who’s recovering from a life changing injury. I really liked how the story showed her healing process while slowly pulling her into a mystery involving multiple disappearances.
The pacing started a little slow, but once it picked up, I couldn’t stop listening. The change in point of view kept things interesting and added a lot of tension.
Nora Roberts did a great job creating believable characters and a creepy mystery, and the chemistry between Sloan and Nash felt natural and well-developed.
The narration by January LaVoy was excellent, each character had a distinct voice and she really brought the story to life. If you like thrillers with just the right amount of romance, this one’s worth a listen. Another solid read from my all time favourite author.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

Hidden Nature is another amazing Nora Roberts book.
It keeps you engrossed until the end.
Sloan moves back near her parents after she gets shot in a gas station robbery. While healing she decides to take a job closer to home. Nash & his brother move from Amy to start a new business together and earn business from Sloan’s family.
Although Sloan no longer works in the criminal investigation field the missing people she has heard about peak her interest and keep her busy in her free time.
This book is full of family, love, and new beginnings. I’ve been a Nora Roberts fan for years and this is probably one of my new favorites of all time.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for a copy for my opinion.

Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts is not what I expected. I was looking forward to reading a gripping suspense story with a touch of romance. Hidden Nature had a good start, but it went downhill from there. Chapter after chapter is devoted to Sloan’s recovery (how many steps she walked, what she ate, her nightmares, etc.). There is a chapter where we get to meet the bad guys and hear about their latest kill. Then the story dives into the romance category. The rest of the story was flatter than a failed souffle. The pacing was so slow that I saw snails waving as they zoomed by me. I also felt that the book was too long (441 pages). I kept hoping the tension would be recaptured, but it was not. I was turned off by all the foul language which was unnecessary, and I never warmed up to Sloan. I loved Mop, the Cooper family dog who was fond of snow. I have been reading Ms. Roberts’ books since her first release when I was a tween, and Hidden Nature felt like it was written by someone else. While Hidden Nature was not for me, I will continue to read Nora Roberts’ new novels in the hope that she will regain her mojo.

A gritty and twisted mystery that will have you turning the pages until the exciting end! An unexpected stop finds Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, shot and fighting for her life. She believes that she died, briefly, but is eager to get back to work. Staying with her parents to recover, she begins investigating the disappearance of a woman who was making dinner, briefly left the house, and never returned. Finding her car abandoned, there was no sign of her. Checking on other missing persons in the surrounding states, she finds others who have gone missing and were never found. Are they separate cases or connected in some way? Back at work, she investigates each missing person as to anything they had in common. Learning about a man who was just reported missing, who may have been cheating on his wife, did he abandon his family? When she believes that she is being followed by someone, someone who looks familiar, she has finally been able to detect one specific similarity between the missing…a similarity that she shares with them. Another man has just been reported missing…will they find him before it is too late? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

Hidden Nature
By Nora Roberts

Nash has simplified his life. His choice to leave the hustle and bustle of New York City for the quiet solitude of Herons Rest, MD has opened up his life to happiness. Bonus, his brother joined him and together they are building something, literally with a new business that brings them both contentment. The town has embraced them for their skills and the timing couldn't have been better.
Sloan is back home recovering from a gunshot wound. She has a long recovery again, but she's strong and determined. When she gets word about a possible abduction she starts digging. It's what she's trained to do as an officer of the Natural Resource police. (Yes, I looked out up, this is a real thing.) The more she looks the pieces start to come together and the picture is bigger than expected.
But while this is something she's focused on in her spare time, so much more good is happening in her life. The job, her family, and one amazing man who is perfect for her.

This isn't a who done it, you know from pretty early on and Ms. Roberts does a great job of showing the crazy that exists in our world.

Hidden Nature, the latest stand-alone book by Nora Roberts, has got to be my favorite book that she's written. Our main character, Sloan Cooper, is a Natural Resources police officer, who after a good day taking down some really bad guys, has a freak encounter that changes her life.

While home with her parents recovering, Sloan meets Nash Littlefield, the new guy in town. He's fixing up a broken down house with his brother Theo, and they've decided to go into business together as handymen. Sloan and Nash soon hit it off.

When people begin to turn up missing, Sloan can't help but get involved but there's nothing in common between the missing. We eventually learn what common experience is among the missing and of the twisted plot to kidnap and kill the missing.

This book kept me guessing what was going to happen next and the characters were extremely likeable. I highly recommend Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts.

Wow. I got nothing. This was pretty awful. I don't even know what the point of this one was. It was so lackluster. Things happen, serial killers run about Maryland, and then more things happen. The book ends. I honestly wish that Roberts would just write a straight up thriller and ditch the romance. You can see her heart is not in it much anymore. Her latest romantic suspense novels have felt drab.

"Hidden Nature" follows Sloan Cooper. She's a Natural Resources police officer (and no I am not looking that up) working in Maryland. Sloan and her partner pull over and then the next thing she knows, she's shot, interrupting a store robbery. Sloan though has a near death experience, comes back to life, and has to figure out what is next for her. She becomes engrossed with a missing woman's case and starts to work it. The romantic counterpart to Sloan is Nash Littlefield. Nash moves from New York to Maryland and decides to start a handyman business with his brother Theo. FYI, Sloan has a sister named Drea. There is a younger brother named Theo. You know where this is going right? The book follows Sloan as she works the case and deals with the non-existent sparks she has with Nash.

Honestly, this was boring. So much boring. Sloan is barely developed, Nash was not developed at all. Drea and Theo were a waste of time and plot.

The bad guy(s) in this one were just a mess and a half. The reasoning behind the kidnapping and murders made zero sense and that's that. Also, as someone else pointed out, Roberts spent more time developing the bad guy(s) then the actual heroine and hero.

The plot was barely there. And the flow was awful. We followed the book through all four seasons I think and it felt like I experienced it. The book just drags.

I think it's been a bit since Roberts has set a book in Maryland, but honestly everything felt very drab. I don't know. There was no spark in this book at all.

The ending was a shrug.

The book eventually ended. I got to move onto another book.