Fans of Nora Roberts, of which I am one, know that she excels at deeply layered stories full of threads to pull and side paths to explore while leading us on our main journey. “Hidden Nature” is no exception.
The main journey, primarily, is watching our heroine, Sloan Cooper, solve the case of the abductions across the area. Along the way, we get to know Sloan, both who she was when we meet — a highly trained law enforcement officer who loves her job — and where she came from as we watch her return to her parents’ home to recover.
Roberts’ tales are told closer to real time. “Hidden Nature” is not a tale that rushes us from one scene to the next to wrap everything up in one week. Those books can be great fun. But Roberts delights in adding details, descriptions, dialogue and action where we the readers can enjoy the “ride-along.”
Sloan is a person I would like to know, and Roberts lets me do that. I admired how Sloan overcame her injuries and setbacks and prepared herself for a new chapter of her career. Along the way, I saw how she fit with her family, which explains how she was able to move away for her job.
I enjoyed meeting Theo and Nash Littlefield, new neighbors who are renovating a cabin at the lake. Watching Nash and Sloan together was so enjoyable, especially when they are talking through Sloan’s case.
Even the glimpses of the villain were fascinating. At one point I realized I sort of liked them. If we met in real life, I’d think they were a bit eccentric but not be alarmed. I rarely identify with “the bad guy.”
“Hidden Nature” was a wonderful read for me that kept me hooked. Its pace was a comfortable hike up in a national park rather than a sprint up a mountain.

After being hurt on the job as a Natural Resource Officer, Sloan goes home to recover. But then a woman vanishes, and Sloan can't let go of the case. As she slowly puts the pieces together, we realize that she is also in danger. Will she find the person responsible before that person finds her?

Enjoyable, well written, although the subject matter was a little disturbing.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

More police procedural with less of Eve's personal life. I missed the interaction with Eve's friends, but still an interesting read.

I loved this! I think I've read pretty much every NR book ever, more than once. I was a little surprised at the actions of the antagonist(s), but I really enjoyed this story. The relationships are, as always, the center and the heart of the book and it was a solid thriller with a great motive for the bad guys.
Thank you, as always, to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the chance to read this book!

I love Nora Roberts. Love her. This book was a good one. It starts out a little slow, interesting still, but slow. That being said, once things get moving it sucked me in and I couldn’t put it down. The slow build was necessary to the plot. I enjoyed the duel stories that collide in the end. This is set around a cute little town and a sweet family while flashing over to a truly demented set of villains. Very well done.

This was really good. I've never heard of a natural resource officer. I loved that it's a mystery with a romance all in one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

First off a big thank you to the publisher for the invite to read Nora Roberts new book, and for helping me to keep giving her a try as this writer, it did take me a while to get into the story , and while it wasn't the book it's self ,it was the writing style, for some unknown reason I keep having trouble getting into her books when she writes under Nora Roberts but when it's a book that she wrote under J D Robb I have no trouble at all, the story line was interesting as was the Premise of it , and in a way it was also kind of creepy , if this was a series , I might pick it up to read more of . Because I did like the interaction between the main character and her family as well as the interaction between her and the main male character.

This book had one of the more twisted suspense conceits I have seen in awhile. I think I would have enjoyed more scenes of Sloane doing her actual job, but I understand that had to take a backseat to some of the darker stuff that was driving the plot. I enjoyed the supporting characters and the secondary romance a lot, and the crazy was really well-done. It gave me a few very ick moments, and that's when you know something like that went for it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's copy of this book. This is also is a standalone novel which is also great because then your not thrown into a series you have no understanding of because you haven't read the other books.

Natural Resource Police Officer, Sloan Cooper and her partner during duty have just taken down three men preying on hikers in the western Maryland mountains. On the way back they pulled into a convenience store, they ended up walking into a robbery in the progress. A gunshot from one anxiety ridden gunman could change her world. After being shocked back to life on the operating table, she has a long recovery ahead of her, so she moves in for a short while into her parents peaceful home in Heron's Rest. As for the boyfriend that dumped her via text while she was in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound, good riddance.

She may be down, but things are about to change for the better. When a women vanishes from her car without a trace, leaving her car behind in the supermarket parking lot, Sloan starts to look online for similar cases. She finds more, and they spread across three states. Men,Women, old and young they seem to have nothing in common. Abductions just keep on happening. The good thing for her is the new man in her life shares a passion for solving crimes. She is willing to risk her life again if that's what it takes to stop everything.

I enjoyed this book a lot. This is my first Nora Roberts book I do have another one on my shelf but that's more of a Christmas/romance book this was a mystery/ thriller. I did like some of the characters in this book. Nash wasn't my favourite person their was one scene I think they were in the kitchen of his house, and he was talking to Sloan and I just did not like the way he was talking to her, something about it just threw me off. This is one crazy book with some even crazier people, I was astonished as to what these people were doing to others. This is a suspenseful read cause I did wonder what would happen or when something would happen every single chapter which after awhile it got boring to anticipate what was happening so I gave up and just read the book. There was nothing really special about this book. It was entertaining.

I think the book could have gone without the serial killers plot line it was just weird and lowkey felt wrong reading it. Honestly they were also just really really crazy.

The thing I could have done without is the long chapters, I am the type of person that loves, loves short chapters so when you give me a long chapter I'll sit there for a little bit and contemplate my life. When the book has short chapters I feel like reading the book just fly's by and I feel so accomplished when there are short chapters. I hope everyone that reads this book enjoys it and they find it thrilling and interesting. Happy Reading!!!!!

I love when a mystery/thriller and romance branded book work - this worked!
Nora is a master at her craft for a reason and in Hidden Nature I was reminded why I love her and why I need to revisit her backlist...STAT

Actually my first Nora Robert’s book!! Wow I really liked it! I have picked up my Barnes and Nobel copy and I am so exited to read again one day! Now to start my Nora Robert collection!

Another Nora Roberts masterpiece! Nora writes such wonderful, well developed characters that make the story more interesting. The dynamics between Sloan and her family were sweet and so endearing! I can’t wait to purchase and reread!

NORA ROBERTS!!!!! She has done it again with her new book, "Hidden Nature". I swear she just keeps getting better with age. I can't say enough good things about her!

✨ Hidden Nature ✨

It had been SO LONG since I've read a book by Nora Roberts and this book reminded me why she has such a fanbase. Her books have such a great balance of romance, mystery, and suspense.

I loved the small town location of this book and how each part of the story layered together and led to a very exciting ending. Sloan, a Natural Resources police officer, is injured in a burglary and decided to return home to heal. While there, she stumbles across a missing persons case and begins to work it in her free time. She also meets the very handsome and handy Nash and begins to form a friendship that grows into more.

There were parts of this that felt a little slow for me and I found myself losing interest in the middle. I typically read romance, and wish there had been a little more of that in this book. Reading is so subjective though! If you are looking for a read with a touch of romance and more suspense, I think you would enjoy it. Overall, it was a good read. Not a favorite for me, but I'm glad I read it.


📚 Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Nora Roberts has always been one of my favorite authors. Another great book with lots of suspense and with a little romance thrown in. It's always good to be aware of your surroundings! You never know, it might just save a life! I loved all the details given about the houses, the scenery and the characters! If you get a chance read this book, I highly recommend it!!

4 stars – Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts is a well written suspense story with a bit of romance on the side. I just love the way Nora writes. She is so descriptive with each setting and character. It really makes the reader feel like they are present in the story and knows each character’s thoughts and actions.

While the story is very different from the “In Death” series by JD Robb (aka Nora Roberts) Sloan Cooper, the FMC in this novel, is like Lt. Eve Dallas of “In Death” fame. Very independent, intelligent, female police officers and focused on solving the murders at hand. I enjoyed this story and think most readers will too. My only concern is the length of the book. It was long – over 400 pages long – and that will turn off some readers or make them skim the pages to get to the end.

A big “Thank You” to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. This independent, honest review is happily shared.

Nora Roberts latest stand alone romantic suspense follows 3 different story lines. First we have Sloan, a police officer shot at a convenience store who returns to her childhood home so her parents and her sister can help her while she recovers. This home happens to be in a beautiful mountain setting where they have a collection of vacation cottages to maintain. We then have two brothers who have moved in nearby in a ramshackled home to restore it as well as start their Fix it brothers business. Last but not least we have a serial killer couple who kidnap people for reasons I wont spoil here.

So... If you are like me and have read everything Nora has written over the past decades both as herself and JD Robb, you may read that and think you know exactly what is going to happen, and you would be exactly correct. Never the less I still thoroughly enjoyed this story. The relationships between Sloan and her parents and sister as well as Sloan and her former partner and his wife are wonderful, the romantic relationships develop quickly but are very satisfying, and the serial killer story line is really creepy.

If you are looking for something new and groundbreaking you will want to skip this one, but if you are looking for traditional Nora romantic suspense with well drawn out characters and wonderful relationships, be sure to pick this one up.

Thank you to net galley and St. Martins Press for the e galley in return for an honest review.

I am a fan of Nora Roberts but slightly disappointed with this one. For me the story dragged on and on about her family/personal life and not enough about the actual crimes that were occurring. I had to force myself to keep reading as I was curious about the outcome. Great ending though.

Nora Roberts delivers another engaging romantic suspense novel with "Hidden Nature", blending family bonds, slow-burn romance, and a chilling mystery. Sloan Cooper, a determined Natural Resources Police officer recovering from a near-fatal shooting, finds herself drawn into a string of disappearances that stretch across multiple states. With the support of her close-knit family and the unexpected connection she builds with Nash Littlefield, Sloan refuses to back down, even if it means risking her life again.

One of the strongest aspects of this story is the rich family dynamic. The Cooper sisters and the Littlefield brothers create a heartwarming found-family element, with Sloan and Nash’s romance unfolding in a slow, rewarding burn. In contrast, Drea and Theo’s love story sparks instantly, adding a fun balance to the emotional depth. The way the Coopers welcome the Littlefields, who come from a difficult background, adds warmth, making the relationships just as compelling as the mystery.

The suspense is gripping, though the villainous subplot doesn’t fully land for me. The so-called "angels of death" have an unsettling twist, but I find myself more invested in the evolving relationships and the character-driven moments rather than the darker elements of the crime storyline.

Overall, "Hidden Nature" is a compelling read with strong characters, emotional depth, and well-developed romance. While the mystery element doesn’t fully hold my attention, the family connections and love stories make it well worth the read. Fans of Roberts' signature blend of romance and suspense will find plenty to enjoy!

Sloan has just solved a satisfying case in her role as a Natural Resource Officer. Three men who had been harassing hikers in the area. On the way back, they stop at a convenience store, only to interrupt a robbery.


When Sloan wakes up in hospital, her boyfriend has left her via text, and she has a lot of healing to do from her near death experience.


She moves in with her parents and meets a couple rehabbing a house.


A serial killer couple who are looking to send those people with near death experiences to a real death.


While I enjoyed the rehab storyline, the serial killer one was not good for me.




NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press May 27, 2025