⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ love Nora Robert’s romantic suspense books. This one was interesting as there are similarities with some of her other novels and series. Specifically it reminds me of the Inn of Boonsboro with Brothers owning a renovating business. Also, Sloan is like a modern day Eve with similarities in speaking style and being proud of bench pressing more than her weight. I also loved Theo and Dana’s relationship and the contrast with Sloan and Nash.

The two things I wasn’t crazy about were the villains POV was ick. I cringed when reading. Also, as with her more recent suspense novels, the relationship takes place over many months, so we don’t get to witness the relationship develop in a somewhat normal time span. I do wish she’d go back to having the relationship follow a closer timeline so we can see it develop vs. jumping all over.

That being said, I did really enjoy the story and finished in less than 24 hrs.

This was a good book with some romance and mystery. I would love to check out Heron's Rest in real life; it sounds so beautiful. Sloan is one brave and relentless woman. The book is set in three parts, and all are fun to read. Pick this book up if you want a mystery and some romance.

Nora has a way of creating bad ass and straight forward female characters. Sloan is no joke, she gets shot, almost dies, and while she is recovering people are going missing, she thinks they are all connected, and she’s right. But little does she know that she might also be connected to the madness. This book was typical Nora Roberts, and I was hooked, we can’t leave behind the romance.

I love a book that features a strong, independent woman. Hidden Nature is just that. Sloan Cooper was in the wrong place at the wrong time. After she is shot during a robbery in progress, she nearly loses her life and has to be brought back multiple times. She does survive and heads home to recouperate. While staying with her parents, she gets to know Nash Littlefield, the new neighbor. She also learns what it truly means to be down and out. I loved watching Sloan fight back to her full capabilities. Her recovery process was inspiring and felt so real. Her family is wonderfully supportive, and the setting in Heron's Rest was rejuvenating.

While at home, Sloan notices a pattern of missing people and cannot help but investigate. Nash also joins in with the intrigue and theories. The juxtaposition of the quiet life Sloan was working towards and the suspense interwoven was great. The villains in this story are super creepy and will have you looking forward to their eventual demise. While Sloan is the definite focus of the story, I really enjoyed all the other characters. They really added to the vibes for this book. Since finishing, I keep finding myself thinking I wish there was more to read. I really enjoyed it.

This is a review of the audiobook.

This book was painfully boring; especially for a romantic suspense. There was much more focus on home renovations and long walks than on unresolved murders/disappearances. I don't mind a slow buildup or background information, but there was too much needless filler. Honestly, if this had not been a review copy, I would have not have finished it.

Nora has been one of my go to favs for years, and her RS of the 2010s rank among some of my favs. Sadly, this will be my last new RS from her for the foreseeable future. As I looked back, every RS she has written since 2019 I have ranked 2 to 2.5 STARS.

Natural Resources officer, Sloan Cooper, is recovering at her parents’ home after getting shot in conjunction with her job. While recovering from her injury, Sloan learns that people in her area are disappearing. She starts looking into similar disappearances in the surrounding area and begins putting together pieces that local law enforcement has missed.

With drama, suspense, and a steamy romance, this is quintessential Roberts. With flavors of an Eve Dallas police procedural, a riveting storyline, and a satisfying romance, this one is sure to please any reader.

Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts is an incredible romantic suspense I loved.
Such a great murder mystery!

This is an engaging murder mystery. Characters are well developed and realistic. There were some unexpected twists, which I appreciated. Sloan is easy to root for, intelligent, and independent. There is a romance angle, but, thankfully, it's not overpowering.

I absolutely love and adore Nora Roberts stories....usually. This one did not WOW me. Part of it was the cringing I felt myself doing every time Sam and Clara were on the page. Seriously disturbed people obviously but every time she called him "doll", I nearly lost my mind. The story was good overall but I think the dialogue just sat weird for me and I felt like I was reading this book forever and it just wasn't ending. I loved the brothers and the strong Cooper family ties. Also, I want to spend a week at All the Rest (less the serial killers of course). 3.5 stars

Really good!

I enjoyed this stand-alone book by Nora Roberts. I'm glad to find one where she has moved away from the sci-fi/romantasy genre and back to romantic suspense. I loved the Heron's Rest setting, sounds like a small town I'd love to visit on vacation. I would definitely want to stay at Sloan's family's resort, sounds perfect!

I liked the way that Sloan and Nash's relationship grew slowly. Sloan is a very strong female main character, and even when she was hurt on the job as a Natural Resources Police officer, she gritted through it and came out stronger for it. She's a good detective, and skilled at putting together the clues to help the team discover who is abducting strangers who have only 1 link in common - being revived after losing their lives.

Good mystery, good characters. Strong family ties. Small town. Recommend!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

HIDDEN NATURE - Nora Roberts

SUSPENSE TO THE MAX! - 5 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, walked into a robbery in progress and found her world changing with a serious injury. After being shocked back to life on the operating table, she has a long recovery ahead, so she moves back to her parents’ peaceful house in Heron’s Rest. She may be down, but she’s not out. So when a woman vanishes, leaving her car behind in a supermarket parking lot, Sloan searches online for similar cases. She finds them, spread across three states. Men and women, old and young—the missing seem to have nothing in common. And the abductions keep happening. Luckily, the new man in her life shares her passion for solving this mystery. But it will take every ounce of endurance to get to the dark heart of this bizarre case—and she's willing to risk her life again if that's what it takes to stop the horror.

Writing - 5 stars - Roberts has the ability to capture my attention right from the first page, keeping me captivated throughout.

Characters - 5 stars - This is where the story shone for me. Sloan Cooper is a Natural Resources Police officer, which is something I knew little about, and I enjoyed learning more. She is strong, determined, and part of a loving family. Nash is one of two tall, dark, and handsome brothers who has moved into a neighboring house and are rehabbing it while starting to build a Fix-It Brothers business. He is also organized and interested, plus he fits in with the Cooper strong-willed philosophy. They make a cute couple, with plenty of witty banter and sweet kindnesses. Secondary characters of sister Drea and brother Theo, as well as parents Elsie and Dean, all add depth to the family (and thus the story). We also learn a lot about the bad guys, seeing much of the story from their point of view. This was intriguing and added a whole other level of awareness and suspense.

Title - 5 stars - I like how the title plays on the word "nature" since it refers to both human nature and the actual world of nature that Sloan loves.

Cover - 4.5 stars - The dark cove, with a spider's web, is intriguing and sets the tone for the story, but it is not striking in any way. I've seen the audio cover featuring woods and a reflective lake that was much more eye-catching, in my opinion.

Overall - 5 stars - As always, Roberts captured my attention right from the first page and kept me captivated until the end. The characters are wonderful, and I was rooting for them all the way. Sloan is a Natural Resources Police officer--I didn't really know what that was, so it was interesting to learn more about it. When she is shot in the line of duty, we struggle with her through her slow progress and her reintegration into her strong family unit. Loved her sister Drea, as well as parents Elsie and Dean--all strong people with hearts of gold. Hard workers, caring, but with a deep understanding of each other. Enter the Littlefield brothers, guys who bought a neighboring house and are rehabbing it, along with starting a Fix-It Brothers business. They are tall, dark, and handsome (of course), but they are also dependable and sweet, and they fit right in with the Cooper family. The bad guys are horrible, but on the outside they seem normal, which makes them even more terrifying. The mystery built up little by little until I had to keep taking breaks at the end because the suspense was at a fever pitch for me. With this being a standalone book, all characters were susceptible to disaster, unlike a series book where the main characters usually return in the next book. Very exciting until the very end, with plenty of witty banter and warm conversations throughout. Another winner from Roberts!

Nora Roberts is my automatic buy read author!!
This one delivers with suspense, a bit of romance, and kept me feverishly turning the pages while cautioning myself to slooooow down my reading because there’s only so many NR books a year!!
I didn’t listen to myself and tore through this one!!

This book moved really slow for me. I liked the creepiness/mystery and romance of this book, just wished it moved faster.

There’s just something about the comfort of reading one of Nora Roberts romantic suspense novels. Her pacing is steady, allowing her to build the characters back stories and allow the reader the time to really connect with and care for the characters, but she also develops the romance at that same pace. The two plots don’t outdo each other but rather complement each other so that moving from the romance to the mystery doesn’t distract from the other but rather adds to it. I loved that especially about Hidden Nature.

Sloan’s rehab from her wounds gives the reader a great gage of her head space. She’s exhausted, then frustrated, then angry, then resolved and we’re along for the ride with each of those feelings. When she’s finally ready to embrace those romantic feelings for Nash the reader is brought along seemlessly into those new emotions and is ready for Sloan to feel better, so begins to root for their romance and for Nash to jump on the we love Sloan bandwagon. Of course, he does, and that part of the story feels very natural.

The hardest part for me to read was from the killer’s point of view. Of course, it’s natural to feel uncomfortable, but I kind of wished for a little less of them and more of Sloan and Nash. That’s my only criticism of a really solid novel.

Love the story! Nora Roberts writes the best small town family drama with a great mix of mystery, romance, and the supernatural. And both main characters have interesting jobs in this story.

A strong heroine coming back from a devastating injury, a handsome hero who is good with his hands, lots of home renovation, loving family members, a few adorable dogs, and villains who must be stopped – Hidden Nature has all the hallmarks of a classic Nora Roberts romantic suspense. I’ve been a fan of Nora Roberts for decades so it pains me to say that as much as I wanted to love this book, it isn’t up to her usual standards.

Sloan and Nash are likable protagonists. Sloan is recovering from a gunshot wound when she comes home to Heron’s Rest and she is determined to get her strength back. Roberts’s newsletter revealed that her starting point for this book was learning about the Natural Resources Police Department and honestly seeing Sloan’s job was one of the more interesting parts of the story. Nash left the high-powered world of Wall Street to become a contractor in Heron’s Rest. He’s strong and guarded, but incredibly kind and very supportive of his younger brother. Separately, our hero and heroine are entertaining, which is good because it takes quite a while for them to meet. Together, they are a solid couple whose romance is understated and honestly could use a bit more time and attention. The story dragged a bit until things started picking up with them so more time with the romance would have perked things up. And while I do love home renovation and have enjoyed it in many a Nora Roberts novel, it took over this story way too much for my liking.

Another couple is at the heart of Hidden Nature and that’s the villains, Clara and Sam. They are, in a word, creepy. Their mission is horrible and I didn’t love reading about it over and over when it didn’t feel like much new was added in the repetition. It felt like they had as much page time as Nash and Sloan, which just didn’t work for me (but your mileage may vary). Hidden Nature isn’t bad, but having read and loved the majority of Roberts’s work, it just doesn’t compare.

After surviving a near death experience, Natural Resources police officer Sloan Cooper returns to the small town of Heron’s Rest to recuperate under her family’s care. While she convalesces she becomes intrigued by a missing persons case and as more people begin to go missing she suspects a pattern that leaves her as a potential victim. With the help of her handsome neighbor and love interest, Nash, Sloane will do whatever it takes to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Thanks, Nora, for giving me yet another reason to be afraid to leave my house.

I found this book to be both delightfully romantic and deeply unsettling. As usual, I was captivated by Roberts’s eloquent but straightforward writing. I appreciated Sloan’s strength and independence when faced with adversity, yet there’s a touching vulnerability she and Nash share when they’re together that made their romance all the sweeter. The small town setting and supportive found family dynamic were the perfect foundation to build that romance upon.

Check this one out if you like small town thrillers with a found family vibe and HEA ending. Pairs well with a bottle of beer on the patio with your favorite canine companion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My first Nora Roberts book and now I need to nose dive into the rest. The story telling is SO GOOD.
I felt like there was a movie in my mind. There was so many things going on, this book could be for anyone. Romance, mystery, thriller, a bit of paranormal. Great read! ✨

Nora Roberts is the queen of romantic mystery!!!!!!!!!!! I love all of her books and this one does not disappoint readers.

I enjoy Nora Roberts' fantasy trilogies, and I enjoy her writings as JD Robb, but to me the best writing Ms Roberts does is the stories like Hidden Nature. Character is on a good life path, but then something tragic happens and sometimes changes the protectory of their life, but they work to overcome it and life seems to be better in the end. I like following the story knowing that we'll have a happy ending at the end.

Sloan is a perfect main character for this setup. She seems to have her life set up and then she gets shot. She works hard to overcome, but continues to have setbacks. Eventually she heals and finds her purpose along the way. Drea, Theo, and Nash are great complimentary characters to Sloan's story. I loved Theo and Nash's story as well and am happy they found a place/family where they belong. I do think a prologue would have been fun, but also like where the story ended.