3.5 stars rounded to 4.

I don't think I have ever been disappointed with a Nora Roberts romantic suspense, especially in audiobook form. The narrator was fantastic. Her character voicing was exceptionally done and at no point did the audio production ever pull me from the story.

That said, this book had two very distinct sections. The first 60% was very much a slice-of-life story of a woman's healing journey and finding her way after tragedy. I found Sloan to be one of my favourite FMCs I've read, having a very distinct character voice and motivations. There was dabbling of the suspense plot in the first 60% but it was by no means the primary focus. The first 60% also had the slow burn romance growing, though I don't think they even met until 30-40% (give or take). The 60% point onwards had a primary focus on the suspense plot and had a sense of urgency that wasn't found in the first 60%. If you jump into this hoping for a captivating romantic suspense, just know it will be a slow burn to get there.

There was also a high level of attention given to home renovations in this book. While it did lend to that slice-of-life feeling, it got quite heavy-handed. I kept wondering where these people were getting all this money to gut and redo entire homes on a single salary. Where I'm from, the renovations they were talking about would easily cost in the 6-figures and they were just doing them on a whim. Or there'd be a large project done as a surprise in a single day. It felt very unrealistic and it did hamper my enjoyment overall, which is unfortunate because every single home renovation discussed didn't lend itself to the plot in any way. It could have been removed entirely and I don't think the book would be altered in any meaningful way.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an advanced listener copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'm a sucker for a good Nora Roberts novel. The mystery/thriller element of this book was excellent, mostly because the unsubs were so so cringy. The romance element of the book was a little awkward at times but didn't take away from the read.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook, Sloan was such an interesting character to get to know and follow. She aids the local authorities in connecting the cases and discovering why the victims were taken. Without bodies there isn’t much for them to work with. The two killers were quite interesting and a bit creepy, which added so much to the story. The book was so well narrated by January LaVoy.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book prior to publication.

I have been reading Queen Nora Roberts for many years. Her standalones and trilogies are always incredible. This is easily my new favorite standalone. Five stars for this outstanding read!

Sloan Cooper is a Natural Resources police officer. She loves her family and her job. A stop at convenience store changes her life when she is shot and has to be brought back on the table.

Sloan returns home to recover with her family. She has a long road ahead of her, and a very supportive family. She decides to make some big changes in her life.

While she is recovering, she hears about a local woman who has disappeared without trace. Trying to keep her mind busy as she recovers, Sloan decides to do some digging.

I have so much to say about the perpetrators in this story. From the first read of them, I was so uneasy and creeped out by them. They might be the most frightening ones this author has written. I mean that as a compliment. They just made me so uneasy.

As always, the romance part of the story was incredible. I loved Nash and his brother Theo. The Coopers were amazing as well. This story had all of the hallmarks of a great Nora Roberts’s romantic suspense read.

Also, I always like how the author brings in dreams and visions to her story. That element adds so much to the story for me.

I love this author’s books on audio! January LaVoy does another incredible job of voicing all of the characters in the story, and her narration is incredible!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read/listen early. This one releases on May 27th - preorder it now. This one is fantastic!

Thank you to publisher and netgalley for review copy.

3.5 stars

Too much explaining the construction process of rebuild. Book could of been shorter, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Nora Robert’s is always a hit for me and this book did not disappoint. The narration was excellent. Sloan and her family worked their way into my heart and the mystery portion of the plot was different and kept me guessing. .

I'm a big fan of this kind of book setting. People hunting down local serial killers from sleuthing and making a solid romance on the side. However, we got an overabundance of mundane dialogue and not much action. I also wasn't a fan of hearing the killer's POV. Every time they came into the narrative, I just cringed. I wanted suspense, and this ended up being a super chatty recovery story with a bit of romance. I give this book 2.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an early audiobook edition of “Hidden Nature” by Nora Roberts, narrated by January LaVoy for an honest review. January is an excellent narrator, to the point where I will research books she narrates to select new books. She did not disappoint during this narration; she did a phenomenal job.

80% of this book is the story of Sloan, a National Resources police officer, who at the beginning of the story gets in the middle of a gunman and his escape during a hold-up, her recovery from her gunshot wound, and her wonderful family that takes care of her. While staying with her parents, during her recovery, she meets the boy next door and falls in love. Her sister also meets the man of her dreams and is getting married. If you have read any of my reviews - you should be thinking - "OH BOY, she hated this book, but wait, she gave it a 4.”

I've said this before, some authors do a wonderful job of taking the ordinary life of people and spinning it into an entertaining story worth reading. William Kent Krueger is exceptional at this. Well after reading this (and knowing I am addicted to "The Lost Bride" series written by Nora Roberts), Nora Roberts does a phenomenal job at this as well. These authors spend practically no time explaining what the characters are thinking and rather letting the reader interpret what everyone is thinking by strong character development and situational awareness.

The author did weave in a little murder mystery, which added an element to the story, and gave it a little suspense, but honestly, this part of the story was the least engaging. I loved the “normal” story of a small U.S. town where people care about each other, buy locally, and look out for one another. In a world where the U.S. is at each other's throats from both sides of the political aisle, this was an enjoyable escape from the crazy that the U.S. is today. Well Done!

C'mon, it's Nora Roberts. She's a solid writer who can pen a story in several genres and has a way of creating a whole world in which to immerse yourself for the ride. What I absolutely loved about Hidden Nature was the location. She named places I go to as part of my normal life. I live in Appalachia, I grocery shop in Deep Creek, I attend events in Cumberland. It was great to feel like I was inside the story because I actually do live in my own vacation resort locale in West Virginia. This was a coming home story featuring a Natural Resources police officer, Sloan, her family and the camp they own and run, new loves, new jobs, a series of murders......

Here's my dirty little secret - I am the grown woman reader who prefers the bad guys (aka killers) to the blossoming romance of the main characters. When the chapters flipped, I really got into hearing the killers thoughts and not so much the kissy kissy. But that's just me.

Great novel. Highly recommend.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook of "Hidden Nature" by Nora Roberts from MacMillan Audio in exchange for my honest review. Narrated by January Lavoy, whose performance was excellent as always, the audiobook truly brought the story to life.

This standalone novel features the classic elements of a Nora Roberts story: a strong female lead, family dynamics, small-town romance, and a mystery, with a touch of police procedural. I enjoyed Sloan, the main character, as she returns to her family home to recover from a shooting. The portrayal of the close-knit family was well done, though the villains felt a bit exaggerated with their excessive affection for one another. While it may not be my favorite Roberts novel, it was still an enjoyable listen. I would rate it 3.5 stars.

Loved this book--and loved Sloan and her family. Even loved the house renovations. The concept behind "the bad guy" was a new one---loved Nora Roberts doing something completely unique. Excellent narration.

Generally speaking, I enjoy Nora Roberts' novels. However, she has a standard formula that she uses for her books and after a while, they feel repetitive. This is my 11th Nora Roberts novel and aside from her The Dragon Heart Legacy Trilogy, all the novels have followed this same formula, including this one. I listened to the audiobook version and it was very enjoyable. January LaVoy is a great narrator, I always love listening to books narrated by her.

~~What I liked~~
-The FMC was enjoyable. I liked how strong and focused she was written.
-The book was well written and easy to read. The pacing was good.
-The story is told in third person, which allows the reader to see multiple POVs.

~~What I didn't like~~
-The antagonist are written in such a way that it feels like we, as the reader, are supposed to like them and feel good about them. I'm all for a redemption, but I didn't care for how the antagonists are presented in this book.
-I really didn't see much of a romance in the book, or at least not enough of the book was written to show the romance between the MCs.
-Almost right away we are shown what is happening to the people who are disappearing. It removed all the mystery from the book and as soon as I knew why the people were disappearing, I wasn't as interested in the mystery being "solved".

Overall, I was not impressed with the book and would not recommend it.

Quintessential Nora Roberts. Familiar storyline. The serial killers were CRINGE. But an entertaining story!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Nora Roberts is back with one of my favorite romantic suspense books of her. Hidden Nature is about Sloan, a Natural Resources officer recovering from a gunshot wound. She moves back home and stumbles upon a mystery and a new love.

I loved this story. The villains are extra unsettling and added a lot to the story. I also enjoyed the home renovation descriptions. Always a highlight with a Nora book. The romance is great and the characters are lovable. January LaVoy is excellent as always. Another hit.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I admit to having read only one other Nora Roberts’ book, mainly because I read few romances. Hidden Nature is the story of Sloan Cooper, a Natural Resources Police Officer, who is injured on the job as the novel opens. Sloan must recuperate from her injuries at her parents’ home and her family plays a large part in the ensuing story. I really enjoyed the character development and inclusion of Sloans’s family in the story. This was a very character driven novel and a great change from some plot driven murder mysteries. I really liked Sloan’s family and wish Roberts would write another mystery featuring Sloan. Highly recommended.

The Audiobook is narrated by a very talented January LaVoy.

Another fun and intriguing read by one of my all time favorite authors. The romance feels a little transactional, professional. Not a lot of chemistry there. The character development, found family, suspense, atmosphere--all wonderful. Sloane is a likable character. She's smart, driven, and places value on the truly important things. The killers in this were very disturbed and I felt so bad for the victims. January LaVoy is a fantastic narrator--always love listening to her work. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced audiobook

Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts and narrated by January Lavoy. I loved the storyline between Corporal Sloan with the department of natural reside resources and Nash. I loved how Nash and his brother Theo left their lives that their wealthy parents wanted for them and decided to do their own construction business. When Sloan is shot after going into a convenience store and has a long road to recovery she notices that there are a string of people that just went missing with no trace. Can she find the common denominator in these missing people? Can she stop these killers from killing again? I wasn’t a fan of the serial killers. When she calls him “doll” just got in my nerves for some reason. Releases May 27,2025
Thank you to #NetGalley and #Macmillan audio for this arc. This is my honest review

Nora Roberts is always a read for me and I enjoyed this year's "new Nora." January LaVoy's narration was amazing as always. I didn't love Sloane's family in this book, specifically Drea and Elsie. Their personalities didn't fit with the other strong characters' personalities. The killers were wildly creepy and added a good element of suspense. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for making this book available.

Typically, I enjoy reading Nora Roberts' books. I'm not a regular consumer of audiobooks, though I admit that I'm enjoying them more as time passes. However, I found the narrator for this book to be almost intolerable. It just feels...wrong. I'm looking forward to reading the print, but I don't enjoy the audiobook.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you Macmillan audio and NetGalley for the audiobook of Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts.
This is my very first Nora Roberts novel and I enjoyed this wild ride very much.
Our FMC Sloan is in a natural resource officer who is shot while in a gas station.
While in the hospital, she flatlines but ultimately is revived. She moves back home during her recovery and this is where we meet our MMC, Nash.
Nash and his brother moved from NY to start new lives in the handyman business.
During Sloans recovery, she becomes interested in a woman’s disappearance from a grocery store parking lot.
Nash starts to help Sloan with renovations and becomes intrigued with her interest in the missing persons case. Sloan begins making connections with other strange disappearances.

This was truly a unique story. I haven’t read anything like this before. I loved the suspense and depth of each character.
I feel like this was the perfect mix of romance and thrilling aspects. I throughly enjoyed this.
And I definitely recommend. The audio is great!