Rating: 3.5 Stars

Hannah's newest book takes us deep into the forest of Northumberland during the Regency era. The story begins with a girl named Eliza who doesn't remember parts of her past and a man named Felton who claims to know the missing history. Throughout the book, different facts are slowly revealed and lead us to the final revelation of what happened to Eliza as a child and who committed the murder of her mother.

What I liked about the book:
- Multiple points of view presented.
- The wording of the book felt authentic to the time period without being difficult to read or understand.
- The reader was kept in suspense as to the "whodunit" until close to the end.

What I didn't like about the book:
- Although classified as romantic suspense, this book was a large percentage thriller/horror (or "gothic") with a small amount of romance. I loved Garden of the Midnights, but this book was markedly more violent. I sensed Bronte vibes and I like a good mystery, but this was darker than I expected. The romance felt more austere than warm.
- The writing was harder to follow than Garden of the Midnights. I got lost a few times. I think brevity was used as a prose device, but made the flow jolting at times. The plot meanders in parts and seems to retrace the same plot points.

Content Summary: Kissing only. Many examples of violence/injury and discussions of murder, abduction, and painful childhood memories. Recommend for 16+.

Overall, it's an intriguing Gothic mystery novel but too dark for my personal preferences.

Thank you to Barbour Publishing and Netgalley for the complementary copy of this book. My review is my own opinion, and my words were not influenced in any way by the author or publisher.

3.5 Stars

The Girl from the Hidden Forest by Hannah Linder has a delightful cover to glance upon. I love the yellow imagery with the lights behind Eliza. As for the plot, I love the idea of a young girl who is taken from what she believes is her home, and then told that was not her home. The mystery element is a nice concept. I do enjoy how Linder does keep allowing Eliza and Felton to believe it is one character, then around and think it is another character. Keeps the readers guessing right along with the characters. However, at times, the story does seem to go over the same plot issue over and over again. Does not seem to move forward that much in solving the mystery element. Not one of my top picks for a historical mystery. As for the characters, Eliza appears to be confused, but it would have been nice to have some of the supporting characters try to explain to Eliza why they think she is the missing girl from this family. A couple of phrases were thrown at her, but they were never done in a nice way. No one really felt sympathy for the plight that she had gone through. There is a touch of romance. It’s there. That is all I can say about that. Overall, The Girl from the Hidden Forest has the makings of what could be interesting overall storyline, but the delivery of it fell a little short.

I received a complimentary copy of The Girl from the Hidden Forest by Hannah Linder from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.