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. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

Such a pleasure to read a novel by Nora Robert’s. Her female heroines are strong, her descriptions of surroundings, characters and even flowers make you feel you are there, and there is always a charming pet to fall in love with. The opening few sentences in the first chapter totally shocked me, couldn’t put the book down after reading them.

Sloan Cooper works as an officer for the NRC (Natural Resources Police.) she lives and work in Annapolis, MD. Surviving a near death shooting has her heading home to Heron’s Rest and her family for recovery and rehab. Her parents own All the Rest, family rental cabins, offering hiking, water sports and beautiful surroundings.

New to Heron’s Rest are brothers Nash and Theo Littlefield, both high profile business men from NYC who decided they would rather build and repair homes, so Fix it Brothers of Heron’s Rest is launched.

The banter, small town life and the slow growing friendship to love is so enjoyable. But, evil lurks! Sloan is working hard on her recovery when an abduction/disappearance comes to her attention and won’t let go. So she launches her own investigation, which continues to haunt her. Slowly but surely she discovers more victims, and the evil that is behind them.

In the process of reviewing this book, I have read it twice, and can’t wait for the audio book to be released. I easily rate this book 5 Stars. Wish I could give it more.

Nora Roberts never fails to deliver an exciting and fast paced book. There is a lot of action and suspense. Sloan is a strong and likable character. With the exception of the serial killers, all the characters are great. The story flows and keeps the attention of the reader. It’s a well thought out and written book. I highly recommend it. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Every year, I look forward to Nora Roberts' new stand-alone romantic suspense novel, and this one did not disappoint me. Sloan is strong and fierce, yet still un-apologetically female, and Nash turns out to be the perfect partner for her in life and in solving the mystery. I also loved learning anout each of their professions as the book progressed. Along the way, of course, there are plenty of moments of danger and excitement, and a nasty bad guy(s) for her to come up against. One of my favorite things about this genre is knowing that the good guys will prevail and the main character will get her/his happily ever after. It allows me, as the reader, to sink into the story without wondering if the ending will be a happy one. Nora Roberts does this exceptionally well and I can always trust my reading time to her. 4.5 stars

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Sloane Cooper is a police officer with the Natural Resources, when she walks into a convivence store robbery. A bullet to the chest and things are touch and go. After being brought back to life, she heads to her parents home to recover. When a woman disappears from a supermarket, Sloane starts her own investigation. Sloane slowly starts to cover other disappearances that have a similar profile, a profile she fits.

First off, the overall storyline is fine. I liked the premise. What I did not like was Clara and Sam. It got to where I would skim over their parts. The "oh doll," "oh babe" was just too much. In fact, I think the story could have had less focus on them. The main storyline was good on it's own.

***ARC provided by NetGalley for review***

A reminder to all that on Goodreads, a three star review means I liked it.
And I did.

But I felt like there wasn't enough focus on any one thing at a time, and it was too much to resolve in the end. Definitely not up there with my favorites.

Once again, Nora Roberts introduces characters you wish you could step into the novel and meet. Hidden Nature follows Sloan Cooper, a tough and resourceful Maryland Natural Resources Police Officer. When she takes a bullet during a convenience store robbery, she’s shocked back to life and what follows is a long and frustrating recovery at home in Heron’s Rest. Determined to return to normal, she pushes herself and completes her rehab. Back at work she is in a new division, staying local as well as an upgrade in her rank. She dives back into her job while also tackling the renovation of her very own first home, a fixer-upper. Her parents and sisters are always available and you get to know a very loving family very much a part of the community in which they live.

While recovering, Sloan becomes intrigued by a strange case of people vanishing without a trace. Her curiosity turns into an investigation, on her own time, trying to track down the commonalities of the missing individuals and who could be the criminals. You’ll find the likely serial killers are very sick minded with an unbelievable reason - adding a very evil side to the story.

Also meet the Fix-It Brothers, Nash and Theo, new neighbors who add a romantic element to the story. Having left New York, unsatisfactory careers and cold family life behind, they quickly bond with the Coopers, finding a family dynamic they never knew they needed. You’ll find suspense, mystery, and romance all in a highly recommended story.Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

There are so many qualities in this author’s writing pattern that the reader has come to love, recognize, and expect. Detailed settings and descriptions. Amazing characters that feel like someone you know and love.

This book has all of those qualities, characteristics, and more. Written slightly differently than we normally see from Roberts, this is a police procedural in many ways with the expected and unexpected twists.

The main character is a police officer. Sloan is investigating mysterious happenings in her town while recovering from a near-death injury. What’s interesting about this story is that we know who the perpetrators are, how they work, and what they’re doing. We see the parallel lines and we just have to wait for the main event.

To balance that out, we’re also enjoying a double romance. The family ties are beautiful and the way Roberts blends everyone together as a family is natural and supportive. Perfectly matched, fun, witty humor and beautiful people bring in the light to balance the dark.

While the pacing is good, the author uses short, choppy sentences, which seem abrupt in many places, but also show the way that the main character and her love interest are beautifully matched. They have the same thought processes and balance each other beautifully. It also ramps up the anticipation for the suspense as the murder mystery accelerates.

The ending is explosive but quick. After the slow burn ramping up, it seemed a tad anti-climactic, but the epilogue wraps it up nicely. Hidden Nature brings it all together for an awesome read!

*"A house is just a building. It’s the people in it, what they bring to it and each other, that make a home. You’re making a home. Here’s to many happy years in your home."*

This was my first Nora Roberts book, and overall, I really enjoyed it! The story follows Natural Resources police officer Sloan Cooper, whose life takes a drastic turn after she’s shot during a convenience store robbery. As she recovers in her hometown of Heron’s Rest, she finds herself drawn into a series of mysterious disappearances spanning multiple states. Despite her own physical and emotional healing, Sloan is determined to uncover the truth—no matter the danger.

Roberts does a great job balancing suspense and character development. Sloan is a strong, determined protagonist, and I loved how she channeled her resilience into solving the case rather than letting her trauma define her. The romance subplot was well-paced, adding a nice emotional layer without overshadowing the thriller aspect.

While I could see the ending coming, there was still enough tension and intrigue to keep me engaged. The build-up was well done, and even though I had an idea of where things were headed, I still enjoyed the journey. If you like suspense with a touch of romance and a determined lead character, this one is definitely worth a read!

It's always a treat to dive into a NR book with the family ties and suspenseful happenings. Sloan is a strong woman who's found her place in the world. She has plans for her future and a family who fully supports her. Then she gets shot and is forced to slow down to get healed up and...her priorities shift. Well, that's not exactly right. Her plans for her future are still in place, she just has to recalibrate her mindset to see that maybe she can take a different path to get where she wants to be.

But before she can take any new paths, she needs to get back into fighting shape. Which isn't necessarily difficult once she sets down a plan, but it takes time. With nothing but said time on her hands for a while, Sloan begins following the disappearance of a local woman. And she begins making connections. She's not officially on the case, mind you, but a LEO can't turn their brains off even when they're recuperating and maybe following the scant clues gives her a reason to take her mind off the slowness (which isn't actually slow, mind you) of her healing.

Meanwhile, the Littlefield brothers have moved into town and are settling in and there are SPARKS between Sloan and Nash. Okay, maybe those parks didn't happen right away (THAT happened between Sloan's sister and Nash's brother), but there's something there and the more time Sloan and Nash spend together, the more sparky they become.

A little danger, a twisted romance, family, chemistry, a man who is breaking free of expectations to figure out what he wants out of life, and a lady who has to reclaim her bearings after an unexpected injury. *thumbs up*

I really enjoyed this read but it was definitely a bit of a process. I applaud the heroine for her character and the determination she had to go through to get back on her feet and get back out there. She was definitely someone to admire. The mmc was a bit too serious sometimes. He has a story as well but he was likable and perfect for the heroine. Which I think makes him attractive and interesting. His brother though was awesome and so charismatic. Loved their relationship. The bad guys I just couldn’t stand them! The way they justified their actions made my blood boil and I loved the outcome of their actions and that the heroine got them. Overall it’s a good read and great story line.

This was a solid read from Nora Roberts. I believe I have read 90% of her entire backlist so there is not much to shock me about her writing anymore. But I do love the comfort of knowing what to expect with it!

As a huge Nora Roberts fan, I was definitely looking forward to this book, as I do all of hers. I have to admit, I struggled some with it. Usually, her books draw me in and don’t let go until I’m finished. This one took a while. The characters were likable but didn’t seem quite as real as hers usually are. I liked the pairing of siblings together with siblings but I never really felt like I got inside the characters and learned what made them tick. Consequently, I’d set the book aside for days at a time and get back to it when it was convenient, rather than devouring it in a sitting or two, which is what I usually do with her books. It felt like a lot of the motivation for behaviors was missing. We never really learn how Clara and Sam came together or how they started on their mission. It’s like putting together a puzzle only to discover that some of the key pieces are missing when you’ve finished. The ending, especially, felt like it was rushed. All in all, I’m disappointed in this one. It’s not that it was a bad or poorly written story; it just wasn’t up to the usual Nora Roberts quality that I’ve come to expect from her over the years.

I’m a big fan of series, but if this author writes a book, even a standalone, I’ll read it. This has a national resources police officer (DNR; thanks to the author for introducing me to something new!) convalescing from a gunshot wound, and while doing so, getting caught up in a missing-persons case. I loved how Sloan’s slow recovery, our introduction to her life, meeting Nash and Theo, and just about everything else was interspersed with the lives of the killers and how they find their next victim and why. We see how all their lives slowly come together in an inevitable conclusion to everything. This reminds me of an Eve Dallas book, but it’s just a little lighter than those. It’s a standard well-written, suspense-filled, and entertaining book from this author, and I enjoyed every minute of this. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.n

Sloan Cooper is a corporal with the Natural Resources Division in Maryland. She has just wrapped up a case when her and her partner stop by a mini-mart. As Sloan walks into the store, she unknowingly walks into a robbery and is shot. She dies on the operating table, only to be brought back to life. As Sloan recovers, she hears about an abducted woman, Janet, and as she learns more, realizes this is not the only abduction. Sloan begins to rebuild her life, her strength, but also begins to start working on solving these abductions. Who is behind them? What do the abductions have in common? Will Sloan realize she may be in danger before its too late?

What I like about Nora Roberts, her consistency. She has a way of telling a story that engages you, no matter the subject, whether it’s murder mystery, a kidnapping, a stalking case, Nora writes in a way that makes a reader want to get to the next chapter, find out what is happening, add in a little romance and viola another good read. I admire the characters created, they are people I want to know, towns I’d like to visit, even the bad guys have a complexity to them I enjoy. Another enjoyable read!

This story will keep you tuned in! A pair of sadistic, twisted serial killers.

Natural Resources police officer Sloan Cooper is recovering from a near death experience when she decides to move back to her parents' peaceful home to recover.

While recovering she starts looking into mysterious disappearances that show a pattern.

First of all I am one of the biggest Nora Roberts fans and being able to read an Advanced copy of this book has been a privilege that I do not take lightly. Having said that I absolutely LOVED this book. I was also very much not expecting the story to turn into what it did.

In this book we meet Sloan Cooper, a National Resources Police Officer for Maryland. When making a quick stop on duty she is shot as she walks into a robbery. After being shocked back to life she must return to her hometown to recover.

During her recovery she begins to look at her life and future with renewed purpose. Her goals and dreams change which leads her to finding love in an unexpected way. But as things start developing for the better in her personal life, work also pulls her back in. People are disappearing and she's the only one who can find out why.

I enjoyed reading about Sloan and learning about the Natural Police Department. I didn't realize that there were Police departments within each state that work within our state parks and other nature areas. I also loved reading about home renovations since I am also currently renovating my kitchen.

Reading a Nora Roberts book is like stepping into a world that is familiar but through a widened lens. The way she writes is wondrous while still being very succinct. Her characters know their own minds but are always adaptable to change. It's an experience every reader should have. This book allows us another peek into the mind of a strong woman and her journey of purpose.

Sloan has her dream job as a Corporal with the Department of Natural Resources. After she and partner capture three of Washington State’s most wanted, she’s on the cusp of being promoted to Sergeant. Then, all of that changes when she walks into a gas station and, unintentionally, interrupts a robbery. After getting shot and giving death the middle finger, Sloan is on the road to a long recovery. So, that means moving back to Heron’s Rest and back in with her parents.

Nash has spent most of his life living by his parent’s rules. Working in a field he hated and dating a woman he tolerated because, it was expected of him. My guy finally had a come to Jesus moment and said enough is enough. Nash channeled his inner Cookie Lyon and told his parents, “I gotta put me first Luscious.” He quit his job, broke up with his girlfriend, moved to Heron’s Rest, bought a fixer upper, and proceeded to start do what he actually loves. Contracting.

Heron’s Rest is a picturesque small tourist town that everyone flocks to for summers and holidays. Not much crime happens there but, something is amiss in the normally quiet town. Something sinister is brewing and it’s up to the Corporal and the contractor to figure it out before anymore townsfolk go missing. I liked Hidden Nature but, I didn’t like it if that makes sense. I loved the family dynamics between Sloan and her family, I loved the bond between Nash and Theo, I loved the idea of two sisters and brothers dating each other, and I loved the small town feels of Heron’s Rest. I love how Nora Roberts can create complex protagonists, families, and friends and still make you fall in love with them. What I didn’t like was that it was a slow burn. It took entirely too long for Sloan and Nash to come together as a couple. By the time romance entered the chat, Drea and Theo were already in a full blown relationship. The secondary coupled should not be boo’d up longer than the main characters. I also was not a fan of the plot. This storyline was giving something straight out of the In Death series. This was some ish Eve Dallas would’ve investigated. And, the villains of the story were just odd. An older white woman with a younger black man that was really white. Cause, other than his skin color, wasn’t a thing black about Sam. There was just nothing scary about these “serial killers.” Hidden Nature wasn’t a bad book but, I’ve definitely read better from Nora Roberts. As a romantic suspense, it kind of fell flat for me. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nora Roberts is the master of romantic suspense for me. I never miss a novel and I’m never disappointed. Hidden Nature has a wonderfully twisted plot that I never could have imagined. Grab a copy, you won’t regret it.

Nora Roberts keeps the thrills coming in this book. When Sloan returns home to Heron's Rest after being seriously injured, she becomes interested in a missing person case. Nash, has given up his high powered job in New York and moved to Heron's Rest where he's purchased a house he plans to renovate and start a renovation company with his brother. As Sloan and Nash become more involved, so does the missing person cases leading to the explosive ending. A definite must read for Nora Roberts fans.