Thanks to NetGallery for the ARC of Hidden Nature. I am an avid Nora Roberts reader for years, reading both her and her Pseudonym J.D. Robb.
I must say that Hidden Nature seemed a bit strange, the story within the storyline was a bit far-fetched, even though I know I am reading a fictional novel, but this one didn't really do it for me. Sloan is a corporal with Maryland’s natural resources police who gets injured in a robbery gone wrong and actually dies on the hospital table. She goes home to recuperate, and we meet Nash and his brother Theo that relocated from NYC and live in her patents' neighborhood. The other story going on, is the serial killers going after people who have died but were brought back with medical science. They feel it's against God's plan. Sloane starts to investigate the matter on her own, when a woman from her area goes missing. I loved the main characters Sloan and Nash and their family combined, but I felt there was no "Meat" to the story. I liked the book, except I really did not like the Serial Killer's story.

4.25 Stars ⭐️

I always seem to preface every book by Nora Roberts with the disclaimer that I am a huge fan of her writing. I think I have probably read every book she has ever read and there are several hundreds. Yep, you read that right, hundreds.

This book is a one off stand alone with a pretty unique premise. In this book, we meet
Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper (did you realize that there was a department that had Natural Resources officers? Me either) Apparently, they have jurisdiction over an entire state (which is in itself very unique) and they mainly focus on federal land, state parks, poaching, lost hikers, etc. but also handle other crimes that regular police officers handle.

In this story, Sloan and her partner had just finished up a case where they found and arrested three criminals who had been preying on campers. On the way back, they stopped at a gas station and Sloan happens to walk in in the middle of a robbery. She was in her uniform and before her mind could process what was happening, the criminal turned and shot her. Twice. One grazed her head and the other just barely missed her heart. It was a serious injury, and she almost died.

She goes home to her parent's home (her home town) to recuperate and it is a tough recovery. Very quickly we learn that Sloan is a perfectionist and does not like to not be at 100%. Her family tries their best to keep her from over doing it, but it is a challenge. She is living with her parents and her sister - who all work for the family business.

In the meantime, two brothers have moved down the road - they purchased an old property with the intention of fixing it up - and are opening a business called the Fix-It Brothers. They are great at what they do, and business takes off quickly. They just happen to arrive in town when the general contractor who had been there forever has just retired and moved away, so it isn't long before they are folded in as an approved contractor for the many resort rental properties that comprise the Cooper's business. One of the brothers begins dating her sister and it just so happens that the other brother and Sloan have been circling around each as well. :)

Sloan is going a little bat crazy waiting to recover and begins following a case where a young woman in a near town disappears on a trip to the grocery store (the day before thanksgiving). It does not make sense, as she was so very excited to be hosting her entire family the next day. It becomes a missing person case, but there are no leads.

One thing I forgot to mention was that when Sloan was shot, she actually died on the operating table and they brought her back. She had a near death experience- as she was able to see her body as they were fighting for her life, and able to see out into the hallway where her partner was talking on the phone to his wife. She could hear him and see him - even though he was not in the room that she was in.

Little by little, there are more of these "disappearances" and no one puts them together. Until Sloan does. Once she realizes that this was not a "random" crime, she begins to dig further and realizes that there have been MANY of these kidnappings and she takes a personal interest in them.

Without going into spoilers, this was probably one of the oddest reasons that I've ever read about for the actual criminals to use to pick out their victims and to justify their actions. We actually get the POV's of the bad guys so that adds a new dimension to the story.

Was this my favorite NR story? No. But, as usual, it kept my interest, and I did enjoy it. The conclusion seemed a little too pat for me. I would have liked a bit more tension, but other than that, it was an easy read with a tied-up conclusion and as I said before, I did enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The above opinions are mine and mine alone. This book will be out for publication on May 27, 2025.

Sloan Cooper is a great character and she reminded me a lot of the Eve Dallas character in the author’s In Death series. She had a great attention to detail and saw things that others missed. But she also had another side where she was ready to put roots down back home and had a loving family who helped her get better and achieve her goals. I enjoyed learning about the Natural Resource Police, something I knew nothing about.

Sloan’s family (mom, dad, and younger sister) are a family a lot of people would love to be a part of and the introduction of the Littlefield brothers, who become love interests for the sisters, along with Sloan’s part of the investigation are what make the book. And while the idea behind the murders that Sloan is investigating is intriguing, the book lost momentum whenever the killer’s chapters came up. The way the killers are depicted made those chapters annoying to read.

Overall, Nora Roberts writes an engaging suspense novel about a law enforcement agent who changes her life and takes a job back in her hometown after being shot. And while I enjoyed the story as a whole, I didn’t love the oddball characters who were committing the crimes making the feel disjointed.

I know I always say this but Nora's suspense novels never disappoint. I really enjoyed "Hidden Nature". I like when I can picture the area of the country and what the landscape might be. The character development was nicely woven, including the side-players. I started getting nervous around 80% in, because I knew the villains were coming for the female main character and there wasn't much time left in the book. I wasn't sure how it would happen and who else would be caught in the line of fire. The wrap up didn't feel rushed at all, which I appreciate and I liked that the epilogue wasn't too future-forward. Any new Nora book is always a must-read for me! I would definitely recommend this one. Thanks Netgalley for this ARC.

3.75 stars. Nora once again does a craftsman love interest and I'm not mad about it! Sloan's journey of recovery after a gunshot wound was very good and interesting, and I always love her cozy portrayal of small town community and family. I enjoyed the protagonists' part of the book. The subplot of the book, the antagonists, I was a bit out of patience with because to me the "people take the Bible out of context for their own horrible ends" thing gets old pretty fast, so I kind of skimmed their chapters. Because of that it's probably not my favorite Nora book but it was still solid and good.

Heat level: 2

I love Nora Roberts and I read all of her books except the several books in one that are sold at drugstores. There were a few times in this that I get like parts of previous works were pulled and reworked for this. Specifically, the dog Tic, short for Lunatic was just like Jaws in The Search and some of the dialogue about the dog was the same. Now knowing that Nora Roberts excels at formulaic fiction, it does not bother me that much but I am taking half a star. The use of the terms "babe" and "doll" had me annoyed to the point of distraction. As they were said by the bad guys who had a lot of time on the page, I get that they should be annoying, but I am taking another half a star because I do not believe that anyone would say a term of endearment after every sentence.

Sloane is a Natural Resources Police Officer. When she walks into a gas station after a bust, she walks into a robbery and is shot twice. After coding on the table and being brought back, she returns to her hometown to recover with her family. Nash has moved to this small town to start a contracting business. He is a solidly good guy and becomes someone that Sloane can bounce ideas off of. However, people who have been brought back after dying are disappearing and despite not being her job, Sloane wants to figure it out.

This is a solid Nora Roberts book and would be great for someone who has not read The Search over and over.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

I always love a Nora Roberts novel. They are always interesting and fast reads. This book was no exception. An injured police officer must stop a murderous couple targeting people that medical personnel have been able to return from the brink of death.

First I would like to thank Nora Roberts and Netgalley for the ARC copy.
When Drea gets shot after her shift she goes home to recover. While recovering a women from her hometown goes missing without a trace. Feeling like she needs to do something she starts investigating and finds a disturbing sequence of events. Needing to bounce her ideas off of someone since she is so far from her partner she starts telling Nash. Nash and his brother Theo are new to town having just bought a house and a new business. Nash has no problem spending time with the girl he has seen fight her way back to health over the past few months and if that means letting her bounce her ideas off him that is ok with him.

This book is amazing. I loved it. The plot points were on point. The characters were fabulous. The book was chef's kiss.

After being shot, Corporal Sloan Cooper returns home to her family and the majestic mountain town of Heron's Rest, to recover from her injuries. Missing the fulfillment of work, she begins digging into a string of local disappearances on her own time. Will Sloan be able to piece together the puzzle and stop the abductors before it's too late? With the help of a handsome, new-to-town handyman with whom she can discuss the case, Sloan soon realizes she's closer to the truth than she thinks!

⚠️ very minor spoilers below ⚠️

This is a tough one to review... Let me preface it by saying that I am one of Nora Roberts' biggest fans, and it pains me to give anything she writes less than 5 stars. I've easily read over 200 of her books and all but 2-3 have been five stars. That said, this one just didn't quite measure up to what I've come to expect from Roberts. But what makes it difficult, is it was only one of the perspectives I didn't love. Nora often writes from the perspectives of the "bad guys" and weaves it into the overall "story." And this normally works for me, but not this time. So while I LOVED Sloan and Nash's story (I mean LOVED), the "bad guy" perspective felt forced, OTT, and a little cheesy.😬 It just wasn't quite believable, and took away from the experience. That's what brought this from a 5 star down to a 4 star. Now, thankfully that was just a small portion of the book, so my experience was mostly a positive one!

What I loved: Nora is an expert world and character builder. She creates these wonderfully complex protagonists, families, friends, and communities, and just makes you fall in love with them. I was deeply invested in Sloan and the rest of the Coopers, and the Heron's Rest town and community. I always love her detailed descriptions of settings and events, as it draws an image in my mind unlike anything I've experienced with other authors. Nora's books are like movies in my mind, and I love that! The romance was slow burn but I adored it! I also loved the house remodel and decor components here. despite my criticisms, I was sad when I finished this as I wanted to spend more time with these characters. I'm grateful to SMP for my gifted copies.

Despite being the tiniest bit let down by this one, I'm still so glad I read it! I've been reading Nora for decades and hope to continue reading her work for the rest of my life. She's my comfort author, and her books are so nostalgic.💜 I eagerly await the next book she puts out into the world.

📌 Available May 27th!

Wow, what a page Turner. You were really wanting the main character to succeed in not only recovering from the health issues but also by solving the mystery!

Hidden Nature
by Nora Roberts

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my first read by Nora Roberts. The very first page had me hooked! Sloan was such a strong and admirable character, her family was loving and so supportive. The story was heartwarming at times, intense in others. A perfectly crafted romance suspense novel.

I don’t even know where to begin. From the first page to the last, this book had me hooked. Sloan is such a strong yet relatable character, and I absolutely adore her partner Joel. After she gets shot and almost dies, she returns to her childhood home to recuperate and manages to find a job closer to her parents and sister. Meanwhile we have Nash and Theo, two brothers who recently relocated down the road from Sloane’s family and start their own fixer upper business. This is already a recipe for another amazing Nora Roberts book. BUT WAIT! There’s more!!

We also have Clara and Sam. Two completely psychotic people who have made it their mission in life to fix the mistakes Man has made when someone who has died is brought back to life. The Resurrected, as they call them, are apparently an affront to god and He has apparently chosen Clara as His vessel of death. Sloane finds out about one of their victims in passing and it sticks with her. As things heat up in her personal life, more victims are discovered and she becomes set on figuring out what’s going on before she becomes next on their list!

This was truly a phenomenal book, and I can’t remember the last time I flew through a book so fast. I’d love to see more of these characters because I can’t remember definitely see Sloane and crew as a series with her solving crimes as a consultant or something.

Like most of Nora Robert's books, it was easy to predict who would end up together from the start. However, the whirlwind side character relationships were a delightful surprise, and I was swept up in the lightning strikes of love between the two. The main love story unfolded so naturally; it just made sense, and I found myself emotionally invested in their journey. I appreciated the real-world feel of neighbors and friends supporting each other in a small-town sense. Unlike some of the other mysteries of NR's I have read, this one kept me on the edge of my seat: "Will the protagonist figure it out in time?" Sloan was tough as nails and content to be alone. I adored her. The mystery was fast-paced, dark, and twisty, and we got a very real look at the minds of serial killers.

Thank you to Nora Roberts for another delightful story. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and give my review.

Loved reading the intriguing and mesmerizing story. After Sloan is shot, she slowly recovers at home with her family, but when a woman disappears after a life and death experience, Sloan wants to try too solve the case. Nash and his brother, Theo, leave their wealthy life behind to start a new business and meet Sloan, and her sister and family. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and another must read riveting story by the phenomenal author, Nora Roberts!

Nora does it again with a compelling main character and mystery. Her imagery during the entire beginning of the book is beautiful and eerie at the same time. With a satisfying conclusion and perfect main couple, this is another great read from one of the greats.

Gosh who doesn't love a good Nora Roberts book! Two brothers move to town and open a home contracting business and immediately become involved with the family and assist with the investigation into multiple missing victims. The storyline follows the trail to identify the victims and catch the gruesome serial killers who are revealed at the beginning of the novel .All you really need to know is that Roberts will never disappoint you. There is comfort in knowing exactly what you are getting, and I will read everything she writes! I do miss some of her trilogy series, but this is a great standalone read!

There’s a rhythm to any book written by the author that shows you are reading one of her intricately crafted tales, and this one is no exception!

Hidden Nature is a thrillingly good suspense/thriller/romance with a badass policewoman whose tenacity and grit make her the perfect person to try to catch a serial killer. As the romantic interest, Nash brings a steady dose of big brother energy to everyone except Sloan who is, eventually, happy to look at him in every conceivable way! As always, I eagerly look forward to Ms. Robert’s next book.

Get ready to have your blood chilled, while you still have it. Sloan Cooper, who is a Natural Resources police officer has just helped her partner arrest three hikers that are up to no good. As they stop at a convenience store, Sloan's life is about to be shattered. She walks in on a robbery in progress and ends up getting shot for her troubles.

After being brought back to life, she moves back home with her family to recovery and rebuild not only her body but her spiritual self as well. While she is recuperating, a disturbing trend comes to light. People who have been pronounced dead and are brought back to life...are disappearing, for good. Sloan realizes she fits this horrific profile of people and sets out to catch the ones responsible, before they catch her.

I admit, I usually like a dark and tragic book, but this one was just a little too disturbing for me. Warning: the killers who are responsible will be cooking with blood from the victims and consuming said blood. I am a devout Christian and believe whole-heartedly there is a heaven and hell, but the aspects of the killers in this book just took it too far for me.

Once again Robert’s delivers with the story of Sloan Cooper and the bigger Cooper family. There’s a small town, plentiful nature and supportive community to help Sloan through her own trauma and recovery. With Robert’s signature storytelling, we cheer for them all in the face of a serial killer.