No one does characters and dialog better than one of my favorite go-to authors. Nora Roberts and I have had a long, amazing relationship and HIDDEN NATURE is a perfect example of why that is.
Family traditions are front and center in this story. When their daughter Sloan gets severely injured during an armed robbery the family pulls together to help her manage the long recovery. No better place than at the family owned and run mountain lodge. Here’s where Nora Roberts reminds us to smile through even bleak moments. Silly catch phrases that Sloan’s parents use let us see the way the family has always operated, as a well-oiled machine, topped off with tons of love. Will definitely conjure up memories of our own childhood, which is the way this author takes her readers along for the adventure. HIDDEN NATURE is ripe with adventurous events, after all it centers on the four-season lodge. But watch and see it unfold so much more thanks to its illustrious author Nora Roberts.
HIDDEN NATURE takes an abrupt turn. We enter the world of evil. God forsaken evil at its best and creepiest. Nora Roberts interrupts our smile inducing memories of holidays with evil incarnate. Meant to take the smiles right off your face and replace them with grimaces. There is a force in the small community that has set its eyes on a certain group of folk. Very concise target. No easy explanation for their goal except twisted beyond belief. Ah that word belief. What folks do in the name of resurrection. Do I have your attention yet.
Well in HIDDEN NATURE Nora Roberts introduces us to madness. Such a diabolical departure from the home, traditional, holiday world that it will cause your head to spin. The question is how did we get off course here. And that’s how this amazing author gets to the blood and guts core of HIDDEN NATURE. Fans of Nora Roberts are going to shake their collective heads. She did it again. It’s our mantra. So get ready for the ride of your life. Expect the unexpected. Characters jump off the page as we move onto a world that defies reality. Good versus evil. In HIDDEN NATURE you learn that some folks harbor a definitely different view of justice and Sloan becomes totally engaged in ferreting out the culprit or culprits. HIDDEN NATURE is certainly a page turner and keeps you at the edge of your seats all the way to the climax. So lean back and enjoy.

I'm a long-time Nora Roberts fan, so getting to read an arc for her has been a DREAM! Hidden Nature was amazing, start to finish. It was fast-paced, had a solid thriller plot, and I really enjoyed Sloan and Nash. This one brought back the ambiance and vibe I've come to associate with Nora's books. This was a solid 4 stars out of 5 for me. This book was definitely more focused on plot than romance, but it worked for the story.

I was really excited for Hidden Nature and I couldn't wait to read it as soon as I got the e-ARC.
A life-threatening gunshot wound changes Sloan's life forever, leaving her reeling in the aftermath. Forced into convalescence, Sloan has to re-assess th rest of her life an fight to survive the trauma.
Th story pacing was quite slow and I struggled at first to continue with it. I wasn't able to relate as much to Sloan as I would have liked. In contrast, I loved Nash and Theo. Their bond tugs at the heartstrings. Though Nash was my favorite with his wary, serious demeanor, Theo was a delight.
The romance of the main characters as a bit understated and I miss Nora Roberts' deep, meaningful writing that used to hook me in deep. The case wasn't as challenging either, though it was creepy. That said, overall, the story was alright.

Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts is a typical NR book - terrific! After Natural Resources Officer Sloan Cooper and her partner get off a call, they stop by a convenience store and into a robbery in process where she is shot. After almost dying on the operating and being dumped via text while IN the hospital, Sloan moves back in with her parents to recover.

While she's not officially working, she is intrigued by a missing woman from a grocery store and starts investigating and finds similar cases across several states. Add in contractors new to town Theo and Nash and her sister, Drea, and you have a great subplot.

I don't think anyone writes romantic suspense like Nora Roberts. I know that I'll always find intriguing characters, a terrific plot, and a satisfactory ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Hidden Nature is a very dark romantic suspense story. It features Sloane, an officer with the Natural Resources Police in Maryland. After surviving a serious gunshot wound and an afterlife experience on the operating table, she returns to her small hometown in the mountains. During a slow and taxing recovery, she focuses her attention on the disappearance of a local young woman. As she looks at the clues, Sloane becomes convinced that the abduction is one of many.

Sloane's detective work is balanced out with family time, finding a new police role closer to home, working on her fixer upper house and a romance with Nash, a New Yorker who has moved to her town to restore an old home and start a new business.

While the author reveals the kidnappers / killers and their motivations to the readers up front, the storyline follows Sloane's efforts to connect the dots to identify the victims and to determine why they are being targeted. The crimes can be gruesome and the descriptions of the violence may turn your stomach.

The romance between Sloane and Nash was kind of lackluster. Both notice each other and are attracted, but both are planners and suspicious of a new relationship. As they get to know each other, there are lots of conversations about design questions related to their homes. (Maybe fans of HGTV will find the minutiae about tiles, paint colors, and wood selections interesting, but I got bored after a while.) Sloane involves Nash in her detective work, using him as a sounding board for her theories about the victims and the crimes. As the couple moves from working together - he's her contractor - to sex to love, I was not inspired or convinced by their connection.

Hidden Nature is a classic Nora Roberts book. It combines budding romances with the thrill of searching for a pair of serial killers. Throw in great scenery, a cute dog and fixer upper homes and you have an enjoyable read
Thank you St Martins Press, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this page turner of an ARC.

I'm a Nora Roberts fan from WAY back in the day and her books never fail to satisfy. This one is no exception. I highly recommend.

Coming home again after a tragedy, and finding your forever home are just two themes perfectly executed in the newest book from Nora Roberts, Hidden Nature.

After officer Sloan Cooper is almost fatally shot in the line of duty, her family brings her to her childhood home to heal and recoup. While on the operating table, Sloan had an out of body experience and feels she came back to the earthly plane for a specific reason – one she needs to discover. With the warmth and love of her family she is back on track to a stable life again.

Nash Littlefield and his brother Theo are recent occupants of Sloan’s tiny town. The brothers have formed a anew business and it’s taking Heron’s Rest by storm.

And both brothers are falling hard for the Cooper sisters, Sloan and her younger sister Drea.

Told with the wit and expert writing of a dialogue master, the love stories of Theo and Nash and the Cooper women would have been enough to make this a 5 star read for me. But, Ms Roberts added a subplot that includes a serial murdering duo.

When Sloan is put in the couple’s sites, all hell breaks loose and the reason she was brought back to life is finally evident to Sloan.

As always, Ms Roberts books are detailed, well thought out, and have the most excellent dialogue imaginable.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, the author and Netgalley for a sneak peek at another wonderful addition to my Nora Roberts library.

Nora Roberts has another winner with “Hidden Nature,” but that’s no surprise - Nora can write! In this book, she introduces a fantastic main character named Sloan Cooper, a tough as nails police officer working on a multiple missing persons case. I was absorbed in the story from beginning to end, lots of twists that kept me guessing. Highly recommend for mystery readers!

Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance!

3 stars. I've read my fair share of Nora Roberts books, and unfortunately, Hidden Nature is my least favorite. I was so excited by the blurb of this one that I rushed to read it as soon as it popped up on netgalley. Truly, no one writes romantic suspense like Nora Roberts. And Hidden Nature had a lot of things that felt typical Nora (in a good way). In fact, this book reminded me a lot, in feel, of one of her most recent books- Mind Games. And I actually really liked the heroine, who was hard working and tenacious. But ultimately, I ended up having a hard time with the bad guys and also with the romance itself. I just felt no chemistry between the heroine and the hero. They meet pretty late in the book and I honestly didn't even buy them as friends, let alone lovers. The bad guys were creepy. Super super creepy. Like, the type of creepy you'd expect from a Criminal Minds episode. All in all, this wasn't my favorite from Nora, but that doesn't mean it was a bad book. She just happens to set the bar really high for herself. And I will 100% continue to read her books, because I'm truly a big fan of them. Thank you so much to Roberts, SMP, and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.