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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reviewed for Wit and Sin
A strong heroine coming back from a devastating injury, a handsome hero who is good with his hands, lots of home renovation, loving family members, a few adorable dogs, and villains who must be stopped – Hidden Nature has all the hallmarks of a classic Nora Roberts romantic suspense. I’ve been a fan of Nora Roberts for decades so it pains me to say that as much as I wanted to love this book, it isn’t up to her usual standards.
Sloan and Nash are likable protagonists. Sloan is recovering from a gunshot wound when she comes home to Heron’s Rest and she is determined to get her strength back. Roberts’s newsletter revealed that her starting point for this book was learning about the Natural Resources Police Department and honestly seeing Sloan’s job was one of the more interesting parts of the story. Nash left the high-powered world of Wall Street to become a contractor in Heron’s Rest. He’s strong and guarded, but incredibly kind and very supportive of his younger brother. Separately, our hero and heroine are entertaining, which is good because it takes quite a while for them to meet. Together, they are a solid couple whose romance is understated and honestly could use a bit more time and attention. The story dragged a bit until things started picking up with them so more time with the romance would have perked things up. And while I do love home renovation and have enjoyed it in many a Nora Roberts novel, it took over this story way too much for my liking.
Another couple is at the heart of Hidden Nature and that’s the villains, Clara and Sam. They are, in a word, creepy. Their mission is horrible and I didn’t love reading about it over and over when it didn’t feel like much new was added in the repetition. It felt like they had as much page time as Nash and Sloan, which just didn’t work for me (but your mileage may vary). Hidden Nature isn’t bad, but having read and loved the majority of Roberts’s work, it just doesn’t compare.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A strong heroine coming back from a devastating injury, a handsome hero who is good with his hands, lots of home renovation, loving family members, a few adorable dogs, and villains who must be stopped – Hidden Nature has all the hallmarks of a classic Nora Roberts romantic suspense. I’ve been a fan of Nora Roberts for decades so it pains me to say that as much as I wanted to love this book, it isn’t up to her usual standards.
Sloan and Nash are likable protagonists. Sloan is recovering from a gunshot wound when she comes home to Heron’s Rest and she is determined to get her strength back. Roberts’s newsletter revealed that her starting point for this book was learning about the Natural Resources Police Department and honestly seeing Sloan’s job was one of the more interesting parts of the story. Nash left the high-powered world of Wall Street to become a contractor in Heron’s Rest. He’s strong and guarded, but incredibly kind and very supportive of his younger brother. Separately, our hero and heroine are entertaining, which is good because it takes quite a while for them to meet. Together, they are a solid couple whose romance is understated and honestly could use a bit more time and attention. The story dragged a bit until things started picking up with them so more time with the romance would have perked things up. And while I do love home renovation and have enjoyed it in many a Nora Roberts novel, it took over this story way too much for my liking.
Another couple is at the heart of Hidden Nature and that’s the villains, Clara and Sam. They are, in a word, creepy. Their mission is horrible and I didn’t love reading about it over and over when it didn’t feel like much new was added in the repetition. It felt like they had as much page time as Nash and Sloan, which just didn’t work for me (but your mileage may vary). Hidden Nature isn’t bad, but having read and loved the majority of Roberts’s work, it just doesn’t compare.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pacing is a pretty significant issue with this one.
This book is engaging, interesting, even. But it's slow-moving. There's a LARGE part of the front of his book reserved JUST for Sloan's recovery. And then, after she DOES recover, there's a LOT of talk of home renovation.
While it's not wholly boring, it is very, very slow. If I didn't enjoy Nora Roberts' books so much, I don't know if I'd have stuck with it, in all honesty.
It's a lot of day-in-the-life sort of stuff that I think could have been trimmed out to get to the point faster. It was good to build the relationships with Sloan's family and eventually the love interest, but I don't think we needed quite so much of it. And after Sloan meets Nash, their conversations mostly consist of her investigative work surrounding mysterious disappearances or his home reno business. And the amount of times she walks into a room and goes "Wow! Oh Wow! This is amazing!" 🙄🙄
If we'd cut...HALF of this stuff out, this could easily have been a 5 star read for me. I simply didn't need to know EVERYTHING Nash did to her house of his. If I wanted to hear intricate details about home renovations, I'd watch HGTV. We could easily have lost 100-150 pages and not lost ANYTHING important from the story.
All of that hum-drum stuff is obviously interspersed with other POVs. But even those POVs were a little more involved than I cared about - I really, REALLY didn't need to know how many times and how often the villains boned each other. That was gross.
Sloan's investigation work is intriguing, but it takes ENTIRELY too long for her and the villains to cross paths. It happens for the first time at 75%. And it takes until 95% for the villains to make their move. The story literally doesn't hit its climax until the last chapter, 3% away from the back of the novel.
Nora's writing is usually gripping for me. It's usually so immersive. But for some reason, this one dragged waaaaay more than it needed to. I wouldn't be surprised to see a LOT of DNFs for this one. The pay off is very quick, and you have to wait almost until the very last paragraph to get it.
This book is engaging, interesting, even. But it's slow-moving. There's a LARGE part of the front of his book reserved JUST for Sloan's recovery. And then, after she DOES recover, there's a LOT of talk of home renovation.
While it's not wholly boring, it is very, very slow. If I didn't enjoy Nora Roberts' books so much, I don't know if I'd have stuck with it, in all honesty.
It's a lot of day-in-the-life sort of stuff that I think could have been trimmed out to get to the point faster. It was good to build the relationships with Sloan's family and eventually the love interest, but I don't think we needed quite so much of it. And after Sloan meets Nash, their conversations mostly consist of her investigative work surrounding mysterious disappearances or his home reno business. And the amount of times she walks into a room and goes "Wow! Oh Wow! This is amazing!" 🙄🙄
If we'd cut...HALF of this stuff out, this could easily have been a 5 star read for me. I simply didn't need to know EVERYTHING Nash did to her house of his. If I wanted to hear intricate details about home renovations, I'd watch HGTV. We could easily have lost 100-150 pages and not lost ANYTHING important from the story.
All of that hum-drum stuff is obviously interspersed with other POVs. But even those POVs were a little more involved than I cared about - I really, REALLY didn't need to know how many times and how often the villains boned each other. That was gross.
Sloan's investigation work is intriguing, but it takes ENTIRELY too long for her and the villains to cross paths. It happens for the first time at 75%. And it takes until 95% for the villains to make their move. The story literally doesn't hit its climax until the last chapter, 3% away from the back of the novel.
Nora's writing is usually gripping for me. It's usually so immersive. But for some reason, this one dragged waaaaay more than it needed to. I wouldn't be surprised to see a LOT of DNFs for this one. The pay off is very quick, and you have to wait almost until the very last paragraph to get it.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hidden Nature follows Natural Resources police officer Sloan Copper as she returns to her hometown to recover after surviving a gunshot wound. While healing, she becomes intrigued with the case of a missing woman. What begins as a single abduction soon unravels into a deeper, more chilling pattern of serial disappearances. But this novel is about more than just solving a mystery—it's also a story of personal healing, family bonds, and unexpected love.
This was my first time reading a Nora Roberts novel, and I am truly in awe of her storytelling. She has a gift for immersing readers into the book, making you feel the atmosphere and genuinely connect with the characters. I appreciated the slower pace of the plot, which allowed time to get to know everyone and see how their relationships naturally evolved. The romance was woven seamlessly into the story, unfolding in a way that felt authentic and earned, rather than rushed.
At times, it felt like I was watching a compelling TV series unfold—especially with the layered character development and suspenseful pacing. Even though the plot centers around a criminal investigation, I was particularly drawn in by the dramatic irony. Knowing more than the protagonist added a thrilling edge, and I found myself eagerly waiting for Sloan to piece things together.
While I truly enjoyed the story and Roberts’ writing style, there were a few scenes that felt a bit unsettling, which kept me from giving it a full 5-star rating. Still, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys small-town mysteries with a touch of romance. And if you’re an audiobook fan, I highly recommend the audio version—January LaVoy does a phenomenal job bringing each character to life.
—————————————————-
A huge thank you to the author, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Infidelity, Suicide attempt
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoy Nora Roberts' fantasy trilogies, and I enjoy her writings as JD Robb, but to me the best writing Ms Roberts does is the stories like Hidden Nature. Character is on a good life path, but then something tragic happens and sometimes changes the protectory of their life, but they work to overcome it and life seems to be better in the end. I like following the story knowing that we'll have a happy ending at the end.
Sloan is a perfect main character for this setup. She seems to have her life set up and then she gets shot. She works hard to overcome, but continues to have setbacks. Eventually she heals and finds her purpose along the way. Drea, Theo, and Nash are great complimentary characters to Sloan's story. I loved Theo and Nash's story as well and am happy they found a place/family where they belong. I do think a prologue would have been fun, but also like where the story ended.
Sloan is a perfect main character for this setup. She seems to have her life set up and then she gets shot. She works hard to overcome, but continues to have setbacks. Eventually she heals and finds her purpose along the way. Drea, Theo, and Nash are great complimentary characters to Sloan's story. I loved Theo and Nash's story as well and am happy they found a place/family where they belong. I do think a prologue would have been fun, but also like where the story ended.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was my first Nora Roberts novel—and it won’t be my last. Hidden Nature offers a compelling mix of suspense, character-driven storytelling, and just enough romance to keep things emotionally grounded amid the tension.
The protagonist, Sloan, is a standout. As a Natural Resources Officer, she’s skilled, knowledgeable, and deeply committed to her work and community. Roberts does a wonderful job showing Sloan in all her dimensions: she’s not just a heroine, but also a sister, daughter, mentor, and partner. Her recovery journey from a gunshot wound early in the novel is portrayed with admirable realism—she’s resilient, but her pain and vulnerability are never minimized.
The dual love stories between Sloan and Nash, and Sloan’s sister Drea and Nash’s brother Theo, were engaging and believable. I especially appreciated the dynamic between Sloan and Nash—it was mature, textured, and felt refreshingly real. The subplot involving home renovations added a fun, light contrast to the darker thriller arc, and gave the story an appealing layer of domestic detail.
That said, the main plot is chilling: two serial killers, Clara and Sam, who hunt down people like Sloan who’ve been brought back from near death. Their storyline was unsettling and at times made me squeamish—but I expect that’s the point in a book like this. The suspense is well paced and the resolution, while abrupt in the NetGalley audiobook version I received, was ultimately satisfying. (I later discovered there’s an epilogue that may not have been included in my copy—I'll be heading to a bookstore to find it!)
A special shoutout goes to narrator January LaVoy, whose performance was nothing short of stellar. Her ability to capture distinct voices and emotional nuances elevated the entire listening experience. I’ll definitely be seeking out more audiobooks she narrates.
Overall, Hidden Nature was a gripping, character-rich read that blends genre elements with warmth, grit, and emotional insight. Highly recommended for fans of romantic suspense, strong female leads, and tightly woven storytelling.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another great book by Nora Roberts! I do have to say that following the lives of "the villains" this closely in parallel with that of the main characters, felt a bit disturbing. However, this essentially just points to her skill in writing the friction into her work, building up the tension this way.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No