anneinaz 's review for:

Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

5.0

dark emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts is primarily a romance, with a little crime thrown in. The crime came with romance, too, although it was grisly. A couple snatched people who had been brought back to life after dying briefly during some trauma. These people thought their victims had been robbed of the death that was due them and they sought to rectify it. Sloane was the protagonist, if there was one, and the primary investigator. She was at her parents home recuperating from two gunshot wounds she had gotten, not on the job, but while she was trying to buy drinks for herself and her partner, Joel. They were both Natural Resources Police, who had just finished arresting some guys who thought the park was theirs and were accosting all “trespassers.” Joel saved her life that day although the EMT guys and the hospital staff contributed a lot, too. And yes, she had died on the table. She was rehabbing, but it was not going as quickly as she wanted it to. Then, she read about a local woman who just disappeared poof, into thin air. It caught her interest and she started looking into it, between walking and sleeping. 

An enjoyable read about a loving family and two brothers who had grown up in an opposite situations. The men, now neighbors, Theo and Nash, had walked away from lucrative careers in the city and moved to this small town to rehab a wreck of a house and start a handyman business. Sloane’s parents, Elsie and Dean, owned all manner of real estate, mostly vacation rentals. Her sister, Drea, worked for them as well. Sloane had walked away to join the police. It was not long before Drea, and one of the brothers, Theo, were an item. All the while Sloane was investigating. When she and Nash became friends, one of the things that solidified that friendship was the fact she could run her ideas past him and he responded intelligently. She had had that with Joel, but she couldn’t keep bothering him. This was an enticing story, full of interesting characters, both good and bad. The plot was mostly simple and predictable, but the crime was challenging and difficult. All in all, it was a terrific read, exactly what one would expect from Nora Roberts. 

I was invited to read Hidden Nature by St Martin’s Press. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #NoraRoberts #HiddenNature