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A review by tyches_dice
Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
You, random internet review reader, know and I know that I am a Nora Roberts apologist. I have read very close to all of her books and I’ve liked most of them! I’ll defend her against misogynists until I am blue in the face. So it hurts no one more than me to say that this one is a big miss for me.
Firstly, I wish she’d let go of the notion of cops as romantic leads. Regardless of your personal feelings about cops, I think we can all agree that she’s done enough! Enough cops and enough construction and a book with both is overkill. It reads like Roberts phoned it in.
Secondly, the pacing was bad! It didn’t get interesting until like… 65% of the way through the book. It was slower than my grandmother getting out of a beanbag chair.
Finally, for a couple of years there, it felt like Roberts was trying to *say* something with her novels - the one about the devastating impact of gun violence? That stuck with me (it’s called “Shelter in Place” if you are unfamiliar). I don’t know if she got backlash for that, but for the last couple of years her books have been so blandly inoffensive that it is honestly a little tedious to read.
Firstly, I wish she’d let go of the notion of cops as romantic leads. Regardless of your personal feelings about cops, I think we can all agree that she’s done enough! Enough cops and enough construction and a book with both is overkill. It reads like Roberts phoned it in.
Secondly, the pacing was bad! It didn’t get interesting until like… 65% of the way through the book. It was slower than my grandmother getting out of a beanbag chair.
Finally, for a couple of years there, it felt like Roberts was trying to *say* something with her novels - the one about the devastating impact of gun violence? That stuck with me (it’s called “Shelter in Place” if you are unfamiliar). I don’t know if she got backlash for that, but for the last couple of years her books have been so blandly inoffensive that it is honestly a little tedious to read.