Review: Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

The #1 New York Times-bestselling author presents a novel about an injured cop who must fight to bring down a pair of twisted killers…

Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, and her partner had just taken down three men preying on hikers in the Western Maryland mountains. Driving back, she pulled in at a convenience store—and walked right into a robbery in progress. One gunshot from a jittery thief was about to change her world.

After being shocked back to life on the operating table, she has a long recovery ahead, so she moves back to her parents’ peaceful house in Heron’s Rest. As for the boyfriend who dumped her via text while she was in the hospital, good riddance.

She may be down, but she’s not out. So when a woman vanishes, leaving her car behind in a supermarket parking lot, Sloan searches online for similar cases. She finds them, spread across three states. Men and women, old and young—the missing seem to have nothing in common. And the abductions keep happening.

Luckily, the new man in her life shares her passion for solving this mystery. But it will take every ounce of endurance to get to the dark heart of this bizarre case—and she's willing to risk her life again if that's what it takes to stop the horror.

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What I thought about Hidden Nature

An almost fatal shooting changes a young policewoman's perspective on life and love in Hidden Nature. Her detecting and observation skills remain top-notch and come in handy when she's targeted by a serial killer.

This was a book that I had to read every free moment I had. I just loved Sloan -- she's tough and smart and doesn't engage in relationship drama. She's dedicated to her chosen career and when there's a suspicious disappearance, she takes it upon herself to investigate as she recovers. She moves back home, meets a man who surprises her, and works on this case on her own time. She's just that dedicated. Nash is a lovely partner for Sloan -- he's dealing with his own demons and is surprised by his feelings for Sloan. I couldn't help but root for them. The writing is top-notch as you might expect from this author.

I do wish the ending had more to it, that is my only (very mild) complaint. There was terrific build-up to Sloan's interaction with the serial killers that just could have been a little "more" for this reader. I do recommend Hidden Nature to readers looking for a very satisfying romantic suspense. I just loved it. 

 

Available Today! The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

 

 

 

 

Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of legendary horror author Vincent Taylor, famous not only for his novels but for being the prime suspect in the brutal slaying of his siblings. On the brink of financial ruin, Olivia reluctantly agrees to ghostwrite her father's last book, not realising she will be forced to reckon with the ghosts that live at the centre of her family.

 

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What I thought about The Ghostwriter

 

It's family secrets on steroids in The Ghostwriter. Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter that has lost her credibility and is shunned by her community. An offer comes in to write her father's story. Her father is a notable thriller author who has been under suspicion for killing his two siblings years ago. Since Olivia is broke, she decides to accept the offer, which leads her on a journey to uncover secrets and dissect her own relationship with her father.

This book grabbed me from the start and had me turning pages quickly. I like a book that I can sink into and The Ghostwriter hit the mark. There are plenty of twists and turns and just when you think you might know what really happened, things change. I like that about it. Kept me guessing until the end. It is more of a slow pace as pieces are revealed to the reader. There are multiple points of view and trips to the past as well. Overall, in spite of a slower pace, I liked this book and would recommend it to other mystery thriller readers.

 

 

 

Dying To Meet You by Sarina Bowen

NOW LIVE!

 

The acclaimed USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author returns with a twisty thriller that probes how well we actually know the men in our lives.

Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a high-profile commission restoring an historic mansion for the most powerful family in Maine. But inside, she’s a mess. She knows that stalking her ex’s avatar all over Portland on her phone isn't the healthiest way to heal from their breakup. But she’s out of ice cream and she's sick of romcoms.

Watching his every move is both fascinating and infuriating. He's dining out while she's wallowing on the couch. The last straw comes when he parks in their favorite spot on the waterfront. In a weak moment, she leashes the dog and sets off to see who else is in his car.

Instead of catching her ex in a kiss, Rowan becomes the first witness to his murder—and the primary suspect.

But Rowan isn’t the only one keeping secrets. As she digs for the truth, she discovers the dead man was stalking her too, gathering intimate details about her job and her past.

Struggling to clear her name, Rowan finds herself spiraling into the shadowy plot that killed him.

Will she be the next to die?

Purchase Links
https://sarinabowen.com/dtmy-links

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What I thought about Dying to Meet You

Architect Rowan Gallagher is working on the restoration of a family estate and uncovers a sketchy past after her ex boyfriend is found shot in the parking lot. She becomes a murder suspect for a number of reasons, forcing her to dig deeper into family history and the past occupants of the Magdalene School for Wayward Girls.

I'm old enough to remember when places like this existed, and the school becomes a major part of this thriller. There are also some nice romantic elements with daughter's father Harrison who is a felon and also under suspicion. I have to say that Harrison was one of my favorite characters. As for Rowan, she's a likable character, but I didn't really get "architect" from her as she seems to abandon her career to solve the mystery of who killed her ex. I found the daughter to be more interesting as she is not exactly forthcoming with her mother.

There are multiple points of view in the telling of this story, one in particular that had me scratching my head at the end of the story. I was looking for a bigger payoff there, but okay, I may have to go back and re-read that part of the ending to figure it out

Overall, I liked the story. It's an easy read, but it didn't have the level of gut wrenching suspense that there could have been. I guessed the killer somewhere along the way, but that's the best part of reading a mystery/thriller. Entertaining.

 

 

5 Stars for The Big Fix by Holly James

 

When bookish Penny Collins reluctantly lets her sister drag her to an estate sale at a neighbor’s house, she’s hoping for a little diversion rummaging through dusty antiques. Instead she ends up in a public squabble over candlesticks with the deceased owner’s nephew, Anthony—right before a dead body tumbles out of a closet.

Penny’s plan for the summer involved finalizing tenure at the university where she’s a computer sciences professor. Now she’s suddenly on the run with a man she barely knows, scaling walls, evading bullets, and accidentally stabbing henchmen. It seems the wrong people believe she’s Anthony’s girlfriend and in possession of something they desperately need—and will do anything to get. 

My Review

When Penny visits her sister and attends the next door neighbor's estate sale, she has no idea what she's getting herself into. Anthony is not only the estate seller, but he's got some dubious activities that get the two of them in extremely hot water very quickly. I really loved Penny -- she had a great attitude. And Anthony is the strong, silent type, but he's just too adorable when it comes to Penny.

This cute and humorous romantic suspense /comedy makes it to my favorites of 2025. I really enjoyed this story. Although predictable, it was just a fun romp that held my interest until the end. I'm not a big fan of insta-love, but sometimes it works, and I could feel the chemistry between Anthony and Penny from the start. The story is a bit far-fetched, but the tone of the narration makes it easy to ignore that sort of thing and just relax into the story. Recommended if you are looking for a romantic suspense tale with a light touch.  

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Release Day Review: 5 stars for Holidating:Three Sizzling Holiday Romances by Sarina Bowen

 

24-time USA Today bestseller Sarina Bowen's first holiday collection! Enjoy three complete holiday romances from Sarina Bowen. You’re getting:

Boyfriend: a complete holiday novel with a hilarious premise.
Rent a boyfriend for the holiday. For $25, I will be your Thanksgiving date. I will show up in a nice shirt, talk hockey with your dad and bring your mother flowers…
Everyone knows it’s a bad idea to introduce your hockey crush to your messed-up family. But Abbi really needs a date for Thanksgiving, even if she can’t say why. But when she tears Weston’s number off of a flyer, she accidentally entangles Moo U’s star defenseman in a ruse that neither of them can easily unwind.

Crossroads: a novella of missed connections, broken dreams and two hearts that just won’t quit.

Damien Rossi drives a taxi but dreams of more. Specifically, he dreams about Nicolette Overland, his favorite client, a lonely beauty who lives in an actual mansion on a hill.

Nicolette can’t stop thinking about the hunky guy with the soulful brown eyes, either. She looks forward to every Christmas holiday when she knows he’ll be waiting for her at the airport. But when she screws up her courage to finally tell him how she feels, it might be too late…

Blonde Date: a novella of hot nerds, basketball and revenge.

Katie is done with bad boys after some very poor treatment by a fraternity guy. Now, facing a holiday Greek event, she needs a date. A nice guy this time. Good thing a certain nerdy basketball player wants to audition for the role…

Note: Boyfriend (68k words) is separately available, Crossroads (35k words) is brand new, and Blonde Date (30k words) has been previously published.

Buy Links

Ebook will be at Amazon only:
https://geni.us/Holidating-Amazon

Paperbacks at:
Amazon:
https://geni.us/Holidating-paper

Bookshop.org:
https://geni.us/Holidating-Bookshop

Barnes & Noble:
https://geni.us/Holidating-BN

Books-a-Million:
https://geni.us/Holidating-BAM

Mobile friendly links page:
https://sarinabowen.com/holidating-links

ADD TO GOODREADS
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216968586-holidating

What I thought about Holidating

Oh my! Damien Rossi! I absolutely love all the Rossi men in the True North series and was so excited to read Damien's story. It was fantastic and really had me a bit emotional there for a few pages. But it's romance, so there's an HEA, so whew! I just loved Damien's story, it was sad and sweet. The story spans a number of years and can really tug the heartstrings before giving the reader a HEA.

Boyfriend and Blonde Date are re-releases that I still want to read. Overall this is a feel-good holiday trio that hits the romance bullseye. You can't go wrong here.

This is an very nice introduction for new readers of this author and a must for fans of the True North series.

 

Release Week Review: You Can Kill (A Laurel Snow Thriller Book 4) by Rebecca Zanetti

 

Luther meets Justified combined with Profiler in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti's exciting Laurel Snow Thriller series, set in the Pacific Northwest, featuring FBI Special Agent and rising star profiler Laurel Snow. For readers who love their thrillers centered around dysfunctional families, and their protagonists threatened by a serial killer.

“Be prepared to stay up all night…Rebecca Zanetti takes you on a thrill-ride, pitting characters you love against impossible odds.” –CHRISTINE FEEHAN, New York Times bestselling author

A string of brutal murders is leaving a grisly trail across the Pacific Northwest—and drawing rising star FBI profiler Laurel Snow back into a treacherous case and a twisted personal drama she can’t escape . . .

The first body is torn apart, blood and flesh discovered across both state and federal lands. As the victims multiply, a pattern emerges—each is related to past cases investigated by Laurel Snow, with the assist of Huck Rivers, Washington Fish and Wildlife captain. When friends and loved ones are targeted, things become even more chillingly personal.

As Laurel and Huck team up again to navigate the gruesome and increasingly bizarre killings, they must also keep a safe distance from Laurel’s half-sister, Abigail, a dangerously clever sociopath. Ever since their father reappeared in town, Abigail has been convinced she must protect Laurel from his malignant narcissism—a scourge she’s sure they’ve both inherited. Huck is not spared either as a shocking development in the case touches his own life.

With the murders, and the suspects, multiplying around them, and the lives of everyone in their orbit at stake, only Laurel’s sharp analytic skills, Huck’s deep gut instincts, and their growing bond will enable them to face the demons within and the threats without—before they’re next on an elusive killer’s hit list . . .

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Kobo | Google Play

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~o~

What I thought about You Can Kill

This is one of my favorite series. I just love Laurel and her investigative skills, especially when she teams up with Huck. They work so well as colleagues and as lovers and I really like getting more information on both aspects in this latest addition to the series. It really is a series about relationships against the backdrop of terrible crimes.

This is a no spoiler review, so I'm not getting into the details of the story. I will say that the writing pulled me right into the story and I found myself close to the end before I knew it. I love a book that draws me in so completely that the pages just fly by, and this series does that. There's always a few twists and turns that keep the story moving along, and this installment of the series is no exception.

Overall, a 5 star read for this reader.

Review: I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong

Nicola Laughton never expected to see adulthood, being diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child. Then medical advances let her live into her thirties and she met Anton, who taught her to dream of a future… together. Months after they married, Anton died in a horrible car accident, but lived long enough to utter five words to her, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

That final private moment became public when someone from the crash scene took it to the press―the terminally ill woman holding her dying husband as he promised to wait for her on the other side. Worse, that person claimed it wasn’t Anton who said the words but his ghost, hovering over his body.

Since their story went public, Nicola has been hounded by spiritualists promising closure. In the hopes of stopping her downward spiral, friends and family find a reputable medium―a professor of parapsychology. For the séance, they rent the Lake Erie beach house that Anton’s family once owned.

The medium barely has time to begin his work before things start happening. Locked doors mysteriously open. Clouds of insects engulf the house. Nicola hears footsteps and voices and the creak of an old dumbwaiter…in an empty shaft. Throughout it all she’s haunted by nightmares of her past. Because, unbeknownst to the others, this isn’t her first time contacting the dead. And Nicola isn’t her real name.

That’s when she finds the first body….

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What I thought about I'll Be Waiting

I love this time of year. While some people like horror movies, I really like a good horror story -- one that will make me put the book down for a moment, only to grab it back up and devour the words on the page, because I have to know what's going to happen.  This requires a good bit of tension and suspense in the writing and believable enough so the reader can just sink into the story, even though it might be scary or intense.

I'll Be Waiting grabbed me right from the start.  Nicola and Anton are likable characters and their circumstances are gut-wrenching.  But this story asks -- what about the afterlife? And it answers the question with a tight horror story with ghosts and evil spirits and a whole lot of holding my breath.

I really liked this story and it will be on my favorites of 2024. The tale is believable, especially if you have a belief in the afterlife. And while a horror story, the love story between Anton and Nicola is expertly woven between past and present.  There were plenty of surprises I didn't see coming. I just loved it! Definitely recommended for horror fans. 

 About the Author

Kelley Armstrong believes experience is the best teacher, though she’s been told this shouldn’t apply to writing her murder scenes. To craft her books, she has studied aikido, archery and fencing. She sucks at all of them. She has also crawled through very shallow cave systems and climbed half a mountain before chickening out. She is however an expert coffee drinker and a true connoisseur of chocolate-chip cookies.

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