Three Stars
HIDDEN was my first Laura Griffin novel, which is surprising because I love romantic suspense, and she has a solid back list! When I saw this was the first book in a new series, I figured this was as good of a place as any to dive in. While I ended up enjoying the book, it wasn’t anything I want to write home about.
The story follows an intrepid reporter heroine, Bailey, and Austin homicide detective, Jacob, as they try to uncover the details of a mysterious murder in the park. To be honest, reporter/detective romances aren’t my favorite. The lack of trust between both parties seems insurmountable and I appreciated that Ms. Griffin addressed this as a large part of the conflict between Bailey and Jacob.
What I liked: I really enjoyed the tight-laced police officer with the more laid back yet motivated reporter. It was fun seeing them both try, and fail, to fight their attraction to each other. I also LOVED the suspense plot. While it started slow, once the storyline picked up speed, it didn’t stop for a second. I loved that I wasn’t able to predict where the book would twist and where it would turn. I actually gasped a few times!
What I didn’t like: One of the biggest sticking points for me as a romance reader is that I didn’t believe the romance between Bailey and Jacob. Yes, I believe they were attracted to each other, but I didn’t believe in the deeper emotions they were supposed to have. They barely trusted each other most of the book. I would have liked to see more of an emotional connection or discussions outside of work or the case. Also, as I mentioned, the book was SLOW to start. So slow. I felt like the plot didn’t really go anywhere for the first 25% or so.
Overall, I did enjoy this book for the most part; it was well-written and suspenseful. I just wanted more.
**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**
Romance Reader 