The Girl from the Hidden Forest

Author: Hannah Linder
Genre: Gothic Regency Romance
Pages: 320
Release Date: April 30, 2024
Publisher: Barbour Publishing

The nightmares may free her…but destroy the man she loves.
  
Eliza Ellis has stayed hidden in Balfour Forest for as long as she can remember. Perhaps her only friends are the trees, or her little dog, or her story-telling father called Captain. But at least she is safe from the cruel world outside, a world Captain has warned her against and protected her from.
 
That is, until a handsome stranger named Felton Northwood invades her quiet forest and steals her away. Why does he tell such lies? Why does he insist that her name is Miss Eliza Gillingham, daughter of a viscount, who disappeared fourteen years ago after the murder of her own mother? A murder Eliza is said to have witnessed.
 
When Felton returns Eliza to Monbury Manor and reunites her with a man who is told to be her father, all she remembers are the strange nightmares that have plagued her since childhood. Why have they suddenly grown worse? Are the answers hidden inside her own mind?
 
As danger mounts and lethal attempts are made on her life, Eliza and Felton must work together to uncover the identity of a killer who has stayed silent for fourteen years. When she finally uncovers the horrendous memories trapped in her mind, will divulging the truth cost her the man she loves—and both of their lives?

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Reviewer: Laura J. Davis
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Hannah Linder's The Girl from the Hidden Forest captured my attention from the first page and held it until the end. 

Eliza Ellis has always lived in the deep forest with her beloved Captain Ellis. She believed he was her father. The Captain has filled her head with the dangers of the outside world and that she should never leave the forest. As a result, she has never met anyone else but him in her entire life. Then, one day, a stranger (Felton Northwood) kidnaps her and insists she is not Eliza Ellis but Eliza Gillingham, and he is taking her back to her father. Naturally, she is terrified, and all she wants to do is get back to the Captain, whom she considers to be her real father.

There is a lot to process in this book. The author masterfully captures Eliza's terror upon kidnapping, and as she returns to her true home, she grapples with the nightmares she's harboured since childhood.

There is a spectacular mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. The author brilliantly places the reader in Eliza's mind and leaves us just as confused and doubting about who she can trust as she is.

The only thing I didn't buy was the romance that developed between Felton and Eliza. Despite being her kidnapper, Eliza fell in love with him, and he reciprocated her feelings. His love for her felt a bit creepy to me. As for her, it felt like she had Stockholm syndrome. I just didn't buy it for either one of them. I loved the mystery, but the romance fell flat. 

The story itself is intriguing. If you enjoy mysteries, this one will keep you turning the pages.

For my honest review, I received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley.

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