Black Hills by Nora Roberts [Review]

Black Hills by Nora Roberts
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
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Date read: June 14, 2025

Purchase Links: Paperback | Kindle

Nora Roberts
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Cooper Sullivan spent the summers of his youth on his grandparents’ South Dakota ranch, sharing innocent games and stolen kisses with the neighbor girl, Lil Chance. Now, twelve years after they last walked together hand in hand, fate has brought them back to the Black Hills.

Though the memory of Coop’s touch still haunts her, Lil has let nothing stop her dream of opening the Chance Wildlife Refuge, but something—or someone—has been keeping a close watch. When small pranks and acts of destruction escalate into a heartless attack on Lil’s beloved cougar, memories of an unsolved murder have Coop springing to action to keep Lil safe.

Both of them know the natural dangers that lurk in the wild landscape of the Black Hills. But a killer of twisted and unnatural instincts has singled them out as prey....

Thoughts on Black Hills: This was a re-read for me and HOO-BOY was it good. Lil and Coop were childhood sweethearts (sort of, they were best friends first and the friendship grew into something more) who grew apart thanks to circumstance and, well, other reasons. When Coop moves back home to help his grandparents with their farm and business after an accident, THINGS HAPPEN. That's a simplification, really.

Coop had some not-so-great parents who shunted him off to his grandparents one summer in an attempt to save their marriage. Coop resented being sent away, he resented his parents for their treatment of him, and he didn't know his mother's family enough to be trust them. But his grandparents (and the farm) worked their magic on him and got him to unwind and be a kid and then he met Lil and somehow the terrible summer he was sent to the Black Hills turned into the best summer of his life.

But that's only the wind-up. Coop and Lil grew up, fell into a relationship, and then things fell apart (I don't necessarily agree with Coop's reasoning for leaving Lil, but I also kind of get it). They both channeled their heartache into making something of themselves and twelve years later they're both in the same place at the same time. Lil is leery of trusting Coop after he broke her heart once, but the fact there's someone who seems to be targeting her and her refuge means she has to deal with her hurt and trust him to help keep her and her people safe.

Meanwhile, there's a killer loose in the hills who is specifically targeting Lil and her refuge. Coop has to put together what scant clues he has to help the local law enforcement figure out who it is and where they'll strike next. Lil isn't one to sit quietly in the background and she's not going to run and hide when the killer could target her family, so she's in the thick of things on all fronts.

I always enjoy books by Nora Roberts and this was no exception. Family ties (of both the biological and found variety), a solid romance, and strong characters are a win for me!