I am a huge fan of the Romantic Suspense novels of Nora Roberts and have read quite a few of them. MIND GAMES is another great addition to her collection. I could not put this book down once I opened the first chapter.

The story begins when the main character, Thea, is twelve years old. School has just let out for the summer and Thea and her younger brother, Rem, are leaving their Virginia home to spend a few weeks with Lucy, their maternal grandmother, in Kentucky. Also freed for a few weeks, the parents returned home for some quiet, alone time to reconnect.

That is when the book takes a unique and fascinating turn. In the middle of the night, John and Cora Fox, Thea and Rem’s parents, are murdered by a greedy and obsessed young man. What makes this story unique is that Thea—as well as Lucy—“witnessed” the whole thing. In a dreamlike state, both women watched the whole gruesome scene. And the murderer, 18-year old Ray Riggs knew that they had seen everything.

The key to this book is that a kind of clairvoyant telepathy runs through the female side of Grammie Lucy’s family and it is by this form of ESP that the confrontations between Thea and Riggs take place. It is a well thought out and intricately formed plot that leads to a very satisfying end.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered that the main character in this book was a computer game developer, one who wrote code and plots for some very successful survival, adventure, action games. When I am not reading I enjoy spending time in the game world. In MIND GAMES, Thea’s talent as a game creator plays a key role in her battle with Riggs.

I highly recommend this book and greatly enjoyed reading it. I received this book as a free gift from NetGalley so that I could serve as a volunteer, unpaid reviewed and give my honest thoughts.

4 games in your head stars

Nora Roberts is a prolific writer; it seems like she writes multiple books each year. What constantly amazes me is that each book creates fully-formed characters and a supporting cast. I grow to root for these characters. The plots and professions of the characters vary, and there’s often a mystical element. What doesn’t change is that reading her books is an escape and always works for me!

Our main character in “Mind Games” is Thea, and we start with her story as a young, almost-teen girl. Thea and her younger brother have just been dropped off with their beloved grandmother in Kentucky and will spend the first two glorious weeks of summer exploring the gorgeous countryside and helping with the candle business.

Thea and her grandmother share a family gift: They can feel and sense things others can’t. One night, a terrible tragedy occurs with Thea’s parents, and both women can see it happen although they are physically not present. Thea’s gift is even stronger, and she can get into the minds of others.

As Thea and her brother face a life without their parents, their grandmother raises them with fierce love and devotion. There are twists in the story, and Thea uses her gift to help the police put a killer behind bars.

This book has a mix of everything: a fascinating look at the life of a game designer, psychic abilities, some mystery, and a childhood romance come to fruition. Throw in some adorable dogs and strong family connections and this one is a winner. I rooted for Thea to find a way to use her gift and finally put her childhood tragedy to rest.

Mind Games is an enjoyable and easy novel to read. A great way to spend a weekend with a book. Thea has a unique ability that ultimately puts her in a heartbreaking and eventually dangerous situation. The pacing of the story was done well. Characters were believable, likable, and easy to root for. Nora Roberts does have a special knack for character development. I enjoyed the twist on the cat and mouse trope. It made for an interesting and compelling read. I didn't care so much for the romantic part of the story as much. While I appreciated the effort, the relationship felt too quick, too forced, and the conflict at the end to provide drama just a little bit too contrived. Nora Roberts does tell a story that the reader can sink into like a comfy blanket. This is how Mind Games felt to me.

I was given an advanced digital copy to read and provide an honest review.

I found "Mind Games" to a captivating read! From start to finish the author grabbed ahold of my attention and I was immersed in the storyline.

This book was a relentless rollercoaster of intrigue and suspense. The skillful pacing left me on the edge of my seat both eager and nervous to unravel the mysteries lurking within the pages.

I love when an author blends supernatural elements into their story and this author does it does so perfectly.

Thank you Nora Roberts, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Mind Games by Nora Roberts, published by St Martin's Press
Absolutely loved this novel. There was just enough of everything in this novel from tension, love, drama, family, kids, animals; this book had it all and it read so well
Nora Roberts has a way of weaving a tale that you don't want to put down, I'd love a sequel to this novel.
Main character Thea has a special power that allows her to "see" things, passed down from her grandmother, I loved this aspect of the book, it wasn't too much. This book had me chuckling at some of the kids comments, I loved the relationship between all the characters. The plot and setting were great, so much description, I felt like I was there.
This is a must read by Nora Roberts

This knocked my socks off, shredded my heart, had me tearing and then encompassed my heart with family and love. The lure of the Kentucky Mountains, a family with second sight passed down, woman to woman. Evil in a young kids heart, murder by his hands . Using his sight to destroy, kill, take. A strong young woman using her sight for good, wrapped in the arms of her Grammie, running through the Kentucky Mountains with her brother Rem, learning Grammies ways and oh so much more. This is a book that will stay with me, and one I will purchase in hard copy to cry on pages to run the hills, to feel Grammies arms and know, life is good when you have family and love. Thank you so much St Martins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #MindGames #NoraRoberts #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

Also Facebook, X, Pinterest and Kobo

This was so good that I read it and then listened again on audio. I like that it was different from the typical book. So good!

Another riveting story by Nora Roberts that contains a mesmerizing mix of family, romance, and suspense. Thea was 12 years old when her parents were murdered and she saw in her mind what happened even though she was in the next state visiting her grandmother with her brother. As result, the killer was captured and locked up for life. Thanks to their grandmother, Thea and Rem managed to thrive in spite of the tragedy. The book was hard to put down, but at the same time, I did not want to rush through it to the satisfying conclusion.

Mind Games is an amazing Nora Roberts Suspense. The book keeps you trying to figure out what happens next while intertwining it with a little romance to lighten it up some.
Thea and Rem’s parents are murdered at a young age while they are visiting their grandmother. Thea has a gift and she can see it happening even though she isn’t with them. She spends years trying to make the man who murdered them blocked from her mind . While trying to hurt him and be able to maintain her own life she falls in love with her new neighbor and his little boy.
As always Nora Roberts created a book that will make you want to keep reading until the very end.Thanks NetGalley and publisher for a copy for my opinion.

I really loved this book. It had me crying, laughing and hoping. I love that in this book that family is such a big part of it. This is a must read! Pick it up today!

I've read a number of Nora Roberts' romance and fantasy romance series, but this is only the second thriller of hers I've read. I'd say this one reads much more like a fantasy romance with a few thriller elements than a true thriller, but I enjoyed it anyway. I liked the setup of the thriller elements and the way they were tied to her powers. I loved our FMC, that she was a video game designer, and how her video game work tied into the resolution of the thriller element. Like all of Roberts' books, I found the characters sounded more or less like all the rest of Roberts' characters but it didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the story.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

If you've ever read Nora Roberts, you know that she writes an outstanding story EVERY single time. I started reading this story and was in such a lovely place. There was this beautiful loving family at grandma's for a visit in the countryside. The location and the people seemed gentle, but there was tons of exciting adventures for the kids to look forward to in their two week visit while their parents went home for some couple time.
I was raised out in the country, and it took me back. I felt the ease of no hustle and bustle. I thought I had fallen into a soft, beautiful, peaceful story.
Then I turned another page, and Roberts dove into the extreme opposite. The calm and peace were erased with such violence and darkness. It was truly jolting, just as Roberts wanted it to be. It was also all consuming as the little girl played mind games with a ruthless murderer.
The little girl grows up, and finds love with her new neighbor and his young son, but will the truth of her "sight" be more than he can handle? Will she break the murderer or will their mind games destroy her?

A fantastic psychological thriller!

Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this book. All thoughts are my own.

This book has everything you are looking for in a Nora Roberts book. Family, mystery, drama and romance. Thea and REM get a two weeks vacation in Kentucky with their Grammie but while there tragedy strikes and their parents are murdered. Thanks to a gift that Thea has the killer is found. This book will grab you and keep you invested until the end.

Mind Games by Nora Roberts combines romance and supernatural that keeps a reader interested till the end.

The story starts with Thea as a 12 year old and a horrifying incident changes her life forever. She has a gift like her grandmother. Whether that gift is a boon or trouble, the reader has to deduce.

I enjoyed reading this story. This is very different from Nora Roberts' romantic suspense stories. The combination of her suspense elements with supernatural creates a unique story. The backdrop of Appalachian mountains, nature, and strong female characters, this book has something for everyone. The only thing I would say is that sometimes the dialogues seem a little clichéd. In every book of hers, the dialogues seem exactly the same. Overall, this book did get me out of my slump to some extent.

Nora Roberts has written another best seller that has her trademark elements with the addition of mind games. Thea and Rem are visiting their beloved grammie on her farm in Kentucky when a truly evil man kills both their parents. Thea has the “gift” and sees the whole event in her mind, including the ability to feel every thought the killer has. He is also hyper aware of her when he steals her picture from the crime scene. Her skills are the reason he is spending life in prison as he continues to sneak into her mind. What a scary “gift” to have.
So loved all of the unique characters in this book, Thea, Rem, Grammie, Ty, and most especially Bray and Bunk. Thea’s teen crush on rock star Ty was a great connection, as was Ty’s devotion to his grandmother. Roberts skills at creating characters that seemingly walk off the pages is very evident in her latest book, but the side stories added so much to this read. Thea’s career of developing video games was very fascinating as I never thought about what goes into creating them. Ty’s former rock star career has certainly molded him and I so loved the back story of Bray…very touching. Bray was so very heart melting, especially his love for Bunk. The star of the book for me was grammie. I cannot sing her praises loud enough. Her presence, kindness and caring ways extended to anyone she met, such a nurturing woman.
Mind Games was an excellent read that kept me riveted, and reading well past midnight. So thankful for the amazing ability of Nora Roberts to plunge the reader into the midst of her storyline, and this one gave me sorrow and chills, but also laughter, joy, and love.
Many thanks to the incredibly talented Nora Roberts, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this just published gem.

MIND GAMES - Nora Roberts

AMAZING! - 5 stars

Plot - 5 stars - Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened. Thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse―because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them.

Writing - 5 stars - I don't know how she does it, but Roberts grabs my attention from the first page...always. She builds a setting that is warm and welcoming, then she adds characters that pull you into their orbit and make you love them. Then she adds a crisis that puts it all over the top.

Characters - 5 stars - Not surprisingly, this is where the story especially shone for me. Thea is fascinating because of her psychic gift, but she's also strong and kind. I also loved Rem, her brother, who is cute and fun and adds some laughs and entertainment. Grammie (Leah) is the perfect grandma--wise and self-sufficient, providing warmth and advice and protectiveness that are needed (both by the characters and by the reader) throughout the book. Ty is a great dad, and he is solid and dependable (not to mention attractive). Bray is just fun, adding more color and lightness to the group. The interactions between them are friendly, loving, and peaceful. Riggs is the evil who seems to be always there, underlying everything. He adds a sense of suspense and danger that are lurking, even when everyone is in theor seemingly warm and safe environment.

Title - 5 stars - Makes sense. Thea is playing mind games with Riggs. Not to mention the video games she designs that involve problem-solving and other mind involvement.

Cover - 5 stars - The cover focuses on the rolling hills and woods where Thea feels most peaceful and comfortable.

Overall - 5 stars - I had originally planned to read a few pages each day, but instead I was caught up in the people and the story and just couldn't put it down. The psychic element is so interesting, and Roberts knows enough to make it relatively subtle and not something flashy. Just enough to be intriguing. As mentioned before, the characters are all wonderful--I can't think of any that didn't appeal to me and make me want to live in the Kentucky hills myself. The suspense built slowly and relentlessly throughout the book and kept me turning the pages. The ending was not what I expected, but it was very satisfying, nonetheless. As with all of Roberts' recent books, I loved this one and will highly recommend it to everyone.

I Absolutely Loved this book. I was a smidgen hesitant because I wasn’t sure if I would be into the mind games of it, but I’m glad I took the plunge. I’m not sure if it is meant to be a true standalone or starting something else, but I would definitely be interested in more of these characters. I was able to listen to the audio version as well as reading it, and the narrator did such fantastic job of bringing the story to life. Thea was such an interesting character. Following along with how her mind works had me on the edge of my seat. Throw in a single dad neighbor in the form of Ty and I’m sold. Little Bray was a great addition to the book. I definitely recommend this one.

3.5 stars! This is a story about the strength of family sticking together through ups and downs and after dealing with tragedy. The generations have been brought up to enjoy nature, work hard, help others and appreciate the simple pleasures in life.

What I liked: likeable characters, genuine feelings, drama, people who enjoy life and work hard, cute kids and dogs, people with psychic abilities, the setting and landscape

What had potential, but needed improvement: some scenes are too drawn out, too much bland conversation, too tragic at the beginning, slow at first but it picked up, some of the romance is predictable and at times, it took too long for something to happen

Overall, this was an entertaining read. I was especially intrigued by the psychic aspect of the story. I enjoyed the characters although I wish some of the day to day life could have been more exciting. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC.

I can’t remember if I have read a Nora Roberts book before or not but I know her name is a pretty big one in the book world. I did actually read this premise before reading the book and I thought it sounded really intriguing. I was sold at happy family until the parents are murdered. Sprinkle in a bit of psychic abilities and we have a winner. I did really enjoy Mind Games (love the play on the title). The story was fast paced and kept me interested, I finished in 2 days. I like that we could see both Thea and Ray’s perspective's. I did find the psychic abilities also and interesting plot twist. I also liked the small town tight knit community.
I wish we got Lucy’s back story, she was an interesting character and also more of Rats childhood, what made the hatred so bad. I enjoyed reading about how close Lucy, Thea and Rem were. I liked that we got a bit of a love story out of the tragedies.
Overall this was a really good read and I would recommend it to most reader I know.

Thank you to Netgalley and SMP for the copy to read.

This was a really good book. It was not what I thought when I started reading it and I got half way through and was sunk. It was that good.
Well done.