Mind Games is one of Nora Roberts best story lines, I think. The reader will encounter extra sensory abilities, terrifying threats to the main characters peace of mind and safety, romance (but not too much, for those readers that don't like sappy story lines!), and above all, family. The characters are relatable, and one can almost picture themselves as part of the story, until you realize what makes the main character...different.

I do wish that it had been a longer book to develop the sub plots just a smidge more, and the ending was a satisfactory, well done conclusion but I felt like it happened rather abruptly. As a long time Nora Roberts fan, I would have just like it dragged out a little more to get the full effect of the power that was shown.

I waited years as a reviewer on NetGalley to have the opportunity to read a book of Nora Roberts before it was published! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher! I volunteered to read Mind Games by Nora Roberts and was in no way influenced by anyone associated with the author or the publishing company. I read Mind Games on the Netgalley app for my phone and loved it so much I will ABSOLUTELY buy a hard copy.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This book was as emotional as it was suspenseful from the very first page! I admit I cried early on... even knowing Thea's parents were not going to have a happy ending, I was not fully prepared for the depths of despair I felt for the loss. I adored the family bond of the Foxes and Ty and his son. The dynamics of the characters was so well done even that of our villain and our heroine, Thea. The premise was clever especially with the addition of the gaming world that gets transferred into the dream/psychic world. Plus, there are animals, a cute kid and a sweet romance to alleviate some of the tension. The only downside was the way Ty reacted when he felt betrayed. Grrr, it didn't really match with his character. I realize there had to be angst to get to the happy place on the other side, but still...at least we crossed that bridge and had the perfect reunion and happily ever after.

4.5 stars

Mind Games was a page-turner for sure! It had all of the elements of a good story. The characters were likeable. The drama of good vs. evil was engaging. The whole story had me rooting for Thea, her gift, and her ability to help people. I absolutely love the dynamic between grandmother and grandchildren and the small town setting. I thoughly enjoyed thepsychological thriller part of Mind Games and even though the story began with tragedy and sadness it was well worth the read!

Nora Roberts is known for her stories that draw the reader to keep turning the pages. Every summer, Thea and her brother are dropped off at Grandma's house in Appalachia. Here they can run free and breath. However, the summer of her 12th year, everything changes. Thea and her grandmother Lucy waken from the same terrifying dream and vision. Now they will spend the rest of their childhood with their grandmother. Things turn to mind games when her parents' killer shares the ability to see into minds and souls. Will she escape her torture or will he get the better of her? I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

Starting a Nora Roberts novel is like walking into a warm, cheery home. For me, it's truly comfort food for my soul.

Mind Games starts with a lovely description of Kentucky hills that makes me want to go there. The words create a vision in my mind of peace that is later pulled away by the actions of Riggs. Thea, Rem and Lucy are a perfect family unit and the life of joy and happiness they build through hardwork and kindness is something to strive for. To see who "Tye" really is and became and how he fits perfectly into the life they have built was a beautiful thing.

I freely admit that I adore almost everything NR writes - this was no exception. I highly recommend.

I keep trying Nora Roberts, and it keeps being a slog. I need to stop reading her books. The time that I used to like her books has passed. This one has another strong woman with some supernatural powers, goes through a traumatic event, spends her life getting strong to fight a supernatural battle and ultimately conquers her demons. But it was a slow, tough read for me. Just need to stop.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was intriguing, fun, steamy and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

I love how this author starts most of her stories with the main characters as children. I feel so drawn into the story that I don't want to put the book down. The pictures painted with her words draw such a vivid image in my mind that I really feel a part of the story. There is so much heartbreak in the beginning that I was emotionally invested before chapter two. I loved Thea's relationship with her brother Rem. He's such a fun character. And in a perfect world, we all have a Lucy as a Grandmother. I love how strong Thea is. It's inspiring. Ty was a surprise to me. I read the book without reading the synopsis and thought a different character would become the male lead. But I loved this twist. He and his son are so sweet together, that it brought out the warm and fuzzy emotions. The suspense builds well through the story. The ending was intense and fitting. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. Nora Robert is a master at building a complete and complex storyline. Mind Games is no exception. Thea grew up going to her Grammie’s home every summer. The year she was twelve, her whole life changed. Following the tragic loss of her parents, Thea and her brother Rem are raised by her grandmother, Lucy. Not only does Thea have to contend with the loss of her parents, but she also had psychic abilities. This creates quite the commotion in her life. The beginning of Mind Games was a bit challenging to get into, but as the story progressed, so did my interest. I do feel like it was a little long, but overall I enjoyed the story.

Another fantastic romantic-paranormal-suspense, Roberts' newest novel follows a young woman who sees her parents' murder at twelve in a dream and finds herself psychically linked to their killer. Her gift causes both pain and relief, but her true calling is as a video game designer. When she meets her childhood crush and begins to truly fall in love she has to find a way to end the Mind Games with the murderer in order to live her life with love and safety.

I always enjoy Roberts' gift of creating characters with interesting jobs and the settings in which she places them. I could almost see the small town in Kentucky and taste the flavors of the food, smell the soaps and candles, and hear the songs. My heart broke for the loss of Thea's parents and soared as she found Ty and Bray. I enjoyed every minute of this book. (And thought Thea + Ty = 💝)

Mind Games-a standalone
By Nora Roberts-I've read The Circle Trilogy and Inheritance both 5 ⭐ reads.
Publication date: 5-21-24
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Romantic Suspense/Paranormal
Tropes: small town, serial killer, single dad, former rock star H, close knit family
Rating: 4/5 ⭐

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC💙 ! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are mine alone.

The narrator is January LaVoy with all characters read by 1 person. I believe the voice fit the characters and the reading style brought the story to life The pacing was great and flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync, and gelled perfectly.
The narrator paused and announced every new chapter .The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along with the e-book and audio.

Thea Fox and brother Rem go to Kentucky every summer to visit Grammie Lucy. Both Thea and Grammie have the "gift of sight" being able to see into peoples minds and souls. Tragedy strikes and the siblings are left orphans after Thea and Grammie "sees" her parents' murderer.. As time goes on, Thea grows up knowing this monster has the same gift of sight as she does. When Thea falls in love with the next door neighbor and has plenty to lose, the killer wants his vengeance.

Roberts always delivers with edge of your seat suspense, a paranormal sprinkle, and a little romance. I enjoyed Grammie the best and thought too much time was spent on Thea's childhood. I wanted more from her current life with the hero. My recommendation is to read the audiobook because you can adjust the speed, skip parts easily (if desired), and picture the characters more vividly.

I have read and loved Nora Roberts for years and this was awesome. Mindgames might be her best yet. Woven with magic and suspense that Nora seems to just have that touch. Romance. creepy and supernatural all bring together this newest story. When Thea and rems parents are murdered while on their annual summer trip to Grammies and Thea miles away sees the murderer the story just takes off. Impossible to put down a fantastic read!!!

Thea can read minds, like the other women in her family. As a child, she sees in a dream a vicious crime committed that changes her life forever. Unfortunately, the criminal has the same ability she has and knows she saw what he did. The rest of the book is Thea living her life while she and the criminal play mind games with each other.

While it may sound farfetched, this is a captivating story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Who can she trust with her secret? What happens if she uses her gift to help others? Can she truly live a full life?

This was a great read, and I really enjoyed it.

Not family friendly due to violence, profanity, and dark themes.

Like most Nora Roberts stand-alones, Mind Games is broken into 3 parts and follows the main characters from childhood into adulthood. While this is different than most romance novels, it is tried and true for NR and she’s the queen of romance for a reason. Some readers may find it a bit slower at the start because of that but NR is my OG and I love it.

I always say that the mark of a truly great writer is not just that you enjoy reading their words, but that you truly feel their words. Let me tell you, if you don’t feel basically the whole first section, there’s no hope. This section had me all up in my feels. I actually had to take several breaks (unheard of for me) just to get my emotions back under control. Sitting in a restaurant with tears rolling down my cheeks was not on my bingo card for this week but here we are. From the start, Nora Roberts draws you into the story. When it starts with the characters so young, it always leaves me wondering where are we going from here. Luckily, she does not disappoint.

I'll be honest. I did not initially see this pairing as the main couple. As the book played out and the hero comes to light, I have to say I loved it. It definitely made me wish that my biggest crush played out that way lol. The addition of Brayden was an absolute delight. I’m a sucker for a single dad story, even more so when the kid is adorable, and Brayden is one of the best kids I have read in recent past. add in the suspense and flights of mysticism/fantasy that NR is known for, and you have yourself an entertaining, engaging, and enthralling read. Thea has overcome so much in her life, starting from such a young age. It’s inspiring what she has been able to make her life into. I loved seeing her adult relationship with her brother. I’m slowly learning that found family is a trope that I highly enjoy and Mind Games definitely hits all the right notes (no pun intended).

Fans of Nora Roberts will not want to miss this new release. New readers will get sucked in and want more. Lucky for them, there’s a backlist full of equally as engaging stories to get hooked on!

Althea "Thea" Fox and her brother Remington "Rem" Fox spend two weeks every summer with their Grammie, Lucy Lannigan who lives in Redbud Hollow, KY. Their parents, John and Cora Fox then get to spend those two weeks reigniting their marriage. Thea and Rem get to spend time helping Grammie with the animals, garden, her candle business, Mountain Magic and just be free on the farm. It is a way different life then their lives in Frederickburg, VA. Thea really enjoys this time because she can clear her mind with her special visions, which she also shares with her Grammie. The summer when Thea was 12 and Rem was 10, Thea is startled in the middle of the night with a horrible dream. When she goes to her Grammie, she realizes that she had experienced the same dream. When they call the police, their shared vision becomes a reality....Thea's parents have been killed. Thea is able to help the police catch the murderer, Ray Riggs, with her visions, where he ends up in a supermax prision for life with no parole. It seem Ray shares the same visions as Thea. Soon after Detective Chuck Howard and Detective Phil Musk show up thinking maybe the murders were a set up. Quickly, Thea makes them see the truth.

Life goes on, living with Grammie while Ray Riggs keeps trying to get into Thea's mind while she keeps trying to keep him out. Thea's out of college working as a video game designer. One day she sees that someone is at the neighboring house that Miss Leona used to live in. It turns out it's Tyler Brennan, the lead singer of Code Red, and her teenage celebrity crush. Only now he has a four year old son, Braydon Seth Brennan. There is an instant attraction and over time she starts falling for Ty and Bray. Just when everything in Thea's life is going well, the past comes back to haunt her. This time she is going to take care of things once and for all....she is tired of not being able to live a complete life. In the end there is a big showdown but in the end, Thea gets the life she has always wanted.

This thrilling, suspenseful love story really had me on the edge for the first third of the book. It was crazy how scary parts were. I just adored the life Thea was building. I cannot imagine going through life with the special gift she has. I just loved how her and Ty got together, along with Bray. Add in Thea's dog, Bunk, her best friend Maddy and the entire town of Red Bud Hollow and it makes for a wonderfully written story.

Omg! I think how can Nora Roberts write a better book than the last one and believe me she just did. Thea and her brother Rem are headed to Grammy Lucy’s house in the Appalachian mountains in Kentucky for part of their summer vacation. Lucy sold herbs, candles and remedies to the locals and she also had some physic powers and little did they know but so did Thea. Thea actually witnesses the murder of her parents while they are back in Virginia in their home. She became obsessed with this killer and he definitely played mind games with her.
This book will keep you on the edge of your seat for sure and you will not want to put it down.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Every summer the Fox’s drop off Thea and Rea to spend two weeks with their grandmother in Redbuck Hollow, Kentucky. Little did they all know this would be the last time this family would be whole. Thea, Rea and their grandmother Lucy about to endure a devasting loss, the loss of their parents at the hands of a psychopath. Thea and Grammie have a very rare gift .. the ability to see into other people’s minds and so on this ill-fated night they witness through a nightmare the murder of their immediate family. Because of Thea rare ability, she helps with the catching and imprisonment for life the man called Riggs. Unfortunately, Riggs shares Thea and Grammie’s gift.

Minds Games follows Thea from the age of twelve through twenty-seven .. through this tragic family loss, through college and becoming a successful independent video game developer but always with Riggs permeating her mind. Minds Games is what Roberts does best; family drama, overcoming heartbreaking loss, finding love and believing in yourself all set in the town of Redbuck Hollow in the Kentucky Appalachian Mountains.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and author Nora Roberts for this ARC to read and review!!

What an amazingly crafted book! It’s got it all! Small town mountain life, close family ties, life after loss, romance, mystery, a dash of supernatural and edge-of-your-seat suspense! I was all over the place in my emotions … my heart felt like it was on a rollercoaster ride between heartbreak and hope with every turn of the page!

Nora brilliantly gave us a storyline that is so unique with characters that were so easy to fall in love with … I was absolutely hooked from the chilling beginning to the very satisfying ending!

Mind Games by Nora Roberts
Romantic suspense, thriller. Slightly paranormal with mental telepathy.
Cora and John Fox drop their children off with their Grandmother in the Appalachia countryside where they can play, do chores and basically have a vacation. The children love their time with Grammie Lucy. Thea and Lucy wake up one night after witnessing via nightmare, the brutal killings of Cora and John. Lucy is only twelve but she’s able to give the police enough details about the killer that he’s soon found and put in jail. But putting him behind a locked door won’t keep him out of Thea’s thoughts. He knows that somehow she saw what he did and he won’t rest, or leave her alone, until she’s as dead as the others.

🎧 I alternated reading this between an ebook and audiobook. The audiobook is narrated by January LaVoy who has narrated many books by this author. After listening to the audiobook, I’m was surprised it was a singular narrator as there a distinct voices for several of the characters. The performance was tense when it needed to be and had me in tears during the emotional scenes. I was drawn into the story immediately which is usual for this author. Between reading an ebook and listening to the narrative, I would recommend going with whichever format is your preferred. For me, I hear the accents better in audio which makes it less visual bit more impactful.
I listened to this at my usual 1.5 speed.

Both media formats are equally thrilling and absorbing. Get your homework and tasks done first. Once you start this book, you’re not going to want to put it down until the very end.
Gripping and enthralling.

I received this book from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio.

Nora Roberts masterfully crafts a captivating tale of family bonds, intrigue, excitement, and love set against the backdrop of Redbud Hollow, a quaint Kentucky mountain town. In "Mind Games" we follow Thea, a young woman endowed with a special family legacy, her brother Rem, and their grandmother, Lucy, as they navigate the aftermath of a profound family tragedy.

Roberts' vivid descriptions transport readers to the heart of Kentucky, immersing them in the rich tapestry of its landscapes and culture. I loved Thea, Lucy, and Rem and how well the characters are written and the seamless integration of Thea and Lucy's extraordinary abilities into the narrative added an extra layer of intrigue that kept me utterly engrossed. I couldn't put the book down.

Then I was delighted to experience it all over again through the captivating narration of January LaVoy in the audiobook version, who knocks it out of the park! I absolutely love the way LaVoy performs. Her character voices, impeccable timing and pacing, and engaging storytelling are riveting. I couldn't listen long enough and hated having to even pause. Terrific narration!

"Mind Games" is a refreshing and satisfying read, offering a perfect blend of compelling storytelling, memorable characters and situations, and a very happy ending. Whether in ebook or audio format, I highly recommend this for anyone seeking a delightful escape.

"You've turned one of the hardest days of my life into one of the most beautiful. This is what I want, and now, now I can have it."

Mystery & Thrillers | Romance | Women's Fiction