Nora Roberts’ new novel, Mind Games, is an amazing new adventure romance with her particular brand of always-incredible storytelling. In it, we find a young tween Thea and her brother visiting their grandmother, Lucy, on her farm when the unthinkable happens and shatters their very world in an instant.

It is in this time of extreme trials that Thea discovers talents that she never knew that she had, and realizes how much that farm in Appalachia means to her. It helps her establish her identity and to know what truly is important to Thea.

Thea story continues to evolve, and she must decide what she wants her future to look like, and what she’s willing to do to secure it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!!

I always enjoy a good Nora Roberts book. There is something about her writing that makes you feel right at home with all the characters and they are always easy readers for me.

Thea is a young twelve year old girl and her brother, Rem, is ten years old buy when we first meet them. Their parents always let them go stay for two weeks in the summer with their Grammie, Lucy. Both kids love staying with their Grammie and getting to milk the goat, feed the "ladies", and play with the dogs. When Thea and her Grammie both are awakened from their sleep one night with the same nightmare, they know that they have something special that no one else outside of their family does. Thea saw her parents' get murdered in their own home by a crazy man that was mad because they had what he wanted, a house, cars and a pretty good life. Lucy can't see as vividly as Thea can but she knows that something bad has happened.

With Thea having such a vivid vision of the guy that killed her parents, she is able to describe him perfectly and even see where he is at the time they are hunting him down. The mad man, Ray Riggs, also has a way of getting into Theas head and causes her to have headaches and turmoil in her life. Ray is arrested in no time because of Thea's visions and being able to see where Ray is. Ray is thankfully locked up and behind bars but that doesn't keep him from pressing Thea and getting into her head.

When Thea and Rem get the opportunity to buy 5 acres of land each close to Grammies house they know that they have to jump on the opportunity because they want to stay close to her so they can be there for each other no matter what and how long. Thea builds herself a house on her land and when her neighbor passes, her grandson inherits her house and to Thea's surprise, it is someone that she has had a crush on forever. Ty Brennan was a member of a rock band that Thea liked growing up and he was always her crush. Ty has a son that is full of energy but he and Thea hit it off and never look back. Ty loves Thea's dog and animals and always wants to visit to play with them.
Thea has gotten her dream job of developing video games and makes very well for herself. Thea works from hom and loves that she is able to so that she can be around for her Grammie and Ty. Ty is learning things as he goes with his son so when he has someone to ask about things, he is so thankful and Thea is glad to help. As you can probably guess, Thea and Ty grow closer and closer together and end up being an "item". Thea is still having the problems with Ray getting into her head and she has to learn how to deal with him and how to block him out. Thea figures out a way to destroy Ray though and it is ingenious. This book wove several different topics together and made it one of a kind for sure. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I know you will too. Just stick with it and you will be glad that you did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. Such a good read!

While Mind Games starts with a deep tragedy and grief that made me cry multiple times, the rest of this book feels like a cozy healing balm.

Mind Games follows Thea and her brother Rem, who go their Grammie's house for the summer, just like every year--only for tragedy to strike when their parents are murdered. But Thea has a gift--a special talent that runs in the female side of her family, a sense of precognition and dreams and the ability to sense things that no one can explain. She sees the killer--and enables the law to bring him to justice. But as she grows up and becomes successful and eventually falls in love, the killer dogs her through her mind.

I really enjoyed this book. Like I said, I cried multiple times at the start (Ms Nora knows her stuff) but really enjoyed Thea's healing and growing up and the embrace of family and community. This book has a lot of the things Ms Nora really enjoys--small town community, close knit family and friendships, people who are great at their jobs, almost cottagecore sometimes? and of course unexplained powers that don't go so far as to make the book feel paranormal, but all an element of mystery to the Appalachian air that the book is filled with. I really enjoyed that the book was set in Kentucky, a place I love, and I also really liked Ty, Thea's love interest and his four year old son Bray. So much of the latter middle and back half of the book is just a good slow burn to love with them.

All in all I'd definitely give this a solid 4 stars.
Heat level: 2.5 or 3. Only two or three scenes but not super descriptive. Could be cruised over easily enough.

I loved this book by Nora Roberts. I have never read one of her books. I loved the way she developed the characters. You either loved them or hated them.This book is about trust and love. Grandmother Lucy and Granddaughter Thea have the special gift of sight. Thea and her brother Rem live with their grandmother after their parents were killed by an evil young man who has no regrets about killing people. He also has the gift of sight and tries to get into Theas head.
Nora Roberts has written a book where you feel you could live in rural Kentucky and be this family's neighbors. I definitely would recommend this book.
Thank you net galley and St Martins Press for giving me the opportunity for adding this author to my list of authors I love

Mind Games is a great book! A young girl with the sight who witnessed a terrible crime and catching the murderer through her gift. Unfortunately, he has the sight as well and he tries to torment her through life. This book is also about family, community and love. The characters were strong and relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend.

Once again, Ms. Roberts knocks it out of the park! I could not put this book down and found myself reading well into the night, when I should have been asleep. Instead, I was obsessed with Thea and the life that she builds for herself in Kentucky after a tragic childhood event.

It drives me crazy when people say that romance genre books aren't for them. Roberts writes books that happen to have romance in them, and yes, a relationship or love interest is a driving force for the main character. However, that's a byproduct of Robert's writing. Her books are filled with a storyline that sucks you in and builds to an amazing conclusion (or cliff hanger if it's a series). Mind Games is no exception. Thea can see things. Things that happened. She can connect with another person, see into their mind, watch their actions, and feel their feelings. This is both a special skill and a pain point through adulthood, until she figures out how to deal with it.

Thea's relationships with her family and friends are beautiful. I love that she works in a field no one would expect (because she's a woman) and she is successful at it. She is someone that if she existed in real life, I want to know her.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book. I loved every second of it!

Mind Games is about love of family, friends, and romance but it also has an interesting paranormal twist. It's an amazing fast paced book that had reading late into the night. Nora Roberts is a go author for me and this one is another hit for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my review copy of this book.

Once again, I was amazed and thrilled with Robert’s writing. Roberts never disappoints and I always find myself immersed with her characters and the plotline. I would highly recommend this book, especially if you like romantic suspense with a little paranormal thrown in. Twelve-year old Thea has a gift that she can she into the minds of others. Thea and her brother Rem are vacationing for two weeks with their grandmother and their parents are staying home to have some time together. One night during these two weeks Thea wakes up from a vision in which she sees her parents murdered in their house. Thea tries to remember everything that she saw in her vision to help capture the man who killed her parents. You will find Thea fascinating, strong and a very complex character especially when you see her grow from a teenager to an adult. Pick it up and start to read because you won’t want to put it down. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, Mrs. Roberts hits it out of the park. I love that I can always enjoy her books, without having to stress about if i'll like it or if I'll understand the twist. I highly enjoy everything she puts out, knowing i'll get a happy ending and a nice little thrill along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Nora Roberts always knocks it out of the park, and this book is no exception. Thea has a gift of sight that comes down through the women in her family. This gift allows her to witness her parents' murder and help capture the man who did it. As she grows up, she realizes she and the killer have a twisted connection.

I love the mix of rich characters, driving plotlines, and suspense that roll through this novel. Add in a little romance and it's a formula that works well and doesn't feel stale. Ths is another hit. If you like Nora Roberts, you'll love it.

Nora Roberts has been a reliable favorite for many years. She is the Queen of romantic suspense but her best novels give you "more." This book is one of her better ones in recent years. It has drama, mystery, romance, is layered with the supernatural, and has a darker feel than some may expect. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

This is the not the novel I expected from Nora Roberts – it is so much more! Downright frightening at times, Mind Games is a treat to read, and Thea is a character whose future adventures I would look forward to reading. I received an ARC from NetGalley, and the opinions expressed are my own.

Oh what an amazing story! Love the plot line layers that make you stop everything you are supposed to be doing, to read it. Love the touch of the supernatural! The right amount of every theme for me - mystery, romance and adventure. Great characters- strong female lead! This will be easy to promote.

Solid Nora Roberts! Formulaic but I loved Thea and her family. And the pup. Always love the pup. Interesting use of fantasy in the novel as well!

Mein Leseerlebnis

Der neue alleinstehende romantic suspense Roman Nora Roberts ist eines meiner Buchhighlights des Jahres 2024. Wie im Buch der Autorin aus dem letzen Jahr - Identity - dreht sich alles um eine Frau, bzw. zunächst ein Mädchen, die schlimmes erlebt hat und irgendwie mit der Tragödie umgehen muss.

Thea beim Erwachsenwerden zu begleiten, zu sehen, wie ihre Großmutter, ihr Bruder und sie die traumatische Situation gemeistert haben, war berührend zu sehen. Der Roman begleitet Thea über 16 Jahre hinweg, der Großteil spielt dabei gegen Ende dieses Zeitraums.

Die Geschichte wird dicht erzählt und ich konnte mir alle Charaktere ohne Probleme als richtige Personen vorstellen. Auch die im Buch beschriebenen Orte konnte ich vor meinen Augen sehen, was mir gerade bei Landschaften nicht immer leicht fällt.

Zu sehen wie Thea und ihre Familie sich gegenseitig unterstützt haben, hat mich tief bewegt. Beim Lesen war ich von den Ereignissen gefesselt und habe den Roman bewusst langsam gelesen, da ich alles in Ruhe auf mich wirken lassen wollte. Auch wollte ich so viel Zeit wie möglich mit dem Buch und vor allem Thea verbringen.

Der suspense Aspekt läuft recht außergewöhnlich ab, der Buchtitel ist definitiv Programm. Der Fokus liegt definitiv auf Thea, da der Mörder aber immer im Hintergrund lauert und nicht aufgibt, da er auf Rache sinnt, ist für Spannung gesorgt. Ich war wirklich gespannt zu sehen, wie Nora Roberts die Situation am Ende auflösen würde. Sagen wir es mal so, der Mörder wird Thea in Zukunft in Ruhe lassen.

Die Liebesgeschichte im Roman wird passend zum Rest unaufgeregt und mit viel Gefühl erzählt.

Theas besondere Fähigkeiten spielen im Buch eine wichtige Geschichte, sie dominieren diese aber nicht. Das fand ich sehr angenehm gelöst und glaubwürdig dargestellt.

Am Ende der Geschichte hatte ich ein Lächeln auf den Lippen und habe mich mit Thea gefreut, da auf sie eine Zukunft mit viel Freude wartet.

Ich hatte mit dem Buch eine wunderbare Zeit, daher gibt es von mir eine klare Buchempfehlung. Auch nach Jahren des Lesens von Büchern Nora Roberts kann sie mich immer noch begeistern, was mich sehr glücklich macht.

🖤🖤🖤🖤 1/2

Für wen?

Wer Geschichten mit viel Herz sowie etwas Spannung mag und ein junges Mädchen mit einer besonderen Gabe auf ihrem Weg nach einer Tragödie begleiten möchte, dem kann ich das Buch ans Herz legen. Es ist eines meiner Highlights des Jahres.

This was the best Nora Roberts book I’ve read, and you know she has a number of great books to stack against for comparison. I’ve never been a fan of romance novels, but she always manages to weave just enough romance into the magic and thrills and drama to make that perfect mix.

I loved all the characters, especially Thea and Lucy. Their characters and the Kentucky countryside setting makes me want to move into the woods and start canning my garden veggies and raising chickens. Thea and her brother Rem were such survivors, and I felt myself being proud of how well adjusted and successful they became after having their family ripped away in a horrible tragedy. It was just so easy to feel for all the characters, they were written in such a well rounded and complete way.

I feel like I don’t want to talk deeply about the storyline (you can read the synopsis!) without giving away any spoilers. It was just a really lovely book and I can’t wait to share it with others when it’s available to purchase!

Thank you so much to Nora Roberts,St Martins Press and NetGalley for the advance to read.

Have always been a Nora Roberts fan, and this book is no exception. Great character development, yes a little bit of the "unbelievable", but that is the magic of her books. Story moved along at the appropriate rate....not too slow, and told the story well.

I enjoy a Nora Roberts book now and then…but the writing in this particular novel was less than stellar (a bit too cutesy for my taste). Enjoyed the story though.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195791352

I am so happy every time I get an opportunity to read a Nora Robert's book early! This one seemed a little different than what I've come to expect from the Nora standalone books. About the first quarter of the book was spent on the past and what happened to make the main character the way she is in the current day. I felt like this really added to the overall story, though it obviously took longer to get to the romance part. And then when we got there it was perfect - I love a single parent romance! And overall the psychic element in this book was very intriguing. I'll be recommending, as always!

Pre-reading - Ooh, a new Nora Roberts novel goes straight to the top of my TBR list.

During reading / post reading - Nora Roberts has a specific style and this one is so reminiscent of her earlier suspenseful romance that I found it to be penultimate NR. With Mind Games, Roberts reminds readers of why she is the forever goddess of consistently creating engaging and well written stories.

Parts of the plot brought to mind Doctor Sleep as well as the Bill Hodges Trilogy, both by Stephen King. This doesn’t not work - but you will need to employ your ability to suspend reality.

This new book is one I zipped through over a weekend, and is a fantastically enjoyable new title - one I can happily recommend.



Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the DRC