This was another great book by Ms. Roberts! It did feel a little repetitive and drawn out in parts, but overall I loved the story. Thea was a great centerpiece and I loved the conflict with Rigs, but I would have liked to learn a bit more about how Rem turned out. Would definitely recommend!!

Mind Games

by Nora Roberts (This review is from an ARC sent to me by NetGalley)

Thea Fox The protagonist with psychic abilities, the plot revolves around Thea and her Grammie Lucy Fox and to a lesser extent Rem Thea’s younger brother.
Every June, the Fox family goes on their annual trip through the winding roads of Appalachia. They drive from their home in suburban Virginia to drop their children, Thea and Rem, at their grandmother Lucy’s house. This two-week stay at Lucy’s home in the Kentucky mountains is a cherished tradition.
However, this particular summer, tragedy strikes as their parents return home.
Thea and Lucy awaken from the same terrifying nightmare. They have never openly discussed their shared psychic abilities, the vision they share reveals a brutal truth: the parents John and Cora have been murdered.
Thea twelve at the time witnesses the crime in real time which aids the police to solve the crime.
Thea grows up to be a successful video game designer and although she manages to manage her psychic abilities, she is tormented by the killer who infiltrates her thoughts and the author explores the impact of psychic abilities on Thea’s life and the conflict between good and evil.

For 12 yr. old Thea, the very best part of summer started the second week of June. The family travels to spend time with her grammy on her farm in Kentucky. Their parents stayed for a few days, and then leave her and her little brother Rem to enjoy the summer break while they enjoyed a few weeks of alone time without the kids.

When John and Cora Fox return home, they're unaware that someone who hates all people of wealth watched them and plans to take from them what he feels he deserves in life. On the night that Ray Riggs breaks into the home of John and Cora Fox he's being watched by Thea who has the psychic ability to see through someone else's eyes and hear their thoughts. Thea's too far away to stop the murders but is able to identify Riggs and have him arrested for her parents death and many others murders as well. Riggs is sentenced to life in prison.

What Thea finds out later is that Riggs is also psychic with the ability to push into someone's mind and make suggestions. Thea and Riggs for years are connected mind to mind and both are able to astro project. A dangerous game is being played and if Thea wants to find happiness with the wonderful man she's met as well as his son, something must be done about Riggs. The ultimate mind games begins and only time will tell which one will end victorious.

This was a great read by Nora Roberts that had me up late into the night. It was full of suspense, twists and turns, but also had an amazing family bond and romance. The characters were great. As a longtime Nora Roberts fan, I highly recommend!

Mind game is a romantic suspense read with the main character Thea being psychic. Thea and her brother are spending two weeks with their grandmother and on the night that they are dropped off and her grandmother awaken from a nightmare. Her parents are murdered and Thea’s gift helps send the killer to prison. She moves on with her life, but her gift feels more like a curse because the killer can get into her mind. She hears his thoughts and sees his crimes. What follows is a battle of the mind between Thea and a violent killer.

Nora Roberts delivers so much with MIND GAMES, it’s hard to put into words. The novel packed a punch and, once I started, it was basically super-glued to my hands, the book was that difficult to walk away from. As an added bonus, it was released on my birthday, a fun present to celebrate with.
MIND GAMES is what I have come to expect from Roberts: Suspense, Thrills, a strong female lead, family, and other interesting and well-developed characters, including a love interest that was a bit unexpected (but happily embraced). In MIND GAMES, Roberts added an additional aspect: a gift passed through the female generations of her mom’s family that seems to be stronger in Thea. Not always a gift, as we find in the beginning of the novel as she unexpectedly witnesses her parents’ murder from her grandmother’s home in Kentucky, and that, unexpectedly, links her with the murderer who has a similar gift.
I enjoyed how Roberts walked us through Thea’s life, as she grows and comes into her own, finding her place, stronger with the support of her grandmother and brother, as well as the friends she makes in the town that she is accepted in, because her Grandmother’s family has been there forever.
I know Roberts has been synonymous with romance for so long and there are complaints that she isn’t writing like she used to. I know I read everything she wrote for many years, then I took a break as what I was interested in reading changed and expanded. When I came back to her writing a few years ago, I was pleased to find that Roberts’s writing had also evolved and changed, while retaining the elements that I loved in her early works.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio arc and exchange for an honest review.

3.8 stars

Thea's parents were murdered when she was 12. She witnesses it during a nightmare and has a connection with the killer. She builds a wonderful life but is constantly battling the killer. I liked the life she built part of the book best.

January LaVoy did a phenomenal job with the narration. I listen at 1.75 speed. I loved her voice for the little boy.

It's been a while since I've read a Nora Roberts novel. Her writing is as wonderful as I remember. In this novel, a tragedy leads to a wonderful new beginning for a young girl and her brother. The story weaves together family, a deep love for nature and the land we live upon, and learning to accept the gifts God gives us. And of course there is romance. I found this book absolutely riveting and read it from cover to cover in a day and a half. Enjoy!

As a child, her favorite part of the summer are the two weeks Thea and her brother Rem spend at their Grammie's home in Kentucky. They get to collect eggs from the chickens and take care of the other animals she keeps and they just get to be kids. This year would be different. This year her life would be forever changed.

Late one night both she and her Grammie woke from the same horrid dream. Only it wasn't a dream. Like many of the women in her mother's line, Thea can see things. And that night she connected with the mind of a killer. And with her help, he'll spend the rest of his life in jail. But the connection they share doesn't fade. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and feel his rabid need for vengeance against the person who put him in the cage.

Nora Roberts has once again gifted us an intriguing story that is everything we've come to expect from her writing. What makes this story most interesting is the fact that most of the action, most of the suspense occurs mind to mind between Thea and the man who forever changed her life. Thea will need all wits to stay one step ahead of the twisted voice in head.

This is a novel full of emotion and suspense, driven by interesting, well developed characters I read teary eyed through most of the Part I, as the story moved from joy and happiness to sorrow and grief and slowly into healing. All of this while just under the surface lies the danger and suspense that drives the rest of the story.

Nora Roberts never disappoints, and her new thriller/romance is original and page-turning. It starts slowly with a horrible tragedy, which has many ramifications throughout the years. We follow Thea from 12-years old to adulthood, and eventually she finds an unexpected and surprising love with Ty, but nothing along the journey is easy. This novel celebrates family love, appreciation of one's roots, and a willingness to accept psychic "special" gifts that cannot be explained. Highly recommended.

Nora Roberts is always a must-read for me. This story had an interesting plot covering many years of this family's life, and the way they rebuild their lives after a horrifying incident. Thea's special talents drive the plot and ultimately assist in her battle of good vs. evil.

Mind Games by Nora Roberts is a somewhat suspenseful, partial romance novel set in the hills of Appalachia. I finished this one in two days, I couldn't put it down.

Thea and Rem are visiting Lucy Lannigan, or Grammie, for their annual two weeks when Thea and Rem's parents are murdered. With their gift of sight, Thea and Lucy see what happens in their dreams. But Thea's sight is stronger, and she's able to help the police put Ray Riggs away for more than just the murder of her parents. Now, the kids are living with Grammie full-time, and they learn how hard work and caring for others makes for a more happy and connected community.

Even though Thea and Rem are grown up, Redbud Hollow is their home, and Thea creates her own life there. But Ray Riggs is determined to break Thea down. Ever since the night she connected to Ray's mind and helplessly watched as he killed her parents, they've been playing cat and mouse games with each other's minds. Ray has nothing better to do with his time than try to break through Thea's locked mind, and he's getting closer to his goal.

A novel of close-knit family, a community who helps each other, and a romance that Thea didn't see coming. I'm not really sure what genre to put this in. It's not really thriller, mystery, or suspense, but it's also not a full-on romance. However, once you get past the childhood chapters, the pace does quicken. I finished this in record time because I couldn't put it down, there were no good stopping points. The writing was great, making me cry at more than one point. All of the characters were exceptionally well-developed, I fully believe that these could be real people.

All in all, this was a great novel if you enjoy Nora Roberts' books. If you like a strong female protagonist, family who looks out for each other, and tight friendships with some paranormal mind-reading thrown in, then definitely give this one a try!

Thank you to @StMartinsPress and @NetGalley for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

I couldn’t get into the story just as I thought. Not disappointed but need more depth, I think. I can't remember when was the last time when I read a book in which the whole plot was 100% equal to what was written in the blurb and nothing more. There was no surprise there, no resolution to any of the plot threads and the whole story was blatantly predictable and painfully dull.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC!
Wow, where to begin. Nora Roberts does not disappoint with this book and its storyline. The reader gets a little bit of everything: suspense, drama, romance, familystory,. The characters are likeable except of course the evil murderer. The story is welll written and descriptive. It is easy to feel as if the reader is right there and can picture everything in front of him ot her.
While I loved this book, at times it felt a little longer than needed. Some parts just felt a little too much and not necessary for the story.
Nora Roberts is definitely talented when this story is unlike any other story idea prior. Great job! 4 🌟

More of a suspenseful romance than romantic suspense…

Mind Games, by Nora Roberts, is only the second “official” Nora Roberts book that I’ve read, although I’ve read many of the Eve Dallas/In Death mysteries that she has published using her pen name, JD Robb. So I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but whatever I expected, this wasn’t it. It’s really really good, like 5-stars good, but not what I thought it would be. Instead, Mind Games is a tightly crafted thriller that made me cry, and then have hope, and then do both at the same time. And finally, at the end, I felt almost as if I’d been through the whole thing myself – which I suppose is simply the mark of a really well written book.

Going back to those expectations, though, I had imagined there would be stronger romantic elements, and less suspense. Don’t get me wrong – the romantic elements are there, and I especially liked [minor spoiler] at the end, in the final scene, when Tyler is so supportive of the strong woman that Thea has become. But to me the story is carried much more by the interactions between Thea and her parents’ killer, Ray, than by the romance, or even by the relationship between Thea and Grammie. Which means it’s heavy on the suspense side.

Since this is only my second Nora Roberts book, I don’t have a feel for what frequent Nora Roberts readers typically are looking for. But what I can say is that this was an emotionally engaging, sharply paced, and well-written book, although not a traditional romance. And finally, my thanks to St Martins Press and Net Galley for the review copy.

Nora Roberts best book in years. Here you get the full Nora: a strong independent heroine, a good hearted hero, and good supporting characters. This is also one of the most intense novels Roberts has ever written. Mind Games is an example of what has made Roberts one of the bestselling authors in the world.

A woman with psychic abilities shares an unwilling mental bond with a vicious murderer and must find a way to break it to avoid becoming his next victim.

Thea was just a child when she had a psychic episode where she witnessed a life altering event. After single-handedly bringing a killer, Ray Riggs, to justice with the help of her psychic knowledge, she hopes to live a normal life. Unfortunately, Riggs shares her abilities and has forged a connection with her that she can block but is unable to break. As she grows into adulthood and settles into a quiet life in the mountains of Kentucky, the toll Riggs is taking on her physical and mental health begins to worsen. She reaches a breaking point and decides to take matters into her own hands when Riggs threatens to ruin her future with the man she loves.

Roberts is the OG, known for her captivating romantic mysteries, but this one missed the mark for me. There was extensive discussion of video game plots and action sequences that quickly lost my interest. The romance was adequate, but lacked some of the intrigue and spice of her other works. While the plot was solid and the romance was enjoyable, ultimately Roberts lost me with the video game dreamscapes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

The story was good but there was not much substance to the writing. The characters were not believable. Characters were not well developed and it was very predictable

I’ve been a Nora Roberts reader for years & love her books! However, this is probably my least favorite one. As I’m not a big fan of paranormal storylines, this was an okay read for me. The story started off a bit slow & I wasn’t really connecting with the characters. Overall, it was okay for me, but I’m in the minority on this one. I definitely suggest reading it if this is your genre. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Nora Roberts' books are always magical, right?

Every summer, Thea and Rem enjoy two weeks with Grammie on her Kentucky farm. It's a fun getaway and a break for their parents. But one night, Thea has a scary dream that something bad has happened to her parents. She's shocked when Grammie says she had the same scary dream. Thea helps the police find the killer.

The bad guy ends up in jail forever, but here's a surprise - he has the same weird gift as Thea and Grammie. He uses this to play mind games with Thea for years.

Just when things are hard, Thea's old crush, the cool musician Ty, moves to town with his cute son. As they get to know each other again, they fall in love. All this time, Thea is still dealing with the mind games from the jailed bad guy.

I really loved the mix of love, mystery, and family in this story.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thea and Rem look forward to their visits with Grammie every summer. One of those visits will change their lives forever. One night Thea is forced into a nightmare as she watches her parents' murders as if she were in the room. She uses her gift to put the man behind bars. But she is never truly free from him. Eventually, she must fight to be truly free from him.