Member Reviews
And this book right here is just one of the many reasons why Nora Roberts is such an esteemed author!
Mind Games is a blend of several genres. It's a mystery, thriller, family drama and romance. The characters were multi-faceted and real. There was so much emotion in this book - - both heartbreak and joy - - and as a reader, I can honestly say that I felt it. Also, there were some frightening moments when one of the characters was confronted by a someone extremely dangerous and that really put me on pins and needles. This book was just put together so well. It spans over a period of fifteen years and the way it's written and the pieces you get from each time period are just enough but not too much detail.
I would encourage readers to not read too many reviews - - go in as blind as you can. Obvious.y you'll have the general idea of the storyline but don't read too much. Let it unfold for you naturally. It really is much more powerful that way.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Let me just say that I found this narrator to be very gifted. She did the entire story on her own and was able to lend her voice to all the characters in a way that didn't sound forced or fake. It was effortless and natural. Also, I found the audiobook to be such a nice and easy flow that it made the story very easy to listen to and I was quickly immersed in it.
Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.
"Mind Games" vividly captures the life of Thea in the Appalachian Mountains. Over 15 years, we witness her journey from the aftermath of her parents' murder, navigating through her friendships, family ties, and personal growth. Thea's resilience shines as she battles the psychological torment of the killer who shattered her world. Through her story, we feel her grief, joy, sorrow, and strength.
Nora Roberts masterfully weaves a narrative rich in love, loss, and personal development, chronicling Thea's transformation from a troubled teenager to a hopeful young woman. As always, Roberts delivers a compelling and emotionally resonant tale.
The Foxes take a trip to Kentucky every summer leaving their two children with their Grammie for two weeks. This year is just like every year until Thea and her Grammie Lucy wake up to a horrible realization the kids parents have been murdered. The kids will now be living with their Grammie and she will be raising them. Thea saw who murdered her parents and helped the police identify the guy who killed him. Thea's gift has always been a part of her and now she knows the killer has the same gift. He wants to kill Thea for what she has done to him and the two play a cat and mouse game throughout the years. Will he make good on his promise to kill Thea or will.she take out her own revenge in the end. This was definitely a read that took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.
✨𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀✨
• psychic link
• woman game developer
• single father
• serial killer vs victims child
• takes place over long period of time
🌶️🌶️
✨ 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ✨
After psychically witnessing a tragedy, Thea Fox tries to continue living her life as normally as possible, but the inmate who altered her life refuses to let her go.
✨ 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ✨
I thought the book started off strong, but gradually got a little boring. The psychic aspect of the story had a great part at the beginning, but I just felt like watching Thea grow and her subsequent adulthood was rushed and bland. I expected way more spice than what we got
This book was meant to be a coming of age story with suspense, mystery, romance, and magical realism stirred in a deep pot of Appalachian mysticism. It definitely started at a high point but it didn’t carry out to the end for me.
I recommend this to Nora Roberts fans and also to anyone who wants a little magic in there romantic suspense-lite books.
I love Nora Roberts writing, in fact I have read over 30 of her books throughout my life. For those of you who love thrillers/suspense you will really enjoy this book. For me this thriller impacted me so much that I had to put it down several times because it was too intense for my psyche. The authors interaction between Thea and the killer still sticks in my memory weeks after I finished reading it. Honestly, I waited a long time to review this book because I was torn on how brilliant it was and how scared I got from it because the book did play “Mind Games” with me.
With that being said, this book is memorable in the relationship and love areas as well but above all this book is a love story. The heartwarming family dynamics between Thea, her brother and Grammie set the main feeling for the book. There is loss, survival, learning how to be strong, opening up to trust, and learning how to take back personal power. This book has every emotion you could ever hope for.
For me the introduction of the new defensive neighbor Ty and his young son, Bray is where I fell in love with the book. They took the thriller edge down a notch and helped me finish this book that left me on edge.
Being romantic at heart and always enjoying a good love story where love helps create change, this book was deeply satisfying.
I enjoyed this book and gave it 4.5 STARS.
The last time I had such a visceral reaction to a scene in a book was when I read *the book that shall not be named* Unlike that book, Mind Games didn't build me up just to tear me apart at the very end- it tore me up in the beginning and allowed me to heal over the remainder of the book. But damn, did I do some ugly crying there at the start.
The writing is very simplistic, but the story is intriguing, engaging, and captivating. You'll fall in love with the characters, while all the while waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ms. Roberts takes not just the characters, but the readers, on one heck of a journey, and I'm so glad I stuck it out.
The concept of this book was really well done, and the writing, as always was great. I really liked the video game creator aspect and how it tied into the resolution. I guess my only issue was that Thea came off as good at everything. Endlessly patient, able to cook or bake anything from scratch (and with food from her own garden), her dog was perfectly trained to an almost impossible level, and a highly successful career. I just kept hoping she’d accidentally burn cookies because she got lost in her game building, or something.
That being said, it was still a good read, I just wish the main character had more flaws than being afraid to reveal her secret.
Nora never fails for me this book is no different. This story is about a girl becoming a woman and learning to embrace her gift.
[ thank you to the publisher for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own! ]
I liked it, but didn’t love it! I just struggled a bit with it.
I thought the concept was cool with Thea and the man having the same gift. I liked that she was a video game designer! You definitely don’t see that often in books. But I was kinda bored throughout. I did like the romance with Tyler. That was cute. I just wished we got more of them or just met Tyler a little sooner in the book and not at the half way point!
I think many Nora fans will like this one! I’ll keep an eye out for her future novels.
There's definitely some darkness in this book, but I found myself utterly captivated by Nora Roberts' Mind Games. The way in which past and future and generational legacy of psychic ability were explored were deft. A tender tale of family emerged as the backbone of the story that could have been gratuitous in other hands.
Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.
Twisty turn and not what you would think of for Nora typically but more of a JD Robb feeling. I think this will land on our fiction and suspense shelves vs the romance shelves when we get it in stock. Well written and different than some of her latest publications. Will reach a different audience and possibly some new readers I think.
4 stars
I know she is no Hemingway or Jane Austen but I absolutely love Nora Roberts! She entertains me with just about everything she writes and this was no different. I loved the main characters, especially Lucy, Bray, and Bunk. I would actually love a continuation in this world. Maybe about a future daughter or Rem. I got this book from netgalley and I will never not request everything I see from Nora.
I got this book free from the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was LONG but worth the read. It follows a women’s journey from 12 into adulthood. It is pretty predictable from the get go with foreshadowing but was an enjoyable read. I read it quickly and it kept me engrossed.
Nora Roberts gives us a superb thriller with second sight as the thread that binds Mind Games together. A young girl and her grandmother see the murder of the girl's parents by a young psychopath through their second sight nightmares.. The authorities confirm the deaths and the murderer has killed others. The girl helps police ID the other victims and the murderer goes to jail for life. The connection between the girl and the killer persists as she grows up. Mind Games is the story of her life.
I love Nora Roberts books. I especially enjoyed that this one was set in eastern Kentucky in Appalachia. This was more violent than my usual reading choices, it was more so than Nora’s other books that I have read. This book was probably my least favorite of her stories. Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy of this book for review.
For all Nora Roberts fans, she’s done it again. Mind Games is a psychological suspense novel with romance and family drama added in for a complete plot that will please any reader. Thea and her brother are visiting their grandmother when tragedy hits. The grandmother immediately became my favorite character.
I can trust Nora Robert's writing. She immediately drops the reader in the middle of an engaging story that follows Thea from that life-changing summer to a satisfying ending. My favorite part was to watch this young girl address challenge after challenge. There are interesting subplots: Thea’s gift, her relationship with her grandmother, and later her life with her brother and his son. This one has everything, especially a drama of the strength of family alongside a tale of mystery and romance.
Mind Games has an old school feel with an old school villain and low frequency psychic vibes that reminded me of some of my favorite Linda Howard books from the late nineties. Told in three parts – Tragedy, Living, and The Gift – Roberts proves that her prolific creative mind is still as sharp as ever. It's a nostalgic reminder to Romancelandia to come for the author but stay for the story. It’ll keep you entertained.
*For the full review, go to: https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/mind-games-by-nora-roberts/.
This book went back and forth from being slow to picking up and keeping my attention. I usually like a faster paced thrilled and I think this author essentially isn’t my cup of tea but the story was over all a good read.
Every summer Thea and her brother get to spend 2 weeks with their grandmother in the Appalachian mountains while their parents get a little time to themselves. This summer brings a violent end to their happy, idyllic vacation when an evil killer takes the life of Thea's parents. Through a gift that she shares with her grandmother, Thea witnesses the entire thing and makes a connection with the killer that will follow her through adulthood.
We watch Thea grow and keep her 'gift' hidden after being burnt by her 1st love, only using it occasionally to help the police and to check in on the evil that sits in prison. This connection drives his hatred of Thea and he vows to kill her and any she loves. A story of an enduring love and the power it has to fight evil. I love the magical quality that weaves through the story and always love a good vs. evil trope!
I received this a complimentary book from the publisher. The opinions are strictly my own.
Rhea, 1w and her brother Rem, 10 are visiting their Grammie in Kentucky for 2 weeks when their parents are brutally murdered in their own home.
Rhea wakes up right after it happens and runs to her Grammie's room. Grammie is awake and crying because she had "seen" something bad had happened
Rhea, however had been there in her minds eye and seen it all and could even identify the killer.. She helps catch him and put him in prison for life. The killer also has the gift of "seeing", so they end up connected to each other.
Rhea has to find a way to sever this connection so that she can truly be happy.
A very intense story about tragic loss, rebuilding, learning to love and trust, and believe in yourself