A new mind-bending twist from Nora Roberts. An interesting read. As always, the characters are believable and (mostly) sympathetic and likeable. You're not quite sure how the ultimate confrontation and happy ending will be achieved in this one ... but Nora always finds a way.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read Mind Games by Nora Roberts. This was my first book by Nora Roberts and I was not impressed. I am wondering if all her books like this they go on an on and it didn't keep my interest. Other people may feel differently but, I just wanted to give an honest review.

I really loved this one from Nora Roberts! It seemed like it got back to the things I enjoy most about her writing and kept it simple. The strong and moving family relationships, a dangerous foe to defeat, a swoony romance, and a touch of magic. I don't always like her male romantic leads, but I LOVED Tyler! The romance between him and Thea felt young and fresh. This book is why I keep coming back to Nora Roberts again and again!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this arc!

I have to say, I liked this one. It was a nice rebound from Identity by Nora Roberts which I had major issues with.

This one reminds me a little bit of Black Hills and some more of NR's recent rom suspense (Legacy, Nightwork) where we spend a fair amount of time with the main protagonist as a child, I'd say about the first third of the book is spent in childhood, where a seminal event happens and shapes them for the rest of the book.

In this one, we meet Thea Fox who is the oldest daughter of a tight-knit and loving family that includes her parents and younger brother. Every summer they travel to the hills of Kentucky to spend time with her maternal grandmother. This time her parents are dropping off her and her brother so they can have some alone time back in their home in Virginia.

But this summer is different because Thea's parents are the victims of an act of shocking violence that is the result of chance and a petulant killer's jealousy. And Thea "sees" the whole thing. She and her grandmother share the sight and are aware of what happened even before the police knock on their door.

Now Thea and her brother will live with their grandmother and forge a new like amongst the Appalachian mountains. But even though the killer is behind bars, he isn't quite done with Thea's family.

There are several of reasons I liked this one:

First, I liked that the bad guy was caught early and put behind bars. So many rom-suspense rely on the trope of the killer being free doing killery things all the while we are waiting for the inevitable face to face showdown where he puts the heroine in inevitable jeopardy. This one doesn't do that, although there is still the possibility it could. The killer is such a master manipulator you expect anything is possible with this guy. And even though he is behind bars, he does manage to continue a reign of terror of sorts over our heroine and you expect him to escape at any time. So it was nice that NR played a bit with normal rom-suspense structure and had the heroine-villain dance follow some different steps. This was one of my peeves with Identity that it felt too predictable in places. This one decidedly was not.

Second, I liked the sense of place. The setting in the hills of Kentucky, the community around Thea and her grandmother and brother, their friends -- all of it was a nice sense of normality. It was also a good release of tension from the first parts of the story where we are with Thea when she 'witnesses' her parents' murder. THAT was very tensely (and intensely) written and so sad! The relative calmness of the section of Thea growing and settling in was necessary, imo to give us a breather before we get back to the rising tension of the back half of the book before the climax and denouement of the narrative

Third, I loved how the story handled Thea's psychic ability. Another pet peeve of mine is to give a character an ability like second sight or whatever and make it go away when it is inconvenient for plot. Not so here. Her ability is a major propeller of the story. NR is consistent in the rules she has for the character's psychic ability and doesn't play around on the reader. It was both a curse and a gift and we saw both aspects of it throughout the book.

And finally fourth, the romance. I will say the romance took back seat to the suspense. And I am ok with that. It was just enough to satisfy my romance need and was worked in well in the plot. There is one aspect of it that was a little too coincidental, but that is just a quibble. I loved Ty, the single dad, his son and their awesome dog.

Good book.

**This is an honest review of an ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley**

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the book #MindGames by #NoraRoberts. This book is about pure, eternal love. Thea and Rem went to live with grammie after their parents were killed. Thea has a gift, like all the women in her family, to look into one’s mind. She witnessed her parents murder through the killers eyes. Since then, Thea and the killer visit each other’s minds. Everything is taking a toll and she needs to decide to move on or stay like this. This book hits you where it counts and I could not put it down. Loved it!

The beginning of this book was very emotional. When you start reading it, put a box of tissues next to you.
 
When Thea was twelve, her parents were murdered, and Thea witnessed everything in her dream. She had a special psychic ability to see things in her head.
 
Thea gave detectives details about burglary and murder. Ray Riggs was caught and sent to prison for the rest of his life. However, Thea made a big mistake. To make sure her parents' killer would never get out of prison, Thea visited him. Not in person, but in her head. He saw her and threatened to find her and kill her like her parents. Ray Riggs had the same gift as Thea, but he used it in a corrupted way. And now he wanted to use it to destroy Thea's life.
 
Thea's grandmother was a lovely person who brightened my heart every time she was mentioned in the book. The family bond, mutual support and special atmosphere were a pleasure to experience. I loved the landscape of Kentucky fields and hills.
I don't usually read books about special psychic abilities or paranormal phenomena, but this one was very realistic and believable. Thea's special gift made the story more suspenseful and intriguing.
 
The beginning was very sad and disturbing. Later it became more paranormal, romantic and with a touch of mystery.
 
Great book full of suspense, great characters, and interesting plot.

Thanks for the advanced review copy. I haven’t read a Nora Robert’s book in awhile."I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It captivated me from the start with its endearing characters, unexpected plot twists, and a touch of romance. The addition of supernatural elements added an extra layer of intrigue, making it a delightful journey into the depths of human emotion and suspense. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a thrilling read!

I’ve been reading Nora Roberts for as long as I can remember. My grandmother got me started and it took me a while to read her back log when I was in my early 20s. Now that I’m 41, I’ve read every single Nora Roberts book and JD Robb book. Her books are read as soon as possible. I’ve been lucky the last few years to get early copies to review on my blog or book columns. It’s been many, many years since one of the NR stories hit me in the heart. This one had me crying pretty hard at only 25%. I can’t even explain how hard the first half of this story hit me. I felt it.

However, the last half of the book fell flat for me. I’m more shocked than anyone that I didn’t fall for every aspect of this book. Nora Roberts is a favorite author of mine for over 20 years. I know that mentally I was preparing for the two main characters to meet in life but they didn’t, Well not exactly how I thought they would. I find myself feeling disappointed with the story and amazed that she keeps me on my toes, every time. It’s quite the conundrum. I don’t feel like I wasted my time and I don’t think I shouldn’t have read it… I just wanted more from the story. Last thing I wanted to add is that it isn’t every author that can give you the assailant in the beginning of the story and still keep it interesting. Nora Roberts has skills like no other author.

I was so excited to read this book! Nora Roberts has been one of my favorite authors since I was in high school. She is one of my favorite romance authors and I love her suspenseful novels too.

Thea typically visits her grandmother with her brother every summer, but a tragedy is going to keep them there permanently. Thea has visions that helped catch her parents killer. However, she is also connected to him through these same visions and he wants vengeance.

I'd classify this novel as a romantic suspense. The romance took a bit of a backseat to the suspense, but the plot was so good that I didn't mind. I loved how the telekinetic powers took the story into the supernatural a bit. It was very unexpected. The story was very gripping. I also really like how this author makes you feel while reading. I love her writing style. The beginning was so emotional and gut-wrenching.

I really enjoyed this!

4.5/5

If you read the synopsis you may think this is dark mystery but we all know Nora Roberts better than that🙂. Mind Games is such a rich and multi-genre story with a mix of mystery, family drama, and romance that I could not get enough of.

I was immediately invested in the beautiful writing and rolling hills of the Appalachian mountains where we follow Thea from that fateful summer when she lost her patents into adulthood. This book was subtle in the way that it starts off with a horrible crime yet morphs into this beautiful story of family, love and resilience while still keeping an eerie since of foreboding as the story progresses. I loved how Thea learned to embrace her ‘gift’ and used it to help others. Her family support was so endearing and Grammie Lucy was by far my favorite🙂. The ending was unexpected and maybe I was looking for a little more after all of the build-up but it didn’t take away from another great story by Roberts.

I listened to parts of this and would highly recommend the audiobook narrated by the talented January LaVoy.

Is being able to see the sort of evil Thea (and her grandmother Lucy) can see a gift? They see the murder of Thea's parents and thanks to that, if nothing else, the villain is sent to prison. Unfortunately, it evolves that the villain can also see Thea and this turns into a battle of the minds. I didn't entirely understand the psychic ability but I liked this for Thea's story. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Far fetched but will be welcomed by fans of Roberts.

I love Nora Roberts. I have read her for decades and will continue to read everything she writes. She is very formulaic but that doesn’t bother me. If it works it works.

Mind Games by Nora Roberts is a romantic suspense novel that has a paranormal edge to it with the main character being psychic. The story follows the characters over decades of their lives after one fateful event.

At twelve years old Thea and her younger brother look forward to their time in Eastern Kentucky in the Appalachia area with their grandmother. Each summer their parents make the trip from their home in Virginia to Kentucky to drop the kids off and it’s almost as much fun as Christmas for the kids.

This summer however the magical time to be a child is cut short when one night
Thea and her grandmother awaken from a shared nightmare. Both know that the unthinkable has happened all the way in Virginia, Thea’s parents have been murdered by an intruder as they watched it happen. For Thea though that nightmare had an even more ominous feel when the man responsible seemed to connect to her as she watches it all play out.

Mind Games by Nora Roberts is really a slow burn novel coming in at over four hundred pages and following this family over such a long time period. For me being someone that can get very antsy with slow burns I was surprised to find myself really enjoying this story as it went along and not getting too impatient for the conclusion the way I often do. I loved the setting and characters and their growth throughout and the paranormal side certainly gave a eerie and suspenseful edge that kept the pages turning. When finished I would most definitely recommend checking this one out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book was amazing! The story begins when Thea, a 12 year old girl with a gift that helps her see into the minds of others, is spending the summer with her brother, Rem, and her Grammie, Lucy (who also has the gift). Thea sees something terrible happen to her parents and she wants to do everything she can to catch the man that is responsible.
The whole story is a work of art. There's a little mystery, a little thriller, some romance, and even some magic that will keep you hooked from the first chapter. I loved seeing the characters grow throughout the story and I loved seeing Thea do so much with her gift.

I really love how Nora always mixes the impossible/ supernatural elements to her suspenses!
I went in blind, and it wasn't what I expected. The plot was fun, I enjoyed the overall storyline. I was a little bummed that the romantic interest didn't show up (minus a blimp at the beginning) until over halfway through. It made their relationship feel a little rushed.
I did like both the FMC and the MMC, the Bad Guy was truly disturbing. I think she wrote him really well.
Overall, not my favorite of hers, BUT still enjoyable.
Thank you@netgalley for this eARC and ALC. the narrator did an amazing job!

I love Nora Roberts books! She has a way of just sucking you in and you're hooked. She has the ability to make the characters so easy to love and her plots are just amazing. This one, however, lost my interest about halfway although I was really enjoying it. I immediately took to the plot, and I loved it. I adored Lucy and her mama bear mentality. But then it started to become SO long and I lost interest since the peak of the plot happened early on. I thought it was a cool idea that Thea and her parents killer were able to communicate telepathically. But I didn't like how the hype of the beginning didn't get carried through the rest of the book, and we really didn't hear from the killer until he would come into Thea's dreams and obviously towards the end. The book delivered on the suspense part, but with the killer being unhinged and nuts, I wish it continued throughout the book. The ending of the book felt a bit rushed. I wish it remained more of the suspense and didn't focus on the love part of it - I think I would have enjoyed it more since that's how the beginning started.

Nora Roberts is one of the best dramatic mystery writers of the past several decades. She is not afraid to throw in some supernatural elements, and Mind Games plays into that genre fantastically.

The sight runs in the women in Thea's family. She may have it stronger than her mother and grandmother, which she discovers at age 12 as she witnesses the brutal murder of her parents through the mind of the killer. He has the sight too, and it turns into a battle of wills through the years while he's stuck in prison and Thea lives her life. He does his best to torture her from his cell, but Thea has figured out how to get rid of him once and for all.

There are so many elements to this story that make it great. There's suspense, the psychic element, romance and humor. Thea's family and friends become your family and friends, and the beautiful descriptions of the Kentucky hills makes you want to jump on a plane or in a car and visit. All the feels come out in this novel that you will not want to put down!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Synopsis: A young girl’s parents are brutally murdered and she is able to see in to the killer’s mind with her psychic abilities. The problem is that he can see in to hers also and the cat and mouse mind games they play with each other extend over the next decade.
Pros and cons: This was a totally unique, albeit weird at times, story. It was long, and slow in the middle, but I was invested in how it would end! If you’re a fan of unique, psychological reads, this one’s for you.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy! It is set to release next week!

Thea Fox life could have been destroyed by her parents murder at twelve years old if not for her gift. Thea has only one spot of darkness Ray Riggs, he's trying to destroy what happiness Thea can find for herself. As time goes on, Thea grows into a strong and driven woman. Will darkness always follow Thea? How will she get free? Find out in Mind Games.

I want to thank St. Martin's Press for this ARC via Netgalley.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I would have given his book six stars! Hang on to your seat, clear your calendar and grab your tissues before starting this book. Nora Roberts is a master story teller and boy do we have a lot of story in this book! I cried, I laughed and I held my breath. A must read for everyone who loves a good mysterious thriller with a lot of heart.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." eARC provided NetGalley