This was a terrific story. I already am a fan of Nora Roberts so i was inclined to like the book, but it was a very suspenseful book. Thea and Rem are spending a couple of weeks visiting Grammie Lucy. Thea and Lucy wake up to the same dream/not a dream. Thea's parents have been murdered at home in Virginia. Lucy lives in Kentucky, and everyone knows she has the sight so when she calls the Sheriff, he agrees to check on it. They found out it was true. Both parents were murdered. Thea gave a great description and location for the murderer. unfortunately, she connected with the killer and he was able to be in her mind and torment her through the years. I don't want to go much more into detail but it is a good story. Thea is a really strong woman and her family is a big part of her strength. Try this book , you will not be sorry.
I received and free copy from NetGalley for an unbiased opinion.

The twists and turns in this story are mind boggling. I loved the characters
The situations were very hard on my
head but the family filled with love was a beautiful way to tell this story.
It is complex and I loved it all.

Nora is a master at mind twisting plots and stories! This book was no different and I LOVED IT. I was here for all the pages of wonderment, romance, fantasy. Every time I read one of her books I can't help but think, "she's amazing, how on earth did she think of that?" BUT SHE DOES and she executes it with perfection!

She gives the romance that she gives in every book, even if its a slow burn with this one. She gives us the impossible with the women of sight who can also be hurt by it. She gives HEA but turmoil within the pages of the story. The characters are well thought of, well loved, and well put down on paper.

I simply cannot say enough about this. I read the book and listened to the audio and IMMEDIATELY told everyone I know to preorder. And preordered it myself for my shelves. Nora never lets me down, this book was no different. In fact, some how she makes it so that I love every book I read better than the last. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!?

I raise my hands, glass and hat to you Ms Roberts. Wonderful job!

“When the fates handed you a gift, who but a fool would refuse it?”

Nora Roberts does it again with her new masterpiece – Mind Games! Thea and Rem visit their grandmother Lucy every summer in Redbud Hollow, but one year while on their trip, their parents are brutally murdered. Lucy and Thea both have a special gift, and Thea actually witnessed the murders with her abilities through a dream. Thanks to Thea, Ray Riggs will be in custody for life – but he’d also “been born with a calculating and knowing mind, a special talent.” Now, it’s one mind versus the other in a psychological stunner about mental control, compartmentalization, acceptance, and family.

I was definitely shocked by this new concept for Roberts, and the way the book was framed – knowing the enemy from the beginning, and I felt like this novel was more gruesome than most of her others. With Roberts we have a consistent story arc which I have come to appreciate, but the story focused too much on the childhood of Thea and Rem and took a while to get into the current events. Plus, when do we have to wait half of the book to meet the love interest?!?!?

I really did enjoy the characters (and careers! – sign me up to meet Code Red!) and the amazing family connections. However, while I understand we are in Kentucky, it took me a good bit to “read” like Lucy and Thea and their particular sayings.

Controlling dreams and playing mind games was such a fun approach, I love strategy-based games and the intelligence characters must have to plot and think ahead, but the ending fell short for me, I truthfully didn’t understand exactly what was happening even though the buildup and narration after helped some.

I will continue to read everything that Roberts writes but her last several books are moving into the women’s fiction genre from the romance category for sure. She is a creative, amazing storyteller and will be known as one of the best authors of our time. I rate this 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this magical arc! All opinions are honest and my own.

“While we can’t lock the past away, not when it holds the ones we love, we have a real present, and a future. And that’s where we look.”

“Pretty brilliant, using a game. Mind game – get it?”

Ooof. The first half of this book was an emotional doozy! It was very heavy and sad, and I do agree with some other reviews I've seen that this book isn't technically a 'romantic suspense' as much as a literary fiction novel. I wish there would have been more set up as a series (all of the characters in the small town deserved their own stories!) but I do think this particular story wrapped up in a satisfying way. 4 stars

Nora Roberts is pretty much a hit every time. This was an enjoyable book and I loved the whole family. Interesting take on the relationship between Riggs and Thea. It wasn't the best of her writing ability but it was still good.

Nora Roberts has been an auto-read for me for decades now, and for good reason. Her stories abound with well-drawn characters--both human and animal!--spectacular locations, and extraordinary plots! This latest work of hers is no exception and I just couldn't put it down till I was finished. Her lead characters we meet when they are pre-teens and have gone through a devastating loss. However, they then live with their grandmother, a local Appalachian businesswoman, herbalist, and seer, the last of which is something inherited by her grandaughter, who uses her ability to help the police apprehend her parents' killer. We see the young girl and her younger brother grow into accomplished, intelligent, loving adults, though the girl is plagued ocasionally by the still-imprisoned killer's psychic abilities. Both of the grandkids still live near their grandmother, helping her with her business, and make the acquaintance of Ty, who has moved to his late grandmother's house with his young son. Things move along and they fall in love, have difficulties in their relationship, and battle with a killer psychically. An HEA is required in this author's books, thank goodness, and a happy outcome ensues. Even though the author has written probably well over 200 books now, she still manages to make her writing fresh and interesting, and I still look forward eagerly to each new book. That old chestnut, "getting better, not older," applies here very well! Don't miss this book, it is great, and continues Roberts' winning streak!

Never disappointed with a Nora Roberts novel! Mind Games is no different. Such a solid read.

Mind Games follows the story of Thea and her family: brother, Rem and Grammie, Lucy after the murder of her parents. Thea has psychic powers that are powerful from a young age. The story unravels her life and struggle to balance the powers and an uncanny connection to the murderer while trying to live life and find love.

The characters in the novel are all so lovable. Grammie is the grandmother we all want Rem is the little brother that oozes charm and Thea herself is easy to connect with and feel the emotional roller coaster she travels throughout the novel. Lets not forget the absolutely adorable and enjoyable Bray, who has to be one of the cutest 4 year olds around and his dremay father that moves in next door.

The book overall was very enjoyable. There is mystery and suspence, just never quite sure how the story will unravel. The added psychic element adds a different twist to the story. There is enough Romance to keep with Nora's usual expectations but does not ooze romance. For me, thats a plus!

Overall, i recommend this book!

Thank you to Nora Roberts, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nora Roberts has another hit with the new book, Mind Games. Divided into three parts, the story begins in suburban Virginia, and ends up in Redbud Hollow, Kentucky---deep in Appalachia. The Fox family visits their Grammie every summer as soon as school is out. The parents would leave the morning after their arrival, returning in two weeks. "There would always be a before, and there would come an after." Tragic circumstances put an end to the parent's lives, but the children must go on. The lovely prose, and easy pace made this book a joy to read. The women in the family have second- sight, seeing events before they occur. This is what turns the story into more of a thriller than a women's fiction read. I loved every twist and turn. The paranormal aspects of the storyline elevate the mystery from slow and easy, to fast and furious. Nora Roberts knows how to squeeze out every emotion from laughter and tears, to heart-pulls and disgust.

I was so happy to be approved for an advanced copy to read early. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to #NetGalley, St.MartinsPress

#MindGames #NetGalley

Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors and I love how lately she's been writing books that are edgier. This is one of them. It took me some time to get into the story (hence the 4 stars instead of 5); in my opinion the beginning should have been shorted a bit? It took awhile to get into the romance part of the story. However, the character development was excellent and I found myself wanting to live on a farm and make my own food.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Much thanks to Nora Roberts, MacMillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for allowing me use of free galleys in exchange for an honest review.

*thumbs down fart noise*

DNF 34%---about 5 hrs of listening. 5 hrs of plodding through a story that couldn't find a plot with three editors and a diagram.

Some might call this a "slow burn," but I feel that phrase gets used more and more as a cop-out for a pace that's somewhere between boring and mindnumbing, a story that takes the scenic route toward making any kind of point, and a word count goal that holds a manuscript hostage until its requirements are met. So sure, we can call this a slow burn, but I definitely mean the cop-out kind.

Roberts likes to tell her stories in a straight line, which speaks to my heart, but I wonder if a prologue and strategic flashbacks instead wouldn't trim the fat in her style. She includes soooo much useless information. A mere sample of the straw that broke my back in this instance was "[A]t fourteen, she cut her hair to chin length, an impulse she regretted for months after. She won an award in math, an accomplishment that both thrilled and embarrassed her. When she was fifteen, they lost Aster and grieved. The best of best friends, Maddie brought them flowers. They called the new cow Betty Lou."

Now, it could be that the climax of this---what genre is this supposed to be, anyway? So far the story would suggest paranormal thriller, but I doubt it was marketed as such---hinges on Thea's bad style choices, the death of an old milk cow, or the name of her replacement. But somehow, I doubt that as well.

A huuuuuuge chunk of the 34% I managed to get through could have been cut out. And I decided not to let Roberts's ego waste any more of my time.

A book from Nora Roberts never disappoints, but this one was particularly enjoyable after a very sad and tragic beginning that actually had me sobbing out loud. I thoroughly enjoyed the pace of the story.

This is probably my favorite book by Nora Roberts in the past few years. I was a little skeptical before I started it because I usually veer away from her books that have supernatural elements. I am so glad that I read it! I loved the relationship between Thea and her grandmother. It was also such a joy to read about life in Appalachia. The criminal mind in the story was chilling and yet felt very human. Throw in a little romance and this book had it all! I would definitely recommend!

I love a touch of magical realism in my books. In Nora Roberts’ latest, MIND GAMES, I really like the dash of the supernatural that was incorporated in the story. I was expecting this to be a romance (hello, it’s Nora Roberts) but this one wasn’t as much (although there is a HEA).

Thea is able to see inside the minds of others. In this case, it’s the twisted mind of a killer who murdered her parents. MIND GAMES has a cat and mouse-like setup that I enjoyed and I also really liked the family dynamic. The story is told over several years so there is a lot of buildup.

My only gripe is that Roberts spent a lot of time discussing Thea’s childhood, which is important in making this story as poignant as it is, but the real “mind games” didn’t start until much later in. Fortunately the further I got in the story the more interested I became and I did really like the ending.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for early digital access to MIND GAMES in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nora Roberts used to be an incredibly formulaic author. Which I didn’t mind. There was something comforting about knowing that the main character would meet her love interest around the 10% mark, share a first kiss around 25%, consummate the relationship about halfway through the book, have some kind of intense argument about 3/4 in, after which they’ll make up, the plot will resolve, and they will live happily ever after. These books were incredibly predictable, but I still loved them. Nora’s lovely prose, her lovable characters, and her ability to just weave an incredibly engaging story made this predictability cozy instead of boring. Yet, since about 2017, with the publication of Come Sundown and Year One, she has thrown that formula completely out the window, and it shows no signs of returning. And her work is so much stronger for it. Her books now tend to deal with harder hitting topics and are far less predictable in their timelines. You can still absolutely trust that everything will work out in the end, but the journey to that end is much more fraught, and much more likely to take unexpected turns.

Mind Games is no exception to this. We follow our main character, Thea, from the age of 12. We spend a lot of time in her childhood and young adulthood, and that time is never boring. She’s a fascinating character. We don’t really even meet the love interest until around halfway through the book, and the progression of their relationship is slow and organic and lovely. But, while I enjoyed the romance, it definitely wasn’t the focus of the book. Instead, the focus is on Thea’s mental war with her parents’ killer as he serves out multiple life sentences in a supermax facility. For, you see, both Thea and the murderer she helped put away have a gift, and that gift links them. They are both somewhat telepathic, and I found the expressions of that telepathy, especially in Thea’s life, absolutely enthralling.

I loved following Thea through her life. I adored the Appalachian setting, where Thea and her brother, Rem, grew up, nestled in the Kentucky foothills. Their grandmother, Grammie, is a gorgeous, talented, spitfire of a woman with a touch of the same gift that Thea has in spades. I loved her so much, and she was such a wonderful guardian to her grandchildren. Though their family experienced some incredible trauma, she built a beautiful life for those kids. I also loved the relationship between Thea and Rem, and the career paths they chose for themselves. Thea’s path adds an extra layer of meaning to the title, which is fun. There are other wonderful characters in this story, but as they don’t show up until the halfway mark, I’ll leave them for other readers to discover for themselves.

Nora’s strengths are, in my opinion, her characters and her settings. She does a brilliant job of crafting characters with instant depth, who it’s impossible not to fall for within paragraphs of meeting them. The relationships she builds between them are rock solid and honestly enviable, even for those who have such relationships in their real lives. And the settings are always beautifully drawn, rendered in Technicolor and incredibly enticing. I love where I live, but the temptation to move to Kentucky and raise chickens and make soap was strong.

Even though her characters and settings and her writing itself are the big draws to Nora’s work for me, she never tells a boring story. And this one was no exception. I was completely captivated by every aspect, from the horrific to the charming. It was a really strong plot. I was reminded just a touch of Stephen King’s The Shining in terms of Thea’s and the killer’s telepathic war, but without the horror elements.

Mind Games was a solid, always engaging read, populated with a host of wonderful characters. I was completely hooked from the first page to the last, which is high praise for any book. It’s a story I will absolutely revisit, as I so often do with Nora’s work. I’m so thankful I was given the opportunity to read this early, and I can’t wait to get a physical copy in my hands and on my shelf.

I enjoy Nora Roberts’ stand-alone novels and Mind Games was an addictive book. Mind Games is an intriguing story about a special family whose bond is strengthened in the face of terrible tragedy. Themes of good vs. evil, new beginnings, and empowerment are explored. I loved the unique plot that stretched my usual fiction preference of women’s fiction/romantic suspense. Mind Games has all that but what really stood out was the psychic gift aspect. I don’t read a lot of novels with such storylines but if anyone could draw me in it’s Nora Roberts and she did. Recommended to fans of Nora Roberts and a good story.

Would it be blasphemous to say that Nora Roberts just gets better and better each time she drops a new book.

I started in on Nora Roberts as a teen with True Betrayls...falling for her writing and the way she just grabs you into the pages of the book as if you were inside of the words living the world she writes. And it's been like being welcomed home each time a crack open her books. There's just something about her writing. No matter the subject matter, there's something so comfortable in her works.

This one. Now this one gave me a bit of scream vibes. Not teen slasher flick. And I don't know that I can explain it right. But the secluded, rural area made into a sanctuary to feel safe. The Mind Games Riggs plays with Thea. It just felt a little like that type of feeling. Cat and mouse. Where the mouse turns the tables on the cat.

And while I kept waiting for some of the dreams/nightmares so become reality with Riggs stepping out of the forest and destroying Thea's peace, I love how it all came down to that final showdown at the prison. Of course Riggs wasn't going to be released or escape. But I still felt that build up and anticipation the entire story.

I will also always be down to give a female led book with strong familial ties and a family inheritance that's *more* passing down the lines a high rating. I'm such a sucker for the intelligent ways out. Rather than a physical fight. This was a brilliant book.

Great Nora Roberts book. Twists, turns, suspense and romance. You can't go wrong. It makes you think, then rethink and rethink again.

Mind Games by Nora Roberts

A powerful but tender, touching novel… when I hit the end, the word, “wow” just kept repeating in my head.

The protagonist, Thea, is everything, but her Grammie Lucy stood out to me most. So many of the phrases Lucy said in the book made me feel like those were phrases I need to be incorporating in my own life.


To be published May 21, 2024
St. Martin’s Press


#Appalachian
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#Violence
#Murder
#Trauma
#Romance
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I've had this book in my TBR stack forever and ended up listening to the audio version for the sake of time. What a wonderful story. Nora has never written a bad book in my opinion and visiting Appalachia was a wonderful vacation. The characters were real and lovable. I was brought to tears more than once and hated to see it end. Nora is the best and this stand alone title isn't to be missed.