In Paradise Lost, John Milton argues that evil resides in the mind. Nora Roberts illustrates this premise in her most recent novel, Mind Games, where the conflict between good and evil battle for control between a young woman and an incarcerated murderer. The setting for Mind Games is the hills and mountains of Kentucky. The murders, early in the novel, are crimes borne out of envy, but the greater part of the novel, which demonstrates the eternal conflict between good and evil, explores how loss can be transformed into love.

In Mind Games, Roberts takes readers on a journey into the lives of those who have been touched by great evil. The protagonist, Thea, fashions a life filled with love and success. Her survival is not easy, and there are problems that must be overcome. I laughed, cried, smiled, and was entranced. The title refers to more than the games that are developed to entertain children and young adults. Thea, like all the women in her family, possesses a psychic ability that allows her mind to move beyond the normal confines of the brain. Thea is a heroic figure. She uses her critical thinking skills to improve her life and the lives of those around her. However, Thea also uses her mind to combat evil.. She is not an action hero but a thinking hero, and as such, Thea is a model for young women.

The basic question of Mind Games is will love and goodness triumph over evil. Readers of Nora Roberts will not be surprised at the ending, but that does not eliminate the tension and worry about how the novel will end. Will more people, people readers like and enjoy, also fall victim to evil? Readers love and appreciate Thea, Grammie Lucy, Rem, Tyler, and Bray. These are good people, whose lives are made better when a. community embraces and helps those who need help. Thea uses her mind to make the world a better place. Her mind seeks clarity and control, even as she seeks to defeat evil. Readers are reminded that a mind cannot be imprisoned, even as a body might be confined to a small room.

Roberts is a long-time author, whom I had dismissed at a writer of romances, but as I learned in Mind Games, Roberts is so much more. Mind Games is not what I expected. It is more thoughtful and more complex and far more clever. I have recommended it for my book club this summer. Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC for me to read and review. I like books that challenger and require thought. I appreciated Mind Games for those exact reasons.

Mind Games by Nora Roberts is an interesting novel delving into the mind/body connection. Thea and her family live in Virginia but each summer spend two weeks in the summer with their grandmother in the Appalachians. The evening her parents drop her off, both Thea and her grandmother wake up knowing something horrible has happened. Her parents have been killed. Due to Thea's powers, she was able to see the killer enter the house and kill them, but he was able to see her in his mind as well. He is convicted and sent to prison, but their connection is never severed as she continues to live her life. This leads to an inevitable confrontation that you will not want to put the book down until you get to it, this one is a page turner! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

There are some authors that you just know you will love the book regardless of the story or the characters. You may dislike the characters or what happens to them but you will love the book. Nora Roberts is one of those authors for me. I love all her books regardless of the subject matter. This story was fascinating and even though some would think it mystical, the author writes it in such a way that it is believable. I loved reading about daily life in rural, hillbilly America and how the old ways influenced lives. I would highly recommend this book.

Everything about this story intrigued me and I couldn’t wait to dive in. Well let me tell you..it was fantastic. Loved every minute. Its uniqueness makes you want to keep going and forget about all the things you are supposed to do. I thought it was fresh and unlike anything I’ve read before. A bit of supernatural mixed with love and a fierce determination to protect oneself and those surrounding. I would read this again and recommend it to everyone. One click!!!

In Mind Games by Nora Roberts, readers are drawn into a world of mystery and intrigue as twelve-year-old Thea experiences a chilling premonition of her parents' demise. Set amidst the rolling hills of Appalachia, the story unfolds with Thea navigating the complexities of her gift alongside her grandmother Lucy, who shares the same ability. As Thea matures, Roberts expertly explores themes of love, loss, and resilience, while keeping readers captivated with unexpected twists and turns. While some may struggle to connect with the story, the rich tapestry of mystery, romance, and supernatural elements ensures that Mind Games is a compelling read for fans of Roberts and those seeking an enthralling escape into the unknown.

This was a great thriller read and my first book by Nora Robert! It was a great read and kept me wanting more until the end. I didn't see the ending coming which are my favorite kind of books! Anyone would love this novel, definitely check it out!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

What's not to like about Nora Roberts. She writes such good book and I enjoyed this one too.

I can't wait until the next one.

Fabulous book! I am not usually a fan of “psychic” books. This one changed my mind. A game designer who was twelve when her parents were murdered accomplishes great things in her life. She creates video games and has the sight. Read this book. I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Nora Roberts does it again. I LOVED the characters in this story from Thea to Rem to Grammie and on down to the police officers, etc. They were real and likable and I was sad when the book ended. Watching everyone grow from young kids who suffer an unimaginable tragedy to adults with lives of their own was such a treat. The paranormal aspect was interesting and the romantic interest for Thea took me by surprise. A treat from start to finish!

Another typical Nora Robert’s book. Nothing new or extraordinary. I swear I’ve read the same conversations before. This trope has been done better by other authors. Book was too long. Everyone’s life is perfect and too good to be true.

Did not like the kid, Bray. I didn’t feel any kind of relationship or closeness between him and Thea. How convenient Thea found her high school crush moving in next door. Tyler was more interesting. He had a good background story.

The story of Thea and Rem’s parents was heartbreaking but the storyline with Riggs wasn’t really that interesting.

I think will be my last book from her.

Another fantastic suspenseful romance from Nora Roberts. I loved the character development and the psychic elements of this fun read.

I was so excited when I heard about this book and was not disappointed. Mind Games is a fantastic book. I loved everything about it, small town, single dad, the whole psychic part and the suspense.
I can’t even imagine going through everything Thea did and come out as strong, loving and caring woman as she did. Thankfully she has a strong family and friends for her, including Ty. He’s everyone’s dream of a hero.
I can’t say enough about this book, it’s amazing.

Althea and Remington Fox travel to spend two weeks in June with their Grammie in eastern Kentucky. It is a glorious place for a kid, hikes, feeding chickens, milking cows and goats, making soap and candles. This year it is also a good thing because Thea's and Rem's parents are murdered by Ray Riggs. Thea knows this because she has the sight, along with many of the women in her maternal side of the family. She is able to tell the police everything about Riggs and he is caught almost immediately. Except Ray is also psychic and he is able to enter Thea's dreams and torment her. Thea's grammie teaches her how to control her gift and Thea is able to block Riggs, most of the time. Thea and Rem grow up and Thea becomes a computer gaming designer and Rem becomes her business manager. She moves back to Kentucky and buy property down the road from her grammie and builds a lovely little house. And then, Tyler Brennan moves into his great-grandmother's house, down the lane from Thea. Ty was Thea's crush when he was a member of Code Red, a popular rock and roll band. He is now writing music and raising his son. As the reader can certainly guess, a relationship blooms. Except Thea still has to deal with Ray Riggs.
Nora Roberts writes excellent romances. Her characters are always fully fleshed out and her dialog is second to none. I will always enjoy reading her books, this one, however, seemed a little perfunctory.

I am withholding my review until the publisher:

1) Addresses and denounces the Islamophobic and racist remarks from their employee.
2) Offers tangible steps for how they are going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.
3) Addresses how, moving forward, they will support and protect their Muslim, Arab and Palestinian influencers, authors and readers, in addition to supporting their BIPOC influencers, authors and readers.

Can I just say that I love Nora Roberts? This book was a little bit different and I loved it!
Thea and Rem go to their Grandma Lucy’s house for a 2-week summer vacation in Kentucky. While there, the unthinkable happens to Thea and Rem’s parents. Thea witnesses it in her mind.
Thea and Rem end up living with Lucy and the story has them growing up and goes through different times in their life.
Lots of different and fun things go on in this book. A video game designer. A rock star. An amazing Grandmother who owns her own business. A single dad with an adorable son. A large dog. Country living in a small community. Lots of close-knit family time. A kind of mind reading. And amazing female characters in Thea and Lucy.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Publishing Group, and Nora Roberts team for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nora Roberts has a different sort of story for us in “Mind Games”. There isn’t really a mystery (except for “how can this end happily?”), but there is a slow build romance that also has its ups and downs.

When Thea was 12 and staying at her Grammie’s in Kentucky for 2 weeks with her 10 year old brother Rem, she and Grammie were tossed into a nightmare — watching her parents murdered back home in Virginia through the eyes of the killer. She can feel his hatred and evil emotions and is further connected when the murderer (Riggs) sees her photo and recognizes she’s in his head — and he can also be in hers. Grammie realizes this is the full awakening of the “gift” that’s passed down among the women of the family, one that was suppressed by Thea’s mom and discouraged when it tried to peek out of her daughter.

Luckily, Thea’s very detailed vision is believed by the police and her description of Riggs leads to his arrest and conviction — but he realizes she’s the reason through his matching supernatural powers and vows eventual revenge. He manages to infiltrate her dreams through the years and up until present day — fifteen years later. Thea has mostly figured out how to block him and has even helped the original detectives with other cases. She’s still in Kentucky and becomes a successful game designer who works remotely. A songwriter with a 4 year old (with a pleasant surprise past) has moved in nearby, and Thea is, ahem, interested. Her gigantic dog, Bunk, is a toddler magnet.

The narrative moves along steadily, but always with underlying tension that Riggs will escape or finally burrow into Thea’s brain.

This is first, and foremost, a tale about family. The paranormal is woven in among the love that different generations have for each other and makes this a unique story. 4 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Miss Leona has faded green eyes; Tyler has long green eyes; Granny (Grammie’s mother) has sharp green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Herbs and flowers play a large part in Grammie’s candle-making and soap business — her home “smelled like a garden planted in heaven. Roses and lavender, rosemary and sage, heliotrope and pine, lemon and orange and fresh mown grass.” She also knows that you can plant pansies in the fall and they’ll survive the winter.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I picked this one up after House of Flame and Shadow because I knew Nora Roberts would be able to pull me into this story right away. And I wasn’t wrong! This one pulled me in right away and I enjoyed that it was a little romantic suspense, a little paranormal combining her two usual genres.

I feel like a theme throughout Nora Roberts books is AMAZING grandmas and again here she didn’t disappoint. I loved Lucy and how much she loved Thea and Rem and their whole dynamic. Thea was such a fun character to really shine here and it was pretty cool that she ended up designing video games! It really made her multifaceted. I’m not spoiling who her love interest ends up being, but I really enjoyed their story too.

I will say that the ending kinda felt a little anticlimactic to me. I wanted a little since Thea was such a strong FMC and it felt like there were a few things that didn’t showcase that as best as it could.

This one is out May 21 and you should definitely check it out! Thank you to the publisher for an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

My love for Nora Roberts goes way back so I always look forward to her new books, and Mind Games didnt disappoint. I do think that this book seems like it was planned to be one of her fantasy trilogies, but maybe it ended up being changed to a single book. It has three distinct parts and I while I enjoyed each one, I do feel the middle section was rushed in that there was lots of skipping through years. Either way, it was such a compelling story with great characters. I loved Thea and her family. And of course Ty (who didnt see that coming from the moment he was mentioned on the page.) I like the psychic component a lot and wished for a bit more of that.
Overall I really enjoyed. Did some of it feel far fetched and obvious, yes...but still a great read.

Nora Roberts fans will love her latest romantic thriller. A well paced plot with a psychic element to it, some unexpected twists, and her strongest female character to date. Highly recommended

Ms Roberts has written another great book. The story grabs your attention right from the start. I recommend you have a box of facial tissues handy as this story is a real tear jerker. There were times I had to set the book aside and walk away. Nora knows how to immerse the reader into the story and make it real. I highly recommend this book. You will enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin Press for the ARC. I enjoyed this book.