I am an avid Nora Roberts fan, it's honestly hard to guess how many books by her I've read in my lifetime but in the last two years it's...23. Nora Roberts has always existed for me, a love instilled in me from my mom years ago.

This book was a cute, more modern read from my favorite author. I love how she is able to sprinkle in a bit of magic into the everyday, mundane life. The narrator of this audio made this book 10x better, the voices she was able to portray so differently were truly a work of art.

So grateful to NetGalley for this early preview so I can have bragging rights to my Mom!

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. The narrator was effective and executed the reading perfectly!

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!

Wow. Sooo much to unpack here great for book club. A wild ride with a little of everything. The name definitely fits the book.

I've always had Nora Roberts books on my never ending TBR, which is why I was so excited when I got approved for this book! OH MY GOSH, I loved everything about this book. If you like a thriller but with more of a plot, you'll love this one. I could read about Thea, Grammie, and Ty's life in this small town in the Appalachia Mountains for ever. I loved how the main plot of this book was about Thea and her life journey. It did include a love story but at the end of the day it's still her story, the MMC is only a supporting role. This entire book was such an interesting concept. I loved every minute of it! I thought it was the perfect length and perfect pace. I couldn't stop listening to it.
The narrator, January Lavoy, did a fantastic job. Five star performance! All of the accents and voices were absolutely perfect!!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio arc of Mind Games by Nora Roberts!

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.

Book Title: Mind Games
Format: 🎧
Author: Nora Roberts
Narrators: January LaVoy
Publisher: Macmillan Audio/St, Martin’s Press
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Thriller + Romance
Audiobook Pub Date: May 21, 2024
My Rating: 3.7 rounded up
Pages: 435
I was always a big Nora Roberts fan – read over twenty of her novels. Although mysteries were my first love and my ‘go to’ stories which started when I was nine and found Trixie Belton and then Nancy Drew mysteries. Later I switched to Romance and then back to Mysteries but Psychological Thriller became a love at first read!
When I hear that Nora's recent novels were far more involved than just romance, I decided to give this a try. Also narrator January LaVoy is my favorite audiobook performer.

The story begins when John and Cora Fox take their children Thea-12 and her brother Rem – 10 to Grammies farm in Redbud Hollow, Kentucky for their annual two weeks stay,
There is no doubt Grammie Lucy is pleased as she loves her grandkids and doesn’t see them enough!
Only their stay ends up longer than the two weeks.
As we suspected something bad happens to John and Cora when they return to their suburban Virginia home.

The ‘mind game’ begins as Thea, has a gift in which she can get into the minds of others and see what they see (Grammie also has this gift). When Thea sees the terrible thing that happened to her parents, she is able to profile enough information that the police had to check and found Ray Riggs the sicko who did it-he actually confessed.
The mind games continue as he also has the gift and knows that Thea is responsible for his capture.

Story alternates between Thea and Rem having a somewhat normal life but the Sicko murdered continues to get into Thea’s mind.
True to a Nora Roberts story - Yes! There is romance however it doesn’t happen until nearly 50%. When Ty, a musician and his five year old son Bra return to Kentucky and end up next door to Thea.

Story slowed down a bit but kept me curious. I did like the story however disappointed that the main characters has to use an expletive to complete nearly every sentence. It seemed excessive to me – as I mentioned I haven’t read Nora Robert in some time so perhaps it is normal. I expected the profanity from Riggs and he more than lived up to it – the encounters with him were disturbing.

I do love narrator January LaVoy; her performances of the characters was sooo enjoyable. She made Bra even more adorable.

I was hoping there would be ‘Acknowledgements’ and “Authors’ Notes’ as I was curious the research Ms. Roberts did for this story. However, a. Audiobooks seldom include this.

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio/ St. Martin’s Press for granting me this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 21, 2024.

A multiple-trope story line that starts with a heinous tragedy and follows the lives of the people impacted by it to a wonderful happily ever after. This is a departure from much of the authors previous work, but it was an interesting and compelling storyline. It starts with a family tragedy and we meet both a wonderful loving family as well as a dismissive snobby emotionless family, a wonderful loving accepting small town, the gift of sight(psychic ability) that only the women in one family have, a single dad trying to find his way and build the best life for his surprise child, the worlds best grandmother, smart women, wonderful siblings and best friends, lots of adorable animals, the worlds greatest dog and more all while everyone is navigating their way through life. I really enjoyed this book. It explores both the best and worst of humanity. I really enjoyed this book.

I enjoy Nora Roberts’ stand-alone novels and combined with narrator January LaVoy, Mind Games was an addictive audiobook. LaVoy gave Roberts' characters distinctive voices that enhanced my listening experience..
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.

Mind Games
Nora Roberts
A big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Mind Games for review.
The setting for this book is eastern Kentucky.
Twelve-year-old Thea loved spending two weeks with her grandmother, Lucy. Each June the Fox family packed up the car and made the trip to Redbud Hollow where Grammie lived. Thea and her brother Rem had a special relationship with Grammie. Their parents dropped them off and headed back to their home in Virginia. The women in the family were blessed with a special gift. They could see things. Both Thea and Grammie had a nightmare, the same nightmare. Thea’s gift was strong, stronger than Grammie’s. She saw a man break into their home in Virginia and murder her parents. Thea provided information to the police that assisted in his arrest and conviction. The murderer would spend the rest of his life in prison. The murderer formed a mind connection with Thea and haunted her life.
After college Thea returned to Redbud Hollow where she met her teenage idol, Ty. He has a small child, and it didn’t take long for Thea to fall in love with both of them. But always looming in the background was the threat of the murderer.
I really enjoyed this book of course I enjoy all of Nora Roberts books. I loved the main characters. We watch Thea mature from a twelve-year-old to an adult. Some of the decisions she makes are not wise but that’s true of all humans. Ty is the perfect man…almost. He is a musician, former rock star, a single dad, and the father to an adorable little boy. The supporting characters were well fleshed out and added much to the plot, especially Grammie.
The plot slowly unwinds with bits and pieces escaping at a time. The romance between Thea and Ty was precious. The relationship between Thea and Grammie was heartwarming. This is another 5 star book for Nora Roberts.

Nora Roberts never disappoints! Mind Games is a book you don't want to put down and when it ends you want to hear more. Set in Appalachia, and in a way that only Nora Roberts can tell it, this story follows Thea and her Grammie Lucy as they learn to live with "the gift of sight" that all the women in their family have ... or as Thea learns could the gift be a curse? What happens when your enemy also has the gift? How do you have a relationship with someone and not tell them about your gift?

Without giving away the story or any spoilers, I will say that Thea and Tyler's love story is one that I want to hear more about. Life in Redbud Hollow, Kentucky is filled with romance, heartbreak, family trauma, love, and of course a bit of Appalachia magic.

January LaVoy's narration is nothing short of perfection. So many characters from toddler Bray to Grammie Lucy and who could forget Riggs. It's as though you're listening to an ensemble cast.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion.

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐝? 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 (𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰) 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬. 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥; 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐕𝐨𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬! 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐕𝐨𝐲’𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤!

𝐻𝓊𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒩𝑜𝓇𝒶 𝑅𝑜𝒷𝑒𝓇𝓉𝓈, 𝑀𝒶𝒸𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒶𝓃 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜, 𝒮𝓉. 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓃’𝓈 𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook. This was my first Nora Robert’s book. I really enjoyed the story and the audio narrator was great.

Has Nora Roberts EVER written a bad book? I think not. I have been a long-time fan and she just keeps getting better. I love her stand-alone titles and this one did not disappoint. The narrator was spot on and I adored every word. The story moved at a good pace and the characters were lovable. More than once I was brought to tears and I only wish it lasted longer.

Nora Roberts does a wonderful job in writing this mind-blowing novel of tragedy and trauma, love and family, and the evil that awaits.

It opens with the Fox family driving to Appalachia to drop off their children (12 year old Thea and 10 year old Rem) for a two-week stay with their grandmother. But their life will never be the same when 12-year Thea, through her special gift, will see a tragedy that will forever change their lives.

I was lucky enough to receive this book in audiobook format. The narrator had a great voice and was easy to listen to. Another incredible book by Nora Roberts. Where she comes up with these amazing ideas for her stories never ceases to amaze me. I love the way the evil man continues to have contact with the heroine until she finally determines that enough is enough. I love the way she reels him in and how she uses her "power" for good. While this isn't the typical murder mystery stand alone book that Nora Roberts normally writes this one has twists and turns, good and evil, love and loss, which combines to make a great listen.

I have read every book that Nora Roberts has written, so I was excited to read this one and it did not disappoint. When Thea Fox and her brother were spending their annual 2 weeks at their grandmother's, her parents were brutally murdered. Thea and her grandmother, Lucy have psychic abilities and they both witnessed the murder through dreams. Thea's "gift" helps catch the murderer and sent him to prison. Unfortunately the murderer also has the "gift" and he begins to mentally connect with Althea. Althea and her brother Rem are raised by the grandmother and they both have successful careers. Unfortunately the connection with the now inmate causes problems for Althea. Althea builds a house near Lucy. She wants to stay in that area of Kentucky where people know about and accept her "gift". The house near Thea's is inherited by her teenage crush. He moves there from Philadelphia with his young son to build a life. They begin to fall in love, but everything changes when her gift causes him to think she has been snooping. Great book. I always enjoy Nora's books

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thea Fox is 12 years old when her mother and father are murdered. With the psychic gift passed down through the women in her family, Thea was able to see the murder although she wasn’t even in the house at the time. With her help the police catch and lock up the murderer. But, it turns out that the murderer has the same gift and as the years go by, he plots his revenge on Thea.

With such a great concept, I was really excited to start this book. Unfortunately, it just fell flat for me.
The first 35% of the book is about Thea, her brother and their grandmother who they move in with. It really drags on and I kept finding myself wishing that they would just skip forward.
When we finally get that jump forward we meet the MMC and I really enjoyed his character and their love story but things felt like they went very quickly and I would’ve liked more build up to their relationship.
The best thing about this book is the concept of Thea and the women in her family being psychic and with how long the book was they really could’ve dived deeper into it but there was just a lot of day to day stuff written instead.
Overall, this book just missed the mark for me.

As for the audio, January Lavoy was amazing and I would absolutely listen to her again!

I have been waiting for this book ever since I heard about it. Thanks to NetGalley, I got to preview both the ebook and the audiobook at the same time. You can’t go wrong with either. In fact, I was switching back and forth, listening in the car and while doing household tasks and then picking right up on my Kindle when I had down time. Mind Games starts out with a punch to the gut with the brutal murder of Thea Fox’s parents. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Thea has the gift of sight and even though she was at her Grandmother’s house, she saw it all, including the face of the man who committed the murder.

The story follows Thea as she grows up and defines her gift, but always, lurking in the background, is the murderer, who like Thea, has the gift of sight, just not as developed as Thea’s. He haunts her dreams, threatens her happiness, and attempts to destroy her future even though he is incarcerated for life. As with all Nora Roberts’ heroines, Thea is strong, beautiful, and surrounded by loving family. And of course, there is romance in the form of her teenage musician crush. The characters are well drawn out and easy to love.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read. Definitely not Nora Roberts’ best, but definitely engaging and satisfying. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

Every time a new Nora Roberts book releases I am reminded why she is the best. Her stories are always so developed and well rounded. I never want to put them down.

Twelve year old Thea has a pretty perfect life- until tragedy strikes. She is staying with her grandmother in Kentucky when she awakes in the night- she just saw her parents' murder. She runs to her grandmother and finds her awake and sobbing as well. The women in Thea's family all have the gift of sight. Due to this gift, Thea is able to help the police capture the murderer immediately. Except he also has a gift of sight- one he uses for evil. He and Thea begin a mental game- pushing each other. He wants revenge. She wants him to stop.

In general, I am not a fan of any type of fantasy genre. Nora Roberts's books are usually the exception. When she pushes into the fantasy/paranormal, it is with normal people with a gift. This story is no different- I was completely fine with Thea's gift. That isn't the reason for the four stars (as opposed to five- and really, I give this a 4.5) <spoiler> The aspect that pushed me over the edge was the whole game concept. That she could build a game in her mind and pull him in. That just went a tad too far for my low fantasy genre tolerance. </spoiler>

With the exception of the small complaint marked as a spoiler above, I loved every second of this book. I was sent this book on a Monday and was counting down the days until the weekend. I knew I wouldn't want to put it down once I started, and I was right. I will also say that I didn't even read the blurb before starting- I went into this totally blind. I am such a Nora Roberts fan (I've read every book except for some of the In Death series- I fell behind and it is just too daunting to catch up at this point). I knew I'd be hooked- it didn't matter what the book was about. And I was right. Saturday finally came and I read this straight through.

I listened to the audiobook. January LaVoy narrates and her performance is perfection, as always. I listened at 1.5 speed- which is my default starting speed for all books.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review. (Which honestly made my year- I was sent this on April 8th. So while everyone was all excited about an eclipse, I was giddy that I was sent Nora Roberts's new book to review.)

Thea and her brother are spending their treasured two weeks with their maternal grandmother at her small farm in Kentucky. At home, their parents are murdered and Thea, in a dream, sees their murder and the face of their killer. Grammy has the same gift of vision and she helps Thea to use her skills.

The killer is caught, with Thea's help. He's in a maximum security prison, but he also has the gift and he invades Thea's mind from time to time.

Thea goes to college and becomes a game developer. She's gifted at that, too, so she is able to live in her self-designed home, very close to her grandmother. A former rock star, the crush of Thea's teen years, moves into his great grandmother's home with his young son. A romance starts to bud.

But the challenges of having her parents' murderer trying to pry into her brain forces Thea to fight him with all the talents she has.

I have the book and listened to the audio version. The narrator is great. Well written and interesting. I recommend this book for for teens and above.