WOW, this book... Gut wrenching beginning and a wonderful story of love for family, being true to yourself and finding your people in life.

I was unsure what this story would bring but the description was very tempting. I am glad I gave it a go, the story was different and unique. The characters were developed. There were some true twists along the way and did not really start out in what I thought would end in a happily ever after, but it did. This story takes you on a journey from the eyes of a young girl who sees her parents in a tragic ending, going to live with her grandma, dealing with true and real family issues on the events after death. Growing up and understanding she has a gift, what that means to her, her grandma, her brother and the police. Becoming an adult, falling in love, being vulnerable, staying true to who you. I would recommend and loved this book. So much so, I did listen to this in audio as well when working on a house project. I loved it even more the second time. The audio was done extremely well.

I've seen titles by Nora Roberts in the past but had not experienced her writing before now. The same can be said for January LaVoy who narrates the audiobook.

At times, Mind Games is disturbing with grim subject matter and the thought of people able to project into your mind. I had started listening to the audiobook while driving and my 23-year-old son gave me some side eye to question my choice of audiobook as it was dark quite quickly.

Balancing the dark subject matter are occasions when you see Thea, Rem, and their grandmother, Lucy, thoroughly enjoying each other's company. The book is written so that vivid pictures are painted in your mind's eye. I could imagine the calm feeling Lucy's home provided for Thea and Rem. But, I could also feel the fear pulsing through a young Thea as she remotely witnesses her parents' demise.

Written in multiple parts, you go from the terrible, life-altering murder of Thea and Rem's parents to her life in college and then as an adult. Additional characters make their way into the story, but at the heart, it is mostly about the disturbing and strange connection between Thea and the man who killed her parents.

Thank you Nora Roberts, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this audiobook ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Mind Games was both riveting and compelling. I paired the e-arc with the audiobook, narrated by January LaVoy, which is one of my favourites. January LaVoy was excellent at differentiating between the many characters throughout the storytelling. Lavoy emotes the characters' grief, heartbreak, and joy through her narration. She did an outstanding job. She brought me along for the ride. With bringing them alive, I could picture them in my mind's eye. It was well-paced and cleverly written. I was captivated from beginning to end and had difficulty saying goodbye to the characters.

This book turned out to be so much more than I had been expecting. Nora Roberts has a way with a plot! There a layers to this story which I fully appreciated. Perfect book for summer. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to get my hands on it.

THOUGHTS:

I’m not going to lie I struggled with this book a bit at the beginning. I felt that it was very dark very quickly and I wonder if it is just me or if all of her books have always been this way and I am just more aware of it. I will say I absolutely loved Thea and Rem throughout this book, along with Lucy, their grandmother. The relationship between them is one that I wish all siblings have but I know that it is not always the case. Thea and Lucy’s gift is truly amazing and can be used for such good but also the bad that encroaches their lives at every turn. The love story intertwined is enjoyable as well and Bunk is probably my favorite character…guess you’ll hav to read to find more about these wonderful characters. Thank you @netgalley for allowing me the privilege of listening to the audiobook before it was released!

RECOMMENDED IF YOU LOVE:
- Romantic Thriller
- Psychic Gifts
- Childhood Crush
- Dog Lovers

Mind Games by Nora Roberts is a romantic suspense story, with a paranormal storyline. It also has a dark thriller undertone, all set with a family drama playing out. John and Cora Fox take their two children, twelve-year old Thea and ten-year old Rem, to visit their maternal grandmother Lucy in the Appalachian hills of Kentucky every June. The kids are excited as they love spending time with her. John and Cora return to Virginia, looking forward to their "alone time". They are very much in love and everyone can see it. Within a few days of being back home, tragedy strikes and they are murdered in their bed. Thea and Lucy (grandmother) have powers to see things, and they both wake up, with Thea having seen the murder in her sleep. "The gift" is passed down through the females in the family, but Thea's is much stronger than Lucy's and she is able to identify the killer from her nightmare, assisting the police by working with a sketch artist. This begins a lifelong battle with the killer in her mind. Thea and Rem remain with their grandma being raised in a loving home, in a beautiful setting of the Appalachians, but Thea has to deal with her gift all her life. She eventually meets someone she could have a relationship with, but the evil and darkness of her parent's killer, continues to invade her days and nights.

Mind Games is a story set over more than ten years. We see Thea and Rem grow up and flourish under the love of their grandma and the community. This is a wonderful juxtaposition to the darkness that continues to invade Thea's mind. The characters are well-developed and likable. Lucy is an amazing grandma, and lovingly shares her wisdom with her grandchildren. Secondary characters add to the story, and I really liked the two police detectives that are involved with the case and pop in and out of the story at times. When Thea finds romance, it was a wonderful addition to the story and I loved his young son, who stole the heart of all Thea's family, as well as mine. Things don't go smoothly and when the darkness continues to push in on Thea, she has to do something dangerous, if she wants a normal life. Although it is a bit longer than many books I read or listen to, the build up and development of the characters was all part of the story to make the characters believable and relatable. I really enjoyed this story and the narration by January LaVoy on the audiobook was amazing. The voices she gave the characters made them come alive for me and pulled me right into the story. If you have a chance to listen to this book, I highly recommend it.

Nora Roberts is always a must read for me. Mind Games was quite enjoyable. I loved the whole story-line and the characters. Plus, the setting was amazing as usual...made me want to have a little homestead in backwoods Kentucky. I read/listened to the audio and fell like the narrator did a wonderful job.

I've been having many patrons coming into my library and telling me how much they loved Mind Games too. Nora's latest is definitely a hit!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 21 May 2024

"Mind Games" is a compelling tale of love, loss, psychic gifts, and family dynamics. Nora Roberts masterfully crafts a story where Thea Fox, haunted by a shared horrific nightmare with her grandmother, uses her unique vision to bring her parents' killer to justice. The narrative follows Thea's journey from that tragic summer to her present life, highlighting her growth, relationships, and the challenges she faces.

The book beautifully balances family drama, mystery, and romance. Thea's relationship with her grandmother, Grammie, is particularly touching, showcasing Grammie's quiet strength and wisdom. The supporting characters, including Thea's brother and his son, add depth to the story.

January LaVoy's narration is outstanding, bringing the characters to life with vivid emotion and clarity. Her performance enhances the gripping and captivating nature of the book, making it a highly recommended audiobook experience. "Mind Games" is a well-written, thought-out story that keeps you on your toes from start to finish.

3.5 stars
It’s taken me a while to finish this book and it also took me a while to decide on how to rate it. First off, January LaVoy’s narration is always the full 5 stars!! That said, I’ve read almost all of NR’s annual romantic suspense novels and they start to blend with the formula. The bad characters are one dimensional, the novels drag in the middle, and they all wrap up with a dramatic conclusion moments before the ending. I think this might be my last time reading these books. But I still love the In Death books and enjoy some of the supernatural trilogies so there are lots of options for everyone to enjoy!
*Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook copy

You can't go wrong with a Nora Roberts novel. It has been a while since I have read anything by Nora and Mind Games did not disappoint. Thea grew up with a gift, one that connected her to a killer. One that she learns to use for good and not evil. However, in order to claim her future, she needs to break the connection with the killer and learn to trust her heart.

The narrator brings this book to life. Having read the book before listening to it, I knew where the plot was going. I hate to say that the little boy Brayden just steals the scenes he is in. Makes my laugh everytime when he talking about bunk.

This book was so unique. It was not your typical Nora Roberts book. It had so many elements that I wasn’t expecting and every time something new was revealed it was so exciting. This has been my favorite Nora read in a long time

I was excited to receive a complimentary copy of the audiobook for Mind Games by Nora Roberts from NetGalley. It was narrated by January LeVoy. The opinions in this review are my own.

As I have previously said, Nora Roberts is a must read author for me, so when I saw this book come up on Net Galley I immediately tried to get approved. Unfortunately I was not approved for the ebook version so tried the audiobook option. Thankfully I was approved and it meant I got to read this book early!!

I love that Nora Roberts is such a versatile author. She has her romances, her trilogies, her murder detective series (J.D. Robb) and then also ones like this where there is more of a suspense type feel. I love them all! The thriller aspect of this story was well done. Ray Riggs was evil and terrifying. I could not believe Thea did not try to just cut their psychic connection off completely. There is no way I would have wanted to be anywhere near his mind!

This novel combines romance, suspense, and the paranormal. By the end of it, I really was thinking I could just go live on a farm and embrace the lifestyle that Grammie had shared with Rem and Thea (and I'm not even a fan of animals so that's saying a lot about how this was portrayed in the novel).

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the intro showing the backstory, while good, was a bit long winded in that it didn't leave as much time for you to really get to know Thea in the here and now. It kind of had the same feel for me as Year One by the same author, even though the storylines are completely different.

As for the narrator, I thought LeVoy did a great job. I am still getting used to audiobooks and it is harder for me to follow the storyline sometimes without following along with the words; however, she did a great job of the voices and emitting the emotions of the characters through her use of expression.

I loved this book. The story starts with a homey visit to a grandmother in Kentucky and then a tragedy strikes. Thea, a child, sees the crime in a dream and the grandmother has the same unique gift, though not as strong. Thea grows up, haunted by the dream and the killer. This is the part I felt was relevant in today's world--Thea becomes a video game designer. The killer finds a way to creep into her brain with his abilities, but Thea spends her days developing strategies that stump gamers. This book is full of suspense and well-written. I recommend it!

This was a fantastic book! Loved the story and character development. A perfect mix of family bonds, and supernatural suspense. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was top notch. Will definitely be purchasing a physical copy for my book shelf.

Delectable. Roadtrippable. A fun read heading to and from the beach.

Thea had a traumatic event in her childhood, and the outcome is that she and her brother end out with Grammie for the rest of their growing up days. Their lives progress in as normal a fashion as possible, but Thea has a special gift and discovers Grammie is the one that passed it down to her.

Not going to move any barriers for you, Reader Dear - just know if you like mind tunnel/invasion stories - you'll be pleased with this offering by the grand Ms. Roberts.

*A sincere thank you to Nora Roberts, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #MindGames #NetGalley

Nora Roberts weaves a suspenseful, intense story, especially those first few chapters where you are waiting to see what is next. Unfortunately, the story was a bit of a dud past the first few chapters. The ending felt rushed and abrupt, and I didn’t understand the solution to the problem.A personal preference also caused an issue for me - the point of view of characters. Nora Roberts writes in an omniscient POV, and I personally find it off-putting. I realize the value of this style, so the reader can learn more of the inner-thought of the characters, but it isn’t my favorite style of writing. The romantic connection in Mind Games was also a miss for me - the male love interest really acted extreme at one point in the story, and I thought the lead female character forgave way too quickly.

I did enjoy the narrator for this story. She did a great job conveying the emotions of the story. I would listen to other books she has narrated because I enjoyed her so much.

Nora Roberts' books are always magical, right?

Every summer, Thea and Rem enjoy two weeks with Grammie on her Kentucky farm. It's a fun getaway and a break for their parents. But one night, Thea has a scary dream that something bad has happened to her parents. She's shocked when Grammie says she had the same scary dream. Thea helps the police find the killer.

The bad guy ends up in jail forever, but here's a surprise - he has the same weird gift as Thea and Grammie. He uses this to play mind games with Thea for years.

Just when things are hard, Thea's old crush, the cool musician Ty, moves to town with his cute son. As they get to know each other again, they fall in love. All this time, Thea is still dealing with the mind games from the jailed bad guy.

I really loved the mix of love, mystery, and family in this story.

And great job to January LaVoy for the awesome audio!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press for an eARC and MacMillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

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.

She did it again! I really don’t know how Nora Robert’s does it. She puts out so many books and yet they manage to keep getting better and better. Mind Games is yet another excellent read, filled with mystery and suspense, well-drawn and sympathetic characters, and a slight hint of a paranormal element even makes its way effectively into the mix. I read this in one sitting, edge of my seat all the way.

January LaVoy did an excellent job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Nora Roberts, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.