Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Review: Mind Games by Nora Roberts

 

Mind Games by Nora Roberts
Publication Date: May 21st 2024 by St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio
Pages: 432
Audio Book Length: 14hrs 52min
Narrator: January LaVoy
Source: Publishers
Rating: 
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:
Twelve-year-old Thea’s parents are murdered. It’s a senseless and cruel act by a no-good, evil man, but his plans to get away are thwarted by Thea’s unusual gift. It’s heartbreaking, but thankfully she has her loving grandmother and brother. They band together and try and live a good life while remembering their loss. I adored both her brother and her grandmother, Lucy, who was a big-hearted, salt-of-the-earth kind of woman!

Unfortunately, Thea captured the killer’s attention, as they share the same psychic gift and he’s bent on vengeance.  He is a dark presence on and off throughout the story, but Thea’s gift is stronger, and she has her family and loved ones for support. I enjoyed how she fought back!

Mind Games wasn’t a fast-paced story, but it captured and held my attention from page one! I loved the world Ms. Roberts created: family, friends, animals, gardening, cooking in the small, tightknit community of Redbud Hollow. The slow-burn romance was just icing on the cake!

I alternately read and listened to an audio copy of Mind Games and recommend either version. January LaVoy is one of my favorite narrators! She has a rich, pleasing voice, and nailed the wide range of ages, male and female voices here!

5 Stars



Book Description:

The #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Identity presents a suspenseful new novel of tragedy and trauma, love and family, and the evil that awaits.

As they do each June, the Foxes have driven the winding roads of Appalachia to drop off their children for a two-week stay at their grandmother’s. Here, twelve-year-old Thea can run free and breathe in the smells of pine and fresh bread and Grammie’s handmade candles. But as her parents head back to suburban Virginia, they have no idea they’re about to cross paths with a ticking time bomb.

Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened.

The kids will be staying with Grammie now in Redbud Hollow, and thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse―because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them―and eventually bring them face to face, and head to head…


 

15 comments:

  1. So good.
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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  2. Excellent. I'm just starting a Nora Roberts book as well!

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  3. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! It wasn't quite what I expecting (much slower-paced and focused on their day to day life) but once I adjusted my expectations I was so taken in by the story. Roberts painted such a vivid picture of their life in Kentucky.

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    1. She did paint such a wonderfully vivid picture! I wanted to insert myself into that world!

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  4. Oh I adore January Lavoy as a narrator!! That makes me very intrigued! I haven't tried Nora Roberts yet and this sounds really good. Great review!

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  5. Excellent review, twin! We share some thoughts on this one also.

    Anne - Books of My Heart

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  6. I loved this one too.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  7. Thea’s story sounds both heartbreaking and inspiring, and I love a good family dynamic like the one with her brother and grandmother. The psychic gift element adds a unique twist, and I’m intrigued by the killer's connection to Thea.

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  8. I used to really like this author but I haven't read her in a while. Maybe I should read this one because it sounds really good.

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  9. I've heard good things about this book.

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  10. I remember seeing a review for this somewhere else. That premise is really interesting and based on the ratings, it was well executed by Roberts.

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  11. Yes, this one was pure perfection. The romance and Thea's family nicely balanced out the anxiety and scary parts of the story.

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