Mind Games
Since the last few Nora Roberts books I read were set in the mid-twenty-first century and written under her pseudonym JD Robb, it’s been a minute since I read anything of hers set in our current timeline. So it was a nice switch to delve into her new paranormal romantic suspense, Mind Games. It’s got an old school feel with an old school villain and low frequency psychic vibes that reminded me of some of my favorite Linda Howard books from the late nineties (I’m looking at you, Now You See Her). I could read this kind of story over and over.
Told in three parts – Tragedy, Living, and The Gift – Roberts proves that her prolific creative mind is still as sharp as ever. When the tragic death of her parents ignites twelve-year-old Thea Fox’s psychic abilities, her grandmother Lucy is not surprised because she, too, has the Sight. Along with those abilities awakened through the tragedy is a connection to Ray Riggs, the man who murdered her parents and who dreams of killing her, too. He’s like an earworm, lurking in the back of her mind, making a shadow of himself and trying to keep her on the edge of fear. He’s a vile villain, just plain ol’ mean for the sake of being mean. I liked knowing who the killer is, what his intention is for Thea, and then shaking my fist at the universe because things are going his way. I also liked knowing that Thea grows up to be one badass lady, one who tells Riggs to his dream-state face that when she put him away, it was “the biggest, shiniest personal achievement of my entire life.” Life goals, right?
Tyler Brennan and his son Braydon moved next door to Thea a couple months earlier. He’s a musician finding his muse, and reluctantly acknowledges his attraction to the beautiful woman next door. Had she and Braydon not become fast friends, Tyler would happily pursue more than stolen kisses in the woods, but the stakes are too high for him to risk upsetting a good relationship for his little boy. But when the romance does finally brew, Ty’s inherent distrust of romantic entanglements threatens to destroy this and Thea’s fledgling love.
Along for the ride are Thea’s brother, Rem, who is delightful in his role of video game beta tester for her (she’s a game designer), and Lucy, her grandmother who is cheeky and well-versed in handling The Sight.
The only criticism I have, really, is that there are so many characters and names and relationships to keep up with. Lucy was (and still is) active as a healer in their rural community, and of course she knows everybody and their family histories. Thea, in turn, also shares in the memories and recollections from Redbud Hollow as she moves through life. On the one hand it was sweet to witness the close knit community; on the other, it was overwhelming to keep up with everyone. Like, on page 221, ten names appear (Katie, Knobby, Thea, Bunk, Rufus, Billy, Rem, Lucy, Ty, Bray). Which is a lot.
Mind Games is a nostalgic reminder to Romancelandia to come for the author but stay for the story. It’ll keep you entertained.
Recent Comments
Did anyone else notice that this book had some problems with editing? The book mentions a few times that Thea has several nieces and nephews, yet her only sibling has no children. The children mentioned were her cousins. Also, one of the biggest scenes in the book mentions an event that never happened. I won’t post any spoilers; I’ll just say it alludes to a scene where Thea meets Ty’s father. The only problem is that Thea never met his father. I wonder if NR rewrote the story at some point, took out a key scene and forgot to omit further mention of the scene. It ordinarily wouldn’t be that big a deal, except the scene where the father is mentioned is pivotal in the story.
I noticed this but assumed she was referring to her uncles’ children because she was much older than her cousins-she would feel more like an aunt.
Nora Roberts just posted that it was an error. She said it got past her, her editors, her copy editors and her proofreader.
That is astonishing. She is by most accounts the most successful author ever. And yet, she doesn’t have enough backup staff? Whoa.
I always wonder, with a super-bestselling author, if editors just don’t like to question them. This just shows how valuable good backroom staff are – yet their jobs are disappearing fast.
I think it’s just carelessness on the part of her publisher.
Just as a matter of clarification, she only referenced the part about cousins vs. nieces/nephews. No one asked her about the entire omitted scene that I referenced above. That mistake was unbelievable, because it was so central to an argument between the characters. The entire argument was premised on an event that never happened. It must have been edited out of the book.
I like Nora Roberts a bunch but she’s never quite made it out of the b’s for me – need to give this a try.
Thanks for the review! I’ve been eyeing this one because sometimes Nora Robert’s books are just really good fun to read. Usually B reads for me, but that’s ok because sometimes I’d rather have a good hamburger than a steak, so to speak. The reason I haven’t gotten this one yet is the whole “being in the mind of the killer” part. I generally do not enjoy that.