Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Mind Games by Nora Roberts Narrator: January LaVoy
Published by MacMillan Audio, St. Martin's Press on May 21, 2024
Genres: Paranormal, Romantic Suspense
Pages: 352
Length: 14 hours, 52 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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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…
I am a fan of this author, who is prolific. I haven’t read as many of her books as I would like, but have read all the JD Robb In Death books. I loved this from the start.
The world building is breath taking with the gorgeous countryside in Appalachia. There’s also the gift which runs in the women of the family. My favorite thing in paranormal type stories is mind skills. That’s what we get here.
Thea has the skills, even more than her grandmother. She learns to use them and work with them. She did not become a police consultant or go into law enforcement. She has a different, exciting and imaginative career. I love the way she built her life around her family. In the tradition of her Grammie, who has cows, goats, chickens and makes soaps and candles. The food with all the fresh produce from the garden, and fresh eggs, is tantalizing. All these aspects of the worldbuilding elicit more emotions.
Then there’s her ongoing battle of will with the man who killed her parents. Thea tries various things to shut him out. He’s in the supermax for the rest of his life, but that’s not enough.
Thea’s romance is beautifully grown, with a childhood crush and a 5 year old boy, who is the best! I was so happy for their joy and sad for their hurts. It’s a happily ever after, where they can live their best lives.
Narration:
January LaVoy is an excellent narrator. As usual, I really enjoyed her performance of all the voices. They were distinct enough for me to recognize characters and comfortably appropriate. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About January LaVoy
photo: Scott Sherratt
January (she/her) is an Atlanta-based actress, best known for her role as Noelle Ortiz-Stubbs on the long-running ABC daytime drama ONE LIFE TO LIVE. She has appeared on and Off-Broadway, in regional theaters across the country, and guest starred on several prime time network series, including Elementary, Blue Bloods, and N0S4A2. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, and was a faculty member in the Department of Theater and Dance at Emory University from 2019-2021.
An Audiofile Magazine “Golden Voice” since May 2019, January has an extensive body of work in both narration and commercial voiceover. With hundreds of audiobook titles to her credit, she has received more than thirty Earphones Awards, eighteen Audie Award nominations (including seven wins), and was named Publishers Weekly’s “Audiobook Narrator of the Year” for 2013. Her voice has been heard in national campaigns for dozens of products, and she shares a 2020 Grammy nomination with Meryl Streep and the cast of the Charlotte’s Web audiobook, in which she plays the title role of Charlotte.
About Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, the youngest of five children. She married young and settled in Keedysville, Maryland where she worked briefly as a legal secretary. After her sons were born she stayed home and tried every craft that came along. A blizzard in February 1979 forced her hand to try another creative outlet. She was snowed in with a three and six year old.
Born into a family of readers, Nora had never known a time that she wasn’t reading or making up stories. During the now-famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write down one of those stories. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981.
Nora met her second husband, Bruce Wilder, when she hired him to build bookshelves. They were married in July 1985. Since that time, they’ve expanded their home, traveled the world and opened a bookstore together.
Through the years, Nora has always been surrounded by men. Not only was she the youngest in her family, but she was also the only girl. She has raised two sons. Having spent her life surrounded by men, Ms. Roberts has a fairly good view of the workings of the male mind, which is a constant delight to her readers. It was, she’s been quoted as saying, a choice between figuring men out or running away screaming.
Nora is a member of several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the publishing industry. Recently The New Yorker called her “America’s favorite novelist.”
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 24-COYER
I may need to read this, it totally sounds like my kind of book! Awesome review, Anne😁
Thank you Tammy. This was just excellent. One of my favorite books this year.
I reviewed this one today, and like you, I loved it. LaVoy was wonderful.
The whole mind skills is one of my favorite things.
It has been a while since I read a Nora Roberts book. This looks quite interesting.
I loved it. She is so prolific. I’m still trying to read some backlist also.
It had been a long time since I read anything by Roberts but I really enjoyed this one. She really painted a vivid picture of Thea’s life in Kentucky.
yes the setting was lovely and the characters making their support circle.
This sounds good – a suspenseful book I would enjoy. You know, I’ve never read Nora (or JD). She has so many books, I just feel like it’s insurmountable!
oh they are wonderful. I’ve read all the JD. But many of the Nora are stand alone, as this one is. I love the mind skills and everything else too. I’d highly recommend this one.
Psychic gift paired with thriller is a really neat story premise. Love that the scenery of the Appalachias was a big part, too.
It really had everything I love.
We’re review twins! I absolutely loved this one, too! The picture of the life Thea and her family built after tragedy was so lovely! Her gift was pretty amazing, too! Glad justice was served!
yes we are twins!! I love this so much. The psychic skills, the family and the support in the small town, the mystery aspects, just everything.
She is a very prolific author! I wonder who’s written more, her or Danielle Steele?
My guess would be Nora. But Anne Perry has a lot of books too.
I’m not crazy into Nora Roberts BUT this sounds really, really good.
Psychic skills are just my absolute favorite thing to read.
Loved everything about this💜
Me too! It really had so many amazing aspects.
I love this author and really need to try her JD Robb books. I absolutely loved this one as well. I feel like her books have been especially strong the past few years.
yes it is interesting with books about life that the issues are contemporary sometimes so that after a few years they can feel old or dated. Or technology or medicine changes so they are no longer as realistic. So I’m saying the more current ones will be better from that standpoint sometimes. The JD Robb books are in the future so they are more timeless for us.
With Thea’s ability, this story could’ve gone in so many different directions and I enjoyed the one we ended up getting. It was just so engaging. Great review.
Thank you! I love psychic skills, the small town /country setting, the garden and food, and the dog!