More suspense with romance than romance with suspense…
Mind Games, by Nora Roberts, is only the second “official” Nora Roberts book that I’ve read, although I’ve read many of the Eve Dallas/In Death mysteries that she has published using her pen name, JD Robb. So I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but whatever I expected, this wasn’t it. It’s really really good, like 5-stars good, but not what I thought it would be. Instead, Mind Games is a tightly crafted thriller that made me cry, and then have hope, and then do both at the same time. And finally, at the end, I felt almost as if I’d been through the whole thing myself – which I suppose is simply the mark of a really well written book.
Going back to those expectations, though, I had imagined there would be stronger romantic elements, and less suspense. Don’t get me wrong – the romantic elements are there, and I especially liked [minor spoiler] at the end, in the final scene, when Tyler is so supportive of the strong woman that Thea has become. But to me the story is carried much more by the interactions between Thea and her parents’ killer, Ray, than by the romance, or even by the relationship between Thea and Grammie. Which means it’s heavy on the suspense side.
Since this is only my second Nora Roberts book, I don’t have a feel for what frequent Nora Roberts readers typically are looking for. But what I can say is that Mind Games was an emotionally engaging, sharply paced, and well-written book, although not a traditional romance. And finally, my thanks to St Martins Press and Net Galley for the review copy.
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