I thought I’d share a review by Dale E. Lehman which I’ve received for ‘Mind Games’. It’s a review via the website ‘BookGobbler’, the link to which I’ve added below. It’s a very good way of getting honest reviews.
Link to review on BookGobbler
BookGobbler has a registered database of potential readers/reviewers and a dedicated team of reviewers made from authors and book bloggers. Reviewers do not get paid for their reviews, and they choose each title they review from the available giveaways according to their own tastes and criteria.
Dale E. Lehman’s review:
Frances and Martin Andrews have a serious problem; he’s addicted to pornography, and she’s addicted to spying on him to secure evidence of his transgressions. The lack of trust between them has shattered their marriage, and even counseling doesn’t offer much hope. Martin’s repeated lies render impotent his protestations that he’s changed. He desperately wants her back, but she desperately wants to be free of him.
That’s the set-up. What follows in this fast-paced and relatively short novel spans a few emotionally-charged years in which husband and wife must face their own flaws as well as each other’s. It’s a compelling read about a life-destroying indulgence that has ensnared all too many people, particularly in the Internet age. Turner does a creditable job of portraying the addiction and its effects, although I suspect she’s captured the wife’s trauma better than the husband’s. Frances grows considerably through the story, while Martin’s journey through hell ultimately seems fruitless. I’ll grant that’s one plausible outcome, but I found it disheartening. Maybe that’s the point? I at least would have liked a bit deeper glimpse into Martin’s psyche at the end to understand better how he ends up where he does.
The writing is good enough, although I thought phrases containing the word “porn’ occurred a bit too often, and some of the dialogue, particularly with the counselor, seemed a bit stilted (however, I’ve never been in a counseling session, so maybe that’s how it really is). I also think the author missed some opportunities to delve deeper into the characters through the action. This is a complex situation that could easily support another 50 pages of development without feeling stretched.
A word of caution: Although this work is neither romance nor erotica, there are a few explicit passages, not excessively graphic but very direct.
The strengths and weaknesses of “Mind Games” had me hemming and hawing over a rating. I’ve settled on 4.5 stars for the story and a bit better than 3.5 for the writing, yielding 4 stars overall.
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Author – Stevie Turner
