Stevie Turner, Author.
Stevie Turner, Author
Reviews of MIND GAMES
Oct 10, 2017
Author: Stevie Turner
Publisher: KDP
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review"
"Mind Games" by Stevie Turner
My Thoughts.....
After a 35 year marriage it looks like this wife has had enough of her husbands addiction to porn and want a divorce. Now, to fully understand what has gone on with this husband you will just have to pick up "Mind Games" to see how this author presents it to the reader. As I was reading this story I am not sure who I felt more sorrier for Frances or Martin. Definitely there was help that was needed by both but it didn't seem like anyone really wanted it. Martin claims to have quite this addiction but soon we will find out from the read really was that true?
5out of 5 stars Frances and Martin have had a happy marriage, except that his pornography addiction and her ...
ByAurorawatcher on October 20, 2017
I
received this book free in an exchange for an honest review.
What do you do when trust has been destroyed in a marriage? Frances and Martin
have had a happy marriage, except that his pornography addiction and her obsession
with catching him out have rendered them unable to trust one another. He still
loves her, but she's completely disgusted by him. Is there anyway to find
common ground?
I won't give away the ending, but I thought it was interesting how Stevie Turner
resolved the main conflict of the novel.
Well-written, insightful. Turner doesn't give in to the usual conventions of
romance make-up literature. She writes real people undergoing a believable
crisis. Although I haven't known any couples struggling with porn addictions, I
have heard similar stories in other 12-Step groups. After a partner has deeply
damaged the relationship, that partner stepping onto a better path doesn't
erase the hurt their spouse feels. You can only try to find a compromise where
love remains.
Lest you think this story is a real downer, it's not. There are some truly
hilarious lines in this book. You definitely get the sense that Martin loves
Frances and, if she weren't so mad at him for repeating the same unfaithfulness
over and over, she'd love him too.
I would definitely read more of Turner's books.
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.
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 story and a bit better than 3.5 for the writing, yielding 4 stars overall.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RENL34DCMR9KN/
4 out of 5 starsThe story of lives and a marriage destroyed by addiction.
ByCherie R. McKay Horston May 15, 2018
I received my free copy of
Mind Games by Stevie Turner from The Book Gobbler in return for a fair and
honest book review. The book was published on October 27, 2017.
Mind Games is the story of the life of Frances and
Martin Andrews. Their story is one of a marriage that has been destroyed by
Martin’s addiction to porn and the loss of trust that comes from addiction.
The story is told from both Frances and Martin’s
perspectives. Throughout the story you begin to see life through the eyes of
Frances, with occasional views through Martin’s eyes. The character of Frances
really grows throughout the tale, and I found myself really rooting for her.
It is a fast moving story, and I found myself making my
way through the book in a short time. Although the story is about porn
addiction, it is not an erotic or sensual book in anyway. At times the book is
hard to read simply because porn addiction is a tough subject to read about.
But the story line is interesting, and I wanted to know the outcome of their
marriage and where life takes them.
I think the author did a very good job telling an
interesting, fast moving story about a very complex, yet believable situation.
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Review from Jamie Michele at Readers' Favorite on 19th August 2018:
https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/mind-games
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Mind Games by Stevie Turner is a contemporary fiction story about a
troubled marriage between Frances Andrews and her husband, Martin. Martin
struggles with an uncontrollable and invasive pornography addiction, one which
Frances can no longer work to overcome. With a foot out the door and their
marriage over, Martin makes a last ditch effort to keep his wife from leaving
him and is able to coerce a reluctant Frances into marriage guidance therapy.
At the behest of the counselor, the pair takes a vacation together on a cruise
ship in an effort to salvage what's left of their marriage and their lives.
Mind Games by Stevie Turner is an insightful read into an addiction that many
don't even know exists. Martin's reliance on pornography has destroyed his
relationship with Frances, and Turner holds nothing back as the unraveling is
told through the points of view of both husband and wife. I found this formula
to be fantastic in offering a peek into the psychology of a man who simply
cannot control his fixation and a woman who simply cannot take it anymore. For
me, it was Martin who was the most intriguing, even when I desperately wanted
to shake him until some sense was knocked into him. But that wouldn't have
worked because, like all addictions, his is – first and foremost – an illness.
I'd recommend Mind Games to anyone interested in a book that could be easily
devoured in a single setting, but with enough complexity to make its condensed
form interesting.