I read the first book in The Lost Bride Trilogy, "Inheritance", ten months ago. It was the beginning of a suspenseful mystery, and I couldn't wait for the next one. However, this second book, "The Mirror", provided mostly a lot of filler and not much of anything new.

In "Inheritance", Sonya and her friend Cleo moved into a creepy old mansion that she inherited on the cliffs in Maine and found out that the house was haunted and plagued by a curse. The ending of that book has a great cliff hanger. Book 2, on the other hand, spends a considerable amount of time on Sonya and Cleo's daily routines, such as cooking, eating, working, getting together with friends, having sex, and party planning. A lot of filler.

Otherwise, the narrative of this book is well written, and I am eager to find out how this trilogy ends. For me, the story just lacked a lot of the mystery and suspense that was in the first one, but I am expecting a lot more excitement in the next one.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Will Sonya MacTavish be able to finally break the curse of the Lost Bride Manor and recover the seven wedding rings? As a daughter of one of the descendants, she inherited the manor that is being haunted by Hester Dobbs. Hester eventually threw herself over a cliff and died, but not before she killed seven brides on their wedding day and stole their wedding rings. She was determined to rule the manor and still does as she wields super natural powers from the Golden Room. Sonya, along, with her best friend Cleopatra “Cleo” Fabares, an artist, are determined to reclaim the manor and force Hester out. Assisting the two is Trey “Deuce” Doyle, an attorney and Sonya’s lover and Trey’s best friend, Owen Poole another descendant and involved with Cleo. Has Hester met her match in the foursome who enjoy baiting her to anger? With the use of the mirror, they “enter” and view the murders that Hester has committed. They are also aided by the ghosts who have remained in the manor helping Sonya and seeking their own revenge. An absolutely fascinating story with two strong female characters and the men who love them as they seek the information that they hope will end Hester’s rule and bring peace and justice for the lost brides. I am beyond excited to read the third and final book in this series! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

As expected, reading Nora Roberts’ “The Mirror” was a rich, engrossing experience. Book 2 of the Lost Bride Trilogy, this book has everything: fully formed characters whom I want to know in real life; a mystery more than two centuries old and a touch of the paranormal. I was fully in my happy place!
Because I had not done so already, I made sure to read Book 1, “The Inheritance” before starting this title. Roberts creates such rich, detailed worlds in her books that this was definitely a required step.
If you have a penchant some a bit of gothic mystery with a side of modern romance, make sure to read “The Mirror.” Then join me in waiting for Book 3 to discover the conclusion.

4 Stars

I absolutely love when Nora writes fantasy trilogies and this one has been no different. I love Sonya and Cleo. I love the fur babies and all the good ghosts (looking at you Jack and Cleo!). Can't wait until the next and last one comes out.

Wow, Nora Roberts just continues to write the most interesting, entertaining stories!! The mirror is the second in her latest paranormal trilogy and I loved it! Full of diverse characters, found family, new friends, pets, curses, haunted houses, romance, loss and tragedy, this story picks up right where The inheritance left off and has Sonia and her friends trying to resolve a decades old curse that has haunted the brides of The manor house Sonia inherited. Great on audio read by one of my fav narrators, Brittany Pressley, who does an amazing job voicing the many characters in this story in unique and distinctive ways. Highly recommended and a perfect Spooky Season read. I can't wait to read the conclusion!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

What I think makes this series different than some of Nora Roberts other series is that the story follows Sonya through each book. Sometimes in her other series the side characters get their own books. I like that this is Sonya’s fight and that as each story moves forward the reader’s emotions become more entangled with Sonya and what she’s going through. Sometimes, with Nora’s writing it’s very easy to separate yourself from what you’re reading, this series, even though fantastical, seems easier to become involved emotionally.

As far as love stories go, I’m pretty ho-hum when it comes to Trey and Sonya. I like that he’s supportive, but I almost feel like he gets in the way of the plot more than becomes integral to it. Owen on the other hand, is family, and can see the spookiness, can walk through the mirror, etc. I think because he’s more involved I like his actions and reactions more. He and Cleo are just starting their flirtation and his steadiness is a good contrast to her artistic nature. They’re a fun couple to read.

I am really enjoying this series so far and am looking forward to the conclusion next year. I can’t wait to see how Sonya kicks Hester’s witchy butt, with her friends help, of course!

The Mirror is book 2 in The Lost Bride Trilogy and they must be read in order. This book picks up where book 1 ended. Sonya is living in the haunted mansion that the uncle she did not even know she had left for her. Luckily, she has some great friends and an amazing boyfriend to help her through all that this house is throwing at her.

Sonya is a brave character. I love that she is not afraid of the history of the mansion and the past owners. She wants to know the story of the brides that have lost their lives. Each bride has their own story but unfortunately came to the same ending. The history of the mansion in Maine is rich and deep with so much sadness and love. It is important that anyone’s family history is not lost. Sonya is working hard to make sure they are not forgotten and that the future becomes much happier.

I found The Mirror to be slower than the first book. There were dragging parts that I found myself skimming over to get to a more intriguing parts. I still love the series and the storyline. I am excited to see where book three will take us.

The story picks up where Inheritance ended. The mirror appears that can take Sonya to the past where she’s able to witness murders and find secrets from the past. In order to break the Poole curse, she must find the 7 rings that were stolen from the Poole brides. The witch is still as evil as when she was alive and the manor is still haunted. More ghosts appear. The second book is even more spooky than the first. Looking forward to the conclusion next year.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for this ARC.

Another great story in this trilogy! In this book, the story picks up from the cliffhanger of an ending in book one. The author paints such vivid pictures that it's easy to imagine all of the interactions with the spirits in the house. In this book, we learn more and more about the brides and the one that has taken all the rings. I love the characters in this series and love seeing how both Sonya and Cleo are blossoming so much in their new home. The book will pull you in from the first. The ending left me hanging and anxiously waiting for the final installment. I really want to know how the story is going to end. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Mirror is best-selling romance author Nora Roberts’ second book in The Lost Bride Trilogy. It’s categorized as Science Fiction/Fantasy, but I would call it Romantic Suspense with supernatural elements. While the main/modern story is told in chronological order, there are multiple subplots involving seven murdered brides which jump around in time. The Mirror must be read immediately after Inheritance as it’s a continuation of the story.
The Mirror picks up where Inheritance ended, and the adventures of Sonya MacTavish and her newly discovered cousin, Owen Poole, continue. Sonya’s relationship with her boyfriend, the perfect Trey Doyle, deepens. Her best friend, Cleo, hits it off with Owen, so the two couples and their animals hang out together all the time. The ghosts are still active at the estate, and the evil spirit of Hester Hobbs continues to cause mayhem. Sonya learns about other Lost Brides and her father’s own history.
It's amazing to me how the author is able to create brides in different decades and describe in detail relevant things of their era. Additionally each bride is killed on her wedding day, and the evil Hester finds new and inventive ways to murder each successive bride. Meanwhile Sonya’s father and his identical twin were separated at birth, but there’s stories of how they dreamed about each other.
There was a gap in the publishing of Inheritance and The Mirror, so readers may have forgotten a lot of the storyline. However the author provides reminders in the first chapter. Like Inheritance, there’s no conclusion at the end of The Mirror, the book just ends. So readers will have to wait patiently on the final story to learn if Sonya is successful in defeating the evil Hester.
I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Sonya MacTavish inherits a large mansion in Maine when her uncle passes away, but unbeknownst to her, the mansion is haunted by the ghosts of those who lived there before. Music plays, the kitchen gets unexpectedly cleaned up and doors slam—all behaviour that Sonya has started to learn to get used to.

The mirror is the link between the past and the present, giving Sonya glimpses into the past and intimate knowledge of her father’s family.

I really enjoyed this book. I also read the first book and although this is the second installment, you would be able to read it as a standalone and understand it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. #NetGalley #TheMirror

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The Mirror by Nora Roberts

If you’re one of the many readers that loved Inheritance, the first in Nora Roberts’ Lost Brides Trilogy, you’re going to fall right into the second book, The Mirror. Since I’m a fan of Roberts’ trilogies, I was caught up in this one right from the beginning. Roberts gives us strong characters, family support, romance, and that evil that permeates the books.

Sonya MacTavish inherited the Poole family mansion in Maine, although she knew nothing about her father’s connection to the family. Now, she’s happily ensconced in the manor with her best friend, Cleo, an artist, living and working on the third floor. Sonya is building her one-person graphic arts business, and has found a supportive lover, lawyer Trey Doyle. Her previously unknown cousin, Owen Poole, is also there to assist Sonya and Cleo with problems with the haunted manor. Hester Dobbs, an angry witch who wants to own the manor, has been haunting it since 1806.

In fact, Hester has cursed the Poole family. Seven Poole brides have died on their wedding days or soon after, and Hester has stolen their wedding rings. Sonya witnesses the brides’ deaths when she goes through a mirror that just appears in front of her, in different rooms, and even in the woods. Despite her grief over those tragedies, Sonya knows she has to witness those deaths so she can try to stop Dobbs.

Although at times, Sonya went into the mirror when her friends weren’t around, the group did have a rule, “Stay together.” And, they did try to do that when Hester attacked.

There are such delightful elements in this book as the friendly ghosts that haunt the manor get more comfortable with the friends, and participate in some of celebrations. And, Sonya’s ghostly grandmother Clover is wonderful with her playlist of songs that accompany the story. The families are brought together for a wonderful large event that adds joy to the story.

The Mirror was just what I needed right now. In Roberts’ last trilogy, The Dragon Heart Legacy, the second book was the bridge between the set-up for the series and the dramatic concluding book. The Mirror served the same purpose. It teases the reader along, with celebrations, meals and family, but ends on a dramatic note to lead to the final book in the series. If you’re looking for a peaceful book in between the two dramatic books in a series, you’ll want to read The Mirror. Now, I can’t wait for the dramatic conclusion.

I am not a fan of bad, evil ghosts. I prefer my ghosts to be of the Casper the Friendly Ghost variety. We have one really bad, evil ghost witch in this story and several of the Casper variety. It is intriguing to see how an evil ghost battles the good humans, with the help of the friendly ghosts. It all makes for a wonderful Nora tale, although this book definitely showed signs of the middle book syndrome. There is no way it could ever stand on its own without the awesome first book and the, hopefully, blockbuster final book. There just wasn't anything about this book that stood out.

The catch up was a little confusing and I really felt like I needed a family tree chart to keep it all straight. With seven dead brides, each having their own unique story and situation, there was a lot to try and follow. As Sonya tries to set up her new life in the haunted manor, she inherited she experiences the wrath of Dobbs, the evil witch ghost who believes that because a Poole had his way with her and married someone else, she is entitled to rule the manor and kill the first Poole bride in each generation and, so far, she has. But Sonya is doing a great job of living her new life with boyfriend, Trey, best friend and housemate, Cleo, Cousin Owen, who is not getting the page space he deserves, and a host of furry friends. Sonya loves the manor and the small Maine town nearby and is not going to let a murderous witch ghost drive her away. She is determined to find a way to break the curse and live happily ever after, which will probably happen in book three.

My thanks to the Publisher and Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Sonya MacTavish has firmly embraced her new life in the town of Poole’s Bay on the coast of Maine. She’s started her own successful graphic design business, has a smart, supportive boyfriend, and her best friend lives with her in the big, beautiful home Sonya inherited from an uncle she never knew. A home that is haunted by those who have died there. They are benevolent and helpful ghosts. All except for one. The malevolent spirit of the evil witch who cursed Sonya’s Poole relatives also roams the house. She is the one dark spot in Sonya’s bright, shiny new life. For this witch kills a Poole bride each generation and takes their rings to power her curse. In order to free her family from this insidious evil, Sonya must discover secrets from the past, relieve the heartbreaks that have taken place within the walls of her home, and find the strength to break the curse and cast the witch out once and for all. With the help of her boyfriend, lawyer Trey Doyle, her cousin, boat designer Owen Poole, and her best friend, artist Cleopatra Fabares, Sonya will battle the dark while also bringing light and joy into a house long filled with sorrows.

Nora Roberts’ The Mirror is the second fantastic installment in her The Lost Brides Trilogy. It’s a great bridge between the action packed first book setting up the series and the third book which is guaranteed to be a stunning conclusion to the series. It moves the story along at a satisfying pace and lays a well constructed base for the finale. Spooky and suspenseful, it keeps the reader enthralled and invested in the story. Roberts’ warm, lyrical prose is a soothing contrast to the eerie atmosphere of the setting and subject matter. She draws the reader into her meticulously crafted world with every word put on the page. The character development is masterful. Roberts’ has created strong, fully developed, multidimensional characters. The reader sinks right into their thoughts, emotions, and motivations. The Mirror is rooted in family bonds and the bonds of found family. It is in the forefront of the book and shines throughout. These bonds give The Mirror high stakes, as Sonya and her friends fight for each other and the lives they are building together. Another exceptional read!

Sonya has inherited a mansion haunted with the ghosts of brides who have died there on their wedding day. She is trying to break the curse to free the spirits.
This paranormal fiction is the second book in The Lost Bride trilogy. I really enjoyed book 1, which I read last year and ended on a cliffhanger, but I feel like it's been too long and a lot of the details were very hazy to me, so I never really got into this one. Maybe if I had a better memory, of if I have read the two books back to back I would've enjoyed this one more, but I still feel like nothing much has happened in the 450 pages...
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoy when Nora Roberts writes books that have a paranormal element to them. The ghost mystery was intriguing from start to finish in this book. I enjoyed the pace of the book as well as the direction that the story headed in. I was enthralled from beginning to end.

The Mirror, The Lost Bride Trilogy, Book 2 by Nora Roberts starts off with a bang, right where it ended in the first book. The first curse broke but the second seems impossible to undo. From here the story continues with the group of friends who have arrived to help Sonya MacTavish who has inherited the haunted Victorian mansion on the coast of Maine. With this book she has no doubts though she didn’t know when she arrived in the first book.

The story is action focused with character development. The setting is spooky, and the events are too but it is not horror scary. As the story progresses it is often trial and error for the group, which is how it would be in real life, fiction mirrors how the reader expects it to be. The world building and setting is excellence. Perhaps a longer story than it needed to be, the pace was slow at times. All is not completed when the book finishes but not as dramatic of a cliffhanger as the first book. I highly suggest that the trilogy be read in order. Fans of Nora Roberts will love this book, fans of supernatural haunting solving stories will too.

🌵The Mirror🌵
📣 Pub date 11/19/24

Book 2 in The Lost Bride Trilogy, picks up where book 1, The Inheritance, leaves off. I loved book 1 and felt book 2 was a slower pace.

You dive deeper into the stories of the brides, the curse and the mirror. And continue to get to know Sonya, Cleo, Trey and Owen in this paranormal romantic mystery! Hester remains her creepy and malevolent self throughout and really made my skin crawl.

I can’t wait to see what happens in book 3!

Thank you to the author, Nora Roberts, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I received an EPUB and my review is being left voluntarily.

The Mirror
The Lost Bride Trilogy Book 2
By Nora Roberts
Paranormal mystery
St. Martin's Press
November 2024

Sonya MacTavish has spent a few months in the beautiful mansion she inherited after finding out her late father had an unknown twin. The New England Victorian home is a fantasy come true. So is the third-generation family attorney, Trey, who has become a most helpful and exciting part of her life.

Even the ghosts in the mansion are part of Sonya's expanding family. One deceased relative has a most relevant playlist. Another is a young boy who adores playing with Sonya's new dog. Ghostly house staff clean the kitchen. Her living best friend, Cleo, has moved in and her painting is thriving. Trey's best friend is Sonya's cousin, Owen, and he and Cleo have definite chemistry.

All would be wonderful if it wasn't for the curse.

In Inheritance, the first book in Nora Roberts's latest paranormal suspense trilogy, the curse of brides killed on their wedding day and robbed of their rings, was discovered. In The Mirror, Sonya is pulled back into the past to witness the murders. The woman who believes she was wronged continues to be responsible. Her thirst for vengeance is not slaked, and knowing Sonya lives in the Maine home she believes should be hers is making her angrier.

That Sonya has been discovering and displaying together portraits of the brides is making the malevolent spirit even more infuriated.

As the woman who would take over Sonya's home tries to build up her power to destroy the latest MacTavish to move in, Sonya continues to set down roots in her new house and community. She and Cleo plan a summer garden party.

The two parts of the story share about equal space in The Mirror. But it's the details of planning the party that stand out in the novel. The effect is calming. It helps build a break between the introduction of the curse and what will surely happen in the third novel in the series as Sonya works to break the curse.

Nora Roberts continues to create engaging stories of love and mystery, as The Mirror demonstrates.

Nora Roberts is a master at paranormal trilogies. The Lost Bride Trilogy begins with Inheritance. The titular inheritance is a 200 year old manor from an uncle that Sonya didn't know existed. Her late father was adopted and her uncle didn't know that he had a twin until after the man had died. In the first book, Sonya discovers that the manor is cursed and haunted. And it is up to her to solve the mystery and break the curse. The Mirror picks up where the previous book ended, and Sonya's lucid dreams of the past become even more interesting with the magic mirror portal. Roberts has created a great set of characters. Sonya is a determined woman and her best friend Cleo is a colorful character. The love interests are "good men" and I love how unflappable Trey is in the face of all the hauntings. The best characters are the ghosts. Molly the maid, and ten year old Jack who likes to play with the dog are cute, but the 19 year old hippie Clover who often adds to the conversations by playing appropriate music on the iPad or cell phone is a lot of fun. All these characters are counterbalanced by the malevolent spirit of the witch Hester Dobbs who has cursed the mansion. She is deliciously wicked. Although Roberts provides exposition at the beginning of this book, I would not call it a stand alone. one or two pages of background can not make up for hundreds of pages from the first book. These books are great entertainment. I received an electronic advance reader copy of this book from the publisher, but this review is voluntary and the opinions are my own. I loved this book. My only complaint is that I need to wait for book three for the conclusion.