In the second chapter of Nora Roberts' Lost Brides Trilogy, we are immediately swept through a mirror that transports Sonya and her cousin Owen back in time. Sonya is on a mission to recover the wedding bands of the seven brides who lost their lives on their wedding day in the manor. Because recovering those rings will do away with the evil lurking on the third floor that will not stop tormenting the manor's inhabitants.

Through dreams and stepping into another time by going through the mirror, we discover just how tragedy befell each bride. The pieces are starting to come together as both Sonya and Cleo settle into their new home and new relationships. I love how the animals make the story feel cozy and upbeat, but then there are moments that are dire and deluge you into despair. Sonya's character is beautifully displayed through the pages as a strong, capable, unyielding woman who will stop at nothing to solve this mystery and break the curse. Cleo is the perfect compliment with her undying commitment to friendship and protection from the negative force at bay. And of course, the other ghosts of the manor grow on you from their childish glee to musical expression.

I've been so engrossed in this saga, I don't want it to end. The third book cannot get here fast enough!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

I did a combination of reading the e-book and listening to the audio version narrated by Brittany Pressley. Everything about this book and the audiobook was superb. It would be hard to beat the writing of Nora Roberts, but I do feel that Ms. Pressley added to it with her narration. It was so well done that unfortunately, (because it's a scary), I felt like I was in the story.

This is the second book in the series, and I would definitely start with the first book so that you don't miss any of the back story. There are ghosts in the manor that Sonya has inherited and lives in with her best friend, Chloe. Some of the ghosts are really great to have around...they do the dishes, lay out clothes for them to wear and one of them plays with the animals. Then there is the real nasty ghost of the woman who has been killing the Poole women for generations and declares that the house is HERS!

This series is outstanding. Don't be put off by the "paranormal" label like I normally am if that's not normally your thing. You can't go wrong with a Nora Roberts book.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Excellent story and characters, both living and dead. The location is another character in this second book of the Lost Brides trilogy. Relationships continue to be defined as they continue to grow. Looking forward to book three.

This is the second book in The Lost Bride Trilogy. In the first book, Sonya MacTavish inherits a haunted mansion on the coast of Maine from an uncle she didn't know she had. The stipulation is that she must live in the mansion for three years.

In this book, a mysterious antique mirror appears on several occasions and lures her to pass through where she meets the lost brides of Poole Manor who were murdered on their wedding day by the evil witch, Hester Dobbs. Dobbs claims that the manor is hers and she lets her presence be known by banging doors, sending smoke through the mansion, and other devious pranks. Her goal is to drive Sonya away.

Sonya isn't alone though. Her support team is her bestfriend and housemate, Cleo; her love interest and lawyer, Trey Doyle; and her Poole cousin, Owen. They all try to help her weather the unsettling events in the mansion. Add to that the ghosts of the Poole family and their servants that help to make Sonya feel at home.

Leave it to Nora Roberts to make ghosts and witches seem realistic. I'm not particularly a fan of paranormal, but this was an enjoyable read. Nora does a good job of creating characters that are likeable and believable and she hits the mark with this story.

Thank you for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the author and publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book is everything I love and want in a sequel novel! It has romance, paranormal elements woven in with both benevolent and malevolent spirits. This book was fast action and lots of intrigue and the human characters have their moments to shine in this novel! I can't wait for the third book in this trilogy! It is so good!!
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Informative Scary Great world building Steamy Page-turner Haunting Entertaining Wonderful characters Romantic.

The perfect read for November.

I absolutely love this series. Who doesn't love a haunted manor on the coast? The Inheritance was one of my favorite reads of 2023 and with the cliffhanger it ended on, I was anxiously waiting for the second installment.

The Mirror continued with the great atmosphere of the ghost filled manor and the continuation of the quest to end the curse. I love the little interactions the characters continue to have with the ghosts, they make the best DJ's! The strongest part of any of Nora Roberts books is her characters and their relationships. I enjoyed learning more about Sonia and Chloe as they grow closer together and with Trey and Owen. While some of the everyday happenings did feel like a filler, I do like to see the real life within our characters.

This was a great read and I look so forward to seeing how she concludes the series!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

The Mirror is book two in The Lost Bride Trilogy by Nora Roberts.
I really enjoyed book one Inheritance. And I was so excited to jump into the second book.
This one did not disappoint!
Roberts has a way of capturing your attention almost instantly and has you wanting more.
I could not put this book down.
Rich with world building and strong characters.
It’s an addictive page turner that keeps you hooked until the last page.

4.5 🌟
2 🌶️

The Mirror picks up right where Inheritance left off. The tone of the book switches from adrenaline surges, much like Sonya's coming to grips with living in a haunted house, to a calmer pace as her acceptance and comfort in the house grows. I enjoyed every page of this book as we got to know the characters more deeply and grew in their relationships with each other. We also get to know the ghosts more and their tragic ends. This book was needed to have our group of characters grow in their trust in each other and know what they are dealing with in Hester Dobbs. It was not fast-paced, nor was it edge=of-your-seat reading like Inheritance. But this book was needed. We needed time for Sonya and Trey's relationship to grow and to see where Cleo and Owen's friendship would go. It was a nice lull before the final showdown that will be coming in the third book. Read Inheritance and Mirror to prepare for what promises to be one big battle as Sonya gets retribution for the Poole brides.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the eArc. These opinions are my own.

I loved the first book in this trilogy and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one! I waited as close as I could to publication to read it though because I know I will have to wait for almost a year to read book three. Ugh! I want to read it now! This series is so good! I love anything Nora Roberts, especially her trilogies. They always transport me to this fantastical world filled with magic and wonder and brilliant characters. This book did not disappoint. It started right where book one left off, engaging me until the very end. Of course, it ended on a major cliffhanger in preparation for the battle known to come, but that's a given with her books. I can't wait for book three! I highly recommend this series!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for granting me a widget via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

This book picked up right where the first book Inheritance left off on a cliffhanger. The mirror is another important piece of the puzzle, allowing Sonya and sometimes her cousin Owen to go back and see the brides and their tragic stories. As she settles into her new life, her new business, and her new relationship with patient and steady Trey, the ghosts of the Manor continue to make her feel welcome. But as the visions and bride portraits continue to appear, she still has no idea how to confront the evil that has taken over the house and restore the bride rings to their proper owners.
I absolutely loved the first book and had mixed feelings about this one. I hope that the final book contains more action because this one seemed to lag and have a lot of filler. There were the highs of discovering paintings or Sonya's strange pull to every appearance of the mirror and it's visions, but then there were the mundane details of her day in between. Still looking forward to the conclusion of this story though.

Thoughts
Who doesn’t like a good Haunted House story.?
I was lucky enough to have read Inheritance book 1 of this series so I’ve been waiting for this book to come out and here it is.
book one ended with a big cliffhanger and this book picks up where book one left off.
The mystery to this story is a antique mirror that holds a dark family secret that Sonya discovers when one night Sonya is draw into the mirror and end up in the past where she witnesses a bride being murder on her wedding day
Once Sonya witness this and learns her family secrets she determined to break a curse.
This is a great ghostly story where even the mansion in Maine add that special eeriness to it. This story blends mystery, history and a supernatural eeriness that makes this a book you will want to read.
I recommend as always to read book one first Inheritance then The Mirror so you get the background to this mysterious mansion and family. But does the story end I guess you will have to find out

In true Nora fashion this did not disappoint. For me, Nora is just a classic you can’t go wrong with. I was super excited to keep following this story because “Inheritance” was soo good and it didn’t disappoint. Sonya and Cleo are just so likeable. Definitely recommend!

This is the second in a trilogy and you could tell everything that was happening in this book was setting us up for the finale.

Kind of slow at points. To the point where I got bored a bit at times (especially during all the work-related scenes…felt those could have been a bit shorter, not as frequent). Lots of back stories on the seven brides.

Still a decent story, just go into it having read the first book and knowing all the “good stuff” won’t happen until the final book.

Of course it ended on a big cliff hangar, so I’ll be picking up the next book when it comes out.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The stories of Lost Bride Manor’s inhabitants continue to unfold in The Mirror. Sonya, Trey, Cleo, and Owen live, love, and tease out the manor’s mysteries as they prepare to battle a supernatural evil. The Mirror is very much a bridge book, but Nora Roberts’s writing is so engaging that it’s easy to become lost in the tale.

After traveling through the mirror and seeing the death of another of the manor’s brides, Sonya is more determined than ever to stop Hester Dobbs. I enjoyed watching Sonya put the pieces together, to come to know the brides and those they love. It makes what’s at stake much more interesting when you learn the stories of the manor’s ghostly residents. Dobbs is as evil as ever, trying to thwart our heroes so she can continue her reign of hatred and sorrow. I liked that no matter how terrifying Dobbs is, Sonya, Trey, Cleo, Owen, and their assortment of animals don’t back down. They live their lives, the couples continue or start to fall in love, and they breathe life into the manor.

I loved the rich atmosphere and the various stories Roberts wove through this book. The story was engaging from beginning to end, no doubt. That being said, I sat with it for a few days after finishing reading, unsure of how to rate the story as a whole. I thoroughly enjoyed it because I liked the characters and Roberts’s writing. However, The Mirror is definitely part of a greater whole rather than an entire book on its own. Where the first Lost Bride tale, Inheritance, introduced the world and was satisfying in its own right (cliffhanger and all), this story is hampered slightly the fact that the overarching arc means our heroes can only gather pieces and prepare for the final battle. I cannot wait to see what Nora Roberts has in store for readers with the final Lost Bride book!

I adored the first book and could not wait for this one. I love Sonya, Cleo, Owen, and Trey and I absolutely adore the house and its ghostly residents. This starts up right where the first book left off. The four friends are fully engaged with a long dead woman who has stalked the Poole family and the Brides of the Manor house for generations. The 3 dogs and the cat add some humor, and I love getting to know the ghosts a little better. I love Jack and Molly and Clover's musical editorials. I would also pay serious money for a chance to explore the Manor, and it is now at the top of my list of fictional places I wish were real!

This atmosphere in this book is perfect. It's spooky and heartwarming all at once with ghosts both good and really really bad. I love that Sonya is learning more about her family as she becomes more comfortable in the family home. The romantic relationships are really nice with great communication but what really makes this book special to me is the friendships between the four main characters.

This is definitely an in-between book. The story starts off where the first book left off and nothing is resolved by the end. I do wish I had reread the first book before I picked this one up as while there is not a huge cast of living characters there are a lot of ghosts and brides and intricacies of relationships that I couldn't fully remember. I very much enjoyed this one, but I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I had read the book closer together. I won't make that mistake for book three and am already looking forward to a reread!

I really enjoyed Inheritance, the first in the Lost Bride series. But I just can't muster the enthusiasm for this sequel. Inheritance ended on a cliffhanger, and The Mirror jumps right off from that point with no backstory at all to re-ground a former reader or draw in a new one. The book relies on heavy dialogue and similar haunting scenes, which don't offer any breakout from the predecessor. Granted, Nora Robert's In The Garden series is years old, but I loved every book in that trilogy because it focused the story through a different heroine each time. This book feels like it was written in one big, continuous session and lopped off to halve it. Some readers might appreciate staying grounded in the same world through the same lens, but I'd have preferred to see Cleo get her spin. Maybe she'll take over in book three...

3.5 stars. The Mirror is book 2 in The Lost Bride trilogy. It’s a typical book 2-no real conflict or resolution as we’re just marching on to book 3. But it was fine. Hester Dobbs is still playing her tricks on Sonya, Cleo, Trey and Owen. The ghosts of the manner are still very charming.

In this installment, Sonya and Owen go through the mirror where more history is unraveled. We meet more of Sonya and Cleo’s family. There’s really sweet scene where Sonya’s grandmother thanks her dad’s mom, the ghost Clover, for her gift.

But I was hoping for more from all of these characters. Even Cleo and Owen’s consummated relationship was very flat.

Overall, I liked The Mirror and have really high hopes for book 3. Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the advanced e-copy of #themirror. This book is out Nov 19 2024.

The Lost Brides Trilogy is a ghost-filled tale about finding your place in the world and staking your claim in it no matter who haunts you. Sonya and Chole have lived in the Lost Brides Manor for a year, and a lot has happened. They learn more about Dobbs, who torments them, and the other ghosts living in the manor with them. I love the nice ghosts. They add a great quirk to this manor that Dobbs is always determined to keep. Sonya and Chloe are pursuing their dream jobs in their own perspective offices in the manor, and in true Nora Roberts, romance is brewing, and it is so sweet and perfect. I love reading the details about Chloe's paintings, including the addition of a cat she houses, breaks with the dogs, and eventually takes on a boat ride. Sonya owns her strength, and that gets to shine when she goes up against her ex. The romance for her is so sweet, and the filling up of the manor with family and friends is the perfect hit back at Dobbs, who is determined to ruin Sonya's joy. I am eager for book 3.

Review will be on blog on release day.

I have waited all year for Book two, Book one left me on a chokehold, and I knew that Book was just going to continue to do the same, lol. So we have Sonya and Cleo (her best friend and BAD ASS), Who finds out that she comes from a huge and a very well-known family, she inherited a Manor, that is haunted. I will say this, you have to read a book one in order for you to understand book 2, this is just the way that Noah Roberts does her thing when it comes to her books that are in a series. I loved each and every single one of these characters, even the ghosts except for Dobbs, we don’t like her.

We get more in depth with each and every single one of the brides story, and more and more it gets super emotional, I had to catch myself from time to time. But this time Sonya, is making sure that none of their stories are forgotten. There are so many secrets that these past Poole brides and even the Poole Men are revealing to Sonya in this book. We get a new budding romance, it’s just everything I needed in book 2 and Nora has to give us book 3, TOMORROW!

3.5 part two stars

I went into this one with high expectations since I loved the first installment of the Lost Bride Trilogy. I loved the setup and introduction of the characters in that one, which ended with an intriguing cliffhanger.

Maybe because this is the second installment, it continues the story but leaves the conclusion to the next book. As I look back, it’s hard to point to much progress in the story. We are treated to some vignettes of the past with several more brides, and I enjoyed those.

Like the first book, Sonya is still the focus of the story. I wasn’t sure if we might shift to her friend’s perspective more in this one. The house is still a gorgeous character, and the ghosts who live there range from helpful to threatening.

I’m looking forward to the final book in this series and learning how Sonya and her friends will break the curse. I think there will be a lot to navigate in the last book.