The Lost Bride Trilogy #1 & #2 by Nora Roberts - Book Reviews

Inheritance 

Series: The Lost Bride Trilogy #1 (cliffhanger)

Publication Date: 21st Nov 2023 

Genre: Contemporary Paranormal Romance 

4 Stars 

One Liner: It's Nora Roberts! 

1806

Astrid Poole, a happy bride in love with Collin Poole, was excited about her future. However, before her marriage was consummated, she was murdered and the ring torn from her finger. Astrid promised never to leave Collin and kept it for centuries. 

Sonya MacTavish is a graphic designer who ended up without a fiancé and her wedding in a few minutes. However, a bigger shock to her is finding out that her late father was adopted and had a twin brother. Sonya has inherited a Victorian mansion on the Maine Coast. 

Reaching the mansion, Sonya is excited and nervous. Despite her self-assurances, she has to soon admit that the mansion is indeed haunted by the Lost Brides. She needs to break the centuries-old curse to free the ghosts as well as herself and the future generations from brutal deaths. 

The story comes in Sonya’s third-person POV with snippets from others’ POVs. 

My Thoughts: 

I’m always excited to read a book by Nora Roberts. It’s been a while since I enjoyed her works, so this seemed like a good opportunity (I’d have been happier if all three books of the trilogy were out but two are better than one). 

The book takes its time to get to the gothic mansion. The beginning establishes Sonya’s character and gives us an idea about her family, career, etc. Though we are made to wait, this initial setup makes it easy to understand how she settles in Poole Manor once she gets there. 

I absolutely love how the author writes friendships. I’ve seen this in most of her books and enjoy it every time. They could be cousins, best friends, childhood buddies, new friends, or anything basically, the interactions are usually positive, cheeky, and fun with many feel-good vibes. No gender bias either. 

Another aspect I noticed is how at least one main character is an artist (professionally). The characters are not only talented but love their craft and are passionate about it. I enjoy the scenes detailing their artwork. 

Naturally, I loved Cleo. She is not just a perfect balance to Sonya but also a very lovable character. The men (Trey and Owen) are just as good and complement the ladies well. 

Descriptions are another favorite. It was her books that made me fall in love with magical Ireland. While this one doesn’t reach that level of awesomeness, I could picturize the mansion and the surroundings. Who wouldn’t want to live there (never mind the haunted part)? 

One thing I didn’t expect was the slower pace throughout. I usually used to breeze through her books (to be fair, most of them were physical copies from the library) but this one took some time. I wasn’t bored but I wondered why the % moved so slowly. 

The romance between the lead couple could have been a little slower. While they don’t jump into the act right away, the slow burn is missing. I wouldn’t have minded a bit more teasing. 

Thank god I had the next book ready. That was one heck of a cliffhanger. Most of her trilogies tend to have moderate cliffhangers. Of course, this one deviated from the template of three couples (which got repetitive), so maybe that’s the reason. 

Oh, there are a lot of characters to remember. That’s bound to happen when you need to cover seven generations. A family tree would be a spoiler, so we can’t ask for it. Just go with the flow. You’ll figure them out soon. 

To summarize, Inheritance is a slow-paced yet entertaining contemporary gothic romance with enough lighthearted moments to make you smile. The dogs are adorable! 

***The Mirror 

Publication Date: 19th Nov 2024

4.5 Stars (since I read it with book one)

One Liner: I was lured into the haunted manor  

Sonya MacTavish is actually a Poole and the only onewho can break the centuries-old curse and free the lost brides in the manor.

One night, the elusive mirror appears, and Sonyawalks through to watch a bride get killed and her ring stolen. The events seemto happen in a loop. Sonya and her friends have to find the rings soon, butthat’s easier said than done.

The story comes mainly in Sonya’s third-person POV(with a few scenes from others’ POVs).

My Thoughts:

I continued with book two immediately after theprevious one, so the cliffhanger lasted only a few seconds. My poor heart wassaved, lol!

The story continues seamlessly as we get bits andpieces of new information. There’s progress on multiple levels but it isblended into routine. This makes it seem like the book has a lot of fluff withthe same scenes (working, eating, meeting, etc.). It is necessary to createthis buffer for the development to feel organic. Think of it as watching theepisodes of your favorite serial. You get lured into their lives, watching themlive a make-believe life on the screen with subtle developments. It’s the samehere.

Hence, the pacing continues to be on the slowerside. Again, I don’t mind. I love Molly, Clover, Jack, and the fur babies whoenrich the narrative. Imagine a haunted house with built-in cleaning services,a DJ, a pet sitter, and a spooky witch. Yeah, we can do without the last onebut she’ll be there until they break the curse.

I absolutely love Clover. I liked her a lot in bookone but here she is easily my favorite. Though I’m not into English music, thesong titles were enough to see just how wonderful she was. We meet more sidecharacters, and Imogene stands out with ease. I like Winter too (everyone needsa mom like her) but Imogene is a star. I hope we get to meet her in the nextbook again.

When I started Inheritance, I didn’t think it wouldbecome a new favorite (The Sign of Seven trilogy continues to be at the top).However, this one might reach there. I don’t think the year-long gap betweenthe books would work. In fact, reading one and two back to back kept me insidethe haunted manor for six days and made me a part of the story. A long breakwould diffuse that mood and may make this feel slow and repetitive.

I was prepared for a cliffhanger ending, so thisdidn’t shock me. Knowing the stakes, I know book three will have a lot ofaction and intense scenes. We also need to get more information aboutHester-Pest. I’m curious to see what lay in her past.

There is romance but it is pretty much mild. Fromwhat I remember, her books have a little more spice. This one doesn’t. Not acomplaint since the current stuff works well but I wouldn’t say no if the nextbook has an extra sprinkle of heat. ;)

To summarize, The Mirror is a great continuation ofbook one. It establishes the character arcs, sets a routine, and provides moredetails about the lost brides. Can I get the ARC for book three when it isavailable? Pretty please!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, foreARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about thebook. 

#NetGalley