The Lost Bride Trilogy by Nora Roberts ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Every spring, Nora Roberts publishes a standalone suspense novel, plus in the fall, she releases a book in her current trilogy.  I don't usually read her trilogy because for the past years they have been magical realism and/or paranormal.  I really enjoyed her standalone books, so I decided to try one of her trilogies.

The Lost Bride Trilogy is a tale of tragedies, loves found and lost, and a family haunted for generations.

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November 2023; St. Martin's Press; 978-1250288325
audio, ebook, print (432 pages); paranormal romance

In 2023, I reviewed the first book in the series, Inheritance.  I will admit that I didn't like it as much as I enjoy her spring stand-alone books, but it was still an interesting and well-written book. 

The ending was a real shocker, and I couldn't wait to see how book 2 handled it.  My only complaint about the book is that it's a bit slow and, I think, too long, but the author needed to get all of the background details for the trilogy into the plot of the first book, and I expect that the next two books will move along faster.   

Buy Inheritance at Amazon

November 2024; St. Martin's Press; 978-1250288776
audio, ebook, print (448 pages); paranormal romance

The second book in the Lost Bride Trilogy, The Mirror, brought the story back to life, and the ending set up all of the mysteries that need to be solved in book 3.  It started a little slow but quickly gained speed until the end. It was tough to wait for Book 3 to find out how everything ends, but lucky for you, Book 3 is now available. I will admit that paranormal is not one of my favorite genres but seeing Nora Roberts' name on the books, I figured that I should give it a chance, and I'm glad that I did.

The Mirror takes us back to the haunted mansion that Sonya inherited.  She has to live in the house for three years before it becomes hers.  Some of the ghosts in the house are making life very difficult with slamming doors and daily intrusions into her life.  The main bad ghost is responsible for killing the last seven women who got married in the house because, way back when, she was rejected by the owner of the house.  Sonya has the power to go inside the old mirror in the house and see the past.  So far, she has seen several of the original brides die at the hands of the evil ghost.  It's up to Sonya to break the curse on the house, and it causes her to go head-to-head with evil. The romance part of this book heats up, and Sonya and Trey become a couple, as well as her best friend Cleo and Owen.

Just like with book 1, my main complaint about The Mirror is that it's too long and too full of mundane day-to-day things - like what to cook and what to wear, but I am assuming that the reason for that is to set up a contrast between normal life and the daily paranormal events that go on.  I'm looking forward to book 3 to see how it all ends!

Buy The Mirror at Amazon

November 2025; St. Martin's Press; 978-1250288790
audio, ebook, print (464 pages); paranormal romance

The Seven Rings wraps up all of the loose ends and gives the readers a satisfying ending to the Lost Bride Trilogy.  As with the other books, there's a lot of action as the main characters face a witch and the seven brides that she murdered.

Long ago, Arthur Poole built a grand house overlooking the turbulent ocean, in a Maine village that bore his name. Today, Sonya MacTavish lives in the huge house that has been cursed for generations.  The house has seen the death of seven brides and the theft of each bride's wedding ring.  For Sonya and her friends to break the curse and get rid of the witch, they must go up against her and her evil powers that she has used for generations.  

 Sonya and her boyfriend, Trey, along with their friends, can see, hear, and feel the suffering of the brides as the evil presence renews her hatred by trying to stop them with her powers.  Sonya searches the house to look for clues on how to get rid of the evil and bring light and happiness back to the house.  But the enemy has strong powers that can wound and even kill, and wants to be the mistress of the house, no matter who she has to kill.  Sonya and her friends have to fight in two realms - real life and paranormal life against a strong and evil foe.  Will Sonya be able to win, and who will be harmed or killed in the massive fight between good and evil?

This wasn't my favorite Nora Roberts trilogy because I don't really like fantasy. I thought that all three books were too long with too much detail on mundane daily acts, but the author needed to do that to compare a happy life to the evil that is happening in the mirror!   I still enjoyed the books as I think that Nora Roberts always writes a good story, no matter what genre she is writing in.

Buy The Seven Rings at Amazon 

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.

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