This is a really cute trilogy, with some fun ghost/witch/haunting elements that are fun to market around Halloween. Nora Roberts is obviously prolific, but always a hit with readers at our library.

While my place isn’t haunted, I’ve often wondered if remnants of the people who were there before remained in some form.  If their joys, loves, fears, hurts, tragedies, and betrayals lingered after they left.  If so, I imagine, or would hope, that the spirits who remain would be like those occupying the Manor in Poole Bay: kind, thoughtful, hard working, funny, playful, and haunted in a different sort of way.

Filled with lightness, hope, and happiness, book two in ‘The Lost Brides Trilogy,’ “The Mirror” has captured the spooky feelings of the season and our ghostly neighbours in a fun and refreshing way while also bringing in the darkness with Hester Dobbs to balance out that light.

Sonya and Cleo are strong, independent , confident, and artistic women who embody female friendship/sisterhood goals while utilizing their strengths and talents even as they tackle the challenges of living in a new place with “roommates” who are mostly affable save for the one trying to run you off.   The women tackle each challenge adeptly as they try to resolve the manor’s curse. 

With a charming cast of characters that also includes strong male characters (I may or may not have a new book boyfriend) and all the love and friendships and laughter you could want.  I love the additions of Trey, Owen, Yoda, Mookie, Pye, Anna, Ace, Corinne, and Winter.

I am fully invested in this story and these characters, having read the first two books in the series back to back and now I have a book hangover.  Which means I’ll have a bit of a wait to recover before the release of book three in November 2025.

In the meantime, you can pick up “Inheritance” now and “The Mirror” on Nov. 19.  I should also note that Brittany Pressley @britpressley narrates both books and is one of my favourite audiobook narrators!

Thank you so much @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the #drc. Any chance @norarobertsauthor we can get book three sooner?!? Asking for a friend! 😉🙃

#themirror #lostbridetrilogy #fyp #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #suspensebooks #thrillerbooks #supernaturalreads #highlyrecommend #youshouldreadthis #bookreview #bookgeek #booknerd #askingforafriend #brittanypressley #noraroberts

Very very mixed feeling about this 2nd book. I enjoyed the first, but this one just seemed like a filler to extend the story. Yes we do gets the history behind all the deaths of the brides; but still seemed very dragged and unnecessary. I loved the narrator, but her Chloe's voice i have to admit felt like claws dragged on a chalk board 😣😣😣

So the story continues with Sonia learning more about her history and also moving on with her new life in the manor. We also see the blossoming romance between Chloe and Owen and the continuation of Sonia's and Trey's as well.

In all i look forward to the conclusion with the 3rd book and hope it gives a little bit more revelations and excitement like the first one did!

Solid 3 Stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and and MacMillian Audio for the ARC. Beyond grateful and humbled 🙏🏾
THE MIRROR OUT NOV 19th 2024

Having the opportunity to preview the audiobook of <i>The Mirror</i> by Nora Roberts is one I jumped on. This is the second book in the Lost Bride Trilogy and it’s a doozy. I totally fell in love with the characters, the Manor, and the town of Poole’s Bay with the first book, <i>The Inheritence</i>. This second book does not disappoint. It is rich with details and character development, brought to life by Brittany Pressley. She does a fabulous job with the different characters, bringing each to vivid life. As Sonya and Cleo continue to settle in to the Manor, determined to make it theirs and find a way to defeat the spirit of Hester Dobbs, they refuse to give in to the fear tactics and attacks Dobbs continues to throw out at them. They learn more about individual lost brides and discover more portraits that magically appear in the closet in the studio. The people and sense of place are so carefully crafted and written that they seem real. I want to wander the town of Poole’s Bay, maybe buy some of Anna’s pottery, watch the ships sailing in the bay, and see a whale breech from the sea wall if I’m lucky. I want Clover to greet me with music and I dream of having a Molly of my very own. This strong sequel to the first book is made even stronger by the narration. I can’t wait for last installment and hate that I have to wait a year for it. If you haven’t read or listened to <i>The Inheritence</i>, grab it now to discover the world of Poole’s Bay and Lost Bride Manor so you can grab <i>The Mirror</i> in November and immerse yourself in the adventures of the Poole family and the curse that weighs heavy on the most recent generation to live in The Manor.

A thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this advanced reader. Nora Roberts is an automatic listen or read for me and this one did not disappoint. It was such a smooth transition from the first book in this trilogy into this one. The storyline continues to be intriguing and I am not looking forward to the wait until the final book comes out.

The set up of this trilogy is a little bit different than many of the other trilogies I've read from Nora Roberts, allowing this to stand apart from the formula that is usually used. This allows this not to feel too similar to trilogies like the In the Garden trilogy or the Inn BoonsBoro trilogy.

This is also the first trilogy of Nora Roberts that I've listened to and the narrator is one of the best narrators I've listened to. The consistency in the character voices and the distinction between each character is done so well.

I cannot wait until the next installment.

This series is so atmospheric - perfect for the Fall months! While I felt the plot was a bit slower than book 1 (I kept hoping for a little bit more!), the relationships is what really carries this series for me! I love the found family and friendships, the haunted house on the ocean, the New England setting, the ghosts and spooky underlying mystery... Nora never fails to drag me in with her storytelling!

The audiobook was great - the narration was wonderful!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity and ALC of The Mirror by Nora Roberts.

This is Book Two in The Lost Bride Trilogy. In full transparency, I have not read Book One (Inheritance) yet. Even with that being the case, I was able to follow along with the story of Sonya who has moved from Boston to a small town in Maine to live at what has been coined as "Lost Bride Manor."

Sonya and her best friend Cleo live in the manor side by side with ghosts and spirits from years past. Most of the ghosts are friendly but the exception is Hester Dobbs, who continuously tries to scare Sonya out of the manor. With the help of her love interest Trey, cousin Owen, and Cleo, Sonya encounters the mirror that gives her a look into the past and limited interaction with it. The group tried to piece together events that will help them solve why Hester Dobbs haunts the manor and hopefully bring peace to the spirits that inhabit the manor.

I enjoyed this book in the sense that I kept wanting more of the story and didn't want to stop listening. Narrator Brittany Pressley did an amazing job! I love the development of the characters, especially Sonya. I love all the characters (human, animal, and paranormal) and I feel that each of their personalities shine through in this book. I enjoyed this enough that I want to read Book 1. However, I was a little disappointed by the ending. While I understand this is part of a trilogy, i feel that it fell flat and was quite the cliffhanger. I'm hoping Book Three will redeem the ending of Book 2.

Rating: 4

The Mirror is the second book in the Lost Bride Trilogy. You definitely want to start with the first book in the series, Inheritance. Which ends with a cliffhanger. In this book Roberts is able to weave right back into the story of Sonya MacTavish is living in the haunted inherited Victorian mansion in Maine that was given to her by Collin Poole. Cleo her best friend has moved in also as they try to figure out how to stop the ghost of Hester Dobbs curse on the brides that live in the house. Can’t wait for book 3!
I was given an advanced audio copy to listen to. The narrator Brittany Pressley did a great job with her inflection and differentiating between characters. My only complaint is when they are reading the male parts…why can’t there be an actual guy reading those parts? That is the only downside for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the advanced audio copy. This review is my opinion only.

I’m sad to say I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first. I loved the first and found this one to be too slow. I will still read the next. But this one didn’t live up to the first :(

I did still like the narrators they chose.

I am disappointed in this series. I am a decades long Nora Roberts reader and fan, but sometimes they just don't hit. I am having the same problem with book 2 that I had with book 1: it's missing the drama! Everything happens too easily for Sonya and the gang. The scary ghost in the house bangs some doors, plays some tricks, but Sonya and Cleo are never very concerned. Sonya gets visions in her sleep and must get the rings of the dead brides... woo woo. It's all very underwhelming.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC audiobook.

Nora Robert’s is a gem. I love all her books and this one www no different. I liked this one even more than the first in the series. Though I do havre the cliff ending! Overall I am in love with the characters. Even some of the ghosts! I will for sure pick up book three.

This was a beautiful and whimsical continuation of the story of Sonya and the Victorian mansion she inherits from an uncle she didn't know existed. In Book 2 we learn more about the seven brides that have been cursed over the centuries. The brides and other souls in the house reach out to Sonya and her friends, begging for help to break the curse.

The Mirror audiobook is almost 14 hours long and is definitely slower in pace. However, I found that it was a gentle mystery that I could sink into and enjoy as Sonya learned more about her ancestors and the curse that has haunted the women in her family for generations.

As the mirror continues to call to Sonya and she uncovers more truth, the haunting at the house begin to feel less friendly and more hostile. The novel ends on a cliff hanger and now I can't wait for book 3!

Thank you Macmillian audio for the ALC.

Nora Roberts has the best narrators and romances. I am intrigued by this series and cannot wait for the finale!!!

I couldn’t wait even one more minute to read this second book in The Lost Bride Trilogy and I am so glad I got the opportunity to continue on this journey with Sonya! There is a reason that Nora Roberts is one of the best authors out there and she perfectly shows that in this book. I was pulled back in immediately and felt like I was on the roller coaster with Sonya, Trey, Cleo and Owen. Cleo is probably my favorite character, so I was really excited to get more with her and see her character develop. I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to wait for book three!!! The ending had me absolutely stuck in SHOCK and I don’t know what will happen next! I cannot WAIT!

(4.25 stars)
The Mirror is the second book in a planned trilogy, The Lost Bride Trilogy, and it picks up right where book one (Inheritance) ended - which was a real cliffhanger. This is one book where I think it’s important to have read Inheritance first, even though Roberts does a good job of filling in/refreshing the memory of the reader.

Roberts manages to write stories with supernatural elements that just seem so real/realistic/possible. I don’t know how she does it.

Sonya has moved from Boston to a small town on the Maine coast, after inheriting a house from an uncle she knew nothing of, and it’s haunted. For real. The extensive family history includes a lot of tragic deaths, all of new brides who got married in “Lost Bride Manor.” Most of the ghosts are pretty nice, even helpful. One of them makes up her bed and cleans up after Sonya and her friend Cleo, who has moved along with Sonya. Another one plays songs on Sonya’s iPad with appropriate themes at several points in the story. I *loved* that! There’s even a little boy who plays with her dog. Of course, there’s one really malevolent one, and she is pretty scary.

The love interest from the first book - Trey - is still around and the romance between him and Sonya is getting more serious. Cleo and Sonya’s cousin Owen are starting to be a couple as well. Sonya and Cleo are really becoming part of the Poole’s Bay community. There was a fair amount of the book that explored their activities that didn’t seem directly relevant to the plot, but perhaps those instances will become important in the third book. (Time spent going to the garden center and so forth.) I did find it a bit hard to keep all the community members straight and it was also hard to keep all the lost brides straight! Over the course of the book, we learn a lot more about some of the brides, through the mirror of the title. Clover's story was particularly sad, I thought.

This book also ends in a cliffhanger but this time around I wasn’t so surprised!

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was so convenient, as I finished up my reading on a road trip. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Brittany Pressley, who did a wonderful job as always with all the voices. My only thought was the Maine people didn’t really sound like Maine people.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Brittany Pressley could narrate the phone book, and I’d be captivated! Her performance was the saving grace of The Mirror. As always, she brought the characters to life and made the listening experience more enjoyable than the material deserved.

While I loved the first book in the series, this sequel was a disappointment. The plot felt stagnant and didn’t add anything new or exciting to the storyline. It lacked the depth and intrigue that initially drew me in. Unfortunately, the book itself didn’t hold my interest, and it felt like a missed opportunity.

If it weren’t for Pressley’s narration, I doubt I would have made it through to the end.

5 stars for Brittany, 1 star for the actual story.

I am on the edge of my seat looking forward to the next book! I couldn't stop listening/reading this and didn't want to put it down until I was done. I loved all the characters and the interludes in between chapters that went back to the past residents of the manor were well placed.

Such a great book! When you think they covered everything in the first book, they keep throwing more twists and information at you making you want to know more and then the book end! Great read and highly recommend.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Inheritance this book spent too much time on repetitive mundane tasks which really seemed to be the main focus of the story. The writing style was very good of course and the narrator did a great job but overall I felt the book was very tedious.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio arc.

This is the second book of Nora Robert's Lost Bride Trilogy. I read the first book, Inheritance, and really enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to diving into the second installment. I really liked the narrator of this audiobook. I think that they did a great job differentiating each character's voice.

As for the book: I will admit that I was a little disappointed in the book overall. This book felt like a lot of filler with not a lot of substance. There was so much repetition, that it became boring. When a ghostly incident occurred, the characters would then tell other characters all about it. And sometimes, those characters would then describe the event to another set of characters. While I like each of the characters in this series and I love the storyline, I grew tired of reading about the same situation three times.

I still plan on reading the next book in this series and I would recommend it to someone who might be interested in a romance with a supernatural twist.