3.5 ⭐

After finishing Inheritance, I decided to dive into the audiobook of the second book in The Lost Bride Trilogy. While I enjoy the narrator's style, the voices for Chloe, Trey, and Owen initially took some time to get used to. The pacing of the story is slow, focusing heavily on cozy paranormal activities that, at times, feel repetitive. Scenes like Jack playing with the pets, Molly cleaning up after Sonia, and Chloe and her grandmother playing music at every occasion begin to feel almost like filler rather than forward-moving plot points.

A significant portion of the narrative revolves around the characters' planning for a dinner party, which, though detailed, seems to drag on. While this provides some light-hearted moments, it doesn't offer much in terms of advancing the central mystery. In contrast, the glimpses into the past of the brides add intriguing layers to the story, although these moments are far too brief.

The book ends with a cliffhanger, leaving many questions unanswered, which has me eagerly anticipating the third installment. Overall, while the novel has its charm with its cozy atmosphere, I found myself craving more development in the plot and more tension to balance out the slow pace.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.
#TheMirror #NetGalley #MacmillanAudio

Oh! Book #2 did exactly what this reader wanted - fed the fire that started in the first book in the Lost Bride Trilogy! More of Sonya and Cleo, and that wicked witch Hester!!!!

Bring on #3, Please!

*A sincere thank you to Nora Roberts, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.*

The Mirror by Nora Roberts
The Lost Bride trilogy, book #2. Thriller, horror. Paranormal with a malevolent ghost. Should be read in series order. Cliffhanger.
Sonya MacTavish has inherited a haunted Victorian house on the coast of Maine. An antique mirror draws Sonya and shows her over and over the death of a bride and the stolen gold rings. Sonya and her housemates need to figure out how to break the curse and get rid of the malicious ghost.

🎧 I alternated reading between an ebook and an audiobook. The narration was done by Brittany Pressley who gives a marvelous performance with distinct voices for the main characters as well as several secondary as well. The difference between Sonya and Cleo alone is staggering and hard to believe it’s just one narrator. Add in the men and ghosts plus tracking emotions and tension, it’s a major acting achievement. I did speed up the playback to 1.5 to more closely match reading and conversation levels.

My main issue with the audiobook verses the ebook is the sheer number of timelines, brides and their stories and keeping track of who’s who. I’m glad I had both formats to help follow along with the brides and ghosts.

I loved all the popular music references. Mostly the music reflected the brides from decades ago but a lot was the preferences of the four main characters staying in the house. Nothing was current, or if it was, I missed the references.

The cat and dog were friends! It was awesome. Plus they were trained to go outside together and take care of business. They also helped to protect the household from the ghosts with warning growls and barking. Distinct personalities!

This book helped in getting to know Sonya and Cleo in depth with families and significant others and made it clear they are keeping the house theirs and are not going to let the ghost drive them away. If they can just figure out how.
It is a cliffhanger as expected.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

I dove into this second book of the series hot on the heels of finishing the first book, The Inheritance. I would definitely recommend reading The Inheritance first as it gives you context about Sonya MacTavish and how she came to inherit Poole Manor. Also, it’s an amazing read. Nora Roberts has a way of making her characters come to life and building strong relationships between them that breathe life in the plot. In this book, the relationships between Sonya and Trey, as well as Cleo and Owen, continue to deepen and grow as they band together to stop Hester Dobbs, the vicious ghost who haunts the manor. I absolutely cannot wait for the third book of the series to come out.

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.

"Sonya took one last look at the portraits; thought of the past, thought of the future, then she turned off the lights and focused on now."

The above sums up the heart of The Mirror, Book 2 of The Lost Bride Trilogy, by amazing prolific author, Nora Roberts. Much is going on in Sonya's life but dealing with ghosts of the past, a future with Trey, and currently starting her own business leaves her little time to just be, but she's learning there's peace in family, friends and faith.

In Book 1, Inheritance, Sonya's father had a twin brother he never knew since they were separated at birth. He leaves his haunted Victorian mansion to Sonya.

Centuries ago bride Astrid was murdered by jealous witch Hester Dobbs on her wedding day, her wedding ring stolen, and cursed to never leave the mansion. A total of 7 brides have suffered the same fate forever cursed inside the mansion.

The Mirror gives the ill fated brides and grooms, Sonya's ancestors, empathetic backstories. What becomes clear is "ghost" witch Dobbs is also trapped in the mansion. She tries to scare Sonya to make her leave, so she can be the "sole mistress of the manor." But Sonya is determined to break the curse.

As in book 1, the ultra talented voice actress Brittany Pressley brings all the joy, love, fear, sadness, anger and anticipation that this writer encapsulates so perfectly in her stories. We experience Sonya's growing love with Trey and her BFF Cleo's new romance with Owen. These four have a protective found family that will see them through this cursed ghost story.

With ghosts that help Sonya clean, play with Yoda the dog, and play music, Sonya gathers the strength to do battle with the evil Dobbs in or out of the mirror in Book 3 coming next year.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5 This is a book #2 in a series of how many? I enjoyed the development of characters, but felt it was a bit drug out. Of course I will read book #3 to see how it all comes together. Wish I knew how many more were in the series though.

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!

I loved Inheritance, the first book in The Lost Bridge trilogy, and was so excited to jump into The Mirror, book two. This was just as captivating and entertaining. Inheritance left Off on a cliffhanger, so we immediately start up where that one left us and continue Sonya’s story in The Mirror.

This is set in Maine, in Inheritance we saw Sonya inherit a home and move there to learn more about her family history. This is a paranormal filled with ghosts and cursed brides throughout the generations! I loved learning more about the brides backstories and seeing Sonya and her crew of friend’s experiences with the ghosts. I was invested in the story, their daily lives, and the slow trickle of information we get delivered throughout the story. Another solid addition to the series and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

I received an audio ALC, all thoughts in this review are my own!

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.

Brittnay Pressley was excellent! Her pacing and voices for each character made listening to the story just as enjoyable as when I’m reading it myself.

I loved the first book and was so excited to continue with the series. This book picks up right where The Inheritance ended so I do recommend that you read that first.

This book felt a bit repetitive for me and the story didn't have the suspense as it did in the first book. I did enjoy seeing the flash backs of the previous brides and getting their back story.

Brittany Pressley, as always, did a great job with the narration.

I am looking forward to the last book to see how this ends.

Thank you @smpromance @macmillan.audio for a copy of the book.

This book is so good. I cannot wait for book 3. I laughed and wanted to read more. Made me want to cry at one point. Drew me in from the beginning.

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 listening to 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. I enjoyed the narrator and would listen to other novels she narrates. Her pace and cadence were great.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to an ALC of this novel. #NetGalley #TheMirror

The Mirror by Nora Roberts appealed to me because of the family history aspect of the story. However, as the story progressed, I became interested in the characters themselves. Nora Roberts is skilled at character development. I felt that the characters in this story were real people. Feeling connected to the characters helped me enjoy the more fanciful elements of the story.

The Mirror is the second book in the series; Inheritance is the first novel. I read Inheritance first, so I’m coming from the perspective of someone who is already familiar with the storyline and knows the characters. There are a couple of synopses here and there throughout the book to assist anyone reading The Mirror first, but I would recommend reading Inheritance first.

I listened to the audiobook version and really enjoyed Brittany Pressley’s narration. There is a large age range of people in the story and Brittany does an excellent job giving each character a distinguishing voice. I’m not from the New England area, so I can’t say one way or another how she did with different dialects. They all sounded good to me!

I enjoyed the first book in this series, this second book wasn’t not what I expected. I wanted to love it as much as the first one but I did not. The story dragged on for more than it needed to. The storyline stayed the same with no progression. I would have loved to see more growth and progression within the characters

I used to LOVE Nora Roberts books so I was so excited to get back to one of her books. However, this one was too much of a ghost story for me, and I never really got into it. Part of it was the pacing - Sonya and Cleo did a lot of housekeeping and other mundane tasks while the ghosts rattled around in the house. This seemed repetitive, and didn't move the plot forward. I wanted more action - investigation, continuation of the prior installment, and more romance. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy of this book.

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 grow. Narrator really brings this audiobook to life. Looking forward to book three.

I very much enjoyed this audiobook. I was so hooked from the beginning .

I do recommend this very much

Narrated by Brittany Pressley
14 hours, 24 minutes

Note: This review contains light spoilers for 'Inheritance' (The Lost Bride Trilogy, Book 1). Also, I do not recommend reading 'The Mirror' as a standalone; I highly recommend reading Book 1 first.

In 'Inheritance', Sonya MacTavish inherits a haunted Victorian mansion on the coast of Maine. The house is home to the ghosts of brides who were murdered by the deranged Hester Dobbs—an unhinged woman who, after a one-night affair, hoped to become the mistress of the manor but instead watched as the man she obsessed over married another woman. Dobbs murders the bride, steals her wedding ring, creates a curse, and then commits suicide, continuing to haunt the manor over a century later, vowing to destroy any Poole bride who lives there. In Sonya's dreams, she glimpses the tragic past and is drawn to an antique mirror, sensing it holds dark family secrets. But the mirror is no mere dream—it’s real—and Sonya is eventually pulled through it into another world.

'The Mirror' picks up immediately after the cliffhanger ending of 'Inheritance' when Sonya and Owen step through the glass, and the story takes off from there. Nora Roberts excels at world-building and character development, and the heart of this book lies in the rich, descriptive, everyday interactions between its main characters. Trey and Owen, in particular, are a joy to read, especially in their evolving relationships with Sonya and her best friend, Cleo.

Sonya and Cleo continue to make the manor their own, while Sonya’s dreams become even more vivid, showing her the deaths of the manor’s brides, their wedding rings ripped from their fingers by the vengeful Dobbs. Alongside Trey, Cleo, and Owen, Sonya strives to build her new life while trying to figure out how to break Dobbs’ centuries-old curse.

Brittany Pressley delivers a fantastic narration. She brings clear distinction to each character’s voice and offers a performance that adds depth to the story. Pressley’s narration was the highlight for me, especially since the second book in the trilogy feels more like a bridge—filling in gaps left by Inheritance while setting the stage for the finale in book 3.

That said, I still have lingering questions. Why don’t the characters question the origins of the mirror or attempt to understand how it works? Is the manor sentient somehow, or do the resident ghosts have their own magic and place the mirror for Sonya to find? Are the portraits of the dead brides arranged by Colin, the manor, or some other ghostly presence? Unfortunately, these questions remain unanswered.

While I enjoy the characters, the plot in 'The Mirror' often feels like it’s treading water—focusing more on daily activities like working, cooking, planning a big party at the manor, and the occasional ghost sighting, than on progress toward breaking the curse. It’s frustrating that there’s little forward momentum—there’s still no sign of even one of the lost wedding rings. In many ways, 'The Mirror' feels more like filler in a trilogy sandwich than a story in its own right.

That said, I’m looking forward to reading book 3 and seeing how Sonya and crew finally defeat Dobbs once and for all.

Sci Fi & Fantasy | Romance

The Mirror by Nora Roberts is the second book in her Lost Bride series. The story is well written and very enjoyable. The characters are fantastic! Definitely recommend.