This is the second book in the Lost Bride Trilogy, however, I have not read the first and this book was able to stand on its own as a stand-alone. I read this during the month of October and it was a perfect spooky, suspenseful read. The characters were well developed and the narration was exceptional. The twists and turns in the story keep the reader engaged and allow for a quick-paced read.

Thank you to Macmillian Audio and Nora Roberts, via NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook.

The Mirror really kept me on my toes! I absolutely love how this story is progressing and appreciate the slightly creepy vibe I get from Hester's tantrums. I also love all the delightful ghosts that engage in not only helping with the upkeep on the house house but also with Sonya, Cleo, Trey and Owen. I can't wait for the final installment where Hester gets what she deserves and the seven brides get their peace.

Book two of the Lost Bride Trilogy picks up exactly where book one left off, as Sonya comes out of the mirror and continues to try to unravel the mystery of the manor and its inhabitants. While it’s enjoyable as a continuation, it wouldn’t work at all as a stand-alone. This book is also slower paced and spends more time developing the characters and the small Maine town, and I’d say is a bit cozier than the first. These are great qualities of a fall read to me! My biggest and probably only complaint is how often Sonya and Cleo yell at the ghost witch, it just felt overdone and kind of childish given the situation. I think it was supposed to give off feminist/funny, and maybe would have landed there if it had been once or twice. But it’s nearly every chapter and became grating. As far as our ghost mystery goes, although some answers are found, the plot is still very much unresolved and the cliffhanger leaves you wanting to move right into book three, which I’ll definitely do when it’s available as an audiobook, because this narrator is fantastic! Her voices and range are some of the best I’ve heard. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Words cannot describe my appreciation and love for this book! I wanted to thank the author and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC of this book, just a few days before the release date which gave me a whole new perspective on reading. I'm not generally an audiobook person but the narrator narrated extremely well for all the characters and I liked hearing the voices. I was imagining them before so hearing them as the author intended was a nice addition :). Story wise, I loved the continuation of the romances though I was eager for them to develop faster so I was reading rather quickly. Despite the timing of receiving the audio ARC, it's taken me a bit to sit down and write my review as this week and last has been busy! So, I began "reading" by audiobook and when the written version was available digitally at my local library, I read along there as well, while listening to the audiobook. This is something I enjoyed as you can read the words while also getting the inflexions and mannerisms of the characters voices. So many events happened in the book that I had wished to read or hoped would be expanded upon in the second book so I was pretty excited about all of it! Especially the families meeting each other!
My only thing that I disagreed with slightly was when Sonya would let Trey know about the manor events after they happened. I agreed with her hesitation and doubts after the events happened and felt Trey was not showing all his concern when he did find out. But for me, when such big events happen in books, the MC's call their loved ones immediately to prevent any worry on their part. The argument that one doesn't tell their loved ones so that they don't worry doesn't make sense to me because, eventually, that person tells their loved ones because of that love.

Outside of that, I really liked the story! I didn't agreed with some other people's reviews' that the cliffhanger was bigger this time or that the anticipation was just as much. There is a cliffhanger, I'll agree, but it wasn't as dramatic. Maybe I just prepared myself this time around. Overall, great continuation, great story! Waiting eagerly for the next one!

It is 3 am and in a Victorian Mansion on the coast of Maine the ghosts are walking.

A woman jumps from the widow's walk casting her curse, a bride dies in a bedroom giving birth, another in ballroom and more in other rooms of the house. Sonya has gotten used to living with ghosts, she even likes most of them, but it is her job to break a curse going back generations that has claimed the lives of seven Poole brides. She is the only one with the blood needed to be able to stop the witch ghost of Dobb's before Sonya herself becomes another victim.

I enjoyed Inheritance last year when we got to know Sonya and some of the ghosts living in the manor with her. As she found a new man to love and set up her life with her best friend Cleo we explored the rich history of the manse and all of the baggage that comes with it. The Mirror picks up right where Inheritance left off with Sonya and Cleo about to do the impossible and walk into a mirror and the past.

I enjoyed the Mirror, we still explored some of the bride stories of the past and got to feel some of the fun of living with a house full of spirits. This book was far more character driven than the last as we work our way through the brides deaths in the past to learn more of their stories and how Dobbs is keeping a hold on the Manor. There are a few tense moments and some great personal and professional ones for Sonya that I enjoyed living through with her. But, it reads like a southern gothic meandering along the way leisurely until we get to where we are going at the end.
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There is one more book in this series and The Mirror is setting the stage for that well. It will be interesting to see if and how Sonya will be able to get the best of the ghost of a witch in her house and what will happen to the rest of the ghosts trapped there if she does.

A little romance, some cooking explorations, a get back at the ex moment and some pet fun all wrapped up inside.

Narration:

Brittany Presley is a well established narrator who killed it with her performance in this book. She continues her narration from the first book and matches the character voices well. She was able to really bring the fun of Sonya and Cleo's friendship out and is able to capture the voice and tone of the story well. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.

Performance: ★★★★★
Character Separation: ★★★★★
Diction: ★★★★★
Pacing/Flow: ★★★★★
Sound Effects: none

Thanks to @macmillan.audio for the gifted ALC! #macaudio2024

I’ve been wanting to try Nora Roberts’ books for a long time, but her backlist is a little intimidating. When I saw she had a new paranormal series coming out, I decided that was the perfect place to start.

The Lost Brides Trilogy is a story about Sonya MacTavish, a woman who has inherited what on the surface appears to be a haunted house but as she soon discovers is much more than that. She has inherited her family’s centuries-old curse, and a puzzle that she must solve if she has any hope of breaking it.

The first book in the series, The Inheritance, was a riveting page turner that really sets the stage, laying out the details of the curse, and shows us through flashbacks how tragedy has struck brides in the family for hundreds of years. It ends on a cliffhanger, and thankfully, The Mirror picks up right where the first book left off.

Being the middle book in a trilogy, The Mirror doesn’t give us all of the answers regarding the curse, but it does give a lot of interesting history about the ghosts, particularly the baddie that needs to be stopped. In addition to that one, there are also several friendly ghosts who like to help with domestic chores, etc., so it was fun to watch Sonya and her roommate interact with those ghosts on a day-to-day basis to balance out the mystery/curse breaking aspect of the story. There’s even a fun party scene and a little romance to round out the story!

I read the physical copy of the first book and did an immersive read of The Mirror with the physical and audiobook. Brittany Pressley narrates the audiobook, so you know it was phenomenal!

The Mirror AUDIO by Nora Roberts is the second in a trilogy. I did not read the first book but it did not impede by enjoyment of this one. The story is a little odd. A young woman, Sonya, inherits the family manor. She had not been aware she had been a member of the family but as she lives there, she learns a lot, not only about how she fits in, but about her ancestors, as well. Moving with her is her friend, Cleo. Both have jobs that allow them to work from home so they are there much of the time. Also important to the story is the looking glass that appears now and then. A trip through the looking glass gives Sonya insight into those who came before, but also into the witch who haunts the place. This witch does not frighten the young women as she hopes, but rather makes them angry that they are being disturbed and later, angry at all the havoc she has wreaked over the years.

Robert writes compelling material. This is a wonderful example of her free-flowing imagination and her skill in meshing an everyday story and a hugely disturbing past, represented by the hauntings. Not all the hauntings are bad, though, and the women learn to love some of their netherworld inhabitants. It is a job well done by an amazing author. Full of emotion and curiosity. Can’t wait to read the finale.

The reader is Brittany Pressley who does a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life and imbuing them with personalities beyond what the author gave them. An excellent job.

I was invited to listen to The Mirror by MacMillan Audio. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #MacMillanAudio #NoraRoberts #TheMirror

The Mirror, Nora Roberts' second book in her Lost Brides Trilogy, picks up exactly where the first book, Inheritance, left off. Sonya and her cousin Owen have just walked through the mysterious Mirror in the manor that seems to call Sonya to it night after night. Once crossed, Sonya and Owen find themselves confronted with the past specifically the night one of the brides died. While Sonya and Owen look on, unable to change what has happened, they do begin to gather more information about Hester Dobbs' powers.

The Mirror is showing them specific events for a reason, but what the reason is remains unclear. The only thing Sonya knows is that the curse Dobbs brought upon the manor must be broken.

While listening / reading, The Mirror included all the things that make a Nora Roberts book a Nora Roberts book. It was easy to pick up and follow along from the previous book without having to go back and refresh. It almost moved into a "comfort read" category.

Before going further, I really need to commend Brittany Pressley for her narration. She fully commits to the characters and the story. Each character is their own individual self. To the point where I easily forgot that there was one person narrating the whole book and it wasn't a collected cast of narrators. And it is quite a big cast of characters with a lot of smaller background characters flitting in and out that each required their own cadence and "voice". Honestly, out of all the versions available to consume this book, audio is the one I would recommend.

For better or worse what you expect is what you get. However, I wanted this middle book of a trilogy to give us more than we got. I wasn't surprised by much and a lot of the story felt like a retread of what we already knew about the brides, about Dobbs, and about the mansion itself. The few moments where something new is discovered or surmised are great and only makes me wish that we would have continued to follow that thread, but instead these instances were fleeting and only tease more to come, but with the caveat that we're probably not going to see it until the third and final book.

We get little in the way of actually figuring out how to stop Dobbs and her centuries-long reign over the manor. Instead we see over and over again the power she wields which, honestly is something we already know from the first book.

I'm really not trying to drag the story. I was fully invested in reading the entire thing and I'll admit I enjoyed it overall. I do think there is merit in reading something where the stakes aren't high. As I said earlier: comfort read. I just wonder how Nora Roberts will tie everything up in the next book when so little was given to us in this one to forward things along.

There's a lot of day to day and Sonya living her life and running her business. My favorite parts were the glimpses we get of the past and the ghosts. Honestly, I kinda just wanted Sonya to go through The Mirror and witness the past for the entirety of the book. I would have loved that. I did enjoy getting more information on the Brides themselves. I'm just waiting for whatever piece of information it is that will make the means for the resolution click into place. Unless I completely missed it, and Ms. Roberts hid a clue within the pages, this is not something we'll discover until the next, and final book.

This does actually achieve the goal of making me interested in how the story will conclude. So...well played Nora Roberts?

While I didn't quite love this as much as book one, it was still very good, and the setup for book three has me excited and intrigued. It didn't seem like as much happened in this one. However, that was fine. It focused more on character development and moving the story along. The characters themselves were enough to make this a fantastic novel. No one writes fully developed characters as well as the great Nora Roberts.They always seem so real, and you can't help but fall in love with them.

This was a beautifully written emotional book filled with magic, romance, evil curses, and a house full of ghosts that frequently show their personalities. The Mirror is an enchanting tale that brought me to tears in a few spots. I'm very much looking forward to the conclusion of The Lost Brides Trilogy.

This audiobook was narrated by Brittany Pressley, and honestly, I'm starting to run out of ways to say how amazing she is. I guess all that's left to say is that I purposely choose books based on her as the narrator. Her narration of The Mirror was as superb as usual.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley, for this ALC. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Mirror by Nora Roberts is book 2 of the lost bride trilogy.

Sonya has settled into her mansion with ease but the fact it is haunted is something she wasn’t expecting. After she passes through a mirror and it shows her the murder of a bride, she begins to see that the house is cursed and only she can break it and let all the dead’s brides move on. The family curse is an old one and one ghost in particular isn’t happy that Sonya is there.

Oohh it was so good! Book 1 was so amazing I couldn’t put it down! Her romance with Trey is beginning to really take off and I love that he understands what is going on with the house and is happy to be there for her.

The supernatural elements to the book are top notch! I love that most of the ghosts love having her there and she is respectful to them. Her friendship with Cleo is lovely and their personalities really balance each other out.

The story built more on Sonya building her business and getting more comfortable in the house and less on the spooky stuff which while entertaining, wasn’t what I wanted! I need more about the house and history and don’t get me wrong, it did give us a lot of stuff to ponder, it still left us on a cliffhanger… thank goodness the next one is the end because my heart cannot take it!

4.5 stars! Brilliant so brilliant.

Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted ebook and audio!

The Mirror is the second installment in Roberts' Lost Brides series. It picks up immediately where Inheritance left off, but by the end, I don't feel any closer to understanding Hester Dobbs or the rules of the quest Sonya has been put on. The only tension in the narrative relies on her inability to be successful, merely gathering information at this stage, but the stakes are incredibly low since there are no living brides to protect, and the dead ones are long dead. There are also recaps that take place after every single scene where anything interesting happens, immediately slowing the momentum of the story. I might read the next in this series, but at this point I'm just wondering why Hester Dobbs was so determined to haunt this place. It just feels like a lot of work for very little reward on her end.
I listened to the audiobook, and Brittany Pressley's narration is superb as always. Her Cleo was especially fun.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC!

This book is Sign of Seven series meet the Dragon Heart Legacy, a little reality, a bit of fantasy and mystery all tied together. Admittedly I did not catch that it was book two in a series, but there are enough details given to catch the reader up to the plot of the first book. The narrator is excellent, making you love the characters you want to love, and hate the characters you're supposed to hate. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

Nora Roberts never lets me down and "The Mirror" was no exception. This audiobook was very entertaining and kept me hooked all day!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I enjoyed this one as much as the first one! I love the characters and it was interesting to learn more about the different brides. I would continue reading this series.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Mirror (The Lost Bride Trilogy, Book 2) by Nora Roberts
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 448 / Genre: Ghost Thriller
Audiobook Narrator: Brittany Pressley
Duration: 13 hours 48 minutes
Release Date: November 19, 2024

In Inheritance, the first book in the Lost Bride Trilogy, Sonya MacTavish learns that she’s just inherited a haunted mansion from an uncle she didn’t know existed. Book 1 introduced all the characters in this story and ended with a cliffhanger. In The Mirror, the second book in the trilogy, we pick up where we left off. This book takes us back into the past and we get to see what actually happened to all seven of the lost brides.

As the middle book to a trilogy, I didn’t think this one was as exciting as the first book and it seemed to me the series could just end with this book. I’m not really sure what the third installment will bring. Also, I’m not a fan of historical fiction, so I really didn’t enjoy the storylines about all the past brides.

I listened to the audiobook on this one and Brittany Pressley did a fine job narrating, but I didn’t really care for her southern accent. Overall, this one was a miss for me, but that’s really more based on my personal preferences.

Thank you, Macmillan.Audio and @NetGalley for my gifted copy.

OMG I have waited a whole year for this book and I was not disappointed as a matter of fact I loved it. Plus I got to listen to it thanks to #Netgalley. The way Brittany Pressley read the story made it feel like I was right there in the house with Sonya and Cleo.

This book starts off right where the first one ends. Sonya and Owen go into the mirror to see what is happening and who is at fault for killing another Poole wife on her wedding day. What Sonya sees really has her freaked out and she starts to yell at the evil that haunts the house. Then her and Owen are out of the mirror and freaked out about it but they get a drink and tell Trey and Cleo everything that happened while they were in the mirror.

Then as the story goes on you get to find out more and more about the Poole wives and the untimely death of each women. Then one of the wives tell Sonya that she must find the seven wedding rings that were taken from them and with that clue Sonya is on the hunt for the rings and to put and end to the evil that is trying to overtake her house.

The ending was perfect and I can't wait another year for the third book. I want to find out so many things that have happened. This is a perfect series to read and listen to. Go on out and grab you a copy you will not regret it.

Two hundred years ago a curse was set into motion when Hester Dobbs, a bitter, greedy witch, murdered Astrid Granville the day she wed Collin Poole at the Poole Mansion. After, Hester jumped off the cliffs to her death as she laid a curse on any future Poole bride. Since then, every Poole bride who aspired to wed and live in the manor died tragically on the day of her wedding. Hester stole the ring of every bride since, giving her more power to keep the curse going.

The Mirror picks up where The Inheritance left off, with Sonya MacTavish, the Poole heir, entering The Mirror and reliving the events of the past, witnessing Hester take her revenge on another bride. Hester still haunts the Poole mansion, and Sonya must find a way to break the curse.

The Mirror is the second book in The Lost Bride Trilogy, a series that needs to be read in order. Sonya and her best friend, Cleo, settle into the mansion, making it their own, while enjoying life with Trey and Owen, eating, drinking, painting, working, and getting to know the community. Sounded idyllic and lovely! Not much in the way of plot movement, but it the story was engrossing. Hester continues to haunt and cause trouble, but Sonya is determined to stake her claim on the house and not let her win.

I’m hoping Sonya figures out a plan to defeat the evil witch and I’m eager to see how it all shakes out in the final book!

I alternated between an audio and e-copy and recommend either version. Brittany Pressley performed each character with a distinct voice, some with accents, and delivered with emotion that brought the characters to life! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

I really loved "The Mirror" by Nora Roberts! This is book 2 of her Lost Brides Trilogy. It is a paranormal fiction mystery.

I really think you can enjoy this book as a stand-alone even if you haven't read the first one. The main storyline doesn't conclude in this book, though, so I doubt you'll want to skip the third book.

This book gave me all kinds of happy vibes! Sonya MacTavish has inherited the Poole family manor on the coast of Maine in a small town. Her best friend, Chloe, has moved in with her. Sonya's relationship with Trey is getting stronger. Trey's best friend, Owen, is Sonya's cousin, and he likes Chloe.

The house has many friendly ghosts, like one who plays music on their phones to communicate with them, another who does housekeeping and chooses clothing for them, and a little boy who plays with her dog.

There is one very angry vengeful ghost named Hester Dobbs who wants to be the one and only mistress of the mansion. To that end, she had possibly killed off the new brides over the decades and stolen their wedding rings. Dobbs is a scary ghost!! Sonya discovers she can go through the mirror and back in time to witness some of these events.

This book is so enjoyable because of the author's skill of putting the reader right into the scene with all your senses. There are many relaxing dinners and social times with Sonya and Chloe and their men. There are dogs and a cat, too!

Ms. Roberts' female characters are strong and independent. Her plots are interesting. I highly recommend this book to readers of paranormal fiction!


Narrator Brittany Pressley did an excellent job with all the voices in this audibook!

Here's my breakdown:

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 5/5
Unputdownability - 5/5
Enjoyment - 5/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 39/8= 4 7/8 rounded up to 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Nora Roberts for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy and am voluntarily reviewing it. I almost want to say I love this book even more than the first one, but I don't think I do. I just adore that I get more information about the Poole family. This mirror gives us a lot more insight about what Hester Dobbs planned for the family. I love everything about this series. Sonya and Cleo have settled in and are fine with most of the ghosts that reside at the manor. Hester Dobbs needs to go. It is funny how they taunt her. Owen and Trey back the girls up at every step with a house full of dogs and a cat. Yes, we added a cat to the mix.

Both Cleo and Sonya are making waves on the job front. The Ryder presentation is on the horizon and Sonya is trying not to be worried about what By Design will come up with. Cleo finished the Mermaid picture and is taking a sabbatical. The girls are throwing a party. Hester Dobbs is pulling out all the stops to get them to leave, but it seems like the other ghosts of the manor are working on getting them to stay. No worries on that front. The manor is Sonya's and she will not give it up without a fight.

Can Nora Roberts write a bad book? It’s just not possible. Book #2 in the “Lost Bride” Trilogy continues the tradition of incredible books by this author. This trilogy is shaping up to be my new favorite by this author.

Book #2 begins precisely where the first book ended. Sonya is settled into her new home with her best friend Cleo and working on her new business. But the house still has more stories to tell.

This is the perfect middle book. We get to know more about the family and friends that are important to our main characters. We also learn more about the house. The house is really my favorite character in this one. There is so much history in this one, and more importantly, more about the lost brides.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from the ending of this one, but it was perfect. The stage is now set for the final book, and I cannot wait to read the ending!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to both read and listen to this amazing story! Brittany Pressley does a phenomenal job - as always - narrating this audiobook. The wait is now on for the finale. This one is out now - I highly recommend this one!