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In Inheritance, the first book in her Lost Bride trilogy, author Nora Roberts took readers to a stately manor that’s still home to generations of its former residents—and one greedy witch, who’s set on keeping it all to herself. And in the follow-up, The Mirror, the battle for Poole Manor rages on.
The story returns to the town of Poole’s Bay, Maine, where Sonya MacTavish is settling into the huge (and haunted) Victorian mansion that she’s inherited from the uncle she never knew existed. She’s brought her best friend, Cleo, to live with her, and she’s found both love and family in this beautiful coastal town as she builds a new life and grows her new business. But the manor continues to be haunted by the ghost of Hester Dobbs, an evil woman who wants to control it—and Sonya is determined to stop her.
The second book in the trilogy follows Sonya as she continues to make Poole Manor her own—despite the occasional outbursts from Dobbs, who wants the home all to herself. She continues to build her business while also planning a huge event to welcome the people of Poole’s Bay into her new home. She becomes more accustomed to the ghosts who share her home. And, occasionally, she’s called back into the mirror that magically appears throughout the house to witness the life of another one of the seven cursed Poole brides.
While the eerie yet entertaining tone of the first book in the trilogy continues, though, Sonya’s story seems to be in a holding pattern in the follow-up. She experiences more haunting, she occasionally battles Dobbs, and she gets to know more about her family and the women who were killed in the manor through the generations. But none of these things seem to build the action and tension of the story. It still has a fun mix of romance and humor and the supernatural, but it seems to suffer from the dreaded sophomore slump. While it’s still an enjoyable read, it just feels like not much happens to propel the story into its conclusion.
The Mirror may not be as tense and suspenseful as the first book in the trilogy, but it’s still an entertaining read. Readers who enjoyed Inheritance will still enjoy continuing Sonya’s story—and reading more about these lovable characters—and they’ll be eager to see how it all comes together in the trilogy’s upcoming conclusion.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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