Source: Publisher
Description: When Sonya MacTavish inherits the huge Victorian mansion on the coast of Maine, she has no idea that the house is haunted. The footsteps she hears at night, the doors slamming, the music playing, are not figments of her imagination. In her dreams she sees glimpses of the past. In the present she finds portraits of brides. And when she has visions of an antique mirror, she is drawn to it, sensing it holds dark family secrets.
Then one night the mirror appears and Sonya glides through this looking glass, into the past—and sees a bride murdered on her wedding day, the circle of gold torn from her finger. It is a scene that will play out again and again—a centuries-old curse that must be broken—and a puzzle she must solve if there is any hope of breaking the curse.
Genre: Romance - Paranormal Suspense
Why I Picked This Book: I absolutely loved the first book in this trilogy and couldn't wait to pick this one up.
My Impression: I adored the first book and could not wait for this one. I love Sonya, Cleo, Owen, and Trey and I absolutely adore the house and its ghostly residents. This starts up right where the first book left off. The four friends are fully engaged with a long dead woman who has stalked the Poole family and the Brides of the Manor house for generations. The 3 dogs and the cat add some humor, and I love getting to know the ghosts a little better. I love Jack and Molly and Clover's musical editorials. I would also pay serious money for a chance to explore the Manor, and it is now at the top of my list of fictional places I wish were real!
This atmosphere in this book is perfect. It's spooky and heartwarming all at once with ghosts both good and really really bad. I love that Sonya is learning more about her family as she becomes more comfortable in the family home. The romantic relationships are really nice with great communication but what really makes this book special to me is the friendships between the four main characters.
This is definitely an in-between book. The story starts off where the first book left off and nothing is resolved by the end. I do wish I had reread the first book before I picked this one up as while there is not a huge cast of living characters there are a lot of ghosts and brides and intricacies of relationships that I couldn't fully remember. I very much enjoyed this one, but I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I had read the book closer together. I won't make that mistake for book three and am already looking forward to a reread!
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely! Roberts is one of my comfort read authors and this is shaping up to be my favorite trilogy by her.
Would I Recommend this Book? If you like a book with a little bit of spookiness, friendship, romance, and fantastic animal side characters this is a must-read trilogy.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
Would I Recommend this Book? If you like a book with a little bit of spookiness, friendship, romance, and fantastic animal side characters this is a must-read trilogy.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
I have loved many of Nora Roberts' trilogies. And this one sounds really good. I've got the first book, but not read it yet. Have been waiting for #2 at least. I'm tempted to wait until #3, but may just read these first two and then do a reread when #3 is published. Thanks for telling about it!!
ReplyDeleteGhosts and mirrors that show you the past? How have I missed this series? It sounds SO good. It would be fun to inherit a haunted mansion like this one. I need to see if my library has the first book. :D
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed many Nora Roberts books but I haven't picked up this trilogy because Ghosts may not be my thing.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart
I have this series on my wishlist. It looks great.
ReplyDeleteI share my thoughts tomorrow. I am enjoying the series and while we learned much, I am looking forward to the final book.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so good! Adding it to my tbr.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see your review. I have just started listening to it today. Like you I wish I had reread the first one, and all going well will reread 1&2 before 3 comes out. It's a place I'd really love to visit too.
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