Member Reviews
WOW . The prefect read for Halloween. The story continues from the pervious book, Loved the each interaction with most of the ghosts is so friendly and Hester Dobbs is highlighted throughout the book as the antagonistic soul. loved how they were able to travel via a mirror and witness events as they happened is in the past.
Nora Roberts always writes about strong women, they may stumble at times but they will overcome anything and everything in their path.
Thoroughly enjoyed the novel, waiting in anticipation for the next one
I was lucky enough to get an e-arc from netgalley for this book. I enjoyed the first one, which ended on a cliff hanger so was looking forward to this book.
Sadly it didn't quite meet expectations. I think it suffers a bit from middle book syndrome. The first book set up the mystery and presumably the last will solve it but this one kind of felt like not much moved forward. In the same way the characters become nonchalant about ghost shenanigans so did I. There is also a lot of a character thinks things through and then has a sudden revelation.
Overall I did enjoy the mix of cosy Rom-com and ghost story so still a worthwhile read just not as good as the first.
There was also one short scene including a pregnant women drinking as if it was a common occurrence which made me a bit uncomfortable and I honestly have no idea how it made it through the edit.
I was so excited to be given the opportunity to read and review the 2nd book in this trilogy as I loved The Inheritance. I have to say I was a little disappointed with this book. It seemed to drag and I didn’t like the amount of repetition, the same experience repeated to Cleo, Trey and Owen, the same witnessing of Hester’s jump. The gold room but only entered once. Sonya’s character didn’t build in this edition, I would have liked more focus on Cleo and her gift. However I did enjoy getting to know the brides, finding out about the relationship between Colin and Drew via the mirror and how the saga started with Arthur’s encounter with Dobbs. I am looking forward to reading the final book as I’m rooting for happiness all round.
Another excellent Nora Robert’s book, not quite as enthralling as the first book, but still a great read, continuing the haunting and murderous witch hunt. Now the wait for the final book in the trilogy….
These need to be read in order
This book picks up immediately where its predecessor left off and hits the ground running with scant explanation - so definitely read Inheritance before this one. Like the first one, it drew me in, with its atmospheric descriptions and realistic dialogue and all the little touches that signify a Nora Roberts novel (I particularly like Clover and her apt playlist choices). Only after I finished did I think it suffers slightly from being the middle one in the trilogy. We get development in the ongoing quest to rid the manor house of its troublesome ghost, but it’s so gradual and interspersed with Sonya and Cleo’s everyday lives that the book could have been cut by a quarter and I wouldn’t have felt short changed. Nevertheless I’m invested: once again it ends on a thoroughly dramatic note and I’ll certainly be reading the concluding part when it finally arrives.
I am not sure why, but I was sadly disappointed. I hoped for more progression in the storyline, but it barely did and I was just slightly bored. I love Nora Roberts writing, but this was not a book for me.
Absolutely brilliant, I re read the first book to refresh my memory and then jumped into the new book The Mirror. I was so engrossed with this book and the ongoing story of the amazing Manor House, Sonya, Cleo, Trey and Owen that I just kept turning the page and I was left gutted it had ended with such a climax. . I can’t wait for the 3rd book but know I have some time to wait.
My thanks as always to NetGalley and to the publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK | Piatkus for the early read.
I am a long time reader of Nora’s book and was very excited to have received this ARC
As always Nora is able to create the most beautiful scenes from every day life. She has a way of making the mundane so intriguing and I loved seeing the day to day lives of Sonya and Cleo.
I liked the development of the plot but I had been expecting more to happen. It felt a litttle bit slow in parts and I struggled to stay engaged
I am very intrigued by the plot and how it’s going to be resolved so will be reading the next one!
If you’re looking for a slow paced, slow burn cozy witchy read then this is great.
I have been reading Nora Roberts for more years than I care to recall and I nearly always enjoys her books. This was no exception . She does love her trilogies and whilst I don't usually enjoy cliff hangers, this book picked up seamlessly from book one.
The tragic story of the 7 brides are explored in more detail in this book along with a little more on the big bad Hester Dobbs.
I am very much looking forward to book 3 and the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
2nd in the series. Follows directly on from the first book. Uncovers more of the history of lost bride manor. Brings more of the family past and present in to mix.
Enjoyed the story and the relationships but wished it had moved on a bit quicker.
I am now ready for the final showdown but will have to wait for the next book.
I did enjoy the first book of the Lost Bride Manor series, so I eagerly awaited this book for a year.
My opinion on this book is a little divided.
I have read Nora Roberts books for a long time and I do know that most of her books have always provided me with a good bit of escapism.
This book took that escapism stretch a little too much. It was filled with so much of mundane details and fluff that was not needed and did not really contribute to the story line in any way. I suppose for a person looking for escapism, it can work, getting so caught up in other peoples' lives and what they eat and what they do in their daily lives, but even then it was in all honesty a little too much.
As for the characters, Cleo and Sonya are good friends who love each other, same goes with the friendship between Trey and Owen, and yes there is so much love all around in the manor and in the Poole Village community but at some point it got a little irritating as well.
I love animals and Yoda, Mookie and Jones was part of the attraction of the last book. In this one, I heard so much of them being let out and let in that I did get tired of that too. Cleo gets a cat, no surprises there, and I loved another animal in need was rescued albeit in a fiction, but boy, was I glad that Pye, the cat decided not to use the litter box. Otherwise another good chunk of the story would have been taken up by someone or the other cleaning the litter box out twice daily.
The dialogues I thought were a little odd and choppy. And it did not help that most of the book was made up of dialogues. The characters frequently made odd references to other characters, for example saying a person's name and then clarifying who that person is, when in all reality everyone already knew everyone. I suppose it was a way to help the readers keep tab on who is who, but it is just not how people talk in real life, and that was a little jarring.
Clover and her musical interludes were charming till they weren't anymore. But still it was a good way of expanding my musical glossary.
The only moment that was really emotional and I struggled to read through was the point when Sonya's Nan met Clover. I had to stop reading multiple times to ensure I did not start crying in public. Otherwise it was a really easy read as it was just mainly fluff as I mentioned earlier.
A couple of errors in the printing as well, but I think this would be rectified in the final version of the book before it hits the market.
Despite all the shortcomings, I still enjoyed myself and I won't consider the time reading this book as wasted time. Though by the end of book two, I am not going to be as eagerly awaiting the third book, I will most definitely pick up book 3.
My rating would be a 4.25 but I am rounding it off to four stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
I really enjoyed this but it does suffer a little bit from "book-2-of-3" syndrome! However, Sonja, Cleo, Trey and Owen gain a lot of knowledge and information from what the mirror keeps showing Sonja. She sees the deaths of all the brides and they all learn that one thing Hester Dobbs hates is having the manor full of life and laughter. So, they have an open house party! Sonja and her friends are determined to break the curse and with the knowledge they've gained, its becoming a possibility that they'll ultimately succeed. The Mirror really is the bridge between The Inheritance and Book 3. Everything is set up nicely for the final showdown with Hester Dobbs. Can't wait to read the finale!
Thanks to Netgalley, Little Brown Book Publushing, and Nora Roberts for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love a Nora Roberts novel. I love a Nora Roberts Trilogy. Usually, for each novel in a trilogy the perspective changes to the next couple to fall in love but in this series it stayed with Sonya. Although I enjoyed Sonya in the first book of the series, I was disappointed with her in this book for two reasons. Firstly, I really liked the character of Cleo and was really looking forward to getting to know more about her and seeing how she and Owen would work out as a couple. I would have also been delighted for the perspective to be from Owen himself as he is a Poole and I enjoy him as a character. Secondly, I felt that both Sonya as a character and the book in general were quite mundane and flat. There was an awful lot of repetitive 'a thing happened', then we tell the rest of the group 'the thing happened'. Endless chat about work and how much we love and appreciate each other. Even the threat of Hester Dobbs fell flat. There was no real concern of injury or loss of life. Very much a filler book that added nothing to the story and I do want to know how the story turns out because I love the premise of the 'Ghosts' haunted manor with the added bonus of a love story or two.
Great storytelling. Part two of this trilogy,can't wait for the third. A wonderful bunch of characters ,dogs,cats and spirits, included.
Great second book, so cleverly written with the back and forth with time, the bringing out more details of the past, while also moving on with the present, two strong women, that also know when to ask for help brilliant. Can't wait for the next book.
The story picks up right where the first book left out and the story just continues effortlessly. I was pulled right back into it.
Nora Roberts does an amazing job at world building and in creating a realistic and very well-rounded characters.
In comparison with the first book, this one is a little more slow burn in terms of the paranormal issues and activities, however the author does not focus just on that. She focus on the developing relationships, becoming part of the community and professional relationships. The best part, as always is the characters. The interactions between all of them main characters is very complex.
Throughout the story we learn more about the seven brides and their interesting stories, as well more about Dobbs and her interactions with them.
I can’t wait for the final book.
Arc generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.