New Release Book Review: The Mirror by Nora Roberts #TheLostBridesTrilogy

 

The Mirror by Nora Roberts

Book 2: The Lost Brides Trilogy

Release Date: November 19th, 2024

Contemporary Mystery Romantic Suspense

Available at Amazon

My Rating for The Mirror: 5 Stars and a Series Recommended Read

When Sonya MacTavish was told she inherited a grand estate from an uncle she never even heard of, she was mystified but also curious. As she settles in at the estate and finds a new life in this tiny Maine town, Sonya finds a centuries old curse that has haunted her family and it's up to her as well as her friends to figure out the mystery of the Lost Brides before it ends in blood, danger and more. But when she dreams of a mirror that comes true in the daylight hours, Sonya knows she needs to follow her instincts if she is to find all the lost brides and end the curse that has haunted her family for ages. 

My Review:

When I finished book 1 in this exciting new trilogy by Nora Roberts, The Inheritance, I found myself captivated by characters and a storyline that drew me in by chapter two and kept me glued to the pages for hours until the very last page was read and done. THE MIRROR continues where book one left off and the readers continue alongside Sonya, her love, Trey and friends and new found family as they try to figure out what happened to the Lost Brides and how to beat a witch who is determined to take what she wants regardless of who dies in the end. What got to me in book two was how seamless it continues right where book one left off and Segway into something that if I am honest, made me even more excited to continue Sonya, Trey and friends stories here. So much twists and turns that made me gasp in delight, thrills and more as I continued reading immediately after I finished The Inheritance. 

THE MIRROR is one book that is as good if not more so than book one, The Inheritance. Ms. Roberts delivers another stand out book in her second book in The Lost Brides Trilogy and I for one can not recommend this trilogy enough. I'm always excited to see what this author can come up with her trilogies and I'm not disappointed at all every single time. 

If you haven't read The Inheritance, than I highly recommend you start there as book two, THE MIRROR continues immediately after that book ends. If you love romantic suspense, found family, small town charm and more then I urge you to grab this trilogy immediately as this is an author who knows how to weave a story around her readers and now I am eager to see how this all ends in book three (coming in 2025). 

About Book 1: The Inheritance

Inheritance is the first in The Lost Bride Trilogy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts—a tale of tragedies, loves found and lost, and a family haunted for generations.

1806: Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness. But before her marriage can be consummated, she is murdered, and the circle of gold torn from her finger. Her last words are a promise to Collin never to leave him…

Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew about—and that her newly discovered uncle, Collin Poole, has left her almost everything he owned, including a majestic Victorian house on the Maine coast, which the will stipulates she must live in it for at least three years. Her engagement recently broken, she sets off to find out why the boys were separated at birth—and why it was all kept secret until a genealogy website brought it to light.

Trey, the young lawyer who greets her at the sprawling clifftop manor, notes Sonya’s unease—and acknowledges that yes, the place is haunted…but just a little. Sure enough, Sonya finds objects moved and music playing out of nowhere. She sees a painting by her father inexplicably hanging in her deceased uncle’s office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as “the first lost bride.” It’s becoming clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle to be solved if there is any hope of breaking it…

Book Review- The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts

The final battle is coming as Fallon Swift leads her army of light to battle the dark back to where it belongs. Will she succeed or will the Dark win? Get ready...The Rise of Magicks is here.

My Rating for Rise of Magicks: 5 Stars and a Series Recommended Read

After the Doom destroyed the world and magick rose back to prominence, young Fallon Swift has learned its ways and honed her skills to battle the dark. Fallon has rescued countless people who have been preyed upon by government, raiders and others. Now as she gets ready for the biggest battles of her young life, Fallon will find she will need each and every one of her friends and family as she forges new allies and alliances to face an old foe, defeat the dark once and for all and for this, she will need to forge an army to back her up all the way. The battle is coming…. can Fallon find the strength to finish it and restore the balance by restoring the magical shield that once protected the world from the darkness or will she fall as darkness spreads? Get ready, the end is coming and it’s one you won’t want to miss out on.

WOW is all I can say as I read the final book in the Chronicles of the One trilogy and am just blown away at how the author, Nora Roberts, tied up all the loose threads and formed a story that just blows you away. With action & adventure, romance, mystery and more, Ms. Roberts delivers a spellbinding story that just left me staring into nothing once I finished it. It was that damn good. If you haven’t read this trilogy before, I caution you to start with book one, Year One and go from there. The second and final books continue the story line and you will be lost a little as past events are mentioned a few times from the past two books in book three. THE RISE OF MAGICKS is one hell of a finish and one I devoured within a day. It kept my attention and left me smiling, crying and more. I am in awe over Ms. Roberts foray into the dystopian/postapocalyptic genre and she literally made it her own in these three books. Such a different thing from her to her readers but one she did amazingly well. I was just blown away with all three books.

THE RISE OF MAGICKS gives us a few years after Of Blood and Bone ended and the final battle is looming between Fallon and the light and the darkness that cover the world. With nonstop action, characters that just blow you away old and new, a story that just flows so smoothly, you have no idea how long you are reading until you look up and find hours passed. Fallon has spent years honing her gifts and powers, leading battles and learning to be a leader as well as a young woman. The final battle is coming and if she doesn’t succeed, light will be gone, and the dark will rule. My lord, I never loved a character as much as I did with Fallon and her mother, Lara. Since the first book, Year One, I rooted for Lara then Fallon to succeed and win the day. The characters that we meet in Year One and Of Blood and Bone are just amazing and a few new ones come into play in book three that just left me agape as it really gives the story some fresh new directions to go into. This is an author who knows what works for her and her readers. I love how unique, multidimensional and more the characters are. There is love, friendship and loss sprinkled throughout the series so be prepared with tissues because I can attest, I cried more than once while reading THE RISE OF MAGICKS.

This is an author who captivated her readers from the first page to the last and I, for one, am one of her biggest fans around. The Chronicles of the One is so different and fresh that I just could not put all three books down at all. I don’t want to give away anything, so I am hoping this whet your appetite to know more about the trilogy. If you are looking for a new series to enjoy this holiday season, then run to grab The Chronicles of the One series and hunker down because I guarantee it’s going to be a bumpy ride. You are going to love the many main characters that surround Fallon even as you hope she kicks some darkness butt with the bad guys. I can’t wait to see where the author goes next year in her new trilogy. I highly recommend THE RISE OF MAGICKS and this tied up every loose end with a satisfying epilogue that left me smiling and full of peace for the characters.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

The Chronicles of the One Trilogy:

Book 1: Year One

Book 2: Of Blood and Bone

Book 3: The Rise of Magicks

Book Review- Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts

A wildly intriguing first book in a new trilogy from the acclaimed Nora Roberts.

My Rating for Stars of Fortune is 3.5 Stars

Artist Sasha Riggs has been haunted for over a year by dreams and nightmares, of people she has never seen or met so when she gives in and decides to follow what her dreams are saying, she is at the Island of Capri where she meets the five people she has dreamed of for over a year. Six strangers must form a cohesive unit and find the three stars that fell from the sky. If they don’t, then the worlds will tremble and crumble as the darkness gathers to drive out the light. With the help of a magician, a loner, a stranger, a fighter and an architect, Sasha finds the strength to accept this mission from the gods and try to thwart an evil so deadly, it will kill to get to the stars. But the question remains, can these six people find a way to trust one another with their secrets even as they fight to the death?

I adore Nora Roberts when she writes these trilogies. It gets me through the times when her next big JD Robb book isn’t out yet and I can get my fix this way. But with STARS OF FORTUNE, we get the same formula as her previous trilogies but with a setting that is as lush as it is delightful. I got to give this author credit, she manages to create some interesting storylines for her trilogies that just pull me in after awhile and with a cast of characters that I fall in love with. That said, I got to drop the rating for this first book a little because it does feel like ‘same old, same old’ here. We got light vs. dark, evil wanting to keep the prizes and rule the world and characters where at least one or two feel like I have read about them before. Every so often there comes a time where this prolific author just feels like they are returning to a tried and true formula and is checking off boxes. Over all, I fell into the story after I figured out who was what and the fight that these characters faced. I loved how a few of the characters were a tad different in a way that made them fresh and intriguing. I am eager to see what Annika, Doyle and Sawyer have up their sleeves as well as see who they fall in love with.

But for this first book, we meet all the players though Sasha and Bran are the center of book one. Bran is a magician though he has secrets that over time come out to the rest of t he group in surprise. Sasha is a see, dreams things that can come true and is shaken to her core over the strength these dreams and nightmares have been the last year. What she didn’t expect was finally seeing the five people she painted come to life and join her in a quest that could kill them all. I loved the connection between Bran and Sasha but what got old quick was Sasha constantly telling herself she is weak and needing to be stronger. For me, Sasha was strong, stronger than she even knew but Bran’s constant reassurances got old really quick. It was borderline whininess and neediness that I had to kill the urge a few times to not yell at the book or smack Sasha repeatedly. I liked the characters dynamic with one another and how they, after a period of time, formed a bond that just grew stronger with each page being flipped. The characters are quite strong and each unique enough to avoid the same old thing we see sometimes in other stories in the same genre.

STARS OF FORTUNE was an intriguing story that drew me in after a few chapters and I got invested I the characters as they raced to find the first star before the evil goddess who wants it for their own nefarious purposes. Ms. Roberts delivers an entertaining story that will keep you glued to the pages until the very end. Now I can not wait to read book two, Bay of Sighs, and see where this dedicated group of strangers goes next.

The Guardians trilogy is as follows:

Book 1: Stars of Fortune

Available at Amazon

Book 2: Bay of Sighs

Available at Amazon

Book 3: Island of Glass (Coming December 2016)

Pre-Order at Amazon