INHERITANCE Review

Author:  Nora Roberts

Series: The Lost Bride Trilogy

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Release Date:  Nov. 21, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

Many thanks to St. Martins Press for an arc.

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.

Review:

I'm such a fan of Nora Roberts's trilogies and was delighted to learn that her new Lost Bride book is indeed the first in a trilogy in the  fantasy/paranormal genre.  Even better, it's the tale of a Victorian mansion haunted by deceased brides who were murdered on their wedding day which is indicative of an intriguing mystery.

INHERITANCE is the story of graphic designer Sonya MacTavish and the subsequent events that occur when she learns that her deceased father had a twin brother she never knew of, and that uncle has left her a haunted mansion on the Maine Coast with the stipulation she live there for at least three years.  Sonya is at loose ends having just broken up with her cheating fiancé who's making her life miserable at their mutual place of employment.  Making a life altering decision, she travels to Maine where she can work freelance, meets with Trey the young lawyer handling the execution of her uncle's Last Will & Testament, and immediately falls in love with the stunning mansion even with all the strange occurrences.  Trey is upfront about the house's history of dead brides and ghosts, but Sonya feels like she's finally found her place in the world and moves in.  To say that things go bump in the night is an understatement, but Sonya takes it all in stride until she meets the one malevolent spirit who's tries to drive her away.  By this point, she's made new friends, garnished new business and maybe, just maybe, found new love so she sets out to solve the puzzle of the missing brides and hopefully help the bride spirits cross over.  Who were the brides?  How did they die?  Can she break the spell cast over the next bride before it's too late?

Nora Roberts signature style of writing is evident in INHERITANCE with well-developed characters, an intriguing plot line and mystery to be solved.  The gothic setting with a haunted mansion harboring spirits and years of secrets takes on a lead role like another character as tension builds with the escalation of the fury of the bad spirit.  Sonya is a strong, reliable female lead, and support characters like Trey and best friend Cleo round out a great cast.  The tone is eerie, and the pace increases steadily as Sonya draws closer to uncovering the truth of the past murders.  While I enjoyed Sonya and Trey as a couple, their mutual attraction falls a bit flat in my opinion, but I'm thinking that will be rectified in books two and three.  Being the first book of a trilogy, one can expect that this book ends on a cliffhanger, but I wasn't prepared for how huge a cliffhanger it would be as it literally stops in the middle of a major event leaving readers clamoring for the next book.

INHERITANCE is an intriguing, highly atmospheric fantasy mystery that's impossible to put down.  Roberts's creativity in plot lines never ceases to amaze me as does the inclusion of a strong, tenacious female lead interacting with and supporting other females.  The author is a master at incorporating past history of characters, their ancestors and setting in rendering a unique, highly entertaining mystery complete with ghosts and spirits and things that go bump in the night.  I can't wait to see where the author takes these characters in the next two books of the Lost Brides trilogy.  Highly recommended to fans of Roberts and readers who enjoy the fantasy genre.

Synopsis:

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…