Thank you St. Martin’s Press, #partner, for the advanced copy of Inheritance in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Published: November 21, 2023
Summary:
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…
My thoughts:
I have been a fan of Nora Roberts for as long as I can remember, and while I have lately only been reading her stand-alone romantic suspense novels, I couldn’t resist requesting this one. This is the Nora Roberts I remember from years ago and I loved it…everything except that cliffhanger – but we’ll get to that in a minute.
This is the start of Nora Robert’s new Lost Bride trilogy and what an amazing start it is off to. It completely pulled me in from the beginning, sweeping me up in the world that only she is able to build. We have a mix of gothic vibes, a mystery and of course some romance and I could not be more invested in what is going on. Moving back and forth in time, we slowly get the history of the brides and what has happened to them, and I am loving that. The way this is being told to us, coming to Sonya, our main character in the present day, through dreams, is so fun, and while I don’t really tend to love the fantasy/paranormal elements that much, here it is completely working for me. Maybe because there is a mystery element to it, maybe because there is the gothic vibe, I’m not sure but I want more and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next installment in this trilogy, especially with the way this book ended…I mentioned there was that cliffhanger and this one was such a doozy! I totally didn’t see it coming and while it is shocking, it completely works for what has happened already.
I absolutely loved this one and will be counting the days until I can get my hands on the next installment of this trilogy. I need to know what this curse is that has haunted this house Sonya has inherited and I want more of these characters that I have already fallen in love with! And I suggest you give this one a try because I think you will love it, too!
