Inheritance by Nora Roberts Series: Lost Bride Trilogy #1
Published by St. Martin's Press on 11/21/2023
Genres: Gothic, Contemporary Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Paranormal romantic suspense
Format: Hardcover
Source: the library
Purchase: Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Chirp
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Also by this author: Dark Witch, Shadow Spell, The Collector, Night Moves, Whiskey Beach, Jewels of the Sun, Tears of the Moon, Stars of Fortune, Tribute, The Search, Three Fates, High Noon, The Liar, Identity, Gabriel's Angel
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…
A perfect blend of wish-fulfillment fantasy, romance, and deliciously spooky atmosphere
Inheritance, the first book in Nora Roberts’s Lost Brides trilogy, provides the perfect blend of wish-fulfillment, friendship, romance, and spookiness. I loved Sonya, the main character, a spirited, entrepreneurial graphic designer who uproots her life to live in the historic manor she unexpectedly inherits on the Maine shoreline. I loved the friendly ghosts she tries so hard not to believe in, and the adorable dog she adopts (his name is Yoda!) The young lawyer, Trey, is as easy to like as he is on the eyes. His family, as well as Sonya’s newly-met cousin Owen and her best friend Cleo, are all likeable and sympathetic. Cleo in particular is delightful, and I have high hopes for a secondary romance between Cleo and Owen.
On the other hand, the malevolent ghost who haunts the mansion and intermittently threatens Sonya? She gives me chills. But just the right amount of chills to thrill, and not so many as to cause nightmares. (At least not yet. I have a feeling things may escalate in the second and third books.)
The publisher’s blurb summarizes the plot of Inheritance pretty well. Sonya hasn’t just inherited a gorgeous-but-haunted mansion, she has also inherited a family curse going back generations. And she’ll have to solve a family mystery and break the curse if she doesn’t want to become this generation’s victim.
One of the things I appreciate about Nora Roberts, particularly in the past 15 years or so, is that the suspense plot doesn’t drive the entire book or dominate the main character’s life to the exclusion of all else. Instead, Roberts’s books spend plenty of time developing the character and the character’s day-to-day life. Just like people facing challenges in real life, Roberts’s characters have to live their lives between, around, and despite whatever dangers they face. For Sonya, that means settling into the mansion, meeting and learning more about her own family, exploring her growing relationship with Trey, and getting to know the small town and its people. She’s building a life here, and that process is part of her character arc; it’s also Roberts’s way of creating the support network Sonya will need as the supernatural threat against her grows.
Another thing I appreciated is the “competence p*rn,” as Sarah from SBTB calls it. Everyone in this book—everyone who matters, that is—both enjoys and is extremely good at what they do. None of the sympathetic characters are unhappy in their job or struggling with self-doubt; no one is even merely mediocre. It’s refreshing, though perhaps a little intimidating for those of us who, well into into our adulthood, are still figuring out what we want to be when we grow up.
All in all, there’s not a single thing I would change about this book — not even the cliffhanger ending. Which, I’ll be honest, is not something I ever thought I would say. Normally I hate cliffhanger endings, but in this case I’m not really sure how else the book could have ended. That said, if you can’t stand cliffhangers, you should probably wait to read Inheritance until the second book comes out, or maybe even the third. Because this book? It will definitely leave you in suspense.
Challenges:Library Love Challenge 2024
About Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts was born in Maryland and educated in Catholic schools. She married young and worked as a legal secretary until her sons were born. In 1979, faced with a blizzard and “a dwindling supply of chocolate”, she sat down and began to write. ‘Irish Thoroughbred’ was published two years later. 30 years and over 210 books and novellas later, Roberts is one of the most popular writers of romance, romantic suspense, and (as J. D. Robb) mystery around.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Library Love Challenge 2024
Anne - Books of My Heart
I guess I should have read this one. Thanks for sharing.
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Katherine
I really enjoyed this one too and I would be pretty happy if I had a ghost like Molly who was always laying out outfits and tidying up. My only complaint is that no secret relative has died and left me an old house full of antiques and ghosts and mysteries. I can’t wait for the next book.
Lark_Bookwyrm
I had the same thought. I would LOVE to inherit an old house and the wherewithal to keep it up. Especially if it came with friendly ghosts and mysteries. (I could do without the malevolent ghost, though.)