There’s a reason Nora Roberts is one of the most beloved authors of women’s fiction, and her newest release is “Inheritance,” the first in The Lost Bride trilogy. The story begins about 200 years ago with the prologue, where a newly married Poole bride is brutally murdered shortly after her wedding. The narrative then moves. to the present and we meet main character Sonya MacTavish. She is about to find out that her fiancé is cheating on her. She provides clues that the guy she’s marrying is definitely no Prince Charming, so it’s actually a relief when she finds proof that he’s not the guy she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

Shortly after that, Sonya finds out that her father, who had been adopted, had a biological twin brother. That twin brother left Sonya, his niece, the Poole manor home, a centuries old huge family home on the coast of Maine. Sonya is a graphic designer, and she had met her fiancé at work. When he reacted poorly after she canceled their wedding and started trouble at the office, she quit her job and decided to freelance, so learning that she needed to live in the manor home for three months if she wanted it was not a difficult decision.

Her mother and her best friend Cleo support her decision. But what they don’t know is that the manor house is haunted, and after Sonya moves in, we read about unsettling events that occur in the house. It’s fun reading about the scope and grandeur of the house with different parlors, a music room, a library, solarium, ballroom, offices, huge dining room, and many, many guest suites on the second and third floor.

While there is an entity that is definitely malevolent, there are also others who are helpful. I’d love a personal spirit who would clean my dishes and make my bed! What Roberts does with music and the entities is filled with humor.

Of course there’s romance, and Trey, a local lawyer and family friend to her uncle and Sonya’s new-found family, is everything we’d want for a love interest. Sonya’s best friend Cleo moves in with her and together they try to investigate the supernatural phenomena that is happening. A Poole bride dies in every generation. Sonya’s paternal grandmother died in childbirth at the manor, and her father’s twin brother’s new bride died after falling down the stairs. Seven brides have died since the house was built, and the woman at the center of the deaths is Hester Dobbs, who is the evil entity inhabiting part of the home. She’s evil and frightening. But there are also supportive spirits who make Sonya feel at home.

At over 400 pages, the story flies by as the action and the narrative flow. But at the end, be prepared, because there is a huge cliffhanger on the final page. It’ll be hard to wait for the sequel.

Please note: This review is based on the advance reader’s copy provided by St. Martin’s Press, the publisher, for review purposes.