“The Mirror” is the second book in “The Lost Bride” trilogy, and considering that the first book in the series, “The Inheritance,” ended on a huge cliffhanger, there are sure to be many fans who couldn’t wait for this book to be released. And sure enough, it does begin just where the first book left off, after main character Sonya and her cousin Owen had stepped through a magic mirror, which in the story serves as a portal to other times in the Poole family history.

Reading the first book in this trilogy is a must. Roberts does not add a lot of backstory, so it’s even a good idea to reread the first book in the series to remember who is who in this story, which features seven dead Poole brides and many other characters. The entity behind their untimely deaths is Hester Dobbs, a witch, who for over 200 years has haunted the Poole family, determined to be the mistress of the huge mansion they have called home. In the first novel, we meet Sonya McTavish, whose father was the twin brother of Collin Poole, whose wife died on their wedding day. The brothers never met in real life, but Roberts lets us know that they knew each other through the magic mirror and shared visions of the past. Both were talented painters, and Sonya is also artistic.

The second book starts with Sonya’s first trip into the mirror, and she will enter it many more times over the course of the novel. Each time, she learns more information about what happened over the course of the Poole family history and how the tragic deaths occurred. She sees history happening and sees death after death, as they happened. She sees the Dobbs witch gloating and celebrating after each death. And all that makes Sonya more determined, with the help of her best friend Cleo and their now-boyfriends Trey and Owen, to defeat the witch and stop her from haunting the home that Sonya loves.

There’s a lot to love in that huge, gorgeous mansion sitting on a clifftop on the coast in Maine. Fabulous gardens, a two-story library, more rooms than can be counted on hands and toes, and, perhaps best of all, ghosts that do the dishes, play music, and lay out clothes for wearing. We find out there’s even a ghostly gardener. I want one!

True to the nature of many middle books in a trilogy, this novel serves to move the story forward while not featuring any truly climactic events. We learn more about the family history, we see how Sonya and Trey’s, and Cleo and Owen’s, romances develop. Owen is a Poole cousin, so he is able to enter the mirror with Sonya at times and witness the events as well. We read a lot about their daily routine, and in fact, a lot of the story is about the women’s day-to-day movements. We learn the two men really like beer and Coke seems to be a favorite of the women in the story, sometimes mentioned three times on just one page! I’m guessing Nora Roberts really likes to drink Coke. Sonya’s business endeavors also play a part in this story as we read about her working on new accounts she’s gotten for her business.

The haunting of the manor home is well done, with smoke, screaming, nightly 3:00 am leaps off the cliff by the witch as she reenacts her actual suicide after cursing the manor, and the friendly spirits, including a boy who plays fetch with Sonya’s dog. There’s plenty to read about as we see the daily activities of Sonya while she works and while she and Cleo plan for their big open house, inviting the townspeople to the manor for a big party. The witch is not pleased with happy people in the house, and she makes her displeasure known.

But right up to the end of this novel, we don’t know what Sonya, Cleo, Trey, and Owen will be able to do to rid the house of the witch’s curse. That will be left to the last book in the trilogy, and those who have read the first two hefty novels will certainly stick around for the ending. A minor complaint and wish for the third novel? More dialogue with clear attribution as to the speaker, so the reader doesn’t have to read ahead to know who is speaking. Roberts uses dialogue a lot: to demonstrate the characters’ attitudes and feelings, to move the plot forward, and simply to share what they are doing. But occasionally, lots of dialogue without knowing who is speaking can be confusing.

I can’t wait to read the final book and find out how Roberts will end it all. Where are the wedding rings that the witch stole from each bride? Will Sonya have to find the rings in order to end the curse? Will the witch, whom we see kill several people in addition to the brides, murder anyone else in Sonya’s time? And importantly for a romance, will we get to see a bride, Sonya, get married at the manor home without it costing her her life? There’s plenty of mystery and lots of romance, with additional cute dogs and a cat. What more could any trilogy ask for?

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.