Editorial Content for The Seven Rings: The Lost Bride Trilogy, Book 3

Set on the rocky coast of Maine, in a beautiful manor house filled with ghosts, THE SEVEN RINGS wraps up Nora Roberts’ The Lost Bride Trilogy. Some of the ghosts are members of the Poole family who owned the mansion. Others worked there, and their spirits still inhabit the spacious rooms. But there is one entity that doesn't belong, an evil spirit, who longs to possess the house and is willing to eliminate anyone who gets in her way. She killed seven Poole brides and stole their wedding rings, and she is intent on being the mistress of the mansion.

In the first book, INHERITANCE, we meet Sonya MacTavish, who has been chosen by her uncle, Collin Poole, to inherit the mansion and a huge estate on the condition that she live in the manor house. Sonya doesn’t know that she is part of the Poole family because her father had been adopted as an infant. She had been engaged to a coworker, but she broke it off when he cheated on her with her cousin. When she moves to Maine, she meets Trey, the son of her uncle's best friend, and they become romantically involved.

"The book is quite touching as Roberts brings to life the entities whose lives were lost too soon, but whose love will live on forever."

Sonya convinces her friend, Cleo, to move into the huge house in Maine, and they each adopt a pet: a dog for Sonya and a black cat for Cleo. Cleo becomes romantically involved with Owen, who is Sonya's cousin and Trey's best friend. They also meet the many ghosts who inhabit the mansion. All, with the exception of Hester Dobbs, are kind and helpful.

Clover, who is Sonya's grandmother, communicates through music and plays songs appropriate for different situations. Roberts' use of music to convey not just words but also emotions is brilliantly done. There is also Jack Poole, who died at a young age. Owen and Trey bring their dogs to the mansion. All the dogs (along with Cleo's cat) play together, and Jack loves throwing balls for them to fetch. As we learn here, Jack is also an artist, like Cleo and Sonya.

In this last piece of the trilogy, Roberts slowly brings the story forward while immersing us in the daily lives of Sonya and Cleo. Roberts shares Sonya's work in graphic design as she continues to grow her business, working on the accounts she has won over. Cleo has a newfound enjoyment in cooking and preparing meals for herself and Sonya, as well as their significant others.

Of course, Roberts is known for her romances. So we get two budding romances that come to fruition in THE SEVEN RINGS. And while the machinations through which the four will vanquish the diabolical Hester are shrouded in mystery until the end, what is clear from the start is that the romance will end happily ever after. So long as they can stay alive against the witch's malign efforts.

Sonya decides that one way to rid the manor of Hester’s evil spirit is to fill the mansion with life and happiness. She and Cleo host parties and invite family and friends. Assisted by Trey and Owen, they clear out the ballroom that has been used as storage for all the furniture and belongings of the centuries of residents. We read a lot about the different treasures they find in the attic, the ballroom and other rooms.

Hester tries to frighten Sonya away, but Sonya is determined to free the mansion from Hester. In doing so, she believes that she also will free all the spirits who have become stuck there. The magic mirror, a portal to the past, is important in the climax as Sonya must travel through time to best the witch.

Finally, at the end of THE SEVEN RINGS, we witness the clever scheme that Sonya and Cleo have devised to finally rid the estate of the malicious Hester Dobbs and her presence. The book is quite touching as Roberts brings to life the entities whose lives were lost too soon, but whose love will live on forever.