Nora Roberts’ The Lost Bride Trilogy continues with THE MIRROR. Considering that THE INHERITANCE ended on a huge cliffhanger, there are sure to be many fans who couldn't wait for this follow-up to be released. Sonya MacTavish and her cousin, Owen, step through a magic mirror that serves as a portal to other times in the Poole family history.

Reading THE INHERITANCE is a must. Roberts does not add a lot of backstory, so it's even a good idea to reread the first book to remember who’s who in the 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. Sonya’s father was the twin brother of Collin Poole, whose wife died on their wedding day. The brothers never met in real life, but they knew each other through the magic mirror and shared visions of the past. Both were talented painters, and Sonya is also artistic.

"I can't wait to read the finale and find out how Roberts will end it all.... There's plenty of mystery and romance, with cute dogs and a cat sprinkled in. What more could you expect from a trilogy?"

THE MIRROR starts with Sonya's first trip into the mirror, and she will enter it many more times throughout the novel. During each instance, she learns more information about what happened over the course of the Poole family history and how the tragic deaths occurred. She sees history unfolding, along with death after death, as they happened. She also sees the Dobbs witch gloating and celebrating after each death. This all 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 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. There’s even a ghostly gardener. I want one!

True to the nature of many middle books in a trilogy, THE MIRROR serves to move the story forward while not featuring any truly climactic events. We learn more about the family history and see how the romances of Sonya and Trey, and Cleo and Owen, 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; in fact, a lot of the story is about the women's day-to-day movements. The two men really like beer, and Coke seems to be a favorite of the women, which is sometimes mentioned three times on just one page. I'm guessing Roberts really likes Coke! Sonya's business endeavors also play a part in the novel 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 3am 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 Sonya’s daily activities 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 makes her displeasure known.

But right up until the end, 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 certainly will stick around for the ending. A minor complaint and wish for the third book? More dialogue with clear attribution as to the speaker, so the reader doesn't have to read ahead to know who is talking. 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 lots of dialogue without knowing where it’s coming from can be confusing on occasion.

I can't wait to read the finale 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, most importantly for a romance, will Sonya get married at the manor home without losing her life? There's plenty of mystery and romance, with cute dogs and a cat sprinkled in. What more could you expect from a trilogy?