The Lost Bride Trilogy
1. INHERITANCE by Nora Roberts
SYNOPSIS
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 himβ¦
Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew aboutβand 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 birthβand 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 Sonyaβs uneaseβand acknowledges that yes, the place is hauntedβ¦ 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 uncleβs office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as βthe first lost brideβ. Itβs 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 itβ¦
2. THE MIRROR by Nora Roberts
SYNOPSIS
When Sonya MacTavish inherits the huge Victorian mansion on the coast of Maine, she has no idea that the house is haunted. The footsteps she hears at night, the doors slamming, the music playing, are not figments of her imagination. In her dreams she sees glimpses of the past. In the present she finds portraits of brides. And when she has visions of an antique mirror, she is drawn to it, sensing it holds dark family secrets.
Then one night the mirror appears and Sonya glides through this looking glass, into the pastβand sees a bride murdered on her wedding day, the circle of gold torn from her finger. It is a scene that will play out again and againβa centuries-old curse that must be brokenβand a puzzle she must solve if there is any hope of breaking the curse.
3. THE SEVEN RINGS by Nora Roberts
SYNOPSIS
Long ago, Arthur Poole built a grand house overlooking the turbulent ocean, in a Maine village that bore his name. Today, Sonya MacTavish lives in that houseβa manor that has been cursed for generations. Within its walls, she has witnessed the deaths of seven brides and the thefts of seven wedding rings. And now, to break the curse and banish a malevolent spirit once and for all, a difficult task must be completed.
After Sonya, her boyfriend, Trey, and their friends are forced to hear, seeβand feelβthe suffering of the houseβs many ghosts as their torment is reenacted by the evil presence, their bond only strengthens and their anger is renewed. Refusing to let her spirit be broken, Sonya searches each room for clues to her ancestorsβ hidden story, putting the picture together, unearthing small treasures, and uncovering the moments of joy that existed among the sorrows. Sheβs determined to bring light to this haunted placeβto fill it with people, with life and hope, once again.
But the enemy in the black dress continues to hover, to come at her in frightening forms. They may be illusionsβbut illusions can be powerful enough to wound and kill. She feeds on fear, and lies are her weapon. This dark-hearted witch wants to be mistress of Poole Manor, at any cost. And Sonya will need to fight a battle across two realms to finally take possession of the house on the clifftopβand of her own futureβ¦