The seven rings by Nora Roberts

Following Inheritance and The Mirror, The seven rings, the final in The lost bride trilogy, is another book that will engage fans of the hugely popular Nora Roberts. Sonya Mactavish is living in the mansion that Arthur Poole had built generations ago, a house that is haunted with the ghosts of seven brides who have been murdered, and their gold wedding rings stolen. Hester Dobbs needs the rings to keep her grip on the house and Sonya knows she must find them all to break the curse that has been put on the house. Together with boyfriend Trey, her best friend Cleo and cousin Owen, she searches the mansion for all the portraits of the brides and tries to puzzle out how banish the evil witch.

The story has all the elements for enjoyable escapism. Who wouldn’t want to live in a mansion where friendly ghosts do all the housework and gardening, as well as playing with the dog? These ghosts provide a break from the suspense as Hobbs uses her power to try and terrorise Sonya into leaving the house. But Sonya is a determined young woman who refuses to give into fear and gradually with the help of her friends begins to find clues to the mystery that surrounds the house. As usual in Roberts' paranormal books, she builds up the suspense with some frightening episodes but then ties all the threads together in a satisfying conclusion.

While the Prologue to The seven rings introduces the trilogy, it is best to read the three books in strict order to understand the events and history of the house. Fans of Nora Roberts books will enjoy the ghost story as well as the emphasis on friendship and family and may want to pursue her Eve Dallas mysteries written under her pen name of J.D. Robb.

Themes: Paranormal, Ghosts, Romance, Gothic fiction.

Pat Pledger