Inheritance

Nora Roberts' latest trilogy is a good old fashioned ghost story. Whenever the spirits living in FMC Sonya's new home make their presence known - some benevolently, some maliciously - the novel sparkles. But the other subplots are dullsville. Okay, Sonya does catch her fiancé screwing one of her bridesmaids only weeks before the wedding, but she recovers quickly and the rest of her life is perfect. She has a loyal BFF, a supportive mom, and surprise! an uncle she never knew dies and bequeaths her a huge mansion in coastal Maine. Everyone she meets in her new hometown is friendly and welcoming, including the MMC, who represents the third generation of attorneys who worked with her uncle. Their romance proceeds gently and uneventfully; of course the guy is handsome, supportive, brave and thoughtful. Way too much time is spent describing Sonya's graphic design work, BFF Cleo's artwork, her new home's architecture and its interior design. As an example, here's the scintillating conversation the first time the MMC's buddy tours the house. Cherrywood, pristine. The wood's a little thirsty. This and the mermaid [statue] need a good buff with paste wax. Don't be using any supermarket spray shit on these pieces. Any of them. You can do the lemon oil, orange oil between, but once, maybe twice a year, you buff with a good paste wax.Compare that to Roberts' [b:Year One 34311452 Year One (Chronicles of The One, #1) Nora Roberts https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1488360073l/34311452.SY75.jpg 55367060], where a mysterious plague starts killing off millions of people in the first chapter...I know, not all books need to have the same tempo, but I shouldn't want to skim multiple paragraphs to get to the good stuff. The final chapters and abrupt cliffhanger ending do ramp up the paranormal eeriness. Maybe the slow start was necessary to set the scene for action-packed books 2 and 3. Hopefully, Roberts can sprinkle her magic storytelling dust and rescue this series from its sluggish beginning. Uncorrected Digital Galley received from Net Galley in exchange for honest review.