Red Lily (In the Garden, Book 3) by Nora Roberts Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Red Lily (In the Garden, Book 3)
Book Review: Disappointing 3rd book in the Trilogy
Summary: 3 Stars
I love Nora Roberts and eagerly await her books and generally read them in one setting. This one, I had a hard time getting into, I kept putting it down to read later, it couldn't hold my attention. Unlike the first 2 books, I will not be rereading this one. Book Review: Still not Up To Par
Summary: 3 Stars
As with Blue Smoke, its pretty obvious the way things are going to turn out- ie, Haley with Harper. So there is no suspense there. The story of the ghost was much more interesting, but I do think Nora has trouble writing unlikable characters. The ghost becomes so appalling you are to be glad she was killed. Most people have alot of the gray area- her bad characters do not seem to. This trilogy was dissappointing to me- I did not feel transported to the world of the characters. Still, as always, any Nora book is a good book, but she has spoiled us with so many good ones, we notice the not so good ones.Book Review: A fitting conclusion for the In The Garden trilogy
Summary: 5 Stars
Harper Ashby and Hayley Phillips have been circling around their attraction for each other for quite awhile now. Neither wants to ruin the special friendship they have established, but both crave for something more. The chance to love each other is there and they are going to grab it with both hands. Along with Hayley's young daughter Lily, Harper and Hayley start to form a family.
However, all is not right at Harper House. Amelia, the ghostly presence that has lived in the house since the late 1890s is getting more violent, more unpredictable. She's been taking over Hayley's body, using Hayley in order to get her story across. It's taking a heavy toll on Hayley, along with Roz and Stella and company. This close knit group must find a way to rid Harper House forever of Amelia's ghost, while also providing a fitting ending for a woman who was treated shabbily in life. Can they do it, or is Amelia destined to haunt Harper House forever?
Red Lily is the fabulous conclusion for Nora Roberts latest trilogy. This is a truly creepy novel, more so in my opinion than previous Roberts' trilogies have been. The way Amelia subtly and slyly takes over Hayley's body is spooky to read about, but is counterbalanced nicely by the blooming relationship between Hayley and Harper. Also enjoyable for this reader was catching up with the other tenants of Harper House.
This is by far the best of the three stories, and even if you weren't all that thrilled by Blue Dahlia and Black Rose, as I myself wasn't, I think you'll find Red Lily to be a fast-paced, and action packed romance that definitely shows off Ms. Roberts romance talent once again.
All in all, this is suspenseful and romantic tale that will keep you on the edge with the mystery surrounding Amelia.
Book Review: A truly satisfying conclusion on all counts!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you haven't been reading the "In the Garden" trilogy, I highly recommend the first 2 books. This can be read stand alone as enough background is given with the setup and first few chapters. The series follows the stories of 3 women who come to live at Harper House in Tennessee and are at various stages in their lives: Stella who had been suddenly widowed and left with 2 young boys in Michigan and moves back to the place of her birth to get a better job and be near her father and wonderful stepmom; Rosalind (Roz) Harper Ashby who is 45+ and has raised 3 boys to adulthood and started her own nursery business, "In the Garden" when she was widowed and finally Hayley a very distant cousin of Roz's who comes to her 6 months pregnant and unmarried to get a job at In the Garden. Roz, Stella and Hayley have formed very close bonds of friendship. By this third book, Roz and Stella are married and all 3 have encounterd the "Harper Bride" ghost. They have worked hard with Logan, Mitch and Harper and Dave to identify the ghost. They know her name is Amelia and that she was most likely a mistress to Roz's Great-grandfather. In the first two books, Roz and Stella find new loves and are married. Now Hayley has her 14 month old daughter Lily and is working hard but finds herself with the "hots" for Harper, Roz's oldest son who works at In the Garden behind the scenes mostly doing propagation and making hybrids and so on. Harper has also been attracted to Hayley for sometime but thinks SHE thinks of him as a brother and so has not made any moves.
As Hayley and Harper begin to act on the attraction they feel, time, Amelia's ghost is making herself more known to Hayley and sometimes in a very dramatic "possession" type of way. This becomes very scary and unnerving to both Hayley and Harper.
I felt Nora Roberts did a wonderful job and both the romantic lines and the investigations into learning the full truth about Amelia!! NR did a great job also describing Hayley's daughter Lily and her antics and relationship with Harper. Harper's love for Lily too was wondefully done with humor and affection. The real detective work and contributions by Mitch, Hayley, Roz and Harper to uncover the full and complete truth and put things to right were right on the money. I also love how NR keeps some humor in her stories which helps bring realism to even this "ghost" story!!
A fun read!!
Book Review: Not so much romance as mystery
Summary: 4 Stars
I too, like most who've read the first two books, eagerly awaited Red Lily. I was glad Roberts didn't spend the whole book with Haley and Harper pining for each other--she was straightforward and to the point with that. The book though focused on the more important plot line--that of discovering who Amelia Conner was and what happened to her. I love all Roberts books and wasn't disappointed by this one.