In the Garden Trilogy

The In the Garden trilogy is made up of three books called
Blue Dahlia
Black Rose
Red Lily

They follow three very different womens lives who have all come together by different circumstances and have a strong but strange connection to the resident ghost that has haunted the rooms for some many years.
I was at first a little unsure if i would like this book because the story line of having a supernatural edge to it, however i was completely turned around after reading the firat book. The story of the Ghost really enhanced the emotional state of each of the women and gave a wonderful story and lovely but dramatic edge to it.
I was thoroughly hapy with this trilogy and enjoyed each one, i would say that the Red Lily was my favourite of the three and i am still waiting to see if there are any books by Nora Roberts i dont like.

Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts

In this book you meet Stella a mother of two boys and wife to Kevin. She worked in horticulture, loving flowers and plants etc.
I actually put this book down after reading the first chapter because i really wasnt warming to it and couldnt feel the story line.
I waited a month and picked it up again and it read much better that time.
Stella's character at the beginning suffers a massive heart ache where her husband dies in a plane crash on his way home froma  business trip. Its absolutely heart breaking and you can really feel her pain however Nora doesnt let ou feel to sad for her for too long.
The humour of her callous mother and the decision to move back to where she came from and where her father and step mother live, gives a little light humour to the subject.

The act of moving on is clearly put accross in this book and Nora addresses the whole aspect of children loosing their father and how the strain effects them all. Nora does address the issue but doesnt make it the priority. Just like her other book the priority is Stella and her love life and the budding romance with gardner/landscape architect Logan.

He wasnt looking but he found, she infuriated him which is funny to read. They are always arguing however the underlying passion is screaming to get out.
Stellas move to the Harper house and work for Roz, the owner of a garden centre who supplies landscaping. Together with the young and vibrant Hayley who is heavily pregnant the ghost becomes more and more prominant.
Stella lives in harper house and has seen the ghost and felt her but the encounters become more and more emotional and demanding as the story progresses and the relationship between Stella and Logan gets deeper.

The ghost is a woman and as the book unfolds so does the back story of the ghost and her connection to Harper house and to the women and children who live there. Although there is a lot going on in the book the story really keeps you hanging on and wanting more. As soon as i put this book down i picked up the next.

Black Rose by Nora Roberts

Black Rose is all about Roz and her connection to this ghost. She employs a researcher who deals with family history and the unexplainable to help Stella herself and Hayley in finding out who the ghost is and how to help her move on.
He is a little odd and totally unorganised in life but very good at his job. I didnt feel as connected to this book as i have the previous ones, i am not sure if it because the characters are older and have children my age. I couldnt really realte to the characters as much as i had previously however the story was very good and you read Roz dealing with ex husbands with a certain penache and also how she and Mitch deal with the ghost and her connection to her.

Roz has three sons and only the youngest Harper lives on the grounds but hasnt had any dealings with the ghost since he was a young boy. Roz has seen the ghost as a young girl, again when she was pregnant and then when her boys were small.
There is an apparent connection to the children and being a mother but all of the research Mitch does doesnt lead to anything.

The story does keep you hanging a little and i suspected the truth would be found out in the final book. Roz's story was very good and had many action and lovely scenes in it between herself and the ghost and also with Mitch but like i said before i didnt feel as connected to this book.
I got through it quickly so i could get straight into the final book.

Red Lily by Nora Roberts

Thsi is the final book in the trilogy and in my opinion the best one. It gives the answers to the ghost mystery but not after lots of weird and slightly dangerous things happenng to Hayley the female lead in this book.
Hayley came to the Harper house as a distant relation on Roz's husbands side of the family and she is heavily taken pregnant so Roz takes her in. Hayley is a very confident and strong character in this book and i very much enjoy reading her, she is vibrant and exciting and that is probably why Harper has fallen in love with her.

Hayley is subjected to the most horrific connections with the ghost. She is possessed by her and she has very vivid dreams and experiences of her. It obvious that the ghost connects with her the most and that she is in live with Harper and how he looks ust like his grandfather who is responsible for the ghost and why she is there.

They eventually find out the reasons that the female ghost is doing what she does and that she is connected to the family.
Its a relief to find out the mystery and you kind of click and think oh yeah i guess that makes sense and you end up feeling a little sad for the ghost.

The three women are now family and from very different walks of life, Stella and Logan are married, Roz and Mitch are married and Hayley, Harper and lily are a family with a wedding to plana and a new baby on the way. This book is by far my favourite and the ongoing hillarious comic genious from David, Roz's housekeeper/surrogate son is brilliant. He offers a little light humour when needed and is one of the main characters without having a special connection himself.

A great trilogy that i will read again and again i think and i would give this series a 6/10.