RED LILY

Author: Nora Roberts ISBN: 0515139408 12/2005 PARANORMAL/CONTEMP Publisher: JOVE
Time Period: Contemporary with flashbacks to the 1890's

Three women learn that the heart of their historic home holds a mystery of years gone by, as number-one bestselling author Nora Roberts brings her In the Garden trilogy to a captivating conclusion, following Blue Dahlia and Black Rose. A Harper has always lived at Harper House, the centuries-old mansion just outside of Memphis. And for as long as anyone alive remembers, the ghostly Harper Bride has walked the halls, singing lullabies at night... Hayley Phillips came to Memphis hoping for a new start, for herself and her unborn child. She wasn't looking for a handout from her distant cousin Roz, just a job at her thriving In the Garden nursery. What she found was a home surrounded by beauty and the best friends she's ever had-including Roz's son Harper. To Hayley's delight, her new daughter Lily has really taken to him. To Hayley's chagrin, she has begun to dream about Harper-as much more than a friend... If Hayley gives in to her desire, she's afraid the foundation she's built with Harper will come tumbling down. Especially since she's begun to suspect that her feelings are no longer completely her own. Flashes of the past and erratic behavior make Hayley believe that the Harper Bride has found a way inside of her mind and body. It's time to put the Bride to rest once and for all, so Hayley can know her own heart again-and whether she's willing to risk it...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I've finally introduced myself into the world of Nora Roberts. After hearing about her books for years—it's all been good, mind you—RED LILY came my way. I was determined to find out just what it is about Ms. Roberts' writing that makes her such a popular author with a diverse pool of readers.

RED LILY wasn't at all what I expected it to be. It begins in the 1890's with the story of a mistress who obviously was ill used, and then switches effortlessly into the modern day. The plot revolves around the modern day Harper descendents' search for the mysterious "key" to a ghost's continuous haunting, and the developing romance between a modern-day Harper and Hayley Phillips, the temporary house guest of the current Harper family.

Not having read the previous books in the In The Garden trilogy, BLUE DAHLIA and BLACK ROSE, I found myself at a definite disadvantage when reading this concluding book. In my opinion, series books should always incorporate enough from their predecessors to keep the reader from feeling lost. In RED LILY I definitely had moments where I felt I was missing something, let alone off the track when previously occurring incidents in BLUE DAHLIA and BLACK ROSE were referred to in various chapters.

While I love Ms. Roberts' writing style—it's rock solid, the characters are intriguing and relatable, and the dialogue she writes is exemplary—in the case of RED LILY I would advise reading the other two books in this series before attempting to tackle this one.

Nancy Davis