Much Anticipated

Thought the novel would never be released. But, thankfully it was and it is all that I imagined it would be. Once again Nora Roberts delivers an excellent novel. Passionate,turbulant and wonderful. I am also recommending to the reading community: Fire In The Ice and One Night Of Sin

A GOOD LISTEN - ROMANCE AND THE PARANORMAL SEEM REAL

With her In The Garden Trilogy author Roberts has created a strong, resourceful heroine, Roz Harper. It's obvious from her voice performance that Susie Breck understands her characters well because that's exactly how Roz comes across - as a forty-something gal who won't even let a ghost stand in the way of what she wants. Breck makes romance warm and even the paranormal seem believable.

Black Rose, the second in Roberts's trilogy finds Roz still living at the old family mansion outside of Memphis. Her gardening business, In The Garden, is successful and she's surrounded by friends. However, there's still the question of that pesky specter, the Harper Bride, who walks around the house as if she owns it.

Hoping to rid the mansion of this unwanted apparition, Roz hires genealogist Dr. Michael Carnagie to trace the family history, and perhaps discover what so troubles the Harper Bride that she won't leave the current occupant in peace.

After being widowed and then divorced, Roz isn't looking for love again but surprises herself aby being attracted to Dr. Carnagie. The feeling is more than mutual. But, as their relationship grows so do the manifestations from the Harper Bride.

Black Rose is a good listen and whets appetites for answers that will be found in the final book in the trilogy.

- Gail Cooke

Nora? Are You OK?

It feels like blasphemy for me to give less than 5 stars to a Nora Roberts book, particularly one of a trilogy, which I always love; one about gardening, a particular passion of mine; and one with a ghost in it, which Nora always handles so well. But, much as I don't want to say it, "Black Rose" bored me to tears.

This second offering in the "In the Garden" trilogy starts with a charming note to readers from Nora herself, all about her own love of gardening, and I liked that better than the entire book. It felt real. But, just like "Blue Dahlia" before it, "Black Rose" is lacking something, I'm not sure what. It just doesn't read like a Nora Roberts novel. There is no spark. There is no verve. There is no passion. Yes, the story of Roz, a very likeable character, and her growing love for the research professor, Mitch Carnegie, should be passionate. We met these two in the last book. But for the life of me, I couldn't see the attraction. It just didn't ring true.

Yes, the ghost is interesting, and certainly "comes alive" (in an ethereal sense, of course!)in this book, much more so than in the last, but not enough to make me flip the pages faster and faster.

I love the other women, Hayley and Stella, but I found myself turning to the back of the book to see how much more I had to read. This is unheard-of as far as a Nora Roberts novel is concerned. Is it me? I'm anxious to see what other reviewers are thinking and what I have missed.