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Red Lily (In the Garden #3)

4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 · rating details · 19,067 ratings · 454 reviews

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, th...more

Mass Market Paperback, 351 pages

Published November 29th 2005 by Jove (first published October 1st 2005)

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May 24, 2012 Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: anne-booklady-105-books-in-2012, thriller-mystery, spring-2012, sci-fi-fantasy, womens-fiction, coffee-n-books-105-in-2012

...more

by Nora Roberts

4 Star Trilogy

Nora Roberts introduces 3 women whose lives become intertwined: Roz, the elegant 40 something Southern belle and owner of Harper House/In the Garden nursery and retail store; Stella, the 30 something mother and perfectionist Yankee is manager of In the Garden: while Hayley is the pregnant 20 something distant cousin of Roz and also works at In The Garden. The store and gardening/gardens are very prominent in the trilogy. For those who don't like gardens or gardening, you won't like all of NR's descriptions and gardening details.

The Harper Bride and her story is a wonderful ghost story and her presence, the mystery of her identity, and what happened to her become paramount to the three women, especially when romance finds each woman. Roberts blends romantic suspense and a ghost story to lead the reader to last sentence in the trilogy.

The Blue Dahlia focuses on Stella who loses her husband and is left to raise her young sons. She moves back to Memphis to be closer to her father and step-mother while she manages Roz's In the Garden. Stella learns she must live in Harper House with Roz and David. She worries about her sons when she hears a lullaby sung by no-one she can see, but feels the chill of the Harper Bride. She is driving crazy everyone at work, especially hunky Logan. When Stella and Logan make a connection, the Harper Bride invades her dreams. Could the Bride-always benign in the past-hurt Stella by harming her boys and Logan?

The Black Rose is Roz's story, though Stella and Hayley are still living at Harper House. Stella is still lovingly General Rothchild and Hayley still amuses everyone with her charming naiveté and factoids. Roz loves being an honorary grandmother to Stella's boys and Hayley's Lily, but needs more and turns to her In the Garden business to create a new 'baby' for herself. Sexy Dr. Carnegie now can devote his time to the Harper Bride mystery and to Roz herself if she'll let him. But Bryce and the Harper Bride have other plans. Roz's reputation, business, and life are in danger. Could Blood kill blood? As Mitch Carnegie gets closer to Roz and the identity of the Harper Bride, the Bride grows more demonic and dangerous.

The Red Lily finishes the Harper's Bride story using Hayley as its prominent character. The Bride finds Hayley's sympathy and flesh inviting. Harper, Roz's son, finally admits to himself and to Hayley that he too loves her since he first saw her. Hayley feels the same towards Harper, but will she risk their friendship and his life to be with him? Lily is already calling Harper, Daddy, much to the displeasure of the Bride. Harper looks so much like Reginald, and must die. Will Hayley follow her heart or will she protect Harper from the Bride? Whatever she does, Hayley knows the Bride will be out of women's lives for good.

The Black Rose was the BEST in the Trilogy, while Red Lily was the weakest. In Red Lily, Hayley became a caricature of her character than in the other books. The character was crasser and less confident. In The Garden was perfect, despite major destruction in The Black Rose. Roberts tells her readers that the garden will be important in each book in her letters to the reader. Either Roberts lost her focus or was up against a hard deadline; however all in all the Trilogy is worth reading. I give 4 stars on this Trilogy.

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Apr 05, 2011 Talya rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my favorite in this Trilogy.

At first I thought the trilogy got off to a bit of a slow start for me in Book 1, Blue Dahlia. But for me trilogies seem to hit the ground running and suck me right in, or it's a slower build when the groundwork is being laid and the characters are introduced.

I felt the trilogy built on itself and got better and better with each story, and this was a very fulfilling conclusion. When nearing the end I felt like I knew these characters and didn't want the story...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Kara Jorges rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really hate to give Nora Roberts low marks on a book, but this one leaves me no choice. Instead of a neat wrap to a compelling trilogy, it was more of a dragged-out ending to a story that just didn’t stretch far enough. In “Blue Dahlia” we met the whole crew starring in this series and got an introduction to the Harper Bride, who haunts Harper House, where most of them live. In “Black Rose” we learned more about the Harper family, and how the Harper Bride fit into it. In this book, the rest of...more I really hate to give Nora Roberts low marks on a book, but this one leaves me no choice. Instead of a neat wrap to a compelling trilogy, it was more of a dragged-out ending to a story that just didn’t stretch far enough. In “Blue Dahlia” we met the whole crew starring in this series and got an introduction to the Harper Bride, who haunts Harper House, where most of them live. In “Black Rose” we learned more about the Harper family, and how the Harper Bride fit into it. In this book, the rest of the secrets about the Harper Bride were revealed, but as to the romance, it felt like a rehash of things we already read in books 1 and 2.

Hayley Phillips appeared at Harper House in “Blue Dahlia,” pregnant and alone in the world. She’s a distant cousin by marriage of Roz Harper, the mistress of Harper House, and the owner of the gardening center she started. Even six months pregnant, Hayley caught the eye of Harper Ashby, Roz’s eldest son who lives in a guest house on the property and works with grafting and other technical aspects of running the garden center. Hayley’s daughter Lily was born in the second book, and loves Harper like she would a daddy, so Hayley is fearful if she follows her feelings for Harper that everything will get messed up and she’ll have to leave her wonderful new home. When she finally acts on her feelings and finds that Harper reciprocates, there isn’t much more to be said. So, instead of having their budding relationship develop, there are too many scenes where Hayley discusses her feelings with Roz, while going on and on about how odd it is to discuss her love life with her lover’s mother.

Meanwhile, the Harper Bride is becoming a lot more than a benign ghost who sings to children and breaks the occasional dish. Amelia, as the ghost is known, starts to inhabit Hayley’s body and mind, often sliding her own peevish thoughts in with Hayley’s, and showing Hayley the world through her twisted view. Because of this, the crew at Harper House becomes a bunch of amateur psychologists who analyze the whys and wherefores of the ghost’s thoughts, feelings, and lifestyle. In short, it became a bit much. I half expected them to call Dr. Mira for her input, but they appeared to have it all worked out themselves, all the way down to determining that the resident ghost really wouldn’t have been a good mother after all. I also just didn’t care for the way the final showdown with the ghost went down. It was too obvious what was going to happen, as well as being a bit anticlimactic.

Naturally, a person can’t read the first two books of this trilogy and skip the third. Just don’t expect as much from this one as the first two. All three books are filled with likeable and admirable characters. It just felt as if the story had already been told by the time we got to the third book.
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Aug 24, 2012 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

True confession: I do enjoy Nora Roberts' romances. Though I feel morally obligated to rate them low because of the portrayal as good of things that I, as a Biblically-oriented Christian, believe to be wrong (such as crude and/or blasphemous language, graphic fornication, occasionally homosexuality as in this trilogy), there are 2 things I think she does well that I appreciate (and seem to keep coming back for, despite the other stuff).
First, she does a great of handling female beauty and self-i...more True confession: I do enjoy Nora Roberts' romances. Though I feel morally obligated to rate them low because of the portrayal as good of things that I, as a Biblically-oriented Christian, believe to be wrong (such as crude and/or blasphemous language, graphic fornication, occasionally homosexuality as in this trilogy), there are 2 things I think she does well that I appreciate (and seem to keep coming back for, despite the other stuff).
First, she does a great of handling female beauty and self-image issues. It's all about positive spin, and throughout her numerous books she manages to celebrate every type of woman with every conceivable skin tone, hair color, body build, etc., making it sound lovely without being dishonest. While she isn't working from a biblical perspective, I think she's got this area a lot more right than many Christians. Granted, her focus on the physical is out of perspective, because, hey, it's romance novels. But if we women could get our heads around the fact that God made us beautiful and designed us each as unique and perfect for His plan for our lives, and learned how to value what we've been given rather than whining and pining after what we haven't, we'd be a lot happier and healthier in a lot of ways.
Second, she does a great job of handling community. The big draw of her books isn't, for me, so much the male-female central character dynamics; more often, the families and friends steal the show. These people are in each others' lives day in and day out; they laugh and cry together, praise and berate each other, talk about all the little details of everything, and are just generally there and real with each other in a way that makes me hungry to know and experience the same. (I wouldn't mind the romance either!) Again, her perspective here isn't Bible-based, but I think she has the right idea, and we Christians need to step up in this area as well, take notice, take notes, and take action. It's pretty sad to envy book characters their friendships.
This trilogy in particular isn't, in my opinion, one of her best; the insane ghost makes me less than interested in suspending my disbelief. But I love the character interactions, the sense of community.(less)

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Jan 11, 2012 Cyndy Aleo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, magical-realism

Oh, Nora Roberts of the swoony heroes; you got me with Red Lily .

::: The Plot :::

We first meet Hailey in the first book of the In the Garden Trilogy, Blue Dahlia, when she shows up at Roz's (the heroine of the second book in the series) house -- a distant cousin related by marriage in the way only old Southern families seem to keep track of -- pregnant, alone, and looking for work.

We've known from the first book that Harper, Roz's oldest son and the one who shares her love of gardening and wor...more Oh, Nora Roberts of the swoony heroes; you got me with Red Lily .

::: The Plot :::

We first meet Hailey in the first book of the In the Garden Trilogy, Blue Dahlia, when she shows up at Roz's (the heroine of the second book in the series) house -- a distant cousin related by marriage in the way only old Southern families seem to keep track of -- pregnant, alone, and looking for work.

We've known from the first book that Harper, Roz's oldest son and the one who shares her love of gardening and works with her at her garden shop, is attracted to Hailey, but until Red Lily , Hailey is occupied with being a new, single mother and adjusting to her new life working at the garden center and living in Roz's home.

But as Hailey's feelings for Harper spark, so does her link to the house's resident ghost, Amelia, resulting in the creepiest of the three books, and a romance between the two that might be torn apart by the ghost herself.

::: Hokey? I'll Take It :::

Okay, reading that description makes it sound ridiculous, and on the surface, any ghost story, especially with a ghost who changes her M.O. as often as Amelia does, pretty much is. But where Roberts excels is in making Harper such a swoon-worthy guy you could have the entire cast of Barney singing "I love you" at a wedding and you'd barely even notice the purple dinosaur suit.

Harper is that guy: willing to take on a woman with a child who isn't his; perfect even in his imperfections of a quick temper and an often clueless demeanor when it comes to dealing with women; and wanting so badly to be the chauvinist who takes care of his little woman, yet able to step back when he realizes she can take care of herself.

Of the three books, as usual, I love the third one the best, because Roberts seems to always save her favorite hero for the final book of a trilogy. I may have to turn in my Girl Power card for saying it, but Harper is enough to give anyone the vapors. This book -- and really, the whole trilogy -- are a guilty pleasure you shouldn't feel all that guilty about indulging in.(less)

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Mar 26, 2011 Tracy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance

~* 3.5 Stars *~
Over one hundred years ago, a young woman on the brink of insanity...or just beyond it...disappeared without a trace. Her ghost haunts the house and grounds of the Harper household and has for as long as anyone alive can remember. Most who have seen or heard her speak of the care she shows to the children of the house, singing lullabies to the young and offering a comforting presence to young mothers. But there is a darkness, too, and when lullabies become edged in madness and com...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Susan O'Bryant rated it 5 of 5 stars

Red Lily is the third and final book in Nora Roberts' In the Garden Trilogy. It's quite rare for a book or series to be so good that it keeps me up late at night. But Nora certainly came through again with this wonderful set. I read them straight through.

Set in and around Memphis, Tennessee, the In The Garden Trilogy is about three women (Stella, Rosalind, and Hayley) who come together seemingly by chance. All three have quite a bit in common, but all three are unique as well. Stella is a sort o...more

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Feb 19, 2010 BarkLessWagMore rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, romance

I was pretty confused when I first began this audiobook but once again here I am coming into a series at the end . . . The book starts out in the past. A mistress, who apparently has lost all good sense, decides to chase down her infant son whom she was told died. She shows up at her lover's home, mumbling incoherently to the sleazebags wife that she wants her son back. The ticked off wife admits that she has the son and is none too happy about it, let me tell you, but must do her duty and raise...more

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May 08, 2013 Darlene rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished reading this book, the last in the trilogy. Must say it was just as good if not maybe better then the previous ones. This one focused on Haley, whereas the first book focused on Stella, the second one focused on Roz. In this one, Haley becomes more sensitive to the Harper Bride-Amelia. Several times, Amelia "takes over" Haley's mind and body, making her say things that she (Haley) would never say. Many of the times were when she was with Harper or thinking about him. As the story...more I just finished reading this book, the last in the trilogy. Must say it was just as good if not maybe better then the previous ones. This one focused on Haley, whereas the first book focused on Stella, the second one focused on Roz. In this one, Haley becomes more sensitive to the Harper Bride-Amelia. Several times, Amelia "takes over" Haley's mind and body, making her say things that she (Haley) would never say. Many of the times were when she was with Harper or thinking about him. As the story goes on, they learn more about who Amelia was and speculated about how she may have died and her connection to the Harper House. When Haley learns she is pregnant with Harper's baby, she fears that Amelia wants that baby as her own. Together, Haley, Stella and Roz decide to take on Amelia and go to the third floor of the house alone to find out what happened to her. There, Haley sees and feels what happened to her. After they go back downstairs to the men, they talked about what the vision could possibly mean. They discovered that Amelia had entered the house, found her way to the nursery, which was on the third floor during that time, she went to her baby that was taken from her, told him that they would never be apart again. Her intentions were to kill the both of them so they could be together forever. A nursemaid discovered her there, just as she was ready to hang the two of them and managed to take the baby before she did, but she herself was killed. They figured out where her body may have been hidden because there were no death notices to indicate that she had died and been buried anywhere in the county. They decided to look in the pond, because the image Haley had was dark, sort of floating/falling. Harper decided to go into the pond to look for her. Just when he was about ready to quit, he found her. Only, she attacked him, trying to kill him. He reminded her of the baby's father because Harper resembled him. She felt nothing but hatred towards the man who had taken her son away from her. Harper wasn't able to speak to her physically, so he used his thoughts to communicate with her, telling her that he was from her blood, her sons blood. He even cut his hand to show her his blood. He told her that they were there to find her, to try and correct a wrong and give her the peace she needed. In the end, she released Harper and left. They brought her remains up from the bottom of the pond and was able to finally bury her in the family cemetery, next to her son. She was buried with a rattle and picture of him. I enjoyed reading these three books. The bringing of three women together, who didn't know each other, to live in the same house, work in the same place, fall in love with three amazing men, but yet shared a connection to the Harper Bride in a different way. The only one with a blood connection was Roz. But she connected with Stella and Haley too because they were mothers who loved their children. She thought she was protecting them from men because to her, all men were liars and cheaters and just used women to get what they wanted. She never felt the love from a man and that sort of enraged her. These were a good paranormal/romance sort to read and enjoyed them thoroughly. Almost wish there was one more to sort of "wrap" everything up as to if Amelia finally was at peace and not "haunting" Harper House anymore. Would truly love to read one more in this series. (less)

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Aug 24, 2012 Jacob Proffitt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, steamy

My least favorite of the trilogy, but it's not a bad book, I don't think. Since Hayley has been my favorite of the three women of In the Garden, I'm sad I didn't like her book better. There's a lot to like with a perky, optimistic girl facing difficulty with a smile and willingness to dig into the hard work to get where she wants to be.

Unfortunately, there were two large facets of the novel that really grated on me. First, and unsurprising if you've read my reviews of the other two, is Amelia Co...more My least favorite of the trilogy, but it's not a bad book, I don't think. Since Hayley has been my favorite of the three women of In the Garden, I'm sad I didn't like her book better. There's a lot to like with a perky, optimistic girl facing difficulty with a smile and willingness to dig into the hard work to get where she wants to be.

Unfortunately, there were two large facets of the novel that really grated on me. First, and unsurprising if you've read my reviews of the other two, is Amelia Connor. The ghost hunt takes center stage for much of this novel as the group homes in on who she was and why she might be sticking around beyond death. How anybody can maintain any degree of sympathy for Amelia after learning the details of her life and death is beyond me. Selfish people harming innocent others don't get to play on my sympathy, I'm sorry, they just don't.

Second, while Harper is an enigma through most of the first two novels, he didn't improve any on further acquaintance. Yeah, he's great with Lily and has a sincere attachment, even love, for her and Hayley and that's all good. But he is also one of those guys who thinks autocratic declarations and unilateral action are not just manly but good and even right. I'm sorry, but I just do not find those traits attractive in a man and that put a lot of distance between me and his relationship with Hayley. Yes, she's the perfect partner for him because a) she doesn't give in to those episodes and let him have his way and b) she doesn't hold them against him, either. And yes, he provides Hayley with love and unconditional support (when he isn't all autocratically unilateral and stuff). Still, his fits of macho were off-putting and uncomfortable to me.

Still and all, Roberts excels at showing the good in her characters, as well as their flaws, and the story was entertaining enough to grab and hold my attention despite those things I didn't like. And in the end, that's all I really ask for.

A note about Steamy: Again, the steam was pretty light in this novel. I wonder if this series was deliberately lighter steam than normal for some reason—an experiment for Roberts, maybe? It seems striking that all three would have fewer and shorter explicit scenes than I find “normal” for Nora Roberts.(less)

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Apr 24, 2013 Darcy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, audio-book, ghosts, listened-to-at-work, romance

There were lots of awkward parts to this book, but they were the best parts. I loved how uncomfortable Haley and Harper felt when they had to talk to Roz and Mitch about things that happened to them due to the ghost. I probably shouldn’t have liked those things as much as I did, but they made me laugh. I did love how Roz did her best to make both kids feel more comfortable.

I was surprised by how active and real the ghost became with this book. It seemed like with each new piece of info Amelia b...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I purchased the trilogy as a set. Blue Dalhia, Black Rose, Red Lily. With my Kindle I prefer all three at once; as I know I will read them anyway. For me Nora Roberts is comfort food. Macaroni and cheese, roast beef, using a recipe you have used for many years. Occasionally you change it up a little for various reasons. Certainly three women who become close as sisters is pretty regular stuff for Nora. Substitute three men again brothers or close enough as friends to consider themselves brothers...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: family, ghost, romance, romance-mystery

Hayley and Harper get to finish the trilogy... Lily is a year old, and Hayley and Harper are self denying their attraction for one another, rationalizing that the other is not interested and that it wouldn't be right as one is houseguest of the other's home... but with a push from Stella, Hayley decides to make an overt try - and Harper responds deliciously well... Harper is probably the most romantic of the three books - as he sets up their first night together, and as he proposes to her later....more

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Sep 26, 2012 Ismaa Khan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: magical-realism, womens-fiction

This is the last book of In the Garden Trilogy by Nora Roberts. This one I would classify as Women’s Fiction – Magical Realism genre, instead of chick lit, or pure Romance. It gives a great mix of romance, (with toned down sex scenes unlike her other books,) bonds of friendship, family love, emotional moments, funny repartee, lots of interesting information about flowers and gardening, and last but not the least a vindictive yet pitiful ghost thrown in for good measure.

It’s an easy read and qui...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Jeanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

When it comes to romantic plots, Black Rose and Red Lily are even more original and audacious than Stella's story, and for this reason I possibly like them both better than the first book. The latter focuses on the feelings we've seen growing throughout the whole trilogy between Hayley, a young pregnant woman (later a young mother), and Roz's oldest son Harper.

For capable, hard-headed heroines, just read Nora Roberts. Even Red Lily, despite Hayley's youth, doesn't belie this statement. Three wom...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: in-2012

The last bits of this book are definitely not something one should read at night without something at one's back to protect from scary ghosts.

… The possession was interesting. Very interesting. And Hayley is probably my favorite of the women. Not sure what to think about Harper, to be honest. I like him and his grafting. And I was a bit surprised when I knew what he was talking about when he was explaining hybridization (I went through a plant phase, same as I did with animals).

Wow. Amelia was t...more

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Feb 18, 2011 Bridget rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am not going to review every Nora Roberts book that I have read in the past because she is quite prolific and it would get redundant and I honestly cannot remember all the plots. I think someone finds someone else attractive but at least one cannot admit it so there is sexual tension, then lots of sex, and then they live happily ever after? Sometimes there is some magic , a family legacy, or a mystery. Certainly not great works of literature (however still 100% better than “the grapes of wrath...more

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Jan 07, 2010 KindleKay rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-read, 2010

This was, by far, my favorite book of the trilogy! Of course, this is the book where the storyline comes to a head and all my questions got answered, so I suppose that will always make a book better...but I also enjoyed so much the romance of Hayley and Harper. (I called that way back in book #1, by the way)

The wrap up of the Harper Bride was unexpected and thrilling. I could not put the book (Kindle) down and that is exactly how a good mystery should be!

This trilogy as a whole was a very enjoy...more

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May 29, 2013 Jessa951 rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. The ghost story & love story all intertwined to make a beautifully suspenseful book. i couldn't put it down! the love story of Hayley and Harper is so cute, sweet and beautiful. It's what love's all about. Then adding the closure to the ghost story--it was so intense! My only beef, is Nora's thing for making people go through childbirth while possessed from a ghost. She did this in Midnight Bayou and i thought then it was a bit much. Having birthed 3 children myself, i'd h...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Krissy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I didn't see the possession angle coming. When I finished Black Rose I had assumed that Red Lily would bring Amelia manifesting herself in more obnoxious ways. Using Haley as a conduit to show Amelia's life and heartache is interesting.

I don't see how finding Amelia's body is enough to end her restless wandering, but it works. I like the end funeral scene, and the feel of this series.

Good gardening tips. I'll have to bring these over for Kelly to take a look at.

One thing I'd like to note, from...more

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Jan 22, 2008 Janna rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have read and enjoyed every book from Nora Roberts. She is one of my favorite authors!! The Garden Trilogy was very good, some love, some romance and a bunch of mystery.

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Sep 17, 2007 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Love this series. Present day setting-three single women brought together by circumstances and how they each find friendship and love. Ghost story intertwined.

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Oct 08, 2012 Yeshma rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great trilogy about the lives of three women connected by destiny to find the identity of a ghost. Sounds creepy, but it was a very good story all together specially the part about the plants, flowers and the art of gardening. I didn't think i would actually love a book with a ghost haunting a house. a ghost who displays almost all kinds of emotions; be it sadness, anger, love, hatred, pity and much more. Really liked the way Roz, Stella and Hayley bonded even though they were not really family...more

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Oct 04, 2009 Wyma rated it 3 of 5 stars

The last in the trilogy and in some ways the best? the heroine is engaging, fun, youthful. There really are blue dahlias, black rose, and red lily it turns out: they are being hybridized in the nursery In the Garden, by the old family mansion where all 3 of the women have lived at one time in the trilogy. Each woman has her own book, her own special flower, her own bouts with the ghost, and her own lover who becomes her own husband. The ghost becomes more prominent in the last book and quite a b...more

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Jun 13, 2010 Vanessa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nora-roberts, mp3, own, keep, 2010-finished, paranormal-ghosts

I'd forgotten how much Hailey whines in this book after listening to it again, but still it gets 5 stars. It's a great trilogy, the end's pretty exciting, and I'll probably listen to it again someday. I listened to this particular one because I just received the mp3 through bookswap. The reader could have done a better time differentiating the characters; most female readers have more of a problem with the men, which is understandable. Luckily there weren't that many characters to deal with and...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Tina "coffee and books" rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, paranormal, part-of-a-series

I really, really loved Harper and Lily's story. Harper is just about the sweetest man I've read. He's real, he knows his flaws and doesn't try to hide them. He does, however try to control them. It takes a special man to love a child and to truly appreciate them, especially when that child is not of their own blood. Hayley is precious. She works so hard to be a good mom and provide for her daughter. She appreciates and doesn't take for granted those that help her. Yet, she always keeps her compa...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Connie N. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gardening, paranormal-ghosts, romantic-suspense

An exciting end to the In the Garden series. Love the characters in all of these books, but Harper and Hayley are my favorites, and I was so happy to watch them develop their relationship. Very warm and loving people, surrounding by a warm and loving extended family. That's what so special about this trilogy--the people are loyal and caring and strong. I loved David, the gay housekeeper, he is so fun and fun-loving and nurturing. I wish there were another book in the series to focus on him. The...more

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Mar 04, 2010 A.J. Caywood rated it 4 of 5 stars

Of the three books in this trilogy, RED LILY is my favorite. Robert's flair for weaving together multiple characters and their relationships is very well done. The suspense of the story reaches its peak in this book and doesn't disappoint, plunging Hayley deep into Amelia's tortured world. I couldn't read fast enough to find out what was happening next. I do find that many of Robert's characters are very much alike from book to book, but the interesting storylines and strong women characters kee...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Judy Collins rated it 2 of 5 stars

Red Lily was ok but not the best by Nora Roberts. A combination of southern women, romance, historic past, and a ghost from years ago causing them problems. Three women learn that the heart of their historic home holds a mystery of years gone by, 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 ha...more

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Jun 18, 2013 Aarati rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-paperbacks

This book made me go "Aww.." in quiet a few places. An absolutely delightful read. Of the three men in the trilogy-Logan, Mitch and Harper, it goes without saying that I love Harper the most. He is so sweet and amazing and oh so romantic. There was more of Amelia the ghost in this book than in the 1st two in the trilogy. But that inclusion of Amelia adds to the beautiful relationship that Haley and Harper share. There is a certain kind of spunk in their relationship. While the other two books ha...more

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Origin in Death
by J.D. Robb

About Nora Roberts

aka
J.D. Robb
Sarah Hardesty

Eleanor Marie Robertson was born on October 10, 1950 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. She was the youngest of the five children, also the only girl, of a marriage with Irish ancestors. Her family were avid readers, so books were always important in her life. She attended a Catholic school and credits the nuns with instilling in her a sense of discipline. During her sopho...more aka
J.D. Robb
Sarah Hardesty

Eleanor Marie Robertson was born on October 10, 1950 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. She was the youngest of the five children, also the only girl, of a marriage with Irish ancestors. Her family were avid readers, so books were always important in her life. She attended a Catholic school and credits the nuns with instilling in her a sense of discipline. During her sophomore year in high school, she transferred to a local public school, where she met Ronald Aufdem-Brinke, her future first husband.

In Augusy 17, 1968, as soon as she had graduated from High School, Eleanor married, against her parents' wishes. The marriage settled in Keedysville, Maryland. Her husband worked at his father's sheet-metal business before joining her parents in their lighting company. While, she worked briefly as a legal secretary. "I could type fast but couldn't spell, I was the worst legal secretary ever," she says now. After their sons, Dan and Jason, were born she stayed home. Calling this her "Earth Mother" years, she spent much of her time doing crafts, including ceramics and sewing her children's clothes. The marriage ended separating, and they obtained the divorce in January 1985.

In February 1979, a blizzard in forced her hand to try another creative outlet. She was snowed in with a three and six year old with no kindergarten respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate. During the now famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write down one of those stories. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981 as Nora Roberts, a shortened form of her birth name Eleanor Marie Robertson, because she assumed that all authors had pen names.

Eleanor wrote under the pseudonym Jill March a story for a magazine titled "Melodies of Love".

Eleanor met her second husband, Bruce Wilder, when she hired him to build bookshelves. They were married in July 1985. Her husband owns and operates a bookstore in Boonsboro, Maryland called "Turn the Page Books". Since that time, they've expanded their home, traveled the world.

In 1992, she decided adopted other pseudonym so to publish a futuristic-suspense novels, she first decided to use the pseudonym D.J. MacGregor, but she discovered that this pseudonym was used by another author. In 1995, her first "In Death" serial novel was published under the pseudonym J.D. Robb, the initials "J.D." were taken from her sons, Jason and Dan, while "Robb" is a shortened form of Roberts.

Eleanor has also been known as Sara Hardesty, because when the "Born In" series was released in U.K. it carried that name instead of Nora Roberts. She has since changed publishers.

Eleanor has been plagiarized by another best-selling romance writer, Janet Dailey. The practice came to light after a reader read Nora Roberts' "Sweet Revenge" and Janet Dailey's "Notorious" back-to-back; she noticed several similarities and posted the comparable passages on the Internet. Calling the plagiarism "mind rape," Eleanor sued Janet Daily. In 1997, Janet, admitted to repeatedly plagiarizing from Nora Roberts' work, and that both "Aspen Gold" and "Notorious" lifted heavily from Nora Roberts's work. Both of those novels were pulled from print after Janet's admission. She acknowledged the plagiarism and blamed it on a psychological disorder. In a settlement, Janet paid Eleanor an undisclosed sum, which Eleanor donated to the Literacy Volunteers of America.

A founding member of the Romance Writers of America (R.W.A.), she was the first inductee in the organization's Hall of Fame. She also is a member of several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the (less)

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59821.Red_Lily?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362364238l/59821.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59821.Red_Lily?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Red Lily by Nora Roberts[/url]

Red Lily (In the Garden #3)

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