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    Blue Dahlia
    Blue Dahlia
    Blue Dahlia
    Audiobook10 hours

    Blue Dahlia

    Written by Nora Roberts

    Narrated by Susie Breck

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Against the backdrop of a house steeped in history and a thriving new gardening business, three women unearth the memories of the past in the first novel in #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts’ In the Garden Trilogy.

    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…

    Trying to escape the ghosts of the past, young widow Stella Rothchild, along with her two energetic little boys, has moved back to her roots in southern Tennessee. She isn’t intimidated by Harper House—nor by its mistress. Despite a reputation for being difficult, Roz Harper has been nothing but kind to Stella, offering her a comfortable place to live and a challenging new job as manager of the flourishing In the Garden nursery.

    As Stella settles comfortably into her new life, she finds a nurturing friendship with Roz and expectant mother Hayley and a fierce attraction to ruggedly handsome landscaper Logan Kitridge. He’s difficult but honest, brash but considerate—and undeniably sexy. And for a sensible woman like Stella, he may be just what she needs….

    Don’t miss the other books in the In the Garden Trilogy:
    Black Rose
    Red Lily

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMay 16, 2017
    ISBN9781543610871
    Blue Dahlia
    Author

    Nora Roberts

    Nora Roberts is the bestselling author of more than two hundred romance novels. She was the first author to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Since her first bestseller in 1991, Nora's books have spent more than two hundred weeks in the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print, published in over thirty-four countries.

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    Reviews for Blue Dahlia

    4/5

    866 ratings37 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a good start to another trilogy, with a wonderful story of loss, love, and second beginnings. The romance is great and keeps the reader's attention. Although one reviewer didn't feel the typical 'Nora Roberts book' feeling, overall the book is enjoyable and the characters' emotions are well portrayed."

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      A good start to another trilogy. Cannot wait to get into book 2. Brilliant!!
    • 4/5
      Good read - typical Nora Roberts series - but what I like most about this book is that Stella's first - deceased - husband is not discredited in any way, which so often happens in other books where a widow or widower finds new love. Stella and her kids are 'allowed' to keep loving him as well as Logan.
    • 3/5
      Didn't like it very much. I didn't get that "Nora Roberts book" feeling while listening to it. If I didn't know she wrote it, I wouldn't guess.
    • 3/5
      Great romance . Kept my attention. I love reading or rather listening to the characters emotions.
    • 5/5
      A wonder story of loss ,love and second beginnings!!Thank you Nora Roberts for a truly wonderful beginning to another great series!!
    • 2/5
      This made me want to rate the Ireland trilogy by Nora Roberts much higher than I did in comparison to this one. The romance and setting were not compelling. I would have given this one star, but I gave it another because I liked the unconventional family built at Harper House. And at first, I was like, "cool, there's a ghost in this story!" But what a pointless dud that turned out to be. I thought the ghost issues were going to be nicely resolved, and we were going to find out more about Amelia, but no. Plus I don't know if it was supposed to be some shocking revelation that the ghost was Amelia a few pages from the end. It was blatantly obvious Amelia was the ghost because otherwise what would have been the point of the prologue? Maybe more will be in the next couple books. I'm kind of tempted to find out especially since the prologue ended with a mystery, but then what really happened was never revealed.

      I kind of glossed over all the nursery/flower details in this book just because that's not my thing. I'm sure I could like gardening if I actually took the time to do it, but as of now, I'm completely unfamiliar with most of it. But I think people who are really into gardening would enjoy the book because of this.

      I cringed during the dialogue when Logan invited Stella to Graceland. When I lived in Memphis, very few natives were Elvis fans, and many had never even visited Graceland in their lives (my husband being one of them). It's completely a tourist thing. The only big Elvis fans I've met who live in Memphis are people who moved there because of Elvis, LOL. Also, I couldn't tell if NR was just changing the name of the famous, touristy BBQ restaurant or if she just couldn't remember it from her own trip to Memphis. As far as I know there's no famous BBQ restaurant called the Reunion, but there is a very popular one called the Rendez-Vous. She did fine with Beale Street though.

      The biggest kick I got out of this book was that Harper was a student at University of Memphis! He actually would have been going there at the same time I attended school there! I doubt that's ever going to happen in another book I read, let alone there even being a mention of U of M.
    • 3/5
      A "comfort" book--like comfort food. Enjoyable, a nice way to spend time while cleaning, baking, packing and folding laundry.
    • 1/5
      I tried, I swear. Stephen King praised her in his EW column, and I thought, "if Steve King likes her, she must be good". Wrong. I could not stand the lazy characterizations and descriptions, the tired plotting. It's not that it's cliched. I LOVE cliches. It's just so damn poorly written. So I quit. Which I hate to do, but find myself doing more and more often.
    • 4/5
      A nice mix of Southern gothic and straight up romance. Love the little boys.
    • 3/5
      I found it enjoyable and predictable, so it was everything I was looking for. Simple, romantic, and much like comfort food.
    • 4/5
      Nora Roberts never writes a bad or even a mediocre book. They are also well done and the characters are at least likable for the most part. I always like characters that become your friends that you look forward to seeing again in other books. I do have to admit that I like her suspense books more than the garden variety, (no pun indented), romance novels. Of course I like almost anyone's suspense novels more than anyone's romances. I thought the ending was cut a bit short but I guess that was to make room for the sequel. I'm not sure I will continue with books 2 and 3 but I eagerly await her In Death books that she writes as J.D. Robb.
    • 3/5
      Blue Dahlia is an emotional book that tells the story of going on with a life after tragedy strikes and is full of new beginnings that leaves the reader what to know whats happens next in the story.
    • 4/5
      3.5 starsA couple of years after Stella’s husband dies in a plane crash, she and her two sons move to Tennessee, where her father and stepmother live. Stella quickly finds a job (and a place to live) with Roz, who owns a gardening company. Roz also owns a huge old house, complete with a resident ghost, who seems to enjoy children. Logan, another employee of Roz’s, and Stella get off to a bad start; Stella is super-organized and is trying to organize Roz’s company, and Logan is not. I enjoyed this. It wasn’t fast-moving or anything, but it was enjoyable. I liked the ghost story, in particular. This, being the first in the trilogy, didn’t come to a full conclusion and we can already figure out who will be paired up with whom in the next two books, but that’s ok. I’d like to continue and I certainly want to learn more about the ghost story!
    • 4/5
      This was a re-read for me, and just as enjoyable the second time. In this book, we are introduced to Stella (a widow with 2 young sons who is an organized, efficient mother and manager), to Roz (the owner of the Harper estate and the nursery In the Garden who gives Stella the job of a lifetime), and to Hayley(Roz's distant cousin who is 6 months pregnant when we meet her; she is an energetic, people person who excels at sales). Stella (with her 2 boys) and Hayley end up living in Roz's house and quickly become a family. We also meet Stella's love interest - the creative, disorganized landscape designer who is working for Roz, and David, Roz's quiet son who works in the propogation part of the nursery. The last important character to mention is the "Harper Bride" - the ghost who visits children and sings to them.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable and fast moving story that had likeable characters.
    • 3/5
      Typical Roberts but makes me want to go on to the next book in the series. A ghost story cleverly woven into a romance ... good one for Roberts fans.
    • 4/5
      This book was enjoyable, but formulaic. Something to be expected in a NR book so I didn't mind since I knew what I was getting into. I enjoyed the characters and their quirks. Ghost story thrown in was something different and interesting. I like the way NR builds everyone's story in each book instead of only focusing solely on one couple. It's a nice change and paces the book well
    • 2/5
      (#1) In the Garden trilogy. Did not care for this book as listened to it on audio and the narrator Susie Breck was so country and southern, it was annoying. Setting near Memphis, TN with a backdrop of an historic house with a gardening business, three women bond while trying to uncover a past and work toward a future. Stella along with her two boys move into the home after the death of her husband to start a new career. She find friendship and bonds with owner Roz and expectant mother Hayley. She also develops an attraction to the handsome landscaper Logan and a romance begins. However, someone is not happy (the ghost is back-Amelia from the past)! Not one of my favorites..
    • 3/5
      Things I Learned: Nora Roberts loves gardening and writes pretty well. I can see why she's a best-selling author. Comments: On the whole, a pretty good book, Lagged in some spots, but not for long. A nice romance between a widow with two young sons and sexy, divorced landscaper. Sparks fly, miscommunication ensues, true communication follows and hot sex proceeds apace. Ms. Roberts balances her various plot lines and characters nicely. I would like to read more in this series and perhaps more of Ms. Roberts' work.
    • 4/5
      A lovely story of a widow from Michigan moving to Tennessee with her two young sons to take the reins of a garden center. The story follows a few months of her acclimation - complete with ghosts, a new love, and a wonderful household of women. I enjoyed Blue Dahlia very much.
    • 3/5

      very predictable.. not bad, but not captivating for 1st part in trilogy... has humor.. ghoststory... love... friendship...gardening...not as great as other trilogies... love story not captivating.. took me long time to read..

    • 3/5
      A "comfort" book--like comfort food. Enjoyable, a nice way to spend time while cleaning, baking, packing and folding laundry.
    • 4/5
      She's a compulsively organized, anal retentive redhead with two boys and a small dog. He works off of post-it's stuck to his dash and crumpled receipts. Recently widowed, newly transplanted to Tennessee, Stella wants nothing more than to make a success of her new life for her boys' sake. Managing Rosalind Harper's In the Garden greenhouse would be a completely rewarding experience, if it weren't for landscaper Logan's response to being organized - the pair strike enough sparks off one another to light a forest afire. Happily ever after might be in the cards, but with the resident ghost taking a hand, nothing is certain.Classic Roberts fare - if you're a fan, this won't disappoint.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this - the usual romantic formula but done with thought and the added interest of paranormal and the obvious lead ins to the following books in the trilogy. A light read for a sunny afternoon in the garden.
    • 5/5
      I loved Blue Dahlia. It is a great start to a new series! I liked the chemistry between Stella and Logan. The best part of the book was the scenes with the ghost, and her relationship in regards to the other characters. One mintue she is loving and protective, the next she is outright nasty. I love gardening, when I have time to work at it, so it was very easy for me to enjoy this book. If you have never read a Nora Roberts novel, give Blue Dahlia a try. You won’t be disappointed.The next novel in this series is Black Rose, which I’m looking forward to reading.
    • 4/5
      This was my first time reading Nora Roberts' Blue Dahlia. I have to say, it was a pretty standard Nora Roberts book. Everyone was successful, smart, beautiful, etc. The only real conflict is minimal. The main characters fall in love easily and the characters don't really change from beginning to end. That being said, I did like the book. It's a nice easy read that can be read over several days. I never had the feeling that I couldn't put the book down or couldn't wait to pick it up again so I'm sorry for that. But I'm not sorry I read it. Sometimes I feel like Nora Roberts' books can be too "teachy" for me and this book ALMOST got there. I don't mind books that I learn from, I just don't want to feel like the information is being jammed down my throat by excessive descriptions of things that I don't really care about. Over all, I would say if you like Nora Roberts, than you should definately read this book. You would love it. If you're on the fence with her, she has a lot of other books that are much better.
    • 2/5
      I had the misfortune to buy this book rather than renting it, as I do for most of my reads. Don't get me wrong, I can see why many women enjoy her work. It's an oasis of sensible people and happy endings in a chaotic world filled with neither. But for me, it was less than enjoyable. The first thing to bother me was the author's habit of cutting short common colloquialisms. Yu can always easily guess what the word (or words) left out should be, but they are essentially half finished sentences, which personally always drives me absolutely bonkers. This personal pet peeve aside, each of the characters (including most of the men) is incredibly reasonable, lovely, smart, hard working, and usually says the absolute right thing at all times. How many people do yu know that are actually like that? Personally, I tend to enjoy characters, even villains, with a mixture of both flaws and virtues (and virtues disguised as flaws don't count)This "Perfect People Syndrome" leaves very little in the way of actual conflict, except for the ghost (which seems almost incidental to the story), and an unwanted attraction between Stella and Logan that I find utterly incomprehensible and devoid of chemistry (since they both admit that the other person represents everything they can't stand, and don't explain how this translates to actual admiration). Since it quickly becomes apparent that nothing really bad will ever be allowed to happen, the ghost has no "teeth", and there is no doubt about whether Logan and Stella will work out. I can likely tell yu what will happen in the next books without even trying: The two other relationships set up in the first book will blossom and succeed. Stella and the younger girl will each have a baby. The ghost will come to peace, after they discover and understand her past. The end. : / And I didn't even have to read their descriptions. I have heard that the formula used here is common for this author's work, so I will definitely not be reading anything else she has written.Sorry if my little hypothetical ending is an actual spoiler, but it's really just a blind guess.
    • 3/5
      It’s a book about a young woman, recently widowed who moves to the American South with her two young sons to work at a garden center. There’s a coworker she hates on sight and then they fall in love.I was a little disappointed by the book – I thought someone with so much routine would write a little less clichéd. Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice read, it was escapist, it was fun. All the female lead characters were interesting and strong, independent women.But after becoming a widow so tragically (plane crash) everything just runs soooo smoothly. She gets the job, she loves her new boss (who is admittedly awesome), she gets along great with her family, her kids have no problems adapting, everyone loves the changes she makes at the garden store. The shop thrives, and everybody gets along real smoothly. Not even the plants ever develop any lice or whatnot. There’s another character introduced and there’s more instant female bonding. Then there’s a ghost, to propel the story forward a little and to set up the sequels but it’s clear from the beginning that it doesn’t pose a threat.There’s no conflict. The only conflict in the whole book appears to be the fact that the hero and heroine dislike each other on sight. That is dissolved with a date pretty soon and from then on it’s really just her overly developed sense of duty and order that keeps them apart. And for that 500 pages seems a bit much.
    • 2/5

      very predictable.. not bad, but not captivating for 1st part in trilogy... has humor.. ghoststory... love... friendship...gardening...not as great as other trilogies... love story not captivating.. took me long time to read..

    • 3/5
      Blue Dahlia is Nora Roberts' latest romance novel - the first of a trilogy. Unfortunately for me, the beginning revolves around a plane crash; and I read it while on a rickety Czech Airlines flight. Other than that, it's just like most other Nora Roberts novels: she meets him, he dislikes her, they fight, she grows on him, he realizes he loves her, they kiss, she gets nervous, he tells her he loves her, they get married. Not her best, not her worst. I like her trilogies because she has a tendency to end books abruptly, and with a trilogy you get to see the story continued in the next book (well, twice, anyway).