Blue Dahlia (Garden)

Abridged
Author: Nora Roberts
Narrator: Susie Breck
Genres: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy, Romance, Fiction
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Date: October 2007
Length: 11 hours
Ratings:
  • Book Rating: 4/5
Formats:
  • CD

Overview

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 - and into her new life at Harper House and In the Garden nursery. She isn't intimidated by the house - nor its mistress, local legend Roz Harper. Despite a reputation for being difficult, Roz has been nothing but kind to Stella, offering her a comfortable new place to live and a challenging new job as manager of the flourishing nursery. As Stella settles comfortably into her new life, she finds a nurturing friendship with Roz and with expectant mother Hayley. And she discovers a fierce attraction with ruggedly handsome landscaper Logan Kitridge.

But someone isn't happy about the budding romance...the Harper Bride. As the woman dig into the history of Harper House, they discover that grief and rage have kept the Bride's spirit alive long past her death. And now, she will do anything to destroy the passion that Logan and Stella share...

Reviews (19)

Intriguing

Written by Nacheska Gentry-Combs on January 24th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 5/5

This book was an intriguing mix of romance and spirits, and a view into an industry I know nothing about. It was a light read and I liked the characters and story. It kept me entertained and that is a lot of what I listen for especially when making a long drive.

Blue Dahlia

Written by Gilly on August 3rd, 2007

  • Book Rating: 2/5

This is the first of one and a half books of Nora Roberts to which I have listened . She is not an author I will listen to again as I do not enjoy banal romance generally and the 'ghost story element' was, for me, just that - an element woven into the text with little significance to the whole.

Enjoyable romance with mystery

Written by Brenda Starr on March 27th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 4/5

Nora Roberts has come through on another great story. And even though the audio version is abridged, none of the story was lost. the narrator did a terrific job with so many voices, and carried the story well. I laughed, wept (try THAT with fresh makeup on your way to work -- and it was worth it!) and loved the characters. I couldn't wait to go to work in the morning to hear more of the story! This is a good choice for listening enjoyment if you're a romance story lover or Nora Roberts fan! If you're not -- try it, you'll like it!

Blue Dahlia

Written by Anonymous on October 23rd, 2006

  • Book Rating: 5/5

Another great one for Nora Roberts.She is an aouthor that you have to listen to.

Blue Dahlia

Written by ladybug86 on September 6th, 2006

  • Book Rating: 5/5

Absolutely loved this book. You can put yourself right into her shoes. Best of the three part triology. Fresh and exciting to listen to. Who could help but think (dream) of Logan !!!

Great Beginnings

Written by Billie Jo Schafer on August 22nd, 2006

  • Book Rating: 5/5

This was a good beginning to this series of books. The story was interesting and kept my interest. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes series books and mystery, without gore.

Blue Dalia

Written by Ruth Holland on July 27th, 2006

  • Book Rating: 5/5

A great book! Extremely entertaining, and I experienced every emotion that there is. I couldn't wait to get the next set to finish the book. Another great story!

Blue Dahlia

Written by Delores Brouillard on July 23rd, 2006

  • Book Rating: 3/5

This was a pretty good book. Although I found the main character (Stella) annoying, I enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to reading the sequels. By the way, I am completely in love with Logan!!!!

Blue Dahlia

Written by Angela Jones from , on June 20th, 2006

  • Book Rating: 5/5

I loved this book, from the beginning it grabs your attention. I really liked the characters they seemed like old friends. The narrator was great too, she gave each character such personality. There was just the right mixture of romance and mystery.

Blue Dahlia

Written by Robin Miller on May 11th, 2006

  • Book Rating: 4/5

This is the first Nora Roberts book I have "read" and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The beginning was a little slow and the romance was a bit predictable but the plot has kept me listening.

Author Details

Author Details

Roberts, Nora

"Nora Roberts is truly a publishing phenomenon. With over 127 million copies of her books in print in the U.S. alone, she has come a long way since she wrote her first novel in a spiral notebook using a No. 2 pencil. Now she has published over 140 novels and her work has been optioned and made into films, excerpted in national magazines and translated in over twenty-five different countries. ""I always have stories running around in my head,"" she explains. ""Once I start putting them down on paper, I just keep going; I just keep writing.""

And write she does. In 2000, Nora Roberts reached new heights, both on bestseller lists and in her incomparable talent for creating compelling, passionate page-turners. According to Publishers Weekly, in 2000 she had an amazing 13 bestsellers (12 paperback and 1 hardcover), and of those thirteen several were #1 bestsellers. In addition to her amazing success in mainstream fiction, Nora Roberts remains committed to writing for her category romance audience that took her to into their heart in 1981 with her very first book, a Silhouette romance.

Nora Roberts continues to write futuristic romantic suspense as J.D. Robb, and her characters Eve Dallas and Roarke have become two of her most popular creations ever. Her J.D. Robb titles are hailed as ""a perfect balance of suspense, futuristic police procedure and steamy romance...truly fine entertainment"" by Publishers Weekly.

Reviewers agree that Nora Roberts deserves praise. The Los Angeles Daily News describes her as ""a word artist, painting her story and her characters with vitality and verve."" Kirkus Reviews comments on True Betrayals saying ""Roberts' style has a fresh, contemporary snap."" Roberts is said to be ""reminiscent of Jacqueline Briskin and Sidney Sheldon"" by Booklist, and Rex Reed lauds her saying, ""Move over Sidney Sheldon: the world has a new master of romantic suspense, and her name is Nora Roberts."" Publishers Weekly claims ""Roberts keeps getting better...[her] prolificness shows no sign of abating."" They add, ""When Roberts puts her expert finger on the pulse of romance, legions of fans feel the heartbeat."" USA Today calls Nora ""a consistently entertaining writer.""

The remarkable Ms. Roberts did not become a success overnight. By the time her first novel, Irish Thoroughbred, was published in 1981, she already had three years of hard work behind her and several rejected manuscripts languishing in drawers. Today, according to Entertainment Weekly, ""her stories have fueled the dreams of twenty-five million readers."" One of America's leading novelists, her books are published around the world. She is frequently invited to promote her novels in other countries. Her recent travels took her to England, Italy, Australia and Japan to meet fans, fellow authors and aspiring writers.

CBS has made Sanctuary into a television movie airing on February 28th, 2001 on CBS as ""Nora Roberts' Sanctuary."" The cast includes Melissa Gilbert, Emmy-winner Kathy Baker and Costas Mandylor. CBS has also optioned The Reef for another television movie. Montana Sky has been optioned by TriStar Television for a two-hour television movie. Her book This Magic Moment became the television film ""Magic Moments"" starring Emmy-winner John Shea and Jenny Seagrove. Sacred Sins has been optioned for film by Kaleidoscope, and Private Scandals has been optioned by Burt Reynolds Productions. Reflections and The Law is a Lady were selected by Good Housekeeping magazine for presentation as condensed novels. Honest Illusions and Private Scandals were featured as Readers Digest's Condensed Books.

The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly have all featured or mentioned Nora Roberts in articles about writing and the romance genre. She has appeared on ABC-TV's Good Morning America and Cable News Network, and has been featured on the television programs To Tell the Truth, Entertainment Tonight, and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. She has been interviewed by local television and radio programs across the country, and she has been featured in dozens of newspapers, including the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, Washington Times, Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune, and Atlanta Constitution.

Her extraordinary accomplishments have also received recognition from her peers. The first author ever to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America's Hall of Fame, and the first author to receive their Centennial Award when she published her 100th novel Montana Sky, she is the recipient of almost every award given in recognition of excellence in romance writing. In 1997, she was honored at the Romance Writers of America National Conference when she was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to her awards from the Romance Writers of America, she has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Waldenbooks, and she has been honored by B. Dalton Booksellers, the New Jersey Chapter of Romance Writers of America, and BookRak Distributors.

Nora Roberts is a charter member of the Romance Writers of America, and a member of their Washington, D.C. chapter. She was the keynote speaker at their 1994 national conference in New York. She is also a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, The Crime Writers League of America, and Novelists Inc.

The youngest of five children, she was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. She now lives in Keedysville, Maryland.

She also writes under the pen name J.D. Robb"