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Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts
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On a recent trip to Colorado, I was pleased to find on the shelf of our vacation home a novel by this popular author that I had not yet read. I was quickly sucked into this story of starting over, friendship and, of course, romance. Stella Rothchild’s perfect world is turned upside down by the news that her husband has been killed in a plane crash. Left to fend for herself and her two young sons, she accepts a job as nursery manager for “In the Garden.” Moving her sons from Michigan to Tennessee, Stella moves in with nursery founder Rosalind Harper, bringing life to Rosalind’s ancestral “Harper House.” Hayley Phillips, an expectant mother from Arkansas, soon joins the nursery and the household. The three forge a friendship based, not in small part, on shared circumstances. This book is the first in a trilogy, focusing primarily on Stella. Stella is both challenged by and enchanted with her job. These same terms could also be used to describe her relationship with landscape designer Logan Kitridge. Can an organization freak and a fly-by-the-seat-of-his pants designer find a middle ground on which to co-exist? I’ll leave that to you to figure out, but there’s no question that an exciting and mysterious story unfolds. Did I mention the ghost? As out of place as it might sound, the ghost floats into the story perfectly. The characters are depicted and intertwined so wonderfully I found myself wishing I could join them (except for the ghost). So taken in by them was I, that I rushed home and purchased the book so that I could find out what happened. I wasn’t disappointed. I can’t wait to read Black Rose, the second book of the trilogy, released in June 2005. So many books, so little time! Review by Missy Abbott, July 18, 2005
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