THIS BOXED SET IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE Book 1 Blue Dahlia: Stella Rothchild loves everything about her new job as manager of In the Garden nursery. She appreciates her new, no-nonsense boss, "Roz" Harper, and she doesn't even mind living with Roz at Harper House, despite the fact that the ghost of the "Harper Bride" reportedly haunts the historic mansion. When a young and pregnant Hayley Phillips, a distant relative of Roz's, shows up at Harper House, she becomes a valued friend. The only thing Stella doesn't like about her situation is the ruggedly sexy yet completely annoying landscaper, Logan. Despite Stella's best efforts to develop a professional working relationship with him, he seems to have little time and no patience for her efforts to reorganize the nursery. Then Logan completely disrupts Stella's careful plans for her future by asking her out. Roberts, the queen of romance, launches a new trilogy with a captivating tale in which her considerable talents at creating richly compelling characters and witty, spellbinding stories come into full bloom in a paranormal-tinged romance. Book 2 Black Rose: Book two of Roberts's In the Garden trilogy (following Blue Dahlia) ably showcases the author's many strengths, from her creation of appealing characters to her melding of the eerily paranormal with the delightfully down-to-earth. Rosalind Harper is the owner of a historic Tennessee mansion and the force behind the thriving garden business on its grounds. Widowed young and then scarred by an unwise second marriage, Roz has sworn off dating, instead inviting a collection of family, friends and their children to share her home. Unfortunately, the house is also inhabited by a mysterious ghost, known as the Harper Bride. Roz hires genealogist Dr. Mitchell Carnagie to track the Bride's identity, but the unpredictable and passionate relationship that develops between the two sets off still more malignant displays from the ghost. Roberts postpones the ghost story's resolution for the trilogy's end, but brings Roz and Mitch to a satisfying commitment complete with realistic power struggles and peace treaties among their various children. Roz's inherited privilege is off-putting at times, and her calm in the face of ghostly attacks seems far-fetched. Yet she remains a warmly appealing heroine, resolutely finding her path through a midlife romance that is more complex and hard-fought than 20-something love. Book 3 Red Lily: Hayley loves her life in Memphis: her precious baby girl, Lily, her job at the In the Garden nursery, and her close friendships with her boss, Roz, and co-worker Stella. Hayley isn't about to risk all this on the chance that Roz's son, Harper (his mother's last name), might be interested in her. But when her desire for Harper finally proves to be too strong to resist, Hayley discovers not only that Harper feels the same about her but also that everyone is delighted to see them together. In fact, the only one who seems upset by her new relationship is the "Harper Bride" ghost, who, after nearly a century of unthreatening behavior, is suddenly turning violent. Now if Hayley wants her budding romance to flourish, she must find a way to root the Harper Bride out of all of their lives. The consistently excellent Roberts brings her In the Garden trilogy to a spooky, sexy conclusion with this spellbinding romance that beautifully celebrates the power of love in all its guises.
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