Black Rose [Library Binding]

Nora Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2005

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... At forty-five, Rosalind Harper is a woman whose experiences have made her strong enough to bend without breaking - and weather any storm. A widow with three grown sons, she survived a disastrous second marriage, and built her In the Garden nursery from the ground up. Through the years, In the Garden has become more than just a thriving business - it is a symbol of hope and independence to Roz, and to the two women she shares it with. Newlywed Stella and new mother Hayley are the sisters of her heart, and together, the three of them are the future of In the Garden. But now that future is under attack, and Roz knows they can't fight this battle alone. Hired to investigate Roz's Harper ancestors, Dr. Mitchell Carnegie finds himself just as intrigued with Roz herself. And as they begin to unravel the puzzle of the Harper Bride's identity, Roz is shocked to find herself falling for the fascinating genealogist. Now it is a desperate race to discover the truth before the unpredictable apparition lashes out at the one woman who can help her rest in peace...

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. 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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Booklist

Roz Harper has a thriving gardening business and family and friends she dearly loves, but every so often she misses having a man in her life. Roz loved her first husband and the father of her children, but her second husband turned out to be a cheating, thieving scoundrel who left her wary of romance. When Roz hires a genealogist to investigate her family's past, and hopefully discover the identity of the "Harper Bride" ghost who haunts Harper House, the chance for romance unexpectedly reenters Roz's life. But once Roz begins dating Mitchell, the Harper Bride's visits turn increasing violent as the ghost does her worst to prove to Roz that all men are untrustworthy. Roberts takes a smart, stubborn, and refreshingly older heroine, pairs her up with a hero who appreciates her strengths, and, writing with her usual sharp wit, works her reliable brand of literary magic in the second title in her Garden trilogy, an irresistible and occasionally quite-eerie tale of romance, family, and friendship. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Library Binding: 369 pages
• Publisher: San Val (June 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141780355X
• ISBN-13: 978-1417803552
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (124 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,153,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Rose, February 16, 2008

By 

Kelly "Reviewer for The Sinfully Sensuous" (Littleton, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Rose: In the Garden Trilogy (Mass Market Paperback)

Roz Harper is a loving and kind, but fiercely protective of those she loves. When the Harper House resident ghost known as the Harper Bride starts terrorizing those she loves, Roz decides it is time for some answers. The Harper Bride who has never brought harm to anyone in the house before is now pulling all the stops out.

Dr Mitchell Carnagie is hired to delve into history to discover what happened in the past. When he sees first hand the terror at the house, he decides immediately to learn more. As he spends more time at Harper House, Mitchell finds himself drawn to Roz. He finds her strength, beauty, and vulnerability to be a potent combination he can't resist. When Mitch and Roz decide to explore their special connection, again the ghost vehemently protests.

As more is revealed about the Harper Bride, it is disclosed her name is Amelia. Mitch learns more about Amelia through old books and photographs. The more they all learn, the more disturbing the story becomes.

Great second book of the series. I didn't think it was possible, but this book surpassed the first.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read!, June 25, 2005

By 

Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Black Rose: In the Garden Trilogy (Mass Market Paperback)

Do you think it's true that every house has a secret? If the walls could talk would you want to hear what they had to say? The Harper House in this story could certainly tell you a few things.
We meet Roz, descendent of the owners of the Harper House, where she now resides. Recently divorced, she is a likable perky, wealthy woman in mid-life, searching to find answers to some hidden happenings in her home. It seems Harper House has had a ghostly residence for years; a young woman who sings to the newborn and has stayed in the shadows until recently. Her gentle presence, which was tolerated through the years, is now turning into rage and violence; nearly taking the life of Roz and endangering her entire household. Who is this woman and why will she not leave the house? Why has she turned from gentle to savage and how is she connected to the family? Chilling questions for sure; and you will devour the book to find out the answers.

The author does a wonderful job in story and character development in this novel. She allows you to know the main players, draws you into their personal lives and emotions
and uses this as building blocks to the danger and mystery that surrounds them.
Ms. Roberts adds some romance and humor which makes the work a comfortable read without losing it's mysterious element. I found this book to be outstanding. a real page turner and one that I can highly recommend

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Few Thorns, June 6, 2005

By 

Anne Fleming (Alexandria, Virginia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Black Rose: In the Garden Trilogy (Mass Market Paperback)

BLACK ROSE, the second installment in the GARDEN trilogy, is a big improvement over the premier of the series (BLUE DAHLIA), includes snappy dialogue, interesting characters, a satisfying romance and very few thorns to mar the reading experience. While I recommend the book, particularly to those who were disappointed in BLUE DAHLIA, at times there seemed to be too many characters cluttering up each scene, scenes including the main couple were not as plentiful as hoped, and the hero's unrealized desire to rescue the heroine was a little disappointing.

BLACK ROSE continues the story of three women drawn to Rosalind Harper's historic southern home to run a nursery/landscaping business and solve a ghost story. ROSE is Roz's story, and follows the forty-something owner while she struggles to build her business, overcome a bitter second marriage to a philandering con man, and track down the truth about the resident ghost with the help of visiting genealogist, Mitchell Carnegie.

The most appealing feature of this book was Roz's character. All too often it seems that authors leave romance to the twenty and thirty-somethings, and when they do try to write more mature heroines, they often read like a twenty-two year old with too much mileage and not enough wisdom. In ROSE, it was clear from the beginning that Roz was strong, independent and, despite the blow to her self respect dealt by her last husband, had the confidence to claw her own way out of her problems. Love-interest Mitchell was not as clearly drawn, but was appealing both because of his willingness to take responsibility for mistakes in his first marriage, and in the way he obviously respected as well as loved Roz.

Unfortunately, Mitch's protective instincts found very little outlet in this book, despite the plethora of opportunities presented by the return of Roz's ex-husband and a ghost with increasingly physical ways of expressing her displeasure. Roz's grown son, Harper, was too eager to intervene when danger or insult threatened, and Roz did her fair share of rescuing herself in most cases. While I always find it appealing when heroines work their own way out of trouble-especially considering the number of helpless-damsel characters in romance-it can be overdone and probably was just a bit in this book. I would have been a little more impressed with Mitch if he had managed a heroic intervention or two.

My only other criticism is that Roberts tried to include too many people in this book: Stella and Logan, their children, Roz and Mitch, Roz's four kids (including Harper), Mitch's son, Hayley, Hayley's daughter, Roz's ex, Roz's ex's new girlfriend, and a number of Roz's acquaintances in the Ladies-Who-Lunch set, among others. The net result was that there were actually very few scenes where Roz and Mitch had an opportunity to interact, and keeping track of the trials and tribulations of all the different characters was distracting and took some of the edge off both the suspense and the romance.

ROSE was a good read overall, and I look forward to the last installment in the trilogy.