Nora? Are You OK?

It feels like blasphemy for me to give less than 5 stars to a Nora Roberts book, particularly one of a trilogy, which I always love; one about gardening, a particular passion of mine; and one with a ghost in it, which Nora always handles so well. But, much as I don't want to say it, "Black Rose" bored me to tears.

This second offering in the "In the Garden" trilogy starts with a charming note to readers from Nora herself, all about her own love of gardening, and I liked that better than the entire book. It felt real. But, just like "Blue Dahlia" before it, "Black Rose" is lacking something, I'm not sure what. It just doesn't read like a Nora Roberts novel. There is no spark. There is no verve. There is no passion. Yes, the story of Roz, a very likeable character, and her growing love for the research professor, Mitch Carnegie, should be passionate. We met these two in the last book. But for the life of me, I couldn't see the attraction. It just didn't ring true.

Yes, the ghost is interesting, and certainly "comes alive" (in an ethereal sense, of course!)in this book, much more so than in the last, but not enough to make me flip the pages faster and faster.

I love the other women, Hayley and Stella, but I found myself turning to the back of the book to see how much more I had to read. This is unheard-of as far as a Nora Roberts novel is concerned. Is it me? I'm anxious to see what other reviewers are thinking and what I have missed.

Nora Roberts Scores Again

Black Rose was a page-turning, irrestible read! I read it one day! The characters are great! I LOVE David. We all need a David in our lives. Hayley and Stella are good friends to Roz and you see them all becoming a family! I can't wait until December to see what happens between Hayley and Harper. I was glad the characters from book 1 were so involved in book 2, hopefully that will be the case in book 3!!

Nora Produces Another Wonderful Story

This is another well written page turner by a writer we have come to depend on for good stories. Creative and fast paced novel. Main characters are bigger than life. Enduring supporting characters, natural dialog, sensible storyline and satisfying conclusion. A must read.

Janet Sue Terry - CEO
JMB BOOK PUBLISHING COMPANY
www.jmbpub.com
Author of Contemporary Romance Novels "Possibilities," and "Resolutions," as well as, "Just Our Best Short Stories 2005."