The Lilac Bouquet

by Carolyn Brown

Overview

Come hell or high water, Emmy Jo Massey will have a wedding. After three generations of Massey women with children out of wedlock, she wants the whole town of Hickory, Texas, to witness the legitimacy of her union with Logan Grady. But dream weddings aren't cheap. So she accepts a highly lucrative stint as a home health assistant to retired realtor, and town recluse, Seth Thomas—a decision her great-grandmother Tandy is dead-set against.

Seth isn't happy about it, either. The eighty-two-year-old doesn't want a "babysitter"—much less a Massey—something he makes clear when Emmy arrives at his house, an empty mansion built for the woman who broke his heart. But as Emmy stays and the two eventually open up to each other, she learns the reason behind a feud between Seth, Tandy, and Logan's grandfather Jesse Grady that goes back six decades. She also uncovers a secret that forever changes how she sees her past and her future…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781503943551
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	03/28/2017
Pages:	301
Sales rank:	832,136
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a RITA finalist. The Lilac Bouquet is her eighty-fourth published book. Her books include romantic women's fiction, historical romance, contemporary romance, cowboy romance, and country music mass-market paperbacks. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows what everyone else is doing—and reads the local newspaper on Wednesdays to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. When she's not writing, Carolyn likes to sit in her gorgeous backyard with her two cats, Chester Fat Boy and Boots Randolph Terminator Outlaw, and watch them protect their territory from all kinds of wicked varmints like crickets, locusts, and spiders. Visit her online at www.carolynbrownbooks.com.

Editorial Reviews

01/30/2017
Brown (the Broken Road series) meanders a bit, in an appealing way, in this contemporary tale of a tiny town with long-held secrets. When Emmy Jo Massey accepts a summer job as a personal assistant to cantankerous, elderly Seth Thomas, everyone in Hickory, Tex., warns her against it. However, Emmy Jo is marrying Logan Grady, and as the first in her family to be planning a wedding without the impetus of pregnancy, she’s determined to make a splash the likes of which her hometown has never seen; that requires extra funds. Emmy Jo’s job is the target of particular vehemence from her sassy great-grandmother Tandy, a contemporary of Seth’s. It seems that something went down between them decades ago, and the curious Emmy Jo is determined to solve the mystery. The focus of the story is old small-town drama—the romance is a rarely visited subplot—but Brown pulls readers along for an enjoyable ride. It’s impossible not to be touched by Brown’s protagonists, particularly Seth, and a cast of strong supporting characters underpins the charming tale. Agent: Erin Niumata, Folio Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"When Emmy Jo Massey accepts a summer job as a personal assistant to cantankerous, elderly Seth Thomas, everyone in Hickory, Texas, warns her against it. However, Emmy Jo is marrying Logan Grady, and as the first in her family to be planning a wedding without the impetus of pregnancy, she's determined to make a splash the likes of which her hometown has never seen; that requires extra funds. Emmy Jo's job is the target of particular vehemence from her sassy great-grandmother Tandy, a contemporary of Seth's. It seems that something went down between them decades ago, and the curious Emmy Jo is determined to solve the mystery. The focus of the story is old small-town drama—the romance is a rarely visited subplot—but Brown pulls readers along for an enjoyable ride. It's impossible not to be touched by Brown's protagonists, particularly Seth, and a cast of strong supporting characters underpins the charming tale." —Publishers Weekly

"Brown's latest would make for an enjoyable leisurely afternoon read…there is a family secret that is interesting, and the big reveal is surprising. The characters are fairly well-rounded and three-dimensional, and there are complex family relationships. If a reader is looking for a book more geared toward family and long-held secrets, this would be a good fit." —RT Book Reviews

"Carolyn Brown absolutely blew me away with this epically beautiful story. I cried, I giggled, I sobbed, and I guffawed; this book had it all. I've come to expect great things from this author and she more than lived up to anything I could have hoped for. Emmy Jo Massey and her great-granny Tandy are absolute masterpieces not because they are perfect but because they are perfectly painted. They are so alive, so full of flaws and spunk and determination. I cannot recommend this book highly enough." —Night Owl Reviews, 5 Stars and Top Pick

"An amazing tale of secrets, love, loss, and living life to the fullest." —Rainy Day Ramblings

"[This] story was engaging and addicting and the plot really unraveled with detours and surprises that will definitely keep the reader wanting more." —What Is That Book About"

From the Publisher