
Narrator: Brittany Pressley
Published by Brilliance Audio on March 28, 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Length: 8 hours, 31 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible






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…
Lilacs are my favorite flower. When I first started listening, I thought oh no, The Lilac Bouquet is going to be kind of stupid. It was unrealistic fiction with some people acting ridiculous until Emmy Jo went to work for Seth. As they got to know each other, everything got real. I loved the honest support and friendship they gave each other. Logan and Tandy were a bit developed, and maybe even more, Mary.
That would be my only issue here is Diana didn’t feel like a best friend or just wasn’t enough of a formed character. And that the story ended. I really wanted more about their lives after the wedding, and the home they created for unwed mothers. I’d love to see Seth with many great-grandchildren. I’d even like to see how Jesse Grady ends up reconciling with his past.
Brittany Pressley did an amazing job with the narration. I felt the accents and ages and genders all fit well to the characters. She made it easy and engrossing to listen. I chose the 1.25 speed. Her performance brought forth my emotions and I found myself crying more than once. But I also had some laughs and squees of delight.
The quirky characters of a small town with its long history and traditions, the mystery of a long standing feud, a new and unlikely friendship, and a romance with a wedding are all here. Highly recommended.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Anne: 2017 Audiobook Challenge
- Anne: 2017 New Release Challenge
- COYER Winter Switch