The Lilac Bouquet

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.)