David Brooke would like a real story to enable him to spend a whole Saturday at the newspaper office so that he could earn a little more money. Oh well, the rest of Saturday could be spent working on his sermon for Sunday. After all, preaching was his real love. Seven years ago, David’s wife, Adrienne, had left, taking their daughter, Tabitha, with her, and leaving their daughter, Jocie, behind. 

Jocie is thirteen years old and unable to understand why her mother was gone. Furthermore, her seventy-eight- year-old Aunt Love is always quoting scripture to Jocie’s dismay. As it turns out, Aunt Love has a secret.  Years ago, she was planning to be married but her fiancé left for World War I and never came back.

When Tabitha arrives unexpectedly, Jocie faces a new challenge – getting to know her sister. As the book progresses, the Brooke household faces new challenges involving all of the family.

I found THE SCENT OF LILACS a bit slow in starting but was well rewarded as the book progressed. It was not long before I was wrapped up in this wonderful story. It kept me glued to the story right up until the final page. Lovers of a good Christian historical novel will not want to miss this one.