Lilac: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

B.B. Reid has always had a unique and captivating perspective on the romance genre. She’s always been a favorite of mine- one of the few authors that I can say I have read every book they’ve written. She isn’t afraid to let love teeter on the side of toxic and dangerous, to explore the gnarly nuances, to convey the addicting, consuming, irrational parts of the human heart and mind. BB let’s love be twisted and messy, she lets love devour. SO naturally, I could not WAIT for her take on RH.This story doesn’t read like a first time reverse harem- this story reads like a tour de force of reverse harem magic. Because B.B. unflinchingly nails the tenets of what make reverse harem such a complex and addictive type of story telling- characters and chemistry. When you have MORE leads to capture and give life to (and here BB gives us all four POVs), not to mention a wide array of secondary characters, nuanced character development is a must. And B.B. nails this- each of our four leads is so unique, so lovingly and carefully architected, I feel like I know them better than I know some of my own friends. Each has a specialized character voice, a compelling and character defining backstory, personality quirks and emotional needs that make every one of our characters more than just defined- they are vibrant. They are real. Flawed, but beautiful. Jerich, Houston, Loren, and most importantly Braxton represent some of the strongest character work I’ve read in any story, let alone a RH. They are real, immersive, beautifully rendered.But beyond that, BB also carefully constructs all the unique aspects of chemistry. That is, in part, why this story is pretty long- but that investment pays off. BB recognizes something fundamental to MEANINGFUL RH story telling- that you have to build connection and chemistry individually in pairs before you can fully develop a group identity. BB knocks this out of the park-with every character building (or in some cases repairing) a meaningful emotional connection with one another that is the foundation of a functional harem. THEN we start to explore the group, marvelling at how those dynamics seamlessly swirl together from a tangled knot into a beautiful anchor. THIS is what makes Lilac so compelling- the character connections and how they progress.Yes, this story is long- but, for the most part, I felt it was essential. There is a lot of content, a lot to explore. BB creates a VERY in depth look at each character's journey long before they converge as a unit- to know them takes page real estate. The pace is also unusual-it goes in bursts- but I appreciated an interesting and unique plot rhythm- it felt almost musical in nature. The exposition did take a bit longer than I prefer- took a bit of time to sink our time into this story, and the conclusion felt a bit drawn out if I’m honest- a lot of loose ends were tied up. The story might feel overstuffed, and perhaps it is, but I appreciate it more than anything- because I LOVED these characters.At its heart, BB is really telling a story about the destructive and restorative power of love. How in some cases love from the same person can transform over time. These four may have an unconventional love, but love doesn’t have to be explained, accepted, or understood to do what love is meant to do. When love is open, honest, and true- love redeems, love heals, and love breathes meaning into life.SIDE NOTE- BB fans should know that this is contemporary and less dark than her other works. We still have some alpha jerks (but no bully), we still get some dark topics or themes, but the nature of the relationship (both physical and emotional) feel different. This is still HOT AF- and I personally love when authors switch things up and try new genres/tropes- but in case you were wondering how it compares I wanted to note.4.5 stars

This was the first book I've read by this author, and it certainly did NOT disappoint. I really enjoyed this book and its characters.I'll admit, about 30-40% of the way into the book, I THOUGHT I wasn't going to be thrilled with the storyline. I thought it was going to turn out a certain (predictable) way. That was, wonderfully, not the case. The author managed to subvert expectations organically. It wasn't annoying or obvious, "watch what the left hand is doing" trickery. It was a well-developed plotline. The characters were aware that they were operating in a rushed timeframe (wanting to move in together after only dating for a month type of situation).I liked the characters and how we found out about their flaws. I liked the flaws that they had; they were unique but believable. I liked the way the relationships developed. I liked that, while in a believably "isolated" situation, there was still regular interjections/interference from other NON-MC characters (like the band's manager, talent scout, friends, etc.).Also, this woman can write a s3x scene *fans face*. Those were certainly fun to read, and they took an appropriate amount of time, given the circumstances. They felt rushed when they realistically would have been and took more time when the plot allowed it, which is not always the case.SPOILER: Generally, I don't appreciate when the HEA of a romance is "married with a baby" because I don't think those things are necessary for happiness. I wish stories (admittedly - even fictional ones) would promote different types of HEAs. And that was effectively the epilogue of this story. So, in that regard, it was predictable ultimately, and I didn't appreciate that element of it. But that's minimal (and also present in probably 95%+ of romance novels), and doesn't outright contradict any of the characters, so I don't hold it against the overall story.

I really don't like this authors writing style.... throughout the first few chapters I had to reread lots of different paragraphs to make sure I understood what meaning she was trying to convey. It reminded me of watching Dawson's Creek.... everything had to sound so much more just to try to be more intelligent. It was annoying and then it was so hard to get past the characters hateful, wishy, washy, crappy nature's.....it didn't make any of them endearing that's for sure.....I won't read anymore books by this author....there are way to many others who are better.

“From the start, our existence has been so thoroughly entangled. We’ve only ever been one entity.”Holy hotness...RH is typically not something I will ever read in fact I try to avoid it as much as possible but I have loved everything BB has written so I thought I would step out of my comfort zone. I trust her writing enough to know she would never let me down. I loved how this book was nothing like I expected. You think rocker romance so it’s all gonna be sex drugs and rock and roll, right? My goodness that couldn’t be further from the truth.“If you’re scared, get a nightlight, b@#*h. I’m not going anywhere.”Following the death of their guitarist, Bound needs to fill his impossible shoes. Little did they know it would be come in a stunning, sexy, feisty angel in disguise package. Braxton demands respect and will take nothing short of it. Houston, Lo, and Rich all bring something different, sensual and alpha-ish to the table. Their chemistry cannot be contained. It was sizzling hot!!!“I felt safer within the circle they created than I did out there. It felt like no one could touch me. Only them.”Like I said earlier I don’t read RH but I highly recommend this book. If you are hesitant to dip your toes into the RH genre this is a great book to start with. You will not regret it.“We get to define what true love is for ourselves. No one is entitled to do it for you.”

Why did I wait so long to read this?I love RH books, especially when there’s a bit of crossing swords, and I love rockstar romance - so both of these together was everything I hoped for.😏🤤 Houston, Loren and Jericho are absolutely delicious and I really want to be Braxton right now.If I had to have one slight niggle about the book, it would be that it’s slightly too long. At over 500 pages, I feel like some of it could’ve quite easily been cut and it wouldn’t have affected the story.Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would definitely read it again.

I really wanted to love this book. I’m a huge fan of B.B, have read all her books and loved every character that she has created but I just didn’t latch onto this one. I don’t know if it’s because I’m not into reverse harem books, (I’m purely monogamous and can only deal with the angst of one man at a time!!) But also found that it was difficult to connect with the characters. Throughout most of the book, I felt in the dark which is fine…It certainly kept me reading and then everything was thrown in at once with no connection to each other. I found that I was speed, skip reading just to finish. I didn’t like Braxton at all. Felt she was a bit bratty and overreacted and didn’t feel drawn to either Houston, Loren or Jericho, and maybe that’s the point. That the reader, like Braxton, don’t have favourites but I didn’t wish to be in her position. It just not my fantasy, no matter how hot the guys are. I’m just not that greedy, I guess. The sex scenes were a-ma-zing. Hot and plentiful and worth the read even if just for those. As much as I appreciate B.B writing a full novel with over 500 pages (love a long meaty book) and if I’m honest, I only read it because like I said, the author is one of my faves but it’s just not for me. The extra star I gave was for the author coming back rather than the story.

Lilac was recommended to me by a friend and I’m so glad that she told me to read it.I loved the characters, the storyline and of course the spice!!I connected with all four main characters for different reasons and I enjoyed watching them all realise how much they need one another.Dual POVs are always a win in my opinion. I love knowing how all characters are feeling and what they are thinking.Definitely need this book for my physical collection. I am happy with how the book ended even though I would love to read more about them.Recommend to anyone who loves enemies to lovers, reverse harems and music romance books.

Branxton is the new guitarist for Bound, one of the band most famous in the world. However, the other three members aren't happy about her joining them, so they try everything they can to make her leave. Too bad Braxton fights back. I love how in this story the enemy-to-lovers trope doesn't happen in just a few days, but it actually takes months to make all of the protagonists see what's right in front of their eyes.I really liked the story, but the only thing I felt was a little bit rushed is the incident with Emily.

Braxton was brought in to bring the band back together,little did she know how her life would change.3 reasons,Loren,Houston and Jericho...These 3 turned her world upside down.Please read as I wouldn't do it justice.Great different read.