Billy Bob Walker Got Married

Excellent, if you had 10 stars I would give it a ten, beautifully written story. Does anywone know what happened to the author?

I'm a Southerner that has lived all over the US and the world with my military hubby of 25 years. What makes us a unique group of people comes through Ms. Brown's books better than any author I've read. She has captured the Southern psyche and mannerisms. Billy Bob Walker reminds us that people and circumstances aren't always what they seem on the outside. Billy Bob, a young man from the wrong side of the blanket, as well as the tracks, is far more noble and honorable than his priveleged half-brother, Michael Sewell who has had the advantage of the best things and education that money can buy. Everyone in Sweetwater, Mississippi, expects the heroine Shiloh to marry Michael. But as fate or Cupid would have it, Billy and Shiloh fall in love. They have a tough fight ahead of them. Her father, his father (though Judge Sewell has never acknowledged Billy), and Michael all try through hook and crook to keep our cross-starred lovers apart. I discovered Lisa G. Brown's books through BILLY BOB WALKER GOT MARRIED in a bunch of used books I bought. I loved it so much that I acquired all three of her other books used (SLEEPING AT THE MAGNOLIA, CRAZY FOR LOVIN' YOU and HIGH STAKES which is written under the pen name Dana Warren Smith--all are out of print). I'm wondering when and if she plans to write more. I eagerly await her next novel.

Shiloh Pennington is the pampered daughter of the richest man in Sweetwater, Mississippi. She's a good girl, and is very close to her father; she does her best to please him and to live up to his expectations, including getting engaged to Michael, Judge Sewell's son. Billy Bob Walker is known for getting into fights and in general being the town's favorite subject for gossip. He's also Judge Sewell's unacknowledged illegitimate son. Four years ago, Shiloh and Billy Bob had a secret and very sweet romance, until her father found out and broke them up. They went their separate ways--she to college and he to help out on his grandfather's farm. Both are heartbroken, but her father, and circumstances, had done a very thorough job of driving them apart. Now, Billy is in jail for getting into a brawl and is unable to pay the fine. Shiloh meets him there after getting caught for speeding (when she finally snapped and had to get away from the men in her life.) They make a deal--she pays his fine in exchange for his agreeing to a marriage in name to her, so that she won't have to marry her fiance. So begins their path to happiness, but it's very rocky--he has his pride and his struggles to make something of himself. He's also had to face a lifetime of people thinking he's worthless trash, especially his father. She's trying to find herself and to move away from the shadow of her father's influence (he disowned her completely after her marriage). There are outside factors working to drive them apart as well, such as the Sewells, Shiloh's father, and the whole town's prejudices. The small town itself is protrayed very well and gives the book an authentic air. And the dialogue feels natural and just flows so well, you can hear the southern drawls in their speech. That was just a description of the book's bones and doesn't come close to conveying the sheer emotion and poignancy in the story. The characters are drawn so realistically and nothing feels overly contrived. I like how Billy is characterized: he's tough, possessive, and just such a man. After he and Shiloh get married, she looks over at him and muses, "I wonder what kind of husband you'd really make." And he answers without hesitation, "A damned good one." He appears to be a worthless good-time boy, but in reality he works and gives everything he has for those he loves. And Shiloh is no passive Southern belle; she holds on to the principles she knows are right, and she's strong enough to take on her father, the town, and her new circumstances, all the while helping to build up a happy future for her and Billy. This is a very compelling love story. It's about unconditional love that can overcome the biggest obstacles, it's about being true to yourself, and it's about how loving can help make people stronger. The ending is very well-done and the conflicts are realistically and satisfyingly resolved. This is one of the best romance novels I've ever read, and I highly

This book oozes southern charm. The characters are very realistic and well written down to even the most minor characters. These people are real, as a southener, I know these people. This book is definitely a keeper! The reader will love this layed back southern charmer, Billy Bob Walker.

If you get the chance to buy this book do it and be prepared to keep it in your keeps library. I have it and I read over and over it is one of the best written romances I have found. The only negative is that the author doesn't seem to be producing anymore books I keep watching and I haven't seen anything from her in 2 years.