Wedding Bell Blues

by Julia Watts

When Lily's lover, Charlotte, is killed in a tragic car accident, Charlotte's homophobic family threatens to exert their legal rights and seize custody of their daughter's biological child, Mimi. Grief-stricken over the loss of her lover, Lily vows to do anything she can to keep from losing her beloved daughter too. The solution? A marriage of convenience to her Bugle Boy-wearing, trust fund-spending gay neighbor, Ben, and a quick move to Ben's hometown in rural Georgia where his powerful family will ensure that their new "daughter-in-law" gets custody of Mimi. Provided, that is, that the two can convince Ben's parents that their marriage is the real thing.

Living as a married couple, Lily and Ben soon discover the outrageous perks and pitfalls of compulsory heterosexuality. Determined to keep up appearances in order to keep her child, Lily ignores her own inner needs -- until a beautiful country veterinarian offers her a prescription for some sexual healing.

Genres: Lesbian, LGBT, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Lesbian Romance

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Julia Watts is the author of over a dozen novels, including the Lambda Literary Award-winning Finding H.F.., the Lambda Literary and Golden Crown Literary Society Award finalist The Kind of Girl I Am, and the Lambda Literary Award finalist and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning Secret City. She holds a B.A. in English from The University of Tennessee, an M.A. in English from the University of Louisville, an MFA in Writing from Spalding University, and a PhD in Literacy Studies from The University of Tennessee. She lives in Knoxville and is a member of the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame. Her young adult novel, Quiver, was a SIBA Okra Pick and a finalist for the Foreword Indies Award, and her young adult novel Needlework won an Honorable Mention in the Foreword Indie Awards and was selected by the Library of Congress for its "Great Reads from Great Places" program. Her new novel for adults, Lovesick Blossoms, is available from Three Rooms Press.

Reviews

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read that is laced with humour throughout.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea what to expect. I had never heard of the author but got a gift card for some books and decided to give it a chance. I loved it. Really. Just loved it. Great sense of humor throughout. And the author had a way of writing that really put me there.

**Updated**

Just finished my second read of this and enjoyed it even more. I very much recommend it. I only wish it was longer.

[A.W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I was on a humour kick as this was another funny and entertaining book. I didn’t think of the little twist at the end until right before it was happening.

I liked the idea of Jack and Lily together but it was difficult to believe in their love story where there weren’t that many interactions with them. Besides the first meeting and their brief encounters during the farm visits, I thought that their feelings for each other was happening all too quickly.

What was more interesting for me than the romance was reading about Ben's family, including the in-laws and how they got along/didn't get along.

Review also posted here: https://wp.me/p4Pp9O-Nf

[Cab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm finding this to be a bit tough to describe why I enjoyed this book but I think it's because it's not a typical lesbian "romance" and I read with the intention of just enjoying it. The main character Lilly is interesting and comes across as being 3 dimensional. The supporting characters in the McGill family are fun and engaging. I only wish we had seen more of granny.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel so very much...

[Melinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Readable enough, but the characters could have been more three-dimensional, the plot less predictable and the antagonists less sterotypical. An OK read for a plane trip, but not something I'd read again or recommend. I did, however, love the intertextual references: mentions of Athena's Owl Bookstore and Glenda Mooney from the author's Phases of the Moon popped up in the story.

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The things you do for your children. With some pretty funny lines and a cast of interesting yet down to earth characters. This is an enjoyable read with a nod to butch/fem relationships and a head shake to homophobic parents.

[Sara G · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the whitest books I've read in a long time. Very cute in a Hallmark movie sort of way, very late 90s-early 00s. Nothing special though. Would be a good beach read.

[Dide · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story full of humorous characters....decent and believable dialogue, in a way thought provoking and pretty PG rated.
Had an enjoyable few hours whilst reading it.