Dirty: A Dive Bar Novel

Scott's contemporary romance series, set in present-day Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, aims to show a naughtier kind of hero, but crosses over into crude and brutish. Lydia Green is just about ready to walk down the aisle at her wedding when an anonymous person sends her a cell phone video of her fianc%C3%A9 and his best man having passionate sex. She responds by fleeing the venue, hopping a fence, breaking into a stranger's house, and hiding in his shower to cry. Naturally, when said stranger, who happens to be a gorgeous tough guy named Vaughan Hewson, comes home and wants a shower, he's in for a bit of a surprise. Vaughan takes Lydia in, giving her a place to stay while she recovers from the emotional fallout of her narrow escape. The two fall in lust, and things get complicated as she tries to settles down while he prepares to hit the road. The first sentence in the book is "Fuck," which gives readers a good idea of what to expect: lots of swearing, fighting, and sex, with minimal nuance. Any fat-positive points earned by having a heavy heroine are canceled out by her endless self-deprecating inner monologues. Agent: Amy Tannenbaum, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Apr.)