DIRTY ROWDY THING

The pseudonymous writing duo behind Beautiful Bastard (2013) continues the Wild Seasons series with a sequel that is both dirty and rowdy.

After a quickie wedding in Vegas, Finn Roberts and Harlow Vega have gone their separate ways despite the explosive chemistry they shared. While Finn struggles to keep his family’s Vancouver fishing business afloat, rich girl Harlow is paying her dues as an intern at NBC’s San Diego headquarters. Neither of them is ready for anything serious, but when a friend’s comic-book store opening brings Finn to Harlow’s neighborhood, they can’t deny their lingering feelings for long. Many love scenes later (most involving Finn tying Harlow up with rope), they learn that communication is the foundation of a good relationship when Finn discovers that Harlow’s mother has cancer and Harlow learns that Finn may have to star in a reality series to save his company. In addition to casual sex, the two distract themselves from more serious life issues with authentic regional fun involving comic books and craft beers with their friends, who make for hilarious secondary characters. Fans will appreciate that Mia and Ansel, who were the focus of Book 1, are still together when they all meet up at the grand opening. In a story that is easily devoured in one sitting, the details are sparse but spot-on—“Apparently there are a lot of nerds in San Diego,” notes Finn—and witty dialogue carries the plot swiftly to a happy ending. 

The romance unfolds like a series of drunken text messages, which, perhaps surprisingly, is not a bad thing.