Misadventures of a Curvy Girl

Ireland Mills sets out on an ill-advised jaunt to the country in her Prius to take photos of a farm for her marketing job. Expecting an aging, affable farmer, she's instead met with a gorgeous country boy who suddenly can't keep his eyes (or hands) off the witty city girl. It's love at first sight when Ireland appears, but Caleb knows that if this is going to work, she must love someone else, too—his lifelong companion and somewhat taciturn army veteran Ben, with whom he shares all of his intimate relationships. Ben is the stoic shadow to Caleb's golden boy both in looks and personality, with his dark eyes and proclivity for light sadism. Yet he's also astute and sensitive, able to pinpoint Ireland's insecurities and reassure her without her even needing to ask. But as the trio develop a life together (marathon sex sessions included), ghosts of Ireland's past and ever-present fatphobia threaten to destroy the beautifully delicate nest they've built. Whether describing Ireland's wonderfully raunchy trysts with her new beaux, or the sodden yet breathtaking Kansas countryside, Simone (American Queen) uses language that is crisp and evocative. While it's established early on that Ireland is striving to embrace her body and know her worth, she is portrayed as a work in progress whose challenges with self-esteem and hateful external opinions are likely to resonate with many. Frank discussions of body positivity and fat stigma provide a refreshing change of pace with a message that is very much needed in erotic romance and beyond.