Pop The Clutch: A Second Gear Second Chance Romance

Kristin Harte · Ellis Leigh

Jun 2019 · Kinship Press

About this ebook

"A bad boy with a heart of gold and a woman living with a life-altering mistake gives this second-chance romance enough tension to chew on. Every page had me aching for Easton and Violet!" - Kelly Siskind, author of NEW ORLEANS RUSH

 

Not all people need a second chance at love. Some need a second chance at life.

 

To Violet Foster, the past ten years have been a continual replay of an ill-fated night in high school. Without warning, she went from Downriver’s sweetheart to unintentional adult film star, her most intimate moments shared with the world in ten-second loops. She's lost friends, been forced to change career plans, and had to stop dating because of that one indiscretion. The last thing she wants is to return to the scene of the crime, but with her grandma’s health failing, she doesn’t have a choice.

 

Easton Cole is a walking, talking bad-boy cliché in blue mechanic coveralls. He's always known his trailer-park-kid shadow would follow him into adulthood, but building his auto repair shop into a successful business means he has a chance to change that image. People in Downriver have long memories and getting them to forget his past is an uphill battle. The last thing he needs is the trouble Violet could bring. She's a lightning rod for gossip, with a reputation that precedes her. So what if he's been crushing on her practically since puberty?

 

Violet’s only planning on staying a month, even if the good memories of Downriver have started to overpower the bad, and Easton is dead set on making new ones…together. But the internet is forever, so there's no chance of Violet having a future unblemished by her past. And when the stain of her damaged reputation resurfaces, Violet knows it could destroy everything around her…including Easton.

 

POP THE CLUTCH is a full-length contemporary romance novel from USA Today bestselling author Ellis Leigh writing as Kristin Harte. It's the first book in the Second Gear series featuring stories of blue collar heroes and second chance romances.

 

"Downriver felt like a real place that I loved spending time in as Easton and Violet found their way back to each other, and I know you'll love spending time there too." - Jen DeLuca, author of WELL MET

Ratings and reviews

I am going to start by saying that I had some mixed feelings with this book. On one hand, I really liked the characters, but I wish that they would have been stronger. The defining moment in Violets life was hellacious … there is no getting away from that. But she continued to allow that moment to define her and the only way to protect herself was to run away. But, I can’t say how any other character would have handled it, just my own opinion. I am not going to get into the defining moment, because I believe that readers need to experience the book to be able to understand the character better. Easton is actually a very sweet character, but he kind of reminds me of a fixer … someone that has to have something to fix … but maybe in regards to Violet, it is more like someone to protect and defend. Neither defines the other, but together are they only whole. So … I did like the book, but I didn’t like some of the decisions that were made by the characters. Not the defining moment … that was youthful decisions and everyone knows that kids can’t think straight and right to save their lives! But what they did after this. Now, saying that, I will still give credit where credit is deserved. Violet’s character is still a strong character. What happened could have broken her in a fundamental way, but she continued and she thrived. Overall, I liked the story and the characters. They both had strength, but in different ways, even if I thought they should have showed that more. The storyline is interesting and I really felt for Violet, especially after learning more about how the present is still being handled by some characters, and boy does someone need to shove a boot up someone else's back door for their actions … a throat punch will not suffice! So, great opening for a new series and happy reading!

This is the first book that I've read by this author and I truly enjoyed it. Easton and Violet have been it for each other for a long time but life and circumstances have kept them apart. A mistake and stupid people have kept Violet running for almost 10 years. Now that her gramma needs her there is no avoiding her home town. While I enjoyed this story it also irritated me. Has no one grown up in the past 10 years? Why are some of these idiots still acting like they are in high school? We all make stupid mistakes but we live and learn AND we move on. It just seems like some of these people don't know how to move on. I liked Violet but I didn't like how much of a coward she was. Yeah near the end she admitted that it was more a fear of how everything would affect Easton but she should have trusted that he was man enough to handle it and and help her. I loved Easton. He was such a gentleman and a dedicated worker. He never gave up on Violet and for that I loved him even more.

About the author

Kristin Harte started off as a chemistry major in college but somehow ended up writing romances featuring ex-military heroes and the women who knock them to their knees…literally and figuratively. She likes drinking in the shade, snuggling under a warm blanket on a cold evening, and researching how to blow things up. Her children know nothing of what she writes, and her husband just hopes he’s not at their Chicago-ish home the day the government shows up to confront Kristin about her Google search history. 

When not writing good men doing bad things, Kristin can be found writing paranormal romance as Ellis Leigh or co-writing naughty novellas as London Hale.