Second Gear

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

To Violet Foster, the past 10 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 10-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. 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 best-selling author Ellis Leigh writing as Kristin Harte and the first book in the Second Gear series of stand-alone novels featuring second chance romance and blue-collar heroes.