Saturday, August 3, 2013

[Kame's Review]: "Above Scandal"

Above Scandal by Joan Leacott
Publisher: Woven Red Productions; 1 edition (June 24, 2013) 
Series: Clarence Bay Chronicles, 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Three generations of Rossetti women are hoarding secrets.

Cathy Rossetti’s secret is Hayley, her outspoken ten-year-old daughter who’s about to meet her family for the first time. Sadly, it’s taken a terminal illness to bring Cathy back to her hometown.

The elder generation of Rossetti women guards a thirty-year old secret with the power to rock Cathy’s world. Will her mother take their secret to her grave, or will her aunt break her punishing vow of silence?

Hayley hates secrets, so she’s sleuthing around Clarence Bay looking for her daddy. Is it her new BFF’s father or mayoral candidate Ryan Chisholm or Ryan’s handsome campaign manager?

Ryan has a secret, too. He’s still in love with Cathy, his high-school sweetheart. For a man running his election campaign on a platform of honesty, this could cause problems. Will dumping his popular fiancĂ©e cost him the election? And if Cathy still loves him after eleven years absence, she’s not telling.



Where to Buy*:
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Kame's Review:



Cathy Rossetti left her small hometown eleven years ago and never came back; she never intended to come back. Clarence Bay held too many sad memories. Memories of a mother who didn’t know how to love, memories of the only man she has ever loved and the father of her 10 year old daughter; Ryan Chisholm. Eleven years ago Cathy was convinced she and Ryan each wanted a different path to happiness, but now even with all the time that has passed she still feels the spark when he walks into a room.  But will he ever forgive her for never telling him he is a father?  Ryan is delighted to learn that Cathy has returned to their hometown and this time he is determined not to let her get away, he will try to convince Cathy to stay in Clarence Bay. He has never stopped loving her and he wants a shot at forever. Cathy would love a future with Ryan but their careers are still on two different paths; hers three hours away in Toronto, and Ryan’s in Clarence Bay. He wants to see Clarence Bay flourish without all the trappings many small towns fall into, his goal is to guide the town and become its next mayor.



Whoever chose the title of this book, they chose well. This book had a great plot, and a few scandalous subplots; all trying to poke holes at Ryan’s campaign platform of transparency. Out of all the reveals in this book I felt Ryan’s emotions when he found out he was Hayley’s father were the most realistic. When the story was done there were so many little tidbits of story left over from secondary characters I can not wait to see where they all pick up in the next book.




I grew up in a small state, in a small city with plenty of small towns around – complete with volunteer fire departments and town meeting days. Joan Leacott created the perfect small town in Clarence Bay. I felt at home in this book, and it actually reminded me of one of my favorite television shows “Gilmore Girls”.  So many books have heroes or heroines coming back to their hometown after years away to a very icy reception; it was so refreshing to read all the secondary characters that were so happy to see Cathy back home, to read of the renewed friendships.  The secondary characters where depicted excellent and full of details, I am sure each will be an important part in future books in this series. One of the brightest spots of this book is the depiction of Cathy and Ryan’s daughter, Hayley.  Hayley is a very spunky, observant girl and all she wants is a dad; before her father was revealed she even asks Ryan if he would consider marrying both Hayley and her mom. Her fascination with Trixie Belden made me smile.




When you want an easy read that will make you warm to your core pick up this book. It has enough going on to keep you interested, but not such a detailed plot that if you put it down you would be lost.  A perfect vacation read. The intimate scenes may make some blush slightly but it is definitely something you can read with others around.  A great introduction to a new series and a new author, I will definitely look for more Joan Leacott books in the future.





  4 STARS!





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Kame received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for her honest opinion.
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Meet Kame:

Kame is part of a family of readers; one day she picked up the Nook she purchased for her husband and discovered her love of e-books. A few months later he purchased one for her so he could have his back! Kame’s Nook is never far, and she is hard pressed to pick a favorite book, genre or author. As long as there are characters that make her want to sit down and have a chat and a plot keeps the pages turning, she’ll read it.

Kame's GoodReads 
 



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Thanks for the review, Kame! :) I'm putting this one on my list. I love a good small town, sweet romance, and this one sounds just right! 










Enjoy!



Until Next Time,
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*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!
Enjoy! Until Next Time, Photobucket *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

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