She left to live on her terms. He's fighting free of his father's legacy. When tragedy draws them back together, can they claim a second chance?

CLARENCE BAY, CANADA. Cathy Rossetti longs to heal old rifts. Eleven years after running away from her strict home because of an unplanned pregnancy, the successful lawyer returns to care for her terminally ill mother. But though her pulse spikes when she runs into her high school sweetheart, their complicated past has her hesitating to introduce the handsome mayoral candidate to the daughter he doesn't know about.

Ryan Chisholm hates hidden agendas. So when the beautiful woman he never fell out of love with temporarily moves in across the street, the down-to-earth hardware store owner is determined to break up with his current girlfriend. But when a series of dreadful misunderstandings leads to an unwanted engagement, he knows it will be a rocky road to the happily ever after he craves.

Smarting from her mother's harsh rejection, Cathy decides revealing the whole truth would wreck Ryan's mayoral campaign. And when an angry community member spills the beans instead, he struggles with resentment over a decade of unnecessary loneliness.

Have their dreams been dashed forever, or can a third proposal be the charm?

Above Scandal is the heartwarming first book in the Clarence Bay Romance series. If you like witty dialogue, shocking twists, and multi-generational storylines, then you'll adore Joan Leacott's gossipy delight.