Tag Archives: Emma Chase

Review: Royally Yours (Royally #4) by Emma Chase

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Title: Royally Yours
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year:  Createspace Publishing 9/11/18
Length:   197 Pages
Series:  Royally #4

Overview

Princess Lenora Celeste Beatrice Arabella Pembrook had an unusual childhood. She was raised to be a Queen—the first Queen of Wessco.

It’s a big deal.

When she’s crowned at just nineteen, the beautiful young monarch is prepared to rule. She’s charming, clever, confident and cunning.

What she isn’t… is married.

It’s her advising council’s first priority. It’s what Parliament is demanding, and what her people want.

Lenora has no desire to tie herself to a man—particularly one who only wants her for her crown. But compromises must be made and royals must do their duty.

Even Queens. Especially them.

**

Years ago, Edward Langdon Richard Dorian Rourke, walked away from his title and country. Now he’s an adventurer—climbing mountains, exploring jungles, going wherever he wants, when he wants—until family devotion brings him home.

And a sacred promise keeps him there.

To Edward, the haughty, guarded little Queen is intriguing, infuriating…and utterly captivating. Wanting her just might drive him mad—or become his greatest adventure.

**

Within the cold, stone walls of the royal palace—mistrust threatens, wills clash, and an undeniable, passionate love will change the future of the monarchy forever.

Every dynasty has a beginning. Every legend starts with a story.

This is theirs.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed the first 3 installments to this series, all stories that laid a nice framework to the history is Wessco and what it’s like to be a royal there.  With this fourth book, i’m happy to see that we get to see a Princess, a Queen as the leading lady, and the one that has to truly reign and lead her country while tying to find her own happiness.

We go on a journey with Leonora where she grows from being a girl who knows her future, to a woman who’s forced to live in the present, during a time when there are still so many expectations on what is ‘right and proper’.  It’s through a friendship that she starts with Thomas, a newly appointed Duke of his family’s land (taking the title because his older brother decided that he had a different purpose in life) that Leonora finds freedom.  Thomas is the kind of friend who gets her into trouble but not enough to cause problems.  Just enough to let her feel like she’s living.  He shares the stories of his older brother with Leonora, and some how even though it’s only through writing, she starts to feel butterflies when Thomas’ brother Edward sends regards to ‘Lenny’.  More to come on that later.

Leonora finds herself in the role of Queen earlier than expected and her world is thrown into a tailspin.  She’s forced to grow up very quickly, earn and keep the trust of her citizens, and some how keep the old men of Parliment at bay and happy.  Which of course means that she must get married.  Since in the 1940s/1950s, it’s just NOT ok to be a single woman ruling a country.

The story from here is expected yet frustrating and sweet at the same time.  A list of appropriate men is shared and countered.  The determination that Thomas is the perfect guy of course makes the most sense…and on to wedding planning we go.  Until Thomas falls gravely ill, terminally so, and the world comes crashing down.  Here enters Big Brother Edward and the world is perhaps righted again.

What’s really nice about how Emma Chase wrote this one is that we had a fairly innocent and clinical first part, and then things start to get romantic.  Even dirty in places.  It’s like there’s a tangible shift once Edward comes into the mix, partially because of how commanding he is in physique and character but also because there’s a clear chemistry between them, and Edward is able to teach Lenny things that she never really understood.

Theirs is a partnership built on grief of Thomas, but also developed and strengthened because of who they are to one another.  We can only hope that this strength is able to keep them together while there are those who are out to discredit Edward’s faith and loyalty to Lenny.  Add to that the sense that Parliment is constantly against everything that Lenny wants to do, there’s concern that Edward has too much power over Lenny and the country and then the crazy ‘live your life as you want’ little sister of Princess Miriam.  So much that can be overwhelming and so much that can derail even the best laid plans.  Who gets caught it the cross fire, what is sacrificed to make the country prosperous and what does that means for our mains?  you’ll only find out if you read.  Enjoy!

 

Book Release: Royally Yours by Emma Chase

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New York Times bestselling author Emma Chase returns with a sweet and sexy standalone in the Royally Series.

Princess Lenora Celeste Beatrice Arabella Pembrook had an unusual childhood. She was raised to be a Queen—the first Queen of Wessco.
It’s a big deal.
When she’s crowned at just nineteen, the beautiful young monarch is prepared to rule. She’s charming, clever, confident and cunning.
What she isn’t…is married.
It’s her advising council’s first priority. It’s what Parliament is demanding, and what her people want.
Lenora has no desire to tie herself to a man—particularly one who only wants her for her crown. But compromises must be made and royals must do their duty.
Even Queens. Especially them.
**
Years ago, Edward Langdon Richard Dorian Rourke, walked away from his title and country. Now he’s an adventurer—climbing mountains, exploring jungles, going wherever he wants, when he wants—until family devotion brings him home.
And a sacred promise keeps him there.
To Edward, the haughty, guarded little Queen is intriguing, infuriating…and utterly captivating. Wanting her just might drive him mad—or become his greatest adventure.
**
Within the cold, stone walls of the royal palace—mistrust threatens, wills clash, and an undeniable, passionate love will change the future of the monarchy forever.
Every dynasty has a beginning. Every legend starts with a story.
This is theirs.
**********
ROYALLY YOURS will be available on October 30th
Preorder:
→iBooks: http://bit.ly/RoyallyYoursiBooks
→B&N: http://bit.ly/RoyallyYoursNook
→Google Play: http://bit.ly/RoyallyYoursGooglePlay
→Kobo: http://bit.ly/RoyallyYoursKobo
→Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2NNoIET
→Kindle LIVE alert: http://authoremmachase.com/newsletter/
→Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/RoyallyYoursGoodreads

Special thanks to:
Photographer: Rafael Catala
Cover Model: Fabian Castro
Cover Designer – By Hang Le (she’s so awesome!)

**The Royally Yours paperback includes the bonus short story, Royally Yours, for the first time in print!**

Review: Royally Endowed (Royally #3) by Emma Chase

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Title: Royally Endowed
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Ever After Romance 8/14/17
Length:   350 Pages
Series:  Royally #3

Overview

Logan St. James is a smoldering, sexy beast. Sure, he can be a little broody at times?but Ellie Hammond?s willing to overlook that. Because, have you seen him??

Sexy. As. Hell.

And Ellie?s perky enough for both of them.

For years, she?s had a crush on the intense, protective royal security guard?but she doesn?t think he ever saw her, not really.

To Logan, Ellie was just part of the job?a relative of the royal family he?d sworn to protect. Now, at 22 years old and fresh out of college, she?s determined to put aside her X-rated dreams of pat-downs and pillow talk, and find a real life happily ever after.

The Queen of Wessco encourages Ellie to follow in her sister?s footsteps and settle down with a prince of her own. Or a duke, a marquis?a viscount would also do nicely.

But in the pursuit of a fairy tale ending, Ellie learns that the sweetest crushes can be the hardest to let go.

***

Logan St. James grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, in a family on the wrong side of the law. But these days, he covers his tattoos and scars with a respectable suit. He?s handsome, loyal, brave, skilled with his hands and?other body parts.

Any woman would be proud to bring him home to her family.

But there?s only one woman he wants.

For years he?s watched over her, protected her, held her hair back when she was sick, taught her how to throw a punch, and spot a liar.

He dreams of her. Would lay down his life for her.

But beautiful Ellie Hammond?s off-limits.

Everybody knows the bodyguard rules:

Never lose focus, never let them out of your sight, and never, ever fall in love.

My Thoughts

I love this series – and after reading all about Princes Nicholas and Henry and how their stories came to a happy ending, i think that it’s about time that we got to see what comes of Ellie, Olivia’s sister.  She’s young, innocent and still manages to succeed when weights are on her shoulder, so when she finally gets the chance to live her life – it’s nice to see how it all happen.

Logan on the other hand – we adore him.  He’s the bodyguard that we met in Nicholas’ story and he’s got not just this protective side to him, he’s broody and sexy and that’s exactly what Ellie needs.  If they ever get to the point where they will let it happen.

What’s different about this story is that we get to see how it jumps through time.  We aren’t ‘in the moment’ with this third installment which is nice – we instead get to see how Logan and Ellie’s friendship of sorts grows over the year as a result of the circumstances of being thrown together over and over again while Logan is still on Nicholas’ detail and they are back in NYC.

It’s entertaining really for the first 2/3 of the book.  We get to see how Ellie has grown up, made her own choices, and teased Logan when she could.  He’s also had his share of appreciating her over the years as well – but from afar since he’s not willing to compromise his job.

It takes years, but when it happens – well things are hot and steamy and explosive.  They are mature enough to know that they can’t keep things a secret, but never quite find the moment to come clean and of course when they are found out, it makes things that much more complicated.  We also see that feelings are too much for them at times, and of course that breaks them up.  When someone almost dies and then someone is threatened by a stalker – well we see what true emotions really mean.

There is also an underlying story of a crazed stalker who’s after Olivia and threatens her when he can.  He’s clearly inside the palace and no one knows who he is and when he’s going to strike – but we know that it’s going to happen.  I think that it adds to the tension since she’s pregnant with twins – the first royal babies and well – everyone’s on edge.

So you can imagine how fast moving this book is.  Romance, fear of a stalker, fear of being found out and then really coming clean with what you want as a person and maybe as a couple.

If this truly is the last book in the series – then at least we got the closure that we all needed – getting to see how thing are tied up for each of the story lines, but there was a teaser in the epilogue of Tommy (another of Ellie’s security detail) and a girl that he’s into – so maybe there’s more.  i can hope!  I hope that you guys enjoy this one!

Review: Tied (Tangled #4) by Emma Chase

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Title: Tied
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 10/7/14
Length:   169 Pages
Series:  Tangled #4

Overview

In the fourth sexy romance by the New York Times bestselling author of Tangled and Twisted, Drew and Kate can’t wait to tie the knot—if they can survive the pre-wedding festivities.

For most of my life, I never imagined I’d get married. But Kate did the impossible: she changed me. I think we can all agree I was pretty frigging awesome before, but now I’m even better.

The road to this day wasn’t all rainbows and boners. There were mistakes and misunderstandings worthy of a Greek tragedy. But Kate and I made it through with our inexhaustible lust, boundless admiration, and everlasting love for one another intact.

That being said, there were some unexpected incidents in Vegas last weekend that could have been a problem. It was kind of…my final test.

I know what you’re thinking—what the hell did you do this time? Relax. Let’s not judge, or call for my castration, until you’ve heard the whole story.

And hold on tight, because you’re in for a wild ride. Did you expect anything less?

My Thoughts

Well this sweet series seems to be coming to an end – although there are so many more characters that we could have gotten stories for.  Oh well.  Anyway – it’s the moment of truth, when Drew and Kate are going to get married, and you know that it can’t go off without a hitch – it just wouldn’t be them.  So here we are, going to Vegas for the joint Bach/Lette parties and well – things get crazy.

If it wasn’t a sign when the flight attendant hits on Drew right in front of Kate,and then she appears at the casino not really willing to take no for an answer.  Then there’s the struggle with Drew dealing with Billy and his lust for Kate – and we see Billy getting laid out by a bunch of guys after he hits on one of their girls.

Then there are the female shenanigans – led by Dee of course.  The threat of a male masseuse, and the Goddess party – and don’t forget the dance at the strip club for Kate.  So all in all, it’s going to get exciting and you can’t wait to see what will happen next.

It’s a sweet end to the story though – you know that there are the best of intentions for this couple, Drew truly is a changed man, but when he’s faced with all the prodding and temptation around him, is he going to be man enough to avoid?  Well, there is a huge chunk of his night that he forgets because of a bottle of Pandora at the strip club, meaning that when he wakes up and a brunette that’s NOT kate is in his shower and Kate is no where to be seen, well, things get exciting.

There’s a marriage, an almost divorce, and a life of change coming for these folks and i think that there’s no better way to send off this series than how we get it wrapped up.  Ms Chase gives us the conclusion that we all wanted for this couple and now i’m off to find something else to entertain me!  Enjoy!

Review: Tamed (Tangled #3) by Emma Chase

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Title: Tamed
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 7/15/14
Length:   272 Pages
Series:  Tangled #3

Overview

In the third unforgettable book by New York Times bestselling author Emma Chase, Matthew Fisher—the best friend of Drew Evans from Tangled and Twisted—wants to settle down, but he’ll have to overcome the mistrust of the vividly unique Dee Dee Warren. Includes a bonus short story, Holy Frigging Matrimony!

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: girl meets player, they fall in love, player changes his ways.

It’s a good story. But it’s not our story. Ours is a lot more colorful.

When I met Dee, I knew right away that she was special. When she met me, she thought I was anything but special—I was exactly like every other guy who’d screwed her over and let her down. It took some time to convince her otherwise, but it turns out I can make a convincing argument when sex is at stake.

You might know where this story’s headed. But the best part isn’t where we ended up.

It’s how we got there.

My Thoughts

So, we’re back with this group of friends, getting to see how Matthew and Dee’s romance started and blossomed, crashed and burned, and then started up again.  The interesting thing about this series though, is that in book 2, we got several spoilers about this story, so it’s like it was a bit anticlimactic at times since we knew exactly what was going to happen. (although it’s not like we couldn’t figure it out).

Any way – we get to learn a bit more about Matthew, wingman to Drew, and son of one of the partners of the banking firm that they work for.  It’s nice to see that he’s human – while he’s definitely a guys guy – all about the easy hook-up and ot a lasting relationship, he’s got a really sensitive side, especially when it comes to Mckenzie – just like everyone seems to have with this child.

So when Dee walks into his life – well she’s exciting and challenging and different and that means that all his rules are thrown to the wayside.

Dee on the other hand, a wild child, best friend to Kate, and cousin to Billy (Kate’s BF at this point in this story), and well she’s definitely not what she appears to be.  She’s incredibly smart, but likes to have her own personality and throw people off her scent.  she’s also been burned way too many times in the past from men so she’s incredibly guarded and makes it really tough for Matthew to break through.

So what starts as an intense physical thing turns into so much more, which neither are prepared to deal with and that makes things interesting.  They push each other away at every turn and even when Matthew tries his hand at romance, he comes up empty.  The question really becomes not ‘when will they get together for real’, but instead what will it take to make Dee open her eyes that matthew is the one, and will matthew be able to handle it at that point.

So, on that note, we get yet another light and fluffy story from Emma Chase, and don’t take that to be a negative.  it’s the perfect summer reading book while i was laying out on my lawn yesterday getting a tan.  I think there’s another book in this series so i’m going to go and track it down.  enjoy!

Review: Twisted (Tangled #2) by Emma chase

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Title: Twisted
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 3/25/14
Length:   191 Pages
Series:  Tangled #2

Overview

When spontaneous and carefree meets cautious and responsible, falling in love can get just a little Twisted

There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who look first, and the ones who leap. I’ve always been more of a looker. A planner. Cautious. Then I met Drew Evans. He was so persistent. So sure of himself. He made it easy to leap with him.

Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after? So did I. But life is about choices, and Drew already made his. In fact, he tried to decide for the both of us—but you know that’s not my style. So I came back to Greenville, to spend some time alone . . . sort of.

Because old habits die hard, and sometimes you have to go back to where you began before you can move ahead again.

My Thoughts

Well we knew that happily ever after wasn’t going to last and that’s exactly what we get in this second book of the series.  It’s from Kate’s POV whereas the first was from Drew’s so we get to see a much more emotional side to things.  This story line is full of misunderstandings, misinformation and a clear bit of confusion on where things stand all around.  We’ve jumped 2 years into the future and things are getting interesting.

So, like the first book, we start at a moment in time – present day, but are forced back a series of weeks in order to truly understand what’s going on in the story.  Kate’s found herself back at home with her mom because of something significant that’s happened, and where she goes from there is anyone’s guess.

When we back up, we learn that Kate and Drew truly do have a rhythm.  they are in sync both at work and in life, but there’s always the undercurrent of jealousy since everywhere they go, they run into a girl that Drew has been with and Kate’s about fed up with it.  One night it all comes to a head when Kate just can’t take it and she heads home – which starts a fight of Drew just not understanding women.

Add that to the fact that Kate’s just found out that she’s pregnant, doesn’t get a chance to tell Drew before he thinks that she’s having an affair, and you can imagine how the whole story blows up from there.

It’s sweet to see who in her life comes to her defense, and even who in Drew’s life comes to her defense.  Billy, her ex fiance is now a big time musician who’s nominated for Grammy’s but yet he’s there to help pick up the pieces.  Dee Dee is always there for Kate, and even her husband Matthew (yup – they are married) is forced to defend her.  Even Drew’s father has chosen sides.

I think that my comments here on the depth of the story are the same as they were for Tangled.  It’s sweet, but very much on the surface.  i  don’t know that i care for the internal dialogue that the characters keep having based on how the book is narrated, but i think that it works for the story in general since we’re not supposed to get all swept up into an in-depth storyline here.  And all that being said, there’s no lack of romance, heat, angst etc, to keep it moving.  So all in all, a nice quick read for yet another relaxing summer book.  Have a great day all!

Review: Tangled (Tangled #1) by Emma Chase

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Title: Tangled
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 1/14/14
Length:   256 Pages
Series:  Tangled #1

Overview

When rich, handsome, and arrogant meets beautiful, brilliant, and ambitious, things are bound to get tangled

Drew Evans makes multimillion-dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? He’ll tell you he has the flu, but we all know that’s not really true.

When Katherine Brooks is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.

How can one woman turn a smooth-talking player into a broken, desperate man? By making the one thing he never wanted in life the only thing he can’t live without.

My Thoughts

I feel like i keep jumping around the series that Ms Chase has written, going from recent to past to even further past.  but i guess it’s all a non issue when it’s all new series right?  The nuance to this story is that we have it from the mindset and POV of our male lead, getting not just his view on things but his full on narration.  like how his brain is processing everything word for word.

So as you can imagine, the plot of this story is one powerful guy who is used to getting whatever he wants, never having a client get away, never losing a woman to someone else, and well, that seems to be happening all of a sudden, all due to one Kate Brooks walking into his life.

The way that Emma chase writes his internal dialogue is entertaining, and i have to say that he’s clearly whipped by how he  feels about Kate, and while that’s sweet and all, it’s not at all like the strength and confidence that we see in the other leads that we have from other series that she’s written.  I don’t mind it, it’s just very different than what we’ve had from everything else.

Then there’s Kate – the woman who’s causing all the ruckus.  She’s fresh in her new job, and starts off the story in a very long term relationship – one where she’s been engaged for something like 7 or 10 years,and where she’s killing it professionally, she’s not getting what she needs personally, so it’s a shock when perhaps Drew is able to do that for her.

As expected, we have maturity issues, trust issues, and the overall question of whether anything good will come out of these two and their chemistry.  They’re put against one another at work to get new clients and that’s fun to watch.  and then they decide to act on their attraction which is also fun to watch.  even more so when it crashes and burns.

So all in all, a very sweet story – one that’s obviously not meant to be all that deep and meaningful but one that’s exactly what you hope for when reading a summer book.  i hope you guys enjoy and now i’m going to start reading the 2nd book in the series.  Have a great day!

Review: Sidebarred (Legal Briefs #3.5) by Emma Chase

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Title: Sidebarred
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 4/24/16
Length:   89 Pages
Series:  Legal Briefs #3.5

Overview

There was a time when Jake Becker had it all together. He was controlled, driven, ruthless—in and out of the courtroom.

Then, six irresistible orphans and their heartbreakingly beautiful aunt crashed into his perfectly ordered life. They changed everything. They changed him. Now he’s a husband, an upstanding member of society, a father figure—a family man.
And he’s pretty damn good at it.

Sure, he has to referee sibling smackdowns, re-learn algebra, ensure his clients stay of jail, and keep his wife happy—but it finally feels like he’s got it together again….

So, of course something has to screw it all up. It’s huge. Life-changing. Kind of terrifying.

And it will be the most amazing, perfect thing he’ll ever do.

My Thoughts

It’s a sweet novella that we’ve gotten here – and it’s kind of interesting to me that Jake was the chosen on for it since i didn’t really think of him as the ‘main guy’ – but it works.  So we left off his story where he and Chelsea were happy and together, and we saw that they got married in reading Brent’s story.  So what comes next?  life with 6 kids, and maybe one more?  Well, we got the teaser of all that in the third book’s epilogue and that made me really happy.

There’s really no huge depth going on here as expected, just a continuation of what life looks like for them, and how even as a married couple, there are still times when they fight and get mad at each other – Jake’s still never going to give up being over protective and all that – and it comes through quite often in this book.

Emma chase gives us closure here – we get to see how life turned out for everyone – especially in the epilogue type thing that we got here.  It was really a nice touch to see where everyone ended up and how their lives turned out.  Making sure we had no questions about whether everyone was happy or not, who was still around and who was still trying to fight the good fight.

The other nice little treat is that we got a deleted chapter from Brent’s story in here, and it’s one that we got a glimpse into from a comment that Kennedy and Brent made – so it’s nice to see how it all played out.  Anyhow – seems like this series is done for good now – so onto the next.  Enjoy!

 

Review: Appealed (Legal Briefs #3) by Emma Chase

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Title: Appealed
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 1/19/15
Length:   254 Pages
Series:  Legal Briefs #3

Overview

When Brent Mason looks at Kennedy Randolph, he doesn’t see the awkward, sweet girl who grew up next door. He sees a self-assured, stunning woman…who wants to crush the most intimate—and prized—parts of his anatomy beneath the heels of her Louboutins.

When Kennedy looks at Brent, all she sees is the selfish, Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue–worthy teenager who humiliated her in high school in order to join the popular crowd. A crowd that made those years a living hell for her.

But she’s not a lovesick social outcast anymore—she’s a Washington, DC, prosecutor with a long winning streak. Brent is the opposing attorney in her next case, and Kennedy thinks it’s time to put him through a little hell of his own.

But things aren’t exactly working out the way she planned. Brent has his sights set on Kennedy, and every fiery exchange only makes him want her more—and makes her wonder if he’s as passionate in the bedroom as he is in the courtroom. In the end, they may just find themselves in love…or in contempt of court.

My Thoughts

We’ve spent so much time with this trio of gentlemen that it’s nice to get to the crux of who Brent is and understand his story.  We don’t know much about him from the past 2 books – just that he comes from money, that he looks incredibly young for his age and that he had an accident as a child and lost part of his leg.  None of that defines him alone though, he’s got so much more going on.

Then there’s Kennedy – the girl that he was in love with when he was a teen, the girl that he grew up with, but because of the influence of everyone around them as teens, they ended up so far from one another – because people were jealous and hateful and hurtful.

So when their paths cross in present day on a court case – you know that things will get intense and really hot.  And the way that this story is written, we get a bit of back and forth that teases us and then lays it all out.

we know that Brent never loses, and the case that he’s taken on is one that he should be able to win, and plea out of because the kid didn’t commit a crime that’s so heinous that there’s no coming back for it.  It’s likely an act for attention (something that we actually saw in Jake’s story with Rory – one of the little boys).  So Brent thinks that he can make everything go away, yet here’s Kennedy, the prosecutor who has other plans and makes it really tough.

The dance that comes from it all, is intense.  Emma Chase gives us a story that’s so compelling, the way that these two characters engage both in court and out is hot.  There’s so much chemistry and romance and it takes a few other people to push them together to make it obvious to both of them.  There’s so much steam that you know it’s going to explode.

There’s a nice addition to this story that helps us keep grounded.  two actually.  The first is Waldo, Brent’s therapist and his role is to be the voice of reason in helping Brent become more self aware.  Then there’s the friend squad.  They have always been so protective of one another throughout the series that it’s really nice to see how they rally and then also look to kick his ass when he’s being done.

The tension really comes when their court case is still going weeks later, and when Kennedy learns that her mob case from Vegas is back with an appeal.  There’s a hit out on her and there’s no certainty over what the future will hold.  So…on that note,you have to read through to figure it all out.

The best thing is that we get not only an Epilogue, but an extended Epilogue and that’s something that gives you a glimpse into something bigger and more.  can’t wait to see if we ever get another bit of it.  enjoy!

Review: Sustained (Legal Briefs #2) by Emma Chase

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Title: Sustained
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 8/25/15
Length:   304 Pages
Series:  Legal Briefs #2

Overview

A knight in tarnished armor is still a knight.

When you’re a defense attorney in Washington, DC, you see firsthand how hard life can be, and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I, Jake Becker, have a reputation for being cold, callous, and intimidating—and that suits me just fine. In fact, it’s necessary when I’m breaking down a witness on the stand.

Complications don’t work for me—I’m a “need-to-know” type of man. If you’re my client, tell me the basic facts. If you’re my date, stick to what will turn you on. I’m not a therapist or Prince Charming—and I don’t pretend to be.

Then Chelsea McQuaid and her six orphaned nieces and nephews came along and complicated the ever-loving hell out of my life. Now I’m going to Mommy and Me classes, One Direction concerts, the emergency room, and arguing cases in the principal’s office.

Chelsea’s too sweet, too innocent, and too gorgeous for her own good. She tries to be tough, but she’s not. She needs someone to help her, defend her…and the kids.

And that—that, I know how to do.

My Thoughts

This really is a sweet series – very much in line with all that we get from Ms Chase in everything that she writes.  We met Stanton and Sofia in the first book and now it’s time to get to know Jake, Stanton’s old roommate and one of the other lawyers in the firm.

Jake is a no nonsense kind of guy – the kind who doesn’t attach himself to anyone or anything since that will just get in the way of his goal to make partner and have a stellar career.  One which he’s got and unfortunately often means that he sells his soul because of the clients he defends.

While he’s defending those who don’t deserve it, he finds himself dealing with a personal issue of a one night stand gone awry (STD thanks), and then gets pickpocketed by a 9 year old, which turns out to be a blessing in disguise – since he sees himself in the kid.

And also learns that there’s so much more going on with that kid.

Then there’s chelsea – a 26 yr old girl from California who finds herself the legal guardian of 6 kids from under a year to 14.  It’s a life that she never asked for and yet one that she’s learning that she can’t live without.

When Jake and Chelsea cross paths, what he hopes will be a drop off, turns into something so much more.  There are things that chelsea brings out in him that he never knew that he had.  The notion of protecting and taking care of someone other than himself.  Emotion and compassion and all sorts of human things that someone like Jake shouldn’t feel.  Chelsea also sees that someone out there cares for her and will be there for her when she needs it, without even asking and that’s something that she hasn’t had in months.  or even longer.

It’s a sweet story – of two people that you know need each other but who aren’t in the mindset or position to really go after what they want.  Jake is stubborn in the sense that things are always about the physical but finds himself falling hard for the family.  Chelsea doesn’t have time to breathe and when time and time again she’s finding herself sick, or at the police station, having the kids threatened, taken away etc, well, it’s Sir Jake who’s coming to fix it.

The thing with this story is that it’s so sweet, that even though we know that there will ultimately be the point of tension that tears them apart, we don’t mind.  To be honest, there was even a moment when i thought that Jake was going to lose chelsea for good – at the hands of another man that we’ve met in the story, and how Ms Chase writes that into the mix is really nice.  There’s good chemistry here and good passion.  Where sofia was really independent and mature in the first book, there’s a naive quality, a youth that chelsea has here that gives it another feeling in this story.  She’s got energy that’s almost childish, but not in a bad way.

So on that note, we are left at a turning point for this group of friends that’s teased in the end of this story – positions in the firm are in question when a resignation is tendered – and we hear that someone owns a building which leads to something interesting i’d imagine.  So on that note – i can’t wait to jump into book 3 later on and see what’s next. Enjoy!