Tag Archives: Legal Briefs

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!

Review: Overruled (Legal Briefs #1) by Emma Chase

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Title: Overruled
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 4/28/15
Length:   254 Pages
Series:  Legal Briefs #1

Overview

A Washington, DC, defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don’t call him the Jury Charmer for nothing—with his southern drawl, disarming smile, and captivating green eyes, he’s a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him, and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him.

Stanton’s a man with a plan. And for a while, life was going according to that plan.

Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart, the mother of his beloved ten-year-old daughter. Jenny is getting married—to someone who isn’t him.

That’s definitely not part of the plan.

***

Sofia Santos is a city-raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn’t have time for relationships or distractions.

But when Stanton, her “friend with mind-blowing benefits,” begs her for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi, to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves. Her head tells her she’s crazy…and her heart says something else entirely.

What happens when you mix a one-stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage, and a gun-toting Nana?

The Bourbon flows, passions rise, and even the best-laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.

My Thoughts

One thing that our author Ms Chase does well is the sweet romance – and this series is yet another example of that.  We start with a pair of high school sweet hearts who find themselves at the precipice of graduation, and what that means since they’ll be going to different schools, adding to that a baby.  So, even the best intentions may not give us happy endings and this story is all about that.

Fast forward a few years to DC, where Stanton is a successful lawyer, part of a firm where he’s making his mark, and has a great group of friends around him who all work together.  He’s living his life to the fullest in DC since that’s the arrangement that he has with Jenny – his girl and baby mamma, but he’s still got a large part of himself firmly rooted in Mississippi with the family.

When Sofia, another lawyer starts to make him feel more, even though he doesn’t admit that it’s more, well you know that things are going to get complicated.  Everyone knows the situation, feelings aren’t part of the mix, it’s only sex and physical, and the emotional bit is with Jenny and Presley.  Until Jenny announces that she’s getting married.

The story that we have here is one where we see that there’s a need to understand the difference between loving someone and being in love, and whether you really know who someone is now v. what you remember from years ago.

It’s also a test of how much Sofia will put up with since you know she’s a really smart woman, who’s there to be a great friend, but who will only allow so much to happen around her before it pushes her too far.

There’s a tornado, someone in the hospital, some secrets revealed and we see how things play out.  What we see in some of Ms Chase’s books but not all is a bit of heat and steam.  There is more passion here than we see sometimes, and that’s a nice change.  There’s chemistry between Stanton and Sofia, and when it’s actually written about, well we can see another side to what Emma Chase can bring for us.  There’s also a nice little twist about preferences for someone that we didn’t realize before, showing us that Ms Chase is capable of bringing in a twist and secret from time to time.

The nice thing about this first installment is that we met Brent and Jake, friends in their group who are bound to have great stories of their own, and i can’t wait to see what they are about.  Enjoy!