Series: The Legal Briefs*
Release Date: August 25th, 2015
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 & 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.
• Death of parents and sibling
• Allusions to domestic abuse
• STD scare
• Does have OW/OM drama
– The Hero goes on many dates before and after he meets the Heroine
– The Heroine goes on dates with OM after the Hero breaks up with her
• Does have a descriptive sex scene with OW
– The book opens up with the Hero having sex with a one night stand.
– Hero decides to give up ONS because the OW tells him she has an STD. The Hero–although he doesn’t have an STD–becomes paranoid. He decides to give dating a try.
– There’s a brief scene with the Hero and OW that is interrupted when the Hero needs to go help the Heroine–the Heroine calls which interrupts them.
• Does have the Hero pushing away the Heroine
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
– The Hero and Heroine briefly break-up because the Hero doesn’t want to help raise six kids
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 4/5 stars
*Each book in the series is Standalone
I think everyone appreciates a funny story. It’s not too serious, the romance is slight, but it definitely makes you laugh. Sustained by Emma Chase was a really amusing book. But, it also had a heated (and adorable) romance and a serious plot (Jake helped Chelsea take care of her 6 children–two of them are young enough that they don’t even remember their parents). I, for one, can’t even imagine caring for 6 kids under the age of 14. It sounds crazy and impossible, and that’s pretty much what Chelsea’s life is after her brother and sister-in-law pass away.
Much of Emma Chase’s humour comes from the story being solely told from the hero’s perspective. Especially this guy since he doesn’t like kids and commitment scares the crap out of him. That being said, I always find it hard when the narrator/main character is a guy. Especially in cases like this book where the author makes it obvious who the hero is supposed to fall in love with–because when they “date” (wink wink nudge nudge), other women I’m kinda judging and screaming on the inside “she’s not the one! How could you?”. Whereas, if it was the girl dating around, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal (still not cool, but it wouldn’t make me cringe… unless the guy was a jerk). I know, quite hypocritical of me, but I can’t help it.
What really tied this story together were the kids. They weren’t just mentioned casually or seen and not heard; their personalities and problems were a significant influence on the plot. Especially since they’re still grieving the death of their parents. It’s also because of the kids–well, one in particular–that Jake ends up meeting Chelsea (thank you, Rory, for being such an arrogant smart ass!).
My only real complaint was the cliché separation/brief break up of Jake and Chelsea. Once I got a certain percentage through the book, I was continually waiting for the other shoe to drop since there’s no way a commitment-phobe like Jake wouldn’t try to run away at least once. I think the only surprising part of this eventuality was really when it occurred.
I imagine for fans who read the first book in the series that they would really like catching up on Stanton and Sofia’s lives (they are still very much in love btw). The next book in the series is Brent’s … which is a second-chance romance with a childhood friend of Brent’s being the heroine. I don’t like second-chance romances… to angsty, but I will definitely be reading Emma Chase’s epilogue to the series, Sidebarred, look for my review next week (see below).
Oh, and a quick note, all the books in this series (besides Sidebarred) can be read as a standalone. I’ve only read Sustained, which is #2 in the series, and it didn’t affect my understanding of the book at all!
Other Books I’ve Reviewed by Emma Chase
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