Wednesday 27 April 2016

Review: Sidebarred by Emma Chase

Sidebarred by Emma Chase

Publisher: Emma Chase
Publication Date: April 24th, 2016
Pages: 101
Series: The Legal Briefs #3.5
Source: e-ARC from author
Rating: 5/5
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Join Jake & Chelsea, Stanton & Sofia, Brent & Kennedy as they navigate the hilarious and heartwarming hurdles of love, life and the law in this final addition to the Legal Briefs Series.

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.




I loveeee The Legal Briefs series. And after reading the epilogue in Appealed I was satisfied. Everyone's happy! But hey, if Emma wants to change her mind and give me more of these characters, who's to question her. Especially when it's more Jake and Chelsea because they be my absolute favourite couple/book of Emma's.

Emma is great at writing a light hearted fun and sexy romcom that has a dash of deeper feelings. It's also probably true that no matter how light the book is, when you love the characters so much that when they're feeling sad so will you. Because we be like family, in paper form. That's still a real family though. IT IS. Moving on...

There was just that something that drew me into Jake's story the first time around. Here's this big aggressive lawyer type guy finding himself attached to a bunch of kids, and their hot aunt, without really having a choice in the matter. Sustained was life-changing for Jake and the gang, well four years down the road and it's going to get even more hectic.

Sidebarred is just a really funny and endearing book. I love really seeing how much a team Jake and Chelsea have become. Both of them found themselves in the parent role before they were ready(or even wanting to) and it's of course going to have a lot of obstacles. But watching them handle a gang of kids ranging in age is hilarious. I'm not going to lie, my favourite part of Sustained and Sidebarred is the kids. It's that big family mentality with the fighting and bugging each other, well still being super close siblings. But of course the best part is watching them keep Jake on his toes. Jake is a take control kind of guy, and yea, a lot of the time that can come off a bit brazen; especially when he "forgets" to involve Chelsea in her own life. But hey, that's the fun in this story, the unlikely family guy figuring out having a wife and kids. And he's got to get adapt as their gang gets bigger this time around.

Like I said, I love this series. And Sidebarred was everything I wanted but didn't think I was going to get. I'm so happy that Emma decided we needed a little extra more of the Becker-McQuaid clan. And since she was in a giving mood, you know another series featuring some of this series' kids would be well received; guaranteed.





Excerpt

Chelsea sits beside me on the couch, facing me, her legs tucked, her pretty feet curled under her. Yes—Chelsea has pretty feet, okay? I never knew feet could be pretty—until I saw hers.

“So . . . that talk I mentioned before? We should probably have that now, while we can.”

I take a sip of my drink and nod. “Yeah—I wasn’t at all hoping you’d forget about it or anything.”

Her face slides into a grin. “Funny.”

I look back at her, straight-faced. “I’m a funny guy.”

When she doesn’t say anything for a few moments, I ask, “What’s up?”

Because now I’m actually getting concerned. My stomach tightens as I brace for whatever’s worrying her—and before I even know what I’m up against, in my head I’m already planning all the ways I’ll take care of it. Because that’s what I do—and I’m good at it.

But what she tells me next blows my fucking mind.

“I’m late.”

Two words—ten thousand thoughts exploding in my head at once.

I’m a big guy, six-five, 225 pounds of muscle. Guys like me, our voices don’t squeak. But at this moment, mine comes damn close.

“Like . . . for an appointment?”

Chelsea inhales deeply, then breathes out, “No.”






Emma Chase


Emma Chase lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children and two misbehaving (but really cute) dogs. She has a long standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true.






Happy reading!

Brittany

2 comments:

  1. For a minute I thought the 3.5 was 35. I've been wanting to read Emma Chase for awhile but I thought surely I haven't missed 35 books! This does sound good and I'm glad that it was just the extra you wanted. It sounds like this was a really great addition to the series.

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  2. I haven't read this series (yet) and typically I shy away from stories where kids play a part. Like we were just DMing about the other day. But, at the same time, when it happens later in a book or series - when I'm already totally invested in a story/character - I admit I *sometimes* get a little melty when a guy (especially a total alpha type) goes totally shaft for a baby or child. There's just something about it. I'd much prefer him to going off soft over a love interest but once in a while it is kinda sweet to see him lose his heart to a child.

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