Sustained by Emma Chase

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 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 get you off. 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 am knee deep in a damn compost pit.

 

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, and defend her…and the kids.

 

And that—that, I know how to do.

 

Title: Sustained | Series: Legal Briefs #2 | Author: Emma Chase | Publisher: Gallery Books | Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: Publisher | Rating: 4.5

I’m not going to lie. I had a bad reaction to Stanton—the hero in book one, Overruled— and nearly passed up Sustained. Honestly, I nearly skipped the rest of the Legal Briefs series just because Stanton left such a bad taste in mouth. Thankfully, Sustained was screaming at me to pick it up and give it a chance and, blimey, I’m so glad that I did.

 

So, here’s what’s going on. Jake Becker’s a DC defense attorney who likes playing the field. He’s fine with jumping from one woman to the next, he’s definitely not the type of guy who is looking to settle down. Then he’s given cause to give up his causal encounters and actually get to know the woman before he sleeps with her. Although when a young boy nicks Jake’s wallet, Jake finds himself drawn to the boy’s aunt, Chelsea McQuaid, who just so happens to be the exact opposite of Jake.

 

This book was brilliant. Emma Chase excels at writing a strong masculine character.

 

 

Sorry, Cinderella, but the clock struck twelve. The coach has turned back into a pumpkin and it’s time to collect your glass slipper. I never pretended to be Prince Charming.

 

So, yeah, at the beginning I was totally singing the Wanker song in Jake’s honor. Although I really liked Jake. If you’ve read Chase’s Tangled series, Jake bears a strong resemblance to Drew Evans, and I so loved Drew. Jake’s arrogant, cocky, a bit of a wanker, and completely terrified of any form of commitment yet he’s a lovable wanker you want to root for.

 

He’s tidy, organized, and the only kid he likes is Stanton’s daughter so when Chelsea comes barging into his life with her herd of nieces and nephews it throws his life into a tailspin but he’s unable to walk away.

 

I really enjoyed Chelsea. She’s became an instant guardian to her brother’s children and, while she’s struggling a bit, she never once thought about walking away.  She’s strong, determined, a bit chaotic but she’s making it work. I liked how she never really pushed Jake into a relationship although she wasn’t going to allow herself to be his doormat.

 

The chemistry between Jake and Chelsea was amazing. It took a bit of time to get them between the sheets, but it was so worth it once they did.

 

When I read the blurb and noticed that there were six children in the book, I was a bit curious to see how that was going to work out. I was slightly worried that so many children would throw off the pacing and bog down the story although it worked out brilliant. Each of the kids had their own personality and it was definitely entertaining to see how Jake handled them.

 

This book is told strictly from Jake’s POV although I was able to glean a really good sense of Chelsea.

 

Overall, while I still get a bit growly when I see Stanton’s name pop up, I really enjoyed Sustained. I could not put this book down and it reminded me why I fell in love with Emma Chase.

 

I cannot wait to read this book again.

Updated to include: I just wanted to mention that this book does work brilliantly as a standalone.

 

The Legal Briefs Series 

Overruled

Sustained