Sustained (The Legal Briefs)

by Emma Chase

A knight in tarnished armour is still a knight.

When you're a defence attorney in Washington D.C., you see first-hand 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, 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 hard, but she's not. She needs someone to help her, defend her…and the kids.

And that - that I know how to do.

• ISBN10: 1501102079
• ISBN13: 9781501102073
• Publish Date: 27 August 2015 (first published 25 August 2015)
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Gallery
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Caitiebelle]

This was a fantastic book. I haven't read book 1, but they are all stand-alone, so nothing in book 2 - apart from the couple from book 1, is really present from book 1, so def. can be read as stand-alone and they are definitely stand alone.

This is a single parent category - with 6 kids and one Aunt turned parent. It's got all the crazy that comes with having kids. It's got good romance. It's got an Alpha male who will do anything for his family. It's got humour, and is written from the male's pov, with all the hysterical witty and dry humour that comes with that hehe.

I could not put this book down! And I really recommend it. It's a romantic comedy in a way, but it also has seriousness, love and fighting to stay afloat when you think you might be drowning.

I absolutely loved it. This is the first book I have ever read by Emma Chase, and it did not disappoint. I will def. be looking into the other books by her as she's a talented writer and she wrote Jake in a perfect way that was just up my ally. The humour and wit had me in stitches.

[stacey_is_sassy]

I couldn't help but love him...

It's a funny thing when a character, who, if described to me before "meeting" him would have made me cringe, ends up being one of the BEST heroes. I'd even go as far as saying that he had douchewaffle tendencies that hid his soft and gooey centre. I think it's the talent of the author to be able to show his sleazy side without leaving us with a bad taste in our mouth.

I really enjoyed this story. How could I not enjoy a tale where a very serious workaholic falls for a beautiful woman who has just gained full custody of SIX children...and goes back for more. Sure there were a couple of times that I wanted to give him a good talking to, but once he comes good, he's REALLY good.

The heroine is an amazing woman who knows she deserves a good man and will not settle for second best. I couldn't help but love her strength and resilience. I'm a mother myself and there is no way in hell I could do what she did and keep them all alive.

I loved the kids. For six kids to survive the loss of their parents, adjust and come out stronger in the end, shows they're made of good stock.

I am late to the party and didn't realise until I was a couple of chapters in that I've read this series out of order. Guess I've got a wee bit of catching up to do. I will definitely be back for more.

[Rowena]

Loved this one. A lot. A lot, a lot. I loved Jake. Chelsea. The kids. Jake's friends. Just everything even when Jake was being a bonehead. This book is all that and a bag of chips.

First Read: October 2015
Re-read: January 2017
Re-read: October 2017

[whisperingchapters]

4.5 rounded up to 5!!! OMG this was amazing!! I don't know why it took me forever to pick it up. I fell hard for all of the characters!!

[nitzan_schwarz]

2017 Re-Read

I really needed this right now 3


A brilliant feel good story with tons of feeeels to dishout

[thebookdisciple]

Ok, so this is a 2 parter:
story: I liked it; I wanted to punch Jake in the nuts for most of it though. Seriously dude, grow the f up. Man up.
narration: Its Sebastian York so it was good. I thought he did a great job.
Full review will be on The Book Disciple

[Sam@WLABB]

I love romance novels, so I knew I would probably like this book, but I liked it a lot more than I thought I would, and it was not because of all the romantic bits.

This is Jake's story. Jack is pretty much a man-whore. A successful lawyer, who likes to engage in no strings sex. This is the first image of Jake we are presented with, but as the story goes on, we learn that there is a HUGE heart inside that man. From his visits to The Judge to his interactions with the McQuaid children, we learn there is a soft side to this man. Because this story is told exclusively from Jake's POV (interesting, right?), we get to know a lot about him, as we are always in his head. I adore a redemption story and expect personal growth with my MCs, and Chase delivered on both.

they're half a dozen little c***blockers, but they're funny. Smart. In general, pretty awesome.

The kids are quite a crew. SIX! Six kids, ages 6 months to 14 years old. The antics we get to be part of with all those kids were so much fun, and to me, the heart of soul of this book, is the relationship between Jake and these kids.

She puts her little hands on my cheeks, looks me in the face, and squeaks her third word. "Jake!" And the whole world goes blurry. "Damn, kiddo, you've got a way with words."

Seriously, the book is filled with gems like the quote above. I laughed often and smiled so wide, my face hurt. And, of course, we have plenty of sexy romance, but still, I was won over by the whole "family" dynamic. It was meeting these kids, this family, that helped Jake become the man The Judge knew he could be, and it was all very heartwarming.

I love them, too, in case that wasn't clear. They're awful and perfect...and I love them like they're mine. Like they're ours.

If you want a fun, sexy, adorable read, I think you will be happy with Sustained.

[uktraveler]

Loved the story. Will need to go back & read previous book in series.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Coffee dates with Sustained

• First Date: Sustained is told from Jake’s POV and Emma Chase is pure gold when her male leads narrate. I loved getting inside his head and seeing thing unfold through his eyes. Our first date had some serious moments and we get a sense that Jake is unhappy with his current life; he just does not realize it yet. A health scare and a pickpocket are about to turn Jake’s world upside down


• Second date: Chelsea McQuaid’s life has been upended by the unexpected death of her brother and his wife. This twenty-something college student is now wearing Mom Chic as she finds herself the sole guardian of six adorable and troubled nieces and nephews. When Jake shows up at her doorstep with her nephew in tow neither realizes that something wonderful, complicated and downright sexy is going to develop. Circumstances and fate have these two interacting and between their sizzle and those adorable kids I never want my date to end. We get some heat and it was deliciously steamy. The kids range from tween to infant and they sometimes stole the show. Sustained would make the perfect rom-com movie and Chase hilariously shard life with children.


• Third date: Jake is beginning to get cold feet.*nooooo* Granted commitment is a big step for this self-declared bachelor and his five-year partner plan. I am glad Chelsea can smell bullshit, because this could have caused a lot of drama. This late date was bumpy and downright nerve-wracking particularly regarding the children. I found myself holding my breath and maybe just maybe I wanted to slap Jake in the back of the head and call him stupid. Chase has but me through the wringer on more than one occasion….but children, friends and Jake’s own feelings keep the drama at a minimum. This may have been a rough date emotionally for me, but I also laughed my ass off, wiped a few tears and did happy dances.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Cocktails and Books]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books

Wow, hot bad boy lawyer who falls for a grieving aunt and her 6 (yes 6) nieces and nephews – what’s not to love about this book!

Jake is a hot young defense attorney in Washington DC, he is not looking for a serious relationship in fact he has hard fast rules about dating – he doesn’t date. When he runs into Rory a 9 year old who steals his wallet he sees himself; when he takes the would be thief home and meets his aunt Chelsea he leaves still thinking about her and the 6 kids she is left to care for.

Chelsea, a young graduated student whose life is turned upside down after her brother and sister in law pass away in a horrible car accident; she rushes to Washington to take care of her 6 nieces and nephews and leaves her life behind in California. As things progress she finds herself more and more over her head and starts to reach out to Jake as he starts to feel obligated to help her and the kids. That along with the mutual attraction they feel for each other, their feelings and dependency on each other starts to grow whether they are ready for it or not.

I loved this book! I had never read an Emma Chase book before and am so glad this was my first experience with her. Its told completely from Jake’s point of view which I love! You feel his conflict about his past, his love for his mentor and as his relationship with Chelsea and the children grows you see how his thought process starts to shift. He still has internal conflict with himself, is he good enough to be part of this ready made family and is he in the right job. Defending people who he knows are not good doesn’t help with his feeling of not being good enough. Jake also has a great set of friends who the series Legal Briefs is based on and they are fantastic – funny, smart and are there for him when he needs them the most.

I also loved the kids – they all had their own unique voice and seeing them through Jake's eyes was fun. He thinks of them as real people and not just little kids and you see that in the way he treats them.

You see Jake grow from start to finish but you also see how his time with the kids impacts them and then Chelsea who holds it all together. I laughed out loud multiple times and had a few tears and really felt something towards these characters – to me everything needed for a perfect book.

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